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 Two
2003-2006 by Amie Martin
-- Jason --
It was impossible for me to forget about my teenage years. Granted, being a Power Ranger meant I lived a more... colorful life than most, but that's not the only thing that made them memorable. All of the good times with my friends outweighed all the monsters and battles we fought as Rangers.
My friends... we had all grown so far apart in the past few years. Zack and Trini were still in Geneva, working at the peace conference, making a difference in the world. Kimberly was in Florida, becoming the gymnastics star we always knew she would. Billy was on Aquitar, putting his genius to good use. And Tommy, last I knew, was heating it up on the racing circuit.
As for me, Jason Scott... well, Angel Grove had always been my home, and I had always wanted to open my own dojo. What better place to make my dreams come true than in my own hometown?
So, I saved up the money and bought the building next to Adele's Surf Spot. Since the Youth Center had closed, the majority of my students had started their training with either Tommy or myself and were eager to join up again. The Red Dragon Dojo had been open for a little more than a year now, and I was proud to say that the business was doing well. It seemed as if I had finally made a name for myself.
After classes were done for the day, I usually went next door to the Surf Spot for a smoothie. Just paying homage to the good old days, I guess. But today, something was different. I noticed it as soon as I walked through the door.
There was a young woman sitting at my usual table in the back corner. Her head was resting in her hands, her fingers lost in her dark hair. She could be contemplating the future of mankind, or fighting back a wave of tears; I was too far away to know for sure. Being the kind guy I was, I wasn't about to kick her out of the table, but I was intrigued by her very presence. She wasn't the type of girl you would normally see at the Surf Spot; the black leather jacket and pants she wore painfully set her apart from the laidback atmosphere of the place.
And yet I felt a sense of familiarity with her, as if I knew her. Somehow I knew that she would be just as comfortable in sweatpants and a t-shirt or even a prom dress as she was in that leather outfit, if it fit her mood that day. Until she raised her head, I had no idea why.
It suddenly struck me why it seemed like I knew her so well. I had known her, years ago. It was in the faraway look in her eyes and the brooding expression on her face. Once upon a time, I had seen this girl as my little sister. Only now it was obvious just how grown up she had become...
She was Aimee-Jean Oliver, my best friend Tommy's younger sister. Tommy and I were the only ones she would let call her AJ. Otherwise it was just Aimee, or Aim or Ames, depending on her mood. The greatest surprise was that I could still remember the first time I met her, eight years before...
-- Flashback—Eight years before --
"What time is it?" Tommy asked, wringing his hands together nervously. His foot was tapping in a fast staccato pace, and he made no sign of slowing down.
"It's 11:37," I told him, checking my watch again just to make sure. "Two minutes ago, you asked me the same question."
"Sorry, Jase. It's just that I'm, well... a little nervous." Unclenching his hands, Tommy glanced back towards the entrance to the Youth Center. "It's been a while."
Zack motioned for the two of us to join him and the others at our usual table. "Sit down and tell us all about it," he offered. They were all there—Kim, Billy, Trini, and Zack, plus Tommy and I. The original Power Rangers, off duty.
Flashing an easy smile, Trini asked, "So, what are you waiting for?"
"I believe the correct question would be who," Billy stated, hazel eyes hardly visible behind his thick glasses. "It's obvious that you're waiting for someone to arrive."
"Ooh, a hot date?" Zack teased.
Despite Zack's comment, the smile that appeared on Tommy's face could only grow wider and wider. "My sister is coming to visit me today," he told us, beaming. "I haven't been able to see her since Dad and I moved to Angel Grove."
"Hey, you never told us you had a sister!" Kim exclaimed, throwing a straw wrapper at Tommy's head. He pretended not to notice.
I, on the other hand, knew about Tommy's little sister. He'd told me all about her during one of our conversations after Tommy officially joined the team. I knew how close the two of them were, and I knew how the divorce had hit them hard. "Her name is Aimee," I informed them, "and from what I hear she's quite the handful."
