Billy settled on the corner of the street and waited. If Kimberly had been right, he was going to be needed and this was the day that she had told him to meet her here. At least- her prophecy had told her that and she had told him the prophecy. And then- he stopped the prophecies and he wiped her memory of ever seeing this future. She said that that was what he did and even though he didn't understand it or want to do it- he knew better than to question a prophetess on something like this.
"You're Billy?" a man asked as he turned around and barely nodded. "Not what I was expecting. You're brave to come back here."
"I'm only doing what I promised Kimberly I would," Billy replied as he fell into step next to him. "Who are you?"
"Roberto. Their Guardian," Roberto supplied and Billy stopped dead in his tracks. He had relatives? His brother had he lied to him? "You thought it was only you and Atlantis?"
"Well- I never had children. We never really talked about what he did with his spare time. I guess I know now," Billy remarked and just shook his head. His friends could have been spared if they had just done their job. "What am I walking into?"
"Kimberly told you, you should know," Roberto stated and Billy let out a disgruntled sigh. He had hoped that they might not be as pissed as she talked about in her vision. It seemed that they were, indeed, just that ticked off and that he would be lucky to walk out of there alive. "She saw all of this?"
"Yeah and she asked me to wipe her memory. I took away her abilities until now because it would be terrifying to have visions happen when she wasn't in the ranger world. And she needed to be away from the ranger world so that she could survive," Billy supplied and Roberto nodded. He could understand that logic, even if he didn't like it. "I had to stay out of it."
"I believe you, but I'm not sure that either of them will," Roberto said as they walked down the set of stairs and Billy steeled himself for what was to come. Tommy and Kimberly were his friends, but he knew that they must feel extremely betrayed by all of this. He felt like he had betrayed them even though he was just doing what Kimberly saw was needed.
"Billy," Tommy ground out as he entered the Command Center and Tommy pegged him against the wall. He met Tommy's gaze and saw the raw anger there and he didn't blame him at all. He hadn't exactly helped them too much over the last few years. He hoped that his explanation would get him back into their good graces. "You hurt her in any way and you're dead."
"I'm well aware of what you'll do to me. Before I do anything, she needs to know why. The both of you need to know why," Billy said and Tommy removed his hands from him and motioned for him to continue into the Command Center. Billy was surprised to see the young rangers sitting there as well as Tommy's parents. "You're mentoring."
"Not very successfully, but yes," Thomas said as he stepped out and met Billy's gaze. "Hello William."
"Thomas. It's good to see you," Billy said and Tommy looked between the two of them. When had they met? How had they met? "I'll be returning you as soon as her abilities are back. Your world needs you and I think they've got the point."
"That would be much appreciated," Thomas said as he smiled at him and gave him a hug. "My family?"
"They're fine. A little confused on why you're gone, but Katy and the boys are used to it by now," Billy said and Thomas just nodded. "I'd prefer to just speak to Kimberly and Tommy."
"It's too late for that," Cameron said as he emerged from the back room and Julia quietly got up to change places with him. No one wanted Shelby to wake up alone and Cameron really wanted to know what was going on. "She's not the only one affected because of your decision. And I want…I need her back. So you'll tell us all."
"Do you remember a couple of months before you went to train in Miami?" Billy asked and Kimberly nodded her head. She didn't feel like she was missing anything from their teenage years, but apparently she was. When she glanced over at Tommy, she could tell that he had somehow worked out when this might have happened and she wasn't likely to like it. "You came to me after a particularly vivid and horrible nightmare. I had suspected for awhile that you were a yogen-sha, a prophetess. It made sense that with the rangers coming back, yogen-shas would return. And you told me everything that has happened over the last 17 years. You were terrified, it felt so real and I couldn't tell you that it was just a dream. Lying to you wasn't an option. You were determined to break everything that the prophecy said. You were determined to stay with Tommy and my best guess at the time was that if you stayed with him, you would die. That what you had seen, while horrible for the Power Rangers, was the warning so that you would live and make it to this point. It was the warning so that someone would be here when this happened that could help Tommy- that could make sure the Power Rangers survived. It also meant that I had to interfere."
