Trent laughed as he had a grip on one of her arms while he dangled her off the side of the roof. Naomi screamed as she grabbed onto Trent's hand with her other arm, afraid he was going to drop her. Trent laughed and pulled her back onto the roof.
"Give me the gems." Trent said.
"Why don't you come down here, and we talk this out?" Ethan suggested.
"What? I don't want to talk. I want the gem-AHH!" Trent bellowed, falling over. Naomi rolled away, narrowly avoiding being knocked off the roof. She looked up to see the black ranger appear behind Trent.
"Naomi, get out of there!" Ethan yelled. Naomi pushed herself to her feet and ran away as the black and white rangers began to fight. Trent sent out a blast, trying to get the black ranger, but he ducked out of the way. The blast shook the roof, causing Naomi to fall over the edge. She grabbed onto the ledge and tried to pull herself back up. Ethan gasped.
"Help!" She screamed. Ethan saw Doctor Oliver try to get to her but Trent tackled him. Ethan ran over to the warehouse, positioning himself right below Naomi.
"Naomi, let go." He said.
"What?! Are you crazy?!" She screamed.
"Just trust me." He said. Naomi gulped and forced herself to let go. Under normal circumstances, trying to catch someone from that height would floor a person, but Ethan was far from normal. He activated his dino strength. Naomi slowly released the ledge and shrieked as she felt herself falling. She shut her eyes, awaiting the painful impact. She gasped as she felt strong arms under her. She opened her eyes and saw Ethan had caught her. He set her down as his arms went back to normal. "Are you all right?" He asked. She nodded. Tommy saw that Naomi was safe on the ground and got up, delivering one last kick to the chest to Trent. Trent fell back. Tommy jumped off the roof and joined the other two on the ground.
"Come on, let's get out of here." He said.
"No way, I'm going to kill Trent." Ethan protested. He went to morph. Naomi grabbed his hand.
"No, please, let's just go." She pleaded. Ethan sighed and nodded. Tommy powered down and the three of them ran off.
---
The subconscious mind of Conner McKnight was wide-awake, which was more than could be said for his body. Conner was wonding around in some sort of dream world, just wondering. There was no set destination, just empty darkness. Conner hoped he would find either that nice bright white light, or something that would bring him back. Occasionally he would hear voices from his brother Eric, his mother, or even the love of his life, Kira Ford. But no matter what he tried, no matter how hard he screamed, he remained in the darkness.
"This officially blows." He mumbled before plopping down onto the ground and putting his elbows on his knees. For a few moments, there was the eerie quiet, followed by the loud clicking of high heels. Conner's ears perked up. "What is my mind giving me a hooker or something?" He chuckled. The person wearing the heels chuckled as well.
"I think your head might be on a silver platter Mr. McKnight if Ms. Ford ever found out about that thought." The voice commented. Conner turned around and came face to face with a girl wearing a black dress jacket and a black skirt, her shirt, however was a bright yellow and her black hair commented the outfit. Conner tilted his head.
"You look familiar...who are you? And why are you in my dream world." He questioned. The female smiled.
"I'm surprised Mr. McKnight....Apparently you haven't brushed up on your ranger history recently have you?" She smiled and walked closer.
"I'm Trini Kwan....Your Guardian Angel."
"Wha…I…..You're the first yellow ranger!" Conner suddenly realized. Trini laughed. "…I just called my guardian angel a hooker……I'm so gonna go to hell." Trini smiled and helped Conner up.
"Believe me, I've heard worse." She replied and motioned for him to walk with her.
"Conner, I'm going to offer you the chance to see into your future." She told him. Conner stopped and looked at her.
"What?" He asked. Trini nodded.
"You heard me. I'm giving you the chance to look into your future." She reinforced her point. Conner stood there. He had the chance to look into his future and see things that he normally would not have been able to do. Trini place her hand on his shoulder.
"Well?" She asked. Conner turned and looked at her.
"Alright." he replied. Trini smiled.
"This might be a little scary. But you'll be able to deal with it alright?" She commented. Conner nodded. Trini stepped forward and a small pool of water appeared.
"Look in." Trini said. Conner did as he was told, and he began to see. He saw a little boy who looked a lot like him.
"Uh……I think you've gone the wrong way, that's me as a kid." Conner said. Trini rolled her eyes.
"Just watch." She said. Conner sighed and did so.
