Ariel looked at the room around her. Dana's quarters were all right but she
didn't think she would like a room without a window. She felt very alone
and very scared. A soft knock on the door turned her attention.
"Daddy!" She said enthusiastically but her heart broke when it was Aunt Dana instead of her father.
Dana saw the disappointed look on the little girl's face when she came into the room. "No, I'm sorry honey it's not Daddy. I brought your little brother to see you. He misses you very much."
" I know." Ariel said despondently.
Dana's heart went out to her goddaughter. She knew what it was like to not know if your daddy was coming home or not.
"Would you like to hold your brother?" Dana asked.
Ariel brightened a little. "Really?"
"Why not you're a big sister aren't you?"
Dana helped Ariel put a pillow on her lap to help support Justin. Then she placed him carefully into Ariel's waiting arms. Ariel looked down lovingly at him. He opened up his blue eyes and stared up at her. His face broke into a grin.
"Oh look." Dana cooed, "He knows you."
"Daddy said that when he smiles like that its just gas." Ariel said matter of factly.
Dana chuckled. She was always amazed at the things Ariel said. She was wise beyond her years.
A soft knock came on the door. Ariel looked up. Dana took Justin from her arms. Ariel ran to the door and opened it up.
"Uncle Eric!" She squealed happily jumping into his arms.
"Hey there beautiful." He said squeezing her.
Ariel blushed. Eric gently placed her back down on the ground and knelt down next to her.
"I was thinking. How would you like to go to Angel Grove early and help Ashley and Andros get ready for their wedding?"
"That would be great!" She said beaming. Her face turned to a look of concern. "Is my Daddy going to be there?"
Eric looked at Dana uncomfortably. "No, not right away. But he'll be there soon. Ashley is looking forward to shopping for her wedding dress with you. She's even going to help you pick out your flower girl dress."
"Well, why can't we just wait for Daddy?"
"Well," Dana said putting her free arm around the little girl. "Your Daddy probably has business to take care of. I'm sure he'll be there before the wedding."
"All right." Ariel said looking from Dana to Eric. "Dana are you coming too?"
Dana looked up at Eric who nodded. "Of course I am and I'm sure that Uncle Carter will come too."
"So are we ready?" Eric asked extending his hand to Ariel.
Ariel went to take his hand but stopped dead in her tracks and just stared at it. Eric noticed her hesitation and looked down realizing that it had blood all over it. He quickly put it behind his back.
"Uncle Eric." She said with wide eyes. "Where's my Daddy?"
"He's right here sweetheart." Wes said rushing into the room and scooping Ariel into his arms.
"Daddy, Oh daddy." Ariel sobbed into his shoulder.
"Shh honey it's okay." He soothed running his hand over her blonde hair.
Wes looked up at Eric. He nodded back.
Ariel cuddled close to Ari in the SUV. Justin slept in his car seat beside her. Mr. Collins and Wes rode in silence in the front seat. In another SUV in front of them Eric, Carter, Dana and Alex rode in the same uncomfortable silence. The silence was only broken when Wes' phone rang.
"Wes, we just receiving word that the truck with your belongings will meet us in Angel Grove tonight." Eric's voice said through the phone.
"Thank-you Eric." He answered flatly.
"Wes are you all right?" He asked with concern. "As well as can be expected, considering." He answered looking back at his daughter who was staring back at him with wide eyes. He winked at her and she seemed to relax a little.
"You made the right choice Wes."
"I know." "Be careful anything can happen."
"Don't worry with me at the wheel what could possibly happen."
"That's what I'm afraid of."
Just as Eric hung up his phone something slammed to the ground right in front of the SUV Eric swerved out of control and crashed into a ditch. Wes pressed the brakes pedal down with all his might and squealed to a stop inches from the object. Slowly the object stood and began to take shape.
"Demetrius." Wes growled.
Eric, Carter and Alex were helping Dana out of the damaged truck when Eric looked up to see Wes jump out of his vehicle and morph.
"So you're the Red Ranger." Demetrius said smoothly.
"No, I'm not just the red ranger. "I'm your worst nightmare." Wes answered coolly.
"Well then let the nightmare begin. Dark Ranger Power!" Demetrius answered morphing into the Black ranger.
Wes couldn't believe it. He thought the ranger powers could only be used for good. Yet here standing before him a ranger clad all in black it almost seemed to emanate from him and envelop the area around him.
Wes took a defensive stance. "Bring it on."
What Wes didn't see was the blaster Demetrius had been concealing.
"Wes! NO!" Eric screamed as the Dark Ranger raised the blaster and pointed it at Wes.
Just as he was ready to fire a flash of white light blinded the dark ranger. Wes turned and covered his eyes. As the light faded away Wes turned to see a shining pink ranger. Her uniform was made of silver and pink and her helmet of gold.
"You." Demetrius seethed.
The pink ranger said nothing but began delivering a flying kick to the Dark Ranger's midsection. It sent him flying backwards crashing to the ground. "All right pink ranger. I'll give you that one. But trust me you won't be able to do that again when I am finished with you." Demetrius growled crawling to his feet.
"I only needed to do it once." A familiar voice came from the pink ranger.
She lifted her sword and struck Demetrius square in the chest with such force that it caused him to demorph.
