Memories
by Kittie

Billy sighed slightly and slumped down in his chair. He was supposed to be studying for his upcoming Art History exam, but was finding it impossible to concentrate due to the noise buzzing through the cafeteria. Normally, he avoided this place like the plague, but his roommate, Jay, had once again gotten drunk and passed out in a puddle of sick in the middle of their dorm room. The commons rooms were all occupied by partying jocks, and the library was closed early because of sickness. That left the cafeteria. He sighed again, cursing Saturdays.

Then he thought about it, and realized he should be cursing himself for being pitiful enough to want to study on a Saturday night. "Fish," he muttered under his breath, and he heard someone nearby gasp.

"What did you say?"

He blushed as he looked up into the eyes of a beautiful brunette. "Um... I said fish."

"Billy? Billy Cranston?"

He looked at her again, trying to figure out how she knew his name. He didn't remember seeing her in any of his classes....

"It's me! Claire Copeland! You remember? We used to go to school together!"

"Um...." He wracked his brain, appalled that he could have forgotten such a gorgeous creature. Then it came to him. "Oh my God, Claire Copeland?!" He reddened and jumped to his feet, dropping his books.

She laughed and bent to pick them up. "I knew it was you! You're the only person I've ever heard who used the word 'fish' as a curse word! Why do you do that, anyway?"

"Um...." His brain refused to work. "I...."

She giggled again, and the girl behind her pointedly cleared her throat and pulled on Claire's sleeve. "Oh! This is Amber, my roommate. She's kind of in a hurry, so I'll see you later, okay Billy?"

"Um...." And he watched her walk away.

As soon as she was out of his sight, his mind finally clicked back into working order. "Fish!" He sat down again, heavily, and buried his face in his hands. He remembered the last time he'd seen Claire....

Flashback "Billy, you're forgetting your lunch again!" Rachel Cranston sighed as she rushed out the front door, her son's lunch in hand.

"Ooof!" Billy collided with his mother, and after a terse apology and a second to readjust his glasses, he was off again, ready to catch the bus. "Sorry, Mom," he called back. "I'll remember next time!"

"You say that every morning, hon," laughed Rachel, mostly to herself, before going back inside.

* * *
Billy said a silent curse. Well, it wasn't really a curse, but it was a bad word anyway. His mother always said that any word used in anger was a bad word. Since there wasn't anything he could say without being bad, he'd chosen the absolute worst word he could think of. "Fish." The other kids made fun of him when he cursed. Which was often, since he was so clumsy.

As soon as that thought entered his mind, his body decided to prove the point by tripping over a sidewalk crack. He hit the ground hard, crushing his lunch bag. "Fish!"

"Hey, Cranberry, can't you walk straight?"

Billy sighed. _Why do I always trip in front of the bus stop? Tomorrow, I'm gonna trip right in front of my house and get it over with._ "Hi, Terry."

The red-head loomed over him, grinning. "No talking! I didn't say you could talk! What's for lunch?" Terry reached down and snatched Billy's lunch bag. "Ooh, roast beef, my favorite! I'd pay ya for it, but since it's smashed and all, I'm gonna need a discount. How does one kick in the pants sound?" Without waiting for an answer, Terry reared back and kicked him, hard, in the seat of his pants.

Billy fell forward again, this time his glasses flying off. He lay there, perfectly still, until Terry was far away. He gingerly sat up and groped around for his glasses. Another day with muddy clothes and no lunch. _Just perfect._ A tiny hand reached down and grabbed his own. "Lemme help you up."

Billy squinted at the girl. Without his glasses, he had no idea who she was, but at the moment, it seemed that standing was a more pressing matter. He did so, with her help, and she handed him his glasses. "Claire!" The name left his mouth before he could stop it. Claire Copeland was the prettiest girl he'd ever seen. She sat in front of him in several of his classes, and there had been many days he'd daydreamed the class away just wishing he could touch her hair. Of course, it didn't matter, because he could always catch up in the homework. "Um... thank you."

She smiled. "S'okay. Terry can be such a jerk!"

He gulped, trying to smooth down his hair. "Yeah."

"You okay now?"

"Uh-huh."

"Kay, bye!" She skipped away, and as soon as his paralysis faded, so did his euphoria.

"Fish!" _Some genius I am. Yeah, uh-huh. Stupid!_ He shook his head and busied himself rearranging his overalls. There was no real damage to them, though he probably had a good sized boot-print on his backside. Easily remedied in the boy's room before class began. The bus pulled up, and after thanking whatever gods there were for sending Claire Copeland his way, and prepared for another normal day at school.

* * *
Rachel Cranston jumped as she heard a frantic knocking on the door. She shut off the television and looked through the peephole. Nothing. Then she had a thought. "Billy?" She opened the door and he flung himself at her, wrapping his tiny arms around her legs. "What are you doing home?" She grabbed him and picked him up, carrying him inside. His whole body was vibrating, and he was wracked with sobs. "Are you sick? Did you run all the way here?"

He couldn't answer her. She felt a flash of fear and laid him down on the couch. "Billy, breathe!" He was gasping terribly, his eyes wide, and she had a sudden vision of his little face turning blue as his lungs gasped uselessly for air. "Breathe!"

He drew in a ragged breath, his chest heaving, and reached out his arms for her. She grabbed him and held on for dear life. Something was terribly wrong. Billy would never leave school like this; it was barely eleven-thirty, and besides, he loved school. "Sweetie, calm down. Tell Mommy what's wrong."

"She... she...." He still couldn't speak. "Ca... called me... nuh... nuh...."

"You have to calm down, I can't understand you."

"Nuh... nerd! She called me nerd!"

Rachel shook her head and clutched him tighter. "Oh, sweetie." She sat him in her lap, then, and began stroking his hair, looking deep into his tear-filled eyes. "You are not a nerd! You are a very intelligent little boy, and sometimes people won't understand that. You know how other kids can be-"

"It wasn't a kid, Mommy, it was... it wasn't a kid."

"What? What do you mean, it wasn't a kid?"

"Miss Bridget called me nerd, Mommy!"

Rachel felt her face flush. _What? That can't be right...._ "Tell me exactly what happened."

"I was... it was math class and I... I knew all the answers and nobody else did and I told her the answer and she said... she said...."

"What did she say, Billy?" _Maybe he got it wrong. Please, God, say he got it wrong._

"She said... 'you are a little nerd, aren't you?' And everybody laughed at me!"

Rachel's lips pursed. "I see."

"Mommy please don't make me go back, I don't wanna go back! I wanna stay home with you!"

"I... I can't-"

"Please!"

"All right, Billy, all right. You can stay home today. You don't have to go back."

He grabbed hold of her again and buried his face in her chest. Rachel tried hard not to cry.

* * *
"Rachel, I'm home," Hank called pleasantly as he hung up his coat and flung off his shoes. It had been a busy day at work, but his employees had been in an unusually good mood. Naturally, it had rubbed off on him. "Rachel?"

She stepped out of the living room, her face grim. "Good evening, sweetie."

"What's wrong?" He looked around, expecting Billy to come flying around the corner and grab him in a hug, as was his custom, but no one came. "Where's Billy?"

Rachel sighed. "He's upstairs, resting. He had a hard day at school today."

Hank glanced toward the steps, confused. "A hard day? What do you mean?"

"Something happened that shouldn't have. I...." She paused and took his briefcase, setting it down on the floor. "We should sit down." She led him into the living room and they took seats on the couch. Hank noticed for the first time how very weary she looked.

"What's this about? Is he sick?"

"No, nothing like that. It's just... God, I still can't believe it." She sighed again and gathered herself to explain. "Well, you know kids have always given him a hard time about his intelligence...."

"Yes. I thought he'd... gotten used to that?"

"He has. But there's one thing we never prepared him for. The rejection of an adult."

Hank blanched. "An adult?"

"His teacher called him a nerd today, Hank. Miss Bridget, in front of the entire third grade class, called him a nerd."

"My God...."

"Needless to say, it upset him greatly. As soon as the recess bell rang, he left school. He ran all the way here, and refused to go back. I thought he was dying, Hank, he couldn't breathe from running so hard and so long."

"I don't believe this. Maybe he got it wrong? He misheard her?"

"No, I don't think so. The poor little guy had to repeat it three times for me before I fully comprehended it. I think she really said it."

"Well, what were the circumstances?"

"He answered all of her questions correctly, just like he always does, and after a particularly hard one, she looked straight at him and said, 'You are a little nerd, aren't you?'" Hank flinched, and Rachel's eyes flashed angrily. "I know we have to do something about this, Hank, but I don't know what. I can't go to that school, because I assure you, I will do something we'll all regret."

Hank was silent for a moment, deep in thought. "I guess he's not going in tomorrow?"

"No, I didn't have the heart to make him."

"I wouldn't either. But... we can't keep him home forever-"

"I'm aware of that, Hank, but what can we do?"

"Why don't you stay with him tomorrow. You two can go on one of your discovery trips. I'll take tomorrow off and go to the school. Principal Walker has always proved himself a fair man, I'm sure he'll want to get to the bottom of this."

"I suppose. But are you sure you can take off?"

"I'm the boss, honey, I can do whatever I want. Besides, Karen Singer has been aching for a promotion for a long time now... it'll do her good to run things for a day."

"All right." Rachel stood and stretched wearily. "Why don't you go up and see Billy. You can bring him down for dinner in about twenty minutes."

"All right."

Hank headed upstairs with a heavy heart.

* * *
Billy peeked out from under the covers as there was a knock on his door. "Daddy?"

Hank came in, his tie rumpled and his eyes sad. "Evening, son. Heard you had a rough day at school."

Billy sat up and reached for his glasses. "Are you going to make me go to school tomorrow?"

"No. You and Mom will have a discovery trip."

"Really?"

"Sure. Don't worry about school for now, we'll figure that out in time."

Billy's face grew solemn again. "But I have to go back eventually, don't I?"

"I'm afraid so. Everyone has to go to school. It's the law."

"I'm aware of the law, Daddy, but... everybody hates me."

"That's not true-"

"It is! Miss Bridget wasn't surprised that I was a nerd, she confirmed it. That means the teachers talk about me and they all think I'm a nerd!"

Hank frankly stared. Once again, his son's intelligence had thrown him for a loop. Surely, no normal third grader could have figured that out? "Well, I...."

"It's all right, Dad." Billy looked away and removed his glasses again, wiping at the tears gathering under his eyes.

Hank sat down on the bed and put an arm around Billy, pulling him close. "No, it isn't all right. Nobody has a right to treat you this way. You are not a nerd, Billy. You are the smartest, sweetest little boy I have ever met."

"You're my father, you have to think that."

"No, I don't. A lot of parents have raised rather stupid little brats, and they know it." Billy giggled despite himself, and Hank smiled slightly. "Your mom and I, on the other hand, have a very special little boy, who we love very much. We are very proud of you, and it hurts us to see you treated this way."

"But it'll always happen, right, Daddy? People will always be mean to me."

"I...." Hank looked down at Billy, but couldn't bring himself to disagree.

"Okay." Billy put his glasses back on, and the two just sat there in silence until Rachel called them down for dinner.

* * *
Hank walked briskly through the halls of Town and Country Day school, deftly avoiding the waves of tiny people that threatened to trip him at every turn. He had a ten o'clock appointment with Principal Walker, and had no intention of being late. He had a feeling this would take a while.

