Disclaimers: I don't own them, but I wish I did. The title "Head in My Hands" comes from a song by Reamonn.
Chapter 2: Breakdown
Blake stared wide-eyed after his brother, trying to figure out what happened. Hunter believed that he was in this with the other Rangers. No matter how much he wanted to go after his brother, he knew Hunter needed some time and space to cool off. They'd talk later. Tori's touch shook him from his thoughts and he suddenly became aware of just how angry he was with the rest of the people in the room.
"How could you?!" Blake finally exclaimed, jumping away from Tori.
"We…" Tori began, tears welling in her eyes.
"Turns out Hunter was right. We should've taken off when we had the chance. Gone away and stayed away. At least with Lothor we know what to expect. We thought we had friends, not people that would turn on us the first available second."
"We didn't turn on you!" Tori broke in. "We did this because we're worried."
"Hunter's secret is his own. You have no right to force it out of him."
"As the leader…" Shane began.
"Hunter is the leader of the Thunders. Not you," Blake shot.
Shane and Blake stared each other down, neither backing off until Dustin forcibly pushed them apart.
"Dudes, this isn't helping."
"Blake, we're sorry. We only meant well," Tori pleaded.
Shane had stepped away toward Sensei, asking him softly, "You think we need a new crimson Ranger?"
"No," Blake snapped when he overheard Shane's question. "And how would you do that anyway? You'd need Hunter's morpher and he'd never give it up."
"We could take it from him."
"But we wouldn't," Dustin chimed in.
"Even if you wanted to, you'd take it from him over his dead body. And the second you tried, I'd take you apart myself. It's a moot point anyway, you didn't give it to him, so it isn't yours to take away."
"Blake has a point. His and Hunter's morphers belong to the Thunder Academy, not us. We cannot take them. Besides, we already have a crimson Ranger who is more than capable. We must merely give him some time and space."
"Yes, Sensei," Shane muttered unhappily.
"I'm going home, I just hope Hunter's there," Blake announced, leaving.
Tori, Dustin and Cam joined Shane and Sensei by the computer.
"How bad do you think we screwed up?" Tori asked.
"Really, really bad," Dustin said sadly.
"And we have to start with the trust thing from square one," Cam added, glaring at Shane. "You had to make things worse, didn't you?"
"It's my team…" Shane began.
"Both Thunders seem to think otherwise," Cam interrupted.
"Guys! Fighting amongst ourselves isn't going to help the situation either," Tori said.
"So, now what do we do?" Dustin asked, turning to Sensei.
"Nothing. Hunter will come to us when he's ready."
"Here's hoping it's sometime soon," Shane muttered, earning a glare from the others.
---
Blake walked into a silent apartment, no answer to the repeated calls for Hunter. In Hunter's bedroom, he noticed a few dresser drawers open. He went into the kitchen to find a piece of paper on the usually bare table. He picked it up and read the short note aloud to himself.
Dear Blake,
I'm outta here for a few days. I need some time to myself without the rest of them cornering me. Why can't they leave well enough alone? I'm sorry.
Hunter
PS. I figure Cam can find me if I'm needed, so just call and you know I'll be there. And I've got the cell too.
Blake stared at the note for a moment, absorbing the fact that his brother had just taken off and left him alone. But he realized that if Hunter had stayed, the others were certain to bother him before he was ready to deal with it all.
"Just wanted to let you know that Hunter's gone for a few days. He said to call him if we need him," Blake said when he called into Ops.
"You ok alone?" Cam asked sincerely.
"I'd be better if my brother didn't feel that he needed to leave to get the space he needed, " Blake snapped. "But I'll be fine. Needless to say, I won't be by for training until Hunter gets back."
There was a slight pause before Cam replied. "Understood. Let us know if you need anything."
"Yeah."
Once that was finished, Blake went took a hot shower before changing into a pair of navy sweatpants and one of Hunter's old baseball style shirts. He went into Hunter's room, picking it up and putting things back where they belong. He sat on his brother's bed, taking the picture that was on the nightstand into his hands. He felt his eyes moisten when saw it, when he saw how happy Hunter seemed. It was only a few months old, just before their Academy got taken.
And Blake suddenly realized just how much stress Hunter had been under to begin with, and then he felt the need to harbor the secret that he'd been carrying for a while. Blake curled up in Hunter's bed, falling into a sound sleep hoping that his brother would be back sooner rather than later.