Golden Ecstasy

ECSTASY4c

***
Golden Ecstasy 4c

At the Youth Center the next day, Billy and Rocky had taken a classic
double-take at Jason’s rather dreamy expression whenever he looked at Emily,
and when they noticed the somewhat dazed looks Tommy and Adam gave Kat
and Tanya, coupled with the only half-hidden, smug smiles the girls bestowed
on their boyfriends when they greeted them with very warm kisses,
both former and present Blue Rangers had exchanged a single glance and
started to snicker. The uncomprehending looks and questions from their
friends had Rocky nearly dissolving into hysterical laughter and Billy
grinning broadly, and for once the two friends had found themselves in
the enviable position of being more in the know than the other male Rangers.
Of course, both Pink and Yellow Rangers had caught on very fast to their
amusement, and had threatened Billy and Rocky with dire consequences should
they even dream of enlightening their teammates.
"Don’t worry," Rocky had laughed, too overjoyed to see things back the
way they wanted them to be.
"This is just too good! I just wish I knew what you did to poor Tommy
and Adam!"
Before Billy could chastise him for his prurient interest, Tanya stole
a glance at her best friend. The gleam in the blue eyes matched the sparkle
in her own.
"Well, we’re not telling. Guess you’ll have to live with that," she
told Rocky with some asperity, shaking her head in mock disapproval. The
generous mouth was twitching at the corners, though. Katherine just gave
the Blue Ranger a warning look, and sported a rather enigmatic smile. Then,
she hooked an arm through Tanya’s, and the two beautiful girls sashayed
off, oblivious to the plethora of wistful glances sent after them by every
male in the vicinity.
Billy turned towards his friend and former teammate.
"It is really none of our business, you know," he said, trying
to be stern, but a slightly wicked smile reached from his lips to the blue-green
eyes.
"I know that; but don’t tell me you’re not the least bit curious about
what those two were up to!"
"I do not speculate on the sexual habits of my friends," Billy intoned
with great dignity.
"Hah! But you know, and I know that it has to have something
to do with sex!" Rocky crowed, delighted to have caught Billy out. The
young genius blushed. For a moment, it seemed as if he were going to decline
to answer, but a brief reflection told him that the whole situation had
progressed too far to retreat into proper decorum now.
"Well ... I would surmise that Tanya and Katherine have reestablished
whatever kind of intimacy they have shared with Adam and Tommy, and I think
that Jason and Emily have also reached at least some kind of greater understanding."
He paused for breath. Before Rocky could say anything else, he forestalled
him with a raised hand.
"However, I really believe that we should leave well eh alh alone. Whatever
transpired between those six, it is none of our business, and we should
respect their privacy in this matter. There has been a great deal of openness
during That Weekend," -- even Billy tended to capitalize -- "and while
it was good and even necessary at the time, I’d just as soon return to
the previous state of affairs."
"You’re probably right," Rocky admitted reluctantly as he collected
his things.
"But I sure wish I knew what they’ve done! Man, I’ve never seen such
an expression on Adam’s face! Tommy, too. "
Billy could only nod in silent agreement as they left.

