Bleeding Crimson

Summary: One life can touch many. One death can alter the course of history. The death of Brandon Loksen, Crimson Phoenix Ranger does just that. The sequel toHeart of Crimson. AU for MMPR Season 2 and beyond.

Disclaimer: I do not own, nor do I intend/desire to make any money off the Power Rangers/Super Sentai concepts and characters presented in this story. They are fully the property of their respective owners and are used with loving respect. Furthermore, this story utilizes concepts borrowed/adapted from Chris Claremont's run on X-Men. Certain aspects of the story are also due to my current obsession: Jyuken Sentai Gekiranger.

Chapter 4: Like Lava in My Veins

It was a few days after the martial arts competition in which Tommy, Jason, and Adam had won the money that would allow the Little Angels Haven to continue operating. Well, that money and the funds garnered by a whirlwind of appearances and fund raising work done by "Angel Grove's own Panglobals gold medalist" Kim Hart.

Tommy had tried to keep up with his girlfriend, but failed miserably. Between the fact that he had never been able to keep up with Kim's energy, especially when she had a cause, and the new attacks by Divatox, Tommy found himself slumping into a chair at Ernie's and ordering the Desantos special . . . a combo plate designed by Ernie with Rocky's appetite in mind. He had already polished off the triple-decker cheeseburger with everything and was halfway through the jumbo fries when Billy sat down next to him and stole a fry.

"Billy?!" Tommy nearly choked around a mouthful of fries. Billy laughed as his friend finished chewing, swallowed, and then hugged him. "When did you get back?" Tommy asked as they separated.

"Last night." The blush on Billy's face conveying to Tommy exactly what the first thing he did after returning was.

"So, Kat fill you in?"

"Yeah," Billy's expression became serious, "But . . . a twelve year old?"

Tommy sighed, "It was kind of a surprise to me too. He did well though, but I wish it could have been you there with us."

There was still hurt in Billy's eyes, "I would have come back."

"But then we would have been in the same boat," Tommy countered.

Billy cocked an eyebrow, "What do you mean?"

"Well, when Trini and Zack confirmed they couldn't get away from the conference without being noticed missing my next impulse was to call you, but I really didn't want to die that day."

"Huh?"

"Oh come on Bill, if you had shown up Kat would have known the only way for you to have gotten here that fast would have been by cutting your treatment short. At which point, she would have killed me."

Billy's eyes widened for a moment, and then a small smile appeared, "I, no doubt, would have been in considerable trouble as well."

Tommy chuckled, and then put his hand on Billy's arm, a serious expression on his face, "Had you been there for any other reason, I would have called you back the minute Rocky fell, but I wasn't about to risk you again." Tommy flinched as he realized he had said again and he heard Billy sigh, having caught the slip.

"Tommy, for the hundredth time, it wasn't your fault. It was the best solution at the time."

"I know."

"So, when are you going to stop beating yourself up over it?"

Tommy cracked half a smile, "I don't know . . . what's my expected lifespan?"

Billy rolled his eyes, "The way you stress yourself with all this guilt, I'll be amazed if you see thirty." Tommy smiled a little more widely, as this was an old and familiar argument between him and Billy, and it coming up meant that they were okay.

Before the conversation could continue, Ernie came up to the table, "Billy! Welcome back."

"Thanks Ernie," Billy smiled up at the owner of the Rangers' second home.

"You just get back?" Ernie asked knowingly. The Rangers had long ago realized that Ernie had figured out their secret. It really wasn't surprising; the man saw more of them than their own families. He had never said anything, and had repeatedly covered for their disappearances. In acknowledgement, the Rangers no longer explicitly hid things from Ernie. As they were in public they left a lot of details out of their conversation, but they no longer spoke in code around him.

"Yes. And that should be the last trip like that. Any future excursions will be purely business."

"That's good. So, can I get you something?"

"Oh yes, I've had nothing but seafood for three weeks," Billy responded in mock-horror. Tommy and Ernie laughed. Looking at the remains of Tommy's meal, Billy continued, "I don't believe I'm about to do this, but . . . give me a Desantos."

Later that day Tommy rounded up all of the Rangers . . . it didn't take much, just a phone call of "Billy's home, his house." Getting Kim there had been the most difficult, as she had to disentangle herself from a horde of reporters. In the end she just called in Jason and Tommy who did their "scary tough teenagers" routine and that was the end of the reporters. Despite his mother's protests, even Rocky was able to come over, after all he only had a bruised spine and some minor disk trauma, Billy had a rare form of leukemia that required treatment out of state . . . at least, that was the official story. Only Mr. Cranston knew some of the truth, that Billy had been exposed to a unique form of radiation during a conflict between the Rangers and one of their enemies that required treatment off-planet. What surprised everyone was that Rocky brought Justin.

