Disclaimer: Don't own SPD…belongs to Disney…
Thanks to everyone for the feedback on chapter one! I guess now I have to continue this, huh? So here it is, the next chapter!
I've decided that I'm going to hit all of the spots mentioned in "A Picture's Worth 1000 Words" and expand off of that.
Sky is five and is just finishing school. How will the Guardians react to having a kid around? What will his reaction be to seeing Jen in the foyer?
Chapter two up! Enjoy!
Years Apart
"I'll see you guys later!" Sky called as he hopped off of the bus and walked into the mansion. "Dad!" His voice rang out in the house.
"Master Sky, I heard you all the way down in the garden!" Phillips walked into the foyer and smiled at the boy. "How was school?"
Sky threw his empty backpack onto the ground. "Thank god it's over!" He exclaimed.
"Well, isn't starting first grade an accomplishment? After all, now the real work begins."
Sky huffed as he ran up into his father's office. "Daddy!" he called as Wes shushed him for a brief second.
"So, we have the space needed in New Tech for Space Patrol Delta? ...Good… have you contacted Cruger yet, I want him as the Commander, he has every right to it… excellent… all right, I'll talk to you later." Wes hung up the phone and smiled at Sky. "Sky, hey!" Wes said as Sky jumped into his lap. "How was school?"
Sky laughed. "It was great, Dad!" He flashed his report card proudly. "Mrs. Marzollo was so happy this marking period!"
Wes smiled at his son. Sky had trouble reading and did poorly in this area. Sky jumped off of his father's lap and began reading a book his teacher gave him. Wes watched the excitement on his son's face as he read "The Little Engine That Could." '
The phone suddenly rang and Wes answered it. "Good afternoon, Wes Collins speaking…Oh! Doctor Sorenson, hel-…"
Sky watched his father's face shrink and become suddenly pale. "No…oh god, please…he can't be…all right, thank you"
"Daddy, what's wrong?" Sky asked.
Wes sniffed as tears began flowing down his face. "Sky, we need to go to the hospital."
"What is it?" Sky asked as Wes rushed him out of the room.
"It's your grandpa, Sky." Wes said, his voice shook. "He's had a heart attack."
At the hospital
"Excuse me, I'm looking for room 521." He told the nurse. She pointed down the hallway as Wes pulled Sky behind him.
"Grandpa!" Sky called into the room. "Grandpa!" He burst through the doors, and his grandfather slowly turned his head.
"Sky, my dear boy." His voice was silent as tears fell down Sky's face.
"Dad," Wes whispered as he pulled a chair next to his bed. "My god, what happened?"
Alan squeezed his eyes shut. "I…I don't remember. I was walking up some stairs at Bio-Lab, when I lost my breath and my heart stopped."
"I found him lying in the stairwell." A voice said. Wes watched Eric walk in; a nervous look was on his face.
Sky kept his eyes on his grandfather's face. "Grandpa, are you going to be okay?"
"I'll be fine, Sky. Don't you worry, okay?" Alan asked.
Eric chuckled. "He'll be fine, Sky. He's been through worse." Wes laughed as well.
"He stood up to Ransik and won, I think that goes under 'Able to survive renegade mutant attack'." Wes chuckled. Alan laughed slightly.
"I did that for you, son." Alan said towards Wes. But Sky still had that scared look upon his face. "Don't worry, Sky." He told his grandson.
Wes placed his hands on his son's shoulders. "Come on, Sky. Let's let Grandpa rest." He said as he watched his father's eyes close. Sky said a quiet good-bye and walked out of the room.
"Eric," Wes said to his friend. "If anything happens, please, contact me."
Eric nodded. "I will." Wes hugged his friend. "He'll be okay, Wes." Wes looked at his father through the glass. "Come on, I'll give you guys a ride home."
Back at the Mansion
Wes and Sky had stayed at the hospital for a few hours. Wes carried Sky in as the boy slept on his father's shoulder. It was almost two in the morning as Wes and Eric headed up towards Sky's room.
Wes pulled back the comforter and put Sky into his bed. The boy readjusted himself and snuggled up against his teddy bear.
"Good night, Sky." Wes whispered and kissed his son's forehead.
Eric watched with a smile on his face. Wes had been through so much. After Jen leaving and now is father was in the hospital. Wes walked out and closed the door. He and Eric headed down towards Wes's office where he sat down in his chair and opened a brandy bottle.
"He'll be okay, Wes. Like you said before, he's been through worse times." Eric stated as Wes poured some brandy into a small glass and drank it.
"I know." Wes sighed. It was going to be a long night.
