Well, I'm back with a brand chapter and brand new heartbreak for Jason. Now, to be honest, I'm extremely partial to Jason and Kat as a pairing, however, we never really got the chance to see where they were heading or if there was something brewing between them at all because you have to remember, Zeo was pretty much the Tommy and Kat show. Since the "There's No Business Like Show Business" three parter, it was inevitable that a buildup was happening between them and Captain Crayola (lol) finally mustered up the courage to ask Kat out. As much as I love them together, I felt as though their romance pretty much overshadowed Adam/Tanya and even the subtle Jason/Emily romance when he came back in Zeo. So, in this chapter, Jason struggles to either tell Kat how he feels or let her slip through his fingers once again.

I'm really happy that you guys have given this story a chance. I was inspired by a story in which Jason gets kissed (or he does the kissing) to five different women, which didn't end so well for him. So, I decided to do my own take on the original red ranger and why he can't catch a break when it comes to romance. Hell, the others faired better than him, to be honest.

Hope you enjoy this chapter.

Enjoy and happy reading!

Lots of love, hugs and kisses from your resident writer and friend, Nina!

X

Chapter four: Katherine

So, once again, Jason finds himself being left out of the cold concerning relationships. And, once again, he never even stood a chance of having one in the first place.

Coming home from the peace conference and rejoining the team as the gold ranger, he was suddenly thrust into a new environment. On one hand, he was elated to be back home in Angel Grove after spending almost two years in Geneva and exploring new opportunities in changing the world. On the other hand, however, he was also disheartened and discouraged because when he was chose to take on the gold ranger's powers temporarily, he suddenly became the odd man out.

And that hurt and frustrated him to no end.

Furthermore, he was also dealing with a new team of rangers. A team, which in time, he has grown close to and even became friends with them, but it wasn't the same. When the power rangers were first established, Jason, Trini, Zack, Kimberly, Billy and later Tommy were more than just friends. They were pretty much family; always sticking together when times got rough. From hanging out and sparring at the youth center, spending time in each other's homes and even hanging out at the park, the original six were pretty much inseparable.

In time, however, he got used to being the 'extra' member of the team and eventually, he grew a bond with them, but, it wasn't the same.

However, there was a silver lining to him coming back home and donning the spandex suit once again.

And her name just happened to be Katherine Hillard.

She was pretty, smart, quiet, but also tough and could hold her own. In all fairness, Jason was a little bit resentful towards her in the beginning because she was completely different from his childhood best friend, Kimberly. At first, he was a little angry that Kat was trying desperately to take Kim's place, however, over time, even he could see that she wasn't trying to take the original pink ranger's place at all. In fact, Kat created her own legacy and carved her path to becoming a ranger legend herself; even though she did start off being turned evil.

And, with that, not only did she gain Jason's upmost respect, she also gained his admiration and, thus, a crush was born.

However, as he would soon find out, he would be left out of the dust yet again.

As Jason was adjusting to life back in Angel Grove, Kat and Tommy was growing closer. Ever since he got the 'break up letter' from Kim a few months before, Tommy has been somewhat lost and heartbroken because he truly loved Kim and thought their relationship, even though it was long distance, was stronger than ever. However, after he got the letter, he was questioning whether he should go down to Florida to confront her or just let it go and move on with his life.

Well, after getting some comfort from his friends and even trying to embark on an ill-fated romance with a famous snow boarding champion named Heather Thompson, Tommy decided to move on.

And Kat was right there with him; healing his broken heart and being a very good friend to him.

In time, their feelings for each other starting bubbling towards the surface.

Jason, however, was feeling the sting of being alone again. Though he did harbor some feelings for Kat, he kept them bottled up inside because, let's be honest, she was never gonna reciprocate her feelings for him. Even after Tommy was kidnapped by Prince Gasket and brainwashed in thinking the rangers were his enemies, Kat was concerned for him; probably more so than any other ranger.

