Strong Enough

2. Telling the Story . . .

Kendrix: Okay, the letter was interesting and all.

Maya: Thank you for reading so far.

Leo: Have you ever noticed how many of us start with the K sound?

Mike: No, but there's Kendrix, Cassie, Kat, Kim, Karone, Kira, Katie, Cole, Carter, Cam, Carlos, Conner, Kai, Cruger. . . I think that's it.

Karone: Count them up.

Kai: Fourteen.

Damon: That's just wrong!

R&R!

"Hey, guys! What's wrong with Cassie? I haven't seen her for three days," Andros said. He was getting a little worried and this time it had nothing to do with his crush on Cassie. The others could tell this had nothing to do with the crush.

"It's that day, isn't it?" Carlos asked Ashley and T.J.

"No, it was yesterday," Ashley said. "Andros, a year ago from yesterday, Cassie lost someone very special in her life." She placed a hand on T.J.'s shoulder to comfort him.

"Who?" Andros said.

"The old blue ranger, Justin Stewart. It all started when they became a couple back on earth in Angel Grove..."

Justin and Cassie walked around Angel Grove Park behind Carlos, Ashley, and T.J. Justin took Cassie's hand as they walked.

Cassie liked Justin. Scratch that . . . she loved Justin. She knew he was twelve and all, but she loved him all the same. Age didn't matter in their relationship. Only their feelings mattered and their feeling were a bond no one could ruin for them. Not even the biggest enemies of the Power Rangers.

"Hey, lovebirds!" Carlos called behind him. "You gonna come play or make love?" They rolled their eyes at him and chased their three friends in a game of tag.

Justin held Cassie in his arms at the park. She had fallen asleep while the five were star gazing.

It was a good thing it was Friday and Cassie was living with Ashley's family since her parents and brother died in a car crash, after two months of having their powers . . . Some car crash! Stupid Divatox killed the Chan's!

Anyways . . . Justin stroked Cassie's midnight black hair back and kissed her forehead.

Carlos nudged T.J. and Ashley and pointed to the couple behind them.

Justin pulled Cassie closer. She stirred and looked up into his brown eyes with her dark black ones. They kissed. She wrapped her arms around him and he wrapped his around her.

Ashley sighed.

"Their so cute," Ashley said to T.J. and Carlos. Cassie and Justin turned to them.

"Okay, a little too loud, Ashley," Carlos said. Cassie rolled her eyes.

"You ready to go?" T.J. asked. br

"Hold on," Cassie said. br

"Yeah just a few more minutes," Justin said.

"How about ten," Cassie said and they started kissing.

"Or twenty."

"Or an hour."

"Or two hours."

"How about now?" Ashley said. "Cassie, Mom and Dad are gonna get worried." Cassie kissed Justin once more.

"We'll see you tomorrow," Cassie whispered and she and Ashley left to Hammond residence. Justin sighed, glaring at Carlos and T.J.

"We were rooting for you two to keep going," Carlos said. "Justin! Justin!" T.J. rolled his eyes at Carlos.

"Let's go, Justin. We'll leave Carlos alone to root for you and Cassie," T.J. said and he took Justin home.

"Hey, wait up! Guys, come on!" Carlos called, chasing after them.

"Cassie," Ashley said, shaking her. "Come on, its Saturday."

"Five more minutes, Ashley," Cassie said, pulling her covers over her head even more.

"You get to see Justin," Ashley said. Cassie got out of bed chipper.

"Well, don't just stand there girl . . . Get dressed! I've got my man to see!" Cassie called from the walk-in-closet. Ashley laughed, shaking her head at the Asian girl.

Cassie ran into the Youth Center. Justin, T.J., and Carlos sat there glumly.

"Hi, Baby," Cassie said, sitting next to Justin. She noticed his glum expression."What's wrong?"

"I'm moving, Cassie," Justin said.

"Excuse me," Cassie said . . . .

"Wait he moved? I thought you said she /I lost-lost /I him as in /I died- lost /I not /I move-lost/I !" Andros exclaimed at the Yellow Astro Ranger.

"Andros, that part is coming. Now . . ." Ashley said . . .

"I'm mov . . ." Justin was interrupted by a loud screams.

"Let's go!" T.J. said. The five ran out to see a monster, okay five. It was more of clones then monsters.

"Nothing we can't handle," Cassie joked.

"It's morphin' time!" Ashley yelled. The group morphed.

"Oh, toys," said the Ashley clone. The Cassie clone smacked herself in the forehead.

"No, those are the rangers we must defeat!" the Justin clone said. The clones got in position. The real Turbo Power Rangers stared wide eyed at their clones. The clone attacked. The rangers tried dodging the attacks. (a/n: I suck at battles . . .)

"Can we cut to the Justin dieing scene?" Andros asked.

"I'm getting to that!" Ashley hissed through her clutched teeth, glaring at Andros for being rude. "Now, before I was rudely interrupted . . . again . . . I was talking about the battle. Justin, Cassie, and T.J. had their clones down in no time, so they helped Carlos and me . . ."

Cassie helped Ashley to her feet and Justin guarded them from the Ashley clone. Carlos and T.J. were trying to outwit the Carlos clone and dodged the attacks given to them. When they were both on the ground, the Carlos clone took the advantage of aiming at one of the other three rangers. He aimed at Cassie. T.J. and Carlos struggled to get up, distracting them from seeing the Carlos clone aim at Cassie.

Cassie dodged an attack, trying to distract the Ashley clone from Ashley and Justin, who were helping each other up off the ground and then helping T.J. and Carlos.

The Carlos clone fired at Cassie. br

"CASSIE!" They all yelled.

Justin pushed Cassie away from the blast. She flew about five feet away from where he was hit by the blast and demorphed. Cassie's head shot up and looked at Justin. He was covered in blood. T.J. and Carlos kneeled next to him. Cassie shoved them away from Justin and cradled Justin's head in her arms.

"Morph down," Cassie said.

"Cassie. . ." Carlos started.

"I SAID MORPH DOWN, DAMNIT!" Cassie screamed at the top of her lugs. Their Turbo form disappeared. P "Justin," Cassie whispered. His eyes opened a smidge.

"I love you, Perfect Pink Prin. . . Prince. . . Princess," Justin said barely below a whisper.

"Justin, please. . ." Cassie started, tears in her eyes.

"Shhh, take care of yourself, Babe," he whispered and took his last breathe. Cassie closed his eyes and rested her head on top of his as she cried, the tears falling in his hair.

"...We told the authorities he had committed suicide instead. Cassie, T.J., Carlos, and I were sent to the hospital to take care of minor injures and one surgery for the dislocated shoulder Cassie got when she hit the tree, after Justin pushed her out of the blast. After that, Cassie stayed in our room for three months crying. I had to shove food down her throat just to get her to eat," Ashley said.

"I'm so sorry. No one should have to have that kind of pain. Especially people as great and helpful as you guys," Andros said sadly.

"It's okay, but Justin was Cassie's first and real true love," she said. Carlos, Ashley, and T.J. got up. Ashley stopped in the doorway as the two guys went a head to their rooms. "Andros? Tell Cassie you love her, maybe she'll finally move on. Cassie can't sob and dwell on one guy forever. I think you're the one she needs to help her move on."

And with that, Ashley left Andros to think about everything Cassie and the others went through with Justin and how he died and how wrong that was. He felt sympathetic towards them all, but most of all Cassie. She had gone through the most pain and that pain was coming back to hurt her even more and was haunting her. He wondered how he could help her.