Jason was a patient boy. But there was a point that his patience could be reached and broken. And it was starting to reach its breaking point. Trini was acting differently and he wished he knew what it was that was making her change. She used to be so sweet and calm and docile and now she snapped at nearly anyone that spoke to her, didn't participate in class, and was even crueler to Bulk and Skull than usual.

Most of the time she would say something as small as, "Don't you have somewhere else to be, Bulk?" With a sense of irritation.

Now, whenever Bulk and Skull flirted with or tormented her and her friends, Trini's eyes would narrow into slits and she'd get into their face. "Don't you have anything better to do?" She'd snap, voice dripping with venom. "Or are your so stupid that you don't realize we don't care about you! Why don't you get a life and leave us the fuck alone!"

That alone made Kimberly gasp and Zack burst out laughing. When was the last time Trini Kwan cursed at anyone? Let alone cursed at all? She was also so calm cool and collected. Now she was practically shaking. "Or are you so pathetic that you don't realize no one likes you?"

Trini had walked away then, leaving Bulk and Skull staring dumbfounded after her. Zack continued to laugh as he followed Trini up the hallway while Avalon quickly said something to Bulk and Skull—Jason had never really understood how she was friend with them—before joining them as well.

"There's something wrong with Trini," Jason said later, having gathered his friends in the library later. He sat on the end of the table, passing a football back and forth between his hands. A nervous habit. He needed to let his energy out somehow.

"What was your first clue, mate?" Avalon asked. "That she nearly ripped off Bulk's and Skull's heads? Or that she used the word 'fucking'?" She folded her arms and leaned back in her seat, eyebrows lowering. "Yeah, something's going on with Sunny. I think we all know that by now."

"Well, do you have any ideas on what it could be?" Tommy asked. He ran a hand through his hair. "I don't know very much of what would make Trini so upset." He motioned to Kimberly, who chewed her lower lip. "If anything I thought she would tell you."

"So did I," Kimberly admitted. She wrung her hands together. "I've tried talking to her about it before. I called her last night but she didn't say anything and we talked for hours." She brought hand up to her teeth and bit down on her thumbnail, scraping off the coral nail polish. "Guys, I'm really scared. Trini's never acted like this before."

"It's not like you can force her to say anything," Zack pointed out. "She's always been like that. She lets you know what she wants you to know and keeps quiet about what she doesn't." He reached out and patted Jason on the shoulder. "I bet you if we hadn't seen you two, neither of you would've told us you were together." Jason gave him a harsh stare and Zack immediately brought his hand away. "Sorry, man. I was just saying…she hasn't said anything to you?"

Jason shook his head, continuing to toss the football in his hands. He could feel a nagging something in the back of his head. Something that would make all of this so easy to understand. But what was it? It was so obvious, too. Something Trini had said to him…

"Well, the best way to understand someone's change in attitude is to trace it back," Billy pointed out. He motioned to Avalon and said, "Our influence on Ava has shown a distinct change in her personality and temperament since meeting her."

Avalon smirked. "Am I a dog?" She asked.

Billy smiled at her. "You have a pretty bad bark, but I wouldn't go so far as to classify you as a dog." He bobbed his head back and forth. "A chihuahua, maybe…" he added, giving a direct poke at her short stature, making her elbow him in the side as they laughed.

Jason pinched his nose. He was starting to get a headache. And his friends joking around wasn't helping. Tommy quickly noticed Jason's pose and said, "Hey, guys, let's stick to the plan, okay?" Jason lifted his chin in thanks and Tommy nodded back. "When did Trini start to act differently?"

"I didn't notice anything until recently," Kimberly said. "Well, except the last time we were studying for our test and she was getting mad when I asked her whether or not she had figured out an answer to a problem."

"No, it's started before then," Jason murmured. He shook his head and pushed himself away from the table. Turning around, he pressed the football to the table, pushing his weight into it. "She's been acting…kind of skittish."

"Pretty cagey," Tommy agreed. "Almost like she's afraid of something."

"Afraid of what, though?" Zack asked. "She's gone into monster fights with no problems and those are the scariest things we've ever had to deal with." He placed a hand to his chest. "Other than Ms. Appleby's tests and homework, I mean."

"Fear is subjective, though," Avalon reminded him. "Just as there are some people who are afraid of snakes there are others how are afraid of butterflies." She shrugged, then her eyes narrowed. "I did notice when we were at the cultural festival that she was looking over her shoulder every few seconds. Like she was waiting for someone or something to pop out at her."

"I think all of us are that jumpy," Kimberly said. "I mean, we have monsters coming to fight us every day. And there's always something new."

