Bright Skies (Multi - Season Crossover/Power Rangers, prompt #56: White, T)
I think I actually managed to give myself warm fuzzies writting this chapter. I didn't know that was possible.
Author/: Tsukino Akume
Fandom/: Power Rangers Time Force moving into S.P.D., multiple Rangers from each season
Characters/: Wes (Time Force), multiple Rangers from other teams (Literally too many to list)
Pairings/: Post - Wes/Eric, Rocky/Adam, Shane/Dustin, Hunter/Cam, Carter/Dana, Andros/Ashley, Zhane/Karone, Carlos/Ronny, Jason/Taylor, Conner/Ethan, Justin/Rose, Tommy/Kimberly, Tyzonn/Mack, Cassie/OC, Nick/Maddison, Zack/Aisha, Trent/Kira, Post - Billy/Cestria. Future Ryan/Carter and Billy/Hayley. More couples will most likely be mentioned, but not shown.
prompt/: #56: White
Rating/: T (For non - graphic mentions of people having babies and being violent with one another)
Disclaimer/: I don't own the Power Rangers, but if Disney's hiring any new writers I volunteer.
Summary/: When Wes' life starts to fall apart, an accident gives him a chance at a fresh start in New Tech City, with Space Patrol Delta. But even a new life has its ups and downs - and weird friends. Meanwhile, Eric tries to move on.
Warnings/: A mentally handicapped person living in a medical facility, angst, male and female slash, non-cemented couples (In otherwords, pairings that will be separated), children created by scientific means, character death
Author's Notes/: Finally, the conversation everyone's been waiting for. And for once, I think I'm even mostly satisfied with it! -Is shocked- Also, Sam is now slightly younger due to necessity for later plots.
This chapter is dedicated to SierraNicole, who's beautiful YouTube Videos helped write it, as well as most of Bright Skies.
He woke up in what felt like his own bed, in a dark room. It took a moment to find the energy to feel for the nightstand and find his SightMap. His hand found a glass of water as well, and he drank it greedily before slipping the SightMap in place and activating it.
Eric was sitting in a chair beside his bed, staring at him.
He jumped slightly. "Eric, what are you - "
"What do you want from me, Wes?" Eric demanded suddenly. Somewhere in the abrasive tone Wes could hear hurt and frustration, and it made him feel worse than the hangover already did. "What? You wanna start dating, hold hands? Get married and raise Sky together like a happy little family? Be each other's best friend for the rest of our lives? What do you want from me, because I'm *sick* of all this back and forth."
He closed his eyes and sighed. It didn't help the hangover anymore than Eric's refusal to lower his voice was, but he knew better than to ask him to. "We'd both be miserable if we got married," he said quietly, reaching up to rub his forehead. "That's why we never did - we'd be divorced inside six months. We both know that."
"That's what I thought, but apparently you don't agree," Eric snapped. "You tell me you want to be friends again, and then you pull this? What was going through your head, Wes? Or was there anything going through it at all?!"
"What was going through my head?" he repeated, and chuckled darkly. "The same thing that's been going through my head since the day you kicked me out of your house." It hurt to call it Eric's house again, but in the end, that's what it had always been.
Eric tensed, his jaw clenching as he read into the words Wes hadn't said. "You're the one who walked out on me during the wedding."
"Because you said you could never forgive me," Wes reminded him.
"I never said I didn't want to try!"
There was a stunned silence that left them staring at each other.
"You ... " Wes swallowed. Hard. "How can you - "
Something in Eric changed suddenly, relaxing the tension in his shoulders. "You never forgave yourself, did you Wes." The soft statement wasn't a question, but a sudden understanding.
He buried his face into his hands, suddenly unable to watch the other man anymore. "What Alex told me was what he knew at that moment, when our Morphers merged," he whispered, his voice hoarse with emotion. "And at that moment, he knew that he came from you and me, and that Time Force had raised him as a test subject for the Red Chrono Morpher. That he was nothing more than their science experiment brought up to be my replacement. And when I held him to tell him that I was proud of the man he'd become, because I am, and I knew he needed to know that, he told me that I had to *let* it happen. That he had to become the Chrono Morpher's test subject. He made me promise not to change the timeline."
He shook his head, struggling to keep the tears in. So many years had gone by since that moment, and the thought of what Alex had been through still made him want to cry. "When we decided to have the boys, I thought that Time Force would do something to our child. So I did everything I could to make sure it didn't happen, without giving away what Alex had said." He took a deep breath in an effort to calm himself before he started to sob, because Eric needed to hear this. "And it wasn't enough. I lost Alexander and Benjamin, and then I lost you because of what I'd done. I *never* said that I didn't love you, Eric. If anything, sometimes I think I love you too much."
"You have a funny way of showing it," Eric returned. There was no emotion in his words, and it sounded strange. "So what was up with the way you blew up on me After?"
He tilted his head just enough for one eye to peek out and reveal that Eric was still staring at him. "I woke up from what felt like days to find you living in my house, spending time with my best friend, doing my job, and raising my son. Everyone thought I was gone or on the way, and you ... " He grit his teeth and forced himself to say it. "You took over my life. Everything I had was yours now. And I tried to tell myself it was what I would have wanted, because if I hadn't come back ... It would have been." He swallowed the sudden lump in his throat. "But I woke up and found out that I didn't have anything to wake up *to*."
"That's - "
"But Sky ... Sky loves you. And as much as it hurt to think that he loves you more than me, I couldn't take you away from him. So even though it killed me to have to act like nothing was wrong, I figured ... Well, I didn't want to fight anymore. I still don't. And if we couldn't be together that way, I wanted to at least have my best friend back." he explained quietly.
"So why'd you kiss me then?"
