Little Boy Blue
by Kittie

Introduction Billy sighed to himself as his friends got their new Zeo powers one by one. He felt a pang in his stomach as Rocky assumed his power - Blue. Alpha seemed to notice his distress and patted his shoulder reassuringly. Billy managed a small smile and continued to watch the amazing transformations. He was confused by these feelings. He was happy for the new Rangers, but there was still this painful tug at his heart as he looked to the chamber where his old Blue Ranger suit stood motionless. He realized all at once that everything he had based his life on for the past two years was gone. He slid on a mask of happiness and began to congratulate the new Zeo Rangers.

* * *
Several months had gone by. Billy was in the Power Chamber, watching as the Zeo Rangers laughed and congratulated each other on yet another victory over the Machine Empire. He started to go forward and join in the celebration, but something stopped him. Rocky. Little Boy Blue. A bolt of anger shot through him and he quickly teleported himself out of the Power Chamber. He ended up in his darkened lab, where he sat at his desk and fumed. _Just calm down Billy,_ he told himself. _There is absolutely no reason for you to be mad. None at all._ But the anger stayed with him. He pounded his fist into the desk. _You chose to give up the power. Tanya deserved her chance at being a Ranger._ But no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't rid himself of the sick feeling deep in his stomach.

There was a Green column of light in front of him, and Adam was suddenly there. "Why'd you leave so suddenly?" He blinked his eyes, trying to get used to the dark.

Billy was silent, trying to compose himself. He knew how his voice would sound if he spoke, and he didn't want to upset Adam. His feelings were hurt so easily. Billy just shook his head and waved Adam away.

"You okay?"

He nodded and turned on the computer, hoping Adam would take the hint and leave. He didn't. "Look, if something's bothering you..."

"Nothing," Billy managed, his teeth clenched. Embarrassment and hurt flashed in Adam's eyes. _Dammit, I tried, but he's so sensitive!_

"I'm sorry, Billy," Adam said, backing away. "I'll... go." He teleported out without another word.

Billy suddenly felt like crying.

* * *
"I'm sure he wasn't mad at you, Adam." Tanya tried to reassure Adam, who was more upset than any of the Rangers had ever seen him.

"He practically yelled at me. I thought we were best friends, but--"

"He is your best friend, Adam. He's entitled to a bad day every once in a while isn't he?"

"Yeah, Adam," said Rocky, annoyed at the news that Billy had taken his place as Adam's best friend. "Don't take everything so personally." He stalked off and the others stared at him in amazement.

Adam looked near tears. "Now Rocky's mad at me, too!"

"Adam..." Tanya put her arms around him. Kat just shook her head. As if on cue, Billy came through the Youth Center door.

"Uh-oh," whispered Kat, seeing him head toward them.

Tanya saw him at the same time. "Look Adam, here comes Billy now. He probably wants to apologize."

Billy reached the table and looked at Adam, who wouldn't look him in the eyes. _Damn, he's still upset. This is going to be hard._ "Hi, Adam" he said.

Adam still didn't look up. "Hi."

Billy took a seat next to him. "Um, Tanya," said Kat, standing up. "Don't we have that... thing? To get to?"

"Oh, right! We'll be late!" The girls ran off, leaving Adam alone with Billy.

Billy looked at Adam, trying to figure out what he should say. He sure as hell wasn't going to tell the truth. "Look, I'm sorry about yesterday," he finally said. "I didn't mean to hurt your feelings." Adam didn't speak. "You're just so sensitive...." Billy sighed. This wasn't working. "Okay, look," he said, "I'm going to tell you something but you have to swear on your Zeonizer that you won't tell the others."

Adam finally looked up, wide-eyed. "Okay."

"Swear!"

"I swear. What?"

Now it was Billy's turn to look down at the table. "I was mad because Rocky's Zeo color is Blue."

He waited for Adam to stand up and walk away in disgust. But he didn't. "Ooooh...." he said.

"I know it's terrible of me," Billy said. _I can't believe I'm telling him this!_ "But...."

"No, it's not terrible!"

Billy looked up, surprised. "It's not?"

"No! Blue was... I mean, you were Blue! For over two years. I can understand you miss it. I miss being Black, but at least no one's got my color."

Billy was incredulous. "I can't believe you understand that. I thought I was being stupid and selfish, but I couldn't help it."

"Adam nodded. "Sorry I made such a big deal of everything. I just...." his voice trailed off.

_Poor Adam. He doesn't realize how much happier he could be._ "Let me give you a word of advice," he said aloud.

Adam looked interested. "What?"

"Try not to take everything so personally. Not everything is your fault. Not everyone is better than you. Take a look at yourself. You're not exactly so bad off."

Adam blushed. "I don't... take compliments well."

"It wasn't a compliment, it was the truth. You have even lower self- esteem than I do, and that's sad."

"You have low self esteem?"

"Hel-lo!" Billy pretended to knock on Adam's head. "Where have you been? I am the king of all nerds. The lord of all geeks. The worst fighter on the team for over a year, and even once I got better I still couldn't hold a candle to the rest of you. And you didn't know I have a low self esteem?"

"Oh."

"Until junior high, my only friend was my Mom. How pitiful is that? Then she died and it was just me and my Chemistry set until high school, when I met Trini and the others. But even then I always felt like people were laughing at me. So I stopped wearing my overalls, even though they're extremely comfortable, got contacts even though they make my eyes itch, started lifting weights even though I hate it with a passion, and here I am, no better off than I was then."

Adam's eyes were even wider than before. "I thought I was the only one who--"

"Tried to change himself to fit in? Not by a longshot, buddy. There are others like us everywhere. We should form a society."

Adam laughed. "Thanks, Billy," he said.

"No prob. Just telling you what I know. We should let the others know we're okay. I think the girls were pretty worried."

Adam nodded and got up to fetch the others from Ernie's counter. Billy just sat there, a little drained. The anger had faded, but the pain still made waves in his stomach. The hurt hadn't gone away.

* * *
"Okay, guys," Billy responded over the communication system. "I've devised a mechanism which will allow you to breach the monster's armour. It hasn't been tested yet, so be careful." He sent Tommy the weapon, then sat back to watch the battle. Everything had been going like clockwork over the past few weeks, except for one thing: Rocky seemed a bit cold toward him. He was tickled by the irony. He'd taken to referring to Rocky as "Little Boy Blue" all the time. Not aloud, of course, but to himself. He wasn't sure if Rocky's animosity stemmed from his own, but who cared? At least he didn't have to talk to the little nincompoop.

On the viewing globe, he could see that his device was allowing the Rangers to solidly tromp King Mondo's new monster. _Of course. Billy to the rescue again. Whoopty-doo._ There was that flash of anger again. He shoved it downward and waited for his friends' return.

* * *
The Rangers teleported back to the Power Chamber after their victory. Adam handed Billy back his device. "Good job, Billy," he said. "I don't know how you do it, but thanks."

Billy smiled as he saw Rocky scowl. "No problem. I'll keep it in my lab in case we need it again." He absentmindedly put the tiny controller in his pocket. "I should go," he said to Zordon. "My Dad will be worried. I told him I'd be home hours ago."

Zordon nodded. THANK YOU, BILLY.

Billy teleported to his lab.

* * *
King Mondo watched Billy in his lab, carefully putting his newest invention in a box. "Hmm..." he said, mostly to himself.

Machina heard him. "What do you have planned now, my evil genius darling?"

Mondo let a smile widen his face. "I know of a fool-proof way to destroy the Zeo Rangers, my dear."

"Oh, how? How?"

"I will destroy the one named Billy, and they will be left shattered and helpless against our new monster."

"Mondo, you are a genius!"

* * *
Billy was awakened by a strange noise outside his window. _What IS that?_ He got out of bed and walked toward the window. He started to open it, but was saved the trouble when it suddenly exploded inward.

* * *
Tommy jerked awake as his communicator started to shriek hysterically. "What? Whazzat?" he answered it hazily.

"Oh, Ai-yi-yi! you must go to Billy's house immediately! He has been attacked by a monster!"

Tommy was suddenly wide awake. "It's Morphin' Time! Zeo Ranger V, Red!" He appeared just outside the front door of Billy's house, and the others arrived almost at the same time. "What's going on?" Just then they heard a scream followed by the breaking of glass coming from the back of the house.

"Let's go," he said, leading the way.

What they saw when they got there was extraordinary. A large mechanical monster that looked something like cross between a giant spider and an octopus had smashed one of its appendages through a room on the second floor of Billy's house. The Rangers wasted no time in jumping up to the window, batting the monster away, and going inside. Billy was lying on the floor, covered with cuts from when the window had broken. He was bleeding very badly and moaning. "I'll take care of Billy," shouted Tanya. "You take care of that thing!"

Even before the words were out of her mouth, the monster's appendage had come through the shattered window again, and began firing tiny missiles at them. Tanya winced and shielded Billy's body with her own. "Get it out of here!" There was no way she could help him until the monster was distracted. Rocky did a triple somersault, grabbed the monster's arm, and pulled it out of the window with him. The other rangers jumped out after him, and the battle raged.

