Author: Jadelyn Ja Lee
Story: Through Her Eyes
Disclaimer: I own no one.
Time Frame: During Resurrection
Summary: AJ's father was the greatest ranger ever….now she's taking on the mantle he gave up. Power Rangers SPD.
Author Notes: Um...read the end notes.
Z: Bridge, why do you always wiggle your fingers when you say "buttery"? (mocks Bridge's "technique")
Sky: He can't help himself. It's ingrained in his cellular makeup.
Bridge: That's ridiculous. I can say "buttery" without...he wiggles his fingers trying not to say "buttery" Buttery.
Z: Ha!
(Bridge forcefully holds his wrist to try and prevent his fingers from wiggling)
Bridge: BUTTERY!
It was a week after the trip to the past and slowly AJ was working through her demons with the support and help of Bridge and Sky. The rest of B squad wasn't yet aware of her tortured past. JD also was a big help, seeing as how he'd already been through this before. Now, AJ was shopping with Z and Syd for dresses to wear to the fast approaching end of the season banquet.
"What about this one?" Syd asked, holding up a silver dress with pink lining. AJ tilted her head.
"You're going with Jack, right?" she asked. Syd nodded, holding the dress up to herself.
"Yeah, why?"
"Well, what color tux is he wearing?" the lunar ranger asked curiously. Syd blinked.
"I don't know." She bit her lip.
"How about you call him and find out?" AJ suggested, turning to one of the clerks.
"Do you have this in silver and blue?" she asked. The woman eyed it and nodded.
"I think so. What size?" she asked. As AJ went with the salesperson to find the dress, Syd was talking with Jack and Z was in the dressing room. When AJ got back, she had the dress she wanted to try on and Z was inspecting herself in the mirror.
"Woah. That's the one. You look great." AJ grinned. Syd looked up from the dresses she was looking at and her eyes lit up.
"AJ's right. That's the one." She exclaimed. AJ went up behind her and gently lifted the yellow ranger's hair up. Z blinked.
"Wow." She whispered. AJ and Syd exchanged grins.
"You're gorgeous." Syd told her. Z smiled.
"Thanks." She whispered, moving to the dressing room. AJ grinned and headed to the one next to her. As she slipped into the gown, she thought back on the conversation she and JD had had following her admission to Sky. They'd discussed, in depth, what had happened to them when they were twelve and how her brother had dealt with it. They'd agreed she was lucky because she had a group of friends who would do everything in their power to help them and who weren't there when it happened. That definitely helped with the dealing.
"Hey AJ?" Syd asked from the stall on her left.
"Yeah?" she asked as she inspected herself. The dress was gorgeous and she knew Sky would faint when he saw her. Not only that but it fit the tux she had convinced him to wear instead of his dress uniform. She quickly changed back to her jeans and blouse.
"What do you think?" Syd asked as AJ stepped from the dressing room. AJ grinned.
"You look awesome!" she exclaimed, admiring the dress Syd had dug up.
"Is Jack wearing his dress uniform?" Z asked as she stepped from the other dressing room, the gown held gently in her arms. Syd shook her head.
"Sky said if he had to wear a tux then so did Bridge and Jack. Kat backed Sky up and said he was right. The boys and Boom are getting their tuxes as we speak." She grinned. AJ rolled her eyes and giggled. Z shook her head and headed over to the cashier. Syd went back to get out of her dress.
"Hey, you didn't show us the dress you bought." Syd realized an hour later as the girls ate a quick lunch. AJ hid a smile."You're gonna have to wait and see." She grinned and proceeded to ignore the two girls subsequent pleading to see the dress.
"So, how are you doing?" Sky asked quietly as he and AJ took a walk in the park. AJ shrugged and then sighed.
"I had another nightmare." She shivered. Sky wrapped an arm around her shoulder.
"What happened?" he coaxed. She swallowed.
"He kills you." She whispered. Sky blinked.
"Aimee, you know I'm not going die." He reassured her. She sighed.
Tell that to my subconscious." She muttered to herself. Sky gently turned her so she was facing him.
"Aimee, nothing is going to happen. You said so yourself; Zeltrax is currently a sword and two daggers that your dad has." He reminded her gently. She got on odd look on her face.
"Actually, dad only has the sword. JD and I have the daggers." She told him. Sky frowned.
"You and JD have the daggers?" he asked. She nodded.
"JD dealt—mostly—with what happened when we were sixteen and saw the dino ranger exhibit at the Angel Grove Ranger museum. I think dad thought we both were dealing and after JD started acting normal again, we found the two daggers on our beds one night. JD has his in his closest. Mine's stuffed somewhere in my storage room. I haven't seen it since I moved to SPD." She explained. Sky nodded, a thoughtful look on his face.
There peaceful walk was interrupted when they saw Delex attacking civilians. The two rangers quickly glanced at each other before racing over to help. Within minutes both had been forced to morph and were waiting for backup.
"I swear, if JD doesn't get here soon I'll…" She trailed off as a familiar feeling washed over her. She glanced over her shoulder to see Jack and JD racing forward. "Never mind."
"Where the hell were you two?" AJ asked as Z, Bridge, and Syd raced over as well. Behind his helmet, Jack smirked.
