Disclaimer: I don't own the Power Rangers; I do own Andrew (he's mine!), the plot, the feelings and everything else you don't recognize!
A/N: ;wipes tears; There you go, my dearest readers, the Epilogue of Quest into Space II: Father and Son, stay tuned for Quest into Space III (doesn't have a name yet, please offer ideas?), which will be posted in the next few weeks. I want to thank all of you guys for being there with me and Andrew and all our frustrations, in part III he won't be such a drama queen anymore (hopefully?)…
Phantom Rogue: I love you! Nothing of this could happen without you, my friend.. (and your fics' awesomeness!)
Star Fata: twins are cool. ;adores you because you have a twin brother; can I borrow him sometimes so he'd be my twin too:P thanks for being a reader:)
DTDragonRanger: Thanks for your review! See ya on the sequel :P
SweetSas: SAS! I MISS YOU! ;starts crying;
zeopurple: I love you too:) you've been there all the way for me.
PernDragonrider: thank you thank you thank you! You're reviews always keep me going and are important to me very much. Thank you so much!
Slytherin-Angel44: thanks:) you've been there from the start, your reviews encouraged me all the way.
BlackHalliwell: Thanks mate:)
AH/AY: well, duuh… ;) I love you ;huggles;
Quest into Space II: Father and Son
by DarkHonda aka Tal
Epilogue
The cool twilight wind caressed my face gently, drying my tears, my face felt swollen from tears, their course on my cheeks burning; I couldn't think any longer, thinking was too painful, too hurtful, thinking made everything I've just experienced to trickle into my blood, boil my senses and anger me. Everything was just…too much. I couldn't carry it around in my heart anymore, I was starting to feel numb again, hollow, I needed comfort but who could've comfort me? All I wanted was someone to hug me and reassure me that everything would be alright, I just wanted someone to understand, someone that wouldn't let me disappear, because I felt I was fading, fading into a total stranger; a bitter angered hurtful young man and I couldn't let myself get there. Not because of him.
I walked on the familiar green grass, reacquainting with my most favorite place in the universe, in a place I used to call home. 'There was a time when I knew every tree in this park,' I thought tranquiller a bit, remembering those happy days of picnics with my family, my real family: my aunt, my uncles, my little cousins…
'Who could've ever imagined how I would treasure those moments?' I thought bitterly. Those days when we played soccer, Uncle Carlos rolling with me on the soft grass after I scored and our team won TJ and Cassie's team, Karate lessons in the sunset with Aunt Cassie and long talks with mum while strolling along the lake in early vacation mornings…
'This place used to be my world,' I realized, 'and now, all I've got left is memories, memories of happiness,' and right there, I stopped. At the same spot where I had my 7th birthday, where mum had her 17th birthday, our favorite place in the park. Then I realized how much I've missed everything, how much I missed being happy. I couldn't remember when was the last time I was happy, the last four years have been four years from hell, a hell which I endured willingly, thinking of the most precious being in my life- my mum.
'I was a perfect kid once,' I recalled as an only tear descended from my eye, 'School used to be so easy, friends were considered granted and family was something I had without even trying,' I sighed slowly, in KO-35 I used to fight for my survival; to fight for every little thing I had, fight for having good grades, a fight to have a real family and a long lost fight for being accepted. I reached for the tree next to me and stroked it lovingly.
"The last time I celebrated my birthday here, was my 10th birthday, do you remember?" I asked the tree, "we decorated you with lots of balloons and mum even hung a sign saying 'Happy Birthday Andrew', do you remember, my tree?" I asked him, and as if to answer my question, a warm breeze tossed my hair, I smiled faintly, a minute on Earth and I was almost alright. Almost.
I turned to walk away, to continue my homecoming trip. I no longer felt confused, I was starting to feel focused again, determined; I was angry again, not knowing whether it's a good sign or not. I was angry at dad, Andros, for the last four years I was in deep distress yet he didn't dedicate any time to me, he was blind to my needs and it hurt so much, I adored him, I adored everything he represented.
