Disclaimer: The basic concept belongs to whoever Disney assigned it to but the characters belong to us. Like our previous fic series Viva La Resistance this series requires a lot of work due to differences in Time Zone and Hemispheres.

Power Rangers: To The Tenth Power
A Mother's Heartbreak
by Robert and Mistri, Cho's Observer

As Landre was eating what passed for breakfast on Wednesday 24th, the day after President Silvino had done what he could in recognising them for their service as Rangers, his mother came in.

His brothers had gone on some camping thing with some friends, and they were due back Saturday. Landre regarded his mother and went back to eating, figuring she didn't look like she wanted to talk. How mistaken was he.

"Landre," said Julia. He looked up, and crammed the last piece of toast in his mouth.

"Yes?" he queried, once he had swallowed.

"Are there things you've been keeping from me?" she asked.

Apart from the fact I'm a Ranger, most of my allowance if not all and more goes to Sita, and I've even betrayed your trust and stolen money so Sita could live? he thought. "Why do you ask?"

"Because, Landre... I may not always be here for you, due to my busy schedule... but a mother does notice things."

"Like what?" said Landre.

"Why don't you ever do the things you used to? You used to go and catch movies once a week, buy the latest collectors items... things you were interested in... I can't recall once in the last three years that you've done those things on even a small level."

"My priorities changed, mother," attempted Landre.

"Yes, but Landre, money has been missing. Your brothers could not have taken it. If you're taking it... what are you using it on? It's obvious it's not you."

"You wouldn't understand," said Landre. "So what if I've taken it? I'm using it for much better purposes than I used to!" Julia rose.

"Landre, you've always been worthy of trust. I know you wouldn't have taken it without a good reason. I'm upset that you didn't think you could trust me enough to ask me for it."

"I tried to ask!!" exploded Landre. "Grid knows I tried! But you said you would think about it! And you promptly forgot about it! What was I to do, let one of my best friends just die on the streets? Or live a ruined life, selling herself to whoever would have her?" He got to his feet. "I couldn't do it! Here, I have everything money could buy... but it won't buy me any friends. But it could keep Sita alive, even if all she had was the streets to live on and the backseat of my car to sleep in! And it did! I saved her by simply giving up whatever pleasures I had," he whispered.

"But it wasn't enough... and I had to compromise my ethics, ruin my opinion of myself, betray my mother's trust by resorting to stealing money so she could gain an education... so she would be free... sometime in the future. Those grants were for research purposes! It wouldn't even pay for the costs of having the school to be doing the research in... not that it could have done so, it was for research!" Landre only stopped as he heard a voice.

"Get your morphed butt down to Adria's village. Dani's here. With Tylai."

Landre was morphed in an instant, not really caring if his mother saw him. He turned away, and tapped his port belt. Julia watched him go, and sat down again, recalling what Landre had said.

And finally, she wept. Tears of sorrow for Landre, whose voice had dripped hatred. At her, yes, but mostly at himself, for his imagined inadequacies in trying to help Sita. He had done his best, and yet all he could see was that he was doing wrong.

She wished she could help him, but she could not see how. Too long had she been absent, too long had she not know her children. And now, Landre was going further from her reach, before she could really know him.

Julia's heart shattered as she realised it could be too late. She may have lost everything before she knew she had it. Her dreams of a close family had been put aside, when she had had to assume her husband's role. And she didn't know if it had been worth it.

~*~

Landre landed amongst a bunch of Tylai. Summoning his large blaster, he began to fire upon Tylai and Rangers alike, his hatred and anger blinding him. Sita tackled him, seeing as he was doing more harm than good.

"Landre, are you blind?" she asked, incredulously. He just sagged, his anger and hatred draining.

"She knows," he whispered. Sita collapsed beside him, all her hope crumbling. Seeing as two Rangers were 'incapacitated', Dani bid farewell 'until next time, Rangers!' and left them. Radha and Isidore got their respective significant other standing up, and they ported to Fortress Articia.

"What happened out there, Landre?" asked Articula.

"I'd just come from a talk with my mother. I guess I was so worked up over it, that I couldn't really be of any service," he said quietly. "Sita?"

