Author's notes and reviewer thanks at the end.
Brighter Paths
Book 9: Potion Notions
Chapter 35: Crazy Little Thing Called Love
The path out of the cave was clear, and it was one Tommy recognized, on the outskirts of Angel Grove. It would be a fairly long walk back to Katherine's home, but Tommy couldn't leave her, much as he was dying to either morph and go back in the cave to help the others, or at least teleport to the Command Center.
Instead, he walked beside Katherine, on the alert for possible attack, and trying not to rush her too much in his impatience.
Katherine looked down at her watch. "At least we have plenty of time to get ready for the dance tonight. I absolutely need a shower. Who knew caves would be so smelly?"
Tommy regarded her with surprise. "We were just kidnapped by monsters and rescued ourselves by revealing our deepest, darkest secrets, and you're thinking of the dance and how smelly the cave was?"
Katherine shrugged. She looked suddenly nervous. "I guess I just wanted to pretend this was normal? Angel Grove is strange."
Tommy laughed. "Don't I know it."
"So... the secrets..." Katherine said slowly. "We can just never mention them again."
Tommy nodded. "Sounds good to me."
They walked in silence, and Tommy realized he didn't feel on edge around Katherine anymore. Yeah, she was still under a spell, but she wasn't acting as aggressive as she had been. They might even be friends after this was all done.
She grabbed his arm, hugging up to him, and he gritted his teeth. First break the spell, and then think of the possibility of friendship.
The window of the cell was high enough that Adam could only see Rocky's forehead. Rocky pushed his fingers between the bars of the window, and Adam linked his fingers with them. He knew Rocky was only doing this because he was under a spell, but that tiny measure of physical contact gave him as much comfort as it gave him sorrow. It would end soon, and Adam didn't know what would happen after it ended, but he was glad that Rocky was there now.
"So, secrets," Adam said in a shaky voice. He cleared his throat to try to make it sound more normal. "One apiece will open the door."
"That's what Tommy figured out," Rocky said, tightening his fingers around Adam's. "Kimberly's trying to get Skull out. Well... I mean... if Tommy and Katherine can get out, it shouldn't be too hard." He let Adam's fingers go and stood up on his toes so he could look in the cell. "So... Adam... got any secrets?"
Adam felt his face go hot, and he looked away. He'd been hiding for so long. He felt that he'd gotten used to pretending to the world, to hiding, to locking that part of himself away. In the past week, all those defenses had broken down, and Adam felt exposed. All for nothing. It wasn't fair… Tears stung his eyes, and he blinked hard, trying to will them away.
"Yeah," Rocky said softly. "I thought you might. I mean, you keep everything pretty close to the chest. I think I know you, but you surprise me all the time." There was a smile in his voice, and Adam felt his heart break even more.
"I'll go first then, while you figure out what to say," Rocky continued in the wake of Adam's silence. I guess my big secret is… I love you, Adam."
The door did nothing, and Adam winced.
It had taken several tries to explain the rules to Skull, and a few well-chosen lies to explain why Kimberly was there, unmorphed, to save him.
"Ya know, this is probably the weirdest space alien shenanigans I've ever been a part of, including all the kidnapping-based ones. The many many times I've been kidnapped by space aliens."
Kimberly nodded. "Sometimes I wonder what those aliens have planned at all."
Skull gave her an odd look, and Kimberly was wondering if she had to scramble for more explanations, when he laughed.
"So, who wants to go first?" Skull's laugh had far more of a nervous edge than usual. "I mean, is this where we pronounce our undying feelings for each other?"
Kimberly was about to answer, and then something occurred to her. Or, at least, something that she had been suspecting for a while. "You… you don't really feel about me like that anymore, do you?"
The look on his face told her enough. Her vision blurred with tears, and she let them fall. "That's why you've been pulling away from me this week. You don't have a crush on me anymore."
Skull frowned. "Kim, I'm not sure I'm supposed to tell you this or anything, but I've mainly been pulling away from you because you're under a love spell. You broke up with Tommy randomly one morning and started going after me. Doesn't that feel weird to you?"
Kimberly shook her head. "No… I know. At least, I kind of suspected I was under a spell, but I was just sort of going with it. But, no, Skull… you've moved on."
Skull winced and nodded. "Yeah, I think I have. I mean, it wasn't healthy, was it?" He cleared his throat, shuffling his feet uncomfortably. "I've been seeing someone. I know this is going to sound like a 'girlfriend in Canada' kind of story, but she goes to another school. You wouldn't know her. But we hang out, and she's cool."
Kimberly's eyes were steadily streaming with tears. "I think I'll be able to hear that later, but right now? Can we not talk about that? Please?"
Skull looked away. "Yeah. I'm sorry."
Kimberly nodded and cleared her throat. "But I guess that's not enough of a secret? I mean, I kind of suspected… but… do you want to go first? Because I need to not talk for a few minutes."
"Okay," Skull said. "Okay. I got something. I…"
He trailed off, and Kimberly stopped crying long enough to peek curiously in the cell. Skull was pacing and looked angry.
"I can do this. It's just that..." He stopped, opened his mouth, and then clammed up again. "This is stupid!"