* * *
Billy was shivering. It was way too cold. Someone was there with him, but he couldn't see who. The glass had cut his eyes. There was wetness on his face, and he didn't know if it was blood or tears. He wasn't even sure if that mattered. "Billy?" The person holding him spoke. He recognized the voice as Tanya's. She wiped his face gently with her hand. If he had been able to see, he would have been shocked at how quickly his blood soaked her glove and turned it bright crimson.

_He's in real trouble,_ Tanya realized as she stared at her bloody hand. She began to look him over to see how bad his wounds were. She had noticed almost right away that something was hideously wrong with his face. He looked more like one of Lord Zedd's old creations than a human being. She shuddered. He had wounds all over his body. She tried to turn him over to check his back, but he cried out in pain so she stopped. "Billy, you're going to be okay. We're going to help you."

Billy heard her speak and would have laughed if he wasn't in so much pain. _You're going to help me how?_ He felt strange. He busied himself with trying to find a word for the feeling. _Floaty._ The familiar pain in his heart seemed to be fading. He realized what was happening, and for a second he panicked. He grabbed at where he thought Tanya's hand should be and caught hold of her. He didn't want to let go.

Tanya held him as tightly as she could and teleported them both to the Power Chamber.

* * *
Alpha had prepared a cot for Billy, and he automatically teleported there, with Tanya standing next to him. "He's hurt really badly, Zordon," Tanya said, still gripping Billy's hand tightly.

ALPHA, SCAN BILLY'S LIFE ENERGIES.

Alpha did so, shaking his head. He didn't speak, knowing that what he had to say would only scare Billy.

Billy knew that Alpha was scanning him, and when he didn't hear him report the results, he knew. _I'm dying._ The thought came to him in a weirdly mellow fashion. He was starting to float further away, and his toes were tingling. He was aware of every beat of his heart and every breath he took. Then, he stopped. He was surrounded by a strange silence. He could still hear what was going on in the Power Chamber, but it seemed far way and blurry. The pain went away, and he could see again. He was still lying on the cot, and the Rangers were standing above him. Tanya was crying, and Tommy looked grim. Then Tanya reached down and closed his eyelids.

Instead of complete darkness, there was a soft light that seemed to widen. He was in his old room in Chicago, and was small, probably nine or ten. The light was coming from a small desk lamp, and his mother was at his bedside, reading aloud from a Physics book. "Mom?" he blinked, extremely confused.

She put the book down and smiled. "Well, look who's come to the land of the living!" Then she laughed. "Land of the living, listen to me! Where is my head?"

Billy sat up and looked around. "We're in Chicago!"

"Yes, and no." That was all the explanation she gave. "I am so glad to see you!" She hugged him and, after a brief second of thought, he hugged her back.

* * *
Zordon and Alpha finished the preparations and enclosed Billy's body in a transparent chamber. The Rangers looked on in silence. Somehow, Billy looked as though nothing had ever happened to him. He could have been asleep.

Zordon spoke first. IF WE EVER FIND A WAY TO REVERSE THE DAMAGE THIS MONSTER HAS DONE, HE WILL BE READY.

Kat wanted to say something, but realized that if she tried, she would cry. She didn't want to cry anymore.

Tanya managed. "How did you... fix him?"

"All superficial damage to the body is easily healed by the power of the Morphing Grid. This is how you are able to heal so quickly after battles. Because of Billy's connection to the original Blue Power Coin, we were able to repair his body," explained Alpha.

"But I thought the old powers were destroyed?" Rocky countered.

"They were, to an extent. Each of you, except Tanya, still hold the essence of the power within you. It was the Blue Power that reached out and restored Billy to this state."

"What state is that," Tommy pressed. He found that by asking questions whose answers he could not possibly understand, he could distract himself from the pain of losing a friend.

BILLY IS IN A STATE OF SUSPENDED ANIMATION. IF HE WERE NOT A FORMER POWER RANGER, THERE WOULD BE NO HOPE OF REVIVING HIM. THEREFORE, ONE WOULD SIMPLY SAY THAT HE WAS DEAD. THE BLUE POWER PROVIDES THIS POSSIBILITY OF HIS RESURRECTION.

"How?" Kat's heart jumped at the possibility.

TERE IS A PLACE DEEP WITHIN THE MORPHIN' GRID ITSELF, WHERE THE CORE OF THE POWER LIES. IT IS AT THAT SPOT WHERE A SMALL FLOWER, WITH PETALS OF RED, BLACK, BLUE, PINK, YELLOW, AND GREEN, GROWS. ONLY THIS CAN SAVE BILLY.

"Well, let's go get it!" burst out Tommy, eager for a distraction.

Zordon shook his head. UNFORTUNATELY, NO RANGER MAY ENTER. THE POWER WOULD OVERWHELM YOU, AND YOU WOULD BE TRAPPED WITHIN THE GRID FOREVER.

Everyone was silent. Then Tanya spoke. "Zordon, what about me?" Everyone turned to look at her. "You said it was the power of the original coins, but I never had a coin, only the Zeo power. Could I get in safely?"

Zordon seemed to consider this. I AM NOT SURE, TANYA. I DO NOT WANT YOU TO RISK YOUR LIFE FOR SOMETHING SO UNCERTAIN.

Tanya turned to her friends and saw the tears shimmering in each of their eyes. Even Rocky, who had seemed so angry at Billy lately, was struggling to hold back his tears. "I want to do it, Zordon. I can help Billy."

Zordon was silent for a long time, looking at Billy's motionless body. Finally, he nodded. MAY THE POWER PROTECT YOU.

* * *
Billy and his mother were shopping in downtown Chicago. "Just like old times, huh Mom?" He skipped merrily along beside her. He couldn't remember the last time he'd skipped. It was nice being a kid again.

"Yes," she laughed. "You want to get some ice cream?" They hurried to the ice cream stand.

* * *
Tanya was standing in a chamber that twinkled with blinking lights and dials. She was morphed for protection, since Zordon had never been inside the grid himself and was unsure of its safety. The other Rangers were outside, watching her.

Alpha waited at a control panel for Zordon's instruction. "Do you remember your instructions, Tanya?" he asked, turning a few dials to prepare her for the trip. "Simply pick one of the Blue petals and teleport out. Do not pick any other petals, it could be disastrous."

She nodded, her heart pounding. "I understand, Alpha." She pushed the button overhead that Alpha had shown her earlier, then looked at her friends and smiled. "Wish me luck!" With another push of a button, she was gone.

* * *
The Rangers were hanging out in the Power Chamber, waiting for something to happen. Tommy was pacing, Rocky was absentmindedly playing with a yo-yo, while Kat and Adam simply sat together in silence. Finally, Zordon spoke. RANGERS, THERE IS NO NEED FOR YOU TO REMAIN HERE. WE WILL CONTACT YOU AS SOON AS THERE IS ANY NEWS.

Kat stood. "He's right. We should go."

The Rangers nodded wordlessly and teleported away.

Kat and Adam surprised each other as they both appeared in front of Billy's house. "What are you doing here?" she burst out.

Adam shrugged. "I don't know."

"I was just going to... look around. The place was pretty messed up last night."

Adam nodded. "I'll help." They knocked on the front door and it opened effortlessly. With some hesitation, they walked in. "Hello?" Adam called. There was no answer. They started upstairs.

"I don't want to see this," Kat said, mostly to herself. They stood in front of Billy's room. The door was partially open, and someone was inside. "Mr. Cranston?"

Kat pushed open the door and was greeted by the sight of Billy's father sitting wordlessly on the bed. He looked up, pained. "He's gone," was all he said.

The room was in the same state it had been the night before. There was glass all over the floor, and the carpet was soaked with blood. Kat winced. "What happened?"

He shook his head. "I don't know. I came home this morning and found..." He gestured to the broken window and the blood-soaked floor. "This."

Tommy teleported into the room as the Red Ranger. Adam and Kat merely stared. Zordon must have been watching in the viewing globe and sent him. Tommy nodded toward them, then turned to face Mr. Cranston, who stood. "Do you know what happened to my son?"

Tommy nodded. "The Machine Empire sent a monster down to Earth last night, and for an unknown reason, it attacked your house. We were able to destroy it, but not before it severely injured Billy."

"How severely?"

Tommy paused, and finally decided that there was no way he could give a straight answer. "He is with us now, and we are trying to find a way to nurse him back to health."

"May I see him?"

Tommy shook his head. "I'm afraid not. But we will let you know as soon as there is any development." With that, he teleported out.

Mr. Cranston sat back down on the bed, defeated. "I should have been home last night. Why did I go out? Why?"

Kat sat down next to him and put an arm around him. "It's not your fault, Mr. Cranston. You could have been hurt, too." She realized suddenly that Adam had disappeared.

* * *
Adam was wandering around Billy's garage, trying to collect his thoughts. He simply wasn't good at facing emotional situations. He had backed out of there almost as soon as Tommy had appeared. The distraction made it easy. He wasn't sure what he was doing here, but he felt more comfortable here than in the room. He sat in Billy's chair. The computer was still on, so he made sure none of the programs were on and then turned it off. _Got to save electricity,_ he found himself thinking. He leaned back in the chair and it fell over. _Oh yeah._ He'd seen Billy do the same thing several times. He actually laughed a little as he picked himself up off the floor. _Maybe when he's better I'll get him a new chair._

His eyes fell on a small scrap of paper on the floor. Curious, he picked it up. It was covered with Billy's small, precise handwriting:

Jester
by B.J. Cranston

You have come to know me,
or what you think is me,
but I am lost beneath this
painted-on smile and this
manufactured face.
My face is wrinkled and torn
and hidden; far from
this facade you have called
by my name.
You think I smile but I do not;
the laughter only masks my tears.

