"Crush" by Zen'Aku Lati

Disclaimer: Love 'em, but sadly, don't own 'em…

Author's Note: This is from Jason's POV during "King for a Day".

Thanks: Thanks, again, to my most consistent reader, Stellar Raven, as well as everyone else for your reviews, and to everyone who continue to boost my ego by racking up those hits. I really appreciate your patronage…

Part VII

I can't win this…damned if I do, damned if I don't…

But the old Tommy's in there somewhere. The Tommy that remembers me…The Tommy I care a lot for…and I have to coax him out somehow…

"You gotta listen to me! I'm your friend!" I pleaded. "Tommy, please!" I delivered, surprising myself at the slight crack in my voice. "Try and remember!" Don't give up on me…

I felt like I was getting through to him, but it wasn't enough, he was still set in his objective. "Let's go," he goaded me, getting into that ready stance I know so well.

"Tommy, don't do this…" Not again…

"I will put an end to the Power Rangers, starting with you, Gold Ranger," he promised.

So there we were, in full morph, circling each other. But this was no sparring match. He wanted to take me out, and I hadn't felt that raw intent since his first bout with evil.

But I didn't want to fight him…mainly because I knew I could.

I didn't want to be so swept up into battle I'd forget myself; a fight I can handle, but I knew here it wouldn't end with some bruises and some aches to laugh about the next day. This would be a fight to the death…and I'll be damned if I let that happen…

I realized I never again wanted to be placed in this kind of situation. One where either one of us was so consumed with hate that we'd want the other dead…

But here we were.

He launched at me and I restrained his striking arm, holding him fast to me, and told him, "I don't wanna fight you, bro!"

"And I don't wanna hear any more of your lies!" he seethed as he shoved me off.

Lies? When have I ever lied to you?

We were in battle then but my heart wasn't in it. I've never promised you anything either, I realized. He was right. There was no difference between the two.

So despite my best efforts, I still let him down. I failed you...again…

And just when I was certain this battle was lost, the others showed…and there she goes…Katherine…

Did she think she'd get extra brownie points for unmorphing? For showing her devotion by facing off his blaster? For throwing her arms around him…?

She doesn't even have one-sixteenth of the history we do. She just walked into his life a minute ago! What was she trying to prove?

But she puts me to shame…how is it that I wasn't the one to make the first move? How come I was only the second…?

Who was I to doubt her devotion when mine was so obviously in question?

Somehow, the shields surrounding the Arena had dropped and we took advantage and teleported out. But I couldn't think too much on our stroke of good fortune. All I could think about was that it was ultimately her that won him back…