Title : Is It Really You?

Summary : What would happen if there had been a girl in Martin's past who broke his heart when she died? How much confusion would ensue if she were to suddenly reenter his life?

Rating : T for language

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PP : Well, TaterTot is recovering nicely from the recent injuries she mysteriously received, and I've finally gotten in the mood to update again. I know it's been nearly a week, but I haven't felt like typing.

TT : That's right, you lazy, no good, son of a... Owwwwwww!

PP : TaterTot, watch your language! I know that the roles are kind of reversed between the two of us right now, but that's what happens when you give your conscience a rather nasty beating. By the way, I'd like to take this opportunity to reply to Ominae's review. I now have3 reviews! Count 'em, three! Hem hem, sorry about that. Well, Ominae, I hope that my story didn't bring back any bad memories for you or anything, and just in case you thought it was a bad thing, the storyline picks up a bit in the next chapter (in my opinion) in terms of how sad it is, but it might go downhill again in later chapters, I'm not sure. I'd also like to thank S.P.D.powerrangersrocks for your review, and I'd like to say that I have this thing for depressing, upsetting stories! I don't know why! Maybe I'm just insane. I'd also like to say that if anybody sees anything they think I should change, like the rating, or the category, please let me know! I'm new at this, so I just took a wild guess!

TT : Yeah, cause that's all you can do, you no good, bit... Owwwww! Stop that!

PP : You deserved both slaps! Don't worry folks, she should be right as rain by the end of the chapter.

(PP smacks TT again)

TT : Owwww! What was that one for?

PP : That one was because I felt like it. Now do the disclaimer before I hit you again, harder this time.

TT : Fine, you pushy bitch. PotatoPuff does not own anything that Marathon has copyrighted, but she does own Rachel and this storyline, so if you try to say that it belongs to you, WE'LL SUE! BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAH-!

(TaterTot hits floor, unconscious, while PotatoPuff nurses sore hand)

PP : Let's just get the chapter started.

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Chapter 4 : The Best Thing I Ever Had

He was dreaming again, but this time it was totally different. There was no past & present Martin, just one, one that had no idea where this dream was leading. All he knew was that it was a couple of days after Rachel had left Drama for her mission, and she still wasn't back. The World Trade Centers had been brought down by terrorists the day after she left, and the Pentagon had also been attacked, throwing all North America into chaos. During drama, he had been paged down to the principal's office. He didn't want to go, but for some reason, even if he could have refused to respond to that page, he wouldn't have. He didn't know why. All he knew was that his heart felt heavy with dread. He reached the door, and knocked.

"Come on in," he heard Ms. Anger, the principal, say, but it wasn't her normal voice. It sounded as though her best friend had just died.

He let himself in and saw another woman sitting in front of Ms. Anger. They both turned to look at him, grave expressions on their faces. Martin recognized the other woman as M.O.M. from the Center. He had only seen her a couple of times, when he went in for training, and no one had cared to tell him her real name yet. He wasn't even sure if anyone knew what it was. He prayed she was there with good news, but their faces gave away that it was horrible. M.O.M. cleared her throat.

"I understand that you are quite close to Ms. Rachel James, correct?" she asked.

"Oh god, no, not Rachel." Martin prayed.

"Yeah, Rachel's a good friend of mine. Why, did something happen to her?" he asked.

"Martin, come sit down." Ms. Anger said, gesturing to the other chair in front of her.

Martin could see the tears forming in her eyes, and figured he had best sit down. As he moved towards the chair, he could see M.O.M. fiddling with something in her lap. After he was finally seated, he asked his question again. Before she answered his question, M.O.M. took a deep breath, and shut her eyes. As a single tear fell from the Center's seemingly emotionless manager, he saw her lips moving silently, almost as though she was praying for strength. When she opened her eyes and turned to Martin, he saw the unshed tears pooling there. His blood turned cold as ice. He had only ever seen her show her anger to anyone else.

"You were aware that 4 days ago, we sent Rachel on a mission?" M.O.M. asked.

"Yes." Martin answered.

"She was sent to the World Trade Center to track down a spirit that had been wandering around. She was there when the terrorists hit." M.O.M. told him.

Martin had thought that his blood was cold before. That was nothing compared to the way he felt now. It was almost as though someone had stuck his heart in a freezer. Looking at the expression of sympathy Ms. Anger was giving him, he could tell that she heard how the story ended before he had gotten there, and everyone didn't live happily ever after.

