Variations Of SPD
Chapter 26: Grieving and Preparing
By: Pink-Green-White-4ever
Last Revised: January 9, 2007
Summary: Still grieving the loss of their Phoenix, the team learns it now has only a short time before the final battle begins.
Rating: M, for adult-themed situations.
Disclaimer: I don't own PR, Disney does
Dedication: Angel – thanks for being my cheerleader when I needed one!
An: Updates have been sporadic, I apologize. I lost inspiration for this story for a while, and now school has started back up, and with 4 full time classes (16 credit hours) I'm not going to have a whole lot of time on my hands until March. I do apologize. There is a MA VERSION of this chapter that's going on my site.
I believe that imagination is stronger than knowledge -- myth is more potent than history -- dreams are more powerful than facts -- hope always triumphs over experience -- laughter is the cure for grief -- love is stronger than death. -- Robert Fulghum --
--
Lying on his bed, Sky stared up at the ceiling. The house was silent, but that didn't bother him. No, what bothered him was that Sydney wasn't asleep next to him, lightly snoring. Her body wasn't curled against his; her hand wasn't fisted over his heart. Without her, his life seemed incredibly empty. It was worse now, knowing there was a possibility, however slim, that they might be able to save her. Closing his eyes, Sky tried to let his mind wander back to happier times.
"Make love to me, Sky," she whispered softly.
Sky stared down into her beautiful blue eyes. She was laying beneath him, her hands in his hair and her lips so close to his. He could feel the heat of her body, could feel her soft breath on his face.
Leaning down, Sky rubbed his lips over hers, his tongue peeking out to trace the seam of her mouth. He smiled when he heard her whimper and felt her body arching against his own. Her hips cradled his, her heat causing his to react. Anna had tried but failed; only Syd could bring out these kinds of feelings in him.
Carefully, he reached in between them and cupped his hand against her lower body. She arched and cried out at the suddenness of his move. Smiling, Sky made her tremble and moan. "Quit teasing," she gasped.
"I love you," Sky murmured against her mouth, and then moved his hand and glided into her with one long, swift thrust.
Quietly, the two lost themselves in the maelstrom of sensations. Before long, Sky's body began an unmistakable irregular rhythm, telling them both he was close. Smiling against his lips, Sydney moved her fingers to the base of his spine and caressed lightly. Sky's thrusting became more forceful until Syd whispered in his ear, "Come for me, Sky."
He words and the softly erotic way she said them had him coming inside of her in one strong thrust. Without warning, Sydney's body tightened again and she cried out. Energy spent, Sky collapsed against her. Syd let out a contented sigh, her hands coming up to stroke his back. "As soon as I can, I'll move," he mumbled.
"No need, you're okay," she whispered.
Sighing, Sky nuzzled her breasts, his lips seeking out the taunt tips. "I love you, Syd."
"I love you too. You'll be okay, Sky, and we'll be together again, I promise."
Sky sat up in bed, looking confused and alarmed, drenched in sweat and body fluids, Sydney's pillow clutched to his chest. "Damn it!" Sky grumbled, setting Syd's pillow aside before getting up. He quickly stripped off his soaked sweats and the soiled bed sheets. Feeling emotionally drained, he trudged into the bathroom and climbed into the scalding hot spray. He was upset with himself for imaging she was still alive, when she wasn't. Unconsciously he reached through their link and almost fell in the shower when he felt the tug back from the other end. He cried out in shock and wonder when Sydney's presence suddenly filled him. "Syd!" he gasped.
Taking several long, deep breaths, Sky concentrated on her and could almost see her smile in his mind's eye. "Sky."
Turning, the startled Blue Ranger saw the pink cloud materializing in the shower with him before it coalesced into a solid form. "Sydney."
She smiled. "Hi baby."
"Oh my God, Sydney," he whispered, reaching out to touch her face.
"I know, Sky, I know. I'll be home soon, just keep positive."
