(A.N. Another quick one-shot I wanted to write. I watched the Wild Force episodes: Reinforcements from the Future and I really wanted to know what Jen was going to say before she was interrupted by Princess Shayla and that hatched this little idea. I won't lie, I was in tears writing parts of this story and it originally was not going to have a happy ending – aligning similarly to how Time Force ended. But after a little look into the Sins of the Future, I was happy to give Wes and Jen a happier ending which is what they deserve. So here it is, I hope you enjoy and feel free to let me know what you think :) )
"Jen," He asked, touching her shoulder to get her attention. "How long have you been here in the present?"
"I've been tracking those mut-orgs for about a week."
"You've been here for a week?" He asked in disbelief but trying not to be clouded by his emotions. "Why didn't you contact us?"
"I wanted to Wes," The tears brimmed in her eyes and he could see the wall she'd rebuilt slowly falling. "But um-"
"Guys?"
Their eyes shot to the woman interrupting the conversation as Wes asked. "What is it, Princess Shayla?"
"This thing started beeping while you were gone. It looks like there's some kind of owl inside it."
"That's Circuit," Jen said as she gently tugged Wes's shoulder to walk to the group, their discussion forgotten as they joined the other rangers to talk to the owl.
So much had happened in such a little time but Wes only had one thing on his mind as he thanks Princess Shayla. He walked over to where Jen was sitting by the fire and smiled as she held an arm out with the blanket open for him to sit beside her. They sat in silence for a few seconds, momentarily in bliss at finally being together before Wes looked up at her. "I knew that someday I'd see you again Jen."
She couldn't help but smile as she looked at him. "I guess I can change my destiny too."
For a moment, they leaned close as if they were about to kiss before Jen moved to rest her head on his chest. His arm came around her shoulders, holding her close to him and laying his head on top of her own. They enjoyed the silence and stillness in the safety of each other's arms for a few minutes before Wes squeezed her gently to get her attention. "What were you going to tell me in our conversation before Princess Shayla interrupted. You said you wanted to but..."
She looked down, quietly asking. "Do we have to do this now? Can't we just pretend for tonight that it's just this and get into everything tomorrow?"
"You know we can't do that."
"I know."
She looked down again and even in the dim light of the fire, he could see the tears in her eyes again and tightened his arms around her. "What is it, Jen? When I asked why you didn't contact me, you said you wanted to but you never said why you didn't." He knew that his original question was why she hadn't contacted 'us' – him and Eric – but he was selfish enough to say that he didn't care if she contacted Eric or why she didn't, he wanted to know why she hadn't contacted him. "Why didn't you tell me, Jen?"
"Because I couldn't." She cried, the tears finally falling down her cheeks. "Do you know how hard it was to leave the first two times? Do you know how much it killed me to leave you and not know when or if I'd ever see you again? Do you know how many times I wanted to break every single rule just to come back and be with you, no matter how long we had together?" She shook her head. "God, I'm miserable without you Wes, and it felt like I was only just getting to the point where my throat didn't close up at the mere thought of you. Then I get sent on this mission and it brings me back here, to you. It's like fate is dangling a carrot over my head and just waiting to yank it away."
"But you're here now." He says as he grabs one of her hands and entwines their fingers. "That's gotta mean something, right?"
"We're not destined to be together Wes, we both know that. And that's why I didn't contact you." She turned so she wasn't meeting his eyes, unable to speak under his intense gaze. "You have no idea how many times I wanted to see you or talk to you and that was only in a week... But I promised myself that I wouldn't." His eyebrows scrunched in confusion but he let her continue. "I knew how hard it would be to go back again if I saw you and I honestly didn't think I had the strength to do it again, so I told myself I wouldn't..."
When she trailed off, he prodded. "But?"
"But I couldn't do it. I told myself that I could see you just once, I wouldn't approach you or talk to you or let you know I was there, just to see that you were ok and happy." She finally looked up at him. "When I found you guys today, it wasn't because I'd been tracking those mut-orgs, I was looking for you Wes."