When he walked into the office, the secretary gave him a wide smile. "Mr. Cranston, hello! How nice to see you again!"

He glanced at the small name plate on her desk. "Hello, Maria. I have an appointment...?"

"Yes, you can have a seat. I wanted to thank you for those cookies."

"Cookies?"

"Billy said you helped him bake them. They were delicious!"

"Oh yes, the cookies. I wasn't aware he'd given any away."

"Oh, yes, a whole box! He brings me little goodies all the time. Such a sweet little boy!"

"Yes," he replied distractedly.

Maria got concerned. "Is something wrong, Mr. Cranston?"

"I'm afraid so," he answered simply. "Will Walker be long?"

"N... no, I notified him of your-" Her buzzer went off, and the principal said something unintelligible. "You can go in, Mr. Cranston."

He stood and nodded to her grimly. "Thank you." He could feel her worried eyes on his back as he disappeared into the office.

Walker greeted him with a smile almost identical to Maria's. "What can I do for you, Hank?" he asked amiably.

"Well, Walker, I'm afraid I have some concerns about my son."

Walker's smile faded. "Concerns? About Billy? But he's doing famously-"

"Oh, academically, yes. That's not my concern."

Walker sat down, folding his hands over his desk. "I see. The kids have been giving him a hard time?"

"Always," Hank answered with a wry smile. "But he's never had a problem with a teacher before."

"A teacher?" Walker faltered. "What do you mean?"

Hank took a deep breath and described what Rachel had told him. As he spoke, Walker's face grew white, and his eyes flashed angrily. "I see," the younger man managed after Hank had finished. "Well, first, I have to say that I am terribly sorry about this. Billy is one of... no, our most gifted pupil. I'd hate to think that he was being treated improperly." He paused, then looked hopefully up at Hank. "Perhaps he heard her wrong?"

Hank shook his head. "That's what I thought, but... his memory is very good. He repeated the circumstances to my wife... it sounded horrible to me."

"It does, it does. I...." He pushed the button on his intercom. "Maria? Go to Miss Bridget's class and take over for her. I want her in this office right now."

Hank stared, his mouth slightly open. "You're pulling her out of class...?"

Walker's eyes were hard. "If what you say is true... she has no right teaching at this school."

The Present Billy sniffled slightly and wiped at his eyes, blushing furiously. He'd never hear the end of it if any of the jocks caught him crying. _How could I have forgotten about Claire? She was the only one who... didn't laugh._

He gathered his books together, knowing that it was futile to try to study now. Instead, he went to the bagel bar and made himself a cinnamon-raisin-oatmeal monster bagel, loaded with butter and cream cheese and apple butter. One of the workers saw him piling on the toppings and raised an eyebrow, eying Billy's trim frame. Billy managed a quick smile but didn't speak. Needless to say, he wasn't in the mood for banter.

Back at the table, he took a huge bite and prepared to drown his sorrows in junk food.

"Oh my God, what is that mess?!"

He choked as Claire's melodious voice once again floated into his ears.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry!" She began pounding on his back, trying to dislodge the rather large chunk of cinnamon goodness lodged in his windpipe. Finally, it shot back up into its proper place: his mouth. After a few moments, he was able to push it down the correct pipe. He sat there, breathing heavily for a long while before he was able to speak. "Thanks."

"I'm so sorry! My God, two minutes and I almost kill you!"

"Didn't almost kill me," he croaked unconvincingly.

"I didn't recognize you," she told him, sitting down across from him. "You've changed a lot!"

"I guess...."

"I remember you from before. You were tiny! Even smaller than me. And you had those huge glasses...." She trailed off, perhaps noticing his discomfort. Then she spoke again, more quietly this time. "I don't really remember... why you left. I remember something weird happening at school...."

"Yeah, I guess...."

"You remember, don't you?"

He nodded wordlessly, staring down at his half-eaten bagel. He had a sudden urge to throw it at the wall.

"What happened? All I remember is... just feeling awful. Knowing something really... bad... had happened, but... not really knowing exactly what. And I remember that all of a sudden, both you and Miss Bridget were gone. Just like that. And we got a new teacher."

"Oh."

"Are you okay, Billy?"

"Yeah, sure."

She stared hard at him, green eyes piercingly clear. He was forced to look away, mortified by the tears rising anew. "Billy? Oh God, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to...."

"No, it's... it's okay. Listen, Claire, I've got to go."

"Where?"

"I... don't know."

"Don't leave like this. I hate leaving people mad at me."

"I'm not mad at you."

"Come to Borders with me. We'll drown our sorrows in espresso and cheesecake."

"We will?"

"Well, you will. I'll just pig out. What do you say?"

He stared down at his books, knowing deep down that the only other alternative was going back to the dorms.... "All right."

* * *
Claire led him to her car; a tiny blue Volkswagen Bug. "I could have had a Mercedes," she laughed, "But I just think these things are so cute!"

Billy muttered something about safety standards, but she just laughed. "Oh, it's perfectly safe! He only growls like that because he's afraid of strangers!" She then proceeded to introduce him to "Bobby-Blue. Doesn't he look like a 'Bobby' to you?"

"He looks like a car," he replied, but he smiled nonetheless. Something about her reminded him of Kimberly, the way she would always go out of her way to cheer him up when he was down. "Thanks for dragging me out."

"No problem. We have a lot of catching up to do! After all, we haven't seen each other since third grade...."

"True. So what are you doing in New York?"

"I could ask you the same question. I mean, you could have gone to Harvard, you're so brilliant."

Billy blushed deeply and looked away. "I didn't like it there."

"So you came here? NYU is so full of jocks!"

"Yeah... I just wanted to get as far away from home as possible. New York is nothing like Angel Grove."

"Angel Grove?"

"California. We moved there... after my Mom died."

Claire gasped and her head snapped over to stare at him. "Your mother?"

"Watch the road, watch the road!"

"Sorry!" She was quiet for a while, and Billy used the time to try to catch his breath. He pried his fingers off the dashboard.

"So what happened to your mother," she asked quietly.

"She was hit by a bus," he replied matter-of-factly. "When I was in fifth grade."

"Oh, Billy... I'm sorry."

"It's okay," he shrugged. "It was a long time ago. Dad and I wanted to relocate, you know, to start over, and he found a good job opening in Angel Grove... so we went."

"Did you like it there? I mean, besides...."

After a small pause, he replied carefully."Yeah, it was nice." She'd gotten him thinking about his "friends" back in Angel Grove, and he could feel himself starting to get angry again. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn't bring himself to forgive them for what they'd done.

Claire spoke hesitantly. "I take it something bad happened there, too?"

"Why do you say that?"

"You had that same tone. The one you did when we were talking about Chicago."

"Oh. Am I that transparent, or are you just very perceptive?"

She giggled. "Probably a bit of both. I am a psyche major, you know."

Billy groaned. "Please don't psychoanalyze me. It would take way too long."

"I have some ideas," she retorted coyly.

"Oh? Like what?"

She pulled into Borders' parking lot. "Well... you have a definite fear of trust and commitment; not necessarily romantic commitment, but commitment of any kind. You're afraid to be hurt, so you put up walls to block people from getting too close. And whenever you feel yourself starting to get emotional, you strengthen those walls and block your feelings even from yourself, to avoid the pain. Am I close?"

Billy just stared. "Wow...."

She parked the car and turned to him with a smile. "Let's go, I'm starved!"

* * *
Once inside, they settled down to eat. Claire ordered a double espresso and a praline mocha cheesecake, exclaiming, "I can't get enough of this stuff!" Billy opted for a simple apple tart and hot cocoa. "Wanna taste," Claire asked with a mouthful of cheesecake. Without waiting for an answer, she shoveled up a large chunk of it and waved it in front of his face. Billy took a bite, and had to admit it was heavenly. "I know," she giggled. "I am gonna get sooo fat!"

After a bit of small talk, they ran out of nothing to talk about. He watched her carefully for a moment, then decided to go out on a limb. "You wanted to hear about Angel Grove?"

She looked up at him with wide, innocent eyes. "Only if you want to tell me."

He blinked, disconcerted. "Well... I don't really want to, but... I guess I know deep down that I have to talk about it to work through it. It's a long story, though, and if you don't feel like dealing with about twelve years worth of narrative, I suggest you bail now."

"I wouldn't think of it! Just talk. But wait, I'll get more cheesecake."

Once Claire's supply of cheesecake was sufficiently large, Billy began to talk. At first, it was hard. He'd never spoken to anyone like this before, not even his father or his friends. Friends. The word sounded so strange now.... Now that he knew the truth. He faltered slightly when it came time to talk about the Power Rangers. How could he possibly explain things without giving away the secret? He couldn't possibly. "Um, Claire? There's something I can't tell you. It's important, and it's not just you, it's everybody. No one knows except... the people involved."

"And that includes you?"

"Yes. Well, it did. And everything I'd have to say deals with just that."

"The stuff you can't tell me?"

"Yes. But I can... paraphrase?"

"If it'll help you."

"I'm boring you, aren't I?"

"Not in the least."

"But we haven't talked about you at all."

"We'll get to that. Seriously, I'm curious. You got me all worked up!"

"Did I? I hadn't-"

"Just start, already! My mocha's getting cold!"

Billy smiled then, shaking his head. "All right. Well, as I'm sure you remember, I was always a bit of a... nerd...."

* * *
"...And I just left and never went back. I stayed holed up in my lab all summer, none of them tried to call me. And in the fall I came here, to University. That's it."

Claire was shaking. She had tears streaming down her face. It didn't register to Billy that he'd made her cry until she let out a wavering sob. He gasped and quickly went to her, awkwardly putting his arms around her. He felt strangely hollow. "Claire, don't cry, it's not that bad!"

"Yes it is! How can you just sit there and talk about it so... casually! It was like you were reciting a dictionary!"

He handed her a napkin and she wiped her nose with it, turning away embarrassedly. "I've... had time to deal with it."

"No you haven't, you've locked it away. You didn't see yourself, Billy, your eyes went all... dead."

"Dead?"

"We saw it in a film in psyche class. You looked just like that guy in the video! All cold and dead!"

That unnerved him. "If you don't mind, I'd prefer it if you wouldn't say that again. I'm not dead, and I don't plan to be for a while."

"Not physically dead-"

"I know, but it's still not a pleasant image. Please...."

"I'm sorry. I just... I don't know how you did it. I can't ignore things like that, Billy. It didn't even happen to me and I'm a wreck!"

"Let me get you a cocoa, okay? Or another cheesecake?"

"No, I'll burst! I'll be okay, I'm just... too sensitive, that's all. I cried back then, too."

"What? When?"

"When you left school and Miss Bridget disappeared. I can't help it, I'm so sensitive to... things. I cry over every little thing."

"Well, please don't cry over me anymore. I feel guilty."

"Oh, don't, I'm sorry." She sniffled and wiped her eyes, attempting a smile. "Better?"

"You're not fooling me, Claire." He reached out a hand and pulled her to her feet. "We're going to the humour section. If that doesn't cheer you up, nothing will."

* * *
Claire was still crying. Sobbing, actually. Of course, by this time, Billy was too. Even the stares of their fellow shoppers didn't stop them, they just rolled around helplessly on the floor, overcome with hysterical laughter.

"I'm... I'm gonna throw up," Claire gasped for the seventh time, clutching her stomach.

