Chapter 18: Pre-Teen Bonding – Part 7

"Ok, now this is wild," Jake said, voice growing dimmer with each passing echo into the void around him as he floated high above a barren wasteland. The desert around him was dried and cracked, no signs of life anywhere as bones and dried vegetation made itself prominent around the empty riverbed.

Jake's ring began to vibrantly glow white as a gust of wind swept up from the ground and up to him. The wind swirled, spinning him before taking him away as if pulling him with a string. His eyes scanned every inch he could see for any sign of Danielle, his effort rewarded as a white scent trail came into view.

"What is this place?" Jake mumbled to himself, squinting as he looked into the distance. A small pink object struck through the air toward him, forcing Jake to halt in place. Crossing his arms up, Jake barely blocked it in time to brace himself for the impact, dropping him partly out of the sky. Righting himself and ignoring the sting of his arms, he glared at the creature in the distance. "Looks like I'm not alone. So, do you actually know HOW to talk, or – "

"Silence, Demon!" The white-haired aberration of his friend barked as she stood at the edge of a large cliff overlooking the wasteland. Her Ranger suit was torn in various places, most notably her arms and stomach, while her hair was tangled and wild and her cat-like pink eyes oozed with hate. An explosion of pink energy kicked up the dust around her, changing it into the same pink Big Dust he'd been fighting earlier. "This place is SACRED! You are FORBIDDEN from being here!"

"Sorry, but I tend to make a habit out of going places I'm not supposed to," he replied sarcastically while putting his fists up to guard his face. "Though I guess you know all about that, don't you? So, how's about this; you leave my friend's body and I'll only give you 1st degree burns before I pack you away."

"HA!" she laughed, making him feel uneasy as her angered face became mirthless. Slithering upright, she said, "I have more of a right to be here than you ever could. In fact, I'm the only reason this little wench is still alive."

"What did you call her?" he asked, his eye glowing white. "Listen, I don't know what you're talking about- "

"Look, I know you're stupid, but I didn't think I needed to dumb it down for you," she said, rolling her eyes before giving him a bow. "Welcome, Jacob, to Danielle's Subconscious. The realm where all her morals, memories and…instincts reside."

"So, does that make you this Id thing the others told me about?"

"My, my; perhaps you're not as stupid as she thinks you are. That, or my reputation proceeds me," she said, smirking at his frustrated look. "Yes, I am Id, the manifestation of subconscious."

"Listen lady, I don't know where you got your info, but Ellie doesn't think I'm dumb!" he declared heatedly as he pointed a finger at her.

"Uh, yeah, actually, she does."

"And how the hell would you know!?"

"I'm literally a talking version of her deepest thoughts! How do you think I know, you dumbass!?" She shouted at him, breaking her composure as the energy around her vanished. Bringing a hand to her head, she could only shake it while heaving a sign before proceeding to sit on the edge of the cliff she stood upon. Getting comfortable, she said, "Before we get ahead of ourselves, I wanna chat with you, Jacob. Tell me; what exactly is it that you want?"

"I think that's pretty obvious; I want my friend back and I want you gone."

"Let's say that I decided NOT to give her back; I wanna hear what exactly you think is going to happen," she challenged, pink eyes glowing as she narrowed them devilishly.

A nervous sweat drop came to his forehead, but Jake made no move to retreat. "I think it's obvious. I'll just use my sick new eye powers to stomp you into the dirt and free Ellie."

"Oh wow, I never thought of that," she said sarcastically. "And how exactly do these "sick new eye powers" work, smart guy? You gonna blink at me til I leave out of boredom?"

"Damn it! She's right. But it's no big deal, right? I can just figure it out on the fly, and worst case, I'll just morph," Jake thought confidently. His heart stopped at the sound of his voice as it echoed around them, and he could only stare at Id in shock as she laughed with delight.

"Well, that certainly sounds like quite the plan you have there," she taunted, raising her right hand and igniting it with energy. "Let me save you the trouble; your friend already tried that, and you know what happened to her?"

