Author's Note: It helps to know a little about the characters in Power Rangers Zeo before reading this story. In case you don't, Tanya is from Kenya and has been adopted by Kat's parents. When Kat first came to town, she was placed under a spell by the Rangers nemesis, but the spell was broken and she joined the team. I wrote this after attending the Radio 104 Fest, AKA The Big-Ass Barbecue, and the story popped into my head. I have this thing about getting Billy and Kat together in all the PR stories I write. Ok, now that's over with, enjoy the story.
Disclaimer: Don't sue me! I don't own anything except a 1995 Hyundai Elantra in less than great shape. I especially don't own any of these characters or the rights to the band names.
May 24th - 8:30 PM
"Sorry Billy, I won't be able to make it, I have a history test the day after, so I have to study. How are you planning on getting there, anyway?" Tommy replied to Billy, who had just invited him to an all day rock concert in Connecticut.
Billy smiled and pointed to the strange looking wristwatch that both teens wore. Tommy gave him a look and replied, "What happened to not using them for personal use?"
"Inventor's rights" He replied simply with a large grin.
Tommy laughed and suggested, "Why don't you ask Kat? This could be your big chance."
Billy blushed, then replied, "I don't know Tommy, why would she want to go with me?" his obvious lack of self-confidence showing through.
"Come on, you underestimate yourself way too much. Just ask her, I'll bet she'd love to go." Tommy tried to get his best friend's confidence up.
"Ok, you win, I'll ask her." Billy gave in, hoping that he was right. Tommy and Kat had broken up mutually after Tommy had realized that he was just using her as a replacement for Kim.
May 25th - 4:30 PM
Billy entered the Angel Grove Youth Center with relatively low hopes that Kat would agree to go with him, but he decided to try anyway. He looked in and saw Kat and Tanya talking while watching Rocky and Adam spar. 'I wonder if they notice that they do the exact same thing EVERY day?' Billy thought as he viewed the situation.
Kat turned and saw that Billy had entered the Youth Center. "Billy, over here!" she called out to him. Billy walked over to the table where they were seated and pulled up a chair. "Hey, what's up?" He asked. "Nothing much, daily grind and all." She replied with a smile, apparently aware of the monotony of the Power Rangers average day. One where they aren't saving the world, that is.
'Here goes nothing.' Billy thought as he faced Kat. "Um, Kat. My cousin from Connecticut sent me some tickets to a concert in Hartford, would you like to go?"
"Sure, who's playing?" She asked with a large smile, which relieved and surprised Billy considerably.
"Um, Live, Silverchair, Local H, Orgy, Reel Big Fish, and a bunch of local bands. Some radio station is holding it, I think it's called the Big-Ass Barbecue or something." He then paused to breath, then continued "We'd be taking 'Ranger Airlines' to get there." He spoke quickly and quietly glancing down at his communicator, which she noticed and understood the point.
Kat gasped, "Live is my favorite band, thank you Billy!" she said as she got up from the chair and gave him a hug, to which he blushed.
"The concert is Memorial Day, it starts at 10:30 AM Eastern Time and runs all day. Fortunately our travel time is not an issue. We'd be best to leave at about 6:30 AM because of the time difference. There are some woods near the arena that we can arrive without being seen." Billy explained, already having checked the area out.
"Great, you can pick me up at 6:30 that morning then." Kat replied, now wearing an ear to ear smile.
"I promised Zordon I'd take a look at the Red Battlezord, so I'll see you later then." Billy said as he got up from his seat and walked out of the Youth Center sporting a grin.
Tanya turned to face Kat, stayed silent for a second, then spoke. "Girl, you do realize that he just asked you out, don't you?"
Kat sat there silently, then smiled an even bigger grin, "Yeah, he did, didn't he?"
Tanya then immediately began a descriptive discussion about what Kat would wear amongst other things. Kat however, sat there listening, but not really paying full attention. She was honestly surprised that he had asked her out, he was so shy and quiet. 'I don't know why he's so self conscious, he's a hottie.' she thought with a smirk, which fortunately went unnoticed by Tanya.
May 31st - 6:00 AM
Kat had been up for an hour getting ready, she couldn't explain it, but she was nervous for some reason. She shrugged it off and went into the kitchen to make something to eat.
Once she had poured a bowl of cereal, she flipped on the TV and checked the weather forecast for the East Coast. "Temperatures will be in the 90's again, continuing the seemingly unending heat wave that has hit the northeast over the past week."
"Hmm, gonna need sunblock." She thought, but was interrupted by the sound of footsteps. "Hullo?" She asked, turning around.
"You ready girl?" She asked, sounding just about as excited as she was.