"Skull, I've just had a pretty bad time with what you told me before, and nothing you can say can hurt me, so this is obviously something you really don't want to tell me." Kimberly smiled sadly. "Which means it's probably what the lock on the door wants. I'm not going to judge you for anything you say, I promise." She paused, and added, "I don't want to say my thing either."
"No," Skull waved impatiently. "My secret is stupid. It's stupid that I'm keeping it, but I'm just so afraid that people will make fun of me..."
Kimberly waited, confused. So, it wasn't something about them, if it was something he was afraid of people making fun of him. It also had nothing to do with what she also suspected, that he knew she was a Power Ranger. So what was it?
Skull took a breath. "Okay. Here it is. I'm... I'm a pianist." He slurred that word, so it sounded different.
"You're a what?!" Kimberly said, laughing.
"I play piano, okay?" Skull said, frustrated. "I've been taking lessons for years, ever since I was a kid."
The door clicked, and Kimberly stopped laughing. "Skull, why would you hide that? That's really cool. A lot of people start lessons when they're a kid and they just stop along the way."
"Yeah, normal people," Skull pointed out. "Bulk and me started lessons together, but he stopped, and I told him I stopped, but I didn't. I just laughed along when he made fun of all the stupid nerds stuck indoors playing piano, and I just pretended I had to do something else when I had a lesson."
Kimberly smiled. "Skull, I don't think Bulk will make fun of you. I think if you have a talent that you care about, your friends are going to support you, no matter where that takes you. I'm one to talk. I've been practicing gymnastics a lot more lately, and I sort of don't want my friends to know about it."
Skull tilted his head in confusion. "Kim, everyone knows you're a really good gymnast. I don't know why you're taking extra lessons..."
"With a coach," Kimberly said. "Sort of a serious coach. Skull, I'm preparing to compete in the Pan Global games. I've already qualified. I just haven't made a big deal of it yet."
Skull's eyes went wide. "Kim, that's amazing. Why haven't you told anyone?"
"Because…" Kimberly put her hands over her face. "I… I'm going to be leaving. Like, soon. I'm going to Florida to train, and while that's a big deal, I have things holding me back here." She laughed a bit. "You know, when Trini and Jason and Zack joined that peace thing, they took ages to tell us, and I didn't understand." She hung her head. "I do now."
The lock clicked, and the door swung open. Skull pulled Kimberly into a cautious hug. Kimberly knew she looked a mess from crying, and she was supposed to be rescuing Skull, and he didn't even love her anyway, but she just let him hold her. She was too exhausted to do anything else.
"Come on," Skull said softly, "I'm tired of caves and space aliens. Let's get out of here."
Kimberly laughed and nodded, wiping her eyes. She had to admit, she was rather tired of space aliens herself.
Rocky laughed when the lock didn't do anything at his profession of love. "Well, I guess that wasn't much of a secret? I mean, I've been telling you that all week, right?"
Adam nodded, but he knew the truth. Rocky was under a spell, and the spell made him say that. It wasn't just that it wasn't a secret, it was that it wasn't true. He was so used to living with that concept all week that he was surprised it hurt this much at the moment.
And it made what Adam had to do even harder. He had a secret, and it was the biggest secret he had. He didn't care that his brother knew, and the other Rangers and Zordon knew… it was still something he was trying to keep from Rocky. Something that he would have given anything to hide.
"Rocky, your love may not be a secret, but… mine is. I'm in love with you," Adam said, his voice thick.
Rocky grinned and was about to say something, something sweet, something joyful, something that would make it impossible for Adam to carry on, but Adam stopped him. "No, Rocky, let me finish. I've been in love with you for a long time. I've been trying to hide that I'm gay, hide that I have feelings for you..."
Adam's voice failed, and he took several breaths. Rocky mercifully didn't say anything as Adam gave up any form of plausible deniability he might have held onto.
"It's because I'm scared," Adam forced himself to continue, "because I would do anything to keep from losing your friendship. I... I'm so afraid that you won't want to be my friend, that you'll pull away from me. That it'll change everything."
The door clicked but didn't budge. Adam had told his secret. Rather than feel fear or relief, he just felt numb. He was so glad he couldn't see Rocky's face in that moment, since he'd moved away from the window. He'd pictured every reaction Rocky would have, and they had ranged from disgust to fear to pity. Rocky's "love spell" reactions would just make the pain that much worse when the love spell was gone.
Rocky's eyes went wide. "Oh! I guess I needed to give more information for it to take. I mean, it's true. I love you. For a long time. Like, ever since we started dressing in spandex and fighting aliens. Probably before that? And I'm bisexual, but I've been keeping that secret for all those reasons and also I think my dad would lose his shit, because he keeps trying to set me up with random girls, so maybe he already knows, and I guess I just got used to pretending, but I've been hoping you would make the first move but I wasn't sure if you were interested, so...?"
The door clicked and swung open. Rocky continued to babble nervously, but Adam remained speechless. That... that wasn't love spell information. That sounded real.
Rocky stopped babbling. "Adam… did I say anything wrong?"
Adam shook his head violently. "I… I don't know. Rocky… can we put a hold on this conversation? Like, after all this is over? I really want to continue this conversation, just… not in a cave. Not when there's a love spell going around. Just… not now."
