Title: Where Your Road Leads

Author: Sarafu

Rating: PG-13

Disclaimer: Power Rangers do not belong to me.

Summary: After ten years of hard work, the Dino Thunder team has found success, but for two of them, happiness remains elusive. Can they find it in each other?

Dedication: This chapter could go out to one person – HAPPY BIRTHDAY, JAREL! You rock.

Notes: Much thanks to Casey for listening to me babble about plot points and helping me tighten it up in places.

Chapter 10: I Break Things

April 2014

During the weeks after Conner's birthday, it was impossible for Conner to get away to see Kira for any extended length of time. His coach had stepped up the practices to almost an insane degree because there was no room for error and June was suddenly a lot closer than it had been in March. They saw each other all of twice during those many weeks, and Kira found that she missed him more than she had expected. It was different when she had been on the road and he had been practicing because they both had things to occupy their time. Now that she was home to work on her album, her small apartment seemed large and empty without Conner's swaggering presence.

She spent her days trying to write but finding it easier to escape to see Ethan or Hayley or Tommy's family. Ethan always welcomed her and forced her to see the newest thing that his company was working on before he dragged her off to lunch. She appreciated his efforts to keep her company, but sometimes it just made her feel Conner's absence that much more. Hayley was easier because she always had a corner table reserved for Kira so she could write in peace and a constant supply of the Yellow Ranger Special drinks that she had named in Kira's honor. Still, Kira found that she favored the rough and tumble Oliver home where Tommy was always willing to discuss the latest Ranger news, Kim helped her with lyrics, music, and ideas, and the kids were a joy to entertain. It was hard to feel alone in a household where quiet wasn't an option.

Hayley allowed her and one of the local bands to use the stage at the Cyberspace to practice for the Reefside Youth Center opening. The opening meant that Kira saw Trent more than usual since he stopped by to see Hayley often and also to check out the band for the performance. It was getting easier to see Trent around Reefside where once she had ignored his very existence or awkwardly said hello before hurrying away.

One of the last practices before the performance happened after Hayley had closed her doors for the night. "Great job, guys," Kira said to the band as they started packing up their equipment.

"Here you go," Trent said, handing her a fresh bottle of water when she stepped off the stage.

Kira looked surprised and grateful. "Trent, I didn't realize that you had showed up."

Nodding in Hayley's direction, Trent smiled. "Hayley let me in just in time for your last set. You've done wonders for the kids."

"They're very talented and they deserve a chance to shine. Of all the bands I played with for the audition, they were the best ones"

Hayley returned from letting the band out the front door. "Trent, I may never forgive you for stealing them away for the Youth Center. They're the whole reason this place is packed Friday nights."

"Hayley, you were the one who suggested them," he reminded her. "Look, I have to go. There's a ground-breaking tomorrow. I'll see you guys later. Maybe we could do lunch later this week, Kira."

"Yeah, maybe," she said distantly. After the front door closed, she glanced up to find Hayley looking at her with concern. "What?"

She placed a glass of juice in front of Kira. "I thought you and Trent were getting back to being friends," she replied carefully.

"We are. I'm just not really ready to meet him for lunch alone."

"Is it because of you or because of Conner?" If it had been anyone else, Kira would have refused to answer the question, but it was Hayley which counted for everything.

Kira smiled wearily. "Conner does dislike Trent, but it's not really that. You know I'd never let him tell me who I could have lunch with."

"I know, but I wasn't sure if you knew."

Instead of looking at Hayley, Kira stared down at the counter and played with the straw in her juice. "The truth is that I'm over Trent. I've been over Trent for ages. And Conner's great about our relationship and trying to make it work, but he has all these feelings for me that . . ."

"You don't know if you love him." Hayley laid a hand on top of Kira's. "It's okay to be unsure, Kira."

"No, I love Conner. He's one of the best friends I've ever had. But it's not the same way that I loved Trent and that scares me. When I'm not with Conner, I feel so empty and incomplete. And sometimes I think that it's too consuming, that I might not survive if I don't keep him at arm's length. Maybe that's why it's better that we're apart so much of the time."