Later
"Sky," someone called his name. "Sky, baby wake up." A sweet female's voice reached his ears. He opened his eyes to see a beautiful young woman standing over him. "Come on, sweetie. Wake up."
A young man walked into the room where Sky slept. "Dad?" he asked. Wes nodded. He looked at the young woman. She was dressed in a pair of dark navy jeans and a pink shirt. Her hair was brown, her eyes soft.
"Come on, Sky. It's your first day of school." She cooed. "I made your favorite. M&M pancakes and bacon."
He looked at her. "Who are you?" he asked. He had never seen her face before, and yet she was standing in his room.
The brunette smiled at him. "It's me," she said. "Your mother."
Sky awoke suddenly, confused by his dream. "My mother? But she died, in a car crash." hetold himselfhimself.
"Wes, you really should get some sleep." Eric's voice reached Sky'sears.
"I want to, Eric. But I can't." his father responded.
Sky slowly got out of bed and opened the door. He tiptoed to his father's office to see the door shut. 'Good. It's closed.' He thought. Sky put his ear to the door and listened quietly.
"Well, what are the chances that your friends back at Time Force could help out?" Eric asked.
"No, I don't think that she would want to interfere with the time line." Wes said. "Besides, even Alex wouldn't approve."
"Have your forgotten that he was the one that saved your father in the first place? After Ransik nearly killed him?" the Quantum Ranger raised his voice.
"I know, but this time it's of natural causes. My dad almost died because of something from their time." Wes paused, then chuckled to himself. "I could hear Jen now. 'Why the hell are you doing that!' She'd flip." But at the memory of her, he frowned.
Sky watched his father's face turn. "Who's Jen?" he asked himself, and hoped his father would say more about her.
"She hasn't contacted you at all, to find out how Sky's doing?" Eric asked and cocked his head.
Wes sighed. "Not one word from her. Nothing." The clock in the hallway rang three in the morning. "Well, you better be going, I'm sure Taylor will want to know where her husband is now, eh?"
Eric laughed. "That'd probably be a good idea."
Sky heard this and quickly made his way back towards his room. The house was soon quiet again as he thought of his father's words.
"She hasn't contacted you at all, to find out how Sky's doing?"
"Not one word from her. Nothing."
"Who is she?" Sky asked himself. He was confused right now. All the things his father and Eric talked about, they just didn't make sense. Time Force? Their time?
"It's strange," he yawned. "Very strange…" he fell asleep with his father's words still plaguing his mind.
On the balcony outside his window a figure stood, cloaked in black. "Oh Sky," it whispered. "If only you knew."
The next day
Sky was sitting in the living room and was going through his father's old pictures. There was one of a young woman who was dressed in a pink/black plaid skirt, a pink shirt and a black leather jacket. She was positively radiant.
"Hey Sky," his father sat down next to him. "What are you looking at?" Sky flipped to a picture to see his father standing a ranger's suite.
"Dad, you were a Power Ranger?" Sky asked. Wes chuckled and looked at the old newspaper.
"I was the Red Ranger, yes." Wes flipped to another picture. All the memories of his time as a ranger came back to him. He flipped to another picture, a woman smiled back at him. He ran a finger over her picture; a smile came to his face. 'Jen.' He thought.
Sky flipped to another one to see his father in a newspaper. "Wow!" the boy exclaimed. "That was you?" he pointed. Wes looked at the picture of him. He was in mid air and striking a bunch of cyclobots.
"Time strike!" he called. A flash of red and the cyclobots were gone in a flash. Jen stepped in front of him.
"Good job, Wes." She patted his shoulder. Behind her helmet, she smiled.
"That was when I was younger." Wes sighed happily. "That was the best time of my life. Fighting mutants, running the shop. Those were the days."
Sky looked at the picture of his father. "Dad, you were amazing. You know what I want to be when I grow up?" Sky asked.
Wes cocked his head. "And what would that be?"
Sky smiled. "I want to be the Red Ranger, just like you." Wes was left speechless as Sky headed up towards his room with a smile on his face. He plopped down in his bed and turned on his play station. The Power Rangers game in the console began to play as Sky began to fight the enemies. "I want to be the Red Ranger, definitely." He watched as the Ranger began his morphing sequence. Sky jumped up and did the hand motions.
"Time For…Time Force!" He jumped and began to play the game. "Red Ranger Sky, power up!"
From downstairs in the living room, Wes smiled as he heard his son up in his room. The doorbell rang and Wes went to answer it.
"No, no. I'll get it, Master Wes." Phillips walked towards the door. He opened it as a rush of warm spring air invaded the mansion. "How may I help you?"
