Variations Of SPD
Chapter 28: Interlude
By: Pink-Green-White-4ever
Last Revised: January 18, 2007
Summary: The calm before the storm, quite literally. While some are still dealing with guilt, others are coping with the situation in other ways, and Bridge and Z finally take that next step.
Rating: M, for adult-themed situations.
Disclaimer: I don't own PR, Disney does
Dedication: Finally, for all you Bridge and Z fans...ENJOY THIS ONE!
An: Okay, so, I finally figured out that after this chapter, there might be two more chapters and then the epilogue. I haven't decided yet, and it all depends how the next chapter goes, as that's where the kick ass battle is supposed to start...we'll see. And yes, this chapter has a MA version that will be on the Variations Series website.
"Great spirits have always encountered violent opposition from mediocre minds." -- Albert Einstein --
--
"Okay, I'm thoroughly pissed off now," Jack growled. "Not only did we have him out numbered, we carry more fire power than he does, and he still managed to kick our asses. Why is that?"
The Rangers were standing or sitting around the center console in the Command Center. "At least with Gruumm, Commander Cruger was able to match him skill for skill," Z commented. "And Syd kicked the shit out of Visvajita with help from the other Rangers. With Vampra, we're grasping at straws."
"Which is exactly the problem," Sky started. "We don't know anything about him. We've barely figured out he's afraid of fire, but there's no way in hell I'm strong enough on my own to go against him one on one."
Someone cleared their throat and the Rangers turned toward the sound. Standing at the door were two figures. "Maybe I can help," Ninjor suggested.
"Ninjor? What are you doing here?" Brian asked, alarmed.
"Ninjor and I came up with an idea," Kat grinned. "Your fight with Vampra yesterday only reinforced our theory on how to weaken him for you to destroy him."
The Rangers looked confused. "Someone want to explain in simple terms, please?" Travis grumbled.
"Vampra doesn't like fire," Ninjor started. "Sky proved that yesterday, but he can't keep up a defensive all on his own. We can, however, alter some of your weapons to help him out, and give the Ninja Rangers enough time to take him down."
The group of Rangers looked surprised and relieved. "When do we start?" Brett wanted to know.
"Boom's already on it. He's modifying the Delta Enforcers in the SWAT gear to shoot fire instead of energy. We'll have to upgrade you five junior squad members to SWAT, despite your not having the training."
"What about the four of us?" Z asked. "We'll be good as dead if we try rushing him the way we did again."
"While the others are shooting at him with the Delta Enforcers, you five will need to be in position to strike the final blow," Kat told her.
"Don't forget, we've got a secret weapon," Sky murmured, opening his hand to reveal the pink glowing crystal that bore an image of Sydney's Phoenix.
--
He couldn't help but to smile at her. She'd managed to learn how to hold herself in energy form during her meditation exercises with very little help from him or her parents. It meant she was progressing faster than he'd thought she would, which would help in the battle that was coming. Her eyes were closed, he noted, her mind obviously focused on something only she could see.
"How's she doing?" Kim asked softly.
"Beautifully. Your daughter is very gifted, Kimberly."
The former Pink Ranger smiled. "She gets that from Kat."
He turned his eyes to his first Pink Power holder and narrowed his gaze on her face. "I seem to recall you being talented as well."
"I didn't spend enough time with her to make a difference. I died when she was four, that's not enough time to spend with her to influence her life."
Zordon looked at her, much as he had over the years she'd been a Ranger under his care, and knew she understood his silent words, but he spoke them anyway. "Your memory, through Jason and Katherine, shaped her life far more than you realized. And through Ninjor, your son has been influenced as well."
The former Pink Ranger leaned against his side like she hadn't been able to in life and let out a tiny sigh. "I never got the chance to be there while my babies grew up. I never realized how unfair life and fate were until that was ripped from me. I guess even as a Ranger, there were some lessons I never fully grasped."
"That's what made you uniquely you, Kimberly. Your time as a Ranger left scars that never healed, but that became a part of who you were in life, and the woman you are now. Just as her experiences will do to her," he murmured, pointing to Sydney, who was still in her meditative position.
"She and Sky deserve their happy ending," Kimberly sniffed. "If I could ask for nothing more, it would be that fate saw my children had the happy ending they want."
The wise sage smiled. "Do not worry, Kimberly. I have a feeling this is one time where that wish will come true."
--
Katherine stood by herself, away from her teammates, away from her husband, and as far away from the current Rangers and Ninjor as possible without drawing attention to herself. She wanted to feel carefree and happy like her teammates as they spoke with Ninjor, but she couldn't. Not for the first time in her life did Katherine feel incredibly guilty for what was happening.
"Katherine," Ninjor's lilting voice pulled her from her silence.
"It's good to see you, Ninjor," she murmured. She was surprised when he approached her and took her hands gently.
"Beautiful crane," he whispered, watching tears well in her eyes as she struggled for freedom.
"Don't call me that!" she choked out, her eyes closing even as she stopped trying to pull away. "Please don't call me that."
The tone of her voice as well as her words had the others watching in confusion. "Katherine," Ninjor started.
