Disclaimer: I do not the words to the song "Taps", it was adapted by Daniel Butterfield in the 19th Century.
A/N: Merry Christmas! Happy Hannukah! Happy Kwanzaa! If I missed any holidays, please forgive :) I hope they're all fantastic!
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I've tried to go on like I never knew you
I'm awake but my world is half asleep
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"ALEX!"
Wes blinked rapidly, his vision blurry as he stared up at the bright blue sky, for a moment wondering where he was and what was happening; then he heard Jen's heart-wrenching scream, and it all came back to him: The trip to the future. Frax. The explosion. Trip! He tried to jump to his feet, but struggled unexpectedly when a sharp pain shot up from his ribs to his chest, he winced, rubbing the tender spot. Shit . . . ribs. Bruised, if not cracked.
Only a few feet away, Jen had managed to pull herself up and was moving as quickly as she could---still dazed from the explosion---to the corner she had last seen Alex go around, only now the corner was merely a pile of smoke and bricks; tears clouded her sight, pain in her leg from one of the flying bricks hardly seemed noticeable compared to the pain she felt much deeper. God, no . . . please!
It didn't take her but a moment to see the figure lying on the ground, clad entirely in white, white that was now covered with dirt and . . . blood. "Alex!" she cried, her injury now completely forgotten as she ran forward and fell down next to him; Alex's eyes were closed, the ground underneath his head growing wetter with the blood that gushed from the wound on his temple. Jen touched his cheek with a shaking hand, struggling to speak: "Alex, baby . . . wake up. Can you hear me? Wake up!"
He moaned, his eyes squeezing shut even tighter before they opened and he looked up at her, bringing a smile to her bruised face; she leaned over and kissed his forehead gently, wincing when she heard his soft cry. "It's okay . . . you'll be fine," she assured him, "let me look at you, m-make sure there's nothing else." Stop shaking, damn it! He doesn't need to see you so upset. But she couldn't control herself as she slid his jacket down from his shoulders and saw his blood-soaked shirt.
"Jen."
She looked back to see the other Rangers gathered around, and then it finally hit her as she realized what they were doing: Katie had her face buried in her hands, her sobs too loud not to hear. Lucas stood quietly, his face the same as that day they had left the past. And Wes was staring at what was left of the lab, his back turned to her, his shoulders slumped forward.
"Oh my god . . . " she whispered.
With a sob, she bent over Alex and clung to him, tears streaming down her dirty cheeks . . .
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Day is done, gone the sun
From the hills, from the lake
From the sky
All is well, safely rest
God is nigh
Lucas bitterly fought back tears as he approached the empty coffin with his fists clenched at his sides, his eyes squinted so no one could see through them; he placed his hands on the box, silently wishing they could have at least recovered a body to lay in the ground. No longer trying to hide it, he cried softly and hung his head, tears escaping through his lids and running down his cheeks; he didn't care anymore if anyone was watching, his friend deserved to be cried for.
Go to sleep, peaceful sleep
May the soldier or sailor
God keep
On the land or the deep
Safe in sleep
Alex forced himself up from the chair he sat in, still heavily bandaged and drugged from his injuries, he limped to the gravesite and gazed down at the coffin, his blue eyes suddenly soft with tears; he hadn't known the young Ranger as well as others, but he'd had the honor of serving with him on many missions. The boy's honesty was undeniable, his courage unquestionable, and Alex had always envied how easily he seemed to get along with everyone. I'm sure you'll make a nice addition up there, too . . . wherever you've gone. With a quiet sigh, he turned and rejoined the group.
Love, goodnight, must thou go
When the day, and the night
Need thee so?
All is well, speedeth all
To their rest
Jen patted Alex's arm gently once he had sat down, then took his place at the coffin, unashamedly crying in front of everyone, her breath short, her body trembling; somehow, her legs carried her far enough so she could rest her hands on the cool wood and bow her head, closing her eyes. We won't ever forget you . . . and we'll catch Frax, I promise. She opened her eyes again, gritting her teeth as she imagined the young man's face in front her, his easy smile, his warm attitude. She would miss him . . .
Fades the light, and afar
Goeth day, and the stars
Shineth bright
Fare thee well, day has gone
Night is on
Wes held his breath as Jen took her seat next to Alex, he stood in place for a moment, before walking up to the coffin and whispering, too low for anyone to hear: "It seems fitting . . . that it wouldn't rain today, doesn't it? It always rains for funerals . . . but you hated the rain." He felt, rather than saw, the sun begin to set, and fought back the tears that threatened to overwhelm him. "I'm sorry, little buddy. I wish I could've seen that bomb sooner . . . than you'd still be here."