Tommy nodded in acknowledgement but still continued to smile. "Aimee can be a little, well... rough around the edges. She's one of those people who always goes with her instincts and emotions, whether they're good or bad." He began to drum his fingers on the table. "She's not so bad once you get to know her."
Zack raised one eyebrow. "Just how old is she again?"
Grinning sheepishly, Tommy answered, "Today is her 12th birthday. I promised I'd take her around town and show her the highlights of Angel Grove."
"That's a good birthday present," Trini commented, sipping her drink. "A visit to her father and brother, complete with the grand tour. It sounds like fun to me."
Something darkened in Tommy's eyes, and I knew it had something to do with his father. From what I had gathered, it seemed as if there was some conflict between father and daughter that was a major factor in the divorce. At the very least, I knew it was why Aimee and Tommy didn't live together.
"Guys, do me a huge favor. My dad doesn't know that Aimee's coming, because Aimee has no intention of seeing him." Tommy's voice was low, with a tone that said he meant he was serious. "Just don't mention him to her, all right? I'm not going to be able to deal with it if you do."
"All right," Kim agreed.
"We understand," Billy added.
The darkness faded, and Tommy smiled again. "The only part I hate is the waiting," he said, his foot tapping again. "Mom said she'd bring Aimee here for 11:30, and it's—Jase, what time is it?"
Time for you to buy a watch, I thought. "11:43," I obliged.
"See? 11:43, and she's still not here."
"She's bound to be late," Kim said matter-of-factly. "After all, she's your sister."
The entire table erupted into laughter, while Tommy groaned in mock embarrassment. We all knew who forgetful Tommy could be, and lateness seemed to be his trademark. He was a great guy, but it was easy to bust on him—as his best friend, I knew that fact all too well. As Rangers, we needed the release the humor gave us. We, too, were human. It was a fact all too easily forgotten.
As the laughter died down, a loud female voice shouted, "Tommy! Thomas John Oliver, you show your face right now!" She sounded young and impatient, but at the same time she had a captivating quality to her, almost demanding my attention.
At the sound of her voice, Tommy jumped up from his seat, just in time to catch the petite form who threw herself into his arms. All I could see was a mass of dark hair as brother and sister alike began speaking rapidly, as if it had been years since they had last seen each other. Tommy said that the last time had been before he moved to Angel Grove, and he'd been a Ranger for nearly a month... the time difference had been longer than I had originally thought.
"I hope my son has such an enthusiastic greeting for me as well," a woman said from behind them.
"I could never have anything less for you, Mom," Tommy said, grinning. His sister graciously let him go as he moved forward to embrace his mother.
It was the first good look the rest of us had at Tommy's little sister. As much as I knew about her beforehand, I certainly hadn't expected her to look like this. I had heard tales of a boisterous, rebellious, at times uncontrollable girl whose big mouth was matched only her courage to stand up for her convictions. A girl who followed her heart, wherever it might take her—and to think, I had expected someone more like Tommy.
Instead, the girl who stood before me was short, barely over five feet tall, and slim, with a grace I couldn't quite put a name to. Her face was rounder than Tommy's, the edges less sharp, her skin a shade lighter. She had the same dark hair, reaching down to her waist, held back by a simple green headband. And her eyes... I had expected a deep brown, just like her brother, but hers were an expressive bright green, matching her headband perfectly. At that moment those eyes were shining with happiness, but they also held glimmers of pain and darkness past.
That was when I knew that she was, indeed, Tommy's sister.
"I'll be back around six to pick Aimee up," Mrs. Oliver was saying, brushing a strand of hair out of Tommy's eyes. "I'll meet you right back here at the Youth Center.
"But Mom," the girl immediately started to protest, "I thought we had until nine or ten o'clock—"
"You have dance rehearsal tonight, remember? The performance is less than two weeks away. You know what that means."
She sighed, defeated. "I know, I know. Practice makes perfect."
"That's my girl." Mrs. Oliver kissed each of her children in turn, and subsequently both of them blushed. "The two of you behave. Especially you, Aimee. I mean it."