"I failed her. She trusted me with everything she held dear to her and I failed. I let her down!"
"No, you didn't," Jason spoke up, approaching Katherine cautiously. "Kath, its taken me nearly a week to come to terms with it, but she's not gone, and none us failed," he told her softly.
"Kim gave up so much, and..."
"She made the only choice she could, given the circumstances," Brian pointed out. "Aunt Kat, if anything, you've put Mom's soul at ease. She knows Syd and I are cared for, and that while we miss her and Dad, we're happy and healthy. She couldn't have wanted it any other way, given what's happened."
The former Pink Ranger choked back the sob that wanted to escape; it was the first time since his arrival that Brian had called her any sort of endearment. "The squirt's right," Rocky spoke up then. "You knew Kim, as well if not better than most. What do you think she'd say to you right now?"
Before Katherine could open her mouth, someone else did. "Don't make me come back and kick your ass Katherine."
Laughter ensued when Kimberly suddenly appeared next to Ninjor, arms crossed over her chest and a look narrowed at Katherine that said she wasn't playing. "Told ya!" Brian laughed.
Shaking her head at her son, Kim moved to take Kat's hands from Ninjor. "Stop talking like this or you're going to piss both Tommy and I off."
The two stared at one another before Katherine spoke up. "Is she...?"
"Training with Zordon," Kim grinned. "She'll be able to kick everyone's ass when this is over."
"Thanks Aunt Kim!" Sky muttered and then grinned playfully. "I could barely take her down before as it was." Kimberly and Katherine shot him looks that he'd only seen before from his mother and Syd. "Is it a Pink Ranger thing or what?" he asked, gesturing to the looks. They continued staring at him, making him wince. "I'll take that as a yes."
Satisfied, Kim turned her attention back to one of her best friends. "There isn't anyone else I could think of beyond the group of people here that I would trust my children to more. You are as much her mother as I am, if not more. I got four years with her; you helped make her who she is. It's not the first time you've preserved the legacy of Pink Rangers."
"I miss her Kim!" Kat finally cried.
"She misses you too, but she'll be home soon," Kim assured her friend. Smiling, she turned to the others. "Don't worry; Vampra's never going to know what hit him. Just be careful."
The group was quiet as Kim disappeared. Katherine turned and sought shelter in Jason's arms. The two stood together, holding onto one another, their thoughts on their daughter.
--
"Damn them!" Vampra yelled. "DAMN THOSE RANGERS!"
"Sire, they've found your weakness..."
"I HAVE NO WEAKNESSES!" the blonde man hissed. "I AM INVINCIBLE!"
Viper bit back his comment. "Of course, Sire. I meant they've merely discovered you aversion to fire."
The blonde haired man stared at his head general and sneered. "Yes, I have an aversion to fire, don't most living beings?"
Viper nodded. "Yes."
"As soon as my powers are at full, I'm going to destroy those miserable Rangers."
"Of course, Sire."
--
Z watched Bridge shift in his sleep and knew he wasn't having an easy night. His powers had been growing in leaps and bounds, just like all of theirs, and it had been throwing his normal balance off as he tried to expand his awareness of them as well as keep the ones he had been born with under check.
"Z?" Bridge's sleepy voice called.
"I'm right here," she whispered, stroking his hair away from his face.
Bridge sat up slowly, rubbing sleep from his eyes. Before Z could say anything, he had reached out, cupped her cheeks and pulled her lips to his. The Yellow Ranger sighed and leaned into the kiss. Z was only momentarily startled when Bridge angled his head and swiped his tongue across her lips. Her mouth opened, instantly allowing him access. Bringing her hands up, Z grabbed his biceps for an anchor and sank herself into the sensations the kiss was causing. She had little time to register what was happening before Bridge's kisses moved to her neck.
"Bridge," Z moaned, arching her neck closer to him.
"Am I hurting you?" he asked in a whispery voice.
"No. It feels wonderful."
Bridge grinned and watched her through sleepy eyes. "Do you want me to continue?"
Z glared at him. "Carson, you're a psychic, do you really need to ask that?"
The Green Ranger just smiled and leaned closer to her, his lips finding the pulse point on her neck. Z moaned at the feel of his lips on her skin. The Yellow Ranger felt giddy and dizzy all at once, and then she felt like she was falling until she realized Bridge had laid her back on the bed and was towering over her. When she managed to get her bearings straight, Z found Bridge's body being cradled by her own.
The Green Ranger continued to kiss her skin, carefully moving to her shoulders which were only covered by the thin straps of her tank top. He quietly and methodically kissed down each arm, taking care to linger at each wrist and the center of each of her palms. While Bridge's lips were busy tasting her skin, his hands were lingering at her waist before slipping up and under the thin cotton of her top to caress her stomach.
Bridge could sense the hesitancy in her, but wasn't sure if it was because it was her first time or because she hadn't had sex in a while; they'd never discussed much about her life before the academy. His senses were so clouded with what he was feeling that he couldn't read her thoughts. "Z," he murmured.