Billy just kept laughing. He was having trouble breathing. He hadn't laughed this hard in... actually, he'd never laughed this hard. He sensed a presence next to him and looked over to see a pair of carefully shined black shoes, attached to perfectly starched black slacks. "Soh... sorry," he gasped, and prepared to be physically thrown from the store.

"Uh-huh," said the slacks, sounding slightly amused. "May I ask what you're laughing at?"

"Wee...heeheeheeee...!" Billy tried to respond, but his voice only trailed off into laughter. This, of course, sent Claire into another hysterical laughing fit, and he found himself laughing even harder, which he would have thought impossible.

"Why don't you just show it to me," suggested Slacks, so Billy groped around on the floor until he found the culprit and, with a trembling hand, passed it along. "Jay Leno's Headlines, Volumes One, Two, and Three," read Slacks aloud. "It's that funny, hmm?"

"Guh... Ahhhhuuuhhh...." replied Billy.

Slacks stood, handed back the book and stepped away. "Are you kids all right? Getting enough oxygen?"

"N... no...."

"Take a few deep breaths. Slow, deep breaths."

"Deeeee...." That was Claire.

"And don't talk."

Billy curled up into the fetal position, determined not to die laughing. Claire crawled over next to him and draped herself over his waist, her head resting on his backside. Slacks just stood there, shaking his head in amusement.

"Are they okay?" asked a new voice with concern.

"I think so," replied Slacks. "They appear to be breathing all right."

"I've never seen anyone get so hysterical!"

"You know college kids. I'll bet they have a major exam or something on Monday."

"What does that have to do with anything?"

"We get a lot of cases like this," replied Slacks matter-of-factly. "Mostly before finals. They come in here and have major breakdowns. Some laugh, some cry... some just go completely nuts."

"Like these two?"

"Precisely."

"What'll you do with them when they recover?"

"Give them a couple glasses of water and send 'em home. No point in throwing 'em out, you know. Sometimes they just need to relieve the stress."

Billy opened his eyes and looked around blearily. He was still giggling uncontrollably, but it wasn't as bad now. He could breathe, which was a nice change of pace.

"You okay, kid?" asked Slacks.

"Yeah. Sorry," he gasped, attempting to sit up.

"Don't move," commanded Slacks. "You'll dislodge your friend."

"Dislodge?" Billy shifted slightly and saw Claire, still draped over his middle. He managed to turn himself around without dumping her to the floor, and he gathered her into his arms, pulling her to a sitting position. "Claire? Are you alive?"

She just giggled. "Police... shoot... themselves...!"

"Don't start that again," he commanded, fighting another attack of hysteria.

"Why don't you kids come with me," suggested Slacks. "We'll get you a glass of water and calm you down."

Billy looked up and finally saw who they'd been talking to. "Are we in trouble?" he asked the well-dressed black man who towered over them.

The man smiled and held out a hand. "Nah," he answered. "I was in school once, too, I know what it's like. Besides, you guys weren't that loud."

"But you're the manager," hiccuped Claire. "You're supposed to throw us out."

"That's for me to decide, isn't it?" He helped Billy to his feet, and then went to work on Claire. Billy wavered drunkenly off to the side, clutching a bookcase for support. He hated to think about what Claire felt like. He'd only had one hot cocoa and an apple tart. She'd had three espressos and just as many slices of cheesecake. He felt sick to his stomach just thinking about it.

The next thing he knew, the manager had one arm around him and the other around Claire, leading them back to the cafe bar. They were both dumped into their seats and handed small cups of water. "Drink slowly," the manager commanded. "Or you'll get sick."

"I'll get sick anyway," mumbled Claire, but she obeyed.

An indeterminate amount of time later, they were ushered into a cab and sent home. Claire rested against Billy, mumbling incoherently about poor Bobby being left all alone in the middle of the city. Billy couldn't for the life of him figure out what in the world she was talking about.

Back at campus, Billy was able to stumble inside and fall into bed. Right before he fell into a deep sleep, he realized she had been talking about her car.

* * *
Someone was moving. An elbow poked into his side. "Jay," he mumbled irritably, "Get off me."

"Huh?" asked the someone.

And Billy realized with a start that Jay's voice wasn't nearly so high. "What?!" He sat straight up and looked around with growing horror. "This isn't my room!"

Indeed it wasn't. This room was much neater than his usually was, and instead of dark blues, this room was decorated in cheerful shades of yellow and orange. The someone beside him moved again. Billy looked down at himself quickly, and was relieved to find himself fully clothed. Encouraged, he poked at the moving lump beside him. "Claire?"

She came out of the covers, looking like a confused turtle. "What? Who...? Where are we?"

"This isn't your room?"

She looked around carefully. "Oh, it is my room! What are you doing here?"

"I dunno. I don't remember coming in here...."

"Did we... do anything?" she asked worriedly, and with more than a hint of embarrassment.

"No, I don't think so. Look, we're both fully clothed. I've got my shoes on, even."

"So do I," she admitted. "I'm gonna have to do laundry now."

He climbed out of the bed and stretched his aching limbs. "My chest hurts."

"Mine, too. Must be from all that laughing."

"I can't believe we did that."

"It was fun, though," she grinned. "I was sure we were gonna get thrown out."

"We did, kinda. But he was nice about it."

"We should go back and thank him. We have to pick up Bobby, anyhow. I hope he's okay."

"Who?"

"Bobby. My car."

"Oh, right. Him."

There was an awkward silence, and Billy edged toward the door. "Well, ah... I had fun, and all, but, uh... I should be going-"

"Don't you dare!"

"What?" He froze, his hand an inch from the doorknob.

"Aren't you coming with me?" she pouted, climbing out of the bed. "It won't be any fun by myself."

"I... you want me to come?"

"Yes! I had a great time with you, and I... well, I want to hang out with you some more. Didn't you have fun with me?"

"Well, yes! I just... figured...."

"You didn't figure anything. You go back and get showered and dressed, and meet me back here in an hour. We're gonna have so much fun today!"

"Doing what?"

"I dunno. But it'll be fun!" Billy shot her one last amused look before making his escape. "One hour," she reminded him, her voice echoing down the now empty hallway.

An hour later, the two new friends caught a cab to Borders Books and Music and, carefully avoiding the humour section, went to locate the manager. After a few moments of aimless wandering, they asked for him at the information counter. They didn't have long to wait before he came up to them, smiling amiably. "Hi, kids. Feeling better?"

"Um... yeah," Billy blushed deeply, and Claire subconsciously stepped behind him, as if for protection. "Sorry about... you know, yesterday."

The manager nodded. "It's all right. You weren't the first, and you won't be the last."

"We weren't?"

"Nope. But usually, we have to drag them out of the erotic fiction section."

"Erotic... fiction...?" Billy didn't think it was possible to blush any redder than he already had, but he proved himself wrong. Claire started to giggle. "Um... well, we should go," he stammered, backing away slowly. "Thanks again for... understanding."

"Quite all right. Come again!"

Outside, Claire burst out laughing. "Erotic fiction? Maybe we should try that next time!"

"Not! Let's get Bobby and get out of here."

"Where should we go next?" she asked mischievously. "I hear there's a great lingerie store down the street-"

"Didn't you have some laundry to do?"

She just laughed.

* * *
They spent the rest of the day together, just "hanging out." They did their laundry together, and Claire jokingly complimented him on his taste in boxer shorts. Her roommate, Amber, came in and out of the room a few times and gave them weird looks, but for once, Billy didn't mind. Whenever he was around Claire, he felt good; as if he could handle almost anything. He almost wished one of the jocks would show up and try to get on his nerves. He'd give them what for....

Almost too soon, it was nighttime. "Billy?"

"Hmmm?"

"I have an early class tomorrow... I should get to bed."

"Oh, right. Class." He stood and stretched.

"You don't have to go, if you don't want to."

"But you just said...." She smiled shyly. "Oh."

"I mean, you can if you want," she added hurriedly. "I just thought... I mean...."

"Um... no.... I'd like to stay...."

"Really?"

"Yeah." He was blushing furiously again, unsure of exactly what she meant. _Does she want to...? No way, it's only been two days. But what if she... no, don't even think it. Not gonna happen._

"Billy?"

"Hmmm?"

"You're all red. Are you having impure thoughts?"

"No!"

She started to giggle. "It's okay if you were. So was I."

"You... you were?"

"Yeah."

"About... us?"

"Yeah. You were too, huh?"

"Um... yeah."

She giggled again. "I think there's some... supplies in the bathroom. The RA leaves them there for... occasions. Like this."

"Oh. Is this an... occasion?"

"Do you want it to be?"

"Um... I've never had an... occasion before."

"Me neither."

"And we've only known each other for two days, really...."

"Feels like longer."

"Yeah, it does."

"So... should I pick up some supplies, or... not?"

"Um...." Billy thought hard about it. Who would it hurt, really? She wanted to, he wanted to... but would it ruin their friendship? And what about waiting for marriage, and all that? "Um.... Okay."

"Okay." She stood and headed for the door.

"But what about Amber?"

"I'll tell her to sleep in a friend's room tonight. She owes me about five free nights." And she was gone.

Billy's knees gave out and he sank to a seated position on the edge of the bed. _So.... This is it. Tonight's the night._ He took a deep breath and tried to steady himself. _She wants to... with me. Tonight. Okay._

She came back in with both hands in her pockets. "Got 'em," she said quietly, closing the door behind her.

"Oh... good."

"You nervous?"

"Yeah."

"Me too. You still want to?"

"Yeah... but if you don't-"

"No, I do...."

"Me too."

They looked at one another and started to laugh. "So...." She sat down next to him.

"So...."

* * *
"So? What happened? Did you do it?" Jay was showing a rare bit of interest in his quiet roommate. "I heard you guys did it."

Billy looked up from his Chemistry book, barely hiding his extreme annoyance. "I don't see that it's any of your business."

"Awww, come on! Everybody knows you and Claire are going out, and Amber says you spent the night over there on Sunday night. Since you didn't come home that night, I'm ready to believe her. So, didja do it?"

"Jay, whether we 'did it' or not is strictly between Claire and me. Just drop it, okay?"

"Come on, man, you can tell me!"

"Why would I want to?"

"Hey, that hurt, Cranston. What did I ever do to you?"

"Nothing."

"So...?"

"So nothing. I'm trying to study."

"You did, didn't you? You're banging her!"

"I am not banging her!"

"So you didn't...?"

"I didn't say that!"

"So you are banging her!"

"No! Dammit-" Billy closed his eyes and wished he was somewhere else. Anywhere else. "Claire and I are together. We are a couple. We do things that couples do. How much of those thing we do is none of your business. Now, I don't want to hear any more about it!"

"Fine! Jeez!" Jay threw his hands up in the air and headed for the phone. "Hello?... Hey, Todd, it's Jay.... Yeah, he's banging her."

* * *
"Hey, Cranston!"

Billy stopped short and looked warily behind him. He didn't recognize the voice calling him, but he sure as Hell didn't like the tone. "Yes?"

A bulky young man in a lacrosse jersey ran up to him and clamped a hand down on his shoulder. "I hear you been gettin' it on with Claire Copeland."

Billy cleared his throat and tried to pull away, but the larger boy's grip was too strong. "We're... going out, yes. And you are...?"

"Todd Jackson. Star player of NYU's lacrosse team. I'm sure you've heard of me."

"Well, my roommate plays lacrosse...."

"Yeah, Jay. He's my bud."