Smiling meekly, her daughter answered, "I would never do otherwise." Her smile, too, was like Tommy's, slightly crooked, but it lit up her entire face.
The look in Mrs. Oliver's eyes said she didn't believe a word, and from what I'd heard of Aimee's exploits, I couldn't blame her. "Sure, whatever you say. I'll see you at six."
As Mrs. Oliver walked away, Tommy turned to his sister and asked, "So, when's the performance? You know I want to go."
"Why? So you can stand me up like you did for the last one?" Her voice was sharp and bitter, her green eyes becoming hardened pieces of jade. So this was his sister's dark side, activated by a few simple words. I made a mental note never to get on her bad side.
"I already explained that to you, AJ. Something really important came up suddenly and I couldn't make it." Everyone at the table knew what had happened—a sudden monster attack, courtesy of Rita Repulsa. "You're not still upset about it, I can tell by your eyes. It's just phantom anger."
Her voice fell to a whisper. "It was the first promise you ever broke to me." Then, she added, her voice stronger, "And it's not phantom anger either. I can assure you that what I'm feeling right now is very, very real."
Tommy shook his head, as if this banter between them was just part of a game. "No, it's not. I know you too well. If you were really angry, you'd be throwing things and screaming and cursing. I wouldn't know what to do with you. Besides, I kept this promise, didn't I? Do I have your faith in me once again?"
He raised one eyebrow, and a small giggle escaped her lips. It was as if the five of us observers had been give a rare glimpse of what Tommy's life had been like before coming to Angel Grove, before becoming a Power Ranger. It was a chance I didn't think we'd have again.
"I'll forgive you," she said, "on one condition."
"Which is..."
"You have to introduce your friends to me." Their smiles were identical; whatever dark moment there had been between them had passed.
Taking her arm, Tommy led her to a seat at our table. Oddly enough, it was the seat next to me. "I was planning on doing that anyway, so it's not much of a punishment." He gestured to us one by one as he introduced us. "This is Zack; he's a dancer, just like you. Next to him are Trini, who's into martial arts, and Kim, who's a gymnast. Then there's Billy, our resident genius, and next to you is my best friend Jason."
There were greetings and murmured hellos from around the table, and in the midst of it all was Tommy, standing behind his sister, his hands resting on her shoulders. I had never seen him look so proud to introduce her to this part of his life, even if she could never know of the power that bound the six of us together. It was a bridge for him, a way to bring the two halves of his life together. In that moment, I understood exactly what Tommy was trying to accomplish.
"Guys... this is my little sister, Aimee."
-- End Flashback --
I shook my head, as if doing so would make the memory go away. I didn't want to believe that the broken girl before me was Aimee, the same self- assured girl I'd met eight years before. Her long hair was gone, now just barely reaching her collarbone, and her skin looked paler than I remembered. My mind was searching for any reason that would prove she was not Aimee-Jean Oliver.
But the look in her eyes was all too familiar—it was the same look Tommy had whenever dark thoughts clouded his mind. It had been at least three years since I had last seen her, and we used to be close... maybe my presence could help her. I wanted to help her.
My feet moving of their own accord, I found myself standing in front of her table. Cautiously I rested my hands on the back of the chair, restless, hoping my instincts weren't leading me astray. She was looking down at something on the table, but I couldn't see what it was. She had no idea I was even there.
"Excuse me, is this seat taken?"
She looked up sharply, anger flashing in her eyes from being disturbed. But recognition melted it away, and a lost, sad smile spread across her face. Rising from her seat, she stood to face me, holding her hand out as if to draw me closer.
"Jase," she whispered. Even her voice had changed, the giddiness of childhood gone, darkness and disillusionment creeping in. The object of her attention was an old picture of her and Tommy; her green eyes were filled with tears. How could this have possibly happened? I couldn't help but wonder.
Taking her hand, I pulled her towards me and wrapped her in a comforting hug. My heart went out to her; she had never been one to openly cry in public. To have her on the verge of tears like this... whatever happened had to be drastic.
"Aimee-Jean," I murmured into her hair softly. "You're most certainly the last person I expected to see here."