Rocky smile. "Okay. Tonight, at the dance, we can have this conversation. Let's get out of here."
Aisha and Tommy arrived at the dance early, spell antidotes in tow. They had debated over the transmission, and they'd figured out how to apply it through contact with the skin. A quick handshake with a palmed soaked cotton ball would work, even if it might attract strange questions.
"No stranger than trying to dose someone's drink," Billy had reminded them before sending them off.
Bulk was first, showing the antidote truly worked. As soon as Aisha grabbed his hand, he looked horrified and started apologizing. Aisha reassured him that it was not a big deal and tried to come up with an excuse to play it off, but right around that time a couple that Tommy had dosed was having a loud argument. Bulk ran toward them to calm them down or, barring that, to show them the door.
"Kim is late," Tommy muttered to Aisha after the couple had been calmed down and moved to opposite ends of the room. "So's Adam and Rocky. And Katherine. I wish we could have cured them before the dance."
"They were getting ready for the dance. They'll be here," Aisha said. "There's Josh and Crystal. I'll take care of that love connection."
Katherine walked in, and Tommy hurriedly prepared the antidote. He'd barely brushed her hand when she frowned and backed away.
"Uh, sorry, Tommy, I have to go. Something came up." Katherine all but ran for the exit.
Tommy was both sad and relieved. He'd worried that she would try to continue their date… but the way she'd booked it also worried him a little. He'd have to check up on her later. She was new in town, and she'd had a pretty wild day.
All thoughts of Katherine immediately left his brain as soon as he saw Kimberly. She was beautiful, wearing a pink shimmery dress with her hair done up in a knot. She had arrived alone; Tommy knew for a fact that Skull was currently hiding in the kitchen.
"You look great, Kim," he said, almost forgetting that she was under a spell.
"Thanks," she said distractedly. "Have you seen Skull?"
She was looking around for him, giving Tommy a perfect opportunity to ready the antidote. He slipped his hand in hers, a flash of panic going through his mind as he wondered what would happen if this didn't work… but it did. Her eyes immediately went wide, and then she looked at Tommy.
"God dammit." She kept her voice low. "Just… I was under a spell. Of course I was." She glared upward, supposedly at the moon and its evil inhabitants. "Just… dammit. This had to have sucked for you, Tommy."
Tommy grinned. "I mean, it wasn't fun. But I'm glad to have you back. We are…" he trailed off uncertainly.
Kimberly looked like she was trying to control her anger, as none of it was meant for Tommy. "Tommy, I'm not going to leave you because of a stupid spell. I'm just mad, okay? And I'm going to have to say something to Skull. God damn it."
"He's hiding in the kitchen," Tommy said. "I need to make sure everyone else is cured."
Kimberly gave his hand a squeeze and then walked away. Tommy let out a breath that he'd been holding all week. It was all back to normal. Kimberly was back, and nothing was going to change that.
Aisha had just finished talking to one of their, until-recently-under-a-love-spell, classmates, who had apparently had a crush on the best friend of the person she'd been pursuing all week, and that had been a bit of a mess. Aisha had reassured her and contemplated on how messy the lives of allosexual people were, when Kimberly brushed by her. Aisha tried to stop Kim, hoping to cure her, but Kimberly ran on.
"Just been cured," Kim said over her shoulder. "Gonna do some damage control."
She was gone before Aisha could reply. Obviously the damage control was something Kimberly did not want help with. She surveyed the crowd, looking for any possible problems, when Adam pushed his way through the crowd.
"Tommy said you had Rocky's antidote," Adam said quietly. "Could I… I want to do it."
Aisha frowned. "Where is Rocky?"
"He's in the bathroom; I spilled some punch on him," Adam said. "Please, Aisha, before he gets back. I don't want to handle this in public."
Aisha handed it to him, giving his arm a reassuring squeeze. "Just buzz me if you need backup."
She met back up with Tommy. "So, is that everybody?"
Tommy looked happier than he had all week. "Looks like. This went about as easily as we could have hoped."
Aisha shrugged. "Yeah, we'll see. There might still be some fall-out. In the meantime, wanna dance?"
Tommy laughed. "I mean, it is a dance. I figure Kim and Adam can take care of things from here."
The front of Rocky's shirt had a stubborn light-pink patch that had only slightly faded with water. Rocky looked up from trying to get the punch stain out to grin at Adam. "I guess it's a fashion choice now," he laughed.
Adam smiled weakly. "Rocky, I'm really sorry."
Rocky shrugged. "Don't worry about it. It's just a stain."
"No… for this." Adam took the bottle with the antidote in it and poured some on Rocky's hand… and flinched. This was the moment…
Rocky's smile disappeared, his eyes widened, and Adam stopped looking. No matter what Rocky said under the spell, he was terrified what the next expression would be.
"Come on," Adam said, tugging Rocky's hand. "We can have that conversation now, and I don't want to have it in the restroom."
"So, here's where you were hiding out," Kimberly said as she entered the kitchen, trying to force a smile. She'd buried her anger for the time being, and she'd been debating what tone to take with Skull. What would he even be feeling, especially after their revelations in the cave?