His eyes welled with tears. "I miss you," he brokenly whispered.
"I know, baby, I miss you too," she responded, leaning into his touch. "I love you."
Sky's eyes closed and his face scrunched up in pain. "Don't leave me, Syd. I need you."
Sydney smiled sadly and leaned close to him. "I'm always with you, Sky." So saying, she kissed him softly on the lips and then disappeared.
"Sydney, don't go," he choked out, dropping his forehead against the cold bathroom tiles.
--
"How long until we arrive on Earth?" Vampra asked Viper. The once Vampirus-looking monster had taken the power given him and transformed into his formed humanoid self – he looked every inch the typical thirty-something male with a short shock of hair, a goatee, and a body that said he worked out on a daily basis. His eyes were a deep blue and his hair dirty blonde.
"Approximately two hours, your eminence," Viper told him.
Vampra smiled and petted a hand over Anna's head. Since the explosion, she'd been like a pet to first Viper and now Vampra. All traces of her former self were gone; in the place of her personality was now an obedient dog.
"Good. Leave me, I wish to play with my new pet."
"Yes sire."
--
Z eyed Sky as he trudged into the kitchen for breakfast. It had been just over three days since they'd lost Sydney, and this was the first time since Tommy and Kim's visit that the Blue Ranger had left his room. He didn't look as bad as he had that first morning after, but he was still looking tired and angry at the world.
The former Yellow Ranger busied herself with making breakfast until she stopped in the middle of what she was doing, blinking back tears. "Z, what's wrong?" Sky asked, quickly striding to her side. She looked up at him and in an instant he knew why she looked so stricken.
"She always made breakfast after we went through something big."
Sky nodded and pulled Z to him for a hug. Syd had always believed after a battle or event that drained them to the point of exhaustion, the best thing for them was to eat together. Choking back his own grief, Sky leaned back away from Z, reached up to wipe her tears, and smiled. "Can you handle the pancakes while I set the table or do you want to trade?"
Z smiled through a fresh set of tears, understanding what he was saying without him saying it. "I can handle the pancakes."
"Okay." Sky moved past her to the cabinet and pulled five plates out before heading to the silverware drawer. With the dishes in hand, he moved to the table and set it while Z flipped pancakes and started on the eggs and Bridge's habitual morning toast. Just as the last slice of toast was being buttered and Sky was pouring glasses of orange juice, Jack, Bridge and Brian came downstairs.
"What's going on?" Brian asked, alarmed that things looked so normal even though he knew nothing would ever be the same.
Z and Sky shared a look before Sky spoke up. "Its past due and she would have wanted it like this."
Jack and Bridge nodded while Brian fought back tears. Sky moved over and squeezed his shoulder before sitting down. The others followed suit, each quietly lost in memories of the young woman whose chair sat empty between Jack and Sky.
--
Katherine woke alone for the third consecutive morning. Her heart cracked all over again when she realized her husband wasn't with her. Ever since they'd been informed of Sydney's death while trying to save Sky, she'd felt her and Jason had been grieving in their own ways, and it was slowly pulling them apart. Even as tears welled in her eyes, she sighed and threw back the covers before making her way to the bathroom to shower and dress.
A half hour later, she was coming down the stairs when she heard the resounding crack coming from the deck. They bought the house not long after Sydney's last major crisis, and now it was getting put to good use as they and their teammates stayed in it for the time being. Hurrying to the back door, Kat found Rocky, Adam and Zack attacking Jason. Normally, the former Pink Ranger wouldn't' have been worried, but there was a lethargic quality to her husband's movements she'd not seen since he'd begun losing the Gold Ranger powers a couple decades before.
She felt tears pool in her eyes before they streaked down her face when Jason uttered a heart rending cry and sank to his knees. Part of her wanted to go to him, but she knew right now he didn't need her grief on top of his own, let alone he didn't want to be comforted by her. All three of the guys knelt with him, Zack reaching out to draw him into a hug.