When I fall,
you laugh at me.
And I take a bow.

Adam just stared at the paper, confused. _Billy wrote this?_ He was startled when Kat walked in.

"I thought I'd find you here. What are you doing?"

Adam handed her the poem. "Look at this."

She read it slowly, then looked up. "Do you think he was talking about himself?"

"I don't know. I hope not."

Kat handed the poem back to him and he shoved it in his pocket. "Mr. Cranston wanted to be alone," she explained. "So I came looking for you."

Adam picked the chair off the floor. "So what do we do now?"

Kat shook her head. "I guess we could go to the Juice Bar."

* * *
Tanya landed hard on her bottom and the wind was knocked out of her. When she could breathe again, she stood up and looked around. "Wow," she breathed. "This place looks just like one of Billy's virtual reality games!" She was standing on an actual grid, with small squares everywhere. There were several glowing paths of different colors leading in all directions. "Oh, great. Now where do I go?"

* * *
Billy and his mother had finished their ice creams and were walking home. Billy was lost in thought. His mother noticed his silence and stopped, kneeling down so she could face him. "Honey, what's wrong?"

Billy looked startled. "Nothing. I just... miss my friends, that's all."

His mother smiled and gave him a hug. "I've been watching you all these years. I was happy for you when you finally started to make friends. I understand that you miss them, Billy, but I promise you will see them again."

Billy rested his head on her shoulder. "Tanya was crying when I-- left."

"She had a right to cry. You don't realize what a beautiful person you are, Billy."

Billy giggled, the sound muffled by Rachel Cranston's shoulder. "You have to say that 'cause you're my Mom."

* * *
Tanya sighed as she stood motionless, trying to decipher the maze of pathways. All of the paths were the colors of the power coins. Should she take the Blue path, or the Yellow one? What if neither one led to the core? As if in an answer, the Blue path began to throb with new pulses of light, and the form of a timbre wolf rose up above her. Tanya gasped and backed away, but the wolf simply waited, its silver eyes gentle. Tanya screwed up her courage and spoke. "Hello," she said, feeling slightly stupid for talking to a giant wolf. "I'm Tanya." The wolf was still motionless. "I'm here to help my friend Billy."

The wolf's ears perked up and for a second, Tanya thought it had smiled. _I know,_ said a voice from somewhere inside her head.

Tanya jumped and looked around. "Who said that?!"

The wolf shrunk down to the size of a small German shepherd and nuzzled her leg. _It was me. I did not mean to frighten you._ Tanya knelt down in amazement and patted the wolf gently on the head. It sighed in pleasure. _Ah, that does feel wonderful. But we must be on our way._

"To the core?"

The wolf began to walk along the Blue path. Tanya followed. _Yes. At the core lies the only thing that can save your friend and my charge._

"Your... charge?"

_Yes. I am Billy's guardian. With the power of the Morphing Grid gone, I can no longer physically shield him from harm. I have been with him in spirit only for a long while. Now it is time for me to act once again._ They began what was to be a long walk to the core.

* * *
Adam and Kat walked to the Juice Bar. Once there, they saw their fellow rangers and, surprisingly, Bulk and Skull, all sitting glumly at their table. They exchanged glances and approached. "Hi," said Adam flatly.

Rocky looked up vaguely. "Hi."

"Hi," said Bulk.

"Yeah, hi," said Skull.

"Ditto," sighed Tommy.

Bulk looked haggard. "Did you heard about Billy?"

Kat again decided to feign ignorance. "No, what happened?"

"We saw it on the news. A monster got him!"

"Yeah, a big octopus. They think he's dead," Skull added.

"Who thinks he's dead?"

"The news people. They said there was...." Bulk gulped. "Blood everywhere."

"And glass," agreed Skull.

Adam couldn't help himself. "Why do you guys care?"

Bulk looked up, actually hurt. "Hey, he may have been a geek but he wasn't a bad guy."

"Yeah," Skull added, starting to wail. "He helped me with my math homework!"

* * *
Zordon and Alpha watched the readings from the Morphing Grid carefully. "Ai-yi-yi, Zordon! What was that surge of power?"

I DO NOT KNOW, ALPHA. WE CAN ONLY HOPE THAT TANYA IS SAFE AND HAS BEGUN HER QUEST.

* * *
Tanya and the wolf had been walking together for what seemed like an eternity, and she couldn't see any change in her surroundings. "Wolf, I'm tired and thirsty. Couldn't we rest for just a little while?"

The wolf turned to her and looked apologetic. _I am sorry. I forget that you are only human._ It grew to the size of a large horse and sat down in front of her. _Climb up. You'll ride until we get to the lake._ Tanya climbed up onto the wolf's back and it began to walk again. Tanya nestled into the soft blue fur of its back, and with the soothing wave-like motions it made as it walked, she was soon asleep.

* * *
Tanya awoke suddenly, realizing she was sliding off the wolf's back. She cried out and grabbed onto its fir, causing it to yelp and shake her off. As she landed on her back in a pool of water, the wolf's laughter filled her ears. _I am sorry, I did not mean to startle you._

Tanya stood, dripping wet, and sighed. "It's okay. I'm sorry I pulled your fir."

_Drink. I will gather some food._ The wolf disappeared into the grid. After she had drunk her fill of the clean, cold water, Tanya looked around. The other paths had disappeared, and there was only the Blue. The grid was still there, but now it was covered by a lush grass tinted with blue. Above her there was a sky of the deepest blue she'd ever seen. Even the trees bloomed with Blue flowers. _Billy would love this place,_ she thought to herself. She smiled, thinking of the old pictures Tommy had shown her. Billy always used to wear blue. Overalls, mostly, and he had those huge glasses.... She giggled at the thought of the picture, and then sobered. _He actually looked kinda happy in those pictures, but I've never seen him smile like that. Maybe I never will._ She banished the pessimistic thought from her head and stood up to explore.

* * *
Adam and Kat had joined the group at the table and were sipping on milkshakes. Ernie had the television tuned to the local news.

"Angel Grove is still buzzing over the disappearance of a local teen: William Cranston. The boy was apparently taken from his home by the Power Rangers after being seriously injured by one of King Mondo's monsters.
The boy's father, Hank Cranston, told police that the Power Rangers were attempting to help his son, but that he did not know where they had taken him. The Power Rangers have not commented."

Adam tried ignore the newscaster, but found it hard. He was worried about both Billy and Tanya. The threat of losing her as well was looming, and the thought of this was nearly unbearable.

* * *
Tanya walked up to one of the large Blue trees and stared up at its branches. The flowers seemed to wave at her in the breeze. She reached up and started to pick one of the flowers.

_Don't,_ said a voice suddenly.

Tanya whirled around to find the owner of the voice and saw a beautiful Unicorn with a blue mane and tail and a golden horn standing there. "Oh!" she breathed. It was truly beautiful. She had never seen anything like it. "You're--"

_I am Billy's former guardian. My link to him was cut off when he assumed the power of his rightful guardian, the wolf._

"His rightful guardian?"

_Yes. The wolf is his sacred Animal Spirit, and would be his guardian even if he were not a Power Ranger. The powers of the Morphin Grid appointed my friend the Triceratops, and then me, to care for him until Billy was mature enough to find the wolf on his own. Now I simply live here, watching._

Tanya stared at the Unicorn as it went to the lake and began to drink. After a few moments, it lifted its head. _Have you found your sacred animal yet?_ Tanya shook her head, wide-eyed. The Unicorn nodded. _Then you must be with the wolf._

"How... how did you know?"

_Without an animal spirit to guide you, you would be lost. The wolf took you under his paw until you could find your rightful guide._

"Who?"

The unicorn whinnied and reared up onto its hind legs. _That is not for me to say. You will find your guardian when it is time._ Then, it was gone, and Tanya was left alone with her questions.

When the wolf returned, Tanya was sitting by the lake, staring at her reflection. She seemed deep in thought, and the wolf was reluctant to disturb her, but she had to eat. He quietly approached her and placed the branch of a berry bush at her feet. _Eat this,_ he ordered, nudging her side gently with his nose. She didn't speak, but merely took one of the berries and absentmindedly placed it in her mouth. The wolf was curious. _What is wrong, child?_

Tanya turned to look at him. "Why are you Billy's guardian animal? Who decides? And how do I find mine?"

The wolf smiled. _You've seen the Unicorn. A wise and faithful friend._

"Yes. It told me about the sacred animal spirits, and that you were Billy's."

_I am Billy's animal spirit, yes. But no one decides these things. It is predetermined._

Tanya looked at him, confused. "What do you mean?"

