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"By Your Side" – Chapter 4

*Youth Center*

Christmas had come and gone, and it was now the beginning of the new semester at Angel Grove High. Mondo and Machina had continued attacking the city, but the Zeo Rangers continued to defend it well. If anything, with Jason coming back, the ranger team had never been better, at least in Jason, Tommy, and Billy's minds. The three men had served since the beginning, accept for Tommy, but he might as well be considered one of the originals. The experience that Rocky and Adam provided, and the quick learning of Kat and Tanya, really led them to be a well-oiled machine. It was as if no situation caught them by surprise.

However, relationally things were starting to get tense. Tommy was still struggling with getting past the break-up with Kimberly, Billy was beginning to show his frustration with not actually being an active ranger, and Jason was frustrated that Kat was endlessly fretting about either setting Tommy up with someone or flirting with him herself. It didn't help that Jason felt jealous of the attention she showed Tommy instead of him. Nor did it help that he was frustrated at himself for even feeling jealous. Then there was Adam and Tanya, who everybody seemed to think they were dating, everybody except Adam and Tanya that is. And then there was Rocky, who always seemed to be the one left out. They were a team that was highly functional and yet dysfunctional... and Jason and Billy noticed. So, they decided to meet one morning at the youth center, just the two of them, without Tommy. They arrived at the usual table, ordered a couple of fruit smoothies, and began.

"Are you sure we should be having this meeting without Tommy?" Billy asked. "I feel like he should know, considering he's the leader."

"Normally, I'd agree," Jason replied. "But I think it'd be wise to talk through some of the stuff without him."

"What do you mean?"

"Well, ever since I spoke with him about the whole break-up letter, he's been pretty closed off," Jason started to explain. "I expected it at first, knowing how much of a loner he was before he met up with us, and how he handled losing the Green Ranger powers. But this has been different. He stayed in touch with Kim and I while he was handling the loss of his powers. With this... he won't return my calls, he doesn't open up to you, Adam, or Rocky. And in battle, it's like he's becoming careless."

"I think I see where you're coming from," Billy replied. "It sounds like he might be suffering from dysthymia."

"What?"

"Depression," Billy clarified. "Sorry."

"Don't be, Billy. It's been a while since I've had ask for help to understand you, it was kind of nice to reminisce."

Billy smirked, and then spoke again. "What do you think needs to happen so that he'll feel better?"

"Honestly... he needs to talk to Kim."

"And the chances of that happening are?"

"Slim and none. At least not on his own. He thinks it would be better to leave her alone, that she all ready made up her mind and doesn't want to see him."

"What about setting him up with someone else?" Billy asked. "I mean, I think Tommy was starting to feel cheered up by Heather, that is, until King Mondo got in the way."

"Don't take this the wrong way Billy, but I'm actually glad Mondo got in the way of that one. Tommy doesn't need a new girl, he needs to actually process the heartbreak. And that's something that we all need to get drilled into our thick skulls, especially of one lovesick pink ranger." The tone in Jason's voice began to pick up a bit.

"What do you mean?" Billy inquired.

"Isn't it obvious that Kat really, REALLY, likes Tommy?" Jason responded.

"I thought that, but then why would she try to set him up with Heather?"

"Maybe she felt bad, or maybe she wanted him to get his 'rebound' out of the way. I honestly don't know. But she's not helping him."

"Hmm." Billy sat there, processing through what Jason was saying. "I think I see where you're coming from. And I see the flirting coming from Kat. But, why is the tone in your voice sounding angrier now that we're talking about her."

"Wait... what?"

"You were calmly talking about Tommy and how to get through our current predicament, but when Kat came up, it was like your emotions started to go all over the place."

"Well, I guess, if we're trying to be honest and open, I like Kat. I think. I don't know." Jason sat there, fumbling a bit over what he was going to say next. Though Jason was confident, he had never been one to talk about girls in this way. He had never gone on dates, unless you counted the times he took Trini and Kim to dances, and they always knew it was friends only, never anything more. "When I first met Kat, I was shocked at how beautiful she was."

"She is a very beautiful girl," Billy said. "And it wouldn't be a conflict of interests if she liked Tommy instead of you, would it?" Billy smiled a bit as Jason stayed quiet for a minute, and then muttered something that was fairly out of character for Jason to say, but true none the less.

"You know, Billy, jealousy sucks." The two original rangers got a good chuckle out of that, and then Jason continued. "You know, I never considered that my own feelings might actually change the way I look at the situation."

"It's not often that anyone really does," Billy said.

"Look, I still think what Kat is doing isn't helping Tommy," Jason said. "I think he needs to keep his distance from girls until he really figures out how to move past the break-up. But at the same time, I can't keep my dream of getting together with Kat in my head. Maybe Tommy will move past it, and he'll fall in love with Kat. I'm not going to get in the way of that right now."

"And who knows, Jase. Maybe nothing will happen between them, or maybe you'll meet someone who's even better in your eyes than Kat. But I think you're right, we should try to let Tommy process, so he can move past this."

"That means that one of us needs to talk to Kat..."

*Hillard Residence*

As Billy and Jason concluded their conversation about how to care for the team, and particularly Tommy, they resolved who would be the one to talk about Kat in the most mature manner possible: a two out of three match of rock, paper, scissors. 'Why did I have to pick paper twice in a row?' Jason mused as he walked up the large steps of Katherine's family's home. It was bad enough that he had to be the one to tell her, but it seemed even worse as he had to have this conversation on 'her turf.'