The loud screech of bugs immediately put Jake on guard as he looked around for the attack, preparing to morph, but was halted as a pink swarm spewed from the ground. Jake cried out in distress as he swiped uselessly at the Bug Dust, his skin feeling as if it were infested with millions of fire ants. Just when he thought he couldn't take much more, the swarm dispersed and came together behind her in a spectacular tornado.

Jake squinted at the swarm, worried about what she was gonna try next, but immediately felt his blood run cold as the swarm hovered around her. Behind Id was Danielle in the same dress she had been wearing to the dance, arms and legs chained to a platform and a collar around her neck. Her face was stained with tears as her pink eyes looked around frantically before landing on him.

"JAKE!" She screamed, fear coating her voice that sent a shiver down his spine, though this was immediately replaced by hate as another bond made of Bug Dust wrapped around her mouth, obscuring it as well as preventing her from speaking.

His fists were tight as they balled up, and the atmosphere around him grew hot before in a huge combust, his body was engulfed in flames. Dashing forward, a flourish of fire trailed behind Jake whose hand was cocked back as he went straight for Id with a ball of burning ecto-energy. A scream of fury came from his throat, but it was soon choked back as he found himself ensnared by pink dust.

Jake struggled against the bind, jerking violently as his fire was snuffed out. His limbs were pulled back, but that did nothing to stop him from pulling forward, desperately hoping to headbutt Id as she smirked at him. The two now were nose to nose, green eyes staring into pink, one amused, and one angered.

"Oh, what happened to your eyes?" she asked, pinching his cheek in mockery. "Don't tell me that temper was all for show."

"HMMM!" Danielle's muffled voice cried out, more tears coming to her eyes as she watched his struggle to free himself. Id turned, glaring at Danielle who flinched at the look.

"Quiet. I'm sick of hearing you and all that crying," she said, her fang gleaming as she turned her lip up.

"Leave her alone," Jake ground out, before shifting his focus to Danielle. "Hang on, Ellie. When I get outta here, I swear, I'm gonna beat what's left of the living crap outta her!"

"God, you're even more annoying than she is," Id said, rolling her eyes. "You're awfully protective of a person you hardly pay any attention to. You'd think with how you're acting that you actually cared about her."

"What the hell are you talking about? Of course, I care about her," Jake protested. "Danielle's my best friend."

"Oh, now we all know that's not true," Id said, snapping her fingers. A swirl of light formed above her hand before a small figure made of dust floated in front of him, dancing around like a fairy.

"Lily?" Jake asked, stopping his struggle for the first time to watch the small creature. "I don't understand."

"How do you feel about "Lily", Jacob?" Id asked suddenly, startling both him and Danielle whose eyes were wider than ever.

"Wa-what? What do you mean?" he asked, suddenly feeling flustered for some reason.

"I asked, 'how do you feel about Lily?'," she repeatedly slowly, taking the small fairy and changing it back into a ball of energy. Turning her back, she looked down at Danielle. "If you don't feel like answering, I'm sure she would be more than willing to."

"What do you what me to say? That I like her?" He spat, face turning red. "I do, ok? She's cool, nice and likes skating. But I don't see- "

"Do you enjoy spending time with her? I mean, you must because every time you hear her name, you actually prove that reverse evolution is a thing with how dumb you get," Id said, turning to look back at him.

"Jeez, with an insult like that, maybe you really are part of Danielle," he shot back, turning to look away from her as she smirked at him. Id bent over, bring her free hand back to his face to force him to look at her. Jake shifted his eyes to look at her in preparation to fight back but was stunned as she smacked him across the face. Jake cried out as he felt her sharp clawed fingers scrap across his face, drawing blood as his head swayed to the opposite side.

"You think you're tough, don't you? Tell me, what is it about her you like so much? Is it her face? Maybe her voice? Her doey little purple eyes?" She hounded. At his nasty look and silence, she asked, "Oh, what's wrong? You don't wanna talk to me anymore? Well, that's ok. Because I can just find out for myself."

"What!?" he cried out, ignoring his bleeding face as his wide eyes jumped from her to Danielle.

