Disclaimer: I don't own Power Rangers or the song used in this fic. Disney and Dashboard Confessional hold the rights.
"Ghost of a Good Thing" – Dashboard Confessional
A.N. : Well, folks, here it is! The sequel to In the Strands of Time. Thanks to those who reviewed the first one for your awesome imput. Hope you all like it, and stay tuned for the next one shot featuring Conner and Kira from Dino Thunder! Without further ado, this is Holding On to What was Lost.
I guess it's luck, but it's the same
Hard luck, you've been trying to tame
Blake Bradley stalked to his trailer. Flinging his helmet into a cluttered corner, the navy thunder ranger slumped down on the couch set across from the door and buried his face in his hands. A loud, frustrated groan tore from his throat as the motocross pro mentally bashed his head in. He had come that close to blowing that last race all because he had sworn he saw Tori Hanson watching him from the stands. On the next pass, Blake had chanced another glance in the direction of the girl. During his lapse in concentration, the rider behind him, who had nipped at his heels all race, cut along the inside of Blake to take the lead. The worst part was, the girl wasn't even Tori, just some blond haired, blue eyed person.
Ever since their break up, Blake's hard luck had been teetering on the edge of bad. The thunder ranger had fallen in to some pretty deep holes, many he had dug himself. But, in the end, the motocross pro always found the right hand-holds to haul himself out. As difficult as it was to admit, Blake wasn't totally over Tori…okay, his head was way over his heels in love.
Blake crossed over to the small table and glanced down at the small snapshot of him and the blonde beauty, a miniscule reminder of the times when his life made sense and everything was picturesque. The navy ranger's gaze shifted down to the single object that severed the threads of his rational life and sent that picturesque world crashing to the ground: The Letter.
"…There's no right way to say this, no easy way. I could sugar coat it and put a load of crap down, but that's the thing. It would only be a load of crap. So here it is, plain and simple. You deserve that much. I've found someone else, and I think I'm in love with him. I've tried to hold on to what we had for so long. But now, I can't deny my feelings any longer. I'm sorry, Blake, and I hope you find someone who will make you happy. Maybe one day you'll forgive me. I hope you will.
Always and Forever,
Tori "
Maybe it's love, but it's like you said
"Love is like a role that we play."
But, I believe in you so much
I could die for the words that you say
But, I believe in you so much
I could die from the words that you say
In his lush apartment, Blake stabbed at the rewind button, his concentrated gaze focused on the tape of the race held this afternoon. Wincing, the thunder ninja watched the crimson rider behind him cut to the inside to take the lead heading into the third turn. As the image of the blonde girl from the race flooded the oceans of his mind, Blkade cursed himself. He shouldn't still be harboring these feelings for Tori. She had moved on, why couldn't he? The navy ranger flung himself back against the soft cushions of his loveseat, allowing the pillows to envelop his body, shielding the rider from his harsh and painful reality. Blake's fingers brushed against something solid. Pushing aside the cushion, Blake uncovered a leather-bound photo album. Flipping through the pages of his life, the motocross pro smiled as the memories coursed back. Blake's gaze lingered on a photo of himself and Tori, and his thoughts brought him back through the strands of time.
With the scenery of Blue Bay Harbor's Lincoln Park encompassing them, Blake and Tori snuggled against the trunk of a tree, surveying the chaos around them. Cam kept busy grilling the stakes that served as the group's dinner, while Shane and Hunter scuffled under the chokehold of the volleyball net, fighting to extracate themselves from their nylon prison. Blake leaned down to the surfer lying captive in his arms.
"You know, now that Lothor 's floating somewhere in the Abyss of Evil, we could date normally." Blake remarked, drawing his arms tighter around Tori.
Tori looked back over her shoulder at the dark-haired boy, laughing. "Since when has the word 'normal' been associated with our dating?"
"Good point. And it's just gonna get weirder with me leaving to tour." Blake cocked an eyebrow down at the water ninja. "But we'll make it work." The navy ranger pressed a kiss to Tori's cheek, as she nuzzled his neck.
A bright flash interrupted their moment. After the spots cleared from their eyes, both rangers averted their attention to the source to find Dustin's grinning face peeking out behind a camera.
"Aw, how cute! Our endless search has found the elusive lovebirds nesting underneath the confines of the tree." The earth ranger good-naturedly teased his friends, his voice horribly mimicking a Steve Irwin accent.
"I didn't know the word 'elusive' was in your vocabulary, let alone you knew how to use it." Blake grinned, gently chiding the earth ninja.
Dustin winced, "Ouch, dude. Fifteen yards, unnecessary roughness!"
Blake scrambled to his feet, mischief expressed in his eyes, "I'll show you 'unnecessary roughness'."
