Disclaimer:  I don't own Power Rangers.  Someone else does.  I don't know whom because it keeps changing.  Please don't get offended if I insult your favorite character.  Some pairings are easy to write a story for while others are really tough.  So please realize that some of my stories will be better than others.  Hi to all my fellow AFPR's including my fellow female Psychos :).  And I really appreciate the reviews :).

     Ok, this is the second of requested pairings.  This one was requested by Cmar.  I do apologize for the lack of Billy-speak, but my technobabble is horrible.  I can't believe I'm up to story number 20 already :)  So, on with the show.

Trip and Billy

By

Eileen (Psycho Tangerine)

     "Perfect future indeed," grumbled Trip as he piloted the Time Ship.  "What ever possessed them to outlaw pizza in 2888?"  Ever since he and his comrades had tasted the forbidden delicacy back in 2001, they had become hooked.  So every Saturday night, Trip would disable the Time Ship's alarms and one of them would sneak out on a pizza run to 2001.  Luckily, Alex hadn't caught on to them.  The one time Jen had mentioned their eating pizza in the past, he had them all shrunk and put into the cryochamber for a week.  Trip shuddered remembering how long it took to get the ice out of his ears. 

     CRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAASSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

BBBBBOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOMMMM

Tinkle tinkle tinkle tinkle tinkle tinkle tinkle tinkle tinkle tinkle tinkle tinkle tinkle tinkle tinkle tinkle tinkle tinkle tinkle tinkle tinkle tinkle tinkle tinkle

     Trip, who had fallen out of his chair (Lucas had taken out the seatbelts because they weren't 'cool'), groaned as he sat up and rubbed his forehead.  Then he dove under a smoking console, picked up his gem, blew the dirt off it and shoved it back into his forehead.  "Ow! I've got to get some Krazy Glue." 

     "Damn, Alex is going to kill me," moaned Trip as he stared at the damaged interior.  Especially since he had forgotten to pay up the insurance for the ship.  "That's the last time I navigate solely on Xybrian power."  Trip turned on the viewscreen for the first time since he began the trip to see what he had hit.  "What? Another ship?"  With that, Trip opened the hatch and exited the ship.

     Once outside, Trip observed a figure in blue tinkering in an open panel on the outer shell of the other ship.  "Oh great, the transgoriafine combubulator is disoperative, the delacsiasal megatharator is malfunctioning and the soda machine is on the fritz."  The young man continued to mumble to himself in technobabble for several more minutes, completely unaware of Trip's presence.

     "Uh, hi!" called Trip.

     The other young man jumped at this and whacked his head against the top of the panel.  "YEEEEOOOOOWWWWW!!!!!" he bellowed.  "What the hell do you think you're doing you puny little….errrr, I mean how inopportune, I fear that mishap has caused me an inordinate amount of tenderness and discomfort.  Please, do be more precautious and refrain from astonishing me again."

     Trip stared incredulously at him.  "You…you…you're him!  You're Billy Cranston, the Original Blue Ra…"

     Billy had quickly clamped his hand onto Trip's mouth.  "Quiet!  I just got my powers back.  I don't need old baldy taking them from me because of your big mouth."

     "You mean Zordon?  But I thought he was dead," came Trip's muffled voice from behind Billy's hand. 

     "Oh yeah," remembered Billy as he took his hand off Trip's mouth and continued his repairs.  "Well, that's a relief.  You may go on with the praise you were about to lavish on me."

     Trip began to babble.  "You were the original Blue Ranger!  The most brilliant, intelligent and gifted Ranger ever!  You've been my idol ever since I was a little Xybrian!  I have all of your pictures on my wall!  I've read all your books and journal articles!  I even have your likeness on my pillowcase so that I can absorb…"

     "Ok, now you are like totally weirding me out," said Billy.  "I know you like me and all, and I really can't blame you, but…"

     Trip stared curiously at Billy.  "Say, what happened to your high vocabulary?"

     "Oh, that.  Well, to be honest, it's not THAT easy for me to do.  I actually have to think of what to say.  And, well it's not like I need to impress you."

     "So then why did you always talk like you swallowed a dictionary and was puking it up?" queried Trip curiously.

     "He, he, he, are you kidding?' snickered Billy.  "I just love seeing the confused looks on my so-called friends' faces."  His face softened.  "And I guess I just wanted to impress Trini.  Damn that Jason anyway."

     "The original Red Ranger?" asked Trip. "Why? What did he do?"

     "You mean aside from stealing those Gold Ranger powers that should have been mine?" growled Billy unreasonably.  "He erased my name from that application for the Peace Conference and put his name in there instead.  Now he's got Trini and I….I….I have an ugly fish girl."  With that, Billy began to sob pathetically.

     Trip patted him awkwardly on the arm.  "Well, I guess you're leaving her then?  I mean you do have a really great looking time ship.  So are you going anywhere interesting?"

