Interlude

Aftermath : Jason

One year ago…

Jason teleported back to the Command Centre, bristling with rage. They had searched the entire planet as well as the dimensions connected to it. Their allies in outer space including their contacts in SPD couldn't find any trace of Rita's energy signature.

Mystic Mother had suggested that Rita might be hiding alongside Zedd in a new dark dimension, something their magic or scanners could not pick up.

There was no catching her.

Trini's murderer was roaming free, no doubt planning something nefarious and they couldn't stop her.

It infuriated him to no end.

He had prided himself in being a great leader. Ever since they were teens, it had been his responsibility to ensure his friends survived the alien encounters. He was the one who signed them up to be superheroes. If anyone should have to sacrifice themselves, it should have been him, not Trini…

He felt a hand on his shoulder.

He turned around to see Alpha 5.

"I am sorry Jason." The robot said. "I should not have encouraged Billy. Zordon would have never wanted this, not for him."

Jason sighed, embracing the robot, who patted his shoulder.

"Zordon was your friend. All our friend. If there was a chance, he could be still alive, we had to take it." He shook his head. "Don't blame yourself, Alpha. If there's anyone to blame, it's me."

Alpha let go of him before looking at him, the lights on his saucer head blinking red. "You should not blame yourself. You might have been the leader, but all of you were heroes. Trini was one of the finest heroes this universe has ever seen."

Jason sighed.

"What do I do now, Alpha?" He asked. "How do I fix this? Trini is gone and Minh…"

"She is not alone. She has you guys. I wish I could help but…"

"You already have, Alpha." Jason smiled at him. "More than you know."

Jason teleported back to his home late at night to find his wife waiting for him in the living room.

"Did you find her?" Lauren asked him.

Jason shook his head.

"I am sorry." She said, reaching out for his hand. "We will get her. We always do."

"But we won't get Trini back." He stated blankly, melting into her embrace.

"I know." She said softly. "But she will live on in our hearts and our memories, just like my father does."

"Can you talk to Minh?" He asked.

"I will, when she is ready to hear what I have to say." Lauren said calmly. "Right now, it won't matter to her what anyone says. She is going through the worst time of her life and she will believe, and rightly so, that no one can understand what she is going through."

"But you do understand…" He pressed.

"I was a lot younger than her when I lost my father but at the same time, my brother and I always knew there was a chance he may not come back. It was no secret to us that our father was a ranger." She sighed. "Minh not only lost her mom, she also found out that there was a side to her that she never knew. She needs support but at the same time, she does need some time to wrap her head around it all."

"I am sorry, Lauren. I didn't mean to bring up memories of your dad…" Jason said, looking up at her.

"No. It is alright." She shook her head. "All of this happened a long time ago and I am at peace with it. My father, Trini, and others like them were heroes and while their deaths are tragic, they died with honour, fighting to protect what they loved."

"I was the leader…"

"Jason, you are speaking like my brother now. Just because we are leaders, doesn't mean we can control the battle. No matter how much we plan or train, we cannot win every battle." She reprimanded him.

Jason gave her a soft smile. "Thank you. I needed to hear that."

Lauren kissed his forehead. "Well, I am here whenever you need common sense whacked into your brains."

"Jasper…"

"He fell asleep. He is pretty upset, understandably so, about Trini." She took a deep breath.

Jason sighed. "You told him already?"

"How long could we have sheltered him from the truth? The funeral?" She grimaced. "He needed to know and he handled it well."

"He shouldn't have needed to… He is seven. Minh is fifteen. All our kids… Our lives are affecting them." Jason rubbed his temple.

"We are rangers, Jason. We always will be, and for better or worse, it is going to affect our children." She said simply. "It's late. We should get some sleep. Go freshen up, I will heat your dinner."

Jason gave her a quick hug before heading towards the bathroom to take a quick shower. When he and Lauren decided to start a relationship, they had been subject to a lot of judgement, even some coming from within the ranger community, given the twelve-year age gap between them, but their teams and friends had supported them wholeheartedly, seeing the love they had for each other.

He remembered having doubts before proposing but Trini had set him straight.

He remembered her telling him that being with Lauren had made him happier and that he would be an absolute fool to let her go… that it didn't matter if he was older than her, because she was way wiser than he could ever be.

He owed a lot to Trini, who had always looked out for him.

Life without her was going to be hard.

If he was the older brother of the team, Trini was the older sister. They knew each other the best back when they were teens and that bond had only grown over time.

As he felt the cold water of the shower wash over him, he felt his mind wander to the time he and Trini had spent together as a couple. They had brought out the best in each other and only had to let go because of timing. Their love for each other had never lessened, merely changed to a more platonic one over the years.

He missed her so much.

It was hard to recognize that feeling of loss over all the anger he had for Rita and the guilt he had been drowning him, but he missed her so much.

Tears rolled down his cheek alongside the rivulets of water from the shower above.

She was gone too soon, too suddenly.

He missed his friend and yearned for a way to bring her back but knew it was impossible.

There was nothing he could do but accept she is gone.

Hope you guys liked it. Jason and Lauren's relationship was inspired by their interactions in Shattered Grid.