Dustin dropped the camera, and sprinted off, Blake close at his heels. Tori watched in amusement, delighting in the ridiculous sight. Dustin dashed behind Cam, shielding himself from the navy ninja's assult as Blake lunged for the yellow ranger. The three crashed to the ground, a heap of arms and legs. Blake disentangled himself from the group and glanced over at Tori. As much as the thought of leaving his surfer girl plucked at his heart strings, the motocross pro was consoled by the fact that the beautiful blonde would be waiting for him whenever he was back in Blue Bay.
But, you're chasin' the ghost of a good thing
Haunting yourself as the real thing
It's getting away from you again
While you're chasin' ghosts
Blake was shaken from reminisces of the past by a knock on his apartment door. The navy ranger hefted himself to his feet. Padding to the entrance, Blake opened the door to reveal the beautiful, smiling face of Maxeen Shaw, a rider for the women's division of Factory Blue. The motocross pro's mood lightened immediately as his face broke into a smile at the sight of his close friend.
"Max! What's up?" The auburn-haired girl rolled her brilliant green eyes at the inquiry. Stepping inside, she plopped down on his loveseat and buried her face in a cushion, retreating behind the thick pillow.
"Nothing, and that's the problem. I am surrounded by sappiness that makes daytime drama look like Jerry Springer." Max unleashed a muffled scream, "Having a roommate bring her boyfriend to the loft at least twice a day is driving me crazier than the Mariner Bay track."
Blake chuckled at the auburn beauty's misfortune. "So Sam and Jesse are going out again?" the navy ranger asked, joining his friend on the couch.
"Uh, more like they're staying in. Which explains why I'm here with you." Blake scrunched up his face at the activities his friend and Max's roomate could be participating in. Max flashed him a sympathetic look.
"Sorry, didn't mean to give you that image." She tilted her head at her companion.
"So, what have you been doing?" Blake lowered his head as he blanched at the question, and Max followed his guilty eyes to settle on the photo album opened to a picture of Blake and Tori. Head lowered, the navy ranger missed the expression of jealousy radiating in Max's emerald orbs.
"You're still thinking about her?" Max sighed in exasperation at Blake. "C'mon Bradley, when are you just gonna let her go?" The emerald fire blazed fiercely in the brunette's eyes, "When was the last time you even went out on a date since you broke up?"
Blake's head shot up along with the guard wall, "Wait a second! I've dated!" he protested in defense.
Max rolled her eyes, "Yeah, to carbon copies of Tori Hanson. And not to mention you've dumped every one after less than three dates and haven't called back half."
Blake stared hard at his friend, unyielding to the truth in her harsh statement. Inside, a furious battle of tug-o-war raged, beating at his emotions. A part of him desperately wanted to let go of Tori and move on. But the other half still clung tightly to the hope of another chance with the blonde surfer that haunted his dreams.
I guess it's luck, but it's the same
Hard luck, you've been trying to tame
Maybe it's love, but it's like you said
"Love is like a role that we play."
But, I believe in you so much
I could die for the words that you say
But, I believe in you so much
I could die from the words that you say
Blake placed the living room floor, hands fisted through his dark hair. Whirling on Max, his face displayed an array of conflicting emotions, each tearing his heart in a different direction.
"You have no idea what we've been through," he growled. "You don't realize the obstacles we've had to overcome." Collapsing on the couch, Blake gazed up, a vulnerable boy, the tears threatening to spill down his cheeks.
"I can't just 'let her go'."
At his defeated confession, the mood shifted in the room. Max's eyes clouded
over as she glared at the despondant motocross rider. For months she had witnessed Blake torture himself over Tori; beat himself up over what was clearly over. Now was the time to end it all.
Crossing over to the navy ranger, she grasped his shoulders and forced Blake to look at her. Leaning in, she stared intensely into the dark-haired man's chocolate eyes.
"You know what you're problem is? You're so busy chasing the ghost of something you once had, killing yourself trying to grab onto the past, that you're letting something that's right in front of you slip away." Max released her grip on Blake and backed away, the sadness radiating from her attractive features.
"And that something may have been what you've been looking for this whole time." With one last despondant shake of her head, Max turned and exited, hoping she had made her hidden feelings for her friend clear. Blake stared at her retreating back, left alone with his very confused thoughts.
But, you're chasin' the ghost of a good thing
Haunting yourself as the real thing
It's getting away from you again
While you're chasin' ghosts
Blake rested his elbows on upraised knees as he sat on a cliff overlooking the endless stretch of ocean abyss. Max's departing words resonated through his head, forcing the navy ranger to contemplate his relationship with the auburn-haired beauty. Their relationship started of purely platonic since Blake was still dating Tori and Max also had a boyfriend. But as their struggling relationships breathed their last breaths, the two had become closer, drawn together by the heartache of their destroyed relationships.