"Tyler Eric McKnight, get your butt over here." Came a severely displeased voice. Conner's brows furrowed, confused. Into the view came Kira….But she looked older. "I thought I told you to clean your room."
"I did clean it." The little boy said.
"Oh yeah? Then how come your father just went to get something from your closet and got buried under all your toys?" Kira asked, her hands on her hips. The little boy groaned as he walked up some stairs. Kira sighed and sat down.
"I'm free!" Came a voice, followed by the sound of the little boy laughing. The image changed and he gasped as he saw an older version of himself half under a pile of toys, tickling the little boy.
"Daddy! Stop it!" The little boy pleaded through his laughter. Conner gasped. His older self got up from beneath the toys and stopped tickling Tyler. The picture in the pool faded away and turned into something knew. It was a picture of Conner, older....playing soccer.
"What's this?" He asked. Trini quieted him before it went into the picture. He saw himself kick the ball into the goal.
"AND CONNER MCKNIGHT KICKS THE WINNING GOAL! WINNING AMERICA THE WORLD CUP!" Boomed an announcer's voice. He saw other guys, dressed in the same uniforms as him bum rush him with joy. They lifted Conner up on their shoulders.
"WHOO!" His older self yelled out. "YEAH!" The image changed to the stands where Eric, Kira and Tyler were cheering. Conner watched has his older self hopped off the shoulders of his teammates and ran to the stands where his brother, Kira and Tyler were in the front row. He grabbed Kira and the two kissed. He picked Tyler up and hugged him. The pool then dimmed into darkness.
"I….I won the world cup?" Conner asked, clearly happy and excited. Trini laughed.
"Looks like it." She said.
"…And Kira and I get married and have a kid?" He asked, even more happy and excited. "Awesome!"
---
Tommy opened the front door of his house and he, Ethan and Naomi walked in.
"OK, just sit down." Tommy said to the two teens as he made his way to the kitchen to use the phone. Before Ethan and He went to the warehouse, he had dropped Trini off at Dana's house and wanted to just call and make sure everything was all right. Ethan took Naomi to the couch. She curled up with her knees up to her chest. Ethan was finally able to see all her wounds. The black eye from where Trent hit her the day before had formed and she had a bruise on her cheek and another one around her neck. Ethan seriously wanted to kill Trent.
"What do we do if he comes here?" Naomi asked softly.
"He won't." Ethan promised. "Trent doesn't know where Dr. O lives."
"Are you sure?"
"I'm positive." Ethan said. Naomi rested her head on her knees.
"This is all my fault." She whispered, lifting her head up.
"What? What do you mean?" Ethan asked.
"If I had just gone with him yesterday after the fight, he wouldn't have messed with Conner's car and-"
"What?! You mean Trent's the reason Conner's in a coma?" Ethan exclaimed. Naomi nodded. She took a deep breath as what Elsa said came to her head.
"If Conner's in a coma…Does that mean Kira's…..?"
"She's got a broken wrist and some cuts and scratches." Ethan said. Naomi blinked.
"But…Elsa…."
"Elsa was there?"
"Yeah. Right before Trent called you, she's the one who told him to get you to exchange the gems for me. She said he disposed of one of the rangers I thought-"
"Well, Elsa got the info wrong." Ethan said. "God, I'm going to kill Trent." He said through clenched teeth. Naomi put her head in her hands.
"If I had just gone with Trent, maybe things would've been okay." She said. Ethan looked at her and his face softened. He reached over and pulled her over, holding her close.
"Don't say that. If you had gone with him, he could've hurt you more."
"But Conner and Kira would've been okay. They're the important ones."
"And you're saying you're not important?" He asked. Naomi sat up and pulled away from him.
"You and them are power rangers. You're protecting the whole entire world. Me? I'm just…Naomi."
"What makes you think you're not important? Naomi.." Ethan looked her straight in the eyes. "You're the most important person in the entire world to me." He whispered gently. Naomi stared at him. She leaned in closer to him.
"Well, I just called Dana, everything's all right with her and Trini." Tommy said as he walked back into the room, causing Naomi to slightly jump and slide away from Ethan. Ethan looked at Tommy, then back at Naomi. Was…was she about to kiss me? He thought to himself. No, of course not…….She doesn't see me that way.. "Naomi, do you want to call your parents, tell them were you are?" Tommy asked. Naomi shook her head.
"They're not home. They're both away on business."
"Oh." Tommy said.
