Mesogog's Fortress
"My Lord we have found what you have been looking for". Zeltrax spoke from where he was bowing on his knees. The drone handed Mesogog the box.
Mesogog took the black box and hissed in delight. "Well done Zeltrax the first step in my plan has begun".
The box that he had in his hand was the box concealing the green ranger coin that had been hidden underneath the old command center ruins.
Reefside...
"Cayleigh wake up!" Tommy yelled banging on her door.
"Go away!". He heard her yell.
"Cay get up lazy bones".
"Fine!" She opened her door glaring at him. "You better have breakfast"
Tommy huffed. "Yes your highness". She walked past him and into the kitchen. "Here". He spoke handing her a grilled cheese sandwich. "Naya down". He spoke in annoyance as the lion was on his couch. She just growled.
"I guess she has made herself at home". Cayleigh spoke with a laugh. "I need your jeep by the way".
"Bring it back in one piece please". He asked of her giving her his keys. Once she finished her breakfast she went to get dressed. She was nervous but excited to see the guys. Mariner Bay was her favorite spot besides Angel Grove.
"Be back tonight!". She yelled running out the door. Tommy looked at the lion.
"Your not going?" Naya perked her head up. "I guess not". Tommy walked down into the lab with Naya on his heels. The lion began to growl softly as she walked up to his desk. She swiped the box containing the ninja morpher. "What is it?"
Tommy took the morpher in his hands and knelt down eye level to the animal. "Hey what is it girl?". Naya put her huge paw on his knee. Tommy saw a flash of the morpher with the head of it opening. Naya growled in delight. Tommy pushed a button and watched as the top popped opened revealing an aqua coloured stone. "A dino gem? but how?"
Naya stood up and ran back up the steps. Tommy took the gem and laid it down. "Cayleigh you and i will talk about this". He whispered as he called Hayley.
Mariner Bay...
Cayleigh parked the jeep in front of a huge black and grey house. She got out and went around back where she heard music. She peeked around a tree to see a man underneath a truck.
"Dana if that's you can you hand me that wrench". The man said as he saw two legs. He took the wrench from the hands. "Thanks, uh, Dana thats not a wrench".
"Sorry". The voice replied. Ryan Mitchell yelped as the cart he was laying on was pulled out from under the truck. "I never knew what the right tools were".
He rubbed his eyes and looked up at the girl above him. "What in the world?"
"i know your old Ryan but i never thought you would forget me".
"Cay?". He stuttered as his eyes watered. "No it can't be".
"It is". Cayleigh jumped into his arms wrapping her arms around his neck. He picked her up off the ground not wanting to let go. "Ryan i'm so sorry!"
"Its okay. God Cay i missed you so much" He told her pulling away. "You were gone, we thought you died".
"I know and i will fill you in i promise". Ryan led her inside. After he heard her story he was speechless. He loved her as much as he loved his own sister. "Believe me i never wanted to hide or hurt any of you".
"I know and trust me I understand. Does Carter know your here?"
"No i came here first, do you know where he is?"
"If i had to guess he is most likely at the firehouse, his shift ends shortly." Ryan answered her. "I'll go with you".
She nodded and followed him out. Once they got there Ryan went inside as Cay stayed behind.
"Carter!" Ryan shouted getting his attention. Carter smiled as he greeted his best friend. "Hey Man"
"Ryan what brings you here is everything okay?"
Ryan nodded. "Yeah I just wanted to see how you were doing, i know with Cay not around it hit you hard. She has been on my mind lately".
Carter frowned as they walked outside. "Yeah mine to, i was going to make a trip to Reefside but didn't have the heart to".
"Carter let me ask you something if she was back safe and sound what would you say?". Cayleigh hear Ryan asked from her spot in the front seat. She was laying low.
Carter glared. "Ryan that's not funny.".
"Carter i mean it if she were to walk up to you what would you do?"
"I would say its a sick joke."
"Then its a sick joke". Carter heard a voice say behind him. "Tell me to my face then".
Carter's eyes went wide. "No, your not here, your not real".
"Carter it is me, i am real".
Carter took in her appearence as his blood boiled with hurt. "How can you be alive? i saw the boat".
She took a step forward as he took one back. "Carter please wait, please hear me out." She cried. "I'm sorry".
"Sorry? your sorry!? you should be! i mourned you! we all mourned you! but yet here you stand six months later alive and well. No the Cayleigh i knew would have told me! The Cayleigh i know wouldn't look like you!". He yelled pointing to her scar and silver eye.
"I am still her!". She yelled back.
