Disclaimer: Power Rangers belong to Saban, of course. The song "A Minute Without You" belongs to the band Hanson, the last time I checked. Yes, I know, I know. I wrote this the summer they appeared, before ninety-five percent of the people I knew hated Hanson with a passion. Chorus is repeated twice because I liked the song that much.
For those who read it, this is the long-overdue sequel to "Don't Speak." I was recovering from dental surgery, and needed to lift up my spirits. If you prefer action to sentimentality and romance, read no further. I'm in a happy-ending mood.
Song lyrics are again in ////.
//Well I woke up this morning
And the night had been so long
Seems that I had had my mind on you//
The cab pulled slowly down the quiet suburban streets, moving as if in a dream, as if the driver hadn't taken the route in years but still retained a sense of deja vu. It was early morning, and the first rays of dawn were tentatively lighting up the sky in the east.
"Wait!"
At his passenger's command, the driver slammed on the brakes, dispelling the dream. Hastily, the girl scrambled out, snatching up her bags and handing the driver a twenty dollar bill. "I'll walk from here. I just feel like it."
He didn't argue and drove off, leaving her standing in the empty street. A stray autumn breeze ceased its mad twirling of leaves to toss about her ebony curtain of hair. Trini drank in the silence for a moment, looking around the street she knew so well. Back home again. It seemed so strange, yet so right. She knew she was bound to come home eventually. How could she not, after parting from him like that?
Sure, the Peace Conference was awesome; talking to world leaders, traveling around the world, making a difference. But no matter where they traveled, it wasn't home. Angel Grove still retained a quality about it, a bright, friendly warmth. Even Barcelona had seemed dim in comparison. It was as if she had been living in constant night for two years, and now had returned to the dawn.
And returned to Billy.
//Well, the day, it has begun,
and I can't get a minute, can't get a minute without you
You're always on my mind,
You're always in my head
And I can't live, I can't live another day without you//
Billy had always been in her thoughts, sometimes foremost, sometimes at a corner of her mind. But he was still there, like an afterimage that was always at the fringes of her vision. That kiss... Trini closed her eyes, remembering. She could still feel it, still wish for more.
God, she'd missed Billy, and everyone. She'd been busy indeed, and it dulled the wanting somewhat. In fact, she'd even been offered an internship from one of the attaches working at the UN in New York, and a chance to go to NYU for free. And Jason and Zack had been around to provide some enjoyment. Then Jason had taken off on some emergency, and left her with Zack. Trini sighed; if Zordon could see how obnoxious Zack had become, he would not be pleased. The television appearances were partly to blame, but he was still annoying. As far as Trini was concerned, he could go ham it up in the NYU drama program. Without Jason around, there had been no buffer zone between her and Zack's swelling ego. Her patience with him had been sorely tried, and homesickness hadn't helped.
She had found it funny, in a sad way. Trini never thought she'd be the stereotypical lost lover pining for her beloved. Well, there were first times for everything. It had gotten to the point where she would visualize him, just to see him again. Every minute away seemed an eternity. Her internal clock was still ticking away the seconds, slowly, interminably, with hands of lead.
//Cause when the minutes seem like hours
And the hours seem like days
Then a week goes by you know it takes my breath away
All the minutes in the world could never take your place
There's one-thousand-four-hundred-forty hours in my day//
None of them knew she had arrived. Not even Jason, whose call had brought her home. Who knew her old communicator still worked? The story he told her—his acquisition of the Gold Ranger powers, Billy's inability to take them on—all but broke her heart. She could hear the guilt in his voice, and couldn't be angry at him. So when they finished talking, she raged at her pillows for a while.
A few days' worth of fibs and paperwork caught her the early flight to Angel Grove. Zack didn't understand why she was going, but he at least had the decency to keep his mouth shut. Trini couldn't expect him to; it took him half an hour to get over Angela.
Now she was home. All her waiting had come to an end.
Her parents' house was a few blocks away, but she turned and headed in the other direction. There was someone she had to find first. Trini couldn't wait another moment more.
Hefting her pack, she broke into a dead run.