_Eat. I will explain._

***Chicago, Illinois. 1980.*** There is a young boy sitting at a table in a small suburban house. He is approximately two or three years old, and is staring with great intensity at his father's favourite wind-up watch. With a furtive glance over his shoulder, the child takes out the screwdriver he has "borrowed" from his father's toolbox and deftly begins to take the watch apart. In minutes, the watch is in several pieces on the table. The child is wide-eyed, examining the mechanics of the watch: the gears, the arms, the face. _The watch is like a little person,_ he thinks to himself. _It has arms and a face, just like me!_

He giggles delightedly, deciding that someone has to put Humpty-Dumpty back together again, and it might as well be him. Without hesitation, he reverses the steps he had taken to dismantle the watch, and it is whole again. He winds it and checks to make sure it is still functional. Of course, it is. He puts the watch back on his father's night table, the screwdriver in its toolbox, and runs into the backyard to observe the progress of the cocoons in the trees. The only strange thing his father notices later on is that somehow his watch is keeping the wrong time. _Oh well, it must need winding again._

***Chicago, Illinois. 1982.*** The boy is bigger now, and his curiosity phase has passed. He asks questions now. Numerous questions. His parents are unable to keep up with the whirlwind of questions, so they send him to the library. He is able to read much better than most five year olds, and keeps himself occupied for hours at the library. He reads up on plants, animals, machinery, everything his tiny hands can reach on the shelves. When he runs out of things he can reach, he asks the librarian for help. He is there so much that the librarian begins to wonder if he has a home. She asks him one day and he runs out, embarrassed. She feels badly, because he does not return for several days. Finally, she sees him again, on the arm of a pretty young woman. His mother. They sit together in the reading room, and she reads to him about all kinds of things: Physics, Chemistry, Biology, all the sciences. He is quiet, wide-eyed, listening to her. They come every day at exactly five-thirty. The librarian begins to leave books out for them. She knows what they like to read.

***Chicago, Illinois. 1984.*** The boy has grown somewhat awkwardly. He seems constantly in a state of disarray, glasses askew and hair a flyaway mess. But his concentration is unbreakable. His intellect is immeasurable. They have tested him numerous times. The papers have reported on this "Child Prodigy," this "Boy Genius." They think he takes the attention in stride, but both his mother and the librarian notice that he has drawn himself inward. He rarely smiles anymore, and when he does, his once luminous hazel eyes remain dark. It worries them, and they conspire to bring back the shining, happy boy they once knew. His mother takes him on a long trip away from all of the reporters and government testers, to Sea World in Florida. The boy is fascinated by the antics of the animals, and he even learns to communicate with the famous killer whale. When the whale's keepers notice their interaction, they begin pressing him to show them what he and the whale can do. Once again the light goes out of the boy's eyes and his smile disappears. His defeated mother takes him back to Chicago, and he never speaks of his large mammal friend again.

***Chicago, Illinois. 1986.*** The boy and his mother are returning from a shopping trip. He is in a rare good mood, his eyes sparkling as he goes on and on about the new nature store they have just visited. All of the books and chemistry kits! She laughs with him and shares in his excitement. They get ice cream cones and she finishes hers before he does. She decides to go to the convenience store across the street to pick up some wet-naps, because he is covered with melting goo. He agrees to wait for her there and she runs across the street. He stands there happily, obediently licking the melted cream from his hands. She comes out of the store and waves at him. She has the wet-naps. He waves back, spilling more ice cream down his front. She starts to cross the street, and he hears a strange noise coming closer. He looks and sees an out-of-control truck barreling toward the intersection. He drops his ice cream and screams.

***Angel Grove, California. 1987.*** The boy is sitting in his new room, eyes listlessly staring at the empty walls. There are boxes all around him, filled with things that used to be familiar, but now seem like empty, useless containers for something he has lost. He is still young, but as his father stands in the doorway watching him sadly, he seems a stooped old man simply waiting to die. The vision frightens the father and he attempts to speak with the boy, who only shakes his head in response. Finally his father leaves him and the boy is left alone in the empty room again.

***Angel Grove, California. 1990.*** The boy is in the garage, examining his finished lab. He seems pleased, but his father can never tell anymore what is going through the boy's head. He leaves him there, unpacking boxes and straightening. When he returns to check on him hours later, the boy is still here, hunched over a flickering computer screen, the greenish light that plays over his face the only light in the room. His father turns on the lights but is quickly scolded by the boy, so he turns them off again. He leaves his son alone to experiment. It is much easier than dealing with him on a personal level.

***Angel Grove, California. 1992.*** The boy is in his new high school, and to his father's relief, seems to have made some friends. They come over sometimes and "hang out" in the lab. He still has not seen the boy laugh like he used to, but at least now he has something to occupy him other than his books and experiments. He wonders why he can still hear the boy crying sometimes late at night.

***Angel Grove, California. 1994.*** The boy has encouraged his friend Tommy to run for class president. Deep down, he wants to run himself, but he is afraid of the smirks and whispers he will surely face if he tries. He offers to be Tommy's campaign manager. At least this way, he will finally win something. Then Kimberly decides to run as well. He tries to be happy for her when she runs and subsequently wins, but deep inside him, something else dies. He can't even win when he doesn't compete. That night the boy cannot sleep and he goes down to his lab. He turns on the computer and sits there, a strange energy that he does not understand running through him. His hands move to the keyboard and begin to type, and when the trance is over he stares in amazement at what he has written.

Jester
by B.J. Cranston

You have come to know me,
or what you think is me,
but I am lost beneath this
painted-on smile and this
manufactured face.
My face is wrinkled and torn
and hidden; far from
this facade you have called
by my name.
You think I smile but I do not;
the laughter only masks my tears.

When I fall,
you laugh at me.
And I take a bow.

The words are his but not his, he can't remember why he would have written it, or why it has flowed from him with such urgency. He deletes the poem and runs back up to the soft comfort of his bed. When he awakens in the morning, the poem is there at his bedside, handwritten. He shoves it deep inside a box in his lab and tries to forget about it, but he cannot.

***Angel Grove, California. 1996.*** The boy is watching as his friends get their new powers. His conflicting emotions are tearing at him. He knows he should be happy, but he is not. He wants to run away and hide in his lab as he used to when he was a child, but he refrains. He does not speak as he feels yet another part of him die inside.

* * *
Tanya felt tears flowing down her face as the visions faded away. "Poor Billy," she managed. "I never knew."

_He wanted it that way, child. He is a silent sufferer, a loner._

"But don't wolves travel in packs?" Tanya sniffled.

The wolf smiled sadly at her. _This young pup has lost his pack. He cannot see it, even though his companions are all around him._

Tanya stared down into the lake. _What am I? Where do I fit in?_ She got no answer but the rippling of her reflection as the wind picked up through the trees.

* * *
Tanya had and wolf had left the lakeside and moved on. She was deep in thought, reflecting back on Billy's life, and on her own. _What guides me in my decisions?_ She wondered. _And how do I figure it out?_ She liked to think she had been pretty happy growing up. Her past was a bit confused because of the link with Aisha and the Zeo Crystal, but she did remember living in Kenya, and traveling with her parents. She remembered the pain of finding out that her parents had disappeared, and the joy when she switched places with Aisha and found them alive and well here in Angel Grove. She had two different pasts, neither of which were very clear, and could not watch herself closely enough to find any kind of guide, much less an animal one. She sighed to herself angrily and the wolf noticed her distress.

_Do not trouble yourself looking for your guide,_ he advised. _Merely be ready when your time comes._

"But I don't understand!"

_You don't have to._ They continued moving forward in silence.

* * *
King Mondo and Machina were dancing around their castle with glee. "We've done it, my darling!" Machina was saying. "Not only have we rid ourselves of that annoying Billy person, but the Yellow Ranger has disappeared as well!"

"Yes, my dear," agreed King Mondo. "Now is the perfect time to send one of our worst monsters ever down to Angel Grove. The Rangers will be helpless against us!"

"Hey, Daddy-o," put in Prince Sprocket excitedly. "I have an idea!"

Machina turned to her only child and smiled. "Yes, Sprocket, what is it?"

"We could turn Billy's computer into a monster! The Rangers won't want to destroy it!"

"Sprocket, sweetie, you're brilliant!"

"He takes after his father," said King Mondo proudly.

* * *
Rocky and Adam were sitting in silence at a table in the Juice Bar. Kat and Tommy had left a long time before, both of them saying their parents would be worried. Rocky's parents were out of town, and he had no desire to go home anyway. Adam had stayed simply because he didn't want to deal with his mother. She would have heard about Billy by now and would probably be hysterical. He didn't think he could deal with any more tears.

Rocky looked at his watch/communicator and sighed. "I wonder what Tanya's doing now," he said. "She's been gone a while."

Adam looked up at him. "She's probably fine. The grid is most likely pretty big."

"I guess. I wish we could have all gone."

Adam shook his head. "Yeah, and no one would wonder why all of us had suddenly disappeared? It's best that it was only one of us."

"Yeah, I know you're right. I just hate waiting like this."

Adam felt a flash of anger. "What do you care? It's not like you and Billy were friends anyway."

Rocky's mouth fell open. "I--" he stopped. He'd been about to deny it, but realized that Adam was right. He looked down at his hands. "I know."

Adam immediately felt bad. He'd never seen Rocky look so upset before. "Rocky, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have said that."