"That's... nice. Listen, Todd, I've got to get to class-"

"Class can wait. From what I hear, you're some kinda genius."

"Well... I don't know about all that-"

"What's the square root of 9216?"

"96. Why?"

Todd glared at him. "You just figured that out?"

"Yes."

"I multiplied it on my calculator this morning. To test you."

"Why?"

"Are you trying to be smart?"

"No. I just want to get to class."

Todd glared even harder. "All right, enough talk. You listen hard, and listen good. Keep away from Claire Copeland, or you'll have to deal with me. Got it?"

"What are you talking about? We-"

"There is no 'we.' There is you, and there is Claire, and there is me. And if I see you with Claire, you will have to deal with me. Do you comprehend, Einstein?"

"Yeah, yeah, I comprehend. Now, if you'll excuse me...." With a mighty heave, he wrenched himself out of Todd's grasp and ran for the science building.

"Remember what I said, Cranston," Todd's voice floated after him. "You plus her equals trouble!"

* * *
Billy burst into his room and threw his backpack down on the floor, causing Jay to jump nearly three feet in the air and drop his Walkman. "Hey, what's the deal," cried the other boy angrily, reaching for his fallen equipment.

In response, Billy slammed his foot down on what was left of the Walkman, missing Jay's hand by mere centimetres. "This is the deal," he snarled, as Jay shrank back in shock. "You tell your 'friend' Todd to stay the Hell away from me and Claire, or I guarantee I will make your life absolutely miserable."

"Hey, man, I can't tell Todd what to do! And I paid mucho bucks for that Walkman!"

"I don't care about your stupid Walkman. What I care about is the fact that I'm being threatened because you opened your big mouth to that Neanderthal!"

"What are you talking about?"

"I seem to remember a certain phone conversation with him in which you said, and I quote, 'Yeah, he's banging her.' Is that ringing a bell?"

"Oh." Jay had the decency to look slightly chagrined. "Yo, dude, I didn't know he'd go ballistic on you-"

"Well, he did. First of all, whether or not I am banging Claire is none of his business. Second, if I am banging Claire, it's because she wants me to. Therefore, you can tell your friend Todd that I will not stop seeing Claire, and I will not be intimidated by his stupid threats! Are you understanding me?!"

"Yes! Jeez! Calm yourself, man, you're about to explode or something!"

Billy glared once more at him before stalking over to his desk and turning on the light in one furious motion. Jay gathered up the pieces of his Walkman and timidly approached. "Uh... Billy?"

"What," he hissed, without looking up.

"I don't suppose you, in all your infinite technical wisdom, could fix this for me?"

* * *
"Billy?" The door opened a few inches and Claire tentatively poked her head in. "Billy? Jay said you were in...."

"I'm here," came a muffled voice from across the room.

Claire stepped in, looking around in confusion. "Where?"

"Here."

She looked down, eyes opening wide. "What are you doing under Jay's bed?"

Billy wormed his way out and stood, brushing several dust bunnies off of his clothing. "I'm fixing his Walkman and it's missing a few parts."

"Is there a Radio Shack under his bed?"

"No, but I thought they might have rolled under there when I... stomped on it."

"You stomped on his Walkman?! ... On purpose?"

Billy sighed and headed back to his work desk. "He pissed me off. I don't lose my temper often, but when I do...."

"Oh." She came up behind him and began to massage his shoulders. "So are you feeling better?"

"A little. Working with my hands usually makes me feel better. That's actually why I'm fixing this thing. I'm not doing it for him, he deserved it. I just needed something to work on."

Claire kissed the back of his neck and made a little purring noise. "Why dontcha work on me?"

He smiled and turned to kiss her. "Later, I promise. But... you know, maybe I am doing this for him. God knows why, though. He drives me absolutely bonkers!"

"Oh." She peered down at the Walkman pieces strewn across his desk. "So didja find what you needed?"

"No. Not all of it, but... I think I can make do."

She watched as a Walkman slowly began to take shape under Billy's skillful hands. "Wow," she breathed, as he made a successful test of its functions, "You're like, MacGyver, or something!"

"Thank you," he grinned, placing the newly repaired Walkman on Jay's bed. "So... ever been kissed by a handyman?"

Billy and Claire were in mid-kiss when the door opened and Jay walked in. "Oh, hi guys."

They jumped apart, almost guiltily. "Jay, do you ever knock?" squealed Claire, blushing a deep scarlet.

"Why? It's my room too. Oh, hey, my Walkman! Thanks, dude!"

Billy shot Claire a sideways look. "Remind me why I did it?"

"For you, sweetie. You fixed it for you."

"Right. But was it worth it?"

Jay flopped down on his bed and put on the headphones, listening appreciatively. "Dude, I think it works better now than it did before you broke it! Man, you can break my stuff anytime. Go ahead and break the TV. Maybe after you fix it, we'll get free cable!"

"That's against the law."

Jay didn't respond. He had closed his eyes and was lost to the music. Claire giggled. "Well, at least he's distracted. We can get back to business."

"Are you kidding? He's right there!"

"So? He's not paying any attention to us. See?" To illustrate the point, she stood, turned to Jay, and lifted her shirt over her head.

"Claire!" Billy grabbed her and pulled her back down to a seated position, anchoring her shirt firmly down to cover her stomach. "What did you just do?"

"I pulled a Drew Barrymore. But don't worry, he didn't even notice. I told you!"

"There are other ways to prove a point, hon."

"Sure, but they're not half as fun."

* * *
Monday morning. Never the best of times, but this Monday was even worse than usual. The showers were broken, and Billy had been forced to settle for an ice-cold sponge bath. For modesty's sake, he'd filled a small sports bottle with water and locked himself in a bathroom stall. After that experience, he vowed to dedicate himself to a lifetime of shower repair and maintenance.

Normally, after one has made a definite career choice, one feels a sense of satisfaction and fulfillment. Of course, this was one of those mornings that seemed destined to suck. Billy mumbled as much to himself as he trudged over to the science building in the pouring rain. Even his upcoming lunch with Claire wouldn't be able to cheer him up this time. _Of course,_ he thought, _she certainly will try her hardest._ He had to smile at the thought of her. _Maybe today won't be so bad after all--_ "Ow!" Someone had grabbed the back of his jacket and thrown him to the ground. Billy looked up into the enraged face of Todd Jackson. "Oh, hello."

"Don't 'oh hello' me, Cranston. I thought we had an understanding."

"What about?"

Todd yanked him to his feet and lifted him clear off the ground. "About Claire," he growled menacingly. "You plus her equals trouble."

"Oh, your memory is much better than I would have expected," joked Billy, his mind racing. There had to be a way out of this without fighting the big ox. He knew he could defeat Todd if he had to. The guy was certainly nothing compared to the many putties, Tengas, and even cogs he'd fought in his time.

Todd, of course, didn't know about all that, and he didn't appreciate being made fun of. "That's it," he snarled, and let loose a roundhouse punch at Billy's unprotected face.

Billy saw the movement before Todd even made it, and threw up his arm to block it. Surprised, Todd let go of his jacket and dropped him. Billy landed on his feet as gracefully as a cat, _Do wolves land on their feet?_, and turned to run. Unfortunately, Todd had brought reinforcements.

Billy slammed into a rather large reinforcement and fell backwards onto the ground. _Fish!_ He quickly accessed his situation. There were about eight of them now, gathering round him in a circle. All of them were at least as large as Todd, if not larger, and they all looked like they were ready for a fight.

Todd stepped forward and once again yanked Billy to his feet. "Meet my friends, Cranston," he bragged, gesturing at the group. "Friends from home. I hear you don't got any of those."

Billy didn't answer. There had to be a way out of this... _Or maybe not...._

It started quickly. Todd threw a punch and his "friends" immediately followed his lead. Billy dodged, flipped, rolled, anything to get away, but it soon became evident that it wasn't going to happen. He took a deep breath and got ready to rumble.

He waited until two of the beefiest guys came at him, and executed a deadly spin-kick, knocking them both backward. Unfortunately, instead of discouraging them, it only made them angrier. They were coming at him three or four at a time now, landing more and more punches he was too slow to block, and he found himself fading fast. They didn't fight like Tengas, they fought like thugs, and it was something he hadn't experienced before. They had no style, no "moves" to decipher, they just fought, and fought hard. His last thought before a beefy fist came into contact with his face was a rather predictable one. _Fish!_

Flashback It was a rough battle, but the Rangers prevailed in the end. At last, the beast fell to the ground in flames, and they teleported back to the Power Chamber. Once demorphed, they all looked more fatigued than usual, but there didn't appear to be anything seriously wrong. "Man," sighed Tommy, sinking down to the floor, "That was too much!"

"Yeah," agreed Adam, rubbing his arm where it had bruised, "I think Zedd and Rita must have been studying or something while they were away. Rocky, how's your leg?"

"What?" Rocky looked around, eyes bleary.

Billy looked sharply at him. "Rocky? Did you... did you get caught in one of the monster's rays?"

"Rays? Monster?" Rocky put a hand to his head and staggered slightly. "I don't know... I can't... think...." And he slumped to the floor in a boneless faint.

"Fish!" Billy ran to him and quickly lifted him up onto the examining table. He had stopped wondering long ago how it always seemed to know when to appear, he just used it.

The Rangers gathered around, peering worriedly down at Rocky. "Is he going to be okay," asked Kat, tentatively placing a hand over Rocky's.

"I don't know," was Billy's curt answer. Rocky's vital signs were dropping fast, and he had no idea how to stop it. "I need time. Alpha, I'll need you to prep trauma room seven. Now."

"Ai-yi-yi!" Alpha waddled away, sending a frightened glance back Rocky's way.

"What's wrong with him?" Tommy leaned in over Billy's shoulder, partially obstructing Billy's view with his long hair.

Billy shoved him backward without much ceremony. "The Arrow Frog monster must have zapped him with its venom before you guys destroyed it."

"Then why didn't it affect him before?" Tanya subconsciously grabbed Adam's hand and squeezed it. He had just narrowly avoided the Frog's sting.

"Maybe it grazed him, I don't know," came the answer. "But it's affecting him now, and unless I can counteract the poison...." Billy left the sentence unfinished, but everyone knew the implications. "I'm taking him back to room seven. I'll contact you when I have news."

* * *
Three long hours later, an exhausted Billy emerged from the trauma room. The others, including the now-powerless Jason, were waiting for him in the main chamber, and they jumped to attention as son as they saw him. "Well?" demanded Tommy.

Billy sighed. "He's alive." The others relaxed noticeably. "But it will take a long time for him to recover."

"How long?" Tommy began to pace. "We can't expect to work understaffed... we need the blue Ranger."

Billy nodded. "I took the liberty of removing and storing his Zeo Crystal."

"Yeah, thanks," said Tommy distractedly.

Billy stared at him, something in the other boy's tone disturbing him. "Well... I'd better get back to Rocky. He's stable now, but I'd like to keep an eye on him."

"All right," nodded Adam. "Thanks, Billy."

Billy nodded and turned to go. Just as he reached the antechamber, however, he heard Tommy begin to speak in a hushed voice. Unable to withstand his curiosity, he stepped back into the main chamber and stood in the shadows, listening.

"So...." Tommy was saying, "Jason, are you willing to take control of the blue power?"

"What? But what about Billy?"

Tommy hesitated. "I'm not sure that's a good idea."

"Why not?" Adam sounded puzzled. "We all know how much he wants to get back in action-"

"Exactly," Tommy nodded. "I'm not saying he'd hurt any of us. I know he wouldn't."

