*******This is my companion fic to Moon*Child7’s Destiny. It is set before Aaron’s birth; all segments will have the year number as to not confuse you with the timeline. Italics signal thoughts, ^*^ signals change of time or place and ~*~ signals flashbacks. ********

 

Disclaimers: Aaron is not my character, he belongs to Moon*Child7. Everything else you don’t recognize such as place names (StarGazer Café) and characters such as Courtney Blake and Charlene Walker belong to me unless otherwise stated. All concepts for Power Rangers Lightspeed Rescue belong to Saban and Buena Vista Entertainment and all those people. I have no money; so don’t sue me.

 

Archive: So not going to happen, but just in case: sure, but ask first. You can email me at [email protected] or at [email protected]

 

Rating: PG-13 for now, I don’t think it’ll change.

 

Fate

Nahyra Lee Hennun

Copyright 2003

 

Chapter one: Crossing over

 

2000-Ryan Mitchell walked inside the Mariner Bay Central Library with a somber stride and a dark air, his head hung low as he tried to locate his friend. As soon as she sensed him come in, Charlene Walker dropped her pen and fixed her hazel eyes on him. He smiled weakly, spotting her, and pointed over to the StarGazer Café. She nodded and got up to follow him.

 

When she entered, a few minutes later, she noticed him sitting in his usual spot over at the corner table and smiled softly. She waved at Courtney, who was busy behind the counter but still found the time to wave back and smile, rolling her eyes at Ryan’s tense posture. “You’d think he was going to propose or something,” she mouthed at Lene, who laughed shaking her head and blushing. As Charlene walked over to him cautiously, she caught her reflection in the glass and hurriedly straightened her hair.

 

Ryan looked at Charlene with a slight smile; she looked remotely flustered as she spoke to Courtney across the room. Poor Courtney, she had drifted away from her sister in the past couple of years and now took care of their business on her own. He tilted his head back and remembered the first time he met Lene.

 

~*~ 1999- Ryan ran hurriedly across the Sullivan University Campus, not looking ahead. He bumped into someone, and was about to do the usual move where he went on without looking back when something caught his attention: he had bumped into a very pretty girl. She was probably around his age, with sleek dark brown hair and hazel eyes that looked like amber and fire. She smiled apologetically at him, and he helped her pick up her books. He had no idea what was with him, but he just couldn’t take his eyes off her. He handed her the books and she thanked him, her voice carrying a faint accent he couldn’t quite recognize.

 

For some reason, he extended his hand and introduced himself. “I’m Ryan.”

 

She shook his hand with a surprisingly strong grip and smiled brightly. “I’m Charlene Walker. You can call me Lene.” She looked at her watch. “I have to go, but maybe we’ll see each other around.” He nodded with a smile he didn’t know he could give and allowed her to pass. She reached her car and turned to wave at him before she got on and drove off, leaving him to his thoughts. It would be weeks before they would talk again, but in the end they would become close… even if he tried to prevent himself from getting attached to the girl with the twinkling eyes... ~*~

 

When she approached him, he came out of his reverie and smiled, motioning for her to sit, and causing her to let out a breath she hadn’t known she was holding. She waited patiently for him to speak, knowing it was all she could do. Finally, he began.

 

“Sorry to bother you, but I had nowhere else to turn about this. We’ve known each other for a long time and I feel really comfortable talking to you about anything.” She nodded her approval and he continued. “I was wrong on so many counts, Lene.”

 

It took Charlene an instant to understand. He was referring to his family, since she heard the news that the Titanium Ranger had saved the city earlier. Playing back their last conversation in her mind, she laid her hand gently on top of his, which was lying nervously on the table. “We’ve been over this, Ryan. You believed what you were taught. You were told they didn’t love you, and you knew nothing else. There was no way for you to know different; you were much too young to completely remember.”

 

He gulped, and then voiced a concern that had been swirling around his mind for some time now. “Maybe you’re right. But revenge wasn’t the answer. I should’ve known better.”

 

He had a point, and she was stuck between comforting and confronting him. She chose to do both. “You’re right, you should have. But your thirst for vengeance had something deeper and more important behind it.”

 

“What would that be?”

 

She smiled. “A search for justice. And then, when you realized you had been wrong, you admitted it and sought the truth. That’s what matters, or at least it should be; because that is what makes you truly good.”

 

“Same thing Dad said. I just don’t know if I am fit to be the Titanium Ranger on the good side.”

 

She pointedly glared at him. “Ryan, don’t treat yourself like this!” She took a deep breath and explained herself. “After what you did today, you should be able to see the kindness and goodness in yourself. How can you still doubt?”

 

He averted his olive eyes and sighed. “I hurt them so much. Being close to them just reminds me of what I did.”

 

She held his wrist and moved it so he could get a good view of his morpher. “The fact that your father gave this to you means something very important. You have been given the chance to start over with a clean slate.”

 

He remained motionless except for his quiet breathing. She knew that her words had hit home, he was actually considering the possibility of forgiving himself. It would be a long time before he spoke again. “I’m going to give this being good thing a chance.”

 

She hugged him tightly, and smiled as she pulled away. He had tensed up, probably because he wasn’t too used  to displays of affection. But now that his family was going to be together again, all of that would have to change. “I assume you’ll move to the Aquabase now.”

 

He nodded. “Yeah, I need to work things out with Dana.”

 

She smirked. “You’re starting to worry about that sister of yours.”

 

“I guess I am.” They both got up and left their table, walking over to the plaza outside. Charlene chuckled when Ryan moved to open the door for her, and even more when he insisted on escorting her back to her table at the library. As she sat down and picked up her homework again, he swooped down and pecked her on the cheek before leaving.

 

She watched his retreating figure with a curious stare, and shook her thoughts of him off, trying to concentrate. Typical, she thought, I’m thinking about Ryan when I should be thinking about Calculus. She mentally chided herself and went back to her work, her thoughts roaming off to him all the time.

 

^*^

 

Ryan walked in his new room and sat down on the bed to think about the day’s events. He’d had a talk with his father about his previous actions, and just like Lene had told him, his father wiped the slate clean and told him that he and Dana would give him some space so he could adapt better to his new surroundings and teammates. Ryan was deeply grateful for this, not in his wildest dreams could he have imagined such forgiveness and selflessness.

 

His thoughts then drifted off to his interaction with Lene. He felt a strange kind of tenderness towards her, she had, after all, helped him through some of his most confusing moments. Charlene was the single closest person to him. He only wished he could have some of that marvelous trust with his sister.

 

He was interrupted by the sound of knocking on his door, and he immediately answered whomever it was to come in. He saw Dana peek and walk towards him with a nervous stance. He slid over to make room for her, and she sat beside him silently. He knew it was up to him to start and push things along.

 

“I have a lot to apologize for, Dana, and I don’t know where to start. But I do know that I was very wrong and that nothing I tell you could possibly make up for all the damage I’ve done.”

 

Dana turned to face him and smiled. “It’s okay, I’m over it. I understand that you did what you thought was right. Anyway, the reason I came here is that the others and I are going to the beach and I was wondering if you wanted to join us.”

 

His face lit up instantly and he hugged her. “I’d love to.” She left to change as he did the same, and they were soon joining the others on a trip to the beach.

 

Once there, Carter pulled Ryan aside and welcomed him both to the team and the side of good. “I’m glad you crossed over to our side once and for all.”

 

Ryan shook his hand. “I’m glad, too.”

 

********So that’s it for now. Hope you enjoyed. Please let me know if I should go on with this, ok? Crystal Raven, the Rose of Darkness*******