"Please, Bridge," she moaned in frustration. "Don't stop."
Carefully, Bridge blocked out his logical thinking and went with his feelings. Leaning down, he tugged the hem of Z's tank top down, baring her breasts. Quickly, he seized a tip between his lips, causing Z's hands to fly to either side of his head and her body to arch toward him.
"Bridge?" Z asked through the haze.
Leaving her breast with a smacking sound, the Green Ranger looked into her eyes. "What's wrong Z?"
"Your gloves," she murmured.
Blinking in surprise, Bridge looked down at his hands. He'd fallen asleep with his gloves on in an attempt to block out anything his new powers hadn't prepared him for. "Sorry," he sheepishly grinned.
"They scratch, but if it's too much, leave them on."
"I think I'll be okay," he responded, tugging the gloves off while Z sat up and almost tore her shirt off. "Want me to help you with your shorts?" he breathed out.
"Please," she pleaded, arching her hips off the bed. Bridge took the waist band of her shorts and slipped then off her hips, and nearly came when he looked down at her naked body; Z wasn't wearing underwear. "Bridge."
"Oh wow," he swallowed hard. Z chuckled and sat up, her fingers reaching up to touch the waistband of his sweats.
"Hey now," she laughed when his stomach muscles quivered. "You're wearing far too many clothes."
Scrambling back off the bed, Bridge yanked his own sweats off, revealing his erection to his girlfriend. Z smirked. "Nervous?"
Bridge had difficulty swallowing. "A little."
Slowly, Z reached out and wrapped her hand around him. Bridge gasped even as his hips involuntarily snapped forward. "Bridge," she murmured.
"Y-y-yeah?" he stuttered, his eyes closed even as his body moved every time she stoked him.
"Make love to me."
His eyes snapped open at that. Z was smiling up at him. "Z, are you sure?" he asked, reaching out to touch her face.
"Very."
"I've..." Bridge tried to tell her. "What I mean is I've never..."
"I know. It's okay, we'll learn together."
--
Drained, Bridge rolled to the side, marinating contact with her. The Yellow Ranger struggled to get her breathing back but smiled none the less. Smiling himself, Bridge leaned close to her and kissed her lips, cheeks, nose, forehead, and eyelids. "Thank you," he whispered lovingly.
"Thank you," she sighed, kissing him softly.
Once she was nearly asleep, Bridge crawled out of bed and took care of what he needed to before he crawled back in and pulled her to his chest, dropping off as quickly as she had.
--
Brian watched Sky and Jack snicker while making breakfast. They hadn't shared what was so funny with him and he had to wonder if it was him. "Are you guys going to tell me what you're laughing at?" he asked.
"You'll see. Wait till Bridge comes down," jack grinned.
"All I can say is at least some good came out of this who weird situation," Sky commented.
Brian shook his head at them and stared at his math book. He still had classes even though they were on high alert, and he had a math test coming up. Five minutes later, Bridge bounded down the stairs, a spring in his step and a bright smile on his face.
"Is he humming?" Brian uttered as Sky sat down at the table with his breakfast.
"Yes he is," Sky chuckled, digging into a bowl of oatmeal. 'Not that I blame him, I was the same way after my first time with Syd.' Sky felt a pang at the thought his and Syd's first time, just as he did when he thought of every time they'd made love. He often really, truly wondered if they'd get another chance to with the way things were going.
Brian lifted an eyebrow. "Why? Bridge usually looks like a zombie in the morning."
Sky stuck a spoonful of his oatmeal in his mouth while he debated how to explain the situation to the younger boy. "Bridge and Z did the nasty!" Jack teased, making Bridge blush and Brian look at him in confusion.
"Huh?"
Bridge shot Jack a look when the Red Ranger started laughing. "Bridge and Z had sex," Sky explained. "And now you two can tell Syd why her kid brother knows about sex, because I'm not doing it. I'd like to keep my head in tact."
The Green and Red Rangers started to roll their eyes while Brian looked around in confusion. "HUH?"
The three older Rangers chuckled. "Ninjor explained how babies are made, right?" Jack asked him.
"Uh, no."
Sky shook his head. "I'm not having the birds and the bees talk with him. My dad tried with me, and it really embarrassed the hell out of both of us. I'm not going there again."
"Chicken," Jack grinned. "Brian, you and I will make a trip to the Academy's library when we go to work."
The White Ranger nodded, while Bridge shook his head and Sky paid attention to his breakfast so he wouldn't laugh.
--
"Viper!" Vampra hissed angrily.
"Yes sir?"
"It's time."
"Of course Sire."
--
"RANGERS! AN ATTACK IS IN PROGRESS DOWNTOWN NEAR THE TRAIN STATION!" Kat's voice blared out of the communicators.
The Rangers were spread out over the city – Alan and Brett were doing the obstacle course with C Squad; Jack was in the infirmary with Ally; Aaron and Travis were on patrol in the city center; Sky was teaching a class; Z and Brian were closed in the shooting range and Bridge was with Boom in the lab.
"SPD EMERGENCY!"
"IT'S MORPHIN' TIME!"