He rang the doorbell, and heard a smattering of footsteps before he saw the door open, giving way to the sight of the blonde beauty. "Jason, hi!" Kat exclaimed in her soft accented voice, giving him a hug as he entered the doorway.

"Hey Kat," he said, trying to remember the reason he was there, rather than getting lost in a simple embrace. "Hope you don't mind me swinging by."

"Jason, you are always welcome to come around here," Kat said with a smile. "What can I do for you?"

"Well, I actually needed to talk to you about something, do you have some time to chat now?"

"Sure, I'm actually home alone right now, my Dad is on a business trip and Mum is actually on her way to Australia to take care of some things with our extended family. So your visit is more than welcome. Can I get you anything? Coffee, tea, water?"

"You know, tea sounds great."

"Ok, I'll go put the hot water on, why don't you have a seat in the family room and I'll come and join you in a minute."

"Cool, thanks," Jason said. The tall blonde walked towards the kitchen, and after Jason's eyes stopped themselves from continuing to stare at the pink ranger, he forced himself to walk over to the couch in the family room. 'Great, I'm in the house of a hot girl that I like, we're alone, and I need to have a serious conversation with her about how she needs to be patient for another guy.' Jason thought to himself. He knew he wasn't being himself with that thought. Sure, Kat was who he liked, but he also knew that she was becoming a good friend. The hormones were there, no doubt, but his ultimate desire was to care for her, not to 'play around' with her.

"Tea should be ready soon," she said, sitting down across from the Gold ranger on the opposite couch. "So, what's up Jason?"

"Well, I, uh..." Jason started. "wanted to talk to you about Tommy."

"Oh," Kat said, her smile leaving her face. "What's wrong?"

"Wrong?"

"Yeah, I mean, what am I doing wrong?" Kat asked, visibly saddened. "Everything I've tried to do to cheer him up hasn't worked, Jason, what am I doing wrong? Why isn't he feeling better!"

"Can I ask a personal question?" Jason asked, trying to be as gentle as he could.

"Sure," she said, somewhat confused by the sudden re-direct.

"Why are you doing so much to try and help him?" He asked.

"Well... I mean... wouldn't you?"

"Well, yeah, I want to help him..."

"He's in pain, Jason. I can't stand seeing my friends in pain, I'm willing to do anything to make sure he doesn't feel the pain of this break up."

"Even if it means that you don't get him?" Jason asked. Kat stayed silent, and started to blush.

"How long have you known?"

"Let's just say that, although you are a soft-spoken, your emotions speak pretty loudly," Jason said. Kat looked deflated. "Hey, don't be sad. Your devotion to your friends and emotional drive are two things I really admire about you Kat. It just means they're amplified when it comes to someone you REALLY care about."

"I... um... thanks, I think."

"Your welcome. Look, I didn't come here to tell you that you can't have him or that you can't care for him, but rather that I think I know how to care for him best."

"Really? What can I do?"

"Take a step back, and let him breathe."

"What do you mean?"

"It was incredibly selfless to try and set Tommy up with another woman, especially since you like him. Again, I really admire that about you, your willingness to sacrifice for the good of your friends, and for our team. But if Tommy is going to get through this, he actually needs to process through the pain, not ignore it."

"But, won't that just make things worse?"

"Tommy processes things really slowly sometimes, and he's not very good with processing through things with other people. When he lost his powers, he would often miss weeks of school at a time so he could go to his uncle's cabin just to process through everything. I think he even got a private tutor at one point for a month in the school year so he could be alone, but still pass his classes. It isn't always the most healthy way to get through things, and I think he's doing a better job of opening up to other people about the pain he goes through, but sometimes he just needs to go it alone, and then let him reach out to us when he needs us. Since the night he opened up to me, he's closed himself off."

"What have you done in response to that?"

"Honestly, I told him I was here for him, that I'd check in once or twice a week, and that the ball was in his court if he wanted to talk."

"But... isn't that bad? The pain he's going through..."

"Is necessary," Jason interrupted. "I hate to see him hurt as bad as the next person, but setting him up with someone, or giving him care packages, asking him questions every time he looks sad, and trying to cheer him up at every turn isn't what's going to help him. And if you really want a shot to be with him, you need to let him work through this, rather than try to be his savior." He said it, and as soon as the words left his mouth, he wanted to throw up. 'if you want to be with Him.' Jason gave himself a mental shake, reminding himself of why he was there.

"I think you're right, Jason," she said. "Thanks for being willing to tell me the truth."

"Hey, I care for both of you guys." A noise started to get increasingly louder from the kitchen, and Kat started to get up from her seat.

"That's the tea, I'll be right back." She poured them both mugs full of the hot liquid, and came back, and spent another hour together just talking. They talked everything from classes to favorite interests, and for the first time it felt like Jason and Kat were getting to know one another. Jason finally got up.

"I should probably get going, I've gotta get home and get some work done."

"Yeah, I should get to work as well. Thanks again for coming over, I really enjoyed getting to know you better, Jase."

"Likewise." Jason left, leaving Kat thinking.

'Hmm... Jason's really sweet... and thoughtful... and he's kinda cute, too!'

To Be Continued...

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- Googz333