Bright Skies (Multi - Season Crossover/Power Rangers, prompt #79: Moon, T)
Good news! My laptop lives! -Hugs it in relief- We're not really sure *what* happened, so I've been warned not to use more then one USB port at a time. -Whines-
But this is a time that proves to me why I love having writer friends. My computer and flash drive try to die on me: My brother starts making remarks about being the Technological Necromancer (Which, granted, he kinda is), and my sister just tells me I should have made backups. I post about it on LiveJournal, and I get hugs and sympathy and hopes that everything is okay. -Is amused-
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/: #79: Moon
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/: I swear the fact that I had just read starandrea 's you only hurt the ones you love for Team Building with Jack Landors has nothing to due with the ending. It just ... happened? Sorry Stars! c.c;;
Love to phantom_blue for beta work, because I fussed over flow again.
S.P.D. was the same drab gray as it had ever been. Gray, navy, and black uniformed people wandered through the hallways, and he grinned at the way they automatically moved to give him wide berth. He waved to them in thanks, and laughed at the strange looks he got in return.
"You know, grinning like a loon is not going to reassure them any."
He shot his teammate an amused look. "Quiet, Concussion Boy."
"If you didn't crack a rib, you're off the hook for lunch," Justin retorted.
"I could have broken every single one of them, and I wouldn't care right now," he returned happily, waving to more cadets.
"If you'd broken every single one of them, a punctured lung would be the least of your problems," the other man snorted. He paused. "You *didn't* puncture a lung ... did you?"
He chuckled, wincing as his chest protested again against all the movement. "I'm fine, Turbo. Just bruised them is all."
"You'd better have," Justin grumbled. "Rose will *not* be happy if Eric destroys me before she gets home."
Jack, Z, and Sam all laughed as they entered the Command Center. Wes wondered if they realized he wasn't kidding.
"Wes!"
Arms came around him, crushing his aching ribs as he cried out in pain. Katie? he wondered muzzily. No, that couldn't be right ...
He gasped as he was released, only to have his shoulders seized painfully tight. "You always have to play the hero, don't you Wes?" Eric snarled at him. "You never bother to think anything through. You don't *think*. You just have to do it your way, right now, without even thinking about anyone else. You didn't even bother to call for backup before you went charging in on your own!"
He smiled, drinking in the sight of Eric's features twisted in fury, dark eyes flashing. "You have gray hair, Eric. Did you know that?" He pointed, delighting in the streaks of hidden silver. "Right there."
Behind him, he could hear B Squad fighting snickers while Cruger coughed. He was sure Justin was rolling his eyes.
It hurt when his head snapped to the side, but he was expecting it enough to roll with the punch a little. Either Eric realized his face was the only part of him that probably wasn't injured - for once - or he was too furious to care. It was hard to say with him.
By the time he looked up, Eric was already storming off.
"You okay, Dad?" Sky asked anxiously.
"Yeah," he assured him, rubbing his jaw idly. "Wasn't that bad. And I deserved it, anyway."
Jack raised his eyebrows. "You *deserved* to get punched in the face?"
"Don't even try and figure out how their relationship works," Justin told him. "It just leads to migraines."
He made a face at the other man, before turning to look at Cruger. "Sir," he said cheerfully, sliding into a salute.
"Sergeant Collins, are you feeling all right?" Kat wondered, looking at him warily.
"He needs to see a doctor and he's been acting like a drunk since we came in here, but otherwise he's fine." Justin answered for him.
"Like you're one to talk," he retorted, but he couldn't stop grinning.
Then Cruger stepped in front of him, and suddenly it wasn't so funny anymore. "Sergeant Collins, are you aware that you have been absent without leave from S.P.D., and that such an occurrence could be considered grounds for immediate dismissal if not imprisonment?" he growled.
"But that's - "
"Commander, you can't - "
"Sir - "
"Silence!" Cruger bellowed.
A deathly still settled over the Command Center.
Wes met his commander's gaze directly, unflinching. "Yes Sir, I am. And I'm prepared to face any punishment you may have in mind."
"And do you have any explanation for your behavior?"
He hesitated, closing his eyes for a moment and swallowing hard. "With all due respect, Sir. It had to be me who brought in Mirloc. I can't explain it anymore than that, and if you can't understand why ... " He shrugged helplessly. "Then there's nothing else I can tell you."
"So rather than use the resources S.P.D. has to offer, you chose to deliberately place yourself in danger by acting alone, and without the approval of your team?"
"I knew where he was," Justin interjected. "Eric may not have, but I've been helping Wes with information the entire time he was gone. So if you're punishing him, you should punish me, too."
Wes glanced back at him, shaking his head slightly. Justin's help was appreciated, but he could face this on his own.
He looked back to Cruger's unreadable expression. "If I had stayed, I could have helped find him, but I never would have been allowed to bring him in," he said quietly. "I can't even take my own Squad out for training missions; there was no way anyone would let me face Mirloc myself. That monster destroyed my *family*, while I stood around and watched it happen." His voice caught for a moment, and he clenched his fists as he struggled to reign in his emotions. "Of anyone in this base Sir, I thought *you* would understand why I had to do this myself."