"So, what do we do now? I mean, now that we know who the white ranger is?" Ethan asked Tommy.
"I don't know." Tommy said. He sat down in one of his easy chairs.
"I still think killing him is a good idea, just so you know." Ethan said.
"Ethan." Tommy sighed. "Look, I'm sure this isn't something he's doing by choice. I mean, he's probably under some sort of spell or something." He shrugged. "That's usually how it's done."
"And your point is?" Ethan asked.
"My point is, he's still Trent. So, no, we can't kill him." Ethan opened his mouth to say something. "And no, we can't maim him either." Tommy said quickly, cutting Ethan off. Ethan slumped back against the couch.
"Can I just-"
"No."
"But what about-"
"No."
"But he-"
"No."
"Ethan, I think you've hit a brick wall." Naomi said, smirking gently, feeling a little better. A few hours passed. Tommy offered to go pick up dinner for them all, leaving Ethan and Naomi alone.
"So, are you feeling better?" Ethan asked. Naomi sighed.
"You mean from getting nearly choked, knocked out, kidnapped, tied up, used as a bargaining chip for dino gems, hit, having a sword/dagger thing pressed against my throat, being dangled off a roof, almost falling off of said roof and then actually falling off of said roof?" Naomi asked.
"…….So, that would be a no?" Ethan asked.
"Mmm." Naomi said, nodding.
"Although, you didn't exactly fall off the roof…it was more like you let go and I caught you."
"Tomato tomato." Naomi said, she laughed softly. Ethan smiled. He looked at her.
"So…….Uh………about earlier..When Dr. Oliver got off the phone….I.."
"What?" Naomi asked.
"Ok, this might sound crazy, and feel free to laugh hysterically, but were you about to……….kiss me?" He asked. Naomi's eyes widened.
"I……." The front door opened to reveal Kimberly. She stopped, surprised to see the two teens in the living room.
"Oh, hi." She said. Damnit! Ethan mentally cursed. "What's going on?" Ethan looked at her and told her everything that had happened. Kimberly stood against the wall and waited for him to be finished before letting out a deep breath.
"Wow. Those bad guys never seem to tire of the whole evil ranger shtick." She looked at Naomi. "Are you all right?"
"I'm getting there." Naomi said.
"Where are Tommy and Trini?" Kimberly asked.
"Tommy dropped Trini off at your friend..Diana's house."
"You mean Dana?"
"Yeah." Ethan said, sheepishly. "And Dr. Oliver went to get food."
"Oh." Kimberly said. At that moment, the door opened and Tommy walked in with bags of Chinese take-out. He saw Kimberly.
"Oh, hey." He said, giving her a quick peck on the lips. "You hungry?" He asked.
"A little." Kimberly said. They all went to the kitchen as Tommy set the bags down on the table and brought out some plats.
"I wasn't sure what you guys," he said to Ethan and Naomi, "would like, so, I just picked some stuff. Hope that's all right with you guys."
"I'm fine with anything." Ethan said.
"I'm so hungry, I really don't care." Naomi said.
"All right then." He said as they all sat down and began to serve themselves. After they all ate, they sat back in the living room.
"There's got to be a way to break what ever hold Mesogog's got on Trent." Tommy said.
"Well, Dr. O, you already know my stance on this whole thing." Ethan said.
"Ethan, Doctor Oliver's right. I mean, you can't kill Trent." Naomi said.
"He's hurt you, hurt Kira, nearly killed Conner and Kira, and kidnapped you. Watch me not kill him." Ethan grumbled. Kimberly and Tommy sighed.
"You can't kill him because you guys are the power rangers, you're the good guys. The good guys help those in need, and right now, Trent's in need………..A whole lot of need, and he doesn't even know it." Naomi said.
"She's right." Kimberly said.
"Fine, I won't kill him. But, next time I see him, he will be in a world of pain." Ethan said. The four of them were quiet. Tommy checked his watch.
"It's getting late. Kim, do you want me to go pick up Trini from Dana's?" He asked. Kimberly nodded.
"Yeah, that would be nice, thanks." She said. Tommy kissed her on the cheek and stood up. Kimberly looked at Naomi and Ethan then back at Tommy. She got up and went over to Tommy. "Take Ethan with you." She whispered. Tommy gave her a confused look. "I want to talk to Naomi alone, and I can't do that if Ethan's here."
"How am I supposed to get him to come with me without it looking weird?" He whispered back.