"I mean, it really wouldn't take much for me to find her and kill her," Id said, smiling at the shared look of fear on their faces. "I wonder who will be hurt more; the loverboy or the girl who kills her best friend's crush."

"Stop! Just stop!" he shouted as he began to struggle again in an effort to get to Danielle, her closed as she shook with sobs. "You're not hurting anyone else! Leave my friends alone!"

"Ironic you talk about hurting people when that's all you're able to do," Id said coldly. "Tell me something, do you remember when Danielle started hating the smell of Lavender?" her pink eyes looked at him in scrutiny, causing him to hang his head in defiance. "Oh, so you do know what I'm talking about. You figure it out? You bred the jealousy that gave me the strength to take over."

"No, I…" he stammered out, shaking his head. "I couldn't have. Not on purpose…"

"Not being on purpose, doesn't change anything, Jacob!" she screamed, voice echoing around them all from her sudden anger. "You're nothing but a poison that infected her, and you know what that makes me? I'm the cure! Survival of the fittest, and that means me!"

"No!" Jake shouted, looking up at her angrily. "The only thing you are is a parasite!"

"Oh, did she teach that one?" Id taunted bitterly as she gained composure again, turning to Danielle who kept her eyes closed and continued to look away. "This, was supposed to be your savior? Your best 'friend'? This was the boy you've been screaming for and crying over? You're pathetic."

"I told you to leave her alone!" he shouted at her, irises exploding white once more. Id looked at him in surprise, as did Danielle when the white light reflected in her blue eyes. "You say you understand her, but you sure as hell don't! If you did, you'd understand I'd be nothing if it wasn't for her!"

"Really? And why should that mean anything?"

"It means everything! Danielle is the best friend anyone could have! She's smart, she's strong, she's brave and she never gives up on me!" Jake declared. "She's the only reason the fire in me didn't go out, and I sure as hell am not gonna let hers go out either!"

Id narrowed her eyes at him, stating, "And what makes you think you have any control over that?"

Jake stared into Danielle's eyes, her once frightened oceanic irises glimmering with white energy that radiated a fierce determination. Jake grinned; there's the Danielle he knew. And Id wasn't any the wiser.

"What's wrong? You getting scared, Id?" he taunted as he looked back at her, receiving a snarl as she narrowed her eyes. "Don't tell me you're afraid of a little fire."

"I'm scared of NOTHING!" she shouted, growing angry. Stepping forward, she grabbed him by the throat, squeezing his windpipe. Jake gasped for air as he tried to wrench his neck from her grasp, but this was proving to be impossible in his given position. "You are nothing more then prey for me to catch and destroy and now, I-"

An explosion of white light startled her as she turned around to see Danielle, eyes and body enveloped in white fire that rose and expanded from her body. Id watched as the pink chains restraining Danielle began to burn away to ash, freeing her and allowing her to stand once more. Jake, still bound and fighting for air, grinned as he pried one of his eyes open and looked at her.

"You know what my dad used to tell me, Id?" Jake choked out as Danielle and Id's eyes locked, White to Pink. "Never be the one to snuff someone else's fire out. Always be the fuel that feeds it because there's nothing more dangerous than a raging fire."

Id barely had time to blink before Danielle was in front of her, gripping her wrist tightly. Id grimaced in discomfort as Danielle easily pulled her hand off Jake's throat, and the boy sucked in a huge gust of air, thankful to her. Still holding on to Id, Danielle brought her free hand up and pulled the restraint around her mouth off, releasing a lioness roar in her face.

"Listen and listen good," she said, voice echoing as the roar died down and the remaining Bug Dust from her restraint changed from Pink to White in her hand. "Don't you EVER put your hands on him! I don't care if you are a part of me, if you ever hurt him, I will destroy you."

"No! NO!" Id screamed as she tried to lash out at Danielle who was unphased as she twisted Id's hand to the side painfully. Id groaned as she dropped to her knees, her body shaking before Danielle. Looking up, her pink eyes were wide in fear and defiant aggression as she said, "You can't destroy me! I'm YOU!"

