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rivulet027 Jun. 2nd, 2010 03:55 pm)
rivulet027 Jun. 2nd, 2010 03:55 pm)Title: An Unexpected Family
Pairings: Andros/Jason, Past Andros/OMC (Lori), Past Jason/Emily, Zhane/Karone, Billy/Rocky, Kim/Kat, hint at Tommy/Hayley…
Rating: R
Summery: Sequel to ‘Everyone Accounted For.’ When an old acquaintance threatens to take Andros’ morpher from him, it leads to a series of events that leaves several ranger teams battling new and darker enemies.
Disclaimer: I own nothing to do with Power Rangers. It's not my toy box, I'm merely playing.
Warning: There is slash, femslash and het in this story. Don’t like any of that, don’t read it. Also Mpreg (Andros) and Trip being from the past.
A/N: Thanks to![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
pockythoughts for letting me spaz at her when this was being difficult. Also thanks to everyone else who contributed when Karone was giving me issues about what morpher she was going to get.
Chapter 4:
Jason turned slowly, taking in the Command Center. This was a dream and he was going to cherish every moment of seeing the original base of operations pristine, almost untouched. It wasn’t destroyed here in his dream, it was whole.
It was quieter than he remembered.
“I know I ask too much sometimes,” Zordon’s voice said.
Dream, Jason’s mind told him as he turned to take in a face he knew well…attached to a body he’d only seen video of.
“You asked so that we would grow and learn,” Jason said.
“No, I’ve asked too much,” Zordon decided.
Jason smiled and shook his head, “It’s good to see you, even if this is only a dream.”
“A dream,” Zordon mused, “why would you say that?”
“You’re dead,” Jason pointed out.
“Physically, yes,” Zordon agreed.
Jason frowned, “And not physically?”
Zordon didn’t answer. He smiled warmly at Jason before he said, “All of you have worked through your blame, as I knew you would. You’ve looked past circumstances to see the truths and never blamed him.”
“Blamed who?” Jason asked.
“And yet I asked too much of him,” Zordon said, “perhaps too much of you.”
This dream was odd. Why wasn’t Zordon answering him? Who was he talking about?
“I don’t understand,” Jason said.
“He still blames himself,” Zordon said.
“Who?” Jason asked, desperate, confused.
“Remind him,” Zordan asked, “Please?”
“I don’t understand,” Jason repeated.
“You will,” Zordon reassured.
Jason nodded.
“The consequences from my death would not have been the same if a foe had destroyed me,” Zordon explained.
“Rita, Zedd and the others wouldn’t be good?” Jason asked.
“That’s correct,” Zordon told him, “It had to be a friend.”
“Andros,” Jason said, “You’re talking about Andros.”
“This won’t be easy for you,” Zordon told him again, “but the rewards will be well worth the struggle.”
Jason woke up standing in the middle of his empty room, his soon to be nursery.
~~~~~*****~~~~~
Jason watched as Ashley tightened the belt on her jacket and shivered. He started to take his off.
“No, don’t. I’ll be okay,” Ashley told him, “I just didn’t expect it to be so cold.”
Jason shrugged, “It’s been warm lately, but not today. Maybe we could head inside?”
“Adele’s or Bulk’s?” Ashley asked.
“The Surf Spot is closer,” Jason decided as they began to walk, “What did you want to talk to me about?”
“Well…I just…” Ashley paused and started walking backwards to face him, “Andros mostly.”
Jason nodded, running a hand through his hair, “This all still seems a little far-fetched.”
Ashley nodded, “It seems there is a lot about being a Power Ranger I didn’t know.”
“Same here,” Jason agreed as they headed up the path towards The Surf Spot and found a table.
As Ashley settled into her seat she told Jason, “He’s not going to be very accepting of this.”
Jason rested his hand on his chin, “The kids part or the me part?”
Ashley frowned, “He will take responsibility for the kids, but he’s going to do his best to push you away. That’s how he is. You start to get close and he closes off or tries to push you away.”