"No, you're right. I wasn't very nice to him, was I?"

"He wasn't very nice to you, either."

Rocky shook his head. "It was my fault. I was... I was jealous of him."

Adam was taken aback. "Jealous? Why?"

Rocky blushed. "Because he.... I used to be your best friend. And then he came along and...."

Adam's mouth fell open. _So that's what's been wrong with him!_

Rocky was still looking down at his hands, avoiding looking Adam in the eyes. "You used to tell me stuff, but then it was always Billy. I never knew what was up with you anymore."

Adam sighed. "You weren't exactly easy to talk to, Rocky. You never understood what I was trying to say."

"I tried, didn't I? I never told anyone or--"

"No, but you never helped me either. Look, it's not your fault. It's just that Billy had a lot of the same problems I did. He knew what I was talking about, and he gave good advice. You mostly told me to eat something."

Rocky smiled a little. "Yeah. Ice cream is the cure-all of the century."

Adam shook his head. "No, it's not. But I always appreciated the sentiment." Rocky abruptly stood and started to walk away. "Where are you going?"

"I don't know. Wherever."

"Rocky, come on, don't be mad. I just--" he was interrupted by the chime of his communicator. The two of them hurried to a dark corner of the Juice Bar and Adam answered, "Yes, Zordon? Is Billy--?"

NO, ADAM, I'M AFRAID NOT. KING MONDO HAS SENT ANOTHER MONSTER TO ATTACK ANGEL GROVE.

"Not now," Rocky burst out, slamming his fist against a locker. "Why now!"

"Ai-yi-yi. King Mondo wanted to take advantage of our distraction. You and Adam must morph to the park and take care of the Mac-Master."

"Mac-Master?" Adam placed a calming hand on Rocky's shoulder.

MONDO USED BILLY'S COMPUTER TO CREATE THIS MONSTER. HE IS COUNTING ON YOUR SENTIMENTS GETTING IN THE WAY OF YOUR DUTIES.

"We won't let that happen, Zordon." Adam turned to Rocky, who was still too angry to talk. "You ready?" Rocky nodded.

"Zeo Ranger III, Blue!"

"Zeo Ranger IV, Green!"

They appeared in the park, and Tommy and Kat joined them a few seconds later. The Mac-Master faced them and laughed. "Salutations, Rangers," it said in a voice remarkably like Billy's. "Prepare to face annihilation at the hands of the Mac-Master!"

"No, way, Mac-Master!" shouted Tommy, shaking his fist at the monster. "We're gonna shut you down!"

"Not if I infect you with my killer virus first!" The monster shot four tiny disks out of the tips of its fingers, and there were explosions all around the rangers.

Adam started to feel dizzy. "The what--? Mean I--? Huh?"

The monster was laughing hysterically. "Are you enjoying my scrambling virus, Rangers!?!"

"Scrambling text Billy's it's program!" shouted Tommy. "Up mixing it's us!"

Adam tried to keep his thoughts together. "Reverse there's to password a Tommy it! The need we password!"

Rocky stood up and tried to run toward the monster, but his balance was off. He ran into a tree. "Hey! Tree how here get this did?" The monster grabbed Rocky and slammed his head into the tree repeatedly. Rocky tried to break free but was unable. "Go let!" he shouted, but the Mac-Master only laughed.

Adam was wracking his brain trying to think of the password. Billy had shown it to him once, but he'd forgotten it. It hadn't seemed important. _On Adam come,_ he thought. _Think!_ He realized suddenly that as long as they used only one word sentences, they could get around the scrambling program. "Tommy!" he shouted. "Use! One! Word! Sentences!"

Tommy nodded. "Got! It!"

Adam took a careful step toward Rocky and the monster. As long as he took it slow.... Rocky was weakening fast. He didn't have much time. Right foot. Left foot. Rocky had stopped struggling. Right foot. Left foot. He sensed someone beside him. It was Tommy. "Adam." Tommy said quietly. "Must. Help. Rocky. How. Cure. Virus?"

"Password. Can't. Think. Of. Password."

Tommy stopped him. "I'll. Help. Rocky. You. Think."

Adam nodded and concentrated, but even his thoughts were scrambled. The monster was concentrating completely on Rocky, assuming that its scrambling program had gotten the better of them, but Adam knew he still had to hurry. Rocky wasn't looking too good. He thought about the day in the lab that Billy had shown him the program. It was an original invention of Billy's, and one that he'd been pretty proud of. It was after Ninjor, before the whole Zeo crystal fiasco. Something clicked in Adam's brain. _Wolf something a about!_ It wasn't wolf. That was too easy. Billy had something a little more complicated. "Timbre Blue!" He shouted. He shook his head. _Slowly!_ "Blue! Timbre!" All of a sudden, he could see straight again. The monster had dropped Rocky and was writhing around, sparks shooting out of its body.

Rocky stumbled away from the tree and fell to the ground. Kat was suddenly there, taking the monster out with a whirlwind of punches and kicks. Adam joined in, hoping to finish it off before Klank and Orbus showed up and made it grow. No such luck.

The Mac-Master laughed as his strength was renewed ten-fold. "I am completely operational and all my systems are functioning perfectly," he said, sneering down at them. "What do you think of THAT?!?"

"We need the Zeozords, now," shouted Tommy.

Alpha's voice came over the communicators. "Ai-yi-yi. We're still trying to get Tanya's Zord to respond to commands. We need more time!"

* * *
Tommy swore as the Mac-Master's foot came down, narrowly missing him. "Now what, Adam?!"

_How do I know?_ Adam's head was swimming. _What else can I do?_ He remembered Billy's virtual memory program. Maybe turning that off would shrink the monster down to size. But how to do it?

He jumped aside as the Mac-Master tried to stomp him. "Ha-ha! Green Ranger, I am going to turn you into green mush!" The large foot came down again and Adam narrowly missed a very messy demise.

_Why is this thing targeting ME? I must know a way to stop it!_ Then he remembered. Billy had a remote control. Adam teleported away from the battle just before the Mac-Master's foot came down on his head. He tore apart Billy's lab, frantically searching for the remote. _Where are you, come on!_ Finally, he saw it sticking out of the toolbox, and he teleported with it back to the battle.

"Hey, Mac-Master!" he shouted, pointing the remote at the thing. "Shutdown time!" He pushed the orange button.

"Nooooooo!" The Mac-Master shrunk down to its original size and began to sizzle.

Adam smiled and poised his finger over the red button. The monster looked at him fearfully. "Do you know what this button does," he said mischievously.

The monster shook its head.

"Too bad," said Adam, stabbing the button. The monster exploded into flames, and when the smoke cleared, Billy's computer sat there, unhurt.

* * *
Mondo was pacing back and forth across his castle. "This is all your fault, Klank!"

"But yiur Majesty, it was Sprocket's idea," protested the hapless Klank.

"I don't want to hear it! You will pay for your failure!"

Klank sighed and bowed to his master. "Yes, yiur Majesty."

* * *
Tommy and Kat ran up to Adam, congratulating him. "Good job, Adam! How did you do that?" Kat gave him a big hug.

Adam blushed, embarrassed by the attention. "Well, Zordon said Mondo used Billy's computer, so I figured we could use that to our advantage."

"All right! Way to go!" Tommy slapped him on the back. "We'd better go see if Rocko's okay." Rocky was leaning up against the tree, holding his head in his hands.

The other Rangers ran over to him, grabbing his arms to help him stand. "Rocky, are you okay?" Kat noticed how much trouble it was for Rocky to remain standing.

Rocky shook his head, and would have fallen to the ground if Tommy hadn't caught him. "We'd better get him to the Power Chamber," ordered Tommy.

Adam nodded. "I'll meet you there after I put Billy's computer away."

* * *
Tommy and Kat appeared in the Power Chamber, supporting Rocky between them. Alpha had already prepared a cot for him, and they gently laid Rocky down on it. He moaned softly but didn't move. "Zordon," said Tommy urgently, "Rocky got hurt pretty bad. The monster--"

YES, TOMMY, Zordon interrupted. WE WERE WATCHING THE BATTLE ON THE VIEWING SCREEN. ALPHA, SCAN ROCKY TO DISCOVER THE SCOPE OF HIS INJURIES.

Alpha held something that looked like a television remote control. He waved it over Rocky's body and he instantly unmorphed. The Rangers were shocked to see his collar soaked with blood. "Ai-yi-yi!" shrieked Alpha. "Rocky has a very serious head injury, Zordon. He needs immediate medical attention!"

Just then, Adam teleported into the Power Chamber. He was greeted with a flurry of activity. ADAM, Zordon boomed, WE MUST GET ROCKY TO A HOSPITAL AS SOON AS POSSIBLE. I HAVE ASKED TOMMY TO TAKE HIM THERE, AND I WOULD LIKE YOU AND KAT TO ACCOMPANY HIM.

"Right, Zordon." Tommy picked Rocky up and the three of them teleported out.

* * *
Every mouth in the hospital waiting room fell open when three Power Rangers suddenly appeared, the red one holding an unconscious boy in his arms. "He's been hurt," said Red, hurrying up to the front desk. "He was in the park when a monster attacked."