"You don't really believe that."

With a weak smile, Kira let the silence hang between them.

"Have you told Conner that you love him?"

Kira swallowed hard and muttered, "No, I haven't. I can't."

"Why?" Hayley asked evenly.

"It's too hard."

Hayley squeezed her hand. "The Kira Ford I know would never back down from a challenge because it's too hard."

Before Kira could respond, her vidphone jangled. The ringtone was unfamiliar to Hayley, but Kira snatched it up before it could ring more than once. "Hi, David, what's going on?"

Hayley was able to see the video of David and hear his words clearly. "Hi, Kira, I came with the car to take you and Jorge back to your apartment. We're ready to go whenever you are."

"You didn't have to do that, David," Kira said, frowning slightly. "I thought I told you to take a few days off."

He laughed lightly. "I couldn't take more than a few hours off. It was making me go crazy. And I thought you'd like to go over the schedule for the next few days."

"Okay, I'll be out in a minute." She hung up the phone and glanced at Hayley. "That was weird."

"What?"

"David's been extremely protective lately. It's almost like he's hovering all the time. And it's not like him to ignore me when I tell him to take some time off."

Hayley patted Kira's hand and removed her drink in one easy motion. "Ethan said something about letters and the record label increasing your security. He also mentioned that David was just as concerned about your safety as anyone else."

"He's like a little brother to me," Kira confessed. "Conner called him a pit bull when he first talked to him on the phone. I'm starting to see why it's a great description of him."

As Kira got to her feet, Hayley said, "Sounds like a great quality to have in a personal assistant."

"I've got good people around me. I'm lucky. Bye, Hayley."

Hayley waited until Jorge and Kira were almost through the door before she raised her voice and called, "Don't forget what we talked about, Kira. The sooner you tell him how you feel, the better off your relationship will be."

By the time David had gone over her schedule in detail and Jorge had gone to his own apartment (on the same floor as hers), Kira was utterly exhausted. It was one in the morning and she pined for her bed, empty as it was. However, sleep was not to be since her vidcell rang again – it was Conner's ring so she automatically picked it up and said hello as cheerfully as she could manage. "What are you doing awake?"

"Practice at five," he grunted. "But I wanted to call and see how my girl was doing. I didn't wake you, right?"

Kira bit back a retort about not being his girl for long if he continued to use that endearment. It was a fight they had every so often and somehow she always managed to lose it. "No, I just got home from what seems like a day that wouldn't end," she said. "I'm glad you called though."

He smirked at her. "I'm glad I caught you before you were in bed. It's not quite as good as being there, but at least you'll dream of me."

"You wish. How was yesterday?"

"Full of soccer. How'd your rehearsal go?"

"It was good and everyone says hi," she said easily, but she paused for a moment. "Trent asked me to go to lunch this week."

Conner was silent for a long moment. "Are you going to go?"

"I don't know," she answered, surprised at how well he was handling it. Maybe he was more reasonable in the middle of the night.

"Hmm. Hey, is that my shirt?" he asked abruptly. "It looks good on you."

Kira looked down and flushed. She had taken to sleeping in his shirts that he always left when he visited. It was a comfort thing more than anything else, but she didn't know how to explain it to Conner. "I . . ."

"Hey, no worries. Like I said, it looks good on you. I always thought you'd look great in red."

"I'll keep that in mind for the next time I see you," Kira answered dryly. "As much as I love hearing from you, you usually time your calls better. What's going on?"

He frowned a little and held up a piece of paper with typed words on it. "I got this letter and when I mentioned it to Ethan, he told me I should tell you about it and that maybe you could tell me what it meant."

Her heart sank, but she managed to sound even. "What does it say?" she said, wishing her mouth wasn't so dry.

"You can never take care of her like I can. You'll never love her as deeply as I love her. And you won't be able to hold onto her much longer," he recited. "I think it's pretty obvious that he means you."