Jason nodded. They stilled as Adele pushed a teenager toward them, “Now just take their order like we practiced.”
Ashley smiled encouragingly and Jason tried to do the same as they both quickly decided on a plate of fries to share and drinks.
As the two found themselves alone again Jason asked, “Not that I don’t appreciate that you want to give me some advice when it comes to trying to…are you sure you’re okay with this?”
Ashley nodded, “We didn’t work out and part of his excuse for that was that he’d dated the yellow before me and didn’t feel he could be sure that what he was feeling for me wasn’t residual feelings for the person who’d held the morpher before me.”
Jason nodded, understanding and listening closely when Ashley lowered her voice. Maybe they should’ve stuck to being outside, without having to worry about anyone hearing them talk about ranger business. Most people might know Ashley was a ranger, but he still had the benefit of being anoymous.
The young man Adele was training brought them their drinks and they thanked him.
“That’s still an excuse,” Jason commented.
Ashley nodded, “He knew it and I knew it, but at the same time it wasn’t working between us. Honestly I think I may have been the only girl he’s ever dated and I don’t think he factored in that my gender might be a problem.”
Jason nodded, “That’s rough.”
Ashley smiled slightly, “Good for you and I’ll find someone eventually.”
“I hope you do,” Jason said sympathetically, “break ups suck.”
“It was a few years ago,” Ashley said.
Jason smiled, “Mine was only a year ago, but everyone still likes to nag me about it.”
“Who?”
“Someone I met when I came back to Angel Grove, she wasn’t quite sure who she was and when she did figure it out we weren’t compatible anymore,” Jason explained, “which I’m over and…”
“Moving on?” Ashley supplied.
Jason nodded.
“Well he’s not going to make it easy on you,” Ashley told him, “he’s going to expect you to just up and leave him at some point so he’s going to try and push you away so that he doesn’t have to deal with it.”
“So push back or give him his space?” Jason asked as their fries arrived.
Ashley snagged one and told him, “It depends. Sometimes he does just need his space, but more often than not he just needs a hug, or someone to reassure him that he’s not alone. He loves being touched, not that he’ll ever admit it.”
Jason smiled faintly, “Well that’s good cause I tend to be a very touchy person.”
They ate in silence for a moment before Ashley gave him a sly grin, “I should probably warn you about what happens when he gets really happy.”
Jason frowned and wet his lips, “Okay.”
“Freaked me out the first time it happened, but sometimes when he’s happy he involuntarily floats himself and you.”
“That’s why I kissed him,” Jason confessed.
Ashley smiled slightly and asked, “What?”
“I asked him about him floating things so he demonstrated by floating us,” Jason explained, before he smiled faintly, “He just looked so…I can’t really explain it, I just wanted to kiss him.”
Ashley nodded, “Well I can understand that one.”
~~~~~*****~~~~~
Zhane waited till Jason followed him in the room before he told him, “Thought I’d end the tour by showing you your room.”
Jason set his suitcase down, “Thanks.”
Zhane smirked, “You really didn’t have to carry it the whole time.”
“Yes, I did,” Jason laughed, “Or you wouldn’t have your ‘I made Jason carry his suitcase’ prank and story.”
“True,” Zhane laughed.
Jason glanced around the undecorated room, taking in the bed, dresser and what he assumed was a closet. There was a small table with two chairs in the corner away from the door. Zhane snagged one of the chairs, turned it around and perched his chin on the back of it.
“I contacted The Counsel,” Zhane told him.
Jason snagged a chair, “And?”
“Fren didn’t contact The Ranger Counsel,” Zhane told him, “He protested with the governmental counsel that KO-35 has put together. They’re called ‘The Counsel’ too. It makes sense though. The Ranger Counsel probably wouldn’t have listened to a protest merely because our rangers are female, but since the tradition for the Astro rangers is an all male team, if he could get the governmental counsel to lodge a protest then The Ranger Counsel would’ve had to look into his complaint.”