"I would've been here sooner if loverboy over here hadn't been flirting with a girl we met." He called as he and Syd charged Delex. AJ grabbed JD's arm before he could make his way over to the battle.
"Flirting!" she exclaimed. JD looked down.
"Just a little bit. And she was hot, Aimee!" he argued. AJ shook her head.
"Do I have to remind you of the birds and the bee's?" she asked jokingly. She could feel her brothers smirk.
"Don't you mean the Lady and Lord Brachio's?" he asked, alluding to how there father had explained sex to the two when they were six. Both had hated that conversation because there aunt Vida had already explained it all to them when they were trying to figure out how Aunt Madison and Uncle Nick had made the new baby.
"AIMEE!" Sky yelled. The twins turned around. Sky was in the process of getting his ass handed to him by Delex and the others were on the ground, unable to do anything. She grabbed her lunar blades.
"Crescent Chakram!" She cried. "Everyone, move!"
As the rangers all scattered, she hurled the chakram at Delex who was unable to defend himself from the flying disc. She ran and flipped in the air, catching the chakram before landing on the other side of Delex who then took off. Growling with frustration, she quickly ran over to Sky. He demorphed and looked up ather.
"Next time, please discuss your brother's love life when were not in the middle of a battle." He requested as Syd and Z snickered. AJ demorphed, blushing.
"Sorry." She squeaked. She looked around for the aforementioned solar ranger and frowned.
"Guys, why is my brother running that way?" she asked, pointing. Syd smiled.
"Probably to get away from the inquisition." She teased. AJ rolled her eyes.
"He's never really had a girlfriend before. And I'm older, I'm suppose to be all protective." She argued as he brother disappeared around the corner. Jack smirked.
"I bet he went back to see Ally." He remarked. AJ fixed her gaze on his as she helped Sky to his feet.
"Ally?"
"You have done well rangers. Dismissed." Cruger told them. Saluting, Jack quickly grabbed Syd and Z's hands while Bridge pushed Sky with them so they could go check out the tuxes they bought. AJ lingered behind as Cruger called JD to the front and center.
"Why were you not available when we first called you?" Cruger asked. JD looked down for a second to gather his courage and then looked up into Cruger's eyes.
"Just because no one else seems to have a life out of SPD, doesn't mean that I don't." he told him in a quiet voice before walking out the door. AJ bit her lip and headed after him.
"JD, what's going on?" she asked as she walked into her brother's room. JD looked up.
"I don't know." He replied, before shaking his head. "No, I know what's wrong. I don't…want to be SPD anymore."
AJ sat down hard. "What?" she whispered shocked. JD refused to meet her gaze.
"That battle with Zeltrax made me realize something. The only reason I wanted to be a ranger was so I could, well, stick it to evil." He explained. AJ nodded.
"Stick it to Zeltrax." She translated. He paused and then nodded.
"Yeah. It was a way to prove he hadn't kept me down." He explained. AJ got up and headed to his closet. JD followed her with his gaze, confused when she disappeared inside.
"AJ, what are you…?" he trailed off when he saw what she was holding. The box that contained the dagger.
"JD, this is how we stuck it to Zeltrax." She told him, handing him the box. She sat down beside him as he gently opened it. Nestled inside on some deep crimson satin lay a black dagger with a golden lining along the edges. Neither knew what the etching across the middle meant. With a deep breath, he slowly picked it up and stared at it. AJ glanced at it worriedly when her brother slowly frowned. What she saw made her eyes widen. The unidentifiable scribbles were slowly turning to English. When the magical transformation finished, the twins could both read what the inscription read.
"Woe be to evil." JD whispered, grinning.
"Or they'll end up like this dagger." She added and JD laughed. AJ sat back and watched as her brother put the dagger back inside the box. Instead of putting the box back in the closet however, he set it beside his bed.
"JD?" she asked. He turned around.
"Yeah?" he asked. She bit her lip.
"If you want to..to…resign, I won't stop you. I know rangering isn't what you're happy with anymore." She told him, looking down at her feet. JD wrapped her in a hug.
"I'll wait until Gruumm's defeated."
As the other rangers headed from the command center, AJ locked eyes with Bridge. With some silent communication, she knew he felt the same thing she did. Something about A squad was off. Assuring him with her eyes that she would keep on eye on them, Bridge left with the others.
When A squad morphed, AJ jumped to her feet and her hand automatically went to her side. Unfortunately, Cliff, the A squad green ranger and Ivan, the A squad yellow ranger grabbed her arms before she could do anything. Cruger frowned.
"Leave her alone. It's me Gruumm has issues with." He ordered. Charlie laughed.
"And miss giving Gruumm the opportunity to add the daughter of Tommy Oliver to his collection, I don't think so." She replied. As the rangers transported them to the Terrorcraft, AJ groaned.
"Not again!"
End Notes: Um…if you're watching the news, you may have heard about the fire in Southern Colorado. I live twenty miles away from it. I doubt it'll be turning our way, but the wind is acting weird so…I may end up evacuated.
If that happens, well, I won't be updating for a few weeks. Sorry.
As for now, I'll be volunteering down at the Red Cross setup down at the community center.