Kira sat down on the bed and stared at the screen. Conner's expression was one of concern and curiosity. "Yeah, he means me. Can you email it to me? Jorge is going to want to take a look at it."

"Sure, Kira, no problem. But I don't understand why Ethan thinks you know what it's about."

She wanted to curse Ethan but knew that it would never work. "From the sounds of it, it's from my stalker," she answered truthfully.

"Well, we all have stalkers, Kira, but mine don't usually bother the person I'm dating."

This was not a conversation she wanted to be having in the middle of the night. "And I have those kinds, too, Conner, but this guy – he's dangerous and mentally ill. No one knows if he's going to coming after me or not. The police and Jorge think that the letters are getting more desperate . . ."

"No, wait a second, you have a whackjob after you and you didn't tell me?" he asked, sounding offended. "Don't you trust me?"

"Conner, no, it's not a matter of trust. It's just that I'm not really supposed to discuss it with anyone. And I thought you wouldn't force me to stay cooped up inside like everyone else wants me to do. Do you know what kind of freedom it was to be able to go and get ice cream with you?"

He got angry at that comment. "No wonder Ethan and Jorge were so upset that we went out alone. I can't believe you let me put you in danger. If I had known . . ."

"Exactly," she said softly. "I wanted it to be just the two of us going on a normal date."

"Damn it, Kira, you knew that I would never have let you leave the apartment without Jorge. I suppose that's why you have him following you around everywhere."

Kira nodded. "The record label insisted when it became apparent that he's a lot more dangerous than the others. He knows where I am a lot of the time and sometimes he sends pictures of me doing normal things. That's one of the reasons it was written into my contract – they don't want to lose me when making them money or however they put it."

"How does Ethan know?" Conner asked in a tone that indicated he was still extremely upset with her silence. "If you're not supposed to tell anyone."

She took a deep breath. "Ethan was with me when I received the fourth or fifth letter. And when I read what it said, I guess I got a little lightheaded and Ethan snatched it from me. Once he had read it, he had David bring the other ones so he could read those, too. He was the one who talked me into going to the police and letting the record label handle my security from then on."

"David knows?"

"He's my personal assistant. He keeps the undesirables away and protects my privacy."

"He doesn't do a very good job," Conner said bluntly. "Otherwise, your stalker wouldn't know where to find you most of the time."

Sighing, Kira pushed her hair out of her eyes. "Be reasonable, Conner. I don't like to hide myself away. It's not that hard to track me down."

After a long pause, Conner asked, "Do you think your stalker is the one who leaked our relationship to the press?"

Kira admitted, "It had crossed my mind once or twice. If we weren't careful enough at some point, it would have been easy enough for him to figure out the truth and blare it to media."

"I don't like this, Kira."

"Which part?" she said in a wry tone.

"The stalker for one thing, but also the part where you lied to me," he said harshly. "Do you think that I want to lose you to some psycho?"

"No," she answered. "No, I know you would protect me with your life, but Con, I get that with everyone. Ethan, Jorge, David, Luke, the record label. It's too much sometimes. I like the fact that I can just be Kira with you, that I don't have to worry about someone trying to kill Kira Ford, rock star."

He looked unconvinced by her argument. "You should have trusted me, Kira. If you can trust David . . ."

"I do trust you, Conner. You should know that more than anyone. I trust you with my life, with my secrets, hell, with my heart." She spilled far more than she had intended, clapping her hand to her mouth as if to make the words disappear.

Conner sat very still on camera, staring through the phone at her. This was one of those times where she missed regular old cell phones. The anonymity of a cell phone was occasionally more of a blessing than she had ever realized. "What?"

With a deep breath, she said, "I love you even if you're way too overprotective of me."

"What?" he repeated in amazement.

"I love you." Kira definitely sounded annoyed this time. "If you make me repeat it again, I'll take it back."

"Are you kidding? I'm never letting you take that back," he said, his voice almost back to normal. Kira detected a husky note to his voice that she didn't think she'd ever heard before, but she attributed it to his previous anger. "But that doesn't mean this conversation is over. We need to talk about this. The next time I see you, we're going to have a long conversation, Kira."

