Disclaimer: Power Rangers is Saban's world, not mine. Title comes from the song "Here With Me" is by Dido and I don't own that either. So please don't sue the broke college student, there's nothing here of worth!

I apologize for the long time between postings, and that's one of the reasons why I have reposted the previous sections. That, and I've taken down the song lyrics originally posted in the beginning of each section.

Reviews and constructive criticism, as always, are greatly appreciated.

Here With Me Part One

2003-2006 by Amie Martin

-- Aimee --

Struck by a sudden wave of nervousness, I paused in the doorway to the place I had once known well. I hadn't set foot in this place since I was 15.

That was five years ago. Five years ago this place was known as the Angel Grove Youth Center. Five years ago this had been the most popular hangout in town. Five years ago I knew who I was. Five years ago everything was so much simpler.

They say that the more things change, the more things stay the same. Personally, I couldn't see it. All I could see were the changes. My father was still an asshole; that hadn't changed. But everything else... five years ago, I would have never seen myself in this situation.

My mother died three years ago. Since I was 17, the powers that be decided that I had to live with my father until my 18th birthday. And the only person, the only stabilizing element in my life was nowhere to be found.

My older brother, Tommy Oliver.

Every time I'd ever needed him, he had always been there for me. My shoulder to cry on, my conscience when I needed one, even when I didn't want it... in short, he was the only person who would ever understand me, no questions asked. Tommy was my best friend as well as my big brother. I could never imagine life without him.

So, when he turned up missing, I made it my mission to find him. And, almost two years later, I found myself standing in the doorway to the last lead I had to my brother's whereabouts, and I was nervous.

Nervous that my last lead would lead me to nowhere. The place wasn't even the Youth Center anymore; the sign above the door read, "Adele's Surf Spot." What could I hope to find here, really? Not much, once I thought about it.

For Tommy's sake, I pushed the thought from my mind. He didn't need my negativity. But when I found him, boy, was he going to get a piece of my mind. Making me go to all these lengths to find him... if I didn't love him to death, I would have never done this. Never.

Drawing a deep breath, I walked inside the former Youth Center, deciding that I couldn't stand in the doorway forever. I was an Oliver, a woman of action. Act first, think later. It had always seemed like a good motto to me.

The changes to the place slammed into me, as if I had walked into a brick wall. This wasn't the same place Tommy had showed me, all those years before. There were pool tables where the lifting equipment and training mats used to be. The center of the room, where Tommy had poured his blood, sweat, and tears into his karate classes, were far too populated for my tastes. Surfing items and memorabilia decorated the walls. The only place remotely familiar was the upper tier, where the bar and tables still were.

Coming home, my ass. This wasn't home. Home wasn't supposed to undergo a radical change in a short five years. The bitterness welled up inside me, and it took a lot of self-control to ignore my sudden desire to break something, to do something to release the growing tension inside me. It was a worthless pursuit, coming back to Angel Grove. I should have seen it from the very beginning.

"Is there something I can help you with, child? Seems to me like you're lost."

I turned to see a black woman standing beside me, a concerned look on her face. Her eyes seemed open and friendly, and there was a warmth to her that was almost begging for me to trust her. What would Tom do in this situation? I asked myself.

So, I managed a weak smile and admitted, "Actually, I'm not sure if you can. You see, I'm not sure exactly who I would talk to."

"Well, I'm the owner of this place, so I guess I'm your woman." Smiling, she held her hand out to shake mine. I, of course, accepted. I never said I was without manners. "I'm Adele. What's your name?"

"Aimee Oliver." Actually, my first name was Aimee-Jean, but hardly anyone ever called me by my full name, except when they were extremely angry with me. Tommy, of course, being my brother, had nicknamed me AJ. It was only one of his many qualities that I missed about him.

"Well, find yourself a seat while I get us some smoothies." Adele's voice had a soothing quality to it, and the bitterness in me eased somewhat. "I'll be right back."

Choosing a table tucked into the corner, I sat down and pulled an old photograph out of my jacket pocket. It was of Tommy and I, taken on my 17th birthday. We were both smiling in the picture; Tommy, his hair pulled back into his characteristic ponytail, had his arm wrapped around my shoulders, and I leaned into the embrace. That was the last time I had seen or heard from him.

Some birthday present.

"Here we go." Adele sat down across from me, handing me a tall glass filled with a pink frothy concoction. "Now, tell me how I can help you."

I sipped my smoothie before beginning. "All right. I used to come here several years ago, back when this place was the Angel Grove Youth Center."

She whistled under her breath. "That was a long time ago, child."

"I know, it's been five years." I shook my head as if to clear it. "My brother and his friends used to hang out here all the time, teaching classes, working out, just having a good time in general. This is where we used to meet up."

"But something's changed now, not just me buying the bar from Ernie."

My voice caught in my throat, and I coughed. "That's putting it nicely. You see, my brother Tommy, he's... gone. He and my dad had a... disagreement, a falling out, and he just took off. No one in my family has seen or heard from him in almost three years. I took it upon myself to find him."

Adele's hand covered my own, and from her touch I could tell that she felt sorry for me. But I didn't want her pity; I wanted Tommy back. "That's terrible."

Nodding, I continued. "This is the last lead I have to his whereabouts. I don't know why he might have come back here, but you can't leave stones unturned, right?" I smiled at the reference, knowing that my strength was failing. "I have a picture. Maybe you've seen him..."

"Let me see."

Sliding the picture across the table to her, I could barely fight the panic that welled within my chest. From the expression on Adele's face, the way her eyebrows furrowed together, I knew she hadn't seen Tommy. The knowledge was almost too much for me to bear. For all intents and purposes, Tommy was gone; for all I knew, he could be gone forever.

"What did you say his name was?"

"Huh?" Adele's words startled me. "His name? Oh, it's Tommy. Tommy Oliver."

Sadly, she shook her head, handing the picture back to me. "I can't say that I've seen him recently," she said, genuine regret in her voice. "But if I do, I'll be sure to tell him that you're looking for him."

"Here's my cell phone number." On a napkin, I jotted down the number as well as my name. Every little bit helped... "I really appreciate your time. I know it may seem like a lost cause to you..."

Rising from her seat, Adele laid a hand on my shoulder. "Nothing is a lost cause if you believe in it," she told me, "and I'm more than willing to help if I can. Keep the smoothie; the first one's on the house." With that she walked away, leaving me alone with a fruit smoothie and an old photograph, not to mention the memories.

The tears welled up behind my eyes, but I refused to let them fall. I had cried too much in the past three years, and I was most certainly not about to start crying in public. Instead I rested my head in my hands, massaging my temples as if it would make the pain go away.

This was it; this was the end of the line. I had nowhere to go after this. Almost two years were down the drain, and I had nothing to show for it. I couldn't give up on Tommy; I would never give up on Tommy. But I couldn't keep looking for him, not like this. At least before I had direction, something to lead my way.

Now, I was going to need a little help.