"I don't know. Tell him you want him to meet other ranger alumni or something." She said. Tommy sighed. He turned back to the two teens. "Hey, Ethan, how about you along come with me?" He asked. Ethan looked at him.
"Uh, sure." Ethan said. He got up and the two men left. Kimberly looked at Naomi.
"What was that about?" Naomi asked. Kimberly went and sat down beside her.
"What do you mean?" Kimberly asked. Naomi shrugged.
"Forget it." She said. Kimberly looked at Naomi.
"Did Tom…I mean, Dr. Oliver tell you how I used to be a power ranger?" Kimberly asked. Naomi stared at her with wide eyes. "……..I guess that would be a no."
"You were a power ranger?" She asked.
"Uh huh. One of the original ones, to be exact."
"Whoa.."
"Tommy……I mean Doctor Oliver was one too. I was the first pink ranger, and he was the first green ranger."
"So, you two have known each other a long time." Naomi looked at Kimberly. "There's some point to this, somewhere, isn't there?" Naomi asked. Kimberly laughed.
"Yeah, there is." She took a deep breath. "Whe Doctor Oliver first became a power ranger, he was an evil ranger." Naomi looked at her.
"He was?"
"Yeah. And, well, he was the new guy in town and I kind of liked him. When the other rangers and I found out he was the evil green ranger, I was devastated. I tried talking to him, tried to get through to him, but it didn't work. In the end, of course, we were able to break the spell he was under and he joined our side. What I'm trying to say is that I know what you're going through."
"You do?"
"Yeah. You like someone, and it turns out he's not one of the good guys, it hurts. I've been there, and I just want you to know that if you need to talk about it, I'm here for you."
"I………..Well, the thing is………I'm not exactly going through that." Naomi said.
"You're not?"
"No, I don't like Trent that way.."
"Oh." Kimberly said, suddenly feeling very foolish. "But….When Ethan was telling me what happened, he mentioned Trent was your boyfriend and…….." Kimberly closed her mouth. "You know what, this is none of my business, forget I said anything."
"I….I started dating Trent because I wanted to get over someone." Naomi said.
"The blue ranger?" Kimberly asked. Naomi looked at her, about to ask how she knew. "Tommy told me what happened, how you were upset with Ethan and all that."
"Yeah." Naomi sighed. "You ever look at someone and to you, they just seem like one way……..But then……you find out something about them and it just changes everything?" She asked. She sighed again. "I……I fell for the blue ranger…..I mean, you know, when I didn't know who he was…And then, when I found out who he really was……..I just…I mean, I was pissed because I thought it was just a dirty trick…but I was also scared, I mean………Ethan's my friend and the fact that he made me feel so…."
"Special?"
"Yeah, and well, it's kind of confused me. And it didn't help when Ethan told me it wasn't a trick."
"So, are you saying you have feelings for Ethan?" Kimberly asked.
"I don't know. I spent so much time forcing myself to have feelings for Trent that everything's just so mixed up. I don't know what I feel anymore. I mean, I should just forget it all and have feelings for Ethan. He likes me and he's so nice and he's been there for me and-"
"Naomi," Kimberly said, cutting her off. "You can't think up reasons to have feelings for a person like that. Your feelings can't come from your head, they have to come from your heart."
"My heart's confused though. What do I do?"
"I guess you just have to wait until it's not." Kimberly said. Naomi sighed. "I'm sorry, I know that's not the answer you were looking for."
---
Kira sat curled up on one of the uncomfortable hospital chairs in Conner's room. Mrs. McKnight had left hours before, going home to get some actual sleep, seeing as she hadn't the night before. Kira hadn't done so well herself during the night. The crash and Conner using himself as a shield had haunted her dreams. She hadn't told her parents, mainly because they were in bed when she came home, and they were gone before she left for the hospital. She sighed and moved her position light. Eric had long since disappeared to go find food for the both of them. Neither was hungry, but knew that they needed to eat to keep up their strength. Kira stared at Conner, his sleeping form. The IV's running from their stands beside his bed into his body to feed him, and the constant bleep from the heart monitor made it strange to watch him. She watched as his chest rose and fell in a rhythmic motion, making her sleepy. Kira's eyes slowly drifted shut, her head resting against the palm of her hand and her last conscious thought asking Conner to wake up soon. Eric walked in about 10 minutes later carrying some take out food. He had failed to find the cafeteria in the hospital, so he'd gone to the closest fast food restaurant. He hopped that Kira liked burgers, otherwise he was shit outta luck. As he walked into the room, he opened his mouth to announce to Kira that he was back, when he noticed that she was now fully asleep, snoring lightly. She was no longer asleep in the chair, but bent forward onto Conner's bed, holding his hand, using his mattress as a pillow. Eric cringed. It couldn't be comfortable for Kira to sleep like that. He put the food on the bedside table near him and grabbed a blanket and placed it gently over Kira's back. She shifted slightly.