Sighing, Kira nodded. "Fine. It's not going to change anything though. Jorge lives right down the hallway and he goes with me everywhere in Reefside. I'm not in danger, especially not tonight."

Conner gave her a piercing look but let the comment slide. "Look, I have to go if I'm going to make it to practice on time."

She yawned in response. "And I should get some sleep. I have interviews with the local media including Cassidy."

"Good luck," he said, making her wince. It was far easier to deal with Cassidy through rare emails – she hardly imagined that Cassidy had changed that much since high school and that much pep and energy was probably just as annoying. "Hey, you should have lunch with Trent if you want. And I love you, too."

He hung up on her after that, but Kira stared down at the phone cradled in her hand for a long time. Hayley had been right – it had been a lot easier than she had expected to tell him the truth. Still, she wondered if she had done the right thing and what effect it would have on their relationship. And to her very great surprise, he had told her that he didn't mind her having lunch with Trent. She hadn't lied to Hayley about rocking the boat with Conner, but there was still a level of discomfort that Conner might be upset. He trusted her to make the decision that was right for her even if it wasn't right for them. Now, she just had to make the choice.

The interviews with the local media were not as time-consuming as she had expected. David had managed to arrange it so that she could move on quickly to the next interview once she was done. It was supposed to be a series of interviews that focused on the upcoming opening of the Youth Center, but she noticed that a majority of the questions had more to do with her love life than with her new, mostly-nonexistent record or the opening. Halfway through her day, she leaned over to David and whispered, "Sometimes I think I should have stayed celibate. It would have to be easier than this circus."

David grinned. "Maybe you should have stuck to civilians instead."

"That's a very good point." Kira glanced up and groaned slightly. "Hi, Cassidy!"

"Kira, hey," Cassidy answered with a beaming smile, waiting impatiently for her cameraman to pull a chair up for her. "You do not even know how much I miss Devin at times like these." But the comment wasn't mean-spirited and Kira caught the underlying emotion in the words.

"I should go check on the next interview," David said, jumping to his feet.

Cassidy gave him an appraising look and muttered, "God, I guess that he's the one who kept me at bay all these months. Huh." She waited for her intrepid cameraman to move away to set up the camera before she leaned forward and examined Kira. "I can't believe how much you've changed, Kira. You're a woman of fashion and everything."

The small part of Kira that was eternally seventeen bristled at the perceived insult, but Kira smiled congenially in response. "You've haven't changed much." Outwardly, Cassidy hadn't changed much at all, her hair a little blonder, her smile a little less artificial although she had traded her contacts in for glasses that sat on her end of her nose.

But Cassidy laughed and pushed her glasses upward. "I've changed a lot which is probably not a bad thing. I was a nightmare in high school."

"You weren't so bad," Kira answered, remembering Ethan's defense of Cassidy and the ultimate career sacrifice Cassidy had made for their secret.

The reporter shook her head. "I would step on anyone to get my story and let's face it – I frequently did. And I wound up hurting Devin with my drive in the end."

"Was that what changed you?" Kira asked in a quiet voice, noticing the soft changes in Cassidy's face although as a songwriter, she couldn't have put words or lyrics to them.

"Yes and no." Cassidy paused with a thoughtful look. "The more I worked at trying to be Diane Sawyer, the less I actually wanted it. It wasn't as much fun without Devin to share in the big stories and the crap assignments."

Realistically, Kira knew that most high school friendships and relationships didn't last much past that time, but Cassidy and Devin had been attached at the hip since preschool. No one had expected them to fall apart as spectacularly as they had; certainly, Kira wouldn't have bet money that her friendship with Ethan and Conner would outlast Cassidy and Devin. "Are you still striving to be the next Diane Sawyer?"

Cassidy gave her a serene smile. "Oh, Kira, I'm never going to be her. Lead anchor on the Reefside news is where I was destined to be."