"But maybe he could have done a little more," breathed Katherine, with dawning comprehension. "But Tommy, you don't think... I mean, I'm sure he did his best-"

"But what if you're wrong?"

No one answered. Finally, Tommy spoke up again. "I have nothing against Billy, I really don't. I just don't feel comfortable handing the power over to him. Not under these circumstances. Besides, we need him to take care of Rocky here."

"All right," Jason sighed. "I'll take the power. But who's going to tell Billy?"

Billy stepped out of the shadows. "No one has to tell me," he said emotionlessly. "I already know how you feel."

They all turned to face him, surprise and guilt written all over their faces. "Billy?" Adam stepped forward hesitantly. "Billy, how long-"

"Save it, okay, Adam? It's obvious you don't trust me, we'll just leave it at that."

"Billy, please," begged Tanya, obviously searching for words. "We didn't mean-"

"Alpha can continue Rocky's care. Jason, Zordon can give you the blue powers whenever you're ready. I'm going home." He activated his communicator and prepared to teleport.

"Wait, please don't go! Let us explain!"

Billy stared hard at Adam, searching for something deep inside that would remind him why he'd allowed himself to trust them. He found nothing. "There's nothing to explain," he said simply. And the Power Chamber vanished in a flood of white light.

The Present "Billy? Come on, Billy!" They were calling him again.

"Adam, let him rest."

_Adam...?_

"But Jason, I swear I saw him move!"

_And Jason...?_

"Look, there he goes again!"

"Hey wait, you're right! Billy? Can you hear me?"

_What are they doing here?_ Billy struggled to open his eyes.

"C'mon, Billy, that's it! Adam, get the nurse!"

"No, you get the nurse, I'm staying right here!"

"Adam, for crying out loud-"

Billy pried his eyes open and immediately shut them against the light.

"Billy?"

"Mmmuuugghhh...." He tried to speak, but his lips were stuck together and his mouth dry. Something cold touched his lips and he flinched back.

"Sip this, it'll help."

The ice cold water moistened his lips and he opened his mouth, ignoring the pain, and took a few swallows before the glass was pulled away. "That's enough," Adam said gently. "Don't drink too much at once."

He took a deep breath and immediately regretted it, as his chest exploded in pain. He cried out.

"Don't breathe too deep, you got a few broken ribs."

"And a fractured skull, but you'll be okay, don't worry," added Adam.

"Whuh... where..."

"You're in the hospital," came the answer. "Do you remember what happened?"

"Claire...."

"She's fine. She was just here a little while ago, but she had to leave to go to class."

They were all silent for a while, and finally Adam sighed. "I'll go get the nurse."

Jason waited for a while before speaking. "I missed you, Billy. It's been a while." Billy turned his face away from Jason's voice, but Jason didn't seem to notice. "I wanted to talk to you before, but I really didn't know what to say. You were right, you know. We were... unfair. We all felt real bad about it, but... I dunno, you just cut us off. You wouldn't accept our calls, you turned us away when we came to the door...."

_Calls? ... The door?_

"I wish you'd let us make it up to you. We didn't mean to drive you away."

"I hear our favorite patient has finally decided to join us," said an unfamiliar voice at the door.

"Nurse is here," Jason whispered. "She'll take care of you. We'll be waiting outside."

Billy felt Jason leave his side and allowed himself to drift back into unconsciousness.

* * *
"Billy? Honey? You awake?"

A soft voice drifted into his consciousness. _Claire? Is that...._ "Claire?" He heard himself speak aloud, and there was a gasp off to his side.

"Yes, it's me, sweetie. Open your eyes! Come on!"

She took his hand in hers and squeezed reassuringly. Billy forced his eyes open a crack and was greeted with the sight of her face inches from his. "Oh, hello."

She grinned and kissed him gently. "Is that all you can say?"

"You look lovely in this fluorescent light."

Someone on the other side of the room snorted rather rudely. "Yeah, he's fine."

"Jason? Is that you?"

"Hey, bro. Good to see you're feeling better."

"So, um... how's Rocky?"

"Oh, fine, you know. He recovered really quickly."

"That's good. He's... in school?"

"Yeah. Everyone is, you know. Adam and I are responsible for keeping everyone posted on your condition. They'll probably come up here this coming weekend." He paused. "That is, if you'll... have them." Billy bit his lip, searching for something to say, but Jason saved him the trouble. "Speaking of Adam, he's um... he's powdering his nose, if you know what I mean."

"He had to pee," clarified Claire, in her characteristic blunt manner.

"Uh, yeah," managed Jason, trying not to laugh. "That's exactly it."

"How long have you been here," Billy wondered, as Jason moved closer to his bedside.

"Adam and I have been in New York since last Tuesday, when your Dad told us what happened. He offered to get us plane tickets, but we opted for another mode of travel." He gestured toward his communicator.

Billy just nodded, but Claire gave Jason a weird look. "You know, the plane would have been much faster than whatever it was you took. You must really like long road trips."

"That's exactly it. Besides, Adam and I had a lot to talk about."

"I'll just bet you did." She gave Jason a dirty look and turned her attention back to Billy.

Jason actually blushed. "Look, Billy.... I know we really hurt you, back there... but we didn't mean to. Claire's got it into her head that we drove you off and didn't even care, and I guess it's you who gave her that idea, but.... You're our friend, and you always will be. We tried to work things out, but you-"

"What?" Billy shook his head, but immediately regretted it as a wave of pain crashed across his skull. "Ow. How did you try to work things out?"

"We called, we visited, everything. But you kept turning us away."

"What are you talking about? I never got any calls, or visits."

"What?" Now it was Jason's turn to look puzzled. "But-"

"But what?" asked Adam, gliding silently into the room.

Jason jumped. "Will you quit it with that ninja thing! You don't have to be silent and invisible all the time, you know."

Adam shrugged. "Sorry, force of habit. Billy, you're awake!"

"He says we never called!"

"What? But I personally called you at least fifty times that first week. Well, maybe not fifty times, but I called you a lot. On the phone, and... you know, um... with... my voice." Claire gave him a look even weirder than the one she'd given Jason. Adam flushed and turned away.

Billy just stared. "I never got any calls."

"You know what? I'll leave you guys to work this out. Someone needs to go tell Mr. C that Billy's alert." Claire gave Billy another quick kiss and hurried out.

They were silent for a while, all of them deep in thought. Billy did his best to avoid their eyes. _What's going on? I didn't get any calls.... I thought... but...._

"Billy?" Adam spoke quietly, hesitantly. "We, um... we missed you."

"Oh." His mind was in turmoil. He wanted more than anything to believe them, but... _I can't... I won't get hurt again._

"So why wouldn't you let us try to explain?" asked Jason quietly. "I mean, I know we hurt you, but... we tried to make it right. We wanted to make sure you knew we were sorry."

"Jason, I...." Billy stopped, unsure of what to say. "Jason, I want to believe you, but-"

"But what?" Adam leaned over and impulsively grabbed Billy's hand. "I thought we were best friends!"

"Best friends don't accuse one another of trying to kill people!" To his mortification, Billy burst into tears.

Jason froze, suddenly finding himself completely out of his element, but Adam leapt into action immediately, wrapping his arms around Billy and letting his head rest on his chest. "Look, Billy, I swear that's not what we meant! I know you'd never do anything to hurt-"

"You said as much, I heard you! What the Hell did you mean, if that wasn't it!"

"I don't know about Adam," said Jason quietly, "but I was afraid to challenge Tommy's leadership." He looked away, obviously uncomfortable. "Ever since I came back, I feel like... I don't know. I mean, he was the leader, and I was cool with that, but... sometimes I just felt like things could be done differently, you know? I didn't agree with him, but I knew if I said something... Billy, I sold out. There's no excuse for that. I sold out, and I am terribly sorry. I never meant to hurt you." Jason blinked a few times and swiped the back of his hand across his eyes. "Um... guess I got something in my eyes...."

Billy didn't respond. He couldn't. He just gripped Adam tightly and cried. He felt Adam sigh, and the younger boy squeezed his hand reassuringly. "I know you'd never do anything like that, Billy, it's just that... well, you know... nobody else said anything, and I... I was... scared. We both sold out, Jason, it wasn't just you."

Billy sniffled. "But what about the others? They went along with it, why?"

"Well...." Adam seemed to hesitate, but he sighed and continued. "I know I shouldn't speak for anyone else, but... I've spoken to Tanya about it... a lot. She feels really bad, too, but... well, frankly, Billy, she didn't know you too well. She'd only been around for a little while, and once you graduated, we never really saw you anymore. When Tommy said what he did, she was... shocked, but... she didn't know any better."

"She trusts Tommy more than me."

"She knows Tommy better than you. There's a difference. And my guess is that Kat was in a similar situation."

"But it's over now, anyway, because Tommy...." Jason spoke haltingly, as if unsure of what he was about to say. "Tommy is no longer with the team."

"What?" Billy sat up, pulling away from Adam. "Not with the- what?"

"It's a long story, man," he sighed. "We'll tell you later." Jason motioned to the door, where Hank and Claire stood waiting.

"Are we interrupting?" Hank Cranston smiled, his voice thick.

"Dad...."

Adam and Jason quickly stood and approached the door.

"You don't have to leave, kids," protested Hank.

"Yes we do," smiled Jason, as he closed the door behind them.

Hank took a seat next to the bed and took Billy's hand. "Billy, I was so worried!"

"I'm okay, Dad. How long was I out?"

"Over a week. They weren't sure whether or not you'd make it at first. I got that call, and...." Hank let his voice trail off.

"Dad, don't. I'm okay."

"You looked so small, Billy. They asked me... if you... if were to... did I want to donate your organs-"

"Dad, please, stop it. I'm okay, just let it go."

"I can't let it go! I almost lost you! You're all I have left since Rachel... since your mother died." Billy looked away. "I'm sorry, Billy, I'll stop. It's just... I was so afraid of losing you."

"I know."

They were silent for a while, unsure of what to say. Then Hank spoke again. "Your friends were really worried about you. Jason and the others, I mean. I know you had been fighting with them, but... I thought they should know. They were always coming by the house and asking me how you were."

"Really? Why didn't you tell me?"

"I thought... I don't know, I didn't want to interfere. You always got so angry with me when I interfered."

"Yeah, I guess I did, at that. But Dad, I'm really confused! Jason says they called me... right after it happened... but I didn't get any calls. He says they even visited. It doesn't make any sense."

"Hmm, that is strange. Perhaps you should ask them?"

"I don't know. I want to believe them...."

"Billy, listen to me very carefully. I don't give you advice very often, and for good reason. Half the time I don't know what I'm talking about. But this time I need you to listen to me and understand." He paused, as if waiting for permission to speak. "You've been hurt. I know that. You've been hurt so many times you're afraid to trust anybody. I remember how you used to come home crying, or close to it, every day. I remember putting bandages on your cuts and bruises, and wishing I could do the same to your poor little heart. Knowing I couldn't do anything to make things easier on you was torture for me. I used to lie awake at night, almost wishing you had never been born, simply because I hated to see you hurting so much. But then Jason came into your life. You came home with a smile on your face for the first time in ages, Billy. Telling me about this boy who had let you eat lunch with him and his friends. You talked about them constantly. Jason, Zack, Trini, and Kimberly- I got to know them all before I ever met them in person! And you were happy for the first time in... I don't know how long. And Billy, because of that, and because of all you've been through these past few years, I trust these kids. They would never want to hurt you, and I know... I know it's been tearing them up inside that they did. You've got to give them a chance to straighten this out, as much for your sake as for theirs."