Skull looked up from mixing another bowl of punch. "Everything back to normal?"
Kimberly cocked her head. "Don't know any other way it would be."
Skull winced, and Kim started back-pedaling on the "let's pretend nothing happened" strategy. It wasn't going to work, and it wasn't fair anyway.
"I meant…" Skull sighed. "Are you and Tommy back together?"
"Yes," Kimberly said. "I'm so sorry about this whole week. I guess I was…" she searched for some kind of excuse, but was coming up blank.
"Under a love spell," Skull said. "Like Bulk was. Like a lot of people were." Skull looked up from the punch. "I'm not a complete idiot, Kim."
"I know you're not," Kim said. "Do you… do you still want to dance? I mean, I did invite you, kind of."
Skull chuckled tiredly. "I'm not much in the mood for dancing. Kim, when I said I wasn't a complete idiot, I meant it. I know it wasn't your fault. Didn't make it fun. And I just don't feel like pretending everything is okay right now."
Kimberly's smile dropped. "Thank god. Because I'm mad as hell." She laughed bitterly. "We do seem to be the target of these attacks, don't we?"
Skull put the label down. "Again, gotta remind you, not a complete idiot… Pink Ranger."
Kimberly froze, knowing that her face was giving everything away.
"And you don't look all that surprised that I know," Skull said. "Kim… why do I remember an apocalypse that never happened?"
Kimberly shushed him, and then looked around. There was no one she could see listening, but there was a dance just past the door. That, and there were more nefarious listening ears, as the Youth Center wasn't protected from surveillance.
"We should talk," Kimberly said, "but not here. We need to get someplace safe."
Skull looked at the door, which barely muffled the noise of the party. "Maybe outside?"
"Someplace safer and further away," Kimberly said. "Skull… wanna see something cool?"
It took a full minute of sitting at a table in the Youth Center's outdoor café for Adam to bring himself to meet Rocky's eyes again. Rocky was looking down at the table, his eyes wide.
"What are you thinking about?" Adam said, his voice cracking?
"Oh, just the whole week," Rocky said. "Boy… this fucking spell sure was public, wasn't it? Like… really, really public."
"Yes, it was," Adam said. "And…"
"And isn't that a relief?" Rocky said. "I mean, I was terrified, and I just wanted to keep pretending, but it's done now, right? No more pretending?"
Adam didn't think he had any more tears to give, but he looked away as his vision blurred yet again. "Rocky, I have no idea what you're talking about. Just… this has been an awful week, so I just want to know…"
"Adam, that wasn't just the spell." Rocky cupped Adam's face, gently tilting his head so head could look in his eyes. "Or… were you just putting up with me?" He pulled his hand back. "Like Tommy did with Katherine. Play along with the idiot under a love spell."
Adam grabbed Rocky's hand and put it back on his own face, aware that he was yet again crying. "Rocky… why didn't you make a move before?"
"I tried." Rocky's voice was choked, but his eyes were dry. "I tried to quote poetry at you. I wanted to ask… but what if you said no? What if…"
"What if things changed between us?" Adam finished for him. "Rocky, I was terrified, too. I thought you were just into girls, that you'd be disgusted."
Rocky laughed. "Can we agree that we were both idiots? Can we finally stop pretending? Can… can I kiss you?"
Adam nodded, half-expecting the dream to end or someone to jump out of the bushes and tell him it was all a joke, but nothing like that happened. It was just him, at a table, in the moonlight, with Rocky. He nodded.
Rocky moved close, but at that moment their communicator beeped. Adam pulled back and tapped it, feeling like screaming.
"I'm calling everyone in to the Command Center," Kimberly said. "No big emergency, but something… happened. Shouldn't take all night."
"Acknowledged," Adam said, feeling deflated. He was about to press the button to teleport up when Rocky stopped his hand.
"No big emergency," Rocky said, grinning mischievously. "We can be a few minutes late, can't we?"
Adam laughed for what felt like the first time in weeks. "I don't think we'll be missed."
His laugh stilled as Rocky kissed him. Adam closed his eyes as he melted into the kiss, suddenly feeling like everything was right, after feeling so wrong for so long.
Kimberly cut communications. "Everyone should be here soon. They just need time to get someplace quiet to teleport." She smirked. "Are you gonna be okay?"
Skull hadn't moved. He was standing in the middle of the Command Center, staring straight up at Zordon.
"There… there's a floating head in a tube." His voice came out as a squeak.
"Greetings, Eugene Skullovitch," Zordon boomed. "I am Zordon, an inter dimensional being and mentor to the Power Rangers. Welcome to the Command Center, the somewhat secret base for the fight against the forces of darkness." Zordon looked at Kimberly. "I'm sure there's a reason he's here."
"We needed a safe place," Kimberly said. "Skull remembers the alternate timeline, so he knows our identities. If our enemies find that out, he'd be in even more danger… than he usually is."
Skull looked at Kimberly helplessly. "The head knows my name."
"Yes, he does," Kimberly said. "You good?"
"Yeah…" Skull said. "I mean, I'm gonna be. There's… there's no place for me to sit down, is there?"
