I lost the muse for a little while there, but I'm back, and this story will be finished no matter how long it takes. Still looking for a beta, too.


Several Weeks Later...

Jason was staring blankly at the television. It was another Friday evening, and Kimberly was settled into his side as always when she noticed that he was not paying attention to the show.

"You've been quiet." She rubbed his arm.

"Well," Jason stared down her face, "people are usually quiet when they're watching TV." He raised his eyebrows.

"Don't play dumb, Jase. And that's not always true." She knew he was avoiding her inquisitive prod. Whenever she wanted to know what was on his mind, she would have to ask a series of questions. If she waited until Jason was ready, she would never find out.

"Maybe I have a lot on my mind." He turned back to the television.

"Like what?" Kimberly placed her head back on his shoulder. She felt him sigh softly and swallow before giving a measured answer.

"Like what I'm going to do with my life. Where I'm going to stay. Who I want to be with, and what I'm going to do in the meantime if I can't be with them right now."

Kimberly could feel the rumble of his voice on her cheek. For once, she did not have to pry so hard.

She vaguely wondered if he ever called Trini that one time like she ask him to.

Jason was in a place she found herself not too long ago. Kimberly herself had to decide whether she wanted to train so far away from her friends and boyfriend, and now, he had to decide where he wanted to build his life.

She reached up to run her fingers through Jason's hair, and he leaned his head back to accommodate her.

"I just…I've made a lot of friends here, and I've talked to people who are interested in opening a dojo. I have a network here, but…" He closed his eyes.

Kimberly went out on a limb. "But Trini isn't a part of it."

"Yeah," Jason replied flatly.

Kimberly lazily hugged him with her other arm, nuzzling closer into his neck. Jason wrapped his left arm around her waist in response.

After a minute, she lifted her head and propped both of her elbows on Jason's shoulders to get his attention. She was now looking at him full in the face. "Things will work out, JJ. This is coming from me, Miss Drama Queen." She smiled, hoping to get Jason out of his funk.

Jason was quiet as he regarded Kimberly. She wondered what he was thinking; Jason had his serious face on.

"How did Tommy act when you decided to come here?"

Kimberly was surprised by the question, but saw why he hesitated. She realized it did not hurt as much to think or talk about Tommy anymore.

"He was fully supportive. He wanted me to pursue my dreams and didn't want to see me get hurt by aliens anymore." She ended with a lopsided grin and slid back down to her side of the couch. She realized she was almost sitting in Jason's lap.

What she said about Tommy was true. He did not bat an eye when she told him about her acceptance letter, and she was relieved that he did not begrudge her for a "ticket out." It was something they had been waiting for after Jason, Zack, and Trini left. Rocky, Adam, and Aisha were amazing friends of course, but the era of the original Rangers had faded away.

Plus, being evil had taken its toll on both Tommy and Kimberly. Being a Power Ranger always had that risk. It was an unspoken agreement that she and Tommy would leave the Rangers when the opportunity came up.

Jason frowned at the television as he processed her words.

Kimberly continued, "Why, did you feel like Europe wasn't the place for you? Or that you'd get in the way of Trini's dreams?" She was not sure if Jason felt like he was Tommy or her in this situation—the one letting the other pursue their dreams or the one pursuing.

"I felt like I was hanging around, waiting for something to happen. Trini and Zack found what they were good at in Switzerland, but I was just going to class, doing my own thing."

"That's normal though. You were what? Seventeen? Like no one knows what they want at seventeen," Kimberly reasoned. Apparently, she was a wise sage now.

Jason shifted on the couch. "Yeah, but I did know what I wanted." He somberly gazed at Kimberly before looking to his lap.

Come on, Jase, please don't clam up…

Kimberly felt like he was going to confess something she knew for some time, but could not put a finger on it. Jason turned away, but not before she caught the disgusted look on his face.

Confused, she guessed, "You still wanted to be a Power Ranger?"

"Yeah," Jason's voice cracked.

Kimberly wondered why Jason would be ashamed for admitting he still wanted to be a Power Ranger. At the time he was surrounded by his friends, he was the leader, and they were kicking evil ass. True, he would have to find some other occupation besides Power Ranger, but Kimberly thought Jason could reasonably manage a dojo while fulfilling Ranger duties. Being a Power Ranger was stressful, too, but he seemed to live off the high of beating the bad guys.

In the end, she decided to ask a question she had not asked since the night she barged into Jason's apartment months ago.

"Why did you leave?" She hoped she was not pushing him too far.

Although Jason was looking down, Kimberly could still see him trying to erase his disgusted look. She thought from the profile of his face that he settled on a more neutral expression. Her eyes darted down to his bobbing Adam's apple. It was his tell. He was going answer truthfully.

"Because I felt like a shitty leader."

It was Kimberly's turn to frown. Jason was the best option they had for a leader, and he exceeded expectations for the role. They all did as rangers, but Jason did especially for being the backbone of the team.