"Just about, just need sunblock and stuff." She replied to Tanya, who then broke in.
"Good, when you come back, I want details!" Tanya pressed.
"I'm might not be back until after 11, you gonna be up that late?" Kat replied, surprised at the energy Tanya was expending about a concert she wasn't even going to.
"Hell yes. Just knock. I don't care if it's 2 AM, I want a full report."
Kat laughed, then finished, "Well, I'm gonna finish getting ready."
"I'm taking a shower. I'll see you later." Tanya said before disappearing into the bathroom.
6:25 AM
Kat had just grabbed her bag when the doorbell rang. "He's here!" she cried out, quickly checking herself out in a mirror and running to the door. Opening it, she saw Billy stood there wearing a dark blue tanktop and a pair of black shorts.
"Good morning, you ready?" Billy asked as he looked at Kat, who was wearing a Live tee shirt and a pair of pink (naturally) shorts. Her beauty had always stunned him, and today was no exception.
"Yup, just wanna grab my Zeonizers, you know, just in case. I'll be right back." Kat replied, running from the door into her room, she then opened her locked drawer, pulled out the wrist devices that transformed her into Zeo Ranger 1, slipped them on her wrists, and mentally willed them into the pocket dimension where the Rangers all kept their morphers.
She ran back out to where Billy was, "Okay, got em. Now I'm ready."
Kat then walked out of the house then locked the doors, and they both walked around into her backyard. "We clear?" he asked as they both checked to see if anyone was within viewable distance. "Nope, let's go!" she said, unable to hide the excitement in her voice. This was her first major concert since she had moved to the U.S.
They both manipulated the controls on their communicators, and they disappeared from the yard in a flash of white and pink light.
9:31 AM EST
The two found themselves in a light wooded area, with just enough trees to mask their entrance. Kat and Billy walked from the trees and found themselves in a small parking lot where people had begun to park their cars, and were being assailed by vendors of fake T-shirts for the event.
After walking by a large group of people talking, they headed across the street and headed for the Meadows Music Theater where the event was being held.
Billy couldn't believe how bubbly Kat seemed, he guessed that it was because this was her first concert in the US. They both got into line and waited for the gates to open at 10 AM.
10 AM EST
Half an hour later, the gates swung open and they entered the theater grounds. There were four outdoor stages and the main arena where events were being held throughout the day. They were surprised to see a truck painted like the Mystery Machine from Scooby Doo parked right inside the entrance. "Wow, they did a heck of a job painting that thing, looks exactly like the one from Scooby Doo!" Kat cracked up at the sight of the thing.
Both picked up the pamphlet that outlined the day's events. The major bands were playing in the evening, after 5 PM, and the earlier events were smaller local bands.
"Let's go see that band Splice!" Kat shrieked happily as they headed away from the main gate and to the stage where they were playing.
12 PM EST
"Wow, they were great!" Kat said as they walked away from the stage where a local band called Disappointment Inc. had just played.
"Yeah, but a little loud." Billy laughed as he tried to get the ringing in his ears to stop.
"Can we get something to drink, it's really hot out here" Kat asked as they passed a beverage stand.
"Yeah, I could use a drink too, what would you like?" Billy asked as he raked through his wallet. He had decided that he would totally pay for Kat's concert experience once he realized that he had enough money to do so.
"Um, do they have bottled water?" She asked, and Billy nodded in reply, not mentioning the fact that each bottle was four dollars. The people running the event certainly had monopolized on the hot weather, the prices on the drinks were ridiculous.
"I'll have one of those then." She replied and Billy got in line for the drinks.
While Billy waited in line, he watched Kat look through one of the tents where local merchants had set up shop to sell various weird things that fans of Rock music seemed to love. Billy had to admit that although classic rock was more of his preference, he was having a really good time. 'Gotta be the company' he thought as he made it to the counter and ordered the waters.
"Here you go Kat." Billy said as he handed her the water. "Who would you like to see next?"
"Um, I'm not sure, let's just walk around for a while, maybe we'll hear something cool." Kat suggested, to which Billy replied. "Sure, we can check out the vendors and stuff."
2:30 PM EST
After walking around for a while and generally enjoying themselves, they decided to check out a band called Prezens. While they were playing, the sun had gotten particularly bright and both of them felt themselves starting to get sunburned.
After a great show by Prezens, they headed over to the lawn section of the main arena. They found a seat on the lawn, and once they had settled in, Kat asked, "Billy, can you put on some sunscreen for me?"