Kimberly led him to the steps, where he slumped down, his back against a panel. "Skull, you said you remembered the apocalypse that never happened, as you put it. How much do you remember?"
Skull shook his head slowly. "Not a lot? There were Greek gods, and Angel Grove was in a bubble." He looked up at her. "You were evil. You made the Power Rangers reveal their identities."
Kim smiled. "Do you remember defending me when I defected from evil?"
Skull nodded slowly. "But I shouldn't remember that. No one else does. I tried to ask Bulky some questions, but he thinks I've been having too many jalapeño pizza nightmares."
"Do you know why?"
"I mean, I don't know about you, but the combination of pizza and jalapeño peppers…"
"No, about the remembering," Kim said.
They were interrupted by the sound of teleporting. Tommy and Aisha looked prepared for anything… anything other than Skull sitting on the floor of their Command Center."
Aisha cast a quick glance at Zordon, and then at Kimberly and Skull. "Kim, when you said you were going to do damage control…"
"It ended up being a little more complicated," Kim said. "Where's Rocky and Adam?"
"We passed them when we were trying to find a place to teleport," Tommy said. "They're… busy at the moment."
Skull stared wildly at them, and then he got up from the steps and started backing away. "Okay, now I see what's going on. You're all going to try to erase my memory or something." He was paler than usual, all signs pointing to panic.
Tommy glanced up at Zordon, who seemed content for the Rangers to handle this on their own. "We wouldn't do that."
"You did it before," Skull said. "Only it didn't take with me. I still remember…" He trailed off. "Wait, didn't you die?" he pointed at Tommy. "And you weren't even a Power Ranger, Aisha."
Tommy sighed and held up his hand placatingly. "Look, Skull, we're not going to do anything to you or your memory. We just want to explain a few things and to figure out how to keep you safe. It's not your fault you're in this situation… but it is going to make life a little more complicated."
Skull nodded, starting to calm down, when Alpha chose that moment to walk in, holding a multi-tool, which happened to look close enough to an alien probe in a cheesy B movie. Skull let out a yelp and bolted for the hallway.
"Oh, ay-yi-yi, I'm sorry, Rangers," Alpha said. "Is there a reason your schoolmate is in the Command Center?"
"Less of a good one by the second," Kim said, pinching the bridge of her nose. "That definitely could have gone better."
She started to run after him, but Tommy held her back. "We can track him, and he's not going anywhere. Let's not chase after him and panic him more?"
Aisha had already moved to the surveillance controls. "He's headed past the lab, getting closer to the gym. I'll let you know when he slows down."
Rocky and Adam teleported in, looking vaguely disheveled. "What did we miss?"
"Alpha scared Skull, so Skull ran away."
"Skull is here?" Rocky said. "How much changed when I was under that spell?"
"Looks like he's coming back," Aisha said, "still at a dead run."
By the time he reappeared, Skull was out of breath, his suit jacket hanging from one arm. Billy was in hot pursuit, then skidded to a halt when he saw the rest of the Rangers.
"The big floating head, okay," Skull gasped out. "Robbie the Robot, sure. The alien fish girl is a little confusing."
Billy buried his face in his hands as Cestria cautiously popped her head out of the hallway, giving a small wave.
"No, that one's new for us, too," Adam said. "Um, what's going on again?"
Tommy looked around the room helplessly, alternating stares between Skull and Cestria, who had stopped waving and was edging closer to the group. "Okay, let's take this one at a time. Let's start with Skull. You're not going to run off again, are you?"
"I panicked at the robot, but I'm more scared about what I'll find if I run off again," Skull said. "Also, I don't think I'll be able to escape whatever impenetrable secret fortress the Power Rangers use."
"Getting less secret by the second," Tommy groused. "Okay, Skull… I'm sure you have questions. Ask away."
Skull looked around, thinking hard. He looked from Zordon, to the rest of the Rangers, to Alpha, to Cestria, and then specifically to Kimberly. "Well… I mean… Zordon," he pointed to Zordon, "your mentor. Gave you your powers?"
"For the most part," Kimberly said. She was about to continue, but Skull held up his hand to stop her and pointed to Alpha. "Robot," he said simply.
"I am Alpha V. I run the Command Center."
"And you guys are Power Rangers," Skull continued, "only you guys," he pointed to Rocky, Adam, and Aisha, "didn't move to Angel Grove, and I think I remember from that lost time… Jason, Trini, and Zack used to be Rangers?"
"That's right," Aisha said. "We took their place when they moved away."
"So, I guess my main question is… why do I remember that when no one else does?"
Billy, Kimberly, and Tommy all looked at each other, a silent debate as to who would explain. Finally, Billy raised his hand slightly. "I think that would be my fault, actually."
Skull stared at him in confusion.
"Remember the attack on the high school?" Kimberly said. "When I was knocked out, and you got shot protecting me?"
Tommy looked away.
"The Blue Ranger healed me," Skull said. "Like they healed Billy…" he trailed off. "Ohhhh…"
"I'm the Blue Ranger," Billy said. "And I couldn't heal you. We have a healing serum, but it only works on Power Rangers. It reacts with our powers. Trini developed it after I was attacked and was in the hospital, so I could rejoin the fight. It's helped us a number of times, but we can't really use it on just anyone. The thing is, you were bleeding out, so I had to try something. I transferred my power into you so the serum could activate."