'How could he have done this to me? To his own son!' I couldn't stop asking, he used to be so off, so disconnected of me, ignoring me that much that he didn't even notice when I couldn't bear it anymore and blocked his presence in my mind. There was nothing that hurt me more than that, the only physical bond we shared was torn and he didn't even care. I never forgave him for that;
I never felt so self contradicting, I loved him and hated him all at once, I craved his presence in my life yet needed to reject him forever, I wanted to push him away and hug him all in the same time. I was definitely confused.
Wandering around I bumped into someone; I looked down to face a little girl, she was wearing a pink dress with white flowers, looking kind of lost. She was about to cry when I knelt down and looked into her eyes, her fear almost paralyzed me.
"Umm…hello," I said quietly, she took a few steps back, tears starting to stream from her eyes. "Don't be scared, please, have you lost your parents?" I asked her, understanding it could be the only reason a little girl could cry in the middle of a park. She nodded and wiped her tears away.
"Come with me, I'll look for your parents, okay?" I asked and she looked deep into my eyes and then nodded, offering her little hand to me. I took it and we started walking, as I was scanning the area, looking for her parents.
"What's your name?" she asked and I glanced down at her and sent her the sweetest smile I could offer at the moment, and believe me, that wasn't much.
"I'm called Andrew," I told her, repeating my father's words without even realizing it, "What's your name?" I asked and she giggled.
"You have funny hair," she said and I nodded fondly and tossed her hair a little, "My name is Mackenzie Angela Park," she said proudly and I nodded, looking for any sign of a man or woman looking for their little girl.
It took me another two minutes to track a man that seemed a little lost himself, he was wearing a black pair of jeans and a green shirt, his long black hair was fluttering in the wind, he was running all over the place calling "Angel! Angel!" I waved at him and he ran toward Mackenzie and me, panting and sweating.
"Angel, don't ever do this to me!" he exclaimed and the girl jumped into his arms contentedly. He hugged her tight and then he finally turned to look at me, his eyes stopped at my hair and he just stared at me for a few seconds, the little girl playing with his hair, I was just about to think he'll call me a freak when he smiled at me.
"You're not Andros as far as I can tell, even though you look a lot like him," he said quietly and my jaw dropped, how did he know! He chuckled a little in response to my reaction, "Andrew, don't you recognize me?" He asked and I looked again, 'nope, no idea,' I said in my mind and shook my head. "So much for Ashley's son, how typical" he rolled his eyes, a smirk forming on his lips. "Adam Park," he said, "and the princess over here is my daughter Mackenzie," I almost choked, he offered his hand for a shake and I took it, smiling faintly when two words were forming in my mind; Uncle Adam.
"Sorry Uncle Adam, haven't been on Earth for a while," I apologized with a smile, he grinned mischievously as he opened his mouth to speak again.
"How is Ashley? And Andros? Do you have any sibling?" he asked and I almost rolled my eyes in response for these questions, "How is life on KO-35? I heard your dad was promoted two years ago, tell me all about it!" he said coolly and I sighed silently.
"My mum and dad are fine, my mum is pregnant with her third son, I have a little brother of four years old, he's named Scout Rin," I answered, avoiding the question about life on KO-35…
"Not much of a talker, huh? Just like Andros, you are an exact copy of him," Uncle Adam chuckle, his face lighting up with happiness a minute before he frowned. "Andrew, I can feel something is wrong with you, share it with me, I don't want you carrying your pain alone," he said quietly, but his daughter interrupted us.
"Daddy, can I play in with the seesaws?" she asked quietly, Uncle Adam nodded and put the little girl gently on the ground, kneeling in front of her. "You may go but do not get out of my sight, Angel," he said softly and she giggled.
"Okay daddy!" she squealed before running to the seesaws. He watched her running toward the seesaws with a smile, a fatherly smile, 'my dad has never looked at me like that. Not even once.' I realized. After a second he turned to me.
