Ars Amatoria Romance Themes Challenge:

#35: Dream

Jen dismounted her bike and morphed quietly, entering the warehouse where a mutant kept her fellow rangers hostage. To her surprise, it was brightly lit. She was being expected.

The mutant was standing in front of her, a pair of its tentacles folded in front of its chest. Jen stood guarded and pulled out her weapon.

"Where are my team mates?" she asked loudly.

"Over there," said the mutant easily, pointing at Trip, Katie and Lucas, wrapped in the creatures slimy extremities.

"Let them go," she said, although she knew it was useless. It didn't go past her the fact Alex was not amongst the tied rangers. Maybe he was free and had a plan to escape?

She had been wondering about Alex, so the sound of Lucas, Katie and Trip, falling limply at her feet startled her. "There you go," the mutant said, a cruel smile spread across it features.

"Guys, are you okay?" Jen asked, without taking her eyes off of the mutant.

"Yeah, I think," Katie whispered, getting to her feet with difficulty.

"They can't help you," the mutant said.

"What!" Jen asked looking at it.

The mutant stretched three tentacles and forced Katie, Trip and Lucas out of the warehouse, closing the door behind them. Jen turned and bewildered saw these actions, her gaze returning to the mutant when it let out a sigh.

"Well, now it's just you and me," it said, Jen took a step back. "I like you, pink ranger, so I will let you choose who gets to live."

"What are you talking about?"

"You get to chose who gets the prize and the girl," the mutant continued, with a slight courtesy nod to her.

"What prize? What are you saying?" she said, feeling more and more confused.

One of the mutant's many tentacles flew forward and deposited the Red Time Force morpher at her feet.

"Wes's morpher…"she whispered bewildered.

"Made your choice already?" the mutant asked with a mock surprise tone.

"Choice?" Jen asked, gazing up and suddenly understanding.

The mutant moved two of its tentacles and Jen let out a gasp of surprise when she finally saw them: Alex and Wes, hanging by the neck from the mutants tentacles.

"Wes! What are you doing here? How did you even get here?" she asked, but for all response, she got hit by a tentacle.

"PAY ATTENTION!" the mutant demanded. "Now, unmorph!" Jen hesitated, still looking at the identical figures hanging in front of her. "Do it now, or I'll kill them both!"

She obeyed, and her eyes, now visible, filled with tears. "What do you want?" she asked.

"I want you to choose one of these fine gentlemen. The one you choose gets to live as the red time force ranger, and if he's lucky, he might even get to keep your heart. The other one will, of course, die."

"No." Jen whimpered, cowering back.

"What do you mean 'no'?" the mutant asked. "You want me to kill them both?"

"NO!" she said stepping forward, fear getting her heart.

"Then choose one."

"I can't! I can't choose one!"

"Fine! Let's hear what they have to say; maybe they can convince you to choose one of them." As it said those words, it uncovered Alex and Wes's mouths and lowered them to the ground, so they could talk to her.

"Jen! Get out of here now! It's going to kill all three of us any way!" Wes said.

"Wes, I can't do that! I couldn't live with myself!"

"If you don't you won't be able to live at all!" Wes said, looking concernedly at her. She stepped towards him and put a hand on his face.

"I'd rather die, than being responsible for your deaths" she said, looking into his eyes.

Alex was strangely quiet, he looked almost peaceful. Jen looked at him and he smiled at her. "Save him," he said simply.

"What?"

"Save him. He'll make you as happy as I couldn't make you. He'll be a great red ranger. Save him."

"No." Jen said, ignoring Wes for a moment, her eyes lost in Alex's blue gaze. "Don't say that, you made me happy, you…"

"If you save me, he'll die and history will change and we won't ever meet, or even exist. I'd rather die now, after having you, even briefly, than not ever meeting you at all."

"I can't do this! I can't choose one of them!" she whimpered, her face now soaked with tears.

"Choose him," Alex insisted.

"I can't!"

"Why not? You love him, he's here to stay, choose him and have him."

"No," she whimpered.

"Jennifer," he said sweetly. "Don't be stubborn."

"I can't have you killed," she looked at the mutant. "Take me, kill me, and let them both go."

"That is not an option," the mutant said cruelly. "You either choose Mr. Collins, or Mr. Drake. Don't worry; you can take your time."

"Jen," Wes said, calling her attention. "Save him. He's better than me, he's trained, and he loves you deeply. He's the best option."

"No," Alex said. "He is! It's better for everyone to save him, Jen."

"It's not better for me," Jen said.

"Jen, you can't always have you want," Alex said.

"I had what I wanted, and I let it go once. I can't let it go again," she said stepping close to him, caressing his face with her hand.

He closed his eyes, his expression crossed with pleasure and pain. "You have to save him. It's best for everyone. You already chose him once, you can do it again. You love him."

"I still love you," she admitted, looking into his eyes. "I'm still in love with you,"

"No, you are not," he whispered. "Save him."

She shook her head. "No. There's got to be another way."

"There is no other way," Alex said. He looked at her tenderly and said: "I love you Jennifer."

His words filled her with warmth and happiness; she had wanted to hear those words again for so long. "I love you too, Alex."

"You know what you have to do," he said, she felt like she was being hypnotized, she simply nodded. "You are brave, and strong. I love you." He repeated. Jen moved closer to Alex and pressed her lips over his for a moment.

She stepped back and looked at the mutant. "I made my choice," she said, looking at both of them. "I'm so sorry," she began. She turned to the mutant. "Release…"

Jen opened her eyes, and found herself on bed, late at night, her face soaked in tears. She sat up trying to calm herself, but instead, felt herself breaking down and began to cry. Her dream had been bizarre, no mutant would ever let her make that choice, but it was a good symbol. The great big choice she had to make, between Wes and Alex, as she had been feeling insecure for a while about her feelings for both of them, but now, after this dream, she knew, and it hurt her to know.

She didn't know how long she cried, but when she calmed down, she extended a hand and dialed a number on the telephone. A holographic screen appeared floating in front of her, and soon, Alex's face looked at her from it, looking as though she had just woken him.

"Jen, what's going on?" he asked. He looked closer at her and then asked, urgently. "What happened? Is something wrong?"

"No, everything's fine now." She said. "I just need to tell you something important."