"Cassidy . . ."

"It's okay," she said. "We can't all be rock stars. Besides, I love my job. I get to pick and choose the stories I want to feature every night. And sometimes I get recognized, but most of the time I can be as anonymous as I want."

"You seem a lot more accepting than I would have expected," Kira admitted in a baffled tone. The maturity of her words struck Kira as being the most unlikely thing she had ever thought she'd hear Cassidy say, her affection for Ethan notwithstanding.

"I took up yoga and started a zen garden." The cameraman returned with a drink for Cassidy who accepted it with a gracious smile. "I love Hayley's chai tea, don't you?"

Before Kira had a chance to answer, Cassidy had slipped back into reporter mode, turning to the camera and introducing Kira. Her rapid-fire questions soon followed and covered a hundred different topics from her support network to her fast rising fame to her relationship with Conner. After ten minutes, Kira almost thought that Cassidy shouldn't have been so quick to abandon her dream. When Cassidy paused and motioned to the cameraman to turn off the camera, Kira breathed a sigh of relief. "So we're done?"

"Not quite," she answered. "But you have someone who wants your attention."

Kira turned around to find Trent smiling pleasantly at them and motioning her to come over. "Are you sure you don't mind?"

"No, I'll get my time either way," Cassidy said. "Besides, who am I to stand in the way of rich, handsome businessman who could buy and sell a few TV stations?"

"Do you really think he's handsome?" Kira asked, distracted.

Her smirk in response was familiar. "It's the money and the ruthlessness," she said frankly. "He's got a lot of power and pull in this town, more than his father ever did. Off the record, of course."

Kira gave Cassidy a suspicious look, but she moved to intercept Trent. "Hi, Trent, what's going on?"

"I thought maybe I could steal you away for a late lunch after the media thing."

"After Cassidy's through with me, I may never eat again." Kira considered his request, remembering the way Conner had trusted her to do what she felt was right. He might be a little upset if she chose to go to lunch with Trent, but she thought that he would try his best not to make a big deal about it. As for her own mixed feelings, she knew that the only way that they would disappear was if she gave him a chance to change her mind. "Okay, lunch. Where will we go?"

"How about I pick you up and we go to La Vista?" he suggested.

She immediately vetoed the idea, suppressing the rush of anger at his casual mention of the first place they had ever gone for a date. "Why don't I meet you at Mi Sonata at 3? That's when I'll be done."

"Sounds like a plan."

Once Kira got back to the table, she found Cassidy scribbling down another page of follow-up questions and telling the cameraman where to direct the camera. The rest of the interview wasn't as easy as the first few softball questions, but after the camera was turned off, Cassidy reverted back into the warmer version of herself. "We should go to dinner while you're in town."

"Sure, why not?" Kira said, impressed by the swift way Cassidy shed her on-camera persona. "We can talk about your crush on Trent." It was said in a teasing voice, the kind of tone Kira reserved for the people she adored.

Cassidy scrunched up her nose. "No thanks. You're welcome to him."

"I'm with Conner, not Trent. I haven't been with Trent in years, and I don't plan on leaving Conner to be with Trent."

"He was your first love."

"Not according to Conner," Kira said and then immediately regretted the words.

Cassidy noticed her expression and waved dismissively. "Don't worry about it. I didn't hear anything on the record."

"Thanks, Cassidy."

"Look, can you do me a favor and tell Ethan I said hi for old times sake?" she said in an abrupt subject change.

"Well, yeah, sure," Kira answered uncomfortably.

Her laughter was starting to sound normal to Kira's ears. "Oh, it's nothing like that so you can wipe that horrified look off your face. It's just that I miss having him to talk to. He used to keep me entertained for hours with his emails in college."

Kira was still mulling over Cassidy's request later when the driver dropped her and her entourage off at her apartment building. Although Ethan hadn't mentioned Cassidy much, she had assumed he had stayed in contact with her. He had always liked her a good deal more than they had expected and his faith had been borne out by her actions the last day they'd held their powers. David followed Kira into the apartment, rattling off the next day's schedule. Kira listened with half an ear, but she interrupted him to say, "Hold on." Her voicemail light blinked invitingly which was a little strange. No one ever called her home phone because her vidcell was the best way to get a hold of her.