"Andrew?" he asked and I nodded, for somewhat reason I felt I could tell him; I knew I trusted him, besides of being a friend of my mum's, he was also my godfather.
"Uncle Adam, I don't want to be compared to my dad," I said diplomatically, not sure whether I like to get him into this whole mess, hesitating I looked at him; his warm black eyes were now filled with worry, the same one that pierced my stomach.
"Why not?" he asked gently, laying a hand on my shoulder, "he's your father, you should be proud, he saved the universe," I sighed and looked away from his face.
"I can't say I want him to be my dad," I said weakly, Uncle Adam's eyes were now a bit wider, but he quickly restrained himself.
"It's not a choice, you know, family is what you get," he said quietly and I agreed.
"It's true, but he made my life miserable…"
"- have you told him that?" he asked and I nodded, "How many years have you kept it inside?" he asked, frowning again, looking deep into my eyes, I felt naked in front of his inquiring eyes, but I also felt okay with talking to him. He didn't make such a big deal of it, he didn't cry or screamed at me, he was just there to talk with me about it, not judging my sorrow and I loved this silence, these carefully chosen words. So little said so much.
"Four years," I answered staring at my shoes and I felt him hugging me.
"That's a lot of years for a young man, Andrew-" he started to say but I had to correct him, "-Drew. Please call me Drew," I begged.
"It's not your dad's fault in what happened, Andrew, whatever it is, it's just… happened. Sometimes you can't choose the way life goes on," he said wisely and lifted my chin so I would look straight into his eyes, "If your dad could, he would have been there for you, Andrew, you have to believe it. It's not a coincidence you two look exactly alike -"
I looked at him, so full of doubt and fears, I doubted myself. I was terrified of what happened to me, of the change that took over in a few days, suddenly, being a ranger was the scariest thing I could wish for myself, 'am I going to be a good ranger?' I wondered, confused; I felt so much yet never knew how to convey it, never really wanted to, and now when I need to, I didn't know how. I decided to reveal it to him anyway, I had nothing to lose.
"I want to be a ranger, Uncle Adam, but now I'm not sure. I'm not sure I can do it with how I feel. I'm so confused and scared, Uncle Adam. I'm scared I'll trust him and that he'll just abandon me again, I won't be able to deal with another loss of him," I whispered my eyes slowly filling with tears, his eyes were starting to wet as well. "Adam, I lost him twice already, it tears me apart, he tears me apart."
"It's a risk you have to take," he paused for a moment, thinking and letting his words sink in, "Andrew, it's a risk worth taking. I don't believe Andros will allow himself losing you again, he loves you, Andrew, believe it," he said calmly and I raised my gaze into his eyes, "If you don't take risks," he continued and I felt his truth rising in my throat, "how will you ever be ranger? Every fight is a risk, you can die at any given time, but the wonder is in fighting even although everything is against you, even if you're scared. It means to listen to your instincts and follow your heart," he explained softly and I nodded. I turned to go but he caught my arm.
"What your heart tells you to do?" he asked and I shrugged; If I don't give dad a chance, we won't ever be able to fix our relation, i somehow knew it for sure. And that part of me, of that little boy Andrew, that 13 years old who loved his father suddenly go on to the surface; 'If I don't give him a chance I might be missing him, might miss my dad,' I mused as I swam in Uncle Adam's black pools, 'Do I really want to live the rest of my life so confused about my dad? Is that the hero I adored since early childhood? Since forever?' I asked myself, I knew that giving him a chance meant trusting him again, it meant risking my heart, but maybe, maybe this time, it was worth it, maybe it was only fair giving him the chance I never got from him? Maybe we could still bond?
I woke up from my contemplations and sent a little smile, kind of happy, to Uncle Adam, and as much as the thought raced through my mind, was as much as I knew I did the right thing. I hugged Uncle Adam again and thanked him for everything before turning to an isolated place in the park.