"He's got a pretty bad head injury," added Pink. Green just nodded.

The boy was quickly taken into the nearest examination room, as Green did his best to avoid answering the nurse's questions. "Name?"

"Not sure. It might be Rocky."

"Age?"

"Probably about seventeen. Look, I've got to go. Just take care of him, all right?" Green teleported away.

* * *
Tanya and the wolf had taken another break. There was no lake this time, but the grass was thick and the breeze cool, so Tanya lay down, snuggling up against the warm, soft body of the wolf. She fell asleep and began to dream. She was running through the plains, surrounded by the others in her herd. They made almost no sound as they ran, their brown bodies glistening in the sun. Her mate ran next to her, and he nudged her lovingly with his long horns. They sprinted forward together, basking in the heat of the Africa sun.

Tanya awoke with a gasp and sat up. "Gazelle!" Then her world filled with golden-yellow light.

* * *
Adam sat in the hospital waiting room, sandwiched between a nervous Tommy and Kat. Rocky's mother was across from them, her head resting in her hands.

_I don't belong here,_ Adam thought to himself. _I've hurt Rocky so badly. I shouldn't have said what I did._ He sighed and Katherine put an arm around him.

"Don't worry, Adam," she said. "I'm sure Rocky will be fine."

Adam just nodded, not bothering to correct her on the reason for his distress. It had been over an hour since they'd brought Rocky in, and they hadn't heard anything. Tommy had said about a half hour ago that that was probably a good thing. At least Rocky wasn't dead, right? Adam had just remained silent. He wasn't expecting Rocky to be dead, and Tommy had just opened up a whole new can of worms for him.

After what seemed like another hour, but was really only twelve minutes, a doctor came out of the swinging doors and approached Rocky's mother. They began speaking in hushed tones, ignoring the three kids huddled just a few feet away. "What are they saying?" Tommy whispered hoarsely. "I can't hear!"

"I don't know," said Kat, straining forward. "They'll tell us when they're done."

"I can't wait that long." Tommy stood and approached the adults. "Excuse me, but we'd like to know if Rocky's going to be okay."

The doctor turned around and the group saw with relief that he was smiling, as was Mrs. DeSantos. "He's going to be fine, kids. He's just got a bit of a concussion."

"Yes!" Tommy couldn't contain himself. He and Kat hugged fiercely. Adam just smiled slightly, remaining seated. Though the enormous weight on his heart had lifted somewhat, he still didn't feel like celebrating.

* * *
Tanya was surrounded by a golden warmth. From somewhere in the distance, she could here the wolf's voice: _Tanya, you have discovered your spirit animal, the gazelle. Go with her now, and she will lead you to your destination. Do not be surprised if your journey does not end with Billy's revival. May the power protect you._ Then the voice, and the yellow light were gone. Tanya found herself sitting up in the field, but the wolf was gone. In his place, there was a golden-brown gazelle, staring down at her with large, gentle eyes.

"Oh!" Tanya jumped to her feet.

_Hello Tanya,_ said the gazelle. _Do not be afraid. I am here to help you._

Tanya nodded and tentatively petted the gazelle's smooth forehead.

She closed her eyes and nuzzled Tanya's face in response. _We must go, Tanya. Time is growing short._

They began the now-short trek toward the center of the grid.

* * *
Adam was sitting next to Rocky's hospital bed, watching his old friend sleep. Tommy, Kat, and the DeSantos clan had gone out for dinner, but he had declined to join them. He really needed to think. He was doing just that when Rocky's eyes slowly opened. "Adam? Is that you?"

Adam snapped to attention and grabbed Rocky's hand. "Rocky! You're awake!"

Rocky smiled wearily. "Yeah, I guess so. Did I miss anything important?"

"You mean... about Billy?" Rocky nodded hopefully. "No. We haven't heard anything yet."

Rocky turned his head away. "I'm sorry. I know you're worried about him...."

Adam just stared at Rocky. "I thought you were too?"

"Of course I am. It's just that... I know how close you two are...."

Adam immediately felt guilty. Rocky wasn't even looking at him as he spoke. "I know. I'm sorry."

Rocky sighed a little.

"Look, Rocky, it's not that you're not a great friend...."

"Forget it, Adam. It's okay. I understand."

"No, you don't. Let me finish," Adam said firmly. Rocky waited. "You've been my best friend for as long as I can remember. No matter what happened, you were there for me. I appreciate that."

"But?"

"But... Billy understands me better than anyone else I've ever known. He and I are so much alike.... When I used to try to tell you how I was feeling, you'd just get this blank look on your face. I know you tried, but--"

"Why would you want to be friends with a dolt like me when you can hang out with a genius like Billy, right," Rocky interrupted angrily. "I'm not stupid, Adam--"

"I never said you were!"

"You don't have to. You all laugh at me. 'See how slow Rocky is. We'd better talk reeeal slow to make sure he'll understand.'"

Adam was shocked. "Rocky, we don't think you're stupid! Look, just listen, okay? It's not Billy's intelligence, it's his... experience. He's busy working through the same stuff that I am, and we help each other out. Yours is a different kind of friendship."

"Yeah, a nonexistent one."

"No. Rocky, you are the most loyal, trusting person I have ever known. If someone hurts your friends, you're there right away. And you always give everyone the benefit of the doubt, even when the rest of us have given up. I respect that."

Rocky looked at him incredulously. "You do?"

"Yes! If I ever need cheering up, I go to you, not Billy. He thinks you're a bit naive, I'll admit, but that doesn't have to be a bad thing. He can be full of gloom and doom sometimes, but not you. Your answer to everything is ice cream."

Rocky smiled a little. "Yeah, we've been through that already."

Adam smiled back. "Look, I got really scared when that computer monster got you. I don't know what I would have done if you--"

"Don't." Rocky stopped him quickly. "Don't even say it."

"You see? I don't think you have a negative thought in your head right now, do you?"

Rocky thought for a moment. "Actually, no."

Adam laughed. "So are we okay now?"

"On one condition."

"What? Anything."

You smuggle in some ice cream."

* * *
Tanya stared at the entrance to the small cave. "Is this it?" she whispered in awe.

The gazelle nodded. _Within this cave is the very center of the Morphing Grid. It is there that you will find the key to saving your friend._

"Aren't you coming with me?"

_I cannot accompany you physically on this journey, child. But I will always be with you in spirit, to guide you._

Tanya nodded determinedly. "I understand."

_Go,_ said the gazelle. _And may the power protect you._ The gazelle disappeared into a swirl of light that became a sparkling golden ball of energy, hovering over Tanya's head. Just as suddenly, the ball of light shot toward her and buried itself deep in her heart. Tanya gasped, feeling the warmth of the gazelle's love flow through her body. She looked to the cave and saw a faint Blue glow beckoning to her. She followed it.

* * *
Tanya followed the Blue. It had been growing brighter for quite some time, but the cave walls looked exactly the same as they had hours ago. She was starting to grow weary, but forced herself to go on. _For Billy's sake,_ she told herself. She massaged her sore feet and continued. Suddenly the cave walls expanded before her and she was momentarily blinded by light. Her hands flew to her eyes and she tried to blink away the colorful dots that surrounded her.

When she could see again, she marveled at what was before her. A tiny flower sat alone on a stone pedestal, glowing with brilliant light. It stood tall, with multicolored flowers just as Zordon had described. Some red, some black, some green, some yellow, some pink, and some blue. She stepped closer; something was pulling her toward it. A single shining blue petal waved at her, straining away from the flower. "Billy," she whispered, and reached for it.

The second Tanya's fingers touched the petal, she felt the unmistakable pull of teletransport. She found herself in an unfamiliar city, unmorphed, staring down at a sad-eyed woman holding a tiny bespectacled boy tightly in her arms. "Billy?" she whispered.

The boy turned around. "Tanya?" The little boy shrank back into his mother's arms, his voice choked with tears. "I don't want to go."

The woman held him close. "Billy, your friends need you back in Angel Grove. Tanya has come a long way to help you."

He shook his head, tears flowing. "No! I know they need me, but I need you!"

"Sweetie, you'll see me again. I never left you."

Tanya's throat closed up as she watched. She felt the first tears begin to flow down her cheeks. "Billy," she managed, "I know you've missed your mother. I saw... the wolf showed me."

The boy looked at her wide-eyed. "The wolf? You were with him?"

"Yes. He helped me find my own spirit animal, the gazelle, and she led me to you. He wants you to come back."

Little Billy looked at his mother, who was smiling sadly at him. Then he looked at Tanya and remembered seeing her above him in the Power Chamber, these same tears flowing from her eyes. "I--" He felt as though he was being torn in half.

Tanya reached out a hand, smiling through her tears. "Come with me."

Billy looked at his mother one last time and placed his hand in Tanya's.

* * *
Billy's motionless body came to life all at once. The Power Chamber was filled momentarily with the Blue light that shot from his eyes as he opened them, and the glass coffin around him burst outward. He gasped out loud, and tears began to fall from his eyes. He reached out a hand....

And Tanya was there, her hand open and ready for his. A small, withered blue petal fell from it and floated slowly to the Power Chamber floor. Alpha 5 noted with amazement that it was streaked with faded yellow.

