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Disclaimer: I don't own Power Rangers: Time Force. This fic contains references to events that happened in the episodes "Dawn of Destiny" and "Destiny Defeated."
Author's Note: As I've said before, I'm a HUGE Jen and Wes fan......
Starry Night
By: Jennifer Collins
Jen lay tossing and turning in her bed. She opened her eyes and stared into the blackness, twisting the diamond ring on her left hand. Goodbye, Alex, she'd said. She'd meant it, too. Jen rolled over and looked at the pile of blankets where Wes usually slept. It was empty now.
After Wes's father had been badly injured in a battle with Ransik, things had gone downhill for the Collins family. Wes had had to put his own life on hold so he could run Bio-Lab in his dad's abscence, and the attack had almost cost Mr. Collins his life. The only good thing to come of the event was that the bond between father and son had strenghtend. Jen thought the experience had forced Wes to grow up a bit. He'd acted responsibly while his dad was in the hospital, and now that he was home, Wes had temporarily moved back into his mansion so he could "keep an eye on things," as Wes had put it, until his father was back on his feet.
Jen looked away from the abandoned blankets and pushed herself up with a sigh. She waited until her eyes fully adjusted to the dark, then she slowly tiptoed across the room to the small closet where the Rangers kept their few clothes. She silently pulled her brown leather jacket on over her night shit and tied the waistband of her pajama pants tighter on her hips.
"What are you doing?" A soft voice whispered behind her.
She turned around to see Lucas sitting up in bed, propped up against his pillows. "I couldn't sleep," she whispered back. "Sorry, I didn't mean to wake you guys."
Lucas shook his head. "The others aren't awake," he said. "And I was up."
"Oh." She closed the door to the closet carefully, trying not to make a sound.
Lucas watched her. "You're going to see him, aren't you?"
Jen nodded. She lowered her eyes. "So I guess you were awake for the same reason I was."
"Yeah." He met her gaze at the same instant she caught his. The two opened their mouths at the same time, but both stopped before they could speak, smiling. "You first," Lucas said.
Jen nodded. "Watch over them," she whispered, craning her head toward Katie and Trip.
"You got it."
She turned back to Lucas. "Now you."
Lucas paused for a moment, thinking. "I was just going to say....take care of him."
Jen smiled half-way. "Of course." She hugged Lucas briefly, but firmly, before tiptoeing silently out of the clock tower.
**********
Wes pulled his comforter tightly around himself and stared unblinking at the ceiling. Restless thoughts kept streaming into and out of his head. He couldn't sleep; every time he'd close his eyes, he'd see it all over again, and each time he imagined it was worse than the last.
Wes's disturbing thoughts were interrupted by a low tapping sound, coming from outside. He rose abruptly and made his way to the chair on the other side of his room. He picked up his robe and draped it over his shoulders. Then he parted the wine-colored curtains, slid open the door and stepped outside onto the balcony in time to see a small pebble land next to a pile of larger pebbles. What in the world? he wondered, moving closer to the rail. He peered over the edge and was surprised to see Jen looking up at him.
"Hi," she whispered. "Did I wake you?"
Wes shook his head. "No. What are you doing here?" It was no secret that Jen was uncomfortable in his father's mansion, so she must have had to tell him something pretty important since she'd gone out of her way to come here. "What's wrong?" Wes asked worriedly.
"Nothing's wrong," she replied. "I just....I just wanted to see you."
"Oh," he said, with a mixture of shock and relief displayed on his face. "Hold on. If you walk around, I'll open the door for you."
"Thanks."
It only took a few seconds for Wes to walk down the long staircase and unlock the front door, but when he opened it, Jen was already on the other side waiting for him.
"Come on in," he offered.
She didn't hesitate. "I didn't want to ring the doorbell this late," she explained.
"It's okay." Wes closed the door behind her and offered her his arm.
Jen slipped her arm into his, grateful and a little surprised for the comfort his closeness brought her in the large, intimidating house.
"We can go up to my room if you want to talk," Wes said.
"Okay," she whispered softly. She let him lead her to his bedroom, staring in wonder at her expensive surroundings the whole way up.