Billy looked up at his father, and was shocked to see tears pooling in the corners of the man's eyes. "I will, Dad. I promise."

* * *
Billy smiled as Adam poked his head into the room. "Is she gone?"

"You know she is. Come on in."

Adam let out a sigh of relief and trotted over to the bed. "I thought I remembered she had class about now."

"You know, Claire would be very hurt if she knew you were avoiding her like this."

Adam snorted. "Nuh-uh! That girl is pure poison!"

"She loves, me, Adam, she's just trying to protect me."

"Maybe so, but... she keeps giving me the evil eye."

Billy snickered. "I'll tell her to stop, all right?"

"No! Then she'll know it bothers me!"

"Whatever. So where's Jason?"

"He's not feeling too well. You know, he's been really torn up about all this, even if he won't admit it. I don't think he slept at all last night."

"Oh." Billy looked away. "I guess I didn't help things at all."

"No, you... you were hurt. We understand why you wouldn't want to talk to us."

"But that's just it. You say you called and visited, but I never heard from you!"

"Well, every time I called, someone would pick up the phone and then hang up right away."

"What about when you visited?"

"I'd knock forever, calling you, and you wouldn't open the door. Once, you opened the curtain and looked right at me."

"What? But I swear I never saw you!"

"You know what? It must have been part of the spell."

"Spell? What spell?"

"You mean Jason hasn't told you yet?"

"No. What spell?"

"It's... a very long, very weird story."

Billy gestured to his surroundings. "I have time."

"Well...."

The Very Long, Very Weird Story "Zeddy, I'm bored."

Lord Zedd sighed and tried his hardest to ignore his wife. He failed.

"ZEDDY! I SAID I'M BORED!"

"Well, what do you want me to do about it?!"

"When are we gonna conquer Earth?"

"As soon as we get rid of those buggary Rangers, that's when!"

"Buggary?"

"It means 'blasted,' or 'annoying,' or 'damned.'"

"Oh. Where'd you hear that one?"

"On British television, but that's not the point. The point is that until we discover a way to defeat those insipid-"

"Buggary?"

"...those buggary Rangers for good, we cannot conquer that planet!"

"So let's defeat them!"

"Oh, why didn't I think of that myself, oh fascinating one," Zedd burst out angrily. "By all means, let's simply defeat them. How hard can it be, it's only taken us five freakin' years of getting beat again and again and again and again-"

"Speak for yourself. I was getting beat 10,000 years before you found this galaxy."

"Whatever."

"Anyway, I have a plan!"

"Oh, do tell."

"Don't be so sarcastic. This will work."

"You only say that every single time!"

"Well, this time I'm right! Why do the Rangers constantly defeat us? What is their most consistent and reliable defense against us?"

"Their Zords?"

"No! Their brain!"

"What?"

"Billy! William James Cranston, that's what. No matter how many fiendish monsters we dish out, he always manages to ruin things! Remember the Fighting Flea, and the Saliguana? What about the GooFish?"

"No."

"Shut up. And even the Machine Empire was unable to outsmart him! They turned Jason Scott into a gold statue, it was brilliant! But Billy fixed him up and he was awww better. Are you catching my drift here?!"

"Yes, yes, I understand. But what is your plan?"

"Duh! We get rid of Billy!"

"Fine. But how? The Rangers won't just give him up, you know. They'll rescue him."

"Not if he's not actually in danger!"

"Now you've lost me."

"Zedd, think. For once in your life, think! What if Billy were to leave the Rangers voluntarily!"

Zedd shook his head. "Nope, never happen."

"It would if they drove him off!"

"I repeat: Nope, never happen."

"It would if we made it!"

"If we... made it?"

"To use a little Billy-speak, precisely!"

"All right, and how do we make this happen?"

"I have my own little secret weapon."

"Oh, and what is that?"

"Thomas Oliver."

"Pardon?"

"My Tommy!"

"Rita, he is not 'your Tommy.' He's the leader of the buggary team!"

"But Zeddy, I made him what he is today! I hand-picked him from thousands of unwilling candidates to be my Green Ranger! To work against everything good and decent!"

"I've got bad news for you Rita. He is good and decent now. He's positively sickening."

"Not when I get through with him." Rita cackled and headed back toward their castle. "I'll be in my casting room if you need me!"

Zedd just shook his head. "Women."

* * *
Tommy rolled over and threw his covers off. It was awfully hot, and adjusting the thermostat aparently wasn't helping at all. His sheets were soaked with sweat, and he had the uneasy feeling he was being watched. _Just my imagination,_ he told himself stubbornly. _It's those chili dogs Rocky and I had for dinner. Messing with my head._

He gave up on trying to sleep and decided to head downstairs and watch some TV. The late night infomercials would definitely put him to sleep. He tiptoed downstairs and turned the television on, being careful not to turn the volume up too loud. There was no need to wake up the whole house just because he couldn't sleep. He flipped channels until he found something suitably boring, and settled down to watch. He was just about to finally drift off when-

"Oh, Tommy... Wake up!"

Tommy jerked upright and stared at the television screen. Where there had been an infomercial about a salmon de-scaler, there was now a sickeningly familiar witch in casting clothes. "Rita! What do you want?"

"Oh, why are you so rude to me?" she pouted for a second, then grinned lecherously at him. "I just want to be your friend!"

"I'll never be friends with your kind, Rita."

"But we have such a history together, Green Ranger!"

Tommy's breath caught in his throat. "I am not the Green Ranger. Your Green Ranger died a long time ago."

"No, he didn't. He's merely been on vacation."

"I won't serve you again, Rita. I'll die before I harm any of my friends."

"That can be arranged." A beam of light shot out of the television and hit Tommy. He gasped; the pain was almost unbearable. "Awww, poor Tommy. Does it hurt?"

"Let... me... go!"

"It's agony, isn't it? I made it myself, an old family recipe. And I can keep it up for ages, Tommy. Hours, days, months... years. And you won't be able to escape it, for as long as you are contained in that force field, you are immortal. Imagine living thousands of years, Tommy! Seeing your friends grow old and die, watching centuries pass, and all the time experiencing this unbearable pain! It sounds positively horrible to me."

Tommy gathered up all of his strength, and his hand began to inch toward his communicator.

"Oh, no you don't," Rita chirped, and the pain increased ten-fold.

Tommy tried to cry out, but his throat was on fire. No sound came.

"I'll give you a choice, Tommy. Serve me, and the pain will stop. Refuse, and... well, you know. I'm waiting for an answer...."

Tommy squeezed his eyes shut, searching desperately for a place deep inside himself where he could hide. Anything to get away from this pain. Anything but....

"Never."

He would never be sure of whether or not the word left his lips, becuase it was then that he found what he was looking for. A quiet spot deep within his soul; it was beckoning to him, so he went to it.

* * *
Rita grinned as Tommy's eyes went blank and his body sagged. She cut off the force field in which he had been encased, and he slid to the floor. "Well? Will you serve me?"

He lifted his head, his eyes burning with an unholy green light. "Of course, my Empress," he answered dully. "Of course."

* * *
"Well, it's done," crowed Rita brightly, as she finally exited her casting room. "He was putty in my hands. Get it? Putty!"

She cackled joyously, and Zedd grimaced, covering his ears. "Stop that horrid noise, Rita! So you've got him under another silly spell. So what?"

"This is not just any spell, Zeddy! Tommy won't be able to fight it, because he's trapped deep within his own body! I control his every move, his every thought, and those Rangers won't even know until it's too late!"

"What the buggery bollocks are you talking about?"

Rita stared at him. "No more British television for you, Zeddy. I can't understand a word you say. Besides, it's not up to you to understand everything, it's up to you to help me carry out the rest of my plan!"

"Which is?"

"Tommy has been briefed on his mission. Now, I need a monster."

"Again with the monsters!"

"I need something with great powers! Something with a sting!"

"I already tried Sting. It backfired on me."

"Not Sting, a sting! Like a bee, or something! But the bee idea's been done to death. We need something new."

"Wasp?"

"Too close to the bee thing."

"Um... Jellyfish?"

"Too Gooey. Try again."

"Scorpion?"

"Been there, done that. Remember Scorpina?"

"Whatever happened to her, anyway?"

"Who knows. C'mon, think of something!"

"Um... a frog?"

"A FROG?! What's scary about... wait a minute!"

"What? I was kidding."

"No. You've given me a fiendishly clever idea! We'll use Tommy's own heritage against him!"

"What does a frog have to do with Tommy's heritage?"

"Native Americans used to coat their arrows with a substance from the skin of poison dart frogs. It was only poisonous enough kill small animals, but if we could create a bigger, strong poison dart frog-"

"We'd be in business! Rita, I'm brilliant!"

"Whatever."

* * *
Tommy watched Billy warily as he retreated back into the antechamber. So far, he'd been hard-pressed to coerce Billy into leaving, but this provided ample opportunity. If Billy thought the team didn't trust him.... A smile flitted across his face, but he quickly wiped it off. He began talking just a little too loudly, hoping Billy would hear him. "So.... Jason, are you willing to take control of the blue power?"

"What?" Jason looked hard at him. "But what about Billy?"

Tommy hesitated, trying his best to look concerned. "I'm not sure that's a good idea."

"Why not?" Adam's face had grown pale. "We all know how much he wants to get back in action-"

"Exactly," Tommy nodded. Then he decided to tone it down a little. They were all looking pretty doubtful. "I'm not saying he'd hurt any of us. I know he wouldn't."

"But maybe he could have done a little more," breathed Katherine. Tommy knew he'd won. "Tommy, you don't think... I mean, I'm sure he did his best-"

"But what if you're wrong?" Tommy went for the home run. "I have nothing against Billy, I really don't. I just don't feel comfortable handing the power over to him. Not under these circumstances. Besides, we need him here, to take care of Rocky." There was a short silence.

"All right," Jason sighed. "I'll take the power. But who's going to tell Billy?"

Billy stepped out of the shadows. "No one has to tell me," he said, his voice flat. "I already know how you feel."

Tommy stepped back, watching the scene play out before him. He'd done it. Billy was pissed, the team was confused.... It couldn't have gone better. Once Billy was gone, he turned his attention to damage control. Jason and Adam were the two he'd really have to watch out for. If he wasn't careful, they'd ruin everything.

Sure enough, Adam headed straight for one of the consoles. "We gotta contact him, this is all wrong!"

Tommy moved quickly, intercepting Adam before he could reach his destination. "No, stop."

"What-?"

"We've got to give him time to think about this." _And we've got to give my Empress time to set up a communications block._ "You know how irritable he can be."

"But Tommy, he has a right to be mad! We really hurt his feelings!"

"Trust me, Adam. Just give it a little time. Once he's calmed down, he'll be easier to talk to." To Tommy's relief, Adam backed off. But out of the corner of his eyes, he saw Jason glaring at him. This would definitely be a problem.

* * *
Rocky realized with shock that something was really wrong with him. He tried to say something, to tell them he was in trouble, but he couldn't speak. Then his body betrayed him and he fell to the floor in a boneless heap.