"And we think that power is still in you," Kimberly finished. "It's not a lot. Not enough to use. But we think it meant that when we turned back time to before the apocalypse that never was, you kept those memories. It meant that you weren't affected when Angel Grove was put under the spell to follow Lord Zedd. You're kind of resistant to some spells, at least the ones that we're resistant to."
"We do not know what this means for you, Eugene Skullovitch," Zordon finally broke in. "We do know it means you're vulnerable to danger. Not only do you know the identities of the Power Rangers, information to which few are privy, it also means that you're different from the rest of Angel Grove. You're a potential target for our enemies, much more than before, unless we give you a bit more protection."
"What does that mean?" Skull said. "How can I be protected against aliens that kidnapped me out of nowhere just this afternoon and did the same to two other Power Rangers?" He gestured to Tommy and Rocky.
"It means you'll need to be more aware of things," Tommy said. "We'll install some minor security on your house, but not enough to be detectable by our enemies. You'll need to know when you might be getting into danger, or when you see dangerous situations happen, and tell us immediately. We'll be giving you a communicator just in case."
"It also means," Kimberly said, "you can't tell anyone. You're going to have to keep our secret. Even from Bulk."
Skull looked down. "I'm… not great at keeping secrets from Bulk," he said in a low voice. "But if it's going to protect him, I know I can do this."
"Good. We can talk more, but I think we need to get back to the dance before anyone gets suspicious." Tommy looked around the room, his gaze resting on Cestria. "I know you have a good reason for being here, Cestria, and I'm so glad you're safe. We can talk tomorrow at our usual meeting time." He took a breath. "It's been a long day… a long week. We could all use a party."
The Rangers, plus Skull and minus Billy, who had decided to stay in the Command Center with Cestria, teleported in an empty alley near the Youth Center. Aisha walked first with Skull, as he needed to get back to the dance soonest to give Bulk some back-up.
"So, this is what it's going to be like?" Skull said. "Weird shit happens, and we pretend it's normal?"
"Think about it this way," Aisha said as they neared the doors to the Youth Center. "Is that any different from life in Angel Grove for everyone else?"
"I guess not?" Skull said. "But… now I know what's going on. It's… weird."
Aisha chuckled. "Believe me, I know. Just… if you ever need to talk. I know this can be overwhelming."
Tommy and Kimberly walked in soon after and immediately took to the dance floor. They seemed to want to make up for lost time and dance away their worries. Their "reunion" caused a minor spout of gossip, but their few on-and-off-agains meant that the gossip didn't last long. This break-up was much tamer than their political smear campaign against each other and very public and very physical make-up session.
What caused a few more whispers was Adam and Rocky. They looked like they were about to jump out of their skins, but Rocky still firmly led Adam to the dance floor.
There were still whispers. There were going to be whispers. They were tired of caring. They'd been afraid too long.
"Carrot stick?" Aisha offered as soon as Rocky and Adam left the dance floor.
"Sure," Rocky said. "Say, could you also just, you know, pour the whole punch bowl over me? I don't think enough people are staring."
Aisha glanced around. "No one's staring. And if they are, screw them." She noticed they were still holding hands and smirked. "So, you guys finally decided to take the plunge?"
Adam looked down and actually blushed. Aisha stuffed a carrot into his hand. "I told you it would work out."
"I don't think you did. I think it was more you threatened to inflict bodily harm on Rocky if he hurt me."
She winked at Rocky, who looked taken aback. "That threat is still in effect, by the way."
Rocky squeezed Adam's hand. "I don't think you're going to have to worry about it."
There was an awkward moment, where Rocky and Adam obviously wanted to kiss, but they held back. Aisha glanced around; there were a few people staring. She filed that away in her brain. It was all well and good to threaten violence, but that wouldn't help anyone out in the long run. It was obvious Angel Grove needed some consciousness raising, and she was already planning the organization and drafting the speech to Mr. Caplan to get it formed.
Tommy and Kimberly left the dance floor, grinning. "So, things have obviously worked out," Kimberly said. "And here I was wondering if Z-man would actually have to do what he said."
Rocky looked confused. Adam whispered in Rocky's ear, and then Rocky looked horrified.
"I really have been in the closet if Z-man and everyone else thought I would be that shitty," Rocky said.
"Wait…"
Skull was replacing the destroyed vegetable plate, and he'd obviously overheard Rocky's comment. The group tensed: despite being in on their secret, Skull had been a bully until very recently.
"That was Z-man? The mysterious Z-man?" he said. "I…" he continued in a whisper, "I thought that was your pot dealer."
The group stared at at Skull, and then started laughing, the tension broken.
"Come on, Skull, the refreshments aren't going to disappear without you standing over them," Kimberly said, pulling him onto the dance floor. "I did promise you a dance, after all."
Adam noticed Aisha looking longingly at the dance floor, so he offered his arm to her after reluctantly detaching himself from Rocky.
Rocky grabbed a punch and took one of the folding chairs at the edge of the room, looking exhausted. Tommy joined him.