* * *
Billy heard his father talking to someone downstairs. He smiled and sighed. _Another visitor, I suppose._ He was weary, and a bit tired of the small talk and tears, but was amazed at the sheer number of well-wishers who had visited him since his return. The visitors that surprised him the most had been Bulk and Skull, who slunk into the room and sputtered a bit, looking down at the floor. Then Skull had burst into tears and grabbed him in a bear hug. Even Bulk looked a little choked up.

He chuckled a little at the memory, then realized that his new visitor was right outside the door. He could hear his father's low whisper. "...still needs his rest, but he's perfectly willing to talk..." There was a knock, and Billy called for them to come in. Tanya stood there, holding a small vase of flowers.

"Hi, Billy," she smiled broadly. "How are you?"

He pushed himself up on one elbow and smiled back. "Hi. I'm great. Are those for me?"

The vase was a beautiful royal blue, and looked like hand-shaped ceramic. At the neck was a ring of sculpted purple irises, the kind with the yellow-and-white center. The flowers were gorgeous, too. An arrangement of white lilies, purple irises, and violets. Tanya looked down at the vase proudly. "Yes. I thought you'd like it."

"I do," he breathed as she came closer and handed it to him. "Did you make this?"

She laughed. "I wish! I bought the vase, but I did arrange the flowers. It's a hobby of mine."

Hank Cranston spoke quickly. "I'll leave you two alone. I've left the roast in the oven."

Billy smiled at the door as it closed behind his father. "You see where I get my forgetfulness from?"

Tanya giggled and took his hand. "I'm so glad you're all right," she said sincerely. "For a while there...."

He smiled again, but this time he looked sad. "Yes, I remember."

"It was hard leaving her, wasn't it?"

He nodded. "I finally got to see her again, and then...." He looked to Tanya again. "But it's okay. It's nice to be back among the living."

Thoughtful, Tanya looked out of his window. "I feel like I understand you so much better, Billy. The wolf, he showed me a lot of your life. You've had a pretty hard time."

"I guess." He shrugged.

"You never said anything to us. Why?" Billy didn't answer. "He is a silent sufferer, a loner," quoted Tanya. "The wolf said that."

"About me?"

"Yes. But you don't have to be silent, Billy. You don't have to be alone."

He looked at her tearfully. "I know."

* * *
Billy was lying awake, staring up at his ceiling. Tanya had gone hours before, and he had been unable to stop thinking about what she'd said. _You don't have to be silent... alone._ Her words floated through his head, repeating over and over. He knew in his heart that she was right, but--

There was a tapping on his window. He looked over, startled and slightly frightened. "Rocky?!" He jumped to his feet without much grace and opened the window. "Rocky, what are you doing here?"

Rocky climbed in through the open window and quickly guided him back to his bed. "Shhh! I snuck out."

"But you're supposed to be home in bed!"

"I know. I got bored."

"But you could have been killed! If you'd fallen--"

"I didn't fall, Billy. Come on, this is me you're talking about!"

Billy just stared. _Unbelievable!_ He realized without surprise that his antagonistic feelings toward Rocky had completely disappeared. "So... what are you doing here?"

Rocky grinned broadly. "I haven't seen you since... you know. I wanted to make sure you were okay. Adam said you were, but I wanted to see for myself."

"Oh."

"And I wanted to talk to you."

"You did?"

Rocky fidgeted. "Yeah. You see, I wasn't exactly nice to you before. .. and I wanted to explain."

"Rocky, you don't--"

"Yes I do. I was jealous because Adam said you were his best friend and I thought I was his best friend and I thought you were taking my place and stealing all my friends." The words came out in a rush.

Billy stared at him, wide-eyed. "Really? I thought you were just mad at me because I was mad at you!"

Rocky blinked. "I thought you were mad at me because I was mad at you! What were you mad at?"

Billy bit his lip. "Well... I was mad because you took my ranger color ."

Rocky gaped. "But you gave it to me! I mean, to Tanya, but I--"

"I know," Billy interrupted. "It was pretty irrational. But I felt.. . left out. I couldn't put on a blue shirt without feeling... uncomfortable."

"Is that why you stopped wearing blue?" Billy nodded. "Can I have your clothes?" Rocky threw his hands up to protect himself as Billy swatted him with a pillow. "Hey! Watch the face!"

* * *
The Zeo Rangers and Billy were finally together again. Ernie had thrown a surprise welcome home party for Billy at the Juice Bar, and they were all gathered there, slurping on free Frostees. The party had broken apart not too long before, but the teens stayed behind, enjoying one another's company. Ernie stood behind the bar watching them as he cleaned the glasses. He smiled to himself, grateful that the Power Rangers had returned Billy home safely. _He's such a sweet kid,_ he thought to himself. _He'll go far._ He smiled again as the small table exploded into laughter.

Rocky grinned as the others enjoyed his joke, but his smile faded when he noticed Billy hadn't joined in their laughter. "What?" he said mock-angrily. "You didn't think it was funny?"

Billy jumped a little. "What? Oh, I'm sorry. I wasn't listening."

The others looked at him curiously. "What's wrong, Billy?" Kat asked, noticing the sad look in his eyes.

Billy sighed and stared down into his empty cup. "This isn't easy...."

Tommy shot Adam a look, immediately concerned. "What is it, Billy?"

Billy looked up at him, his eyes moist. "I'm leaving Angel Grove."

"What?" Kat gasped and stared at him, wide-eyed. "Why?"

"I have to... figure out where I'm going. The experience of the past weeks has made me realize that... all these years I've been running away from something. I don't know what it is, but I can't move forward unless I go back."

"I... I don't understand." Kat was starting to cry a little. The mood at the table had sobered tenfold.

"It was something Tanya said," Billy explained. "She said--"

"You don't have to be silent," Tanya whispered, tears welling up in her eyes.

Billy's eyes met hers, and he finished with her. "You don't have to be alone." He looked around at all of his friends. "I know I'm not alone. I have you guys, and you have always been there for me no matter what. But there has always been someone missing, and I only recently figured out who it was."

"Your mother?" Adam's voice was quiet, confused.

Billy shook his head. "No. Me." They just stared, eyes blank. "I don't know who I am anymore. I looked back at everything and I couldn't find where I belong. Am I just 'the boy genius', or 'the child prodigy' they always write about in the magazines? Or is there something else here? That's what I have to find out. I left something behind a long time ago, and now I have to get it back. I can't be happy without it," he said simply.

His friends stared down into their Frostees silently. Only Kat spoke. "Billy," her voice was choked with tears. "We only just got you back. Do we have to lose you again?"

Billy smiled sadly. "You're not losing me, Kat. At least you'll know I'm all right,"

Tommy spoke seriously. "Will you keep in touch?"

Billy shook his head. "I don't know... if I can."

Tanya let out a muffled sob and Adam put his arm around her comfortingly.

Ernie came over to the table and was shocked to see all the tears. "What's going on?"

"Billy's leaving us," said Rocky dully.

"Leaving?" Ernie turned to Billy. "What do you mean?"

Billy sighed. "I can't explain it, Ernie. I just... have to go. It's not now, guys," he tried. "I won't leave until I've finished things up here. I have to find a place to live, get a plane ticket...." He stopped, seeing that it wasn't working.

"You have to write, Billy," said Adam softly. "You know that."

"I know, Adam. I just..." he sighed. "If I hang on to you too tight--"

"We'll only hold you back," Tanya finished. "He's right, guys. What he's trying to find is beyond us. The only way we can help him is by leaving him alone."

Billy looked at her gratefully, and then looked at all of his friends in turn. "I know you don't understand," he said, "But you will. I'll miss you, and I'll never stop thinking about you. You have to know that I love you all...." His voice trailed off. "I have to go." He stood abruptly and hurried from the room.

Tanya stared after him, a sad smile on her face. "I think that's the first time he's ever said that," she remarked.

"What?" Ernie asked from somewhere behind her.

"I love you."

* * *
Billy was standing alone in front of the gate to his plane. It was almost time to board, and he could feel the butterflies waking up in his stomach. _This is it. I'm leaving Angel Grove._ He hadn't seen his friends since that night in the Juice Bar. He guessed that they were still angry with him, and were avoiding him. He couldn't understand Tanya's absence, but chalked it up to group loyalty and tried to ignore the pain in his heart. He was just about to board when he heard a familiar voice behind him.

"Billy! Wait!" He whirled around and saw Tommy, Kat, Rocky, Adam, and Tanya running toward him.

"Guys!" He dropped his bags and opened his arms for them. People watched curiously as the biggest group hug in history finally broke up. Billy felt tears flowing down his cheeks. "I thought you weren't coming. I thought--"

"Aw, we could never let ya leave without saying goodbye," Rocky said, punching his arm good-naturedly. "Whaddaya think, we're lousy friends?"

Billy laughed and hugged him. "Never. What took you so long?"

Tommy answered for him. "We needed some time to think. To figure it out."

"Have you?"

Tommy shook his head. "No. But we don't really need to."

Billy grinned and glanced back toward the stewardess, who was watching him impatiently. "I've got to go," he said slowly.

The group nodded. "We're gonna miss you," said Kat.

"More than you know," Adam added sadly.