“He was bluffing?” Jason asked.
Zhane frowned, “If Andros doesn’t have anyone to pass his morpher onto than Fren’s claim towards the morpher is valid.”
Jason nodded, “He’s going to try and makes sure Andros doesn’t have our children.”
“He’ll do what he can to ensure that,” Zhane agreed.
“Then he’d better hope I never meet him.”
Zhane rested his chin in his hands and quirked a smile, “Jason, whatever happens in the future remember that the two of you wouldn’t have been brought together by the Parryth if you wouldn’t be a strong couple.”
Jason nodded. It was something he needed to hear, but he wasn’t sure how to respond. Instead he urged Zhane to continue, “There something else you want to tell me.”
Zhane closed his eyes, nodded and took a calming breath. He opened his eyes and asked Jason, “Do you know why silvers are special?”
“They're shiny?” Jason teased.
Zhane smiled and laughed, then pressed his lips together before he said seriously, “The silver, no matter what numerical position, is always a protector of the team. If one carries the color long enough, they bond with their teammates, more specifically with their teammates morphers.”
“So you can…” Jason trailed off confused.
“Know when they need me,” Zhane told him, before he said quietly, “When I bonded with Andros, he bonded back. That doesn’t happen very often, but he’s particularly sensitive to the morphing power and though my bond to the rest of the team he bonded to them as well.”
Zhane paused a moment before he asked, “Do you know how most reds die?”
“Die?” Jason asked.
Zhane nodded, “As far as we know Earth rangers haven’t experienced a permanent death yet, but it does happen.”
Jason nodded. He could think of several reasons, but he didn’t want to belittle the information that Zhane was giving him by guessing. Jason told him, “No, but I suppose that it would be difficult to deal with such a death.”
Zhane nodded, “Most of them sacrifice themselves to save their teams. There has only been one team that has sacrificed itself to save their red. It was a rule. We don’t let anyone get Andros.”
Jason’s eyes darted over Zhane’s face and a part of him wanted to reach out and comfort the other man, but it didn’t seem that Zhane was finished.
“Zhane, what are you telling?” Jason asked.
“That bond,” Zhane told Jason before closing his eyes tightly and explaining, “When they died, we…we felt it.”
“Zhane…”
“I’ve dealt with it mostly,” Zhane told him, “but I don’t think he has, but then he survived and he wasn’t sure I had. He also cut off his bond to me once I woke up, so he probably isn’t bonded to the others either. I can still feel him, but he isn’t sensing me.”
Zhane glanced down, lips pressed together.
Jason nodded, sensing the need for a subject change, but not wanting to ask the question that was pushing at him. They sat in silence for a moment before Jason gave in and asked, “Did you two ever sleep together?”
“Sleep together?” Zhane asked puzzled before his eyes widened and he nodded, “Once. We had got the civilians into a cave system for the night and we knew if we were going to get them to a transport past Dark Specter’s troops we’d have to go through the ruins of the city. We’d just lost our team and he…I was losing him and I wasn’t dealing very well either. We…I was trying to remind him that he hadn’t lost all of us, that we would still win. That he wasn’t alone. I…”
Zhane paused to take a breath before he confessed, “I went down the next day.”
~~~~~*****~~~~~
Jason rolled over in the bed he was beginning to think was too narrow. He should sleep. The others had insisted that DECA knew where she was going and knew what she was doing. At the same time he was the only one on the ship. The quiet seemed almost loud to him, not the surrounded by friends chatter he was use to. The talk with Zhane wouldn’t leave him. Both Zhane and Andros had been through so much, how was he suppose to reach out to Andros? Was he strong enough to be there for Andros, in whatever ways the other man would need him to be? Would…
“That was a lot harder than I’d thought it’d be.”
Jason swung out of bed and into a defensive stance. He frowned confused at the young man in a yellow Astro uniform sitting on his dresser.
The young man laughed, “Sorry, now you’re all startled and rumpled.”
“Who are you?” Jason asked.
“Astro Yellow.”