"Jase, you were awesome. Why would you think that?" Her small hands gripped his arm in alarm.

Jason looked affronted, and Kimberly softened her grip. Did she say something wrong?

"I was awesome? Try telling that to Alpha and Zordon. They had to replace me because I was so bad."

Kimberly felt relieved at his explanation. It was a simple misunderstanding. Poor Jase, he had it all wrong for so long…

"The only reason Tommy replaced you was because you were leaving for the Peace Conference." Her voice was confident and full of emphasis.

Instead of responding with dubious surprise, Jason slowly leaned back on the armrest of the couch, away from Kimberly. When he lifted his eyes, they cut her to the core.

"I left because they replaced me with Tommy."

Kimberly let her hands fall away from his arm. She shuddered on the inside. She saw a glimpse of the icy demeanor that welcomed her on the night of their reunion in his unfurnished apartment. Was this a joke? Why would else Zordon replace Jason?

She furrowed her eyebrows and held Jason's gaze. "No, Zordon must have known that you were leaving."

"But I wasn't thinking about leaving until I heard the announcement about the Peace Conference." Jason was ready for her rebuff.

"There must be another reason, Jase, you know that." There must have been another reason, she was sure of it.

Jason shook his head. "What other reason? They didn't give me or anyone, not even Tommy, a heads up before he got the White Ranger powers."

"I don't know. But it can't be that." Alpha and Zordon could not be that mean. Maybe they knew Jason, Trini, and Zack were all going to leave, and made early preparations. Who knew what went on in that floating brain? "Maybe it was the right time to switch leadership, since Tommy lost his powers and Zordon probably knew you all were going to leave. He probably knew Tommy needed to train as a leader with us or something." Kimberly surprised herself with her quick defense of her ex.

"Kim, I was the reason Tommy lost his powers in the first place." His nostrils flared almost imperceptibly. Abruptly, Jason got up and started pacing.

Oh no…

Jason carried too much of the burden on his shoulders. Kimberly could see it now. It was always his weakness. He cared so much about his friends that he took the blame for every bad thing that happened to them. Kimberly thought about all the times the Rangers were in trouble and all the times Jason blamed himself for not being stronger, more courageous, and more aware.

"Jase, you're not the reason why Tommy lost his powers, you know that."

Jason stopped his pacing and threw a scathing look at Kimberly before continuing again. He looked like he needed a punching bag.

"It was Rita's fault, she was the one who made and lit the candle." She could not believe Jason held on to this burden for so long. She also wanted to hit Jason upside his head because he was the one who volunteered to retrieve the candle from the Dark Dimension. Masochistic bastard, always trying to save everyone else...

"It's so much more than that." He cupped his hands around his mouth and looked at the ceiling.

Kimberly thought about the day they were on the Island of Illusion, and Jason's fear was that he had failed his friends. He was not able to help them overcome their fears, and as a result, they all disappeared, leaving Jason apparently alone.

"You never failed us. We were a team. Everyone played a part and helped each other. It wasn't up to you to save everyone all the time." Her voice sounded a little harsh, but she wanted to get the message through his thick skull.

Jason's response was quick and sharp. "Look, you wouldn't get it."

Kimberly stared at Jason in disbelief. "Every one of us was worried. All the time. Not just you. Do you know how many times I thought I would be going to a funeral? Almost every day. And after Zedd made me his evil queen, I thought 'wow, it's only a matter of time until he turns someone else evil!'"

Jason wheeled around on her. "Yeah, but it was my responsibility as leader to protect you guys from that kind of stuff!" He pointed a finger at his chest. "It was my responsibility as leader. Mine."

His jaw was set and Kimberly noticed that while his brow was furrowed, his eye widened a little, too.

"Well," she puffed out her cheeks, "now it's Tommy's, and you don't have to worry anymore." She was tired of going in circles on the subject. She would not mind using Jason as a punching bag. "You have to let this go, Jase. Please."

Jason rubbed his neck and shook his head. "It's not that easy."

"Why not?"

"Because…I don't know it's hard to explain. I feel like I need the Power. It's been better now that I've been in Florida and am going to school and have things to look forward to, but always there." He finished with a slightly troubled look.

Kimberly squinted her eyes at Jason. The Power affected him differently—more profoundly—than the others. She wondered if Tommy now felt this way, too.

"Have you talked to anyone recently?" She wondered if he reached out to anyone, or if a current or former ranger reached out to him.

"What do you mean?"

"I mean like…have you talked to a Power Ranger recently?" Kimberly looked at Jason straight in the eye, but he could not hold her gaze.

"No. Why would you ask that?" Her question seemed to take the wind out his sails.

She did not believe him. "Why else would you start talking about Ranger stuff now?"

Jason turned away to stand near the window. He placed his hand on the window sill as he appeared to gaze at the setting sun.

"I don't know."


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