"Not all of me. Just a part. A part that I never want to see again," Danielle declared as the Bug Dust holding Jake changed from Pink to White and lowered him to the ground. Jake walked around to stand next to her, frowning at Id as Danielle said, "Goodbye, Id."

"Wrong!" She screamed as the Bug Dust swirled and surrounded her, creating white replicas of the chains she'd held Danielle down with. She jerked forward, pulling at the chains and headbutting Danielle, knocking her over and into Jake who barely caught her from falling. The two stared at Id, her pink eyes flashing as a sinister grin came to her face. "You think you've beaten me for good? You can NEVER beat me. I've always been here, am always here and will always be here. The best you can do is lock me away…but I'll be here waiting. And you WILL NEED ME!"

The sudden slam of the white door echoed around them as Daneille and Jake floated in the void, holding onto each other. Both were silent, haunted by what she'd said and before she knew it, Danielle was crying her eyes out again. Jake's heart constricted as he wrapped his arms around her, a few tears welling in his eyes as well as he felt her legs about to give.

As Danielle fell, Jake did his best to help her to the ground, barely realizing that the void around him was disappearing and that the World was returning. The white light that had surrounded them had faded, and the two were left in their human forms, eyes back to their natural colors.

"Ellie…" Jake began to speak, cut off by his grunt of discomfort at the sudden pain coming from his shoulder as she bit him. Her teeth weren't sharp or animal like in the slightest, so in truth it didn't hurt. No, what was hurting him was the wave of fear and hurt that he could now literally feel coming from her.

"Ellie, no!" Sam said as she, Danny and Tucker landed near them.

"You think it didn't work?" Tucker asked as Sam touched Danielle's shoulders to try to pry her off Jake.

"NO!" Jake shouted, voice echoing as his anger immediately flared. Wrapping Danielle protectively in his arms, he pulled her away from Sam and stared at her as his irises glowed white. "Don't touch her!"

"Easy, Jake," Danny said cautiously as he looked to Sam and Tucker, both just as startled by the outburst. Taking a step forward, he said, "It's alright. You're not in anymore danger."

"Right…" Jake replied, eyes looking to each of his fellow Rangers before his eyes changed back to normal and he relaxed enough to loosen his grip on Danielle. However, the moment he did, she shoved him away before lunging forward and pounded her tired fists against his chest.

"Why? Why me?" She cried in distress, breaking the hearts of her friends. "What did I do to deserve a life like this? Why did I have to be a monster? I don't wanna me a monster!"

"Ellie, you're not a monster," Sam protested, though her words fell on deaf ears as Danielle continued to weakly hit her best friend.

"This is all your fault…" she chocked out around more tears, voice losing all its intensity as she tired out. "You did this…"

"I know…" Jake replied sadly, looking away from her. "You're right to be mad. I've been a crappy friend. Beyond crappy because even a crappy friend would have seen how much I was hurting you. I'm sorry, Ellie." Danielle had stopped hitting him, allowing him to push himself up off the ground. Resting on his knees, the two faced each other as Jake brushed loose strands of dark hair from her face. "I want you to know that I meant everything I said back there. You're my best friend, and I would never change that for anything else in the world."

Danielle sniffled as she gradually collected herself, never breaking eye contact with him, and after finally catching her breath, she asked, "How can you be so calm about this? How can you be so ok with being friends with…with a monster?"

"Birds of a feather, flock together," he joked. "If you asked my sisters, they'd probably crown me King of Monsters. Especially if they saw me with ghost powers."

Danielle was quiet, processing what he was saying, though he could feel that she wasn't fully convinced. Raising an eyebrow, he looked at her expectedly, and Danielle turned away, face starting to turn slightly red, before finally mustering up the question, "You sure you can be partners with a monstrous beast?"

"You sure you can keep up with all my flashiness?" he asked with a grin, receiving an eye roll and snort as Danielle, for the first time probably all night, genuinely laughed. The sound of her laugh only made him grin wider as he pulled her into a hug. Danielle rested her chin on his shoulder, suddenly feeling even more tired, though Jake didn't mind. He was just glad she was ok. "Monster friends?"