Kat jumped when a pair of arms wrapped around her waist and shoulders. Tanya was on one side of her while Aisha was on the other, with Trini just to the other side of the former Yellow Ninjetti. Billy and Justin quietly slipped out the door, the former Blue Morphin' Ranger joining Zack and Jason's hug.
"We failed them," Kat whispered. "I know that's what he's thinking, and he's right," she swallowed hard.
"No, you didn't," Aisha told her fiercely. "Because if you two failed them, so did we. You raised her as your own, Kat; you let her decide her own life. We were all charged with watching over her, we all share blame if there is any."
"But..."
"No buts," Tanya responded. "She was a Ranger, Kat, she knew the risks, understood them, and still she put the others of her team above her own safety. Like Kim said, don't demean the choice she made; she loved them, she gave her life for them."
Katherine opened her mouth to say something but Trini took her hand and squeezed it gently. "She's not completely gone, Katherine, remember that. She's merely resting. Tommy and Kim wouldn't have given us any hope the other night if it wasn't going to be okay, if this entire situation wasn't going to work out."
The former Pink Ranger nodded. "Besides," Aisha grinned. "She's an Oliver-Scott; she's stubborn as a mule, thanks to her genetics and osmosis."
At that, the four former Rangers began to laugh, easing the tension.
--
Aaron, Alana, Travis, Brett and Allison stood at attention while Bridge, Z, Brian, Jack and Sky stood in front of Anubis, each slightly lethargic and wanting to be anywhere but where they were. "I know the five of you have suffered a blow of immense proportions," Anubis spoke. "We all loved her, and her presence here will be sorely missed. She was an outstanding Ranger, and a most wonderful woman." Jack, Bridge and Z were the only ones with their eyes on him. Sky and Brian were staring at the floor, both fighting back their emotions. "Kat?" Anubis asked.
At the sound of his voice, Kat held out four black and silver objects to Jack, Bridge, Z and Brian. The four were confused but accepted the devices. "Commander?" Jack asked.
"I believe these are yours," Anubis told them, trying to fight back a smile.
"Sir, we resigned."
"And I'm reinstating you, Cadet Landors. Besides," Anubis spoke, pacing in front of them. "You didn't submit your letters of resignation, therefore I cannot but more importantly, will not, accept."
The four nodded. "Sir, what's our game plan?" Z questioned.
"I've spoke to Ninjor this morning," Kat told them. "Vampra's broken the seal on his prison, and he's headed here as we speak."
The junior members of the team tensed when their senior counterparts gasped. "You've got to be kidding!" Z argued. "Sky's barely had time to heal, not to mention none of us are in the right state of mind to fend off an attack, not yet."
"I know," Anubis spoke, silencing any further protests. "Kat's working on a plan with Ninjor. They think they might be able to exploit Vampra's weaknesses so that the rest of A Squad can help you."
"Kat? Need help?" Bridge asked.
The feline scientist smiled. "I'd love some." Bridge moved to a computer while the others stood before Anubis.
"What do you want the rest of us to do?" Sky spoke up.
"Train. After three days, your minds aren't as sharp as they should be," Anubis announced. "Not to mention, you haven't been training for longer than that. Junior A Squad will work with you. Dismissed."
"Yes sir!" Jack called. The group saluted before they took off for the simulator.
--
"You know, we could have been hurt a lot worse," Jack spoke as the nine stretched.
"Was it just me, or did it seem like we weren't using our full potential during that fight?" Z posed.
Brian looked thoughtful. "You've got a point," he started. "Remember what happened on Phadoes? Syd turned her whole body to stone."
Aaron, Brett and Travis crossed their arms over their chests while Alana and Ally looked confused. "What are you talking about?" Ally asked.
Sky stepped forward then. "We faced this huge skeletal dinosaur on Phadoes. It had Syd pinned to a tree. One minute she's screaming for help, the next she's summoning her genetic powers, only instead of just her hand turning to stone, her whole body did," Sky related the story to them.