"Mmmm Thanks Conner...love you too." She mumbled before turning her head the other way, towards Conner. Eric sighed and sat down by the wall. He pulled out one of the boxes of fries and began to eat silently.
---
Ethan and Tommy had gone to Carter and Dana's house to pick Trini up. Ethan talked to the two former rangers for a bit before they decided to leave. Tommy put Trini in the back seat as Ethan got in the passenger side. Shortly after Tommy pulled out of the Greysons' driveway, Trini was asleep.
"Hey, I've been doing some thinking." Tommy said. "Since Conner's out of commission, and Kira can't fight with her wrist like that, we need to find a replacement if we hope to fight against Mesogog and his goons."
"Right, but who? I thought you said that the gems bond with someone DNA."
"They do. So, the logical thought would be that we need someone with similar DNA as Conner or Kira."
"Yeah but…….Wait, you mean Eric?" Ethan asked. Tommy nodded. "Dr. O, are you sure? I mean, I was thinking maybe someone who was already in the know, like Naomi, Dr. Hart or Mr. Greyson." He decided not to include Dana since she was pregnant.
"The gems wouldn't respond to them. Besides, Conner said that Eric went to that Ninja Academy run by the former wind and samurai rangers, so we know he knows how to fight."
"Yeah, but would he be okay with a. Finding out his brother, friends and science teacher are power rangers and b. Becoming a power ranger himself."
"A temporary power ranger." Tommy corrected.
"I still don't think it's a good idea." Ethan said.
"Look, I don't like more people then necessary being involved, but if we want to protect the city, not to mention Naomi," Tommy said, stressing her name knowing it would get to Ethan, he looked over and was right since Ethan looked away, "the two of us won't be enough."
"I guess you're right." Ethan said. They soon reached the house. "Do you want me to get Trini?" Ethan asked.
"Yeah, sure, just be careful not to wake her." Tommy said. Ethan nodded. He got out and slowly eased Trini out of the car. Tommy was a little surprised to see how he got her out with out her even waking up a little. Ethan caught the look after he picked Trini up.
"My older sister has a two year old son. You wake that boy up from a nap, and you better break out the earplugs. So, I've managed to perfect the skill." Ethan said softly. Tommy laughed and opened the door to the house. Ethan carried Trini into the house. Kimberly and Naomi were sitting on the couch and smiled at the sight. Kimberly went over and stood by Ethan as he gently eased the sleeping child into her arms.
"I'll put Ms. Sleepy-Head to bed." Kimberly said as she disappeared upstairs. Naomi looked at the two of them.
"I..I called my house to see if my mom was home. No one answered. So I checked the messages on our machine. Apparently after her job assignment was done, she decided to meet up with Dad in Phoenix, and they're enjoying some time alone at a Spa." She said bitterly. "So nice, I nearly get killed, and they're enjoying massages and Jacuzzis. Anyway, I……..I don't…" She said, not sure how to say what she was about to ask.
"You can stay here." Tommy said, understanding that she was afraid Trent would come to her house. Naomi sighed.
"Thanks."
"Why don't you go ask Kimberly if she can lend you some night clothes and I'll pull the bed out of the sofa?" He suggested. Naomi smiled.
"Thanks." She said as she went upstairs. Ethan watched her leave.
"Uh……we should probably all stay……..You know, united front and-" Ethan said, wanting to stay with Naomi.
"If you can come up with a legitimate reason for not coming home for your parents, you can stay." Tommy said. Ethan looked at Tommy. "Apparently my house has become Center for Lovelorn Teens." He smirked. Ethan's eyes widened and his jaw dropped. Tommy laughed. "Help me get this bed out." Tommy said. Ethan helped him get the sofa cushions to the side.
"How's this sound 'mom, dad, my friends and I really need to study for a science test tomorrow, so is it all right if I spend the night at Kira's'?"
"But what if they call Kira's house?" Tommy asked.
