[Title] Have A Little Faith In Me
[Author] Alexandra Oliver
[E-Mail] crazyrangerfan@yahoo.com
[Genre] Drama
[Rating] PG or PG-13
[Timeline] Right after the previous chapter
[Disclaimer] I do NOT own Power Rangers or any of the characters except for Paige Adams.
[Summary] Marah's betrayal has a lasting effect on the Yellow Wind Ranger. Will an old friend of the Bradleys be able to break through the walls Dustin built around his heart and prove herself worthy of his trust?
[Author's Note] All About Beevil is my favorite episode of Power Rangers Ninja Storm and I've seen it plenty of times. Dustin is my favorite Ranger too. Hmmm, yeah! I decided to write like a crazy madwoman so enjoy!
*****NO flames, just constructive criticism, please. I'm always open to suggestions but I ignore senseless bashing. I believe writing is an art and should be respected no matter what.
[Chapter 4] New To The Team
"Yo, talk to me," Paige said into her cell phone when she answered it, stretched out on her bed.
Hunter's voice asked, "Hey, Paige! How are ya?"
"Well, I'm fine, all things considering...my left arm's in pain and I've got a headache the size of California but I'm okay..." Paige said, her tone of voice was a mix of frustration and disappointment in herself, "I should have listened to you and Blake..."
"I think telling him about the telempathy right away was a little too much too soon," Hunter told her, "It was a natural reaction. He'll come around once eventually. Deep down, he knows you're not out to get him."
"Yeah, but..."
"Is that a moment of hesitation from Paige Adams?" Hunter said a bit teasingly.
"Shut it, Hunter. I've been determined to get some answers and now that I know what I'm meant to do, I won't let anyone get in my way. I'm supposed to help you destroy Lothor and you know it. Lothor took my family away just like he took yours and he needs to pay for it."
"Paige, is that what you really believe?"
"What's the point of having this much power if I can't settle a score or two?"
"It's because we protect the innocent, Paige...we can't get caught in this idea of getting revenge. Blake and I went through that and let me tell you this: it's not worth it! I'm not gonna let that happen to you."
"Okay, so answer my question then...what's the point?"
"According to the Golden Scroll Prophecy, you are the heart of the Thunder Force...you're the key to the power of the team...but you can't let the goodness in you get clouded by this desire you have to seek revenge. The point is...we need you and the world needs you."
"Dustin doesn't seem to share the same point of view."
"He'll come around...why are you so concerned about his opinion of you anyway?"
"There's something that draws me to him...I don't understand...even with the strongest block I can manage, his emotions are still so overwhelming! I feel compelled to help him."
"Are you sure it's not just your telempathy messing with you? He's been struggling emotionally with a recent betrayal...but you should know that already..."
"Okay, yeah, but why am I reacting to it like this? Even if it was a matter of a little extra sensitivity, it wouldn't be this bad..."
"You think he might have a Talent?"
"Maybe...I haven't even seen him react to my emotions and adapt to them much less redirect them...he be might be a telempath to a small degree, redirecting his own emotions towards me might be a sort of Talent...maybe a Micro-Talent he does subconsciously..."
"Listen, you need to keep moving in the right direction...don't let this whole deal with Dustin get to you. Your natural mental block is not as strong as some others...you won't be able to keep this block up without feeling overwhelmed. Pace yourself and decide what you need to block; you can't block all of Dustin's emotions and you're just adding extra stress on yourself."
"All right...so...has Sensei said anything? Does this mean I'm officially part of the team?"
"Sensei actually talked to us after you left...you're one of us. Like I said, don't worry about Dustin."
"Wonderful..."
"You need to be back here at Ninja Ops in an hour. Don't be late! Sensei has something important to tell you."
"Okay, bye!"
"Bye!"
~*~_*_~*~
Sensei decided to take the training outside by the waterfall. While Cam sparred with Hunter and Blake sparred with Shane, Dustin was sitting on a rock. Tori decided to join him to talk to him a little bit.
"Hey, Doofus," the blonde said playfully, "Talk to me."