I was standing on a little hill, inhaling the sunset sweet scent, closing my eyes and restoring that telekinetic bond between my dad and me. It was kind of like opening a dam; his emotions just flew into me, sadness, relieve, hope and determination. It was almost resurrecting, and I was flattered as it has taken him exactly two seconds to notice it. To notice me.
'Andrew?' His gentle voice filled my mind, somehow I felt almost whole.
'Dad, I thought you deserved the chance,' I thought with an invisible smile, it wasn't like he could see me smiling anyway. 'I want to teleport to the Megaship from Angel Grove Park,' I notified and walked back to the spot where I had my 7th birthday, as it was a very isolated spot in the park I knew I could teleport from there. I was getting ready for teleportation when the next thing I knew was someone jumped on my back, three someones to be exact. "What the f - ?" I said and the three of them laughed.
"Now, now, baby Andros, we cannot let you dirt your mouth," Said my Aunt Cassie? And are Uncle Carlos and Uncle TJ really standing right there in front of me? But how did they know I was…? I immediately knew the answer: Mum and the wonderful work of DECA.
"I can't believe it, Aunt Cass, Uncle Carlos and Uncle TJ! What are you guys doing here?" Well, what can I say? I couldn't stop myself from asking! It was a given!
"We've heard all about your kissy-kissy adventures in space," my uncle TJ said and I cracked up.
"Not pretty quoting me," I said and they laughed, "I missed you guys," I admitted quietly.
"We missed you too, stripey boy, what!" Uncle Carlos said as Uncle Teej and Aunt Cass sent harmful glares at him, but I wasn't insulted, on the contrary!
"Happy birthday, kid." Uncle TJ said and excitement feeled my stomach, birthday? My birthday? But…how could it be?
"Wow, it's my birthday? Do you have any idea how many years…
"We know, babe," Aunt Cass said reassuringly as she hugged, more like crashed me, before giggling, "Do you guys remember Ash's 17th birthday party?" she asked and Teej and Carlos laughed, " 'We don't celebrate birthdays on KO-35' " she imitated dad almost perfectly and I couldn't relax and cracked up immediately, laughing my guts out. It was just too good! She knew exactly how to imitate dad!
"I heard that," a familiar voice crept behind us as the image of dad appeared, popping out of nowhere. Well, that was my chance after years of being in the Karova system, and I had to take it, I was just too happy with this reunion..
"Hey, Aunt Cass, want to spar?" I suggested with a mischievous glint in my eyes, she almost flinched at the offer, I was again laughing my guts out.
"No way, kid," she said and hid behind Uncle Teej, "your mum told me all about your body building talents. Go fight with a measured opponent, for example your Uncle Carlos," she offered and I watched Uncle Carlos sending her a death glare. I was chocking.
"I think it's best for us to get to our party zone, we left the kids alone," said uncle TJ, "So, first Astro Kid, wanna meet your cousins?" he winked at me and I stuck my tongue at him.
"I'm not sure, do I?" I pretended, "I kinda like being the only Astro-Kid around, you know, kinda make me feel special." I said and Uncle Carlos laughed.
"You're not a kid, in your age your dad has been a ranger for what? 7 years?"
"Ten, actually." Dad corrected.
"And of course, in your age we were already space rangers after losing the turbo powers," added Aunt Cassie in a sad tone.
"Want a medal for it?" I asked devilishly.
"Well, actually, we got lots of medals." My mum answered; she was standing next to dad, holding hands with him and looked pretty much happy. Her eyes glinted with happiness and I smiled at her, I was happy only when she was happy, and if I wasn't I was still happy for her.
"Lead the way," I said gesturing to Uncle Teej to move first. He led the way, we were walking slowly towards the end of the park. "So, Uncle Teej, tell me, how many kids do you have?" I asked and he seemed to be bursting with pride.