"Simple, I tell them that Kira's phones got disconnected because they're in the process of changing companies, so they'll have to just call my cell phone."
"Impressive." Tommy said. "And if they don't buy it?"
"One of the perks of being a geek, you don't get in trouble so parents believe anything you say." Ethan smirked.
"All right, go call them." Tommy said as he began to pull out the foldout bed. Ethan nodded and went to the phone.
---
Naomi walked along the hallway until she found the slightly ajar door that showed Kimberly tucking her daughter in. Naomi quietly walked into the doorway.
"Dr. Hart?" She whispered, careful not to wake the sleeping child. Kimberly turned and looked at her. She went over to the door. Naomi walked out of the doorway as Kimberly switched off the light and walked out of the room, shutting the door behind her.
"What's up?" Kimberly asked.
"Well, uh, Dr. Oliver said I could stay here for the night and he told me to ask you if I could borrow something to sleep in. I…if me staying over is imposing, I guess-"
"Naomi," Kimberly said, cutting her off.
"Yeah?"
"I've got something you can borrow." She said. She ushered Naomi back into the room, since Kimberly had yet to move her things to Tommy's room. Right as they shut the door behind them, Ethan and Tommy were coming up the stairs and going to his room so Tommy could give him something to sleep in. Tommy handed him a pair of sweatpants and a t-shirt before leaving him to change so he could get some bed sheets and blankets from the linen closet. Kimberly gave Naomi a pair of cotton shorts and a tank top. Naomi went to the bathroom to change. After Ethan changed, he joined Tommy downstairs.
"So, I can trust that if I leave you two down here unsupervised, nothing will happen, right?" Tommy asked Ethan.
"Dr. Oliver!" Ethan hissed embarrassed.
"Hey, I'm just saying. I mean, I do have a child in the house."
"Dude, seeing as you were in a very good mood yesterday, I don't think you're one to talk about things going on while children are in the house." Ethan pointed out. Tommy looked at him.
"Was it that obvious? Wait……Why am I talking about this with you? You're my student!" Tommy said. Ethan chuckled.
"Anyway, I don't think it would exactly be good for my job if I had two students over at my house and they ended up-" Tommy was cut off as they heard someone coming down the stairs. They looked over to see Naomi come in wearing the clothes Kimberly leant her, her hair down, and her glasses off. Ethan stared at her as his mouth suddenly felt dry as cotton.
"Ethan, are you staying here too?" Naomi asked. Tommy looked at how Ethan was currently incapable of responding, so he decided to speak for him.
"Well, I figured it would be best, you know, untied front and all." He said, smirking inside as he used the excuse Ethan gave him.
"Oh." Naomi said. She walked off to the side to place her discarded clothes and glasses somewhere. Ethan watched her. Tommy leaned over to Ethan.
"You're sure I don't need to worry?" Tommy whispered. Ethan stared at Naomi as she bent over to put her things down on the floor. Ethan gulped.
"Can I sleep in the lab?" He whispered to Tommy. Tommy chuckled slightly.
"Well, I'm off to bed, goodnight you two." He said to both teenagers.
"Goodnight Dr. Oliver, and thanks for letting me stay." Naomi said. Tommy smiled at her.
"Don't mention it." He said. He gave one last look to Ethan and went upstairs. Naomi looked at Ethan.
"So, we're sharing?" She asked. Ethan gulped.
"I……I could……Uh…..Sleep in the easy chair.."
"But that can't be comfortable-" They began, their voices overlapping each other's.
"No, it looks-"
"I mean, the bed's pretty big, we could always-"
"I mean, if I just re-arrange the pillows, it could be quite comfortable-
"Share." Naomi said. Ethan paused.
"I……sure…….I guess that could…..Work." Ethan said. "Are you tired?" He asked.
"No, not really." Naomi said. She sat on the edge of the bed. Ethan sat on one of the easy chairs, facing her. He had a good view of her legs and slight cleavage and suddenly wondered if staying with Naomi was such a good idea. "Can I ask you something?" She asked.
"Yeah, sure." He said.
"Well, I was just wondering, how did you and Dr. Oliver pull off the whole rescue thing earlier?"
"Well.." Ethan began
After Tommy and Ethan dropped Trini off, they drove to the warehouse, stopping a mile before it. They walked the rest of the way and stopped behind some bushes nearby.
"There's Trent." Tommy said, seeing Trent morphed with Naomi on the roof.
