Disclaimer: Characters are owned by Saban, I only own ideas and a laptop.

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A/N: A lot of this is from the episode when Emily is introduced. I don't like copying things, but I need this chapter to help build the story.

By Your Side – Chapter 5

*Ernie's Beach Club*

It was the beginning of February, and Ernie finally was able to open his beach club. Though the weather wasn't exactly peak beach weather, it was still a nice enough day to wear shorts and a t-shirt, especially with the sun shining down on them. Tommy, Jason and the others were some of the first ones to get there, and even helped him set up. Jason was amazed that it was Tommy who led the charge in helping Ernie out, it was the first time in weeks, maybe even months, that his best friend had showed some excitement about something. He still wanted to see if Tommy would open up more about what he was feeling about Kim, but it was certainly exciting to see him starting to show more enthusiasm around them. At the present moment, Tommy was with Ernie talking over some logistics.

"So, we've still got three more tables and umbrellas, but only ten chairs left. How do you want me to split those up?" Tommy asked.

"Hmm... good question, Tommy," Ernie replied. "Why don't you grab Jason and Adam and set them up, and split the chairs 4, 4, and 2."

"Sure thing Ernie," Tommy said, turning to walk back to his friends, when in the distance he saw a group of bikers riding towards them. They rode right through to the middle of the club, knocking over a few of the beach tables and chairs down in the process. After the bikers stopped, the ranger teens collected themselves to see what all the commotion was about.

"What's going on?" Jason asked. The lead biker removed his helmet, revealing a blonde-haired man in his very early 20's. He also had a very beautiful blonde-haired lady seated behind him.

"What's going on? I think you need to tell us that, pal!" The biker said with a snarl. "You're on our turf."

"Your turf?" Adam asked.

"What do you mean?" Tommy re-iterated, pushing his way through the other rangers to see what was going on.

"Let's just put it this way, this is our gang territory, and if anyone intrudes, there are bound to be some 'accidents,'" he said. "So, if you want to make sure that doesn't happen, I suggest you clear out of here by evening." With that, he led the group of about a dozen bikers out. Jason caught a last glimpse of the woman riding out with the other bikers, feeling like he had seen her around before.

*Youth Center*

"I still can't believe Ernie is choosing to close the beach club because of those thugs," Rocky said, taking a break from sparring with Adam.

"I know, he was so excited about it," Adam responded. "I wonder if Tommy and Jason had any luck getting him to change his mind."

"Maybe we should ask them, here they come," Rocky answered. Jason and Tommy, with Kat in tow, walked down the stairs to the gym area. "Well? How'd it go with Ernie."

"Not good," Tommy said.

"He's REALLY down," Jason said. "But he doesn't want to chance anyone getting hurt."

"Maybe the power rangers should step in and deal with them," Adam suggested. As they continued to talk, Jason noticed a very familiar blonde-haired girl walk in from the side and planted herself at one of the stools at the juice bar.

"Hey guys, I'll be right back," Jason said, starting to walk up the steps while they kept on talking. He approached her, and she turned to see his face. "Hey, you're new around here, right?"

"You could say that," she said coldly. "Now if you don't mind, I'd like it if you left me alone."

"Wait a minute," Jason pleaded. "You were there, weren't you? The beach club, on the back of that guy's bike?"

"Sorry, wrong girl," she said more firmly.

"Come on, we both know it was you," Jason responded. "Look, I don't know who you guys are, or what you're trying to prove, but a very good friend of mine is going to have to lose a lot of money, and a major dream of his, if you guys keep this up. Heck... he all ready has. You can help." At this point, the girl looked like a deer in headlights.

"You really care for this friend, don't you?" She asked, Jason noticing her response was much softer this time.

"I do." Jason waited for her to speak, but silence reigned. "Look... maybe we got off on the wrong foot. My name is Jason, Senior at Angel Grove High."

"Emily... high school dropout," she said. "I would have been a senior this year."

"What happened?" Jason asked. "Why did you drop out?"

"You really want to know?" Jason nodded his head yes. "Well, I hope you have a few hours."

"Why don't we head somewhere with less people, we can walk and talk." Jason and Emily left the Youth Center, catching the attention of the rangers.

"Where's Jason going?" Tommy asked. "And who is the girl he's with?"