"Since when have I lived up to anyone's expectations?" The comment was typical Aimee, blunt and irreverent, marred only by the fact that her face was buried in my chest. "Besides, if I had my choice, I wouldn't have come back here."
"Not even for me?" I pulled away from her so I could look down at her. To my surprise and delight, there was an almost cocky expression on her face, reminiscent of the Aimee of old, even with the tears in her eyes.
Hitting my shoulder playfully, Aimee rested one hand on her hip and said, "Well, maybe I would for you, if you had bothered to call every once in a while."
I let my jaw drop in mock surprise, something I knew she'd appreciate. "Me? You're the one who practically fell off the face of the planet."
"I would never do something that drastic. I've got places to go and people to piss off... you know, responsibilities." Aimee shrugged. I could tell from her tone of voice that she was joking, but something laid beneath the façade. "It takes up a lot of my time lately."
"Well, I've got plenty of time to listen." I took a seat at the table and gestured for her to do the same. "Share a smoothie with me while we play catch up. You know you want to."
Laughing, she sat down across from me. "Right now, Jase, I've got all the time in the world. So, what's new in your life?"
Already she was trying to divert the topic away from herself. I decided to play along for now. "I bought the building next to Adele's and opened my own dojo," I told her, leaning back in the chair. "We've been doing really well the past year."
"That sounds just like you." Sipping her smoothie, Aimee asked, "What's the name of the place? I hope you picked out something good."
"The Red Dragon Dojo." Pride filled my voice, a pride I knew I deserved. "When the Youth Center closed, a lot of kids suddenly had nowhere to train and no one to teach them. A lot of my former students signed right back up. A lot of Tommy's did, too."
"Of course. It's easy to fall in love with a sport like that."
Nodding, I continued. "And, of course, I went to college and got a business degree. I don't want my dojo to fall apart just because I can't keep track of my finances."
"I'd expect no less of you. Running a dojo is a good job for you, turning something you've always loved into a way to make a living."
"What about you? Where are you going to college?" I wasn't going to keep talking about myself forever; at some point, she was going to open up whether she wanted to or not.
A moment passed before Aimee answered, and she wouldn't look me in the eye. When she spoke again, her voice was barely a whisper, the picture on the table capturing all of her attention. "I didn't go."
"What?" I was surprised; I thought Aimee had wanted to go to college, getting a degree so she could follow her dream—opening a dance studio. "But you still dance, right?"
Again, the soft voice, the hesitant response. "No."
Now I knew something must have happened if Aimee had completely given up on her dancing career. Someone as good and as dedicated as she was wouldn't just abandon it all for no reason. Covering her hand with my own, I asked quietly, "What happened, AJ? You know you can tell me anything."
She looked up at me, the pain creeping back into her green eyes. "Jason, when was the last time you heard from my brother?" Her use of my full name—something Aimee never did—told me she meant business.
I thought about the question for a minute before answering. "Tommy sent me an email about a year ago," I mused, "but I don't have anything more recent than that. Why do you ask?"
Her eyes went wide at my response. "Then you're the last one to hear from him," she said, her first expression of hope all day. "Jase, you have to tell me what he told you."
"Wait a minute, wait a minute. Why am I the last one to hear from Tommy?" I was confused, but I knew that, if anything could upset her this much, this would be it. Aimee and Tommy had always been close...
"Because Dad and Tommy finally had their falling out, and he took off." Aimee shrugged, as if I should have seen that part coming. "The last time I've seen or heard from him was my 17th birthday, almost three years ago."
"It's not like him to lose touch like that. You are one of the most important things in his life." I shook my head, trying to process all of the information and not quite succeeding. "Wait—are you saying that you'll be 20 this year?"
My comment elicited a small smile from her. "Time flies, Jase. Tommy's only three years older than me, remember." She quieted, becoming somber again. "And I don't know if Tommy tried to go back to Mom and I after the falling out, because we weren't there..."
Aimee looked away from me then, as if the memory was too much to bear. "Jase," she whispered, her eyes filling with tears, "Mom's dead. Mom's dead and Tommy's gone... now I'm the one who's gone looking for him, because no one else will... I don't even know if anyone told him about Mom..."