"Sure, Kat." He said as she handed him the bottle, then sat down in front of him. Billy nearly choked when Kat began to pull her T-shirt off, but then saw that she had worn a pink bikini underneath. Speechless, he began to apply the sunscreen to Kat's neck and upper back.
While Billy was putting the sunscreen on, Kat had the distinct idea that doing this was driving his hormones crazy. She could almost feel his nervousness as he finished applying the sunscreen.
Billy felt like his heart was going to pound right through his chest, he was so damn close to Kat and all he wanted to do was wrap his arms around her, and kiss her.
"Thanks Billy," she said, taking the bottle back and she began to apply it to her arms and legs.
"Um, no problem" he choked out, the break in his voice confirming Kat's suspicion, although his tender application of the sunscreen had sent similar hormone induced thoughts through her head.
4:00 PM EST
"You having a good time?" Billy asked Kat, who was awaiting Smashmouth to take the stage.
"Definitely, I haven't had this much fun in a while, the 'Official' business takes up a lot of the time to do cool things like this. Thanks for letting me come with you." Kat replied.
"No problem, I'm really glad you wanted to come too." Billy replied, and suddenly, a tension surrounded them. Both wanted to say something, but decided to wait.
6:50 PM EST
The strange tension that they felt had lifted as soon as they had watched Fuel and Orgy perform, although neither could deny that it was there.
"Wow, they certainly know how to put on a show. That kid is SO lucky!" Kat said, having seen Fuel perform. During the performance, some kid was trying to get close to the stage and nearly got kicked out, that is until the band prevented it and invited the kid on stage, he even got to sing a couple of the songs with the lead singer.
"Certainly, if he were any further back in the arena, the band wouldn't have seen him and he'd be out on his butt." Billy commented as they watched Fuel finish their set.
8:30 PM EST
"Hard to believe that guy is our age, he's so good." Kat commented as Silverchair left the stage following their set.
"Yeah, he also must have been in the right place at the right time too. I hope Tanya can find that kind of success." Billy said, knowing that the music industry was not easy and artists could sink or swim overnight.
"Yeah." She replied before looking over to Billy, "Live's on next?" she asked with a hopeful look on her face.
"Yup, just for you." Billy replied as Kat's excitement of hearing them perform live grew. She responded with a lopsided grin. "I can't thank you enough, Live is my favorite band."
"No problem, I enjoy spending time with you." Billy replied, then stopped. 'Dammit Bill, you're gonna blow it if you make it too obvious you're in love the girl' he silently scolded himself.
"Same here, we really should get away from the Power Chamber more often." Kat said but then shrieked when Dee Snyder came out to introduce Live.
9:00 PM EST
Kat had been in a state of bliss for the past half-hour, and Billy could easily tell each time that he stole a glance in her direction. She hadn't noticed yet, and he hoped that she wouldn't catch him staring at her. 'God, she's so beautiful' he thought, releasing a light sigh.
Live had began to play 'I Alone' and Kat had dragged Billy to his feet and they danced around to the music. He certainly had to admit that Live was very good at what they did, their songs were thoughtful and full of emotion.
It's easier not to be wise
And measure these things by your brains
I sank into Eden with you
Alone in the church by and by
'Don't I know that' Billy thought as he listened to the lyrics as he and Kat danced around to the music.
I'll read to you here, save your eyes
You'll need them; your boat is at sea
Your anchor is up, you've been swept away
And the greatest of teachers won't hesitate
To leave you there, by yourself,
Chained to fate
I alone love you
I alone tempt you
I alone love you
Fear is not the end of this!
Kat turned and quickly looked over at Billy, who had joined her in dancing and he seemed to have loosened up a little. She felt a strange longing, but shrugged it back and returned her attention to the song for the time being.
It's easier not to be great
And measure these things by your eyes
We long to be here by his resolve
Alone in the church by and by
To cradle the baby in space
And leave you there by yourself
Chained to fate
Oh, now, we took it back too far,
Only love can save us now, all these riddles that you burn
Billy turned to gaze at Kat again, only to see that she was looking at him, and for a second their eyes met. Both turned away as fast as possible, trying to make it look like part of their dancing, but both failed miserably.
All come runnin' back to you, all these rhythms that you hide
Only love can save us now, all these riddles that you burn
Yeah, yeah, yeah
'I wonder what he's thinking?' Ran through Kat's mind as they listened to the end of the song.
'I wonder what she's thinking?' Billy's mind also wondered as the song ended.
9:45 PM EST
Live's set was running a little late, but Kat didn't mind. They had just finished a song, and the audience went quiet. 'Are they done?' she wondered, but was interrupted by a slow strumming of an acoustic guitar. They had begun to play Lightning Crashes, her favorite song.