But, she wasn't the only person concerned for Tommy's well-being.

It was a pretty well known fact that back when Tommy was the green ranger, his powers were stripped due to Rita Repulsa creating the green candle, perfectly designed to not only strip him of his powers, but to also regain the power coin since she was the one who had it in the first place. Jason, in an effort to keep the team together, went to the dark dimension and attempted to retrieve it; only to come face to face with Rita's right hand man and trusted henchman, Goldar.

The effort to grab the candle proved to be futile. However, there was a way to prevent Rita from getting the green power coin, so, reluctantly, Tommy handed his over to Jason, who vowed to take care of with the best of his ability.

And, though, Tommy would get his power coin back and rejoin the team, it was too little, too late; especially when Lord Zedd came onto the scene and really gave the power rangers a run for their money.

So, when Tommy was kidnapped again, this proved to be Jason's much needed salvation to save his 'bro'.

And, once again, he has to keep his feelings for Kat bottled up because the last thing he wants to violate the sacred 'guy code'.

Turns out, it was Kat who broke the spell by demorphing and showing Tommy how much she truly cared, by hugging him twice. Jason, Rocky, Adam and Tanya quickly followed suit and, before it was all said and done, the spell was finally broken and Tommy was back with the team.

During his last days as the gold ranger, Jason's suppressed feelings for Kat started dwindling, especially after he and the others encouraged Tommy to finally ask her to the Luau. After much prodding, he finally did and to his great relief, she accepted with a smile on her face.

Besides, Jason had his eye on another beautiful blond girl, but that'll be explained later.

Despite Prince Gasket and his wife Archerina crashing the party and causing a huge promotion, the date between Tommy and Kat turned out to be a successful. They even went to the movies and when they arrived at the youth center, they appeared to very happy together.

So, as much as it pained Jason, he decided not to rock the boat by pursuing Kat; seeing that she was very happy with Tommy.

However, fate intervened. After graduating high school, Jason decided to attend UCLA in Los Angeles to pursue a life long dream of being a real estate agent. During that time, he received word that Tommy and Kat had broken up because she was chosen to go to the London Dance Academy to pursue her dream of becoming a ballerina. The news of his best 'bro' and the girl who healed his broken heart had parted ways shocked him and, for a moment, those suppressed feelings he had harbored for her returned. But, a nagging voice in the back of his head warned him about dating your best friend's ex and the repercussions he could face if Tommy were to find out.

So, once again, his conscience got the best of him and he decided not to go there. Instead, he continued on with his life as confirmed bachelor.

Jason's world was once again rocked when he learned that after finishing her stint at the dance academy, Kat moved back home to Sydney, Australia and is now engaged to the son of a well-respected Australian prime minister. He learned the news from Tommy when they attended Kim's wedding, which surprised Jason because he thought that Tommy and Kat had somehow worked things out, however, Tommy dropped another bombshell: he was engaged to his technical adviser, Hayley Zitkor, whom he met in college.

As if he had to witness Kim marrying Skull was bad enough, now another girl he had a tiny crush on was getting married to someone prominent. And, from the engagement photos surfacing on the internet, Kat looked very happy with her husband-to-be.

Even more alarming, she even invited him (and the rest of Zordon's 11 rangers) to her wedding!

Jason was really conflicted. That's the second time he was invited to a wedding by a girl who rejected him and he didn't know what to do. He didn't know if he should even go because just the thought of seeing Kat marrying someone else disheartened him and a tiny part of him wanted to be selfish, run up towards the altar, scoop her up in his arms and carry her away from the chaos. A part of him wished that he was marrying her instead of that rich kid.

Alas, it wasn't gonna happen and he's gonna have to face facts: the original red ranger never even stood a chance with the Australian beauty.

In the end, he chose not to attend the wedding; making an excuse that he has to go on an out of town business meeting at the last minute.

So, when he came home after another long day at the office, he was surprised to see a letter addressed to him sitting in the mailbox. Even more surprising, he discovered that Kat had written to him; just weeks before her wedding.