Once inside his room, she sat beside him on his bed and looked around. Although she'd been to the mansion a couple of times before, she'd never actually been inside Wes's bedroom, and she was almost amazed to see how neat it was kept.
The bed itself was huge; nothing smaller than king-sized would do for the crowned prince of Silver Hills, she suspected. Across from the bed sat a dark-wood bureau that appeared taller than herself. The walk-in closet was partially opened, and even his clothes were hung neatly. An expensive lamp sat on a night table that proudly showed off photos of Wes's loved ones, and her eyes widened as she tried not to stare at the framed polaroid of herself, wrapped tightly in Wes's obnoxious embrace as he tried to plant a big wet one on her cheek.
Wes smiled a little, amused at the expression on Jen's face, although he didn't seem to notice what she was looking at.
Finally, Jen looked at him. "So....how's your dad?"
For a moment, Wes gazed at something she couldn't see. "He's doing good. Much better than two nights ago," he said quietly.
"And how are you?"
"I'm......better." He felt Jen's fingers brush against his own, and he looked down at their hands. She hesitated, not sure if she wanted to be the one to take the next step, but then he opened his palm, and she found herself slipping her hand into his, and then his fingers were curling around hers. "So......is that what you wanted to talk to me about?" he asked.
"I don't know," she softly replied. "I just didn't want you to be alone tonight."
Wes was touched by her sweet revelation. "That's good," he said over the pounding of his heart. "Because I didn't want me to be alone, either." An awkward silence followed, and Jen looked away uncomfortably. Wes nervously searched his brain for something to say to her. He jumped up suddenly, and pulled her with him. "Come on," he said.
"Where are we going?" she asked cautiously.
"Outside," he replied. He moved out onto the balcony, still holding Jen's hand. "See?"
Jen looked down into the yard.
"Not that. That," Wes said, pointing to the sky. Jen hadn't looked up yet, and Wes realized that she was taking in the tables with umbrellas and the in-ground pool that sat confined in the yard by neatly trimmed shrubbery. Okay, so maybe this was a little different than the backyard she'd left at home. "Like that, huh? Now that I'm on good terms with my dad, maybe he'll let me have a pool party down there."
"But I don't have a bathing suit," Jen said, half-seriously. "And neither do the others."
Wes wiggled his eyebrows suggestively. "Hey, no one said we have to invite the guys," he said with a twinkle in his eye. He laughed as she playfully socked him in the stomach.
"Very funny." She turned her attention to the sky, where Wes had pointed earlier. She gazed at the many stars that lit the night.
Wes leaned against the rail and rested his chin on his hands. He looked at Jen and waited until she moved next to him. She threw back her head and stared up, getting lost in the constellations.
Wes studied her for a moment. "That one's called Andromeda," he said. "The Chained Princess."
"Which one?"
Wes took her hand and pointed out the stars. "How do you know that?" She asked.
He shrugged. "One of the few things I remember from high school."
"Oh. So, why do they call her 'chained?'"
Wes straightened his posture. "Because her father keeps her locked up in his huge castle. He thinks that if he lets her out, she'll meet new people. New people who make her want to be different than what he teaches her."
Jen turned to him with wide eyes. "Really?"
Wes laughed. "No. I made that up."
"Did you?"
Wes nervously cleared his throat. Jen turned back to the endless expanse before her. There was silence for awhile. Wes was once again the one to break it. "Is it the same?"
She didn't turn to face him. "Is what the same?"
"The sky. Is it the same as when you look at it in your time?"
Now Jen looked at him. She wasn't sure how to answer that. He'd never asked her about the future before. "I don't know." She tried to think of a better way to answer his question, but the words poured out of her mouth before she could process them. "No," she whispered. "Everything's different when I'm with you."
Wes tried to meet her eyes, but she turned her head, not wanting him to see her blush. He looked at her anyway, and he noticed that she was shivering slightly and rubbing her arms.
"You're shaking," he observed aloud.
Jen shook her head. "I'm just cold," she whispered.
Wes moved behind her. He wrapped his arms around her shoulders before he could tell himself to stop, and he held her tightly. "Is this better?"
Jen closed her eyes, leaning into his warm embrace. "Yeah."
Wes brought his lips next to her ear. "Thank you," he breathed.
"For what?" she whispered.
"For not leaving me alone."
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