He felt tears in his eyes as he pulled the girl into a hug, gripping her tightly as her cries grew and she gripped tight fistfuls of his shirt. "You were really looking for me?"
She nodded against his chest. "I was going to keep my distance but when I saw you demorphed and he was about to-" She shook her head, not willing to finish the sentence. "I lost it, my head went back to last time and I couldn't take it. It's one thing to worry about something happening to you when I'm not there, but for it to happen when there's something I can do to help it, I can't take that."
A lump settled in his throat and though he thought Jen would object, he pulled her so that she was sitting between his legs, curling into him. "So you broke your rule, does this mean you'll avoid me now?"
She shook her head. "I couldn't even if I wanted to."
"So what happens now?"
"Now we enjoy the fantasy. For tonight, for right now and for whatever time we have left together, we pretend that we're in a fantasy world where everything's normal and we can be whatever we want to be."
"So I can pretend you're my girl for the remainder of your time here."
What he presumed would be met with an eye roll was actually met with a small smile. "If you think you can survive the aftermath of turning it all off at the end, then we can be whatever you want."
"Jen, I would give anything to be able to love and be with you for even two minutes, than I would to be with anybody else for a lifetime."
She swallowed the emotion building in her throat as she leaned her forehead against his. "I love you, Wes."
"I love you too, Jen."
His hand moved to the back of her head and guided her towards him as their lips met. Their kiss started soft but became stronger, trying to convey all the love and emotions they had for one another. When they pulled apart, he laid down and brought her with him. She curled up against him with her head resting over his heart as her arm tightly gripped around his torso He placed a kiss on the top of her head as his arm tightened around her shoulders. That was how they spent the night, enjoying the safety of each other's arms and the feel of their heartbeat beneath them, not knowing when they'd next be separated again. They simply enjoyed being together. They enjoyed tonight.
Everything after that night was a whirlwind; the fight, Ransik and the picnic, with their impending separation in the back of their mind until finally, the moment was upon them. The Wild Force rangers had already said their thanks and goodbyes so it was only Wes and Eric seeing the Time Force rangers off. Eric was quick with his goodbyes and Wes's were almost just as emotional as they had been the last time with Katie, Lucas and Trip. When it was time for Jen and Wes to say their goodbyes, the remaining four rangers gave them some space and privacy.
Knowing how badly they were both feeling, Wes pulled her into a hug, crushing her against his chest and she gripped him just as tightly as she buried her face into the crook of his neck. He kissed her temple. "I feel like we said everything we could last time and I don't know what to say to make it hurt any less but I guess we just hope that we get to see each other again."
"We can't." Jen exhaled, pulling away to look at him. "If we spend the rest of our lives just waiting and hoping that we get another chance, it'll kill us both."
He knew she was right but couldn't bring himself to agree with her. "I don't want to have to say goodbye but that's what it is, isn't it? There's no see you soon or one day, this is our goodbye, isn't it?"
Tears filled her eyes as they had each time before as she nodded. "Goodbye, Wes."
She started walking away, not giving him a chance to speak. He stood frozen for a few moments before he took off sprinting after her. He grabbed her forearm and spun her around to face him, his heart breaking as the tears fell down her cheeks. "Jen, I'm going with you."
"No."
"Why?"
She shook her head. "You know why."
"But-"
"Please stop." She begged, her hands coming up to cover her mouth. "I need you to stop."
"Why?"
"Because it's hard enough having to leave you and forcing myself to go, if you ask me again, I don't think I'm strong enough to say no." He wanted to argue but seeing the anguish on her face, he couldn't bring himself to pain her anymore. He gently tugged on her forearm, bringing her back into his chest where she whimpered. "Please, Wes."
He kissed the top of her head as he held her to his chest, fighting desperately to keep his tears at bay. "I love you, Jennifer Scotts and I always will. I'll love you a thousand years into the future."