Dustin didn't seem amused by his nickname. In fact, he didn't too amused about anything, especially in the past week and a half or so. "I know what you're doing and I don't wanna talk..." he mumbled.
"I wanna know what's going on with you...what you're thinking," Tori said, "It wasn't that long ago that we used to know each other like the back of our hands."
"Contrary to popular belief, I have grown up, more than anyone knows," the dark-haired guy told his best friend, "I'm not just the dumb one..."
"I'm sorry if anyone on the team ever made you feel like you're just the dumb one," Tori said in a soft apologetic voice, "I bet Marah didn't help..."
"No, she didn't...because of her, I learned the hard way that not everyone deserves my trust. That's a lesson I'm not gonna forget anytime soon." Dustin sounded disgusted at himself for trusting Marah.
"This is crazy! You've gone from one extreme to the other...What I meant before was that you need to be more careful about who you trust. I never said that you shouldn't give people a chance."
Dustin got quiet as Paige's voice took over his mind. "We need to talk. It looks like ever since we met, you've had a problem with me. If you've got one, let's solve it right now because I think you're worth getting to know better. I don't know what your deal is but I wanna know what I'm doing wrong!"
"Dustin?" Tori asked worriedly, "Are you okay?"
"Yeah...I'm still thinking about Paige..."
Tori smiled lightly as she said, "C'mon, Dustin...you need to realize that when you're a risk taker, whether it's with your bike, as a Ranger, with your heart or your trust, there's bound to be one person who'll hurt you. You'll try to be more careful but you won't be able to stop taking risks and being so trusting. It's as big a part of you as your Ninja training or your curly hair."
"I can die trying," Dustin said with a challenging tone of voice.
Tori smirked. "I can see you're slowly breaking down...you can pretend you don't care about Paige but I know you were freaked out when she got hurt. You wouldn't have brought her to Ninja Ops if you didn't care. I can tell how she gets under your skin..."
"You know what? You're right; she does get under my skin! Having her on the team won't work for me," Dustin snapped in a low voice, "I can't have some freak know what I'm feeling on a regular basis!"
"Paige is not a freak! Do I need to remind you that she saved your sorry butt earlier?" Tori said in a firm voice, "You are not one to judge; you hardly know enough about her! She hasn't done anything wrong! If she's guilty of anything, it's using her telempathy to try and be your friend. Remember that."
Dustin gave Tori a wide-eyed look before she left to team up with Blake and challenge Shane to a two-on-one sparring match.
~*~_*_~*~
Paige stepped into the Command Central of Ninja Ops and approached Sensei. She bowed at him as a sign of respect.
"Hello, Sensei," she greeted him politely.
"Hello, Paige," he replied, "How are you feeling?"
"I'm feeling well, considering my head is throbbing and my arm's a bit scratched up," Paige told him as she smiled faintly.
"I spoke to the other Rangers and we believe that you would make a formidable ally to have by our side; we have decided that there is a place for you here with us, if you'd like it," the Guinea Pig told Paige.
"Sensei, you saw how Dustin was earlier," Paige said, concerned, "How is that gonna work?"
"Dustin will come around...as a matter of fact, he is a key element in the mission you are about to embark on. To claim your Zord, you must travel to the Cave of Destiny near Mount Kawasaki and past a series of tests to free the lost Eagle Zord."
"Okay, my quest, my Zord...how does Dustin fit in?" Paige asked, slightly confused.
"You will not be able to go on this journey alone; the path towards your goal will be littered with obstacles. You must take someone with you in case you encounter more trouble than you can handle."
"But why Dustin?"
"Because you are a part of the same section of the Ninja Power Spectrum Grid. Your Ninja Ranger powers are interlinked in the grid, therefore making you connected to him in a very powerful way."
Paige looked curious as she leaned against Cam's chair. "How exactly are we connected?"