She pushed the button, figuring it was probably a telemarketer or someone who had a wrong number. But it was Conner's voice and he sounded excited as it filled the air. "Hey, Kira, do me a favor and give me a call when you get this message. I got a surprise for you. I'll talk to you soon. Oh, yeah, I love you, too. Bye."

She laughed and waved at David to continue. "Go ahead, David."

"Aren't you going to call Conner back?"

"Later. He's probably fast asleep since he usually practices early in the morning." She puttered around the living room, straightening up the room and picking up the dirty dishes while David's mellifluous voice rolled over her in gentle wave.

Once he had finished, she invited him to stay for a bit, handing him a cup of coffee in a ritual that was rapidly becoming a habit. It was a chance for Kira to wind down with someone who was familiar with her daily schedule and daily plans. Like Kira had told Hayley, David was becoming more and more of the little brother that she had depended on to keep her sane. She curled up on the couch and asked him personal questions that she probably wouldn't have done prior to this last tour, but David had proved himself to be a better personal assistant than she had ever expected. In the middle of a discussion about the album, David asked a question that had Kira racing for her laptop. She kept a lot of song ideas in her email and the answer to his question was definitely in a recent email.

But when she opened her email, there was an unfamiliar email addressed to her private address. She stopped in the middle of her enthusiastic sentence and clicked on the subject line. She read through the brief lines with a growing sense of dread and felt herself go white as she got to the last line. David was on his feet instantly. "Kira, are you okay? Do you need me to get you someone? Something?"

She choked back the bile in the back of her throat and nodded, wishing her mouth wasn't quite so dry. "Could you - could you get me some water, please?"

In the two minutes it took for him to bring her back the water, she forced herself to calm down and think through what she needed to do. "You know what, David? I'm not feeling good all of a sudden. I hate to ask . . ."

"No, you're absolutely right," he said, picking up his coat. "I'll leave so you can get some rest."

"Thanks, David, you're a good friend." But he wasn't the sort of friend she wanted to have around right now. She didn't want anybody around to see her cry.

A few hours later, her tears had run out, replaced by a pit of numb misery that seemed to have settled in her stomach and she couldn't see the TV screen through blurry, tired eyes. Her vidcell rang at two, and where she would have snatched it up the night before, her hand lingered over the vidcell for two rings. She turned off the visual and answered the phone in a quiet, controlled voice. "Hi, Conner."

"Kira, why didn't you call me? I have the best news!" he hollered. "Why don't you have the video turned on?"

"It must be malfunctioning. I'll have to tell Ethan," she said.

Conner had already dismissed the issue and moved back to his subject of excitement. "So guess what?"

Her heart had dropped into the pit of numb misery as she listened to him. She couldn't believe it was going to come down to this choice. "Conner, wait, I have something to say first." She took a deep breath and said in the most neutral tone she could manage, "I've been thinking about us and - and I don't think it's working out. I thought it might be okay, but I can't handle the long distance relationship. And don't you think we were better off as friends?" Kira cursed herself for sounding so uncertain at the end of the little speech she had been practicing.

"What?" Conner sounded confused and that hurt Kira even more because it reminded her of better times when she could tease him about being confused. "What are you talking about?"

"You told me that I could walk away from this thing any time," she said harshly. "I'm making my choice now before someone gets hurt." Except someone had already gotten hurt and the silence on the other end of the phone told her that it was likely that he was hurt as well, but she had to stop it now before their friends were affected. "Look, I hope that some day we can get back to our friendship, but for now, I need some space and some time. Please don't call me." She hung up on him quickly before he had the chance to say anything that might change her mind. Her vidcell rang in her hand immediately and she could almost hear him raging on the other end, trying to talk her out of it. But the break-up had to stick - she had to be strong.