***

Jason threw the last of his books into his locker and turned towards
the opposite row of metal doors. He still hadn’t had a chance to talk to
Adam and Tommy, and he needed to, if he wanted to go through with what
he’d planned. Besides, his conscience was somewhat bothered by the fact
that both Tanya and Kat still made regular appearances in his nighttime
fantasies. True, Emily was featured more and more of late -- ever since
her confession that she was physically attracted to him, and their subsequent
growing closeness. He still couldn’t quite get over the fact that his blonde
girlfriend would even consider going back on her pledge -- even if it wasn’t
as binding as he’d thought it’d be. Jason mentally shook his head.
*I have to be really sure if getting together with her is what we
both want*, he mused as he waited for the rest of the gang to leave
their respective classrooms. *Otherwise, we’ll both end up with a truckload
of regrets, and I couldn’t do that to Emily. And I meant what I said --
I won’t make love to anyone again until and unless I’m sure it’s something
real, and not just hormones!*
That thought firmly fixed in his mind, he straightened as his friends
reached him. They shared their customary easy banter, and it was evident
to all that the tension among them was slowly but surely dissipating. Jason
watched Rocky get into a good-natured argument with both girls over the
merits of home cooking versus big, juicy, loaded pizzas from his favourite
takeout, and decided the time was right. Touching Tommy, who was listening
to the exchange with half an ear, lightly on the shoulder, he simultaneously
caught Adam’s eyes. Taking a step back, he waited until he had both Red
and Green Ranger’s attention.
"Listen, guys ..." he had to clear his suddenly dry throat, "... can
I talk to you?"
Adam and Tommy exchanged a glance. They both had been waiting for this
particular request for some time, and knew they’d better acquiesce, no
matter how uncomfortable it made them feel. Still, it just might
be something else entirely ...
"Anything in particular?" Tommy asked, trying to be casual.
"Yeah." Jason looked at both his friends, then at his feet. "You ...
you know what about."
The quiet statement excluded any possibility that Jason might want to
discuss anything but That Weekend. Grimacing slightly, Adam just
nodded. He was not looking forward to this. Tommy tugged at the
collar of his tee. Like Adam, he felt he could do without getting Jason’s
point of view, but he also couldn’t deny his best friend. Resignedly, he
put an understanding smile on his face, hoping his bro wouldn’t catch on
to his unease.
"Sure, bro. Shall we say around five, in the park?"
The three young men made their arrangements, then went to their respective
homes. At the designated time, they met near the picnic area, and wandered
off, meandering through the familiar landscape. Ewas was trying to find
a way to bring up the reason for their meeting, but neither could find
quite the right words. The silence between them grew, until it became nearly
oppressive. At last, Jason couldn’t stand the tension any more. Stopping
and leaning against a conveniently-placed tree, he drew a deep breath and
met the other boys’ eyes. He couldn’t help the slow rise of colour to his
cheeks as he started to speak.
"Guys ... I know this is hard for all of us, but I think ... I know
we have to talk. I ... just wish I knew where to start."
To both Jason and Tommy’s surprise, Adam interrupted the former Gold
Ranger.
"Listen, Jase ... this is about That Weekend, right? What you and the
girls had to do?" He barely waited for Jason’s hesitant nod. "Well, I ...
Tanya and I talked about this. Heck, we still do, from time to time. I
just wanted to say that I know what I need to know, and as far as I’m concerned,
there’s no need for you to bring it all up again."
"But Adam ... did Tanya tell you about ... well, everything, I guess?
About how I scared her? I didn’t mean to, of course, but ..."
"Yes, she did," Adam uncharacteristically broke in a second time. "She,
uh, also told me about your solution to the problem."
The Asian blushed a fiery red. So did Jason, as the import of what Adam
had just said sank in. A peek at Tommy showed that the Red Ranger was more
than living up to his title, but also the slight grin that played around
his mouth. Jason felt his blush spread from his face down his chest, and
groaned. The sound was such a comical mixture of embarrassment, chagrin
and relief, that all three had to chuckle. The tension between them eased,
and they sank towards the ground, sitting casually facing each other. Tommy
was the first to recover his wits.
"I know all about that, too, bro," he admitted, smirking slightly as
Jason rolled his eyes. "If it’s any consolation to you, I feel like Adam.
Kat and I have talked, we’ll probably talk a lot more, but basically I’m
okay with what happened between the two of you."
"Same here," Adam agreed. "I don’t need to hear your version as well;
to be perfectly honest, I don’t want to hear your side of it. As
far as I’m concerned, Tanya ... the girls ... helped you out of a very
tight spot, and all of you managed to find some good in it after all. Nobody
was harmed, Tanya and I will get past this, and that’s all that
matters."
Tommy nodded. "That’s how