"Was Zordon really going to kick me out if I was shitty to Adam?" Rocky asked after he checked to see if anyone was watching.
"Yes," Tommy said. "But none of us thought you were going to be shitty, including him. Adam was freaking out, and you were in no state of mind to reassure him." He took a long drink of punch. "So, you're okay? After the spell, I mean."
Rocky looked down. "Yeah. I mean, it sucks royally thinking that I haven't been in control of myself over the past week, and I'd very much like to know what Goldar was playing at, but…" He shook his head slowly. "I'm a little grateful? Is that fucked up? I mean, I was never going to get the courage to be with Adam on my own. This… helped?"
"We confronted some feelings, we shared secrets," Tommy said. "As far as spells go, this one does feel a little more like therapy."
Rito pointed at the screen, where he and Goldar were watching the dance. The Rangers had disappeared for a few minutes from the dance, but now they were back and enjoying themselves, giving Goldar and Rito an opportunity to assess the fall-out from the spell.
"See?" Rito said, still pointing. "That's what I've been saying. This wasn't an attack, this was… like he said, therapy."
"Did you really expect to defeat the Power Rangers with a random love spell?" Goldar said. He was poking at a device with a screen in his hands, looking up every now and then to make some notes.
"Maybe?" Rito said. "Probably not? But I didn't expect them to hug it out after. In some cases, literally."
"What did you expect?"
"Some kind of damage?" Rito said vaguely. "Some advantage to us, or disadvantage to them. Have you never actually fought anyone?"
Goldar gave him a cold stare. "You weren't paying attention, were you? Katherine fucked up," he said in answer to Rito's blank look. "We were under orders to hold position and not mess with Earth or the Power Rangers in any way. The human decided to pilfer a love potion, so I had to clean up her mess." He looked away. "I thought that was obvious."
"So you were doing all that to protect Katherine?"
"And us," Goldar said, "as we would be blamed for not watching out for the human. Not only did I preserve Katherine's cover, as the Rangers would figure out those drinks had been dosed, if I hadn't distracted them… I also got information. Valuable information."
Rito shrugged. "Some teenagers are in love. Weird emotional stuff."
Goldar grinned. "The Pink Ranger is leaving. That's something the other Rangers don't even know. Even Lord Zedd and Empress Rita will agree that is valuable information, don't you think?"
When Rito didn't answer, Goldar turned his attention back to the screen. "Where is Katherine, by the way? She left the dance quickly after she pretended to receive the cure for the spell."
"She's probably at home… poor kid," Rito said. "Or…" Rito sighed. "You're right. She's probably here. I'd better go check on her."
Rito found Katherine moping in a large dining hall far from the throne room and living quarters. She was sitting on a long table and staring at a piece of paper and looked as though she'd been crying.
"Kiddo!" Rito yelled. She didn't react. "Not going to the party?"
Katherine quickly tucked the paper away, but not before Rito could see it was a photograph. "No ball for me," she said in a brittle voice. "Cinderella has already turned into a pumpkin."
"What are you talking about?" Rito said. "And don't say 'never mind,' I hate it when people do that."
Katherine looked up and smiled, her eyes still glistening. "A fairy tale. Really popular on Earth. Cinderella wanted to go to the ball, but she was too poor and her family wouldn't allow it. Her fairy godmother gave her a dress and made a carriage out of a pumpkin, and she went to the ball and danced with the prince… only she had to leave at midnight."
Rito sat next to her on the table. "The best parties only get started around midnight."
Katherine laughed. "I wouldn't know."
Rito started swinging his legs, trying to figure out how to cheer Katherine up without being an ass. "This isn't about that White Ranger, is it?"
"No… though it would have been nice to dance with him," Katherine said. "It's… I fell, okay? You probably heard all that."
Rito nodded.
"Up until the moment I fell, I knew exactly what I wanted to be. At least, I thought I wanted to be that person." Katherine frowned, as if trying to collect her thoughts. "After that, I was lost. Then I found you, and Empress Rita, and that gave me purpose again. But she's been gone so long, and I'm not even sure if she wants me around even when I'm here."
She trailed off, as if unable to put voice to her thoughts beyond that point. It could have been the spell. Or it could have been the depression, something Rito was intimately familiar with.
Rito knew he needed to take her to Finster right then, to reinforce the spell. And he would. But right then, she needed to be heard and understood. Not regulated.
He stood up and offered a hand. "Come on, Cinderella. You wanted to dance. I can be your pumpkin, if you wanted."
Katherine laughed, wiping her tears. "That's not exactly how the fairy tale goes."
Rito shrugged. "I have no idea what a pumpkin is," he confided. "But I do know how to dance."
Katherine shook her head. "I appreciate it, but I need to get home. The dance is ending, and mum will be looking around for me."
Rito put his arm down. "Okay. Tell ya what, though, kiddo. I'll take you exploring the caves under the Moon Palace tomorrow after you check in with Finster."
Katherine finally gave a genuine smile. "I'd really like that."
Billy and Cestria lay next to each other, floating on top of Cestria's water tank, the one that they'd built together in a back room of the Command Center. Billy was wondering if Cestria had gone to sleep, and whether he wanted to wake her before going home, when she broke the silence.