“Ashley is…”
“Former Astro Yellow,” the young man corrected, “Lori.”
“Hi,” Jason greeted.
Lori laughed again as he jumped off the dresser, “Hi.”
“How are you…am I dreaming?”
Lori shrugged, “It might be easier to believe that.”
“I’m feeling a bit confused,” Jason confessed as he reached out a hand to shake.
Lori blinked down at his hand, “Is this a greeting?”
“Yeah, you take it and then we shake,” Jason explained.
Lori tilted his head and regarded him a moment before he took Jason’s hand. Lori’s touch was light, almost not there, but still felt.
“That is not at all how I’m used to greeting,” Lori explained.
“What do you do?” Jason asked.
“Hug and press our cheeks together,” Lori explained before wrapping barely there arms around him. Jason hugged him back briefly before Lori laughed again and pulled away, “Ask Andros to demonstrate a Xybrian greeting.”
“A what?”
“He trained with one,” Lori shrugged, “and it might be good for him to remember that.”
“Who are you?” Jason asked.
“I already told you,” Lori smiled as he walked around Jason slowly, “Astro Yellow.”
“Why are you here?”
Lori paused in front of him, “To tell you to tread carefully. A war is brewing. Also to tell you that understanding is good, necessary even, but laughter is better. Hugs are needed, but kisses are irreplaceable. I also came to wish you luck.”
“Luck?”
“You may find yourself needing it,” Lori told him before he faded and disappeared.
Jason looked around the room a moment and seeing no one asked, “DECA…”
He got no response. Jason looked around the room startled. What was going on? What had happened? Where…
Jason’s eyes opened and he sat up in bed. With a groan Jason fell back against his pillow, “Oh man, I have got to stop having these weird dreams.”
“Jason,” DECA answered, “are you alone?”
“Yes,” Jason answered her, relieved to hear her voice, but not liking her question. Was he still dreaming? Jason reached over and pinched himself, no not a dream.
“There was an energy fluctuation in your room,” DECA informed him, “I attempted to rouse you several times.”
Chapter: [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] [7]
Pairings: Andros/Jason, Past Andros/OMC (Lori), Past Jason/Emily, Zhane/Karone, Billy/Rocky, Kim/Kat, hint at Tommy/Hayley…
Rating: R
Summery: Sequel to ‘Everyone Accounted For.’ When an old acquaintance threatens to take Andros’ morpher from him, it leads to a series of events that leaves several ranger teams battling new and darker enemies.
Disclaimer: I own nothing to do with Power Rangers. It's not my toy box, I'm merely playing.
Warning: There is slash, femslash and het in this story. Don’t like any of that, don’t read it. Also Mpreg (Andros) and Trip being from the past.
A/N: Thanks to
pockythoughts for letting me spaz at her when this was being difficult. Also thanks to everyone else who contributed when Karone was giving me issues about what morpher she was going to get.Chapter 4:
Jason turned slowly, taking in the Command Center. This was a dream and he was going to cherish every moment of seeing the original base of operations pristine, almost untouched. It wasn’t destroyed here in his dream, it was whole.
It was quieter than he remembered.
“I know I ask too much sometimes,” Zordon’s voice said.
Dream, Jason’s mind told him as he turned to take in a face he knew well…attached to a body he’d only seen video of.
“You asked so that we would grow and learn,” Jason said.
“No, I’ve asked too much,” Zordon decided.
Jason smiled and shook his head, “It’s good to see you, even if this is only a dream.”
“A dream,” Zordon mused, “why would you say that?”
“You’re dead,” Jason pointed out.
“Physically, yes,” Zordon agreed.
Jason frowned, “And not physically?”
Zordon didn’t answer. He smiled warmly at Jason before he said, “All of you have worked through your blame, as I knew you would. You’ve looked past circumstances to see the truths and never blamed him.”
“Blamed who?” Jason asked.
“And yet I asked too much of him,” Zordon said, “perhaps too much of you.”