Thanks and praise, for our days
'Neath the sun, 'neath the stars
'Neath the sky
As we go, this we know
God is nigh
Katie fell to her knees, suddenly too weak to stand, but did not cry even as the darkness fell over them and her friends rushed to her side to comfort her; she was no longer in her own time, but in another one, one that felt like so many years ago. Could it really have been so recent? When they were all together as a team, for the first time . . . how often had they comforted each other over troubles, whether minor or major? I'll miss that so much . . .
She reached into her bag and pulled out the only thing they found intact when searching through what was left of the lab: The Green Chrono Morpher. "This belongs to you," she whispered, "no one else. I-I hope you can find it . . . " She pressed her lips together and stood up, placing the morpher on the coffin. "I'm gonna miss you, kid. You were like a little brother to me. One I was supposed to always protect." Finally, she broke and tears spilled out. "And I couldn't." Her head fell. "I'm so sorry . . . I promise I won't let you down, I'll catch Frax." She choked on a sob. "I love you, Trip . . . goodbye."
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Jen stepped into the dimly-lit apartment as quietly as she could, hoping she wouldn't disturb him, knowing that he was probably asleep, exhausted from the relatively small effort of attending the funeral; she shut the door behind her, tip-toeing over to the bed and leaning over to see---
That no one was there.
"Alex," she groaned, flipping on the light and folding her arms.
"Over here," came his soft voice.
She followed it to his make-shift office, finding him sitting at his computer, a cup off coffee in one hand while the other jotted down notes on his battered notebook; he wore a sleeveless black shirt, showing the bandages still wrapped around his chest and the burns that criss-crossed it, not quite concealed. Jen winced.
"What the hell are you doing out of my bed?" she demanded, "we agreed to let you go to the funeral, but you need to rest." She came up behind him, resting her hands on his tense shoulders and rubbing them gently. "You'll only wear yourself out, and that's no good for any of us."
"I did rest," Alex insisted, "but I can only stay in a bed for so long . . . " he glanced up at her, a small smile on his face. "I'm just at a computer, Jennifer."He reached back with his uninjured arm and patted her's gently. "How are you?"
"I'm . . . okay." She leaned in closer, her chin resting on his shoulder and her head leaning on his. "You?"
"The same."
"I . . . I can't believe we lost Trip," Jen whispered, her voice breaking.
Quickly, Alex rose and took her in his strong arms, allowing her to bury her face in his shoulder as she cried, he raised his hand, running his fingers through her hair soothingly and whispering; they stood that way for a few minutes, each mourning the passing of their friend and comrade, till Jen pulled back, composing herself. "Y-You're sure that you're okay?" she stammered.
"I'll be fine," Alex said, "you need rest, too, you know."
She took a deep breath. "I know . . . I just wanted to, check on you." Again, she tried to smile: "Don't work too hard, okay? You really had me scared out there the other day." Looking into his eyes, after so many years she felt she could read his thoughts: You and me both. "I-I was afraid I'd lost you. If you hadn't gone back to your car---if you'd been standing by the building when the explosion---"
"'If' isn't important," Alex said, quickly, "it'll just drive you crazy. This is just way things happened." But a frown was crossing over his face as he continued: "But I've been thinking about something . . . "
"What is it?"
"That bomb." He sat back down, wincing slightly. "It couldn't have just gone off by itself, there's no way. Everything was placed neatly in there, and had been there for awhile, so there's no way it just . . . blew up."
Jen's face darkened. "Someone set it off."
"Exactly." His hand curled into a fist that he placed on the table, not at all gently. "Which means he was there watching us, and we didn't even know."
Instinctively, Jen's hands went to his shoulders, beginning to caress them and work out the tense knots that had formed. "Don't start blaming yourself for something you had no control over," she scolded, "the only person to blame is Frax."
"You're right . . . " he lowered his head slightly, closing his eyes and bringing his hand up to rub them.
He looks so tired. "Come on," she said, "let's get you back to bed before you wear yourself out again." She pulled gently, helping him up, then urged him toward the bed; once he had laid down and she had pulled the blankets over him, she took one of his hands in her's and held it to her lips. "I love you, Alex."
"I love you, too . . . " his voice was getting quieter, he was falling asleep.
"I don't want to wait to anymore," she barely breathed, then leaned over and kissed his lips tenderly. "I can't stand not being with you."
She saw him smile, and crawled into the bed next to him, wrapping one arm over his chest and resting her head on his shoulder, enjoying the sounds of his breaths as they grew slower, deeper; slowly, they fell asleep in one another's arms.