"And?" he asked, knowing he had to hear the truth from M.O.M.'s own mouth, but at the same time, knowing that he should be running as fast as he could in the opposite direction.

"They determined that she was near the top floor from the small amount of debris covering her body. They also told me that she died from a blow to the head, probably caused by the falling ceiling. Quick, and virtually painless."

It felt like all time was standing still, choice words running through his head, "covering her body", "died from", "blow to the head". He thought that that was what was coming, but he had been nowhere near prepared for it. Thinking something, and hearing someone else tell it to you were two completely different things. He didn't want to believe what she had just said, but then she handed him the item she had been fiddling with the whole time.

"I was already down there to claim her body. According to her wishes, she'll be cremated, her ashes spread in the wind. If you wish to see her one last time before cremation, go to the city morgue tonight. Just tell them who you are and they'll let you in, I've already gotten their permission. All her personal belongings are now in her room at the Center, except for that. I'm giving it to you as a gift, because you'll probably get more use out of it than anyone else will. We'll teach you how to use it next time you come in for training."

She had handed him Rachel's U-Watch. He clutched it close to his body, and looked up at M.O.M., who was getting ready to leave. She smiled sadly at him, gripped his shoulder softly, and then left. He stared down at the floor, letting the tears flow freely. He barely heard Ms. Anger tell him to take as much time away from school as he needed. In his hands he held the only piece of her he had left other than his memories. It was in that moment that he realized he had just lost the best thing he ever had.

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Once again, Martin was awakened by Diana shaking him, and calling his name. He could hear the worry in her voice, but there was also a sense of urgency, and excitement. His eyes fluttered open, and Diana let out a sigh of relief.

"Oh, thank god you're awake! I was worried, I mean, you weren't waking up, no matter how hard I shook you, or how loud I called your name, you just kept moaning and groaning, saying something, but I couldn't make it out."

The words were just a bit too fast for Martin to easily process that soon after waking up, so it took him a second to figure out what she said.

"So, is that the ONLY reason you woke me up?"

He was slightly bitter in the morning if he was woken up for no reason at all.

"No, it's not. I was getting to that. There's been some great news, the Center just contacted us, you're never going to belive it."

Once again, it took Martin a second to figure out just what she said, but once he did, she had his full, undivided attention.

"Well, what is it?"

"Oh, Martin, the Center's got another lock on her G.P.S., and this one's not going away. She's in Kenya!"

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Martin rushed to get dressed as Diana & Java packed their stuff and let the hotel know that they weren't extending their reservations. The Center had already taken care of their plane tickets. He was trying not to get his hopes too high, just in case it wasn't her, but he couldn't help it. Rachel's necklace was the only thing that could send the Center her unique G.P.S. signal, the necklace that had quit sending its signal around the time that Rachel had died. The signal would only transmit to the Center when the necklace was being worn by Rachel, so even if someone had stolen it when it went missing 4 years ago, it had somehow made its way back to her. The logical part of him was screaming that it wasn't possible, that he had seen her dead, cold body, he had seen the bruise on her head from the blow that had so cruelly ended her life much too soon, but the rest of him was refusing to listen. As he walked out to meet Diana & Java, he remembered what her necklace's design was, and he smiled. Now, it fit her to a T.

The necklace had the shape of a phoenix hanging off of its braided leather cord.

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PP : HAHA! Can you say, CLIFFHANGER! What will happen in the next chapter? Will Rachel come back? Or will Martin's poor heart be broken again? Only I know the answer!

TT : Hey, I know too! By the way, good chapter PotatoPuff, I just think you overdid the depression. It is so sad!

PP : What? You're awake? I thought that you were unconscious! And, because you were out cold, and it's my fanfic, I can make it as depressing as I want!

TT : Fine, whatever. Just, please, don't do it again. You'll scare all the readers away.

PP : Well, I can't promise anything, and I'll scare away, what, THREE readers? Because, if you don't review, I don't know that you've read it, so I obviously don't count you! So review! Or I'll sic TaterTot on you!

TT : grr

PP : Wimp.

Martin : You know, I'd really like it if you'd stop messing around with my emotions.

PP : (anime hearts in eyes) Oh, Marty, I'll do whatever I want with your poor heart. By the way, I swear that every time I type Martin, my finger slips and I type Marty instead! So that's his new nickname!

Martin : AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH! (runs away)

PP : Get back here! I'm not done toying with you yet! (chases Martin, dragging TaterTot with her)