Jason lowered his head and shook it again. He could hear it in Kimberly's voice, knew her well enough to understand what she was trying to do. She desperately wanted whatever was going on with Trini to be a monster. An easy fix. An easy explanation. Anything other than someone else or something else that could be causing her so much pain. Especially because they were a team. They were supposed to work together and rely on each other to get through things, like they always have. Seeing her break off now…

"No, no it's something else." Jason stood up and rested a hand over his mouth. "It has to be."

"Well, Bay told me that time that Trini helped her and Alpha in the Command Center she seemed to be really preoccupied with something," Avalon said. She lowered her back to the floor and leaned forward, resting her arms on the table. Jason glanced over as she did that, the tattoos marking the insides of her wrist catching his attention. A 'V'—an initiation of the Vipers on the right wrist, and a lightning bolt, a symbol of their ranger team, on the left. So permanent.

So…territorial.

Jason's eyebrows came together. Something struck him just then. The permanence of a tattoo. Similar to making a commitment to something or someone. A binding contract to the ink that would be left on your skin for the rest of your life. If you had been forced into it, talked into it…

"Trini's modification of behavior has been going on for a while," Billy said. He pushed a piece of paper forward that he had been scribbling on. The rangers all leaned forward to look it over. "Taking in all of the instance we've noticed, I worked backwards to pinpoint a starting point. So far we've noticed her yelling at Bulk and Skull, snapping at us, worrying about who may or may not be following her, not participating in class…" he looked up and nodded towards Jason. "And she's been fine with you?"

Jason felt himself grow a little uncomfortable. He was a private person and never wanted to talk much about his relationship with Trini. There wasn't anything they'd really gone through yet for him to ask someone else—namely Tommy, for advice. She didn't seem to be so weird around him when they were alone. Actually, she really relaxed when she was around him. No wonder he hadn't really seen everything pile up.

"Yeah," he grudgingly admitted. How was he supposed to be there to help her when he didn't know what he was helping her from?

"Then from my deductions, the only thing I can see that'd make sense as to Trini's turn in attitude," Billy tapped the top of the sheet of paper where one word was written. Khoa. "She announced that she has to get married."

As soon as Billy finished speaking, everything shot through Jason's head like a rocket. Of course! Trini was visibly upset with the idea of having to marry someone she didn't love and didn't know. They'd spoken about it enough when he drove her to school. Then she announced it to the rest of the their friends and it cemented for him, how it was a real thing and she wasn't, in fact, joking. There were little things since then. Whenever he would move to touch her she'd move away. When she was alone she constantly looked over her shoulder.

When he met Khoa there was tension between them. When they sparred, it was like Khoa was literally trying to knock his head off. Everything after that, the marriage, the commitment. Trini's not wanting to do it, Khoa's insistence…

He was doing something to her.

He knew it.

Jason picked up his football and squeezed it in his hands, seconds before turning and throwing it as hard as he could. His friends jumped and Kimberly shrieked, bringing her hands up to cover her mouth when the football smacked the back window so hard it left a crack. Jason grabbed his backpack and stormed out of the library all without saying another word to his friends. If he stopped to even talk about it, he'd lose his nerve.

He needed to see Khoa.

Jason stood on the front porch of the Kwan household, gently bouncing back and forth on his heels. He had too much energy to spare. Nervous energy. Honestly, he wasn't quite sure what he would do the moment he got his hands on Khoa. But he needed to talk and he needed to do it now. When Jason heard footsteps coming to the door he stopped bouncing and clasped his hands together behind his back.

He had to keep up appearances.

Jason flashed that charming, boy-next-door smile he'd been told time and time again was his best asset and waited for the door to open. "Hi, Mrs. Kwan, I don't mean to barge in on you like this. But I was wondering if you could tell me where I could find Khoa."

Mrs. Kwan looked up at Jason with suspicion. "You're one of Trini's friends," she said. As if she didn't know him. Jason was a little offended. He and Trini had been friends for a long time, since they were very young. What was it about now that was making her look at him with so much suspicion. Khoa, of course. "What are you doing here? Shouldn't you be in school?"

She demanded the questions with such ferocity and rapid-fire that it made Jason blink and back away. It was like he was looking at Goldar, who only wanted to beat Jason with as much ease as possible. But Jason wasn't going to let this be easy for her.