"I suppose that was bound to happen," she said in a low murmur. "We should have told your friends earlier."
"Zordon respected your decision to remain as hidden as possible," Billy said.
"Tommy looked mad," Cestria said.
"Tommy's had a hell of a week. I don't think you have much to worry about from Tommy." Billy hoped his doubtful tone wasn't coming through. Tommy wasn't a big fan of secrets, after all."
Cestria nodded. "I'm not worried… about that." She closed her eyes. "I've been in hiding so long. We've looked over the evidence so many times, and we're no closer to solving the mystery than when we began. And… I've been distracted."
Billy nodded. "I've been distracting you."
Cestria smiled, reaching over to push aside a damp lock of Billy's hair. "I wanted to be distracted. It's been the best distraction I've ever had in my life."
"But your brother is paying the price," Billy said, guessing her thoughts, because they were his own. She nodded. "I think we need to have the others go over the evidence as well. They may be able to figure out what we can't."
Cestria nodded. "Will… will that new human be there tomorrow?"
"Skull? I wouldn't think so?" Billy frowned. "Maybe? God, I hope not."
"We need him there," Cestria said seriously. "Billy, we weren't able to talk to him. It's important that he not reveal my location. Even a tiny stray mention can be dangerous."
Billy sighed. "I suppose you're right. I'll… I'll make sure he's there."
He was about to take his leave when they heard steady footfalls in the room. Cestria dove under the water instinctually, and Billy started to scramble up the platform, grabbing for a towel.
Ninjor turned the corner, and Billy hastily wrapped the towel around himself to rush to his side. Ninjor's armor was more black than blue, covered in burn marks and a few deep gouges.
"I'm sorry to interrupt, Billy and Cestria!" Ninjor's usually booming voice was little more than a rasp. "I must speak with all of you!"
At that, Ninjor fell to the floor and didn't move.
Cestria launched herself out of the tank, landing neatly on the floor while Billy was still scrambling down the ladder. She started checking Ninjor's vitals, so Billy ran for his communicator.
"Zordon?" He called. "Ninjor's here, and he doesn't look good."
"Understood, Billy," Zordon said. "Get him to the lab. I'm going to call everyone in. If anyone has hurt Ninjor like this… we are all in great danger."
Author's notes:
On July 17, 2009, I posted the first chapter of a Power Rangers fanfiction I decided to call A Darker Shade of Green. That was 10 years ago today.
In 2009 I had just begun graduate school to earn my doctorate, and I had moved several hours away from my hometown. My spouse was working long hours with a long commute, so I was lonely and had a lot of time on my hands. As is my habit, I decided to rewatch an old series, sort of as comfort food. I'd been a super fan of Power Rangers when I was in junior high, and it was on Netflix, so I decided to indulge.
I got to the 5-part "Green with Evil" arc. The moment that Tommy shakes of the spell and mutters a vague "What have I done?," my brain started racing. He'd just been imprisoned, brainwashed, and controlled. He wouldn't just join the team he'd been trying to kill. In that moment, I thought it was more realistic that he throw up.
That started the story concept. A story about how Tommy was mind controlled, with realistic emotional stakes. I was a fan of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, and I envisioned a tone like the evil Angel arc in season 2. As I wrote, I came up with ideas. The mother/son relationship between Tommy and Rita. Goldar's characterization. Tommy's father. The scene with Billy and the Green Ranger. I started thinking ahead, beyond the Green with Evil plotline.
I posted the first chapter on FF dot net, and I got a few reviews, my first from Bahamut Slayer, who gave me plenty of encouragement. I updated a few chapters over the next few days (my update rate was INSANELY quick compared to now), and the fanfic took momentum. I got a few reviewers that are still showing up in the reviews to this day. I've written a lot. I've followed up A Darker Shade of Green with Spells and Illusions, Darker Shades, and the current story, Brighter Paths. I've written, counting today, over 822,000 words between the four stories.
My life has changed so much since the beginning as well. I wrote a dissertation and earned a doctorate. I lost my mother and grandmother. I bought a house and got a full-time university teaching job. My chapter updates have been more infrequent, but you guys have stuck with me, and some might even just be discovering this fanfic. This fic has been a source of continuity and comfort for the past ten years, and I am forever grateful for that.
I want to thank some of my longtime reviewers: Ghostwriter, PinkRangerV, brankel1, Dan, Ariadne, brankel1, Bahamut Slayer, Psycho Tangerine, Halfcent, KLR, GothamPowerKaiju, The-Knight2000, lunarweather, falcon242, mirajane92… If I've left you out, please yell at me in the comments. I just want to thank all those who have stuck with me.
And a special thanks to Jimmy, my beta reader for several years. If you get an update, it's usually because he's nagged me into it.
Reviewer thanks: brankel1, Guest (I never said I was going to write a Skull/Kimberly romance), The-Knight2000, Ghostwriter, and Ashlandros.
From here, we've got two major story arcs in Brighter Shades, which should finish out MMPR. From there, I plan to work on Zeo, Turbo, and In Space, while condensing a bit more. Next arc, though…?
A Different Shade of Pink