This dream was odd. Why wasn’t Zordon answering him? Who was he talking about?
“I don’t understand,” Jason said.
“He still blames himself,” Zordon said.
“Who?” Jason asked, desperate, confused.
“Remind him,” Zordan asked, “Please?”
“I don’t understand,” Jason repeated.
“You will,” Zordon reassured.
Jason nodded.
“The consequences from my death would not have been the same if a foe had destroyed me,” Zordon explained.
“Rita, Zedd and the others wouldn’t be good?” Jason asked.
“That’s correct,” Zordon told him, “It had to be a friend.”
“Andros,” Jason said, “You’re talking about Andros.”
“This won’t be easy for you,” Zordon told him again, “but the rewards will be well worth the struggle.”
Jason woke up standing in the middle of his empty room, his soon to be nursery.
~~~~~*****~~~~~
Jason watched as Ashley tightened the belt on her jacket and shivered. He started to take his off.
“No, don’t. I’ll be okay,” Ashley told him, “I just didn’t expect it to be so cold.”
Jason shrugged, “It’s been warm lately, but not today. Maybe we could head inside?”
“Adele’s or Bulk’s?” Ashley asked.
“The Surf Spot is closer,” Jason decided as they began to walk, “What did you want to talk to me about?”
“Well…I just…” Ashley paused and started walking backwards to face him, “Andros mostly.”
Jason nodded, running a hand through his hair, “This all still seems a little far-fetched.”
Ashley nodded, “It seems there is a lot about being a Power Ranger I didn’t know.”
“Same here,” Jason agreed as they headed up the path towards The Surf Spot and found a table.
As Ashley settled into her seat she told Jason, “He’s not going to be very accepting of this.”
Jason rested his hand on his chin, “The kids part or the me part?”
Ashley frowned, “He will take responsibility for the kids, but he’s going to do his best to push you away. That’s how he is. You start to get close and he closes off or tries to push you away.”
Jason nodded. They stilled as Adele pushed a teenager toward them, “Now just take their order like we practiced.”
Ashley smiled encouragingly and Jason tried to do the same as they both quickly decided on a plate of fries to share and drinks.
As the two found themselves alone again Jason asked, “Not that I don’t appreciate that you want to give me some advice when it comes to trying to…are you sure you’re okay with this?”
Ashley nodded, “We didn’t work out and part of his excuse for that was that he’d dated the yellow before me and didn’t feel he could be sure that what he was feeling for me wasn’t residual feelings for the person who’d held the morpher before me.”
Jason nodded, understanding and listening closely when Ashley lowered her voice. Maybe they should’ve stuck to being outside, without having to worry about anyone hearing them talk about ranger business. Most people might know Ashley was a ranger, but he still had the benefit of being anoymous.
The young man Adele was training brought them their drinks and they thanked him.
“That’s still an excuse,” Jason commented.
Ashley nodded, “He knew it and I knew it, but at the same time it wasn’t working between us. Honestly I think I may have been the only girl he’s ever dated and I don’t think he factored in that my gender might be a problem.”
Jason nodded, “That’s rough.”
Ashley smiled slightly, “Good for you and I’ll find someone eventually.”
“I hope you do,” Jason said sympathetically, “break ups suck.”
“It was a few years ago,” Ashley said.
Jason smiled, “Mine was only a year ago, but everyone still likes to nag me about it.”
“Who?”
“Someone I met when I came back to Angel Grove, she wasn’t quite sure who she was and when she did figure it out we weren’t compatible anymore,” Jason explained, “which I’m over and…”
“Moving on?” Ashley supplied.
Jason nodded.
“Well he’s not going to make it easy on you,” Ashley told him, “he’s going to expect you to just up and leave him at some point so he’s going to try and push you away so that he doesn’t have to deal with it.”
“So push back or give him his space?” Jason asked as their fries arrived.
Ashley snagged one and told him, “It depends. Sometimes he does just need his space, but more often than not he just needs a hug, or someone to reassure him that he’s not alone. He loves being touched, not that he’ll ever admit it.”