"And Naomi." Ethan said through clenched teeth. He went to go to the warehouse but Tommy stopped him, pulling him back down.
"We need a plan." Tommy said. "Look, Trent doesn't know I've come with you, so how about I activate my invisibility power and go up behind Trent."
"And what do I do?" Ethan asked.
"Distract Trent long enough for me to get the drop on him." Tommy said. Ethan sighed. He wanted to be the one to beat the crap out of Trent, but he knew that Tommy's plan was a good one and Ethan's main concern was to get Naomi away from Trent safely.
"Fine." He said. He watched as Tommy vanished before his eyes.
"Wait, Dr. Oliver can turn invisible?" Naomi asked after Ethan finished.
"Yeah. It's the gems. They give us these sort of extra powers."
"Oh, what's yours?" Naomi asked.
"Super strength. Which is how I was able to catch you."
"I was wondering why it felt like I landed on something firm." Naomi said, smiling. "What about Conner and Kira?" She asked.
"Super speed and super sonic screaming."
"Oh."
"Yeah." They were both silent for a while.
"You know what really sucks about this all?" She asked.
"What's that?"
"Well.." She began, suddenly feeling a little embarrassed. "Trent was my first kiss….….He turned out to be evil….That doesn't exactly leave me with much faith in the whole dating thing."
"Trent was your first kiss?" Ethan asked, a little surprised. Naomi rolled her eyes.
"I used to go to an all girls boarding school. I'm not very knowing of the whole opposite sex stuff."
"Oh." Ethan said, feeling a little jealous of Trent that he was the one to give Naomi her first kiss.
"Yeah." She said. "I'm sorry, you didn't need to hear about all that."
"It's okay." Ethan said. He looked at her. "And, uh, well, maybe they don't count."
"Huh?" Naomi asked.
"Yeah..Uh, maybe the whole evil factor kind of makes it all invalid." He said. Naomi smirked.
"Huh, I never thought about that." She said. Ethan smiled.
"Oh yeah, actually, it says so in the dating handbook."
"Dating handbook?" Naomi asked, quirking an eyebrow.
"Yeah, I'm pretty sure it says that uh, if you are kissed by an evil guy, it never happened." Ethan said. Naomi laughed.
"Well, that's a load off my mind." She said. She looked down, trying to think of something to say, anything at all. Anything that would keep up the façade that nothing horrible had happened. Ethan looked at her.
"Naomi," he said causing her to look up at him. "The others and I would understand if you went back to that whole keeping your distance thing. I mean, after what happened and-"
"You mean because I was used by the bad guys?" She asked. Ethan sighed. "Look, they know that I'm involved with you guys."
"But you don't have to be."
"Let me finish," Naomi said. "It's like one of those things. A Pandora's box, or a can of worms, it's been opened and you can't change what's happened. Me staying away from you guys isn't going to change anything. And, frankly, if stuff is going to happen to me, I'd rather be close to people who can do something about it." She said.
"But now you're in something you had no choice in being a part of."
"Isn't that the same for you guys?" Naomi asked. "I mean, correct me if I'm wrong, but from what I gather, it's like a destiny thing. You were chosen to do it. Maybe you had the choice to walk away, but it was one of those things that was meant to fall into your hands."
"I guess, but-"
"So, you guys were chosen to fight the bad guys, and maybe I'm chosen to stand by and be your friend while you fight the bad guys with Dr. Hart."
"……And Haley." Ethan said. Naomi looked at him.
"Haley knows too?" She asked, surprised.
"Yeah, she's our resident techno wiz. She's the one who programmed the morphers and everything." He said.
"You mean the bracelets, right?"
"Yeah."
"Yeah, that's how I found out."
"Found out what?" Ethan asked.
"That Trent's the white ranger." She said. She sighed. "He came over to my house after school yesterday and that's when he told me about Conner's car. I freaked and tried to get to the phone to call the cops or something. He took the phone from me and I tried to calm him down. He looked completely whacked. I mean, he was pale and everything. I didn't know what he was capable of doing so I just focused on getting as far away from him as possible……Except that, well when I tried to make my daring escape, he kind of stopped me and..choked me." Ethan gripped the armrests of the easy chair, feeling anger towards Trent yet again. "When I was trying to pull him off, his sleeve came up and I saw the bracelet. I remembered seeing the same thing on you, Conner, Kira and Dr. Oliver and I didn't really think it was some sort of fashion trend, and after he backed off it came to me. He was the white ranger. Of course, I made the mistake of voicing my realization and that's when Trent knocked me out." She looked down.