'Girl?' Kat thought. Though she liked Tommy, the thought of Jason with another girl surprisingly saddened her.

*Angel Grove Park*

On the way to the park, Emily had shared her painful past. Her brother had died when she was six, parents divorced at 11, and then struggled throughout school, which led her friends to abandon her. She was threatened by one of her teachers that if she didn't pass her final, that not only would she fail the class, but she would be kicked out of the school. She didn't give them the chance, she left before the test. It was then that she met Eddie, the leader of the biker gang that Jason and the others had ran into earlier. He took her in, became the big brother and friend she had never had. However, he had a troubled past too, so he turned to the gang life. He assumed the role of leader right after Emily had joined their ranks, and he had become notorious for protecting their turf from anyone who might threaten it. Emily didn't like it, but she feared that Eddie would abandon her too if she said anything against him.

"I just don't want to take that chance," Emily said. "What if gets rid of me?"

"If he boots you out because of standing up for what's right, then is he really worth it?" Jason asked.

"I guess you're right... I just... I don't know what to do." Jason reached out to touch her shoulder to comfort her. It was at that moment that cogs appeared in the park. "What are those things!"

"Cogs," Jason replied. "Emily, get out of here, I'll handle them."

"What do you mean?"

"Just trust me!" Jason got into a fighting stance while Emily ran to find shelter.

"Ki-Yah!"

*Youth Center*

The ranger teens had sat down to grab some food after Adam and Rocky's workout, and were just about done eating when Jason entered, looking exhausted.

"What happened bro?" Tommy asked.

"Cogs," he said, getting closer to the table. "They attacked Emily and I in the park. She took off for safety while I fought them off."

"Wait... who's Emily?" Tanya asked.

"Was that the girl you walked out with earlier?" Adam added.

"Yeah, she was there with the rest of the gang that threatened Ernie," Jason replied. "I was hoping to help change their minds about the beach club, but we got interrupted.

"Do you think she'll be able to help?" Kat asked.

"I don't know, she seemed pretty skittish. She's had a rough life, and Eddie, the gang leader, has been her only friend."

"Wait... isn't that her?" Tommy asked, pointing near the front counter. Jason and the others looked to find her with the blonde-haired guy that was on the bike, who undoubtedly was Eddie.

"Yeah," Jason said. The five of them got out of their seats, and, with Jason, went to see what was going on, as they were talking with Ernie.

"I don't want any trouble guys," Ernie said, the ranger teens hearing the tail end of Ernie's thought.

"Well, actually," Eddie started. "we're not here to give you any." Eddie then looked over at the rangers, and Emily whispered in his ear and pointed at Jason. "So, you're Jason?" Eddie asked. Jason merely nodded his head yes. "Emily told me what you did for her back in the park, defending her from those cogs. That was really cool, man."

"Happy to help out," he said.

"We just wanted to let you know that, you aren't going to have any more trouble from us, we want you to open up the beach club."

"Really?" Ernie said from behind the counter. "You mean, you don't mind us on your turf?"

"After what Jason did for Emily, definitely not." He said, smiling back at the group.

"Well, it looks like we need to get cracking so we can open up!" Tommy shouted.

"Yeah, and let us know how we can help," Eddie said. "We'd love to help you open up on time, considering it's our fault for delaying you."

"That'd be great!" Ernie said. "Only one problem, one of my employees quit, so I would need someone to take a job as a waitress."

"I think I know of someone who could help with that," Emily said with a smile.

*Beach Club*

The next day, the Beach Club had opened, and the ranger teens had come over right after school to see how it was going. Jason walked over to the makeshift bar, where Ernie and Emily stood behind it. They were in the middle of serving a huge order, and it had looked like it had busy for a lot of the day. It was a bonafide hit!

"Ernie, this place looks like it's jammin, bro!" He said.

"Thanks!" Ernie replied.

"Yeah, this is probably the most enjoyable job I've had!" Emily said.

"Yeah, and I bet you'll make some really good friends here too," Jason replied.

"I think I've all ready started," Emily said with a flirtatious grin, leaving Jason to blush a little, and Ernie to give Jason a look. In the distance, the other teens looked on, and Kat, who was excited about Tommy's new found energy in life, was also sad that it seemed Jason had really hit it off with someone else. 'What's wrong with me!' She thought.

To be continued...

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- Googz333