"There are three teams, the Elemental team, the Thunder team and the Lightning team and each team is further divided into three sections, the leadership section, the physical strength section and the emotional strength section...your biological father was a part of the Lightning team. He was in the leadership section as the Gold Lightning Ranger, while your biological mother was a second generation Thunder Ranger acting as the emotional pilar of her team, which means she held the Gold Thunder Ranger powers. There was no doubt you would become a Gold Ranger, but the role you were to play was a tough one to determine until you were old enough to begin your Ninja studies."
"So...because Dustin and I are in the same section of the grid, the emotional strength section, we're connected somehow?"
"Precisely, young lady, and since each team finds its strength in having each member present, we couldn't rely on that in case of an attack on Blue Bay Harbor. The only way an individual of a team can increase his or her strength is to team up with an individual playing a similar role on another team."
"So it has to be Dustin? I'm sorry, Sensei, but I have to respectfully disagree with that. You have to understand that Dustin doesn't seem to care much for me. You've witnessed our confrontation here earlier. I find it hard to believe he would be willing to help me. What about Cam?"
"The Samurai team has its own separate grid. He will not be of any help to you and his energies would be better spent here."
"All right, I'll go...but is there a way that maybe you could talk to him for me?"
Sensei thought about it for a moment. "If you believe this will help, I will have a talk with him."
"Please tell him to meet me at my place if you convince him to come along with me on my quest. My address is 2425 Oceanside Boulevard." Paige gave up on trying to find a loophole around having Dustin on board.
"There is a rolled up map on the third shelf from the top the bookcase against the wall behind you. Take that and use it to guide you in your journey."
Paige retrieved the map as the other six Rangers stepped into the room after their training; Tori and Blake sat at the table on one side while Hunter and Shane sat in front of them, Cam sat at the supercomputer and Dustin sat leaning against the wall near Cam.
Paige walked back to where Sensei was standing and said to him, "Thanks...so I guess I gotta go pack for a weekend?"
"Yes..." Sensei said, "Good luck."
Paige nodded, then bowed at Sensei and walked off.
"A weekend? Where's Paige going?" Blake asked curiously.
"She must go on a mission to release the lost Eagle Zord from the Cave of Destiny by Mount Kawasaki," Sensei explained.
"Great, I hope she takes her time," Dustin mumbled.
Blake and Tori glared at Dustin as Sensei said, "Funny you should say that, Dustin, because you are going with her."
Dustin stood up and walked over to where Sensei stood. "I have to go with her???" he exclaimed with a shocked expression on his face. He didn't argue as Tori's words from their earlier conversation replayed in his head. "C'mon, Dustin...you need to realize that when you're a risk taker, whether it's with your bike, as a Ranger, with your heart or your trust, there's bound to be one person who'll hurt you. You'll try to be more careful but you won't be able to stop taking risks and being so trusting. It's as big a part of you as your Ninja training or your curly hair."
"Yes, Dustin, you must. You must help her. She may encounter some serious trouble. I do realize that there has been some bad blood between the two of you but I also know that you are not able to turn your back on a person who needs your help."
"You're right, Sensei," Dustin admitted after a moment, "I guess that means I need to pack for a weekend too, huh?"
"Yes," Sensei replied firmly.
"Have fun, bro!" Hunter said with a chuckle.
Blake added, "Try not to give her too much of a hard time. She's a good person...a little unstable, but a good person anyway."
Dustin rolled his eyes at the brothers and said, "All right, I'll be nice. Where do I have to meet her?"
"2425 Oceanside Boulevard," Sensei said to him, "Now go on!"
After bowing to Sensei, Dustin left with a sigh.
~*~_*_~*~
Paige finished the last of her packing. She had a backpack and a sports bag ready and she let herself relax for a moment while waiting for Dustin to come. She had a feeling that he wouldn't dare to argue with his Sensei and was half-expecting him to come because of that.
The doorbell rang sometime later and Paige dragged herself off her bed and out of her room to answer the door. She opened the door and found Dustin standing there with a couple of bags and a serious look on his face.
"Let's get this over with," Dustin said in a calm voice.
Paige nodded. "Wanna come in for a bit?" she said in an equally calm voice, "I just need to review the map before we go."