There was a long silence.
"As S.P.D. Commander, I would have the grounds to demote you to cadet for acting like one," Cruger said finally. There was a pause, and he sighed. "As a Ranger, which it seems you now are once again, the decision of what to do with you goes to the acting Ranger Commander."
Wes started, looking behind Cruger to where Kimberly stood, watching him. Then he mentally recovered, sliding into another salute. "Sergeant Oliver."
She walked towards him silently, stopping directly in front of him to look him in the eyes. "You can see me, can't you," she said quietly.
He nodded, swallowing down the smile that threatened to break out again.
She hugged him, suddenly and carefully, holding on to him as she whispered in his ear "I'm so happy for you, Wes. And I'm very, very proud of you."
He hugged her back, trying not to bury his face against her shoulder to hide another grin.
Then she stepped back again, frowning. "I thought Billy said your morpher was gone."
"Um, I can explain that," Bridge piped up, holding up a finger.
Everyone looked at him, even Cruger suddenly showing interest. "And how is that, Cadet Carson?" he asked.
"Well, see, when Uncle - uh, I mean, Sergeant Collins, did his .. " He paused, scratching his head and frowning. "Final Strike?" he guessed finally, "Against Mirloc, he used an incredible amount of energy. But his morpher was never *actively* destroyed - it was just drained of its power. So the connection to the Morphin Grid was still *there*, it just wasn't strong enough for him to morph. And after nine years of just sitting around on Sergeant Collin's wrist, it had a lot of time for the energy levels to fill back up. And once they were full, it became possible for him to morph into a Ranger again."
Most of the room was trying to work through what Bridge had said, but Wes was staring at him in shock. "You knew all along ... " he murmured. "The first time I saw you after I woke up, when you held on to my hand, you said everything was going to be okay. You already knew then, didn't you?"
Bridge smiled, ducking his head shyly in a way that made him look disturbingly like Adam. "Yeah," he admitted. "I could sense the Power was still there. But I didn't know how long it would take for the energy levels to be stable again, so I didn't want to get your hopes up by waiting for it."
"You never take it off," Justin said suddenly, looking at Wes now. "The one time I asked you about it, you said it felt wrong to take it off. So you've had it on this whole time, while it's been energizing itself enough to do things like use the communicator again."
"And the Power heals its Rangers," Kimberly murmured, a slow smile drifting across her face. "Your eyes ... the Power was healing you all along. It just needed that final burst to finish the job."
"So ... Uncle Wes changed his destiny *again*?" Syd demanded.
Everyone burst out laughing.
"Oh, I don't know about that," Kimberly commented smugly as the laughter finally settled down again. "I know one destiny Wes can't change - or Justin for that matter." Her grin widened as the both men looked at her in alarm. "Your punishment is to be contained in the medical wing, for as long as Aisha sees fit."
Wes looked at Justin. The younger man nodded, and they both bolted for the door.
B Squad stopped them before they could make it down the hallway.
****
He wasn't quite sure if he was actually waiting for Eric when he started a kata in the backyard. He had some pent up energy to be sure, but he didn't think that was it. He couldn't really pinpoint *why* he was doing it; just that he was. It felt like the time to practice, and so he did.
It had been two weeks, he reflected. Two weeks after Cruger threatened to demote him for his actions, and Kimberly finally banished him to the medical wing. Two weeks of everyone but Eric coming to visit him, of Vanessa yelling at him for almost an hour, of finally being released from the medical wing only to have Eric walk out of rooms he entered. Of cadets hailing him a hero and Rangers scolding him for acting on his own.
It didn't take long to figure out why Eric was avoiding him; he knew Eric better than anyone after all, and he knew how he thought. He knew exactly what was going on, which is why he could smile when Sophie hesitantly asked him if he and Uncle Eric were all right. It was why Z's demands to know what was going on didn't upset him, or Kimberly's gentle prying to make sure things were really all right between them wasn't annoying. But by the time Justin had bluntly asked him if he needed him to kick Eric's butt for him, or when Taylor had demanded if she needed to kick his for Eric, he was getting a bit exasperated with them all for not wanting to believe that maybe they could work things out on their own. Even Bridge's oddly bright smile for him out of the blue one day didn't have to tell him when it was time.
Vanessa had informed him that she was staying at S.P.D. for the night to work on a project, and yes, she wouldn't be alone, and yes there was a place for her to sleep while she was there, and *yes* she knew where his room was if she needed it, and would he stop fussing already?! And in turn, he had promised not to burn down the house, not to break anything that couldn't be replaced, and not to do anything with Eric in any places Sky wouldn't want to know about. Sky it seemed was staying at S.P.D. this weekend; not completely unusual, but he normally liked to come home for the weekends to see more of his family. He'd decided it was probably better not to ask.
He knew the moment he had company, despite the fact that the sun was already nearly set. He could see again, but that didn't change the fact that his senses had been heightened, or the way he liked to train with his eyes closed out of habit. The fact that he knew who it was was more logic than anything else, but it didn't really matter.