Billy looked down at the floor. "Me too." He picked up his bags and turned to leave. Just before he disappeared into the doors, he dropped his bags and ran back, grabbing Adam's hand and placing something in it. "Don't forget me," he said, and then he was gone.

Adam opened his hand and fresh tears began to fall when he saw Billy's communicator lying limp in his hand.

Epilogue Tommy walked into Jane's Italian Bistro and saw all of his old friends sitting at a table in the back or the restaurant. "I'm with them," he told the host, who waved him in. "Hi, guys," he called as he approached.

Adam stood and shook his hand. "It's about time you got here,Tommy!" The others nodded their agreement.

"You have some nerve showing up late to your own meeting," teased Trini.

Tommy was immediately confused. "My meeting? But Jason, you asked me to come!"

Now it was Jason's turn to be confused. "What? We all got letters from you saying to meet here!"

"I didn't send any letters! I got a letter from you!" Tommy sat down heavily. "You didn't send the letter?" Jason shook his head.

"You didn't send our letters?" Aisha looked around at her friends.

"So who did?" Kim put down her glass of water.

"I did," said a soft voice from the next booth.

They all whirled around as a smiling head poked up over the edge of the booth. "Hi."

"Billy!" Kat jumped to her feet and ran to him, grabbing him in a hug as the other restaurant patrons watched curiously.

Billy laughed and hugged her back. "It's good to see you, too. All of you." The group gathered around him, each taking their turn for hugs and handshakes. Tanya was last, and she held onto him extra long. "I knew you'd come back someday," she whispered in his ear.

He took his seat at the edge of the booth and once they were all seated, he spoke. "I know it was a dirty trick, bringing you all here under this pretense, but I wanted to surprise you."

"You did, you did!" exclaimed Zack.

Billy laughed, a fuller, more genuine laugh than any of the group had ever heard before. "Good," he said. "We have a lot to catch up on. I hope none of you ate before coming here. I've arranged for a seven course meal."

Rocky gulped. "Seven courses?"

Billy winked at him. "Can you handle it?"

"You know it!" The group laughed at Rocky's excited expression. He hadn't changed a bit.

"So what have you been doing?" asked Kimberly.

"Yeah, we never heard from you," said Kat accusingly.

"I know. I warned you I might not be able to keep in touch."

"Well? Talk!" demanded Jason, crossing his arms.

"Always the leader, eh, Jason?" Billy laughed. "Very well. All will be explained. You don't have to worry about catching me up, though. I already know what you've been up to."

"What?" Adam sounded shocked

"I kept tabs on you guys," explained Billy. "It wasn't all that hard. I know what colleges you went to, where you had your first jobs, when you got your first raises... everything."

"How?" Aisha was incredulous.

"You wouldn't believe the kinds of things on the internet these days," Billy said evasively. "Anyway, now I'm going to catch you up on me." The breadsticks came and the group settled down to listen....

*** "When I got on that plane, I realized that I was starting a whole new life. I was leaving everything I knew and loved behind. I think I cried nonstop for three weeks. When I finally stopped crying, I realized I was in Chicago, staying in an apartment two blocks from where my Mom was killed. I had enough savings to last on my own for about four months, after which I would be evicted and starve to death out on the streets. Needless to say, I had to find a job.

"I sent my resume to several firms downtown, and immediately was bombarded with offers. People remembered my name from the 'child prodigy' days. Of course, this didn't please me at all. If I took any of those jobs, I would be walking into exactly what I was trying to escape. I turned them all down and took a job at a local McDonalds.

"Five months and countless french fries later, I knew I had to move on. My brain had gone numb, and I was unable to calculate change without looking at the cash register for approval. I quit, against the wishes of my manager, and moved on. This time, I looked for something a bit more challenging, but it had to be someplace where they wouldn't recognize my name. This turned out to be a position as a receptionist at a suburban elementary school.

"I commuted to Aurora to work during the weekdays, and at nights and on weekends, I would haunt downtown Chicago, always within three blocks of that... place. But I could never bring myself to go there. To stand at that spot and remember.

"I finally did it on a warm Saturday afternoon. I had been walking, in deep thought, and stopped into a convenience store. You can imagine my shock when I looked out the window and realized I was directly in front of the spot where she'd died. I walked out of the store in a daze, right out into the middle of the street. I vaguely heard the brakes of cars screeching, but I didn't care. Soon, I was standing on the spot. I was staring at the ground when these dark spots appeared and started spreading all around me. I knelt down and touched my finger to one of the spots, and it came away bloody. I started screaming mindlessly and the men in white coats came to take me away. Literally. They were actually wearing white coats.

"I was in the hospital for a while, four months, I think. They tried to keep me from seeing the articles, but my fellow inmates would sneak them in. 'Boy Genius Finally Snaps,' one of them said. Another good one was 'Child-Prodigy Becomes Basket-Case.' They had pictures of me from the old articles when I was little, and some more recent pictures, like the one they took at the school. Of course, I lost that job, but that's not important.

"By the time I got out, I was able to walk past that spot, stand on that spot, without going nuts. After a while I didn't even cry anymore. The blood spots were gone, and I could think of my Mom and smile. I hadn't done that in a while. That was when I decided to leave Chicago.

"I went on the internet, randomly picked a flight, and ended up in Boston, Massachusetts. I decided to go with it, and got an apartment in Dorchester. I put off looking for a job or anything, because I knew my name would probably be recognized. That was when I decided to change my name. I took my mother's maiden name, so you are now looking at Mr. William MacLennan. My friends call me Will. Nice to meet you.
"Once the change was official, I was able to apply for jobs without prejudice. I got rejected from all of them because I didn't have a college degree. Whoops! I applied to Boston U and got in with no problem. I finished my BS there, and went on to get my Masters.

"Armed with a college degree, a bigger apartment, and a pet cat, I once again sent out my resume. This time, I was accepted to almost every position. I took a teaching position at a cozy little high school outside of Boston, and I've been teaching there ever since. Just finished my sixth year."

*** He looked around at all of his friends. They were all smiling at him, and the breadstick bowl was empty. "Goodness," he said. "That took much less time than I thought it would."

Rocky giggled. "Goodness?"

"So," Will continued, "The one thing I don't know is if any of you go by different names. I know you married, Kim. Congratulations. And Adam and Tanya... way to go, guys!" The women beamed, and Adam flushed a deep scarlet.

"It's amazing isn't it," Kim said. "I'm now Kimberly Anne Hart Jacobs."

Billy noticed the look on Tommy's face as she said it. It was obvious he had never gotten over losing her.

"And Adam and I couldn't be happier," said Tanya. "I still feel like a newlywed!"

Adam flushed again, and the table broke into laughter.

"Are you attached, Bi-- I mean, Will?" asked Trini, when the noise died down.

Will could see something in her eyes, but he didn't recognize what it was. "No," he said. "I can't seem to keep a girlfriend for more than three weeks." They gaped at him. "That's my record."

"The Angel-Grove Cassanova strikes again," muttered Zack.

"You're one to talk, Mr.-gets-married-right-after-college!"

Zack laughed. "Yeah, yeah."

"So how is Angela? If I remember correctly, she wouldn't give you the time of day in high school."

"True. But she realized the error of her ways soon enough," bragged Zack, prompting a punch in the arm from Jason. "Ow!"

They shot the breeze for a little while longer, but then the main course came, and they were quiet for a while, enjoying one another's company. After a short time, Will looked up to find Trini looking at him strangely, but she looked away and blushed when his eyes met hers. His heart jumped. "Trini," he heard himself say, "May I speak to you for a moment?" They excused themselves and went into the lounge, sitting on the uncomfortable red couches. "I saw you looking at me," Will began rather awkwardly. "Is something wrong?"

Trini shook her head. "No, nothing's wrong. It's just... good to see you, that's all."

Will stared at his hands, trying to think of something to say. "I really missed you."

"Me too." She was looking at her hands as well. They realized what they were doing and laughed, embarrassed. "Will--"

"You can call me Billy," he said. It just seemed right.

"Billy," she continued. "There's something I... have to tell you."

"Me too," he told her shyly.

"You first," she said quickly.

Billy took a deep breath. "The reason I could never keep a girlfriend is because I couldn't stop thinking about you."

Trini gasped. "Really?"

He nodded. "Now what were you going to say?"

She smiled and leaned in closer to him. "Something similar to that."

* * *
The group looked up in surprise as Will and Trini returned to the table , holding hands. "Are you guys--" began Kim.

Trini nodded. "Yes."

"Way to go, Billy!" burst out Rocky.

"Good catch, Trini," said Kim.

The two of them blushed, and the group scooted over so they could sit together. Tommy seemed thoughtful. "But how can you two be dating if you live in Boston, Billy- I mean Will?"

Trini grinned at Will. "Should I tell them or will you?"

"You tell them," he said shyly.

"He's not living in Boston anymore," Trini exclaimed triumphantly. "He's accepted a teaching position at Angel Grove High!"

Everyone's mouth fell open. "You- you're moving back?" stammered Kat, stunned.

Will nodded happily. "You know I could never leave you guys twice!"

End

(I borrowed the name MacLennan from Mara MacLeod's amazing fanfic, Out Of Time. Thanx Mara!)

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