//I've been trying to call you all day,
'Cause I got so many things that I want to say
I'm going crazy, 'cause all my thoughts are filled with you
There's got to be some way I can get through to you//
Her head was churning with thoughts of him, her heart was pounding with excitement. Trini could not feel the weight of the packs, nor the ground at her feet. She was fairly flying over the concrete sidewalks, vaulting over trashcans, rounding corners, not daring to stop until she reached her destination.
She stumbled to a halt in front of the Cranstons' driveway. The garage door was wide open, but she couldn't see inside in the pale light of dawn. Trini caught her breath, pushing down her hopes. Billy couldn't be up at this hour. She had tried to call him, write him, but her words never seemed to say what she wanted to. Now, she had the right words, but she couldn't be so lucky. No.
Fear clutched at her stomach. What if it was Billy? Would he want to see her, after she had left him? Two years was plenty of time to find someone else. Was he hurt? Angry? Or worse yet, completely over her?
Tentatively, she moved up the driveway, peering into the dim garage. As she moved closer, she caught a few dim shapes and shadows, a hint of motion and the faint clicking of tools. Someone was working in there at this early hour, quietly so as not to awaken anybody.
Coming to the threshold, she stopped and set her bags down, feeling an intangible barrier between them. The figure was hunched over, engrossed in its work and oblivious to her presence.
Her throat suddenly turned to sand, and it was an effort to shove the words past her lips. "Billy?"
He whirled, and as he pushed the goggles off his surprised blue eyes, her panic melted. Then a smile burst to life across his face, and the barrier vanished as she literally threw herself into his arms. Billy stumbled backwards for a moment, then caught them both, laughing into her hair as they held on to each other. "It's been too long," she heard him whisper, then pulled back to smile at her. "I was just thinking about you. I haven't been able to get you out of my head."
"I'm a hard one to forget," was all she managed as her internal clock stopped ticking.
//Cause when the minutes seem like hours
And the hours seem like days
Then a week goes by you know it takes my breath away
All the minutes in the world could never take your place
There's one-thousand-four-hundred-forty hours in my day//
He sobered for a moment. "Trini, what are you doing here? Did something happen at the Conference?"
"Nothing happened. I just had to come back." She paused. "It was an emergency. I'm needed."
Billy was confused. "Did Tommy call you? What's happened? Is it Zordon?"
She put a finger to his lips. "No, Billy. It was you." As he stared at her, incredulous, she added, "It's always been you."
"Trini, I—"
"Don't speak. It's my turn."
//I can't keep myself from thinking about you
It's because I love you, and I know that it's true
I'll call it desperation, can't you see it in my eyes?
That I want to be with you until the sun falls from the sky//
"I haven't been able to get you out of my mind for a single moment since I left," she began. "You just refused to get out of my head, but you almost never wrote me."
Billy sighed. "The post office isn't the most secure means of communication."
"So what? Why didn't you tell me about this? About your powers? I had to find out from Jason after the fact." He tried to pull away, but she held on tightly. "Billy, I'm not angry with you. Not in the least. I want to help you. I want to be with you. You need me, and I need you." He did not look at her. "I love you."
Slowly, his eyes met hers, as if barely daring to hope. "I mean it, Billy. Look at me." She sniffled. "I'm an emotional wreck, crying my eyes out at six in the morning, and I haven't even told anyone I'm home yet."
"Not even Zordon?"
"I had to see you first. Billy, I don't act this embarrassingly desperate for people I don't care for." Trini swallowed, wiping her puffy eyes. "I am making a mess out of myself, aren't I? What a wreck."
Tenderly, he brushed a strand of hair from her face. "Then you're the most beautiful wreck I've ever seen."
She pulled him close and let him hold her, and they clung to each other for a few moments in silence. "I'm never going to leave you again," Trini whispered. "Please say you'll be there for me."
"Always."
Another long, peaceful silence. "Oh, and Trini?" It was her turn to look confused. "You owe me the rest of that kiss Zack interrupted."
"What about interest?" she pointed out. "I'm a few years overdue."
"That, too," was all he murmured before she took his head in her hands and kissed him.
The sun finally peered its bright eye over the horizon, bathing the streets and homes in a golden glow. It ignited activity, as people awakened and stumbled out of bed, ready to begin their day.
But for the two standing in the driveway, day had already begun.
—end