Wes, Jen, Eric and all other characters from Power Rangers belong to Disney/Saban. I am using them without permission, however I have not and don't expect to make money from this.
Gaby, Chris, and Proteus are mine.

Rated T: mild language, violence, sexual references, and danger to a child.

A/N: This is a sequel to 'Reversals of Fortune' and part of my AU 'Year of Time' series. It can, however, stand alone, with most of the background from the series being mentioned along the way.

Reviews are always appreciated.

Tapestry

Strategy

- - -

"You should have seen it. He was smiling, and he made noises. Then when we got home, he cried for a minute when we put him to bed."

"Wow," Eric said. "A baby crying. Imagine that."

"Hey, don't laugh. It's a step in the right direction." Wes leaned forward in his seat on the other side of Eric's desk. "Whatever Chris did, it really seems to have helped."

"Yeah." Eric frowned. "Speaking of Ms. Tutto, I've been doing a little digging."

"Digging? Why?"

"Call it my suspicious nature. Wes, I can't find any trace of her having any kind of license in the state of California."

"She's not a doctor, she's a therapist. She already told us that."

"How do you know what kind of background she has? Shouldn't she have some kind of license? Some record of a degree in psychology, or something? I can't find anything on her. Anything at all."

Wes stood up. "Maybe she studied out of state. People do move around a lot, you know."

"Yeah... But if she's such a big-shot therapist, why doesn't she work with one of the local hospitals or clinics? How come none of the Bio-Lab medical people have ever heard of her?"

"I don't know. This is a big city. So no one knows about her. So what? She can't have been practicing very long."

"I'm just saying... maybe you should back off and check her out a little more first. I've pulled some strings and gotten the names of some of her other clients; I can make some calls-"

"Forget it. I don't have to 'check her out', and I don't want you doing it either!" Wes had that stubborn look on his face as he turned to give Eric a hard glance. "She helped my son. That's all I need to know."

"You think she helped. A smile and a little crying don't make a cure."

"It's a start!"

"Or maybe you're letting her play you! Don't be so naïve!"

"Man... Are you that jealous that I have something you don't?" Wes's expression was rapidly becoming a glare. "You just can't stand it that this might be working out, can you? I bet you love it that we're having problems with our baby!"

Eric sat bolt upright with a creak of his chair. "What? What the hell does that mean?"

"I... Oh, shit, I don't know what I mean." Wes ran distracted fingers through his hair. "I've been so worried about the baby, and about Jen, and Chris is the first thing we've found that seems to help, and you're talking like she's some kind of crook... I'm sorry."

"Forget it," Eric said, a little stiffly.

"Really, I'm sorry. I know you're trying to help. But I'm sure Chris is on the level. She's... she's really amazing. Makes you feel better just to be around her. Jen thinks so too."

"Uh huh," Eric said skeptically. Wes's eyes were a little too bright with enthusiasm. As if Chris Tutto had him hypnotized or something, and apparently Jen, too. "So you're going back, I guess."

"Yeah. We have another appointment today."

"Well, good luck with it. I hope it works out."

"Thanks, Eric." Wes came back to the desk, and Eric got to his feet to clasp his hand briefly. "And thanks for covering for me. I'll only be gone long enough to take Jen and the baby there and drop them at home after. Just two or three hours."

"Take your time."

Eric watched his friend and partner leave his office, eyes narrowed, and then opened a desk drawer and took out a sheet of paper with a few names and phone numbers listed on it. Maybe it was all his own paranoia - and maybe not. He'd keep looking, and he'd make those calls, and if there was anything Chris Tutto was hiding, he was going to find it. The first name was Parkinson. Eric reached for the phone.

He smiled grimly. Wes was getting his help, whether he wanted it or not.

- - -

Silver City, 3005

"Are you guys ready?"

"I guess so. Are you set up on your end?"

"Yes." Trip smiled at his female counterpart, wondering for a moment if the expression showed on his real face as he lay unconscious on a cot in the telepathy enhancement room.

In the illusion of the living room of his apartment that their minds had created for their meeting, Trix smiled back. "So - we're still going to meet in 2006, at Bio-Lab?"

"Yes, at the same spot where Wes, Jen, and Eric transported between dimensions."

The Time Force scientists had decided it would be more efficient and safer to repeat what had already been done - for the two teams of Rangers to travel to 2006 and do the dimensional transfer there. It was where they had to be, anyway, and with so little time to prepare, it was safer and better to use the calculations and adjustments that had already been done for Wes, Jen, and Eric's previous trip.

"Good. We contacted Jon, Wendy, and Erica, to make sure Proteus hadn't shown up in our dimension."

"No, I'm sure you're right; he's here, in our dimension's 2006. There have been some slight disturbances of the timeline." Trip frowned. "Very small ones - I don't really understand it. If Proteus has possessed Wes and Jen's son, there should be more changes in history."