"So you took my abilities and you wiped my memory?" Kimberly forced out as Billy met her gaze and he nodded. "How could you?"
"You told me that you saw this. That you saw me coming back to give you back your prophetess abilities. I made the decision to also wipe your memories and implant an urge to get away from being a ranger. I don't regret doing what I did. Neither of you would be alive if you had stayed," Billy said as the both of them glared at him. "I couldn't interfere after that. I had to let it play out."
"They were all meant to die?" Tommy whispered and Billy let out a sigh. While he hadn't interfered with Tommy and Kimberly, he had tried with Atlantis. He had hoped he could change the future with convincing his brother that these Power Rangers were not the same as the ones who came to kill their family.
"I tried, for years, to convince my brother that there was no need for vengeance. Everything that I saw the rangers doing was needed. I knew that I couldn't change your path or Kimberly's, but I thought that I might be able to influence his path. He slipped…he slipped into insanity over the years and I couldn't reach him anymore. At the end, before he started…he wouldn't even talk to me," Billy said as he wiped his eyes and he took in a deep breath. While his brother had been troubled, it was hard to know that he was truly alone now. "I couldn't risk changing what Kim had seen, Tommy. Losing you is not something that this universe can survive."
"What about now? Why is this affecting Shelby?" Cameron asked and Billy looked over at the young ranger and gave him a weak smile.
"Turning Kimberly's abilities off had an unintended consequence. If you think of Tommy as the father of modern Power Rangers; she's the mother of prophets. I didn't realize that stifling her abilities would affect all future prophets, but it seems that it has" Billy said as he walked over to Cameron and placed his hand on his shoulder. "Restoring Kimberly's abilities will help her, but I can't control the damage that Kiros did."
"She has to be alright," Cameron insisted and Billy looked back at Tommy and Kimberly. They barely shook their heads at him and he nodded.
"I'll check on her before I leave. I may be able to help," Billy said as Kimberly passed Jay to Tommy and then pulled her hair back in a ponytail. She could take a guess that this was not going to be comfortable. "Kimberly- I don't know what this will do to you. Taking away the abilities knocked you out for a couple of hours and then you were so sick afterwards…that may happen again."
"Thanks for letting me know, but I think we have to risk it," Kim said as she gave him a hug and he let out a sigh. "I'm not happy with you, but I understand it better now. How do we do this?"
"Tommy, Thomas. I need the both of you to promise me that you will not stop me. It's going to look bad, she's going to be in pain, but it's the only way I can restore her abilities," Billy said as he turned towards the both of them and Tommy gritted his teeth together before giving a short nod. Thomas looked away from Billy and locked eyes with Kimberly. She gave him a defiant stare and he then nodded. "Roberto- if you can escort everyone else out."
"I'd like to stay," Cameron said and Tommy shook his head no. "Dr. O."
"Shelby needs you with her and you don't need to see this. If we're being warned…" Tommy trailed off as he glanced back at Kimberly and she barely nodded. She knew just as well as he did the only reason Billy would give them this warning. "This is going to be brutal- it's better that you focus on who you can help."
"Fine," Cameron said as he turned and stormed out of the room. Billy slowly rolled up his sleeves and grasped both of Kimberly's hands.
"Should I sit down?" Kimberly asked and Billy shook his head no. She felt the fear run through her and he offered her a reassuring smile.
"If it's anything like last time, you'll be levitating pretty soon. I need you to try to relax. I've never done this before- so it's going to be new to me too," Billy said as she nodded and she looked over at Tommy. She could see how badly he wanted to take this pain away and if he could just touch her- they both knew it would help. "I'm sorry, if anyone else touches you…I'm not sure what will happen."
"Okay," Kim said as she let go of his hands and walked over to give Tommy a hug and a kiss. He was surprised when she walked over and gave Thomas a hug as well. Apparently she could tell how much this was bothering Thomas as well. "Let's get this over with."