"No your not you are not her not anymore!". Carter barked as she just stood there. "Go away and don't come back".
Cayleigh's breath hitched as she turned and began to walk away and she never looked back.
"Carter what's wrong with you?! its her i didn't believe it at first either but i gave her time to explain!." Ryan yelled at the man in front of him. Ryan swiftly turned to go find the broken hearted teen. Carter felt the guilt eat him up.
Cayleigh walked back to Ryan's to get into Tommy's jeep. She rested her forehead on the steering wheel and sobbed.
"Cayleigh wait, please". Ryan spoke as he pulled into his driveway. "Don't go"
She looked up at him as tears stained her cheeks. "Its okay, i deserved it i should have expected it from him. Listen i am going to head home but thank you for lunch just promise me you will look after him okay?"
"I will, listen please don't be a stranger".
She nodded. "Thank you for bringing my blanket and bear back it meant alot.". Ryan watched sadly as she pulled out of his driveway and headed down the road.
Cayleigh drove in silence. She kept thinking if Carter reacted that way how would everyone else? How would Jason?.
"Tommy i need to make a detour before coming home". She spoke using their link.
"Okay, where are you going?"
"Angel Grove, i need time to think".
"I figured you would"
"Be back tonight". She told him ending the link.
Cayleigh pulled up to the one spot she knew she would get guidence.
Angel Grove...
Cayleigh climbed up the hill overlooking the view. She walked over to the center of the hill and sat down. "I wish you were still here you would know what to do. God Zordon why did you have to leave us, leave me. I know i made mistakes but everyone has their reasons on why they do things. If you were here you would be able to help me get through this".
Cayleigh stood up. "I love you so much and i really miss you". She turned to see someone standing there.
"He loved you to so much just like i still do. Somehow i knew you were still alive". Jason Lee Scott spoke softly as the young girl ran into his strong arms. "God CJ i missed you so much".
Cayleigh didn't want to let him go. "I missed you to and i am so sorry for what i did".
He let her down. "I know. You can tell me when your ready. I still come here from time to time. I still feel him to".
"Did you know i was here?"
"No i thought Tommy was when i saw his jeep". They both sat down. "How are you doing?"
She shrugged. "I don't know. I went to Mariner Bay to see Ryan and Carter. Ryan understood but Carter not so much. Jase you should have seen the hate in his eyes. Maybe coming back was a bad idea"
Jason took her hands. "Don't ever think that. He will come around. Look right now you just need to adjust and everything will fall into place."
"Thanks Jase, listen i better head home". She told him giving him a hug. Jason led her down the hill and watched as she went home.
Reefside...
"Tommy i'm home".She called out as she entered the house. He met her in the kitchen as she walked out of her room. "Why do you look so grumpy?"
He rolled his eyes. "You want to explain this?". He growled pulling the aqua blue dino gem out of his pocket. "Cay is a dino gem just like mine, how did it get into your ninja morpher?"
"I found it in Blue Bay Harbour after the accident. When i was watching you in Angel Grove with the other rangers i heard you talking to Adam about what they were. I sealed the gem into my morpher for safe keeping". She explained.
"You should have told me. What it had fell into the wrong hands? Cay i did a scan on it and it was Moya's gem from when they first crashed into earth and its very powerful".
"I know. Tommy the gem was safe this whole time. Hunter kept-
He cut her off. "Hunter? are you serious!? Cayleigh how can you trust him. He lied to me when i was talking about you yet you trust him!?"
She had enough of this as she slammed her hands down on the table. "You listen to me! I have trusted Hunter for a long time! He saved me from Lothor! He helped free me from Moya. Tommy if it wasn't for Hunter i wouldn't be who i am today. I wouldn't be the ninja i am without him".
Tommy's heart hurt. "You could have had me"
"Really? how many times over the years did i need you and you blew me off for ranger business. If you don't trust Hunter then you don't trust me. If you can't accept that Hunter is a huge part of my life then you can't accept me". She barked at him. "You should know the meaning of what being a ninja means and what their loyalty to each other means."
"Cayleigh we shut you out because we all took the oath to protect you!. We wanted to give you the childhood you deserved."
"Yeah just like Hunter wanted me to be the ranger and Ninja he knew i could be and have become! why can't you accept that?!. If you knew what happened to me before the accident would you have let me be a ranger at all?"
He looked to the floor. "No, maybe. Cayleigh you know how hard it was for me to be a ranger again after being evil. I wouldn't have wanted you to go through what i did."
"Here's the difference. You left, you shut everyone out. You left your team and refused to let them in. I didn't, i let the ninja storm rangers help me through it and together we put Lothor back in the abyss. I wasn't a coward who ran away".