His entire body felt as though it was on fire. It was through a pain-soaked haze that he felt someone - probably Billy - lift him as gently as one would a child. He was placed on a soft surface, and the someone wiped his forehead with a cool, damp cloth. It felt nice, and Rocky felt himself beginning to relax. Billy was talking to him now, and the sound of his voice was soothing. _Billy'll take care of me._ Now confident that he would be all right, Rocky allowed himself to drift away.

* * *
He opened his eyes. It was dark, and he was alone. He rolled his head around slowly, trying to figure out where he was, but it was too dark. He waited until his eyes adjusted to the dark, and then looked around for a light. Surely, Billy would have thought to prepare for his awakening? Sure enough, there was a small lamp at his bedside. He reached over to turn it on, and as light flooded the room, he realized where he was. _Of course, the sickroom. Duh, Rocky._

He sat up slowly, not sure of the scope of his injuries. All he really remembered was being really sick and scared, and then Billy saving the day. _As usual._ He smiled a little, thinking of the shy, quiet genius. _Where is he, anyway?_ He checked beside the bed for the small cot he knew was sure to be there, but the floor was bare. _That's weird...._

Billy had the terrible habit of never leaving the sickroom until he was sure his patient would be all right, even if it meant spending a sleepless night or two on a horrible, moth-eaten cot. They had all gotten together not to long ago and bought him a decent cot, but as far as he knew, there had been no need to use it yet. Until now.

Rocky started to get a little concerned. Why would Billy have left before he woke up? _Don't be so selfish. The guy deserves a break. He probably just knew you'd be all right._ But he still felt bad. The room was so empty with nobody else there.

"Hello?" His voice was weak and hoarse, and he was certain nobody could have heard him, so he cleared his throat and tried again. "Hello? Anybody?"

Alpha 5 waddled hurriedly into the chamber. "Rocky! How wonderful to see you awake!"

"Hi, Alpha. Where is everybody?"

"The Rangers are all at home. It's nearly ten o'clock, you know."

Rocky hesitated for a moment before speaking again. "Can you contact them? I'd kinda like to talk to somebody."

"Certainly, Rocky. I will contact the Rangers right away."

"Can I have some water?"

"Oh! I'm sorry, I had forgotten about that. I'll bring you a glass."

"Okay." _Billy always has a glass waiting._

ROCKY? HOW ARE YOU FEELING? Zordon's voice floated out of the intercom near the front of the room.

"Oh, hi, Zordon," Rocky called. "I'm okay."

THAT IS GOOD TO HEAR. ALPHA HAS INFORMED ME THAT YOU ARE ALMOST COMPLETELY RECOVERED.

"Cool. Thanks, Zordon."

MAKE SURE YOU GET PLENTY OF REST, ROCKY. THE ARROW FROG MONSTER'S POISON TOOK A LOT OUT OF YOU.

"I know, Zordon, don't worry."

The Rangers chose that moment to teleport into the room. Adam handed him a cup of water. "Hey, Rocky! How long have you been awake?"

"Not too long. How'd you know I wanted water?"

"Alpha told me to bring it."

"How do you feel," aksed Tanya, looking him over critically. "You look horrible."

"Thanks. I guess I feel better than I look." He looked around in confusion. "Where's Billy?" _And why's Jason wearing blue?_

"Um...." Katherine hesitated, glancing around at the others. Adam's face had taken on a pained look, as had Tanya's, and Jason's fists clenched at his sides. "He hasn't been here in a while."

"What?"

Adam stared down at the floor and began to shuffle his feet. "We screwed up," he muttered. "He's mad at us."

"What happened?"

"It's a long story," Tommy spoke up. "He'll come around, don't worry."

Jason shook his head. "I dunno, Tommy, you've been saying that for weeks now-"

Rocky blanched. "Weeks? It's been weeks? Jeez, my parents must be-"

"They're pretty freaked out, all right, but don't worry, The Green Ranger reassured them you'd be all right." Tanya shot Adam a small smile, but he didn't seem to notice.

"Oh. But wait, he hasn't spoken to you in weeks?"

Tanya nodded.

"What the Hell did you do?"

"We didn't do anything-" began Tommy, but Jason cut him off.

"Oh, give it up, Tommy-"

"Look, Jason, I made a decision based on the well-being of this team-"

"Bull! You know full well Billy'd never do anything that slimy!"

"Wait a minute, slimy? What are you talking about? What happened?"

"I don't know what Billy's capable of, and frankly, I don't want to find out!"

"I oughta-"

"GUYS!" Rocky screamed the word as loud as he possibly could, and immediately regretted it. He winced and lay back down against the pillows. _Maybe I haven't recovered as much as I thought._ At any rate, though, Jason and Tommy both stopped yelling and looked over at him.

"Are you okay," Jason asked, stepping up closer to the bed.

"Of course not," Rocky snapped, taking a few careful sips of the water Adam had provided. "Okay look," he said tiredly, closing his eyes. "Just tell me what happened, okay?"

Jason did, his brown eyes burning with an angry intensity Rocky hadn't seen in a long time. "We screwed up, Rocky, and that's there is to it. We've tried to work things out with him, but he won't-"

"We did not screw up, Jason, sometimes you have to make hard decisions, and you can't let your personal life get in the way-"

"Don't tell me how to make decisions, Tommy, I was leading this team before you even moved here!"

"Yeah, and Zordon replaced you with me, so there was obviously a problem."

"You arrogant son of a-"

"And you didn't argue with me, so tell me how this is my fault?"

Jason was quiet then. He looked over at Adam, and then the girls, and then Rocky. Then, he looked back at Tommy, his face burning with shame. "I can't."

"Fine, then." Tommy nodded, and moved closer to Rocky's side. "Look, Rocky, I know you don't understand this, but we had our reasons for all this. Billy just misunderstood us, that's all."

"How is it a misunderstanding? I gotta tell you Tommy... I'm pretty pissed off myself. Jason, I'm not saying you didn't deserve to take over the blue powers, or anything, but Billy... Billy's been here ever since the beginning, and... well, I trust him with my life. I'd trust him with my sisters' lives, my parents' lives... I just trust him, that's all. And if you don't... well, there's no misunderstanding there."

No one said a word. Rocky figured there was just nothing you could say at a time like this. Tommy proved him wrong. "Sometimes things like this are just necessary, Rocky. You know what they say, you can't make an omelet...." With that, Tommy smiled and started out of the chamber. Everyone else just stared after him in shock.

Jason brought his communicator to his mouth in one swift movement. "Alpha, encase Tommy in a forcefield, please. Now!"

A forcefield immediately appeared around Tommy, who shouted in anger. Alpha waddled into the room. "Jason, what's going on?"

"Yeah, what is this? Let me out of here!"

"No way." Jason stepped up to the field, glaring at the long-haired youth. "You're not Tommy."

"What?" Katherine gasped, "What are you talking about?"

"I know Tommy, and he would never hurt a friend like this. Tommy would never, ever, be this cold."

"You don't know what you're talking about," Tommy sneered, clenching his fists at his sides.

"We'll see. Alpha? We need a complete scan."

"Right, Jason." Alpha dutifully whipped out his trusty scanner and passed it through the forcefield effortlessly. Tommy had no choice but to stand still and wait. After a long silence, Alpha spoke. "You were right, Jason. It's a spell. Zordon, what do I do?"

Zordon's voice once again came through the intercom. RANGERS, YOU MUST FOCUS THE ENERGY FROM YOUR ZEO CRYSTALS DIRECTLY INTO TOMMY'S BODY. THEIR PURE GOODNESS SHOULD REPEL THE EFFECTS OF THE SPELL.

"Right," Jason nodded. "You ready, guys? Power up your crystals!"

Four blazing slivers of pure light materialized over each of the Rangers' heads. At Jason's signal, the slivers burst into brilliant explosions that streaked toward Tommy and dissolved the forcefield as though it were nothing more than air. Tommy screamed as if in intense pain as the light penetrated his body. When the light finally dispersed, he lay motionless, facedown on the floor.

* * *
He was in a void. This much he knew. Or did he? For to be in a void, he had to exist. But existence meant feelings; sights, thoughts, and actions. There was nothing here. Only the void. Then he realized, _I am thinking.... I think, therefore I am._ He would have laughed, had he a voice.

It had started as an island. A beautiful tropical paradise, a far cry from the pain and torture that awaited him back Home. Now it was only the void, and he could not remember when the island had gone. He could not remember Home. Names came to him, voices; but he could not identify them. Flashes, brief images... so brief, in fact, that though he saw many things - many people, - he could not identify them.

Home. What was waiting for him there? Why was there such a longing for something he could not grasp? This island, this void - which had been such a blessing at first - had become a torture far worse than the pain. _I think, therefore I am._

_What time is it?_ The thought came unbidden. _Time? What is... time?_ But still he wondered. _What time is it? Where... when... why?_ Questions, so many questions.

_Is that light?... Yes! Light!... It has been so long...._ Brilliant colors; pink, yellow, blue, and green. His heart ached, for within those lights lay the very thing he had been missing. Within those lights lay the answers. _What...?_

"...Time is it?" Tommy's eyes fluttered and he spoke. "What time is it?"

Jason leaned over Tommy and examined his face carefully. "You okay, buddy?"

"What?" Tommy squinted up at him, his eyes slightly glazed. "Who... Jason?"

"Yeah, it's me, bro. Can you sit up?" Jason placed a firm hand on Tommy's back and gently helped him upright.

Tommy stared around at everyone in the room. "What time is it?"

"It's a little after ten," Kat answered quietly.

"Ten?" Tommy looked down at his hands and slowly began to wiggle the fingers. "Ten...."

"Do you know who we are?" Adam asked suddenly.

Tommy stared at him for a long moment before answering. "You're... green. You're the... lights. You saved me."

"Yeah, bro, you're okay now." Jason pulled Tommy to his feet and helped him over to the bed, where Tommy collapsed without ceremony.

Rocky had to worm his way out from underneath him. "Hey, watch it! I'm injured here!"

Tommy looked startled, as if he hadn't noticed Rocky was there. "Hello?"

"Yeah, hey." Rocky scooted over even farther, a little angry at himself to being so macho. So he was in a bed with Tommy. As long as they weren't doing anything. And besides, Tommy was on top of the covers, and he was under the covers, so there was really nothing to worry about. Just to be sure, though, he scooted over just a bit more.

Alpha passed the scanner over Tommy's body a few times. "He's fine now, Jason. He'll just need time to rest."

Jason nodded wordlessly as Tanya sighed. "I can't believe we didn't notice he was... under a spell. All this time!"

"Don't blame yourself, Tanya," sighed Alpha, "Rita was very careful this time. This spell is not as obvious as some of her others. You see, it did not make Tommy evil, it merely made him a slave to her will."

Tommy moaned. "Rita?"

"Yeah," Rocky nodded solemnly. "She was messing with you again."

Tommy looked as though he was about to cry. "What did I do?"

"Um...." Adam looked around at the others, unsure of what to say. "You see, it's... well-"

Tommy sat straight up. "BILLY! Oh my God, where's Billy? Why isn't he here?" The fog was completely gone from his eyes. Instead of confusion, they now held only fear. "Tell me he's all right. Please, God, tell me he's okay!"

"Tommy, relax!" Kat wrapped her arms around him and tried to stop his shaking. "Billy's... fine. I mean, he's not hurt... physically. He's fine."

"Why isn't he here? Not hurt physically? What...?"

"He's just mad at us, that's all," explained Adam quickly. "Don't worry, it wasn't your-"

"It was my fault, wasn't it? I drove him away."