Billy grasped both of her hands and closed his eyes. He could feel the blocks he had put up and now he had to slowly dismantle them. His biggest concern was that she was going to be overwhelmed with all of the prophecies that she should have had. He had watched her intuition while he was still on Earth and it was eerily accurate, even if she couldn't say exactly what was going to happen. She still knew when things were going to go sideways- she just didn't know how.
Billy felt warmth surround him and let out a shaky breath. He felt Kimberly trembling and then heard her first scream. He could feel the block changing and guessed he had released the first one. If he remembered correctly, there were eleven more. Kimberly was immensely powerful and it was something that would have matured slowly. It was going to slam into her now. He methodically removed block after block. It was hard to hear Kimberly's screams and pleading, but there was no other way to do this.
As he removed the last block- he was hurled across the Command Center into a hard, steel wall. He took in a few shaky breaths before opening his eyes and he saw the damage Kimberly had caused. He also saw the damage to her body. She was covered in cuts, bruises, and other injuries. Thomas and Roberto were struggling to hold Tommy against one of the other walls as Kimberly continued to pulse out waves of energy. He pushed himself to his feet and walked over to check on Kimberly while motioning to Thomas and Roberto to keep Tommy still for a bit longer. He wasn't sure that Tommy should touch her yet, but it would also be important to get him to her as soon as she was stable.
"Billy!" Tommy roared as he locked eyes with him and merely shook his head. "That's my wife."
"I know, but she could kill you right now and I don't think either of you want that," Billy stated as he gently touched Kim's shoulder and closed his eyes. He felt the full powers of a prophetess, but he could also tell that she was still working hard to restore all the other prophets that had been lost during this time. He had feared this might also happen, but he had never been sure about it. He had not been sure he would even be able to restore her powers fully. "Is Shelby the newest prophetess we know about?"
"She's the only other one we know about," Roberto said as Kimberly let out another scream and Tommy strained to get out of their grip. Billy was shocked at how much he was still struggling, he had thought Tommy would have tired out by now. "Why are you asking?"
"She's restoring the prophets. Until that is done- I can't let any of you near her," Billy stated and Tommy let out a growl. Tommy was glowing an eerie shade of gray and he watched Thomas and Roberto adjust their grips. Billy stood up and walked over to Tommy and pressed his hand into the side of his neck. "Sleep now, you'll wake when she's done."
Tommy slumped over in their arms and Thomas and Roberto visibly relaxed. He must have been putting up one hell of a fight with them over the last few hours and he could feel their exhaustion.
"Can I trust the two of you to keep him in place if he wakes up before she does?" Billy asked and they both nodded. "I'm going to check on the girl."
Billy walked across the Command Center and into the back rooms. He was not exactly sure where they would be, but hoped it was close by. His time to stay on Earth was running dangerously low and he hoped that he would be able to help Shelby as well.
"What is happening out there?" Julia asked as Billy walked into the makeshift infirmary and looked over to see the other ranger solidly passed out. He moved past her and Cameron stood to face him.
"I said it would be rough. If you don't want my help, I'd understand," Billy said as Cameron sized him up and then reluctantly stepped out of the way. Billy hovered his hands inches from Shelby's skin and again closed his eyes as he tried to feel for the damage. He was surprised at the amount of damage he felt and also shocked at the connection he felt between her and the red ranger. Normally rangers weren't connected this strongly in this short amount of time. He quietly set about his work and only pulled back when he started to feel adverse effects of healing her. When he opened his eyes Cameron was standing across from him and he nodded his head in thanks. "I've done all I can."
"Thank you," Cameron responded and Billy then disappeared in a shimmer of lights. His job was done and it was time he returned to Aquitar.
The young rangers settled around Shelby, stealing glances at Cameron every now and then. Other than stating that she was special to him, they had not been able to get anymore out of him. His fear was palpable as he clung to one of her hands and stared, blankly, at whatever was in front of him.
"Cam…" Julia started and Patrick and Brandon quickly tried to silence her. She swatted away their hands and moved to stand right in Cameron's line of sight. "Cam- why did you hide it?"