Paige moved out of the way as Dustin stepped into the apartment and closed the door behind him. He then followed Paige into the kitchen room, dropped his bags by the stool at the end of the counter and sat down on the stool as she stood in front of him and looked down at a piece of paper.
"Listen to me, and listen to me carefully," Paige said firmly, "I would appreciate it if you would drop your misconceptions of me for a couple of days so I can get my job done and free this Eagle Zord. I need it to be an official part of the team, Zord and everything, so don't get any ideas about sabotaging this mission for me."
Dustin went to open his mouth to reply but he felt a force stop hiim. He nodded with a slightly forced smile.
Changing her tone of voice to casual one, the redhead offered, "You want a drink? Soda? Juice? A snack, maybe? I've got chocolate chip oatmeal cookies..."
"No thanks, Paige," Dustin replied with a slightly more sincere smile, "I'm all right."
"Are you okay?" Paige asked gently.
"I think the question is whether you're okay or not," Dustin countered, "What's the deal?"
"What do you mean?" Paige said innocently.
"I felt it just now and I've felt it before, at the track."
Paige's eyes lowered her eyes towards the map. "I'm usually really good at controlling my Talent...it's just that ever since that moment I first met you, everything's been so crazy. I didn't mean to project any of my own emotions onto you. It's self-defense, I guess...a weird reaction to you. I know you've been going through some crazy stuff lately..."
"I felt your energy and your determination sort of...cancel out my own negative feelings," Dustin told her, "Cam told us it's a...neutra...neutre..."
"...neutralizing effect," Paige finished off, "Yeah, but usually, I decide when that happens. I think it has something to do with our connection in the Ninja Power Spectrum Grid."
"Yeah, I never took Ninja History 101 all that seriously. Great time to catch up on my Zzzzz's!" Dustin chuckled, trying to get the atmosphere light.
"Ha, that's cute! I kinda figured you to be the one sleeping in class," Paige said with a light chuckle of her own.
"So, what's going on with the trip? Have you figured out where we're going?" Dustin asked curiously.
"Yeah, do you drive?" Paige suggested, "We could split the driving duties, if you wanna."
"No, sorry, I don't drive; you'll have to take care of all that." Dustin gave Paige an apologetic smile.
As Paige rolled up the map, she said, "Let's do it, baby! It's go time!"
"Gee, I thought we were in the same section of the grid," Dustin pointed out, "You sound more like a leader than an 'emotional pilar'."
"My biological father was a Lightning Ninja; that's where I get my Talent and my charisma," Paige explained, "I've been told I've taken after my biological mother though, hence the Thunder Ninja powers."
Dustin nodded. "All right, well, I'm right behind you." He went to the front door with his bags and waited for Paige as she retrieved her stuff from her room.
Paige joined Dustin with her stuff and they stood by the door without saying a word for a moment.
"Are you nervous about this?" Dustin said quietly.
"Sensei made it clear that there was something dangerous ahead and it's dangerous enough to have to have you around just in case I might need your help so I'm definitely nervous," Paige admitted.
"Well, listen to me," Dustin said as he took her right hand into both of his and looked directly into her green eyes, "I can't deny the connection between us; it practically made the choice for me when it came to me joining you on this mission. No matter what happens, we're in this together."
Paige managed a faint smile then she said in a soft yet confident voice, "Ain't nothing to it but to do it! Let's go!" She paused and added, "You don't mind if we share a tent, do you? I don't have my own."
"Mine's big enough for three." Dustin opened the door and said, "Ladies first."
Paige stepped out onto the front porch, followed by Dustin then she locked the front door. She then led Dustin to her yellow and black Mini Cooper and helped him put their luggage into the trunk. Once they were ready, they hopped into the car and headed off.
Paige started the car and asked Dustin with a playful, almost flirtatious, tone of voice, "Are you ready for me to take you on the ride of your life?"
"Do I have a choice?" Dustin shot back with his own playful tone of voice.
Paige shook her head as she drove off. She felt that it was the beginning of a wonderful friendship, something new and exciting. She couldn't wait to figure out where it would take the both of them.