She gripped handfuls of his shirt as she let out a shaky breath. "I love you, Wesley Collins."
He tipped her chin up once more to kiss her before they pulled apart and Jen made the journey back to the year 3001. Once they were gone, Wes felt a hand on his shoulder and looked across at Eric. "So that's it, looks like they're gone for good, huh?"
Wes was quiet for a few moments before he shook his head. "No, that's not it... Come on, I have an idea."
Eric rolled his eyes but reluctantly followed along and the two boys got to work
(3 months later)
Despite the facade she put on for everyone else, Jen had been struggling. Leaving Wes had felt just as bad as it had the first times and she felt like a shell of her old self. Katie bounding into the room stopped any more of her self-pity as the girl looked frantic. "Jen, come quick. We're getting a new message and we have to decipher it."
They went into the room where they found Trip and Lucas, the former saying. "It's in some kind of code."
"Morse code," Lucas added. "The dots and dashes make up different letters to send a message. A dot is one unit and a dash is three units. The space between dots and dashes in the same letter is one unit, the space between letters is three units and the space between words is seven units."
Jen nodded. "Alright, that shouldn't be too bad to figure out. Play the message."
_ . _ . /. _ /_ . /_ | _ . . . /.| . _ _/ . . /_ / . . . . / _ _ _ / . . _ /_ | _ . _ _/ _ _ _ /. . _|
. _ . . / _ _ _ /_ . / _ _ . | _ . . /. . /. . . /_ /. _ /_ . /_ . _ . /. /. . _ _ . .|
. _ _ /. _ . . /_ _ _ /. . . _ /. /. . . /. _ _ _|
They all stood there confused looking at the dots and dashes before Jen shook her head. "Alright, we'll go by word."
It doesn't take long before they have the first line as Trip reads curiously. "Can't be without you?"
"That's strange," Katie said. "I don't think this message was meant for us."
Jen shook her head. "Probably not, but let's just finish the rest of the message, maybe it'll tell us who it's from or who it's meant for."
Lucas deciphered the next line and laughed as he read out. "Long distance question mark."
The other rangers join in and Trip pats Katie on the shoulder. "I agree with Katie, this message definitely wasn't meant for us."
Lucas continued. "This poor guy or girl is trying to confess their love and they've accidentally sent it to Time Force, the poor kid."
Jen shook her head. "Alright guys, last one. It's probably the guy's name so we'll be able to send a message back telling him he got the wrong transmission."
Lucas frowns as he deciphered the letters. "Is this even a word? There are only three units between each letter so it's meant to be one word but what the hell is wlovesj?"
Confusion fills the rangers as Katie suggested, "try writing it down. Maybe that'll clear it up." It didn't seem to help. "Maybe he messed up the letters and it's meant to be something else."
The three other rangers started bickering about suggestions as Jen got a closer look at the paper and it was as if a bucket of ice-cold water had been poured over her. j. Her eyes widen in realisation as she whispered. "W loves J." She turned to the group and frantically said. "I've gotta go."
They watched as ran off and Trip turned to the group, confused once again. "What was that about?"
Katie smiled. "My guess is, she figured out the message and it's something important."
Lucas looked at her curiously. "She figured it out from those seven letters? Maybe it stands for something but I have no idea what it would mean."
They looked down at the paper and Katie grinned. "W loves J." She said as she underlined each part. "It's Wes! Wes loves Jen!"
The boys' eyes widened in realisation and Lucas shook his head with a chuckle. "Well, I'll be damned." He turned to his friends. "So is this good or bad?"
Katie shrugged. "Only one way to find out." They walked through the Time Force base to Jen's room and knocked on the door. When they got no answer, she opened the door before turning back to the boys with frantic concern written on her face. "She's gone."
Wes continued with his daily duties as leader of the Silver Guardians, this one being just a safety check of the city to make sure that everything was in order. He'd sent the message to the year 3001 a month earlier and as of now, there had been no luck and no response. He didn't even know if it actually worked or if it even got to the year 3001.