"This isn't over." Demetrius gasped disappearing in a flash of light.
"Daddy!" She said enthusiastically but her heart broke when it was Aunt Dana instead of her father.
Dana saw the disappointed look on the little girl's face when she came into the room. "No, I'm sorry honey it's not Daddy. I brought your little brother to see you. He misses you very much."
" I know." Ariel said despondently.
Dana's heart went out to her goddaughter. She knew what it was like to not know if your daddy was coming home or not.
"Would you like to hold your brother?" Dana asked.
Ariel brightened a little. "Really?"
"Why not you're a big sister aren't you?"
Dana helped Ariel put a pillow on her lap to help support Justin. Then she placed him carefully into Ariel's waiting arms. Ariel looked down lovingly at him. He opened up his blue eyes and stared up at her. His face broke into a grin.
"Oh look." Dana cooed, "He knows you."
"Daddy said that when he smiles like that its just gas." Ariel said matter of factly.
Dana chuckled. She was always amazed at the things Ariel said. She was wise beyond her years.
A soft knock came on the door. Ariel looked up. Dana took Justin from her arms. Ariel ran to the door and opened it up.
"Uncle Eric!" She squealed happily jumping into his arms.
"Hey there beautiful." He said squeezing her.
Ariel blushed. Eric gently placed her back down on the ground and knelt down next to her.
"I was thinking. How would you like to go to Angel Grove early and help Ashley and Andros get ready for their wedding?"
"That would be great!" She said beaming. Her face turned to a look of concern. "Is my Daddy going to be there?"
Eric looked at Dana uncomfortably. "No, not right away. But he'll be there soon. Ashley is looking forward to shopping for her wedding dress with you. She's even going to help you pick out your flower girl dress."
"Well, why can't we just wait for Daddy?"
"Well," Dana said putting her free arm around the little girl. "Your Daddy probably has business to take care of. I'm sure he'll be there before the wedding."
"All right." Ariel said looking from Dana to Eric. "Dana are you coming too?"
Dana looked up at Eric who nodded. "Of course I am and I'm sure that Uncle Carter will come too."
"So are we ready?" Eric asked extending his hand to Ariel.
Ariel went to take his hand but stopped dead in her tracks and just stared at it. Eric noticed her hesitation and looked down realizing that it had blood all over it. He quickly put it behind his back.
"Uncle Eric." She said with wide eyes. "Where's my Daddy?"
"He's right here sweetheart." Wes said rushing into the room and scooping Ariel into his arms.
"Daddy, Oh daddy." Ariel sobbed into his shoulder.
"Shh honey it's okay." He soothed running his hand over her blonde hair.
Wes looked up at Eric. He nodded back.
Ariel cuddled close to Ari in the SUV. Justin slept in his car seat beside her. Mr. Collins and Wes rode in silence in the front seat. In another SUV in front of them Eric, Carter, Dana and Alex rode in the same uncomfortable silence. The silence was only broken when Wes' phone rang.
"Wes, we just receiving word that the truck with your belongings will meet us in Angel Grove tonight." Eric's voice said through the phone.
"Thank-you Eric." He answered flatly.
"Wes are you all right?" He asked with concern. "As well as can be expected, considering." He answered looking back at his daughter who was staring back at him with wide eyes. He winked at her and she seemed to relax a little.
"You made the right choice Wes."
"I know." "Be careful anything can happen."
"Don't worry with me at the wheel what could possibly happen."
"That's what I'm afraid of."
Just as Eric hung up his phone something slammed to the ground right in front of the SUV Eric swerved out of control and crashed into a ditch. Wes pressed the brakes pedal down with all his might and squealed to a stop inches from the object. Slowly the object stood and began to take shape.
"Demetrius." Wes growled.
Eric, Carter and Alex were helping Dana out of the damaged truck when Eric looked up to see Wes jump out of his vehicle and morph.
"So you're the Red Ranger." Demetrius said smoothly.
"No, I'm not just the red ranger. "I'm your worst nightmare." Wes answered coolly.
"Well then let the nightmare begin. Dark Ranger Power!" Demetrius answered morphing into the Black ranger.
Wes couldn't believe it. He thought the ranger powers could only be used for good. Yet here standing before him a ranger clad all in black it almost seemed to emanate from him and envelop the area around him.
Wes took a defensive stance. "Bring it on."
What Wes didn't see was the blaster Demetrius had been concealing.
"Wes! NO!" Eric screamed as the Dark Ranger raised the blaster and pointed it at Wes.
Just as he was ready to fire a flash of white light blinded the dark ranger. Wes turned and covered his eyes. As the light faded away Wes turned to see a shining pink ranger. Her uniform was made of silver and pink and her helmet of gold.
"You." Demetrius seethed.
The pink ranger said nothing but began delivering a flying kick to the Dark Ranger's midsection. It sent him flying backwards crashing to the ground. "All right pink ranger. I'll give you that one. But trust me you won't be able to do that again when I am finished with you." Demetrius growled crawling to his feet.
"I only needed to do it once." A familiar voice came from the pink ranger.
She lifted her sword and struck Demetrius square in the chest with such force that it caused him to demorph.
"This isn't over." Demetrius gasped disappearing in a flash of light.