He winced at her tone. "You may not have been a coward then but you are one now. You hid away from the accident and only a coward would do that instead of letting family in".
Cayleigh couldn't believe what she was hearing. When she explained what happened to him he accepted it now they were fighting over a dino gem. "Yeah well the difference is Tommy someone died. I knew i shouldn't have come here i guess what Carter said was right i am not the same person anymore. I'll be gone by morning." She turned to walk down the hall. "For the record when i found out what the gem was it made me excited that for once i would be able to fight by your side"
Tommy cursed under his breath as she slammed her room door. He walked up to it to hear her crying. He didn't mean for this to spiral out of control.
After an hour Tommy stayed in the kitchen grading papers. He looked up as her door sloely opened. He looked up at the clock it read 9:00PM. He glanced as she walked to the fridge and grabbed a bottle of water. "I left you some pizza i ordered if you want it". He spoke first.
Cayleigh eyed the pizza box. She was surprised to see a chocolate cupcake with blue frosting on it. "You remembered". She stated softly looking down at the dessert. She would always have a small cupcake buried in blue frosting with sprinkles.
"Yeah". Tommy whispered wishing she would look at him. "It also has vanilla frosting in the middle."
Naya walked out and sat in the floor inbetween them and growled loudly. She walked over and grabbed Tommy's wrist in her mouth pulling him over to his sister. She did the same with Cayleigh. "Naya stop". Cayleigh told the lion. "I think she is trying to fix this she always hated fighting."
"She understands it all?"
Cayleigh nodded at her brother. "Yeah she is a part of me. She understands feelings she also understands thoughts". Cayleigh explained rubbing the lion's belly. "In a way she brought me and Hunter together. We had an argument one day and somehow Naya backed us into a closet and locked us it. She froze the lock, we were in there for an hour before we worked it out"
"Smart animal". Tommy replied scratching her chin."Remind me never to make her angry".
"I would be lost without her, she got me through alot". Cayleigh stood up. "She saw me at my worst when no one else did. Somehow i think it was Zordon's way of not leaving me when he was destroyed like she has a part of him".
"Cay i'm sorry".
"I know you are i just wish you would stop seeing me as the little girl i used to be and see the person i am now. Tommy i let Hunter into my life because he went through what you did. He was evil once to and i was there for him and he got his second chance just like you did when you came back with your white ranger powers. When Hunter helped free me from Moya he convinced me that when i got her powers it was my second chance". She told him finally looking him in the eyes. "I trust him like i always trusted you".
"You say that like you don't trust me anymore".
"Its because i don't. How can i when you don't trust me for believing in a guy that only wants the best for me. Yes Tommy Hunter lied but he did it out of loyalty to me. He was the one that convinced me to come back here". She told Tommy as she wiped her tears. "I wanted nothing more then to come back to you. I wanted you to accept who i was but that included accepting my friends".
Tommy crossed his arms. He had broken her heart with his words and he didn'tknow how to fix it. "Please don't go." They both jumped as a thunder storm raged. "Look its a horrible night out there just stay here and if you still want to go tomorrow i won't stop you".
Cayleigh nodded as she began to shake. She hated thunderstorms her whole life. She walked into her room and crawled under the bed covers. She yelped as the roars got louder. She tossed turned for hours since it was still raging at 1:00AM. "Come on Cayleigh your 17. you are dating a thunder ninja its just a storm". She whispered to herself as she yelled out after another rumble.
She screamed from her place in her closet are her door swung open. "Naya!" She yelled as the lion walked in Tommy behind her. "Get that goofy grin off your face".
Tommy could help but grin at his sister. She was sitting in her closet shaking with a huge blanket wrapped around her. "Sorry. Come here". He opened his arms to her as she crawled into his side. "Remember i used to do this for you when you were a kid."
She gripped his shirt. "Yeah i rememeber we would curl up on the couch and watch a movie to keep my mind off of it". Tommy helped her up and led her to the couch. Cayleigh curled up into his side as he hugged her close. "Storms should be outlawed".
"But your dating a thunder ninja". He grunted as she punched his riibs. "Sorry. Am i forgiven?"
"Don't push it just because i am terrified of the storm doesn't make it okay to get on my good side". She mumbled.
"Fair enough. Come on try and get some sleep i'm not going anywhere". He assured her rubbing her back as her body was shaking. He laid a pillow on his lap as she laid her head down. Tommy watched as her eyes closed and her body began to relax. "I will make this right i promise". Tommy leaned his head back and he was out before he knew it.