"I have a free period and Khoa and I agreed to meet to talk about some martial arts stuff, do you have an idea if where he is? He hasn't come to meet me." How easy it was for the lie to roll off his tongue. He greatly disliked lying and deceit of any kind, even when having to do it to protect his ranger status. But when it came in handy…

Mrs. Kwan crossed her arms and continued to look Jason up and down. "Jason, I know you and Trini are really close friends. And I know you've been friends for a long time. But there's someone else in Trini's life now, someone who is going to be in it for the rest of her life and I think it's time for you to take a step back." Jason pressed his lips together. "I know you have feelings for my daughter—"

"—Then you should know that I want nothing but the best for her," Jason interrupted. "And you'd know that Khoa isn't the best for her. I don't know what he's doing exactly. But he's doing something to her."

Mrs. Kwan immediately glared at Jason. He didn't blame her. He was basically insulting her. But he was telling the truth. If she continued to push for Trini and Khoa to get married, to be that close to each other, then she didn't know how much danger she was putting her own daughter in.

"Jason, it's time for you to leave."

"You don't even know, do you? Trini's been acting different. I know you know it. She's not the same person since you keep pushing this marriage on her. Don't do this to her."

Mrs. Kwan held up her hand and closed the door in his face. Jason turned on his heel and went back to his car. He sat in the driver's seat for a long moment, trying to collect himself. Trying to figure out what to do next. First thing's first, he drove away so Mrs. Kwan wouldn't have an excuse to call the police on him. Then he thought about going to the library to figure out the school Khoa could be going to but decided against it.

He used up a free period to go but couldn't justify skipping any of his other classes. You should've planned this better, he thought, driving back to school. Instead of being impulsive. You have to be more together he scolded himself. His martial arts training had worked to keep him calm in many situations and in one moment he allowed himself to lose control.

He had only just gotten himself back together, pulling his car into the parking lot of Angel Grove High when it was broken again. As luck would have it, he pulled into the parking lot at the same time a car was leaving, nearly slamming into him. Jason stomped on the brakes, a loud squealing filling the air. Those that were sitting on the front steps and the front lawn of the school craned their necks to see what was going on. Jason looked up at the driver in the other car and immediately saw red, realizing it was Khoa was looking back at him.

Before he knew it, Jason was out of the car and went over to Khoa's driver side, throwing the door open "Get out," he demanded.

Khoa looked back at him in confusion. "I didn't hit your car, did I?"

"Get out!" Jason repeated.

"If there's any damage, I can pay for it. I thought I had stopped in time." He slowly unfolded himself from the car, making a show to take his keys from the ignition and close the door behind him. Khoa's face screwed up when he saw their cars weren't touching. "There's not a—"

"Forget that," Jason interrupted. He waited for Khoa to face him before he said between his teeth, "What did you do to Trini?"

Khoa's eyebrows rose. "I'm sorry?"

"You're going to be if you lie to me," Jason snapped. "What did you do to Trini? I know you did something to her. She hasn't been acting like herself since you got here."

Now Khoa's features relaxed and he folded his arms. "What makes you think I've done something to Trini?"

"She's not acting like herself," Jason re-iterated, taking a breath to stay as calm as possible. "And it didn't start until after she met you." He clenched his hands into fists so hard his nails cut into the skin. He could feel his hands shaking, could feel himself slowly losing control. "So I'm only going to ask you one more time, man. What have you been doing to her."

Khoa let out a short breath and shook his head. Much like a dismayed teacher would. "Look, Jason, I get you're mad. You have a thing for Trini. That's obvious." Khoa continued to eye him. "As obvious as it is that you've been dating her."

Jason's eyes narrowed. How had he known that?

"Oh please," Khoa snorted. His face twisted up in disgust. "Do you really think no one knows how you look at each other? How you act around each other? Everyone at the cultural festival saw you kissing her like no one else around. Kissing someone who has a fiancé." His eyebrow quirked upward and the disgust turned to a smug smile. "How does it feel to know you're breaking up a marriage?"

"You're not married," Jason insisted.

"Not yet."

"Not ever. She doesn't want you."

Khoa slowly nodded, licked his lips. "I can live with that." Startled, Jason took a step back. That wasn't what he'd expected. He thought Khoa would've admitted his feelings for Trini, too. That he was into the idea of marrying her because it was good for their family and because he wanted to be with her. Not that he didn't have feelings for her at all. "The thing I'm not sure you understand, Jason, is that you can always make someone understand what's best for them. And what's best for her and our future is if she marries me." He smirked, starting to turn away. "It's just a shame I had to beat it into her."

Jason saw red.

And with the ferocity of a Tyrannosaurus Rex, he pulled back his fist and punched Khoa in the face.

A/N: Aww, Jason defending Trini's honor. Of course all of her friends care, too. But it's obvious they care in different ways and I can really see Jason doing something like that when his buttons are pushed far enough. I hope you guys liked this chapter. Not much left back to the story.

~Av