"Not you," disagreed Tanya, "Rita. She was controlling, you. You couldn't help it."

Tommy jumped to his feet and began pacing irritably. "It's not right! How many times do I... WHY? Why does she always do this?!"

"Look, Tommy, just calm down, okay? I'm sure we can fix everything-"

"No, you can't! No matter what we do, she'll always be after me! I wasn't even supposed to be a Power Ranger. Zordon didn't pick me, Rita did! What does that say?"

"It doesn't say anything-"

"It says that no matter what, I'll always be a threat to you guys." Tommy turned and looked Jason straight in the eyes. "It wasn't right, what happened. Why did you leave? Everything would have been fine if you'd just stayed...."

"No way, man, you did a good job with this team! You always do what's best-"

"No! I am the Green Ranger. I will always be her Green Ranger, and I can't forget that!"

"But we forgot it a long time ago!"

"I'm sorry. That's not enough." Tommy closed his eyes and bowed his head, and the Red Zeo Crystal appeared above his head. "Jason," he said quietly, so quietly they could barely hear him, "Take the Red Crystal. You deserve it. You are the one and only Red Ranger."

"But... but I have the blue-"

"Give it to Rocky."

"I can't let you do this-"

"Then as leader of this team, I order you. Take the crystal."

Jason stood stock still, his eyes darting frantically from Tommy, to Rocky, to Katherine, and back to Tommy again. "I... no."

As if in answer, the Red Rrystal began to move. It glided slowly away from Tommy until it was directly above Jason, and there it stayed. It danced there, over his head, and seemed to coax the Blue Crystal out of its hiding place. The two did an ethereal waltz together, and then the Blue floated over to Rocky, bathing him in its light. In perfect sync, the crystals decended upon their new owners and disappeared, leaving Jason and Rocky clad in the Ranger Armour.

Jason removed his helmet and stepped up to Tommy. "Please... you don't have to do this."

Tommy finally looked up. He fixed his own tear-filled eyes on Jason's, and said, "Yes, I do."

And then he was gone.

End Very Long, Very Weird Story "And... he left. That's it."

Billy was speechless. His mouth had fallen open somewhere in the middle of the part about the crystals, and his throat had dried out. He grabbed his water and took a few sips, as Adam waited for him to speak. "My God...!"

"I know."

"So... so where is he?"

Adam shrugged. "Dunno. He just kinda... disappeared."

"Disappeared?! You mean... he's just gone?"

"Yeah. Never saw him again."

"Not in school, at his house...?"

"His parents filed a missing persons report."

"Well, tell Zordon to look for him!"

"We did. All Zordon'll say is that he's alive, and if he wants to come back, he will. Typical Zordon bullshit, if you ask me."

"My God!"

"Yeah." Both boys were silent for a long moment, deep in thought.

"Well," Billy finally ventured, "Do you think he'll ever come back?"

Adam didn't answer. He made no indication that he'd even heard.

They sat in silence.

* * *
"Hey, Billy? You awake?"

Billy opened his eyes a crack as he heard a familiar voice. "What? Who's there?"

"It's me, Jay! You awake?"

"I am now." Billy struggled to sit up. "How did you get in here? Isn't it past visiting hours?"

"I'll say," Jay snorted. "It's like, midnight, or something. You know Helen? From upstairs?"

"Helen?"

"She was always playing Nine Inch Nails really loud at, like, 3 in the morning?"

"Oh, right. Helen."

"Yeah, well, she's interning, and she's got the midnight shift. She let me sneak in with her."

"Ah. So... what do you want?"

Jay took a seat next to the bed. "Hey, I was worried! You're my roommate, my friend!"

"We're friends?"

"Of course we are! It's been really weird without you around to hound me all the time. You're like my mom, or something, you know?"

"Gee, thanks."

"No, seriously! Without you around to shush me all the time, I'm up until all hours. Drinking, partying... my grades have been shot to Hell."

"What a shame."

"Yeah. So you gettin' out of this hell-hole any time soon?"

"Jay, I have a fractured skull. That's not exactly a 'treat-and-release' type of injury."

"Oh. That musta hurt, huh?"

"I don't remember."

"Oh." Jay looked down at is lap and began twiddling his thumbs. "Hey, look, Billy, I'm sorry I got you in trouble with Todd. I didn't know he'd go all psycho on you."

"Oh. Well... that's okay. I guess."

"No it's not! I nearly got you killed! Roommates don't get roommates killed!"

"You didn't mean to...."

"I swear, when you get out of here, I'm gonna be the best roommate ever. I'm gonna clean up after myself, and use headphones when I'm listening to music, and I'll never, ever, interfere with your love life ever again!"

"Well, there's no need for all that, Jay. Don't... try to change yourself just for me-"

"Really? Oh, good, man, cause I was flippin' out about that cleaning thing."

"Um... right." Billy lay back down and pulled the sheets up around his chin. "Listen, Jay, I'm pretty tired. Could you possibly come back during the day, or something?"

"Oh, right. Well, see, the thing is... you know, if people knew I was visiting you here, they'd think I was... weird, or something."

"Whatever, Jay."

"Not everybody, you know, just the guys."

"I suppose by 'the guys,' you mean the lacrosse team?"

"Well, yeah! They think you're queer."

"Good for them."

"But I defended you, and all. I told 'em you weren't queer, just kinda wimpy."

"Thanks for caring."

"No, but... you know, I told 'em you weren't even so wimpy, cuz, you put up a good fight first. Todd had this major black eye, and he was limping a little, even though he tried to hide it-"

"Uh-huh."

"No, really! You got 'im good, you know... before he broke your head."

"Glad you approve."

"No prob. Say, did Claire tell you about Todd?"

"No. What about him?"

"He was expelled. Me and Claire are gonna testify against him in court. We get to miss class and everything! They said they want you to testify, too, if you're better."

"Okay. I guess I can do that."

"Cool." Jay stood and tiptoed to the door, peeking out into the hallway. "Oh crap, now I'm gonna get caught. Oh well, the worst they can do is throw me out, right? Well, see ya!"

Billy shook his head slowly as Jay darted out into the hallway and disappeared. "Bye."

* * *
"Hey, Billy you awake?"

Billy moaned and rolled over. "Jay, go away!"

Someone laughed. "It's not Jay, it's Jason. But I'll go away anyway."

"What? No, wait!" Billy struggled to open his eyes. "You can stay!"

"Forget it, Billy. Go back to sleep."

"No, I'm... I'm awake, see?" Billy opened his eyes as wide as he possibly could.

"Stop that, you're scaring me." Jason took a seat beside the bed. "I'll stay, but you can still go back to sleep. Deal?"

Billy let his eyes close again. "All right." Almost immediately, he thought of something and snapped awake. "Wait!"

Jason jumped. As did Claire, Adam, Hank, and the rest of the Rangers, who had somehow magically appeared in the room. "What?!"

"Whuh... Rocky! Tanya? Kat?! What-?"

"Hi, Billy!" Rocky grabbed him in a bear hug. "Boy am I glad to see you!"

"Hullo, Billy," grinned Katherine, kissing him on the cheek.

Tanya just waved. "Surprise!"

"How did you... I was just... huh?"

Jason laughed. "You feel asleep, remember? They got here about an hour ago."

"An hour? But I thought...."

"You were in a deep sleep, hon," nodded Claire. "Drooling all over the place!"

Billy immediately flushed a deep red. "Oh."

"I was kidding about the drooling part, sweetie. You're so cute when you're embarrased!"

Rocky put a hand on Claire's shoulder, "Man, Billy, you got a hot one!" and was rewarded with an elbow to the gut. "Ow!"

"That's for women everywhere!"

"Yeah, she's a catch," he continued, rubbing his sore middle. "A real firecracker."

"It's great to see you well, Rocky," replied Billy, his eyes misting up slightly. "I was kinda worried."

"Really? You didn't hate me?"

"How could I? You weren't even there."

"Speaking of which...." began Katherine. "We wanted to formally apologize for all that."

"It's okay, Kat, Adam explained things. You don't have to-"

"Yes, we do," interrupted Tanya. If for no other reason, then just to clear our consciences."

"Oh. All right, I'm listening."

"I'll go first," offered Kat. "Um... well, Adam tells me he's already sort of explained things from Tanya and my point of view, so... I guess there's no need to repeat it. I just wanted to tell you... how much I've missed you. Things were never the same without you, and I guess it took all this for me to figure out what.... I mean, you were always around, you know? I just took you for granted. You became a part of the background, really, like wallpaper."

"Wallpaper?"

"You know what I mean, don't you? It's like... when I was little, I absolutely loved our bathroom. Don't laugh, let me finish. I loved our bathroom. I used to spend a lot of time there, playing in the tub, or in the sink, or sometimes just reading. And one day my mum decided to redecorate, and she took down the old wallpaper and put up a new pattern. And it was never the same. I hated it. I never went to the bathroom anymore." She flushed as everyone in the room glanced knowingly at one another. "You know what I mean!"

"Yeah, I do. It's okay, Kat. I'm sorry too."

"Tanya's turn!" sang Rocky brightly.

She hesitated. "Well, I don't think I can beat the bathroom story, but I'll try."

"Please do."

"Well, to me, you were like... oh heck, I can't compare you to anything. You're just Billy. I don't know what that means, but I always knew you'd be around. Like Kat said, in the background. Constant. I could tell when I first moved to Angel Grove that you were somebody important. Everybody seemed to respect you somehow. I guess it rubbed off on me. You were always really nice, but... we never talked. I still don't know you very well, but I want to. I'm sorry I hurt you. I know you'd never have done that to me."

Billy waited, but she didn't say anything else. "Oh, are you done?"

"I told you I couldn't beat the bathroom story!"

"That's all right. Yours was just as... nice. Really, thank you all. I have to admit, I was... afraid... to give you another chance. Even after seeing Jason and Adam again, and hearing the story... there's a part of me that's still... I don't know, I can't explain it. Claire...?"

"He's put up walls, afraid to trust, childhood trauma, yadda yadda yadda," explained Claire quickly.

"Um... right, thanks."

"Don't look at me like that," she defended, "I didn't want to bore them with psychobabble!"

"Psychobabble?" Jason looked sideways at Claire. "She is perfect for you, Billy!"

"Yeah, between your technobabble and her psychobabble, y'all don't make any sense!" joked Rocky, earning another elbow in the gut from Claire. "Ow! No fair, same spot!"

Billy smiled to himself as everyone broke into laughter. It was just like old times, except.... His smile faded as his thoughts wandered back to Angel Grove. _Where are you, old friend?_

* * *
As dusk fell over the deserts outside of Angel Grove, a young man made the long solitary walk to the cliffs overlooking the town. Slowly, laboriously, he climbed the rocky walls until he reached the zenith. There he sat, legs crossed and head bowed, deep in thought. As the sun finally disappeared below the horizon, he raised his head to look at the stars. They were infinite in number, and as old as the universe itself, yet they were almost drowned out by the city lights.

His thoughts began to wander, as they did every night, to the home and the people he had left behind. What were they doing now? Did they ever think of him, as he thought of them?

He stood and began to walk forward, inching toward the edge as the ground slowly crumbled beneath his feet. His stomach clenched violently, but he stood firm, unflinching. _If I should die before I wake...._

High above, a lone falcon circled; waiting.

End

---

to "Flight of the Falcon"