     "Leaving her?  I wish!" sniffled Billy.  "How was I to know that Aquatian laws required one to remain with their spouses for life?"

    "But you're already traveling.  Couldn't you just…"

     Billy continued as if he hadn't been interrupted.  "And if I'm not home by ten tonight, Cestria will remote control the destruct device she implanted in my….errrr……well, let's just say Aquatian sex is a bit kinky."  He picked up an alien looking wrench and began twisting some bolts.

     "Well, it's not like that would kill you," said Trip as he continued to pat Billy in a feeble attempt to comfort him.

     "No, it would be worse than death," sneered Billy.  "And stop petting me.  I'm not interested." 

     "Ewww," said Trip as he pulled his hand back.  "Neither am I."  Then, just to change the subject.  "Where were you traveling to anyway?  The future?  I could give you a tour of 3000."

     "If you're a typical resident of the future, I'll decline, thank you," Billy said dismissively as he continued to work on his ship.  "Anyway, I'm on my way home now."  He looked around conspiratorially.  "Do you remember me saying that I finally got my old powers back?"

     "Oh, yeah, I meant to ask about that."

     "Well, one day, I had gotten completely irritated with Cestria's constant nagging.  So, I decided to build a time ship.  It actually took me over a week."  Billy was ashamed of this admission.  "But that was not my fault.  The Aquatian post office was slow in delivering several vital parts, and then I had to return some because they had rusted.  I mean is it too much to ask for waterproof packaging?"

     "Probably is on a water planet," remarked Trip.

     "No one asked you, you alien geekoid.  Now, as I was saying I had built my time ship and took it to the past.  I wanted to meet my younger self and warn myself not to marry Cestria.  But that bumbling fool…errr….I mean my past intelligent self would not listen.  He kept saying I was just one of Rita's monsters trying to trick him because he was terrified of fish and would never marry an alien fish."

    "You used to be afraid of fish?" asked Trip.

     "Anyway, I just couldn't convince him to listen to me.  So, realizing that I have a lot more muscle now than then, I just pounded him…errr myself and stole the triceratops coin from him errrr myself."

     Trip took a few seconds to process this story.  "But, but, doesn't that mean you're in the past with no powers?  How could you have been fighting Rita then?"

     "Oh shit.  I didn't think of that."  Billy shrugged.  "Oh well, I have his communicator as well.  Anytime it goes off, I'll just speed back to the past in my ship and fight the monsters.  It's not like those idiots would notice the difference."

     "Okay, if you say so," acquiesced Trip.  "Wow, you are so creative.  I really want to be like you.  We have a lot in common, you know."

     "Oh, really?" said Billy dryly.  "How so?"

     I am the genius of my Ranger Team as well.  I even invented some stuff, like the chrono boosters….oh and Circuit…he's my super advanced computer with artificial intelligence.  I made him to look like an owl and I think he…."

     Billy stared unbelievingly at Trip as he blathered on.  "Oh great, another genius-Ranger wannabe.  Forget it, green moptop boy.  It's been tried before.  Sheesh, you're worse than that twerpy kid and that bespectacled blonde."

     "Well, I just thought…"

     "And what kind of genius has green hair?  Man, I thought I didn't fit in, but you take the cake.  Haven't you even heard of hair dye?"

     Trip frowned at that.  Why hadn't he thought of dying his hair in 2001?  His head still itched from that stupid hat he always had to wear.  Damn lice!

     Billy continued to taunt him.  "Your friends must be real idiots if you're the 'intelligent' one.  Heh, I bet you weren't even using that ship for anything important.  Probably an idiotic pizza run or something."

    "How did you…?"

    "Good Lord, what a complete and utter moronic buffoon."  Billy pulled out a remote control and pressed the 'start' button on it.  His time machine began to hum.  "I'm all ready to go and you're still stranded here.  You probably don't even know how to fix that contraption of yours."

    "Don't need to."  Trip pulled his own remote control from his pocket.  He also pressed a button and, to Billy's surprise, his time ship started as well. 

     "But..but..how?"

     "Automated repair system.  I can't believe you never thought of that.  Some super genius.  Oh, and you never even bothered to ask my name."

     Billy looked embarrassed.  "Oh, uh so what is your name?"

      "Do you really want to know?"  Trip edged closer to Billy's ship.

     "Well…"

     "Do you really really want to know?"

     "Oh come on," said Billy.  "Just tell me your name so I can get away from your unbelievable dorkiness."

     "Ok, it's…Trip."  With that, Trip stuck his foot out and tripped Billy.  Then, before Billy could recover, he grabbed several wires pulled them out of the panel and pocketed them.  He quickly ran into his ship, closed the hatch on Billy who was in hot pursuit, then blasted away.

     "Get back here you idio…I mean genius, you absolutely brilliant genius!"  Billy cried desperately.  "Aw come on don't leave me here…."