"Until the end," she thought back to him, reciprocating the hug.

"I hate this," Danielle thought as Jake rolled his eyes next to her. After the two had their reconciliation, they gave the others a breakdown of what happened in, what they'd decided to dub the "Mindspace". Tucker was amazed as he took notes to compare and look over, while Sam helped to clean up their wounds before she and Danny went to change and collect them from the dance. "I wanna go home already."

"Yes, I know. You've made that VERY clear, Danielle, but what the hell do you expect me to do about it? More complaining isn't gonna get us outta here any faster," Jake thought back irritably. He was starting to think that this whole Link thing wasn't gonna be as cool as he believed, but especially if all he was gonna be doing was listening to MORE of her complaining. It had only been 30 mins since, and he was already regretting it.

"Excuse me?" She thought back, narrowing her eyes to him. "You do remember that I can literally hear and feel your thoughts and emotions, right?"

"Yeah, that's why I thought it," he replied, looking out at the small crowd that was still staring at them. Students were taking pictures and videos of them, and Jake could feel Danielle's embarrassment as she pulled the blanket the paramedics gave to her over her head.

"Oh god, we're gonna be the laughing stocks of the school forever. It was already bad enough trying to not be the freak that stands out because of my family, but now I have to tell everyone I was "possessed" by a ghost? I can already hear all the jokes they're gonna make."

"You, uh…you think this is gonna hurt our cred at the skate park?" he asked, a sudden wave of anxiousness hitting him as he really started to process what their situation was. Danielle looked at him, face deadpan, which only solidified his feelings.

"Hurt? It's dead. Jake, our cred is literally as dead as the ghost that we fight. Or did you forget that the skate park got destroyed this morning?"

"Which means…" he groaned, facepalming, "We literally have no cred left, and that means…we're officially outcast until we graduate high school. Great."

"I guess it was bound to happen," Danielle mumbled, though the two perked up as they saw Danny and Sam, both back to their human forms, walking toward them with a female officer. "Finally…"

"It's about time, you two. You said we'd out of here in no time, and that was 20 mins ago when we called you," Jake complained to the two teens.

"Well, Jake, you see, there's a tiny issue that we ran into," Sam said, looking slightly uncomfortable. Danielle's senses were on edge as she looked from one to the other, and finally to the police officer.

"What kind of issue?" She asked.

"So, turns out, we're technically not allowed to pick you guys up."

"Come again?" Danielle asked, throat getting drier by the second. This was not happening right? This night wasn't about to somehow get worse for her, right? Turning to Danny, who looked regretful, she asked, "She's joking right? Sam's gotta be joking. Please, big brother, if you love me even a little bit, you will tell me that this is some kind of prank and that we're going home now."

"Sorry, Ellie, but it's true," Danny replied, watching the defeated look come to her face. "On top of the fact you were both injured, and the paramedics got involved, turns out you guys have more on your plate then we thought."

"What now?" Jake asked in irritation, looking at the cop who didn't particularly look like she wanted to deal with him.

"While investigating further into the incident that happened here, serval accounts say you the one who pulled the fire alarm," she said to him, watching as the irritated look turned into one of dread as the words sank in.

Danielle was confused, wondering when this could have happened, before suddenly being hit with a wave of memories as Jake ran through the incident, from the moment she started losing control, to the fight with the dragon girl in the hall, and the pulling of the fire alarm as he ran through to the dance hall. She turned to him, shaking her head in disbelief that this was actually about to happen.

"No…" she shook her head harder, before looking to the Officer and asking, "But why am I in trouble? I didn't do it!"

"Witnesses say that you were acting strange the entire party, some even saying you were "making a scene" at some points. We've also been told that you went missing just before Jacob was seen running into and out of the now burned hallway. Evidence and circumstances would say that the two of you were in this together, and that you were causing a distraction for him to set the fire.

The officer paused, letting the seriousness of this sink for a moment, before smiling to reassure Danielle.