"Maybe he's moved on to someone else. Or maybe..."

"What?"

"Maybe this was all meant to happen."

Trip shook his head. His friends' baby, meant to be possessed by that creature? The idea had occurred to him too, but he didn't want to believe it. "No, Proteus can't be meant to be there, and do this. We need to find him and stop him."

Trix met his gaze and nodded. "If Wes and Jen's son is meant to do the things Wendy and Jon's daughter is in our world - you're right, he can't have been under Proteus' control."

"Can you tell me anything more about Proteus? What can he do, exactly? What are we going up against?"

Trix paused thoughtfully. "We don't know a lot about his life when he was in his own body. Basically just his name, Christopher Tutto, and that he worked with children as some kind of psychologist. Probably he had the ability to influence other people then, especially children, but not as strongly as later on."

"And now? Can he make us do whatever he wants? Or can he make Wes and Jen do what he wants?"

"No, it's not like that. He can take over an adult who's asleep or unable to protect themselves for some other reason, but it's only temporary, until they wake up and kick him out, sort of. He can't force adults to do things they don't want to, the way he can with little kids. But - if they don't realize what's going on - he can put ideas in their heads, and suggest things, and - and manipulate them, I guess. We'll have to watch out for that."

"How well can he read other minds? How soon is he going to know we're there, and that we're after him?"

"We know he can sense other minds, and kind of read emotions. Kind of like the two of us can do." She smiled, but it faded quickly. "But his powers are stronger than ours. He might be able to sense thoughts. He'll know who the three of us are - me, Kevin, and Lucie - and he might recognize you guys too. But his power only works at short range. If we move fast enough, maybe we can surprise him."

"I hope so. Can't believe I'm finally going to meet the three of you in person."

"Me, too. But it's going to be the four of us. Erica insists on coming."

"Erica? Why?"

Trix was smiling again. "She says she spent seven months worrying about Jon and Wendy's baby, and now she wants to kick Proteus' butt."

"Proteus doesn't have a butt." He stopped as she grinned. "What?"

"That's exactly what I said."

"We really are the same person, aren't we? Anyway - Alex isn't going to be too crazy about you bringing Erica."

"Hey, do you want to tell her no?"

"Not if she's anything like Eric." Trip grinned. "This should be interesting."

"Yeah, it sure will. So - I guess I'll see you tomorrow. In 2006. At Bio-Lab."

"Yes. Tomorrow..."

The word was still on his lips as he opened his eyes.

- - -

"At this stage, I find it more effective to be alone with the patient. It makes the process of trust-building go faster, and helps him to focus on me and the therapy, if he's not distracted by your presence." Chris smiled at them with a confidence she didn't feel. "Don't worry. You'll be right in the next room, just like yesterday."

"We're not worried exactly," Jen said, casting an anxious glance at the baby, lying as quietly as ever on the small examining table in Chris's apartment office. "Just curious what kind of therapy you're doing."

The words came easily, after years of experience with feeding double-talk to worried parents. "Attention and response exercises. I introduce a new object, focus his attention on it, and encourage appropriate responses with approving or disapproving facial expressions and tone of voice."

"Can you teach us to do that at home?" Wes asked. "To make it go faster?"

She raised a brow. "I could coach you at some point. For right now, it would be better for you two to remain in your roles as supportive, approving parents, while I become the authority figure and take whatever hostility that produces."

"Well, I guess you're right," Wes said with a slightly puzzled glance at Jen.

Jen looked a little confused too, but she got to her feet. "Yes," she said. "I guess we'll leave you to do your work, then."

Chris stood for a moment, facing the door after it had closed behind them, almost afraid to turn around. That insane 'conversation' yesterday - had it been nothing but some kind of delusion? She wasn't sure if she would be relieved or disappointed if that were true.

-Oh, very well done. I didn't even need to nudge them to leave us alone. You're just as persuasive as I ever was, with or without the power.-

The silent voice in her head, with its slightly sarcastic undertone, dispelled any fear - or hope - that the baby in the room with her was just an ordinary child.

There was the equivalent of a chuckle. -You were wondering if I'm real. Don't tell me you'd prefer an hallucination to me.-

"I'm not so sure." Finally, Chris turned to find the baby watching her, a disturbingly adult smile on his face. "All right, you're real. So. You've set things up for us to keep seeing each other. What's in it for you?"

-As I said, I want to spare you some of the troubles I went through in discovering my own abilities.-

"Out of the goodness of your heart? Right."

-You know me too well. Yes, I want something in return.-

"Let's hear it."

-Look at me, Chris. In this body, what can I do for myself? Nothing. I don't want to leave it - it's a basically good body, healthy and strong, and with the advantages of a very wealthy and powerful family. If I stay long enough, I could someday control that wealth and power myself. But meanwhile - I could use an ally who can do things as an adult.-

"I see. What kind of things?"