"You may as well," she sighed.

And so Landre and Radha explained how over the years, since her parents' death, Landre had given Sita money and helped her as much as he could. Then Landre moved on to the talk with his mother, and how he had exploded at her, explaining everything in precisely the wrong way. Right content, wrong way of explaining.

"Wouldn't they had left you anything?" asked Valdi promptly.

"What was there to give me?" asked Sita. "Everything we had went up in smoke... and every last cent was spent on the funeral. Grid knows what happened to Imladell. Our property," she clarified, seeing their blank looks. "But let's leave it, for now."

"I was pretty riled... and I morphed in front of her," said Landre. Articula only nodded to show it was okay.

"But why were you angry and hating whatever it was?" asked Kylara, from where she sat, sipping hot chocolate.

"Because I always thought I was better than that. That I didn't have to stoop to stealing. And I hated and was angry that I was doing it. I knew it had to be done. But that didn't stop my feelings. And I was angry that I was even being accused of it. Stupid, really, to be angry over that," he muttered.

"Si, I'd do it all over again," Landre said, looking at her. "But I'd still feel that way... I can't help that... but I'd do it again, because it was worth it."

"Understood," she said. "But I think you should get squared away with your mother." The others concurred and Landre ported away. Everyone, excepting Radha, looked at Sita, disbelievingly.

"Si?" they asked.

~*~

Landre materialised in his bedroom. Going down to the setting room, he found his mother. When she finally noticed him, she gestured for him to sit down.

"Landre. I should, by all rights, discipline you for the way you acted this morning. Not to mention the money part. But you were right, Landre. You did try and ask me, but I never really took the time to listen to you. While you were wrong to steal the money, you did so with the right intentions - but it doesn't completely exonerate you."

Landre nodded. "Honey, I'm proud of you. You fought for something few in our societal position would. You, Sita and Radha have something I only wish I could have had back in my youth. I can't understand it at all practically. But I should have been here for you three as much as any other parent... yet my work prevented that and it still does."

Suddenly, the setting room was filled with Tylai, comanded by Jolik. "Would your work prevent you from assisting me with beating these up?" quipped Landre as he set to fighting Jolik.

"Can't see any reason why it would," Julia answered, smiling. And she launched into the Tylai like a seasoned pro.. Within minutes, it became apparent it was rather one-sided, as the Tylai were too numerous for the room, and also were incapable of strategy. Not to mention Julia and Landre's incredible fighting skills against the Tylai and Jolik.

As they looked at the defeated Tylai after Jolik had left, smarting, Julia smirked. "Haven't lost the touch. They didn't call me Jule Unstoppable for nothing back in my tournament days." Landre stopped and looked at her.

"You were Jule Unstoppable?"

"Still am, it appears," Julia tucked a strand of hair back. Landre burst into laughter.

"You aware," he said, between laughter, "that at my dojo, with Sensai Alimk, there is a poster of 'Jule Unstoppable', and scrawled at the bottom, is the caption, 'She finally stopped.'?" Julia raised her eyebrows.

"Really? I was twenty... and I was in the first trimester with you, kiddo," she murmered. Landre nodded, too breathless to speak.

"1200 tomorrow, that dojo."

~*~

And the next day, the Rangers attended the dojo, curious as to what Julia had meant. Taking seats inside, they saw many fighters they knew lined up, young and aged alike. Landre ignored the questioning looks, and looked towards the ring. His mother stood there, dressed in a replica of her old uniform. And as they watched, she took on every challenger, challengers that had really stayed in practice from her fourteen years in the sport, and challengers that had come after her.

She wiped the floor with each of them. And finally, Landre stepped in, and bowed. She almost had him hands down, but as she stepped heavily on his chest, he grabbed her foot, upset her balance, jumped up, and began circling her again. But this time, she tricked him, and she beat him.

As he got up, Julia smiled at him, and Landre finally knew, that whatever happened, he would have to sneak around no longer. Sita'd be safe. He returned the smile, and Julia knew it wasn't too late, as long as she acted quickly and in the right manner. And they looked at each other, bowed stiffly, and exited the ring.

End