"But I don't believe that's what happened. Lucky for you, someone vouched for you both, and with a ghost showing up, your stories may have some weight to them, so you'll get your chance to explain. However, because you're minors, I'm not allowed to release you to anyone under the age of 18."

"Danielle Madeline Fenton."

Danielle could feel the hairs on the back of her neck stand as if her Ghost Sense was going off, and all her hope was immediately lost. Turning, the two younger Fenton's were graced with the furiously calm look on Jazz's face as she narrowed her eyes, scrutinizing Danielle. Next to her was a second officer, and Lily, who looked at the ground shamefully as they walked toward them.

"I'm dead…" she thought to Jake, fear coming off her before it immediately turned to anger. The Green Ranger started to turn pale at the various imagines and threats she was coming up with to maim him.

"Jazz, wait, before you scream her head off, let me explain," Jake said, as they reached the group. In the background, various kids could be heard "ooh"-ing and cheering enthusiastically as their curiosity for something to happen was finally peaked.

"Oh, she's really busted now!" one boy said, phone in hand, as he pointed it at Danielle. The girl immediately buried her face under the blanket, wishing she could turn invisible right now and disappear, but instead settled for hoping to keep it together and not cry. The last thing she wanted was a video of her crying while getting screamed at by her sister to circulate the school.

"You think Jemerson's gonna go to prison for that?" a girl asked her friends.

"Over a fire alarm? Who knows, but look, Lily's with them! You think she had something to do with it?" another asked.

"She had to of, she and Fenton are related, aren't they?" a third said.

"Then why would she snitch on them?" a second boy asked.

Jake swallowed as Jazz stood before them, arms crossed, and eyebrows raised expectedly. "I'm waiting. And so are the officers, so you'd best make it good, whatever it is you have to say, Jacob."

"Ellie wasn't responsible for the fire alarm. It was all my fault," he said with no hesitation, surprising Jazz. "She wasn't anywhere in the hallway when it happened."

"So, you're taking full responsibility for pulling the fire alarm and starting the fire?" The second officer asked. "We're not able to pull any footage from the cameras. It seems they got fried or something because the footage cuts out just after you leave the dance floor, so if what you're saying is true, then that means you were the only one in that hallway."

"I was chasing the ghost. I saw it run into – "

"Son, there's no way you were chasing that thing. That ghost was the size of a skyscraper. If it had been in that hallway, that hallway would not exist," the Officer cut him off. Turning to Jazz, he said. "You said that you've been in contact with his sister?"

"Yes, Officer. I have his sister's contact information and will pass yours to her," Jazz confirmed, turning to Jake and saying, "She's VERY excited for you to get home. Actually, they both are and they're both waiting for you. For legal reasons, I won't repeat what your eldest sister said over the phone, but you should probably know the words "skin graft" were in there. Your other sister also wanted me to mention you would be, quote "working like a slave in a gold mine to work off Kwan's laptop." Unquote."

"Wait, did you say Kwan?" The first Officer, Officer Cho, asked, looking at Jake. "You know my little brother?"

"You're his sister?" Jake asked, all life seeming to leave his body as he hunched over, shivering. His eyes were vacant, his awaiting fate leaving him petrified. "That's nice…will you excuse?" he asked, hopping down and shuffling his way around to the side of the ambulance where no one could see him.

Everyone cringed at the sounds of him hurling up his punch, save for the crowd of kids who were turning into a mini paparazzi. Danielle cringed the hardest, but looked to her sister with big, pleading eyes.

"Well, that explains one thing, but there's still the mystery of where you were, young lady," Officer Cho said softly, seeing the fearful look on Danielle's face. The officer felt bad that this girl, who looked like a frightened animal, was so scared to answer her. "It's alright, Danielle, we just need to know where you were."

"She was with me," Lily spoke up, getting everyone's attention. Danielle's eyes went wide as she stared into Lily's as she said, "Tell her, Danielle."