Jason smiled faintly, “Well that’s good cause I tend to be a very touchy person.”
They ate in silence for a moment before Ashley gave him a sly grin, “I should probably warn you about what happens when he gets really happy.”
Jason frowned and wet his lips, “Okay.”
“Freaked me out the first time it happened, but sometimes when he’s happy he involuntarily floats himself and you.”
“That’s why I kissed him,” Jason confessed.
Ashley smiled slightly and asked, “What?”
“I asked him about him floating things so he demonstrated by floating us,” Jason explained, before he smiled faintly, “He just looked so…I can’t really explain it, I just wanted to kiss him.”
Ashley nodded, “Well I can understand that one.”
~~~~~*****~~~~~
Zhane waited till Jason followed him in the room before he told him, “Thought I’d end the tour by showing you your room.”
Jason set his suitcase down, “Thanks.”
Zhane smirked, “You really didn’t have to carry it the whole time.”
“Yes, I did,” Jason laughed, “Or you wouldn’t have your ‘I made Jason carry his suitcase’ prank and story.”
“True,” Zhane laughed.
Jason glanced around the undecorated room, taking in the bed, dresser and what he assumed was a closet. There was a small table with two chairs in the corner away from the door. Zhane snagged one of the chairs, turned it around and perched his chin on the back of it.
“I contacted The Counsel,” Zhane told him.
Jason snagged a chair, “And?”
“Fren didn’t contact The Ranger Counsel,” Zhane told him, “He protested with the governmental counsel that KO-35 has put together. They’re called ‘The Counsel’ too. It makes sense though. The Ranger Counsel probably wouldn’t have listened to a protest merely because our rangers are female, but since the tradition for the Astro rangers is an all male team, if he could get the governmental counsel to lodge a protest then The Ranger Counsel would’ve had to look into his complaint.”
“He was bluffing?” Jason asked.
Zhane frowned, “If Andros doesn’t have anyone to pass his morpher onto than Fren’s claim towards the morpher is valid.”
Jason nodded, “He’s going to try and makes sure Andros doesn’t have our children.”
“He’ll do what he can to ensure that,” Zhane agreed.
“Then he’d better hope I never meet him.”
Zhane rested his chin in his hands and quirked a smile, “Jason, whatever happens in the future remember that the two of you wouldn’t have been brought together by the Parryth if you wouldn’t be a strong couple.”
Jason nodded. It was something he needed to hear, but he wasn’t sure how to respond. Instead he urged Zhane to continue, “There something else you want to tell me.”
Zhane closed his eyes, nodded and took a calming breath. He opened his eyes and asked Jason, “Do you know why silvers are special?”
“They're shiny?” Jason teased.
Zhane smiled and laughed, then pressed his lips together before he said seriously, “The silver, no matter what numerical position, is always a protector of the team. If one carries the color long enough, they bond with their teammates, more specifically with their teammates morphers.”
“So you can…” Jason trailed off confused.
“Know when they need me,” Zhane told him, before he said quietly, “When I bonded with Andros, he bonded back. That doesn’t happen very often, but he’s particularly sensitive to the morphing power and though my bond to the rest of the team he bonded to them as well.”
Zhane paused a moment before he asked, “Do you know how most reds die?”
“Die?” Jason asked.
Zhane nodded, “As far as we know Earth rangers haven’t experienced a permanent death yet, but it does happen.”
Jason nodded. He could think of several reasons, but he didn’t want to belittle the information that Zhane was giving him by guessing. Jason told him, “No, but I suppose that it would be difficult to deal with such a death.”
Zhane nodded, “Most of them sacrifice themselves to save their teams. There has only been one team that has sacrificed itself to save their red. It was a rule. We don’t let anyone get Andros.”
Jason’s eyes darted over Zhane’s face and a part of him wanted to reach out and comfort the other man, but it didn’t seem that Zhane was finished.
“Zhane, what are you telling?” Jason asked.