"We didn't want it to affect the team…it was new and new relationships- they crash all the time. And then- when it didn't feel new anymore, there just never seemed to be a right time," Cameron supplied as he moved her hand back and forth between his. He was exhausted, but he knew he would not leave her side until she woke up. "She thought…she told me…I was never embarrassed about her, about us. I just- I thought we had time."
"Anyone hungry?" Patrick asked and Julia and Brandon gave him a perturbed look. They had finally gotten somewhere and he was suggesting food? "What? None of us have eaten since we've gotten back. We don't know when Kiros is coming back, but we should be ready."
"Fine," Julia acquiesced as she stood up and Patrick motioned for Brandon to follow. Brandon looked between Patrick and Cameron and then stood to follow. As they walked out of the room Patrick paused for a moment. "You wanted to give him time alone?"
"Yeah, he needs it," Patrick stated and Julia gave him a quick hug before they went to find something to eat.
Cameron stood up as soon as he was alone and paced around the bed. He didn't like how Shelby looked and it was eating at him. Everything about this was eating at him. While they hadn't been together long, he knew. He knew just how much she meant to him. He also knew that telling her would scare her away. She was scared enough about the differences that she saw in them and their social groups. He didn't want to do anything to add to that. Her head jerked and he moved back to her side and grabbed her hand. It was the first movement he'd seen in all of the hours he'd been sitting next to her.
"C'mon, Shel," Cameron whispered against her cheek as he closed his eyes and let out a sigh. "You've got to be okay. There's so much I need to tell you."
He felt her skin warm against his and he looked up and down her body. He noticed a subtle blue glow as she continued to get warmer and he moved his hands away from her. He wasn't sure if it was the right thing, but the last thing he wanted was for her to feel guilty about something her powers did. The glow escalated and he felt the air crackle with her powers, as she started to shake. He tried to move closer to her, but found that her powers had now formed a shield around her body. Desperation set in as he realized he couldn't get to her and she let out a small whimper. He watched, in horror, as it got worse and she then let out a soul crushing, pain filled scream. She shot upright and a blast of energy exploded from her body. He hit the ground and waited for the tidal wave to dissipate. He scrambled to catch her before she fell against the hard bed and he clutched her to him. She stilled in his arms and he felt the panic set in. Her breathing was ragged and he closed his eyes as he tried to calm her in his arms. He felt her shaking again and squeezed his eyes even tighter. He was not going to let her go this time, no matter the damage it did to him.
The shaking slowly dissipated and he felt the sweat pouring off her body. He opened his eyes and gently placed her back on the bed as he went to grab ice packs that the Command Center had made magically appear behind him. He packed her body with the ice to try to drive her temperature down and then returned to his seat. He was not sure what else he could do to help her. He felt more helpless than he ever had in his life. He rested his head against her stomach and listened to her breathe. He calmed as he heard how steady her breathing was now and he closed his eyes. He wasn't aware of it, but he slipped off to sleep, exhausted from the last day.
He jerked awake with a start as he felt fingers playing with his hair and he let out a sigh. As he inhaled, he remembered where he was and jerked upright, knocking Shelby's hand out of his hair. He was met with her brilliant green eyes and she smiled up at him. He pulled her into his body and clung to her. She was awake. She was alright. She was in so much more danger now that her abilities had been restored. He gulped as he pulled back enough to look into her eyes and he saw the questions there.
"What happened?" Shelby asked as he heard the door clatter open and he grabbed her face to stop her from looking back at the others. He needed the next few moments to be just between them. "Cam…"
"I'll explain it all, but for now- I just want you to know that all of your powers have been restored. Including being a prophetess," Cameron stated as her eyes widened in shock and he pressed his lips to hers. He was terrified of what was to come, but he knew that he wouldn't let her die. Kiros was going to have to figure out some other prophet to go after. And if he didn't, well, Kiros would not survive the aftermath.
AN: That's it for this story! The next story- Time of the Yogen-sha can be found here:s/14227302/1/Time-of-the-Yogen-sha (just paste this in after the ff website and it'll take you to chapter 1).