Lightning crashes, a new mother cries
Her placenta falls to the floor
The angel opens her eyes
The confusion sets in
Before the doctor can even close the door
She was thoroughly enjoying the song when she realized that Billy had stood up and had his arm extended. "Care to dance?" He asked softly, much to Kat's pleasant surprise. She stood up, and they began to sway to the melodic tune, pulling their bodies closer together until they were slow dancing.
Lightning crashes, an old mother dies
Her intentions fall to the floor
The angel closes her eyes
The confusion that was hers
Belongs now, to the baby down the hall
Kat rested her head on Billy's shoulder, enjoying the dance and his company immensely. Billy responded with a sigh, totally enjoying their closeness.
Oh now feel it comin' back again
Like a Rollin' thunder chasing the wind
Forces pullin' from the center of the earth again
I can feel it.
Lightning crashes, a new mother cries
This moment she's been waiting for
Kat lifted her head from his shoulder as they swayed in time with the song. What she saw melted her heart. Billy was gazing at her, and their eyes met, instantly locking on each others loving gaze.
The angel opens her eyes
Pale blue colored iris, presents the circle
And puts the glory out to hide, hide
'Now or never' Billy thought as the song returned to the chorus. He slowly tilted his head, and moved in to kiss her. To his surprise, she responded to his advance by moving in, and their lips tenderly met.
The two young minds immediately left the concert and were completely engulfed in each others passion as they held each other in the most intense kiss either had ever experienced.
Oh now feel it comin' back again
Like a Rollin' thunder chasing the wind
Forces pullin' from the center of the earth again
I can feel it.
They both began to pull away from the kiss and looked at each other to try and figure out what happened. Each saw nothing but love in the others eyes. They then pulled back together into another kiss as Live finished up the song.
"Billy," Kat said breathlessly as they pulled away for a second. "Yeah," he replied. "I uh, I love you Billy." She said as she put her face into his shoulder.
Billy exhaled deeply, "God, I have waited for so long to hear that. I love you too Kat."
The two sat down, and Kat rested her head on his shoulder as they enjoyed each other's company.
10:20 PM EST
The two new lovers sat wrapped in each others arms, listening to the performance by Local H, but neither was paying a great deal of attention to the music. Billy just enjoyed holding the woman he loved in his arms.
Kat couldn't believe how the day had turned out, not that it was a bad thing, truth be told, it was the best day she had experienced in years. She snickered, looked up at her new boyfriend, and said "Billy, I just realized that I really should thank Rita, we'd never have met if she hadn't put me under her control."
Billy then laughed, "I somehow don't think she'd appreciate the sentiment though."
"No, probably not." she mused as she pictured Rita's probable reaction. "It'd give her one of those headaches she's always griping about."
"You'd think a witch of her power could at least make some aspirin." Billy added, causing Kat to burst out in a fit of laughter.
10:45 PM EST
"That was incredible!" Billy shouted as the two left the main arena. Fuel, Local H, and Dee Snyder of Twisted Sister had come out after Local H finished their performance and played a three-song set of covers, including Sweet Child of Mine by Guns and Roses. The group finished up with an impressive performance of We're Not Gonna Take It, one of Dee Snyder's classic Twister Sister tunes.
Even more incredible was that security guards allowed people on the lawn to go into the pavilion, which was much closer to the stage since many of the people had started leaving after Live performed. Both Billy and Kat had decided to stay out on the lawn and enjoy the starlit night.
Kat smirked, recalling Billy's dancing and singing along with the song. It was an aggressive and fun side of Billy that most people would probably never see. She was thrilled that he had let go of all of his inhibitions and enjoyed himself, and even more so that Billy returned the feelings that she had developed for him.
The two left the grounds of the Meadows and headed for the spot where they had arrived so they could make a silent exit back to Angel Grove. "Ready to go home?" Billy asked as he looked over to Katherine.
"Yup, but now I have to explain to Tanya what happened." Kat said, but then continued, "but, I could always omit certain details so we can surprise the others." Kat suggested with a wry grin.
"You're choice, I certainly would love to see the looks on their faces." Billy said as he pulled Kat into a gentle kiss.
Seconds later, the two looked over the area for anyone who might see them teleport back to California, 'Good, no one to see us leave.' Billy thought, and they activated the communicators, sending them away from Connecticut in a flash of white and pink light.
A drunken man staggered out of a bush that he had just used to relieve himself on, he could have sworn he had seen a pulse of light in the woods. He simply shrugged it off as having drunk a little too much.