"I have two kids, Theodore Jay Jarvis Johnson Junior, he's ten years old and a charming beautiful two years old daughter, Sarina," he said proudly and I chuckled.
"You… don't happen to forget her in the garage now, don't you Uncle Teej?" I asked and started laughing so hard as Uncle TJ hit me on the back of my head. I stuck my tongue at him and he frowned, trying to look threatening. The others were following our lead, chatting and laughing, finally reunited. Mum was talking with Aunt Cass and Uncle Carlos, something about the Power and dad was tailing Uncle Teej and me. After silence spread between me and Uncle Teej, he rested his hand on my shoulder.
'Can we talk?' He asked me telepathically and I nodded and stopped, waited for anyone else to walk in front of us so we'd have privacy. As mum passed, she reached for dad's hand and squeezed it before walking away. Encouraged, I guess, dad started walking along with me to another direction. We walked silently for a while, getting comfortable with each other presence, I guess, after a while dad stopped next to a bench and we both sat on it.
'I'm not sure that I know how to deal with it, Andrew,' He started, his voice filling my mind, I don't know why he chose telepathy, but I was willing to cope with it.
'Deal with what?' I asked.
'You.'
'You don't need to deal with me,' I said saddening, 'you're just supposed to love me,' I explained.
'I do love you,' he said looking me in the eyes, he reached for my cheek but I avoided his touch, not responding. 'Andrew, if you want to be a ranger, go the ranger academy on KO-35, your mum won't cope with you leaving and neither do I…' he added quietly.
'So suddenly you care for me, you know, I… I always wondered what it would feel like to have a dad, you said once that you were always my dad. You promised to love me forever.' I stared at my feet.
'Do you really think I don't?' he asked, clearly frustrated. My stomach began to hurt from his frustration.
'You can't! All your heart is mum's and Rin's and this new baby's and I don't want to take it away from them.' I said honestly, 'I gave everything I had so mum could be happy; dad, everything, and I won't take it away from her,'
'Don't you think your happiness is her own?' he asked, 'Don't you think she's happy only when her sons are happy? We love our children, Andrew, we love you,'
'I know she loves me. No other son in the universe loves his mother like I do, no other sacrificed for his mum like I did. I swore that if she is healthy again, I would make everything I can for her to be happy, she's all I have.'
'You have me.'
'I don't need you, I lived without you for so long, that I don't need you anymore.'
'Andrew, I love you.'
'I can't forgive you for all you made me feel, for all you're making me feel right now. I can't forgive you about four years of suffering. I can't forgive you for not noticing me, you used to mean so much but you just threw - -' in that exact second pain pierced my chest, I felt like someone kicked my head and in a second my lip was bleeding. Dad looked shocked, I was too, but I immediately grasped what's happening and started running to the direction to which mum and the others gone.
Something was definitely wrong with mum.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
A/N:
I'd like to send great thank yous to:
Phantom Rogue
Star Fata
Ashley Hammond Astro Yellow
Slytherin-Angel44
PernDragonrider
SweetSas
and last but not least, Diznee Dol
Thanks for always being there.
All my love to you dear readers, catch ya on Quest into Space III,
Tal
Sneak Peek from Quest III:
"Andrew?" I heard a strangely familiar voice. I tried to move but pain suddenly took over me, torturing me, folding me into blackness. I groaned, the pain was greater than everything I had ever experienced. I didn't dare moving again, it was just too much, I wanted to scream for it to stop but it didn't go away. I tried to do the most manly thing and deal with it, I bit my bottom lip pretty hard, preventing myself from screaming.
"Andrew? How do you feel?" The voice pierced through the pain and darkness around me, almost echoing in my head. It really hurt.
"youdon' hafta yel.." I mumbled incoherently, feeling a hand gently laid on my head, someone sighed, whoever it was, he stroke my hair gently.
"Andrew, baby, are you okay?" a soft voice filled my body, I could almost smile, but it hurt as well…
"Mumma.. yalrighta?" I asked…