“That bond,” Zhane told Jason before closing his eyes tightly and explaining, “When they died, we…we felt it.”
“Zhane…”
“I’ve dealt with it mostly,” Zhane told him, “but I don’t think he has, but then he survived and he wasn’t sure I had. He also cut off his bond to me once I woke up, so he probably isn’t bonded to the others either. I can still feel him, but he isn’t sensing me.”
Zhane glanced down, lips pressed together.
Jason nodded, sensing the need for a subject change, but not wanting to ask the question that was pushing at him. They sat in silence for a moment before Jason gave in and asked, “Did you two ever sleep together?”
“Sleep together?” Zhane asked puzzled before his eyes widened and he nodded, “Once. We had got the civilians into a cave system for the night and we knew if we were going to get them to a transport past Dark Specter’s troops we’d have to go through the ruins of the city. We’d just lost our team and he…I was losing him and I wasn’t dealing very well either. We…I was trying to remind him that he hadn’t lost all of us, that we would still win. That he wasn’t alone. I…”
Zhane paused to take a breath before he confessed, “I went down the next day.”
~~~~~*****~~~~~
Jason rolled over in the bed he was beginning to think was too narrow. He should sleep. The others had insisted that DECA knew where she was going and knew what she was doing. At the same time he was the only one on the ship. The quiet seemed almost loud to him, not the surrounded by friends chatter he was use to. The talk with Zhane wouldn’t leave him. Both Zhane and Andros had been through so much, how was he suppose to reach out to Andros? Was he strong enough to be there for Andros, in whatever ways the other man would need him to be? Would…
“That was a lot harder than I’d thought it’d be.”
Jason swung out of bed and into a defensive stance. He frowned confused at the young man in a yellow Astro uniform sitting on his dresser.
The young man laughed, “Sorry, now you’re all startled and rumpled.”
“Who are you?” Jason asked.
“Astro Yellow.”
“Ashley is…”
“Former Astro Yellow,” the young man corrected, “Lori.”
“Hi,” Jason greeted.
Lori laughed again as he jumped off the dresser, “Hi.”
“How are you…am I dreaming?”
Lori shrugged, “It might be easier to believe that.”
“I’m feeling a bit confused,” Jason confessed as he reached out a hand to shake.
Lori blinked down at his hand, “Is this a greeting?”
“Yeah, you take it and then we shake,” Jason explained.
Lori tilted his head and regarded him a moment before he took Jason’s hand. Lori’s touch was light, almost not there, but still felt.
“That is not at all how I’m used to greeting,” Lori explained.
“What do you do?” Jason asked.
“Hug and press our cheeks together,” Lori explained before wrapping barely there arms around him. Jason hugged him back briefly before Lori laughed again and pulled away, “Ask Andros to demonstrate a Xybrian greeting.”
“A what?”
“He trained with one,” Lori shrugged, “and it might be good for him to remember that.”
“Who are you?” Jason asked.
“I already told you,” Lori smiled as he walked around Jason slowly, “Astro Yellow.”
“Why are you here?”
Lori paused in front of him, “To tell you to tread carefully. A war is brewing. Also to tell you that understanding is good, necessary even, but laughter is better. Hugs are needed, but kisses are irreplaceable. I also came to wish you luck.”
“Luck?”
“You may find yourself needing it,” Lori told him before he faded and disappeared.
Jason looked around the room a moment and seeing no one asked, “DECA…”
He got no response. Jason looked around the room startled. What was going on? What had happened? Where…
Jason’s eyes opened and he sat up in bed. With a groan Jason fell back against his pillow, “Oh man, I have got to stop having these weird dreams.”
“Jason,” DECA answered, “are you alone?”
“Yes,” Jason answered her, relieved to hear her voice, but not liking her question. Was he still dreaming? Jason reached over and pinched himself, no not a dream.
“There was an energy fluctuation in your room,” DECA informed him, “I attempted to rouse you several times.”
Chapter: [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] [7]