"Yeah," Danielle said, nodding her head as if she were remembering it all just now. "She helped me get outside when I started feeling sick. I was sitting outside a tree when everything started getting crazy. The Purple Ranger found me before I blacked out and when I woke up, Jake was with me."

"I see," Officer Cho said, nodding her head and smiling. "Well, the paramedics cleared you to head home, so Jasmine, if you'll follow me, we'll get those release forms for your sisters and their friend, and you can all be on your way."

"Actually- "Lily started, but stopped as Danielle leaned down and grabbed her wrist, pulling her up. Lily allowed herself to be guided to Jake's former spot next to Danielle, who smiled at the officer.

"Lily and I will be waiting right here, Officer. She and I need to have a chat, anyway," Danielle said, still holding Lily's hand. Lily was confused, but said nothing as Jazz, who was also confused, looked from Sam to Danielle. Sam shrugged her shoulders, and Danielle simply nodded.

"Alright, but don't think this conversation is over, you two," Jazz said, handing Danny the car keys. "Can you go warm up my car and get these three settled?"

"You got it," he said, heading towards the parking lot with Sam at his side. Jazz left the two to follow Officer Cho to her squad car, and the crowd seemed to have dispersed after following Jake, leaving Daneille and Lily alone. Lily didn't know what to say as Danielle sighed, her smile falling as did her shoulders.

"Well, I'm as good as grounded forever," Danielle said sadly. "Goodbye, freedom."

"Dani, I am so, so sorry." Lily apologized, shaking her head. "I didn't know what to do, and when you went missing looking for the necklace- "

"Lily, will you stop apologizing?" Danielle commanded, immediately silencing the girl. "Did you see that look in her eye? Nothing you could have said was gonna save me from that, and I'm not gonna be upset at you for watching my back."

"I know you're mad but- wait," Lily started to explain, stopping as she realized, "Did…did you just call me Lily?"

"Uh, yeah? Is that not your name? Because I'm more then thrilled to come up with- "

"You NEVER call me Lily," she stated, looking at Danielle, perplexed. With her free hand, she gingerly touched Danielle's forehead and face, tilting it as she felt around her messy hair. "Maybe I should get the paramedics to come back. You must have a concussion or something."

"I'm FINE, Lily, now stop messing up my hair!" she said, shaking her hand from her head.

"Maybe I hit my head because there's no way that Dani Fenton is actually calling me something other than my full first name."

"Ellie," Danielle corrected, letting go of Lily's hand to wrap the discarded part of the blanket around her and pulled her into a sideways hug. "I only go by Dani in school because my brother also goes by Danny, and well, it would get confusing at home. So, my family and friends call me Ellie."

"Ok, Ellie," Lily said with a smile. Pulling her arm around Danielle gently, she said, "It's nice having another friend."

"Also, I wanted to thank you. And apologize," Danielle said sheepishly as they broke apart. Turning to face Lily, Danielle said, "I owe you big time. You were kind enough to be nice to me and even help me in a time of need when all I've done is act nasty and mean to you. I'm sorry. You didn't deserve that."

"Apology accepted," Lily replied with a smile. Looking over her shoulder and making sure the coast was clear, she added, "and I think I know why. It's about Jake, right?" Danielle's face immediately turned red, and she quickly made sure that the Link wasn't currently active. Lucky for her, Jake seemed to have had the sense to close his door off before going to vomit.

"Uh, what? No, I don't- "

"It's ok, your secret is safe with me," Lily reassured, causing Danielle to heave a sigh of relief. With a wink, she added, "And don't worry; the feelings aren't mutual, so when you're ready, I've got your back."

Danielle felt as if her heart would explode from happiness, and before she knew it, she was wrapping Lily in a large hug, giggling like mad. Lily reciprocated it, laughing as well in the company of her new friend.

A wide grin spread across Skulker's face as he retracted his arm visor. Things had gone even better than he'd hoped. The "Rangers" performed better than even he'd expected, but to be able to divide their forces and combat both one of the Dragon Curse's and the raging animal Ranger surprised even him.

These would be the best hunts he'd had in a long time.

Pressing the button on his communicator, he said, "It would appear your faith was well placed, Master. What say you?"