9:00 PM
A bright flash of light marked the two teens' entrance in the dense trees behind Kat's house. The two checked to make sure they hadn't been spotted. "We clear?" Billy asked as Katherine examined her yard. "I think the cat saw us appear, but unless she can talk, we shouldn't have a problem."
"Good, can I walk you home?" Billy asked.
"Not much of a walk, but ok." Kat agreed with a grin, slowly heading to the front door of the house. Once they arrived at the doorstep, they stopped. "Well, I had a REALLY good time tonight, how about you." Kat remarked.
"Best time I've had in my life." Billy replied before stealing a kiss. "I will see you tomorrow. Maybe we can spring our surprise then."
"Yeah, sounds good." she said before starting to open the door. Billy started to walk away, but then turned around and mouthed "I love you." to Kat, who did the same, and headed inside the house.
Billy then walked home, and as far as he was concerned, he was the luckiest man on the planet.
June 1st: 2:30 PM
Walking out of school, Katherine's thoughts on the day before filled her mind. She loved him, and he loved her back. 'Things couldn't get any better' she thought but was interrupted.
"Beep, Beep, Beep, Beep, Beep, Beep" chimed her communicator as she walked away from the school.
"Darn, I was asking for that." Kat grumbled as she walked to a quiet area where no one would see her talking to her wrist.
"Yes Zordon?" she asked into the communicator. "Katherine, Mondo has sent down a machine to destroy the industrial park. The other rangers are on their way as well. May the power protect you" Zordon finished as he closed the channel.
Again checking the area, she found that no one was around, they all had piled onto the busses or had started walking home. "Good, I'm clear. It's Morphin Time, Zeo Ranger 1 Pink!" she said as she summoned her Zeonizers and joined the two parts, transforming her into the Pink Ranger, then teleporting herself into the battle.
June 1st: 3:00 PM
Billy watched on from the Power Chamber as the Rangers combated the creature in the Zeo Megazord. He notably winced as the creature pounded the Megazord, knocking it to the ground. "Everyone alright out there? Kat?" He asked over the communication link to the Megazord.
Alpha had noted Billy's pretty much solid concentration on the Pink Ranger throughout the battle, and looking up to Zordon's stasis tube, he gestured in Billy's direction, who was constantly monitoring the status of the Pink Ranger. Zordon nodded in agreement, the former Blue Ranger was in love.
"Zeo Saber, Power Up" Billy heard Tommy announce over the comm. link, and barring strange circumstances, that usually meant that the end of the battle was nearing.
About a minute later, victory cries could be heard as the five Zeo Rangers appeared in the Power Chamber. Billy quickly ran up to Katherine, who had just appeared and was now holding her helmet at her side, and pulled her into a fiery kiss that not only confirmed Zordon and Alpha's suspicion, but surprised the hell out of the other Zeo Rangers.
Once the kiss broke off, they turned and saw their friends staring at them while Zordon looked rather pleased. "Something you're not telling us?" Rocky joked as the two remained in a side by side embrace.
"Um, we're sort of, in love." Kat explained, lacking a better explanation. Immediately, everyone in the Power Chamber was interrogating the new lovers. "You seem to have left that part out of the report last night." Tanya smirked as she approached Kat.
"Well, that would have ruined the surprise, wouldn't it?" Kat replied with a lop-sided grin.
Tanya feigned an angry look, then pulled Kat into a hug. "I am so happy for you!" Tanya cried.
"Good work my man." Tommy laughed as he shook hands with Billy.
"Billy, Katherine." Zordon's voice boomed as attention turned to the stasis tube. "I am glad to see that you have found love with each other, you both deserve it."
"Thanks Zordon." Billy said, then turned to Alpha, who had sent a thumbs-up in their direction.
"Of course, since I can't be out there fighting, I assume you will all take good care of my girlfriend?" Billy asked the other Rangers, who laughed, then agreed. "Otherwise you'll see me out there fighting unmorphed." he added.
"My hero." Kat replied laughing. "I'd kick your butt if I caught you out there without powers though."
"Oh, then just take good care of her then, I'd rather not get her mad." Billy replied, getting a playful punch in his side from Katherine.
Epilogue:
Billy crawled from his bedroom window, out onto the roof of his house, and sat down to look at the stars. He did this when he needed to think about the really important stuff, not stuff like how to fix the Zords, but about Kat, and life in general.
Looking into the sky, he saw a star twinkling in the night sky. "I wish mom could have met her." he sighed as he stargazed. The very same star began to brightly shine, and suddenly Billy felt at ease.
Looking over his shoulder, he thought that he could see a faint outline of his mother stood there watching him, and smiling. Turning around, the presence had vanished, but Billy knew that she was there. "Thanks mom, I'm glad you like her."