A young woman stood there, a smile on her face. "Is Wes home? I need to speak with him."
Phillips smiled, as the maids around him also did. "Master Wes!" he called. "Master Wes, there is someone here to see you!"
The many maids started to gather around as the young woman walked into the foyer, whispers went around as Wes walked into the foyer.
"Yes Phillips, who's—" He cut off as she turned around; a smile was on her face. "Jen." He said as he skipped forward and hugged her tightly. "Jen, it's so good to see you again."
"You have no idea, Wes." She muttered into his ear. He gazed into her eyes and kissed her. A feeling of bliss encased them as Phillips rushed everyone out of the room.
Jen stood in Wes's arms for a few seconds as she watched everyone leave the room. "You know, that really isn't necessary." She whispered.
Wes placed his arm around her waist. "Let's take a walk, shall we?" Jen smiled and placed her arm around his.
"A walk sounds good."
Wes led her outside and around the terrace. "How have you been, Jen?" he asked.
The Pink Ranger drew in a breath. "I've been good. Time Force promoted me to Captain. Nothing new."
"Oh, El Capiton." He said in a fake French accent. Jen laughed and gave him a playful punch in the arm.
"So how've you been?" she asked. He sighed.
"Depends on what day of the week it is." He said. Wes's voice went lower as they entered the house again.
Jen turned to him. In his eyes she saw fear, worry and fatigue. "Wes, talk to me. What's wrong?"
He sighed. "My father, he…" Wes paused. "He had a heart attack the other day."
"Oh, Wes. I'm so sorry." Jen hugged him and he placed his head on her shoulder. "Is it okay?"
He buried his face in her shoulder. "He should be okay." A sweet scent of vanilla drifted towards his nose as he drew in and let out a deep breath.
"How's Sky been?" Jen asked. Wes smiled and looked up at where his room was.
"He's been…amazing. Jen, I wish you could watch him grow up. He… he wants to be a ranger."
Jen sighed and sat down in a near-by chair. "That's precisely what I came here to talk with you about." Wes leaned up against the banister. "Time Force has allowed me this one visit here, to talk to you about Sky's future."
"What about it?" the Red Ranger asked.
Jen sighed. This wasn't an easy thing for her to do. "Wes, I don't want him to get involved in that Space Patrol Delta thing you're helping fund." She said. Wes's face shrunk.
Up in his room, Sky had just completed the next level of his game. "Yes! Off to fight the next monster!" He got up to go get a glass of water when he heard his father and someone else talking. He slowly crawled towards the edge of the floor.
Sitting in a chair was a woman dressed completely in white; a strange gun was attached to her leg.
"He wants to be a ranger, Jen." Wes responded. Jen grew furious.
"Damn it, Wes!" Jen yelled. "I told you, he's not going to take any part of that Space Patrol Delta you're helping fund!"
"Look. It's his decision. I tried to talk it out of him, but he wants to take part in it. There's nothing I can do!" He lowered his voice. "He wants to be a ranger, how can you take that away from him?"
"I've seen what being a ranger can do to you. I mean, look at us. We fought every day of our lives for this city, and it's fine. There's no more crazy renegade mutants or anything going around." Her voice grew soft. "I just want the best for Sky. I don't want him to get hurt."
Wes held her close. "Neither do I. I'll talk with him, but I can't guarantee anything."
Sky looked at her. There was something familiar about her, but he couldn't put his finger on it. He slowly backed up into his room.
Jen put her head in her hands. This is exactly what she was trying to avoid. She didn't want to fight. But hearing that Sky wanted to be a ranger…no, she couldn't let that happen.
She sniffed as she touched his face. "I just wish it wasn't like this. Why did I have to be born 1000 years away from you? Sky would have both his parents."
"That's something we can't control. No matter how hard we try to fight it. It's destiny." Wes said. Jen sighed as she felt him against her and place his arms around her tightly. For a few moments, they stood in each other's arms.
Something beeped suddenly. "I have to go. Time Force wants me back as soon as possible." She said as she made her way towards the door.
Wes seized her arm suddenly. "Jen," he said. "Will I see you again?"
The Captain sighed. "I don't know when I'll be permitted back. It could be tomorrow; it could be years from now. I just hope it's soon." Jen gazed into his eyes and kissed him deeply. "Bye Wes. I love you."
"I love you, too." He said quietly and watched as she made her way outside to where a Vector cycle stood.
He watched her mount the cycle and drive away, swirl of blue, green, yellow and black surrounded her as she drove through the vortex.
Wes sighed. "Bye Jen."
He closed the door without another word said.
ch 3 up soon…