Sure, Blake always thought that Max was attractive. Hell, she was gorgeous. But the navy ranger never considered a relationship with his friend. She was the complete polar opposite of Tori. The surfer always had a quiet confidence about herself, whereas Max was boldly outspoken. Blake shook his head. There was just so much about Max that endeared her to him, but then there was Tori, whom he had so much history with.
Blake fished into his pockets and withdrew two snapshots. The first picture was a still of himself and Tori, the two rangers holding their wrists up, showing off their wind and thunder morphers to the camera. The second photo depicted himself and Maxeen, the two riders flashing national championship rings.
The motocross pro shifted his gaze from one shot to the next, but his eyes kept reverting to the one of himself and Max, his emotions conflicted. Blake closed his eyes, breathing in the sharp ocean aroma. In the confines of his mind, Max's face encompassed his vision, her auburn hair flowing lightly around her porcelain face. The brilliant green eyes stared out at him, glinting with their perpetual aura of mischief. As his own chocolate eyes fluttered open, realization ran him over with a Mac truck. It was time to stop chasing the vestiges of something he once had and time to start locking eyes with something that had been staring him in the face all along.
Just bend the pieces 'till they fit
Like they were made for it
But, they weren't meant for this
No, they weren't meant for this
Just bend the pieces 'till they fit
Like they were made for it
But, they weren't meant for this
Chasin' the ghost of a good thing
Haunting yourself as the real thing
It's getting away, away, away, away from you again
Blake's eyes shone with suppressed excitement at his long-awaited epiphany. Taking the photo of himself and Tori, the navy ranger released the picture, letting it fly along with the breeze. The picture tumbled through the air in a journey that carried it farther and farther away from the cliff where Blake stood. The navy thunder ninja threw his head back and unleashed a yell, releasing all lingering feelings of Tori bursting from his mouth, escaping into the reaches of the horizon. Blake inhaled the salty air, relieving his lungs with oxygen, his newfound feelings for Max replacing those of Tori. He was done chasing ghosts of his past. Blake Bradley was ready to walk along with the living in the present on the road to the future.
Hopping on his motorcycle, Blake sped away. As the scenery zipped by in a blur, Blake smiled, finally at peace. For so long he had been searching for that one person who could fit into the empty space in his heart the way Tori had, He had tried to will himself into thinking that he could find someone who was just like the water ninja. Now, the rider realized his mistake. No one could ever fit into that space Tori had vacated because there was no one like Tori. He had to carve out a new space for a new person to fill. And there was one person that held the piece Blake didn't have to bend in order for it to fit.
Chasin' the ghost of a good thing
Haunting yourself as the real thing
It's getting away from you again
While you're chasin' ghosts
Blake smiled as he spotted Max sitting contentedly at her "special place", a dock overlooking a serene lake. He sat down next to the auburn beauty who barely acknowledged him. The pair sat in silence for awhile, enjoying the tranquility of the gently rippling waters of the lake. Max broke the silence.
"Listen, Blake, I'm sorry for what I said. I was totally out of line-"
The thunder ninja brushed away her apologies with a wave of his hand. "No, you were right. I was chasing after something in my past I had let slip through my fingers." Blake turned towards Max, taking her hands in his and staring directly into her emerald-green eyes.
"But I've let go of the past. I'm ready to stop living in that time and ready for this one." Blake gently cupped Max's chin, tilting her face up to his. "I'm ready to go on with my life, and…" Blake drew in a deep breath as Max's eyes widened in rapt anticipation.
"I want you there with me."
Max's face split into a heart-melting grin, her green eyes dancing with amusement. "How do I know you're serious."
In response, Blake leaned in, capturing her lips in a passionate liplock. Drawing away, Blake quirked a small grin.
"Was that serious enough?"
Max's eyes remained closed. As her lashes fluttered open, the auburn beauty inhaled slightly.
"I didn't catch that last one. Could we possibly try that again?"
Blake laughed. Leaning in, their lips met once more in a gentle kiss, igniting dormant passion. Slowly, their arms snaked around to entwine in a secure embrace. As the kiss deepened, Blake felt the final piece settle into the vacant spot in his heart, mending the broken core and healing his injured spirit. Breaking away, Blake stared into the emerald orbs that captured his heart and encompassed the present time. The past was just what it was; done. Over. His present stood before him, awaiting what was yet to come.
Well, there you go. Blake got his happy ending. I have put the finishing touches on my Conner and Kira fic that will be titled soon and am starting a spin off of this series that features a NS-DT teamup. So tell me what you think of this fic along with whether or not you want some more!
Roxie