This left him feeling defeated. It was his last and only chance for him to see Jen again, his last and only chance for them to have a chance at being together. But Jen had been right, fate plays a cruel game and like she'd summed up so perfectly, their situation had been like fate had dangled a carrot over their heads and now it had been yanked away, never to be seen again. Fate and destiny seemed to like playing their cruel game with him, he only wished -
"Wes!"
He froze for a moment at the voice and turned around just in time to be able to catch Jen as she ran towards him. In an uncharacteristic move, she threw herself into his arms, her own looping around his neck as her legs circled and locked around his waist. One arm held her up while the other brought her tightly into his chest as he buried his head in the crook of her neck, curtained by her hair as he whispered. "Jen, you're here."
In that moment, neither of them cared about the outside world. Wes didn't care that he was in uniform and that they were on a semi-busy street out in the open, Jen didn't care that she could get in trouble or that they were altering the timelines. In that moment, it was just them.
He pulled away from his hiding place and brought his hand up to her face, his thumb tracing over her cheekbone. "I was beginning to think I'd never see you again."
She shook her head. "We got your message and I couldn't stay away. Nobody even knows I left. I said to myself that I'd never be one of those girls, the ones who get hung up on a guy and are just miserable without them. And I certainly wasn't going to be one of those girls that throws themselves at a guy... but I guess I'm breaking all the rules today."
"Well you know they say that rules are meant to be broken, and I'm definitely not complaining." He placed her back on her feet but kept a firm grip around her waist. "What changed your mind?"
"Hearing the message and reading it out loud, it made me think of something you said." She looked down quietly revealing. "I would give anything to be able to love and be with you for even two minutes than I would to be with anybody else for a lifetime. Even if we can only talk by transmission and we can only see each other for limited periods of time so we don't affect the timeline. I'll take anything I can get because any sort of future with you is worth a thousand times more than a hundred years with anyone else."
His response was a firm kiss on her lips as one of his arms remained resolutely around her waist while his other held the back of her head. Her own came up to grip his shoulders as they enjoyed the feeling of finally being together. When they pulled apart, her hands moved up to his neck, her fingers playing with the ends of his hair. "Is that ok with you though? Can you live in a relationship where we only have a few hours of time together, if that?"
"I'm perfectly ok with it."
"Are you sure? You wouldn't resent it later on? You'd be giving up the chance to be with someone from your time, someone you can be with freely, without any barriers. It would be so much easier."
"Nothing worth having comes easy." He squeezed her gently. "It's always you and it will always be you, Jen, over everybody."
She exhaled shakily as she hugged him tightly. "Oh my God."
"So I guess we can make it official, we can be together?" She nodded with a sparkling smile. "If that's the case, then I have something for you." He pulled something out of his pocket but didn't reveal it to her, keeping it clenched in his fist as he grabbed her hand. "I had this in case I ever saw you again and I kept it on me after I sent the message but I was starting to think I'd never give it to you."
He manoeuvred it in his hand and held it between his thumb and index finger as he revealed an engagement ring. Jen gasped and her eyes widened in alarm. "Wes, no, it's too soon-"
His chuckle interrupted her franticness as he silenced her with a kiss. "I know it's too soon but I also know that you're the only person I want to be with for the rest of my life. I knew you'd be hesitant so I found a solution." He opened his hand properly to reveal that the ring was dangling as a pendant on a necklace. She moved her hair off her neck so he could put it on her and smiled when he kissed her cheek as he pulled away. "I figured you could wear it like this and think of it as a promise ring until you're ready for it to be something more."
She beamed. "I love it." She gripped both of his hands in hers. "So whatever happens, we'll figure it out?"
"As long as we're together, we can figure out everything else. It's you and me, Jen, always."
She leaned up to kiss him before whispering. "I love you, Wes."
"I love you too."