"I must agree, Skulker. I did not expect them to be able to take the Dragon down twice, much less for the two younger children to be as powerful as they are," Plasmius said diabolically. "I've seen all I need to. They're now your's to play with, and while I do ask you attempt to bring them in alive, do with them as you see fit."

"Your trust in me is immeasurable, my Master. But I have a humble request if I may."

"And what is it that you require of me, my Loyal Right Hand?"

"Their greatest strength comes from their numbers. They stick together like a pride of lions. Or the heads on a Hydra. But like all prides, there is a "King" head," Skulker said, his mind immediately going to the Black Ranger as the gleam of his scythe played back in his mind and made his adrenaline rush at the prospect. "I want to see what these Rangers can do when their leader isn't there to guide them. And so, I humbly request the aid of one of the others."

"Very well. Did you have any one in particular in mind?"

"I know you have other plans for her, my Master, but I ask that you send Desiree. I believe her skill set would be the most beneficial to me."

"I shall summon for her post haste and have her meet you on Earth. I expect great things as always, Skulker. From the both of you."

The metal man cut the call. It was time for the Hunt to begin.

"Hey, your earring is missing," Lily commented, noticing the missing stud from Danielle's ear as she sat between her and Jake in the backseat of Jazz's car.

"I know," Danielle said sadly, lightly touching her ear to feel the empty lobe. "I lost it somewhere when I blacked out."

"You think your mom will be mad?"

"She'll freak, is what she'll do," Jazz said commented from the driver's seat. "Danielle had a habit of losing jewelry that my mom would put on her as a baby and of course it never got any better, and those were her last pair of fancy earrings."

"I'd say I understand, but my mom was never super materialistic like that. My dad, on the other hand, would probably tell me I'd have to work it off."

"Please don't tell me your dad is also some kind of super niche investigative scientist, because if you do, I'm gonna accuse you of identity theft," Danielle joked.

"No, he's not," Lily reassured her. "He works more in Military operations, though I'm not allowed to specify what and how. It's the reason we've had to move so often, but he told me Amity was gonna be permanent…right before he had to leave on another mission."

"I'm sorry; we definitely can understand how that feels," Jazz said, trying to find some comfort in the kids' conversation to distract from her headache. "My parents make a habit out of it and are on a research trip as we speak. And though I'm this will embarrass her; I know how much Ellie misses them when they're gone."

"Jazz!" she whined, though she knew it was true. She did miss her parents, but what Jazz didn't know about the danger they were in, the better.

"Well, at least you still have your ring," Lily mentioned, grabbing Danielle's right hand and bringing the ring closer to examine it on her finger. A mischievous smirk came to her face as she whispered, "Or did JAKE get it for you?"

Jazz snorted as Danielle's face changed red as she protested, "Hell no!" as she yanked her hand back. Wrapping the blanket over her head, she said, "As if he could ever be that thoughtful. Plus, there's no way I'd ever accept a ring from him."

"Oh, really? So you're saying if I changed my mind-"

"Hey, Lily, have you ever tasted ectoplasm?" Danielle asked, poking her head back out, a fake smile on her face. Her voice was sickeningly sweet, and Lily immediately felt creeped out. Before she could answer, Daneille continued, saying, "My family has a whole supply of it, and you'd be amazed by what it does to your food when you use it as a power source. You ever had to fight a hot dog that tried to eat YOU?"

"No, I can't really say I have," she replied nervously, scooting away and bumping Jake, who groaned, rousing from his fear induced coma.

"Well, then we'd best keep it that way, now, shouldn't we?" Danielle asked, and Lily gulped before nodding her head vigorously and giving a nervous laugh at the threat while Jazz simply shook her head in amusement.

"What's going on? Were…were you two just…laughing together?" he asked tiredly, looking at the two other pre-teens. His eyes suddenly grew wide as he mumbled, "Oh god…I've died and gone to hell…there's no other explanation…"

"I think this is the start of a beautiful trio," Jazz confirmed, smiling as she proceeded home.

To be continued…