-For one, I've never inhabited such a young baby before, and I'm having trouble doing it convincingly. I need you to keep reassuring my 'parents' that there's nothing seriously wrong.-

"You won't need that kind of help for long. What else?"

-To make financial arrangements for me. When I'm in a body with access to money, I like to set up reserves for the future. Also, to get me various things I might want, but that I'm not old enough to obtain for myself. To make my life easier at school and at home. Perhaps to prepare the way for me at Bio-Lab. To combine your powers with mine in case my 'parents' begin to suspect anything.-

"Take on Power Rangers?"

-What are they, compared to us?-

"I'm not sure. What are we, exactly? You said you're me, from the future, but you're a man. How did you get here? Why did you come? What do you want?"

-So many questions. Very well. Have you ever thought of the concept of parallel realities?-

"That's just science fiction. Fantasy."

-Not for us. I was born, and lived my first life, in a Silver Hills that was very similar to this one, but that exists in another universe. The two are forever separate, along with the infinity of alternate realities that the multiverse is made of. Parallel, and yet occasionally intersecting, as when I crossed over. In my own world, everyone you know exists - but in the form of the opposite gender. I was a man there, you are a woman here.-

"But - you said you're from the future."

-Yes. I come from a time when time travel is a reality. Using a body I managed to control for a time, I took a timeship and returned to the 2006 of my world. I had some idea of finding my younger self, in my original body, of combining my powers with his to our mutual advantage. I was pursued, and in my attempts to escape I entered the body of a pregnant woman - and as the accidental result of an experiment in dimensional travel, found myself here.-

"But... how did you find me?"

-I knew you must be here and reached out to contact you. You didn't realize it consciously at the time, but that's why you influenced those bank robbers to take you hostage, and why you persuaded Wes Collins to bring me to you. My taking the timeship - my escape to this dimension - you meeting Wes... It was fate. We were destined to meet.-

Chris shook her head. "No. I don't believe in fate, or luck, or any of those things. It was just coincidence." She paced nervously for a few steps. "You still haven't told me what you - we - are. Or what you want with me."

-I was once human, or thought I was, and lived out my life as Chris Tutto, the same way you're living yours. I died. But that was not the end. I found myself still alive in a disembodied form, floating in a twilight world, still able to know what was going on around me but no longer real and solid. In panic, I reached out. The minds I touched reacted with disbelief, or fear. They rejected me. I tried again. Instinctively I sought another body, a way to be alive again. And I found it, in the form of a young child whose mind was too weak to resist.-

"That's - horrible."

-Don't be hypocritical. You use children for your own purposes already. This is only another step along that path. When you find yourself with no body, no way to be a part of the world, faced with an eternity of gray nothingness, you'll do the same. I know.-

Chris shuddered, whether at the image of that half-life after death or at the idea of living inside other people's bodies, she wasn't sure. "But... how?" she whispered. "How is that possible?"

-You don't know it yet, but you're a mutant. A random change in the human genetic structure. In our case, this is the result. Don't be horrified. Don't pretend that the idea of living on past the normal human lifetime doesn't appeal to you. Of being able to pick and choose, any body, any life, any family you want. Money, strength, beauty; it can all be yours. I have the experience. We both have the power. If we work together, there's no limit to what we can do.-

Money. Power. Chris could almost taste it - but there was fear too. Perhaps only fear of the unknown. Maybe all she needed was time to get used to the idea.

-Think about it, by all means. Tell the Collinses to bring me back tomorrow, and we'll talk again.-

"All right." Chris got up, smoothed her hair, and put her professional expression back on, ready to face Wes and Jen again. Five minutes later, after they had exclaimed over the baby's continued 'improvement', made no objection to paying her usual inflated fee, and happily made another appointment, she watched them leave. To her surprise, she found herself starting to look forward to the next day.

- - -

It was late, well after dinner, by the time Eric had tracked down and talked to all the families on his list of Chris Tutto's current and former clients. He smiled humorlessly. Some of them had had very interesting things to say about her. A couple of the wives had said it at length and in very emphatic language. He couldn't wait to see how she tried to explain what they had told him. First thing in the morning, he resolved. She would never get her hands on Wes, or his wife and child, again.

- - -

In the Collins house, Wes stood in the doorway of Junior's nursery, his arm around Jen's shoulders, as they watched their son's eyes close in sleep. The normal, innocent sleep of a baby, he thought happily. Tomorrow they would see Chris again, and she would make him even better. And everything would be all right.

- - -

Alone in his bedroom in the Silver Hills of 3005, Trip closed his eyes, imagining his female duplicate doing the same thing, in the same bed and the same bedroom, separated from him only by a thin dimensional barrier. For a moment he wished he could reach out and contact her again, just for reassurance. But there would be no dreams tonight. Tomorrow morning would bring the reality.

- - -

TBC...