A fist came flying at him from the left, and it was sheer instinct that made him duck, twisting around to grab the arm for a throw. He was blocked, and found himself on the receiving end of a fast series of punches that set him immediately on the defense. He opened his eyes briefly to see Eric's stormy expression as he attacked, and closed them again before trying to track the speed of what was coming at him overwhelmed him.
The disorientation of sight to blackness wasn't fast enough; he caught an uppercut to the jaw that made him briefly see stars. He moved back to recover, but Eric wasn't letting up. Another jab caught him in the ribs, and he swung wide more from reflex than actual defense. His arm was caught, twisted, and he could hear Eric breathing heavily behind him.
Oh. This was one of *those* fights.
He jabbed his free elbow back into Eric's ribs twice, and stopped hard on his foot. He took several steps back as he was released, settling himself into a better stance as he listened carefully for the next attack.
He didn't have to wait long.
He ducked the kick that would have knocked him sideways, moving forward to knee Eric in the stomach. He followed up with a right hook that connected when he hadn't expected it to, and aimed a left just in case. The left was caught, and he jerked his head to the side to avoid another punch. He went for a kick, but his leg was grabbed instead. He turned with it, jerking his head back and moving into a flip. Eric was on him again the moment he landed.
They traded blows, Eric deliberately aiming for his ribs and stomach, while he went for facial hits. Once Eric was knocked hard enough in the head, he tended to surrender the fight faster. Unfortunately, it took a *lot* to hit Eric hard enough to disorient him.
Eventually he was forced to realize it was too much. Aisha had finally released him from the medical wing, but she'd warned him to be careful. Somehow he had the feeling her idea of 'careful' didn't involve sparring with Eric. And judging by the way it was starting to hurt to breathe, he was probably right.
It was in the middle of one of those flares of pain in his chest that he found his feet swept out from under him and himself flat on his back, staring up at the sky. The moon was almost full tonight, he reflected absently. He probably could have moved to get up again, but he was tired, and he was only fighting the inevitable.
When the heavy weight settled against him, he met the lips that crushed his eagerly.
****
The fingers carding through his hair were unexpectedly gentle.
"It's too much to ask for you not to aim for the obvious weak spot next time, isn't it?" he murmured, leaning into the muscular chest under his cheek.
"It's too much to ask for you to stop leaving me out of everything," came the sharp retort.
Ah. Time for talking now.
He forced himself to sit up enough to look down at the other man despite how exhausted he was. "Eric, I *had* to bring in Mirloc. I couldn't sit back and let someone else do it," he explained quietly. "Tori and Dax ... They were *family*. I owed it to them to bring him back."
"Owed it to them, or owed it to yourself?" Eric returned flatly.
"I - "
Eric shook his head. "You're not getting it, Wes. You still don't understand why I'm so mad at you. This has nothing to do with you going after Mirloc."
"It doesn't?"
Eric sat up, shaking his head again with a sigh before looking him in the eyes. "You went after Mirloc without *me*."
He stared at him. "What? But - "
"Yeah, I wasn't here the first time around. So maybe I don't understand why the rest of you hate him so much. And I didn't know the other teams like you did. But that monster still took something from me. And I deserved the chance to get him back, too." He held up a hand before Wes could say anything. "And I'm not just talking about Sky."
After a moment, it finally dawned on him what Eric meant. "Oh," he said quietly.
There was another sigh. "You're good at making speeches when it comes to other people Wes, but you never put yourself in there, too." Eric said finally. He waited for Wes to meet his eyes again before reaching out to grab his left wrist, bringing the morpher there against his own. "This means something. Yeah, they were your teammates, and Justin is too. I get that. But *I'm* supposed to be your partner. You're the one who put it that way - not me. How are we supposed to be partners if you won't let me back you up when you need me most?"
Wes stared at him in dismay. "Eric, I ... "
"Are you really sorry? Or do you just feel guilty because you never thought about it that way?"
"Both, I guess," he said softly, feeling like a heel.
Eric let out a puff of air, staring up at the moon for a moment. Finally he glanced over to him. "This has to stop, Wes. We can't be partners without being *partners*. It doesn't work that way for us. Never has. Are you really willing to go that far with me?"
He paused, frowning at him. If it were anyone but Eric, that might almost have sounded like ... "Eric, what are you ... ?"
"Partners, Wes," he repeated. "In everything. We face *everything* together. Are you ready for that?"
He blinked once, slowly. "I thought we said we'd never do that," he said finally, his voice so soft he wasn't even sure if Eric had heard him.
He received a slight shrug in response. "There's a lot of things I never thought I'd do with you."
For some reason, that made him smile.
He leaned in, resting his forehead against Eric's. "No more secrets, no more fighting alone," he promised.
"Actually listening, and not pulling away," Eric agreed just as quietly. A hand reached up to touch his cheek. "I love you, you know." The words were hesitant, uncertain because they were rarely actually said. "Even if you are the most frustrating person I've ever met."
He chuckled, leaning in to brush swollen and bruised lips together again. "Aren't those my lines?"