The junior Rangers looked surprised. "So, you think all of your powers are super charged?" Aaron asked.
"It's possible," Jack commented. "If what happened to Syd is any indication, we all should be able to make our powers do something new. It'll be a real plus if we have stuff in our arsenal other than what they've seen, because they won't be expecting it of us."
"I wonder how this is going to manifest with the rest of us," Brian murmured.
"There's only one way to find out," Jack shot at him. "Ready?"
"Ready!" Z, Sky and Brian called, moving to stand in a line with Jack.
"NINJETII! THE PEGASUS!"
"THE SPHINX!"
"THE TIGER!"
"THE DRAGON!"
The five other Rangers watched on as their four counterparts called their animal spirits and then turned into walking energy columns of their specific color.
Aaron jerked back in shock when Jack's body stopped glowing and the Senior Red Ranger moved to the wall and hit it, causing the room to shake.
"Damn!" Z laughed. "That explains Jack's power change. Not only can he phase through stuff, now his body is rock solid!"
"Z!" Alana chirped out when the older Yellow Ranger split in half, literally, before each half of her turned to yellow energy.
The Yellow Tiger Ninjetti looked down at her body, both halves of it, and blinked. "Freaky."
Sky grinned and raised his arm, creating one of his shields. He closed his eyes and concentrated. Seconds later, his shield shrunk around him, fitting to his body. "Hey Travis, do me a favor," Sky smiled. The Green Ranger raised an eyebrow in silent question. "Use your blaster."
"Are you nuts?" Brett called out.
"No."
Travis just shrugged, knowing Sky could be as eccentric as Bridge when he wanted to be, and took his blaster off his leg. Carefully, he took aim at the Senior Blue Ranger. The team gasped when the laser fire bounced off Sky's shield and the shield of blue burst into blue flames.
"That's just weird," Aaron broke the silence.
"Yeah. Not to mention Sky can shoot fire from his fingertips now," Brian teased.
The Blue Ranger rolled his eyes then held out his hand. The others smiled when silver blue flames danced in his palm. "Neat trick," Alana grinned.
"That'll come in handy when you and Syd have kids," Jack joked, then winced.
Sky looked pained by smiled. "Scare off the boyfriends."
Allison opened her mouth before Z held up a hand. "Allow me to explain. Syd's not really dead," she started, watching the others stare at her with wide eyes. "She's just stuck in the Morphin' Grid, resting. If we can beat Vampra..."
"Not if, WHEN," Sky and Brian corrected her.
"Excuse me, WHEN, we defeat Vampra, that should be enough to give her solid form again."
Aaron stepped forward then, his eyes narrowed on his senior teammates. "Cruger doesn't know, does he?"
"We haven't told him," Brian told him. "But he's bound to know. Uncle Jason and Aunt Kat had to have told him by now."
Ally grinned at Brian. "And what your new abilities?" she asked, changing the subject.
"Let's see," he said, closing his eyes and digging deep down. He smiled and reopened them a few minutes later before stepping over to Sky. "I think I've got better control of my invisibility. Watch," Brian grinned, leaning over to touch Sky's arm, causing them both to disappear.
"Wicked!"
--
Sydney sighed. She and Zordon had been steadily working to reconnect her with her teammates. Brian had been the easiest, as they shared blood and a connection, power wise, to their parents. Sky hadn't been an easy link to re-forge, but Sydney had slipped into his dreams and by making love to him there had reignited the spark between them. Bridge had been next, but his psychic abilities had proven harder to get around than they'd expected. Surprisingly, Jack and Z were proving the hardest.
"Take a break and rest," Zordon told her.
"I want to finish."
"You will," he assured her. "But if you expend all your energy, you'll have to rest longer, and the others don't have a lot of time left. Vampra's on his way to Earth as we speak."
Sydney's eyes flashed pink as she stared at her parents' mentor. 'Hang on, guys, just hang on'.