"Naomi?" Ethan asked.
"Yeah?"
"That night you went out with Trent, I asked you a question." He said. Part him knew this wasn't the time to go into that, but he wanted to know. "I asked you if I had talked to you before Trent and you had kissed, would we be together." Naomi sighed, remembering.
"And I told you it wasn't relevant at the time."
"Because you were with him."
"You want to know if it would've made a difference?" She asked. Ethan nodded.
"I know this isn't the time, and I know I'm probably the most insensitive guy in the universe-"
"No, it's okay." Naomi said. She looked away for a second before looking back at Ethan. "Maybe." She said. "I mean, looking back I wish I hadn't gotten involved with him, you know? Maybe things would've been different." She looked at Ethan and saw that that wasn't what he was asking. "I don't know. Honestly." She sighed. "I mean, when I found out you were the blue ranger, it really messed up my head. I mean, I didn't know who you were anymore."
"I know, and I'm sorry I lied to you."
"It's not that." Naomi said. "I mean, I didn't know how I felt about you anymore. I mean before I saw you as Ethan, one of my good friends and the blue ranger as someone who…..Well…..wasn't just a friend……and then, when I found out you and him were one in the same it just confused me. And then, when you told me it wasn't a dirty trick and that you liked me I…..I just didn't know how to deal. I don't know, maybe that's why I was so determined to make Trent out to be some sort of perfect boyfriend. I wanted some sort of clarity on my emotions." She paused. "I just went into some long speech just to answer a simple question." She realized.
"It's okay." Ethan said. "I mean, I understand, it's complicated."
"It is." She looked down. "And I'm not making it any easier. Ethan, earlier…..I did……try to kiss you." She admitted. Ethan's head snapped up, staring at her. He had been so sure that he had been imagining things.
"You did?" He asked.
"Yeah." She said. Ethan smiled softly and went over to sit beside her. He looked at her and she looked back at him. He then leaned in. Naomi lowered her head. "Ethan, I can't." She said. Ethan looked at her and sat back. "I'm sorry. I just……need some time to figure things out. Figure out how I feel." Ethan looked down.
"Oh."
"I mean, I…I tried to kiss you earlier because I felt like I should. I mean, part of me thinks 'hey, he likes you and you liked his alter ego, so go on'. But, another part of me thinks 'he's your friend'." Ethan nodded, trying his best to understand. Naomi sighed. "I wonder if Lois Lane had it this tough when she discovered Clark Kent's alter ego." She said, trying to make a joke. Ethan gave a half smile. Naomi looked at him. Ethan gently took her hand in his.
"I understand." He said. "Well, at least, I'll do my best to understand." He added honestly. "But, I don't want to force you into anything. I know how I feel about you. If you need some time to figure out how you feel about me, I'll try to live with that." He said. Naomi smiled.
"Thanks." She leaned over and hugged him, giving him a kiss on the cheek. Ethan closed his eyes as he hugged her back. He wished things could be different, but he knew he had to respect Naomi's wishes.
"Well, let's get some sleep." Ethan said as they parted. Naomi nodded. She went and got under the covers as Ethan went to shut off the light in the living room. After the room was engulfed in darkness, he tried to make his way back to the bed. He ended up walking into a table. "Ow." He said as he stubbed his toe.
"Are you all right?" Came Naomi's voice.
"Yeah, just keep talking, I'll follow your voice." He said. Naomi giggled.
"Okay, blah, blah blah blah blah." She said. Ethan laughed as he made his way to the bed. He heard Naomi sit up in the bed. He stretched out his hands, trying to feel out the bed when he felt a soft hand brush against his. He then felt the hand grab onto his. He knew it was Naomi trying to guide him to the bed from where she was. As he got closer, she slid to the other side, making room for him.
"Thanks." He said as he got in the bed and under the covers. Naomi laughed softly.
"No problem." She said. He felt the bed move as she laid down. "Good night." She said.
"Good night." He said, turning to face her. He could see the outline of her features from the moonlight peaking in through the window. He quietly watched as she shut her eyes and slowly fell to sleep with one hand under her head and the other right by her face on the bed. Ethan reached over and placed a hand on hers and ran his thumb over the back of her palm. "I love you, Naomi." He whispered before drifting off to sleep.