Without even thinking about what I was doing, I realized that I was kneeling beside Aimee's chair, pulling her into a tight hug. In response, Aimee rested her head on my shoulder, accepting the comfort I offered even though she wouldn't allow herself to cry. We were drawing attention to ourselves, I knew, but I didn't care. Aimee—a girl so close, I was surprised how my old feelings had surfaced again so quickly—was in pain, all alone, and I was the only friend she had left in Angel Grove. If I wouldn't help her, then who would?
"What happened after your mom died?" I didn't want to ask Aimee how it happened; I didn't want the memories to be too much for her.
"The fucking state of California, that's what happened." Her words stunned me; I had forgotten how she could be when angry or upset. "The court told me that, since I was 17, I had to live with my dad until I came of age. I figured that I might be able to deal if Tom was with me, but he never showed up for the funeral..." Aimee's voice trailed off, and I felt her sigh against me. "If he knew what happened, Tom would have been there. I know it."
"Of course. Like I said before, you are one of the most important things in his life. He'd never forget about you, or your mom."
Lifting her head so she could see me, Aimee whispered, "You understand it now, don't you? I have to find Tom, to tell him what happened, to find some peace in my life. College and dance... it doesn't matter so much anymore. Finding Tommy does."
"I take it that you took off on your 18th birthday and have been looking for Tommy ever since."
She chuckled sadly. "You know me too well, Jase. Should I be concerned?"
"No, I'm just like a... big brother, almost: a shoulder to cry on and protection as needed." I held up a hand to stop the protest I knew was coming. "And don't even say it. I know you're perfectly capable of protecting yourself, but it's a big brother complex."
"You and Tommy both."
Now it was my turn to laugh. Aimee's dark mood was fading as her emotions shifted. I, too, had to shift with her. "Feel better now?"
"Yeah." Aimee giggled, just like she had eight years ago. "You'd better knock off that protection bullshit too, because I don't need a babysitter."
Sometimes I beg to differ, I thought to myself. "I'll help you find Tommy," I told her, hoping that she could see the sincerity in my eyes. "I'm sure that if we work together, we'll find him in no time."
"You'd do that for me?" she asked, astounded.
"He's my best friend, after all, and I'd like to find out what he's been up to," I fired back, grinning. "Besides, what are big brothers for?"
Mirroring my expression, Aimee said, "Let's get out of here and go to the park or something. You know, somewhere that still looks familiar." Rising from her seat, she slipped the picture of her and Tommy back into her jacket pocket. As she did so, a golden coin fell from her pocket and onto the floor with a metallic clang.
Leaning down, I picked it up, with every intention of handing it right back to Aimee. But instead my heart froze. There was no reason why Aimee would have this coin in her possession. It was a gold coin, about an inch and a half in diameter, emblazoned with a three-toed footprint.
It was Tommy's Dragonzord power coin, the same coin that granted his original powers as the Green Ranger... the same coin originally created by evil. Why Aimee had it now was beyond me; it wasn't something Tommy could have forgotten.
"Aimee," I asked, standing up, "where did you get this?"
"Oh, that coin? It was with some of Tommy's stuff he left in Dad's house." She shrugged, oblivious to the coin's importance. "I don't know why I carry it on me. Luck, I guess. I just feel like a part of Tom's with me when I have it."
A part of Tommy was with her—his Ranger past, his life she knew nothing about. My fist clenched around the coin. I had a difficult decision to make. I could move on as if nothing was wrong, keeping the identities of the former Rangers a secret as I had for years.
Or I could do what I felt like doing, and what Tommy couldn't bring himself to do eight years ago. I could tell Aimee everything, bring her to the ruins of the Command Center and show her exactly what had driven all of us. After all this time, and especially since she had the Dragonzord coin in her possession, I felt she had earned the right to know.
One look at Aimee's eyes, the tears she refused to cry, the defiant look they held, and my decision was made. "AJ, what are you doing this afternoon?"