Curious, he kicked off his shoes, got comfortable on the sofa and began to read.

Dear Jason,

This has been a stressful few weeks for me. With the wedding's fast approaching, I felt like I don't have any room to breathe, so writing this letter to you proved to be cathartic and therapeutic for me. I'm disappointed that you won't be able to make it to the wedding, but I understand that you have a busy career and there's no way you can get out of it, so I hope all's okay with you back home. A part of me miss it, though, but I'm so glad to back in Sydney, where I truly belong.

Paul's an amazing guy. He treats me right, showers me with all the love and respect I deserve and he's so funny. I can't wait to marry him and start a family with him someday, however, plans can always change, you know? We could be getting started on our honeymoon, if he tells me where we're going, that is (laughs).

Listen, I hope there's no hard feelings between us, Jason. I had a feeling you felt something for me, but because Tommy's your best friend, you kept your feelings to yourself, which is honorable. The last thing I want is to come between two best friends, so, as much as I'm flattered that you showed some kind of interest in me, I just don't see you and I anymore than good friends. I hope you understand where I'm coming from.

I just want you to know that the decision of Tommy and I breaking up wasn't out of anger, rage, jealousy or misery. We realized that we were just better off as friends. Besides, our paths were heading towards different directions and, as you are fully aware, long distance relationships never work out. Besides, from what I heard, he's getting married himself and I couldn't be happier for him. I hope his wife-to-be brings him the happiness he truly deserves.

I hope you find the same happiness in your life, Jason. I mean, you're handsome, smart, successful and any girl would be lucky to be with you. I'd find it hard to believe that a good looking guy like you can't get a girl. I thought for sure that the girls at Angel Grove high would've fought to the death trying to land a date with you (laughs). Seriously, though, there's a girl out there for you and I do hope and pray that you'll be able to find her. And, when you do find her, I know that you'll treat her with all the love and respect you deserve.

So, in closing, I hope things turn out right for you in the end. I miss everyone back home (especially Aisha) and I hope to come visit you guys after the wedding; even though Aisha's still in Africa, Trini's in Geneva, Tanya's in Las Vegas and Kim's back in Florida with her new husband), I hope that we can all get together again and reminisce on all the good times we had as rangers. I love and miss you guys so much, but, hopefully, after Aisha's wedding, there won't be any huge gaps in us seeing each other again.

I wish you nothing but the best in all of your future endeavors, Jason Lee Scott.

Sincerely,

Katherine Hillard (soon to be Crampton)

P.S. Is a french fry a chip (giggles)?

Folding the letter together, Jason allowed a single tear to stream down his olive toned skin. Simply put, that letter was honest, sincere and it really brought some closure in his life. Though he and Kat never explored anything romantically, he was comforted to know that she didn't hold anything against him. And she was right about two things: long distance relationships never work and it wouldn't be right to date your best friend's ex because it'll cause all sorts of problems later on down the line.

His friendship with Tommy was too important for him to go there.

But, still, would thing really turn out differently had you told Kat how you felt? You got absolutely nowhere with Trini, Kim and Aisha, so what makes you think that you even had a shot with Kat? God, you're really hopeless, Scott.

Shaking the nagging thoughts out of this head, he sat the letter down on the table and proceeded to pick up the phone.

Suddenly, he had a change of heart about not attending the wedding. If he could be the bigger man by attending Aisha's wedding, the least he could do is be the bigger man by attending Kat's wedding.

Even if it killed him.

Coming up in the next chapter: It appears that Jason has finally found a kindred spirit in Tanya, but, he would find out that her interest lies in a fellow teammate; especially after experiencing her own heartbreak. Will our OG red/gold ranger ever catch a break?! Stay tuned!

Just two more chapters left! Updates will happen after the Christmas holiday, so this chapter is my early holiday gift to you guys.

Hope everyone has a happy, healthy and safe holidays!

Please review!