The new Blue Ranger seemed comfortable enough around everyone, until he was introduced to Billy. At that point the young man's eyes went wide and he went speechless. Billy looked at Justin's awed expression, then at Rocky's grinning face, then back to Justin, and then he addressed Rocky, "What did you tell him?!"

Rocky didn't answer; he just began laughing . . . which immediately told the other Rangers that he had spun some kind of ridiculous but convincing story about Billy to Justin. Unfortunately for Rocky, karma was keeping an eye on him and decided to punish him immediately as his back started spasming. Adam got Tommy to help him get Rocky lying flat while commenting, "Serves you right."

It took Billy a while, but he finally convinced Justin that no, he had not become some kind of were-fish due to contracting some strange Aquitarian disease. Upon finally hearing the story that Rocky had told Justin, Kat slapped him in the shoulder, "How could you tell him that?!"

"He's a Ranger now," Rocky responded, "that makes him fair game."

"Rocky," Adam interjected, "he's almost as smart as Billy."

"So?"

"And what's the rule about playing pranks on Billy," Tanya picked up.

Rocky's eyes went wide, "He knows how to make it look like an accident." When everyone nodded, Rocky looked at Justin who grinned evilly at him.

Everyone caught the expression and started laughing, Kim nearly choking on her soda. Jason observed, "Oh, this one's gonna fit right in!"

When the laughter died down, Billy asked, "Wait . . . there's a rule about playing pranks on me?"

The gathered current and former Rangers started laughing again.

As with all good things in the lives of the Rangers, the bad guy just had to go and screw it up. Yet another attempt by Divatox to blow up Angel Grove called the active Rangers away. It was in that moment that Justin truly earned Billy's respect and his place on the team in the eyes of several of the elder members . . . as he offered his morpher to Billy.

"Justin?" Billy asked in surprise as the morpher and key were offered to him.

"Rocky isn't well enough yet, but you are now, right? So, it's your morpher," he responded.

Billy looked at his friends, and seeing support there, knelt down, bringing himself eye level with Justin. Wrapping his hands around the younger man's Billy asked, "Justin, do you think you're just a temporary replacement?"

Not seeming to really understand why the question was being asked, Justin responded, "Well, yeah."

Billy smiled, "Well, I think you've more than proven your right to be a Ranger." He pushed Justin's hands back towards him, "Justin, you are the Blue Ranger for as long as you choose to be."

"Really?"

"Affirmative."

"All right!" Justin jumped up while somehow strapping his morpher back on at the same time. He quickly crossed the room and lined up with the others.

Tommy grinned at him and said, "Shift into Turbo!"

After the active Rangers teleported out, Billy, Rocky, Jason, and Kim started cleaning up. After a few moments of quiet work, Billy asked, "So, how are you two doing?" The question was directed at Jason and Kim.

They both stopped dead, knowing that it was easy to lie to the others, who were distracted adapting to the new threat of Divatox and the new team dynamic, but they wouldn't be able to convince Billy. They exchanged a glance and Kim went first, "I'm . . . okay. Been having a few nightmares, but nothing as bad as Tommy used to have . . . still has sometimes. I just keep telling myself all the stuff we used to tell Tommy."

"And," Rocky prompted.

"And, I think I'm buying it a bit better than he did," Kim answered with a rueful smile. "But then, I think it's a bit easier since I was evil for only . . . what, five, ten minutes?"

Billy turned to Jason, "Jase?"

"I think I owe Tommy an apology," Jason responded.

"Jason, how many times do you need him to forgive you for the whole lava pit thing?" Rocky asked.

Jason shook his head," No, not that. It's . . . I get so frustrated with him sometimes; when he gets frustrated with me when feelings about Brandon hit me hard. But, I realized I do the same thing to him, getting frustrated with him when he has another bout of guilt over the Green Ranger stuff. Like Kim said, it was short for us. I was under Maligore's control longer, but even then it couldn't have been more than twenty minutes, and I feel horrible about it. Tommy was under Rita for nearly two weeks . . . and then there was that crap with Gasket."

Now Billy looked down, "I behave the same way towards Tommy at times. And Kat . . . she has many of the same issues. I suppose I just have had a difficult time understanding how they can still feel such guilt in the face of all the good they've done since."

"But they've both gotten lots better over time, right?" Rocky interjected

The other three nodded and Kim crossed to Billy, "Then I guess we're just going to have to take this as a lesson and let those two occasionally have their bouts of moody guilt . . . just as long as we don't let them wallow in it."

The three men nodded their agreement just as the sirens signaling a Megazord battle went off. Billy raised his communicator and asked, "Who wants to go watch on the view screen in the Power Chamber?"

"Oh, I haven't seen the Power Chamber yet. Alpha was waiting for us and Zordon transmitted directly into the Zord Bay when we got back from Muranthias," Kim commented, squeezing closer to Billy as Jason and Rocky got in close for a group teleport.

"Power Chamber it is then," Billy said before he pressed the teleport button and the four vanished in a burst of light.