He hesitated. But if they were getting it all out in the open ... "I realized something the other night, when I was thinking about Jen and the others not knowing who Sky was. I hadn't really taken the time to work through the memories I got from Alex when we connected, but it hit me all of a sudden." He looked up again, looking straight to Eric. "Alex doesn't know. He has no idea that he's actually our *son* - he just thinks he's a Time Force science experiment."
Eric's stare didn't waver, and he dropped his eyes back to the bed again. "I can't ... I can't even put words to how that made me feel, when I realized that," he admitted. "At that point, I figured there was nothing I could possibly do to make you hate me even more than you already did, so I - " He cut himself off, not wanting to finish.
But Eric had never been the type to let anything sit between them after they'd actually gotten together. He was more likely to hash out every single detail, no matter how much it hurt them both. Because Eric would rather be angry than confused any day.
"*Why*, Wes," he demanded quietly. "Why did you kiss me? Don't give me all this junk about Alex, and feeling like a miserable excuse for a human being. At that moment, what made you do it?"
Wes let out a weary sigh, turning to look at him again. "Because I miss you. I miss being with you. I always did. And at that moment, the only thing I wanted was you."
The tension in the air was palpable.
"Things can't be just like they were, Wes." Now Eric was the one who sounded tired.
He laughed weakly, and it was an unpleasant sound. "Believe me, I know. I've known that for years." He shrugged helplessly. "But you're the only person I've ever really loved, Eric. And if it hasn't changed in twenty-seven years, I really doubt it's going to change now."
"What about Jen?"
He shook his head. "That was different. There could have been something between us," he admitted, "But we were both seeing signs of someone else in each other. And I never loved Jen the way I love you."
"You never dated anyone else?"
"When?" he asked, shrugging a shoulder. "Between work and Sky, I didn't have the time to look. And I really didn't want to. I had my son and my friends, and that was enough."
"I dated other people."
He nodded, unsurprised. It hurt, but somehow he knew that it was necessary for both of them that he hear it. "I wanted you to. I'm just sorry none of them worked out."
A shrug. "They weren't you," Eric said bluntly.
He smiled faintly as that familiar deep ache swelled in his chest, one he thought he'd buried long ago. "I guess we ruined each other from meeting anyone else. We were just too good a match."
"Yeah. We were."
He started slightly as the bed shifted, and a warm forehead leaned in to rest against his. "It can't be the same," Eric continued softly, his breath tickling Wes' cheek. "But that doesn't mean we can't still try."
Warm lips pressed against his, and the ache evaporated into a sudden feeling that nothing in the world had ever felt this *right*.
****
"Samuel Thorn, your mother is going to kill you."
The cheerful tone to the threatening words made Wes grin as he turned to greet his teammate. "Mystic!"
"Time! Good to see you," Chip returned happily. They clasped hands, and Wes pulled him in for a one-armed hug.
Chip tilted his head as he stepped back to study him. "You look different," he declared suddenly. "Good different."
Wes smiled, fighting the urge to duck his head in embarrassment. The happy glow from this morning's conversation with Eric hadn't faded, and everyone had been giving him odd looks all day. "Oh, just ... a good day. But hey, what about you?" He gave the other man a light punch in the arm, grinning at him teasingly. "Why didn't you ever tell me you and Clare had a son? I about had a heart attack when B Squad finally brought him in."
"Yeah, well. We've been a bit busy." Chip turned to look at the six-year-old, the humorous tone fading from his voice. "And what have you got to say for yourself? Everyone's been worried sick about you!"
Sam shifted guiltily. "I'm sorry, Dad," he mumbled. "But ... I wanted to see S.P.D., and have an adventure just like you did in all your stories."
Chip sighed, crouching down to rest his good hand on his son's shoulder. "Adventures can still happen when you're older too, you know," he reminded him. "And if you wanted to see S.P.D., you could have just asked me. Instead of worrying your mom and making us search all over the place for you."
"I'm sorry," Sam whispered again, staring at the floor.
Chip hugged him close, resting his chin on the boy's head. "I know, kiddo. But you're still gonna have to apologize to your mom too, okay? And Grandma and Grandpa and Uncle Daggeron."
"I will," Sam promised softly, and Wes found himself wondering were the boy who'd shouted at Z for lying to him had gone.
Chip relaxed his arm, pulling back just enough to meet his eyes. "Don't worry, Sammy; you'll be a superhero someday. You just gotta train hard with Grandpa and Uncle Daggeron, and try and remember what Mom and Grandma teach you."
Sam lit up instantly. "And then I'll get to be a Power Ranger, right? Just like you?"
"Nah. Better than me." Chip tussled his son's hair. "You're not a Yellow, anyway."
"Then what color am I?" Sam asked eagerly.
"Hmm ... " Chip glanced up. "What do you think Wes?"
Wes pretended to study the kid, fighting back a smile. It was sweet to see the bond Chip had with his son, and nice to know that for all his shyness and attitude earlier, Sam took more after his father than he realized. "White," he declared finally. "You'll be a White Ranger, because White rangers are all about honor and integrity. They're very rare, too."
"Cool!" Sam cried in delight. "I'm gonna be the White Ranger!"
"Getting the kid's hopes up?"
Wes shot a smile over his shoulder to Eric as he came up behind him. "Well, it can't hurt can it? To give him a dream to shoot for?"
"I guess not."
"You've mellowed out a lot over the last few years," he noted, watching as Chip helped his son learn to 'fly', and Sam shrieked in delight.
"Parenthood does that, apparently." A hand discreetly found his and squeezed for just a moment before letting go, a subtle reminder that he wasn't the only one thinking about this morning.
He smiled, watching as B Squad was dragged into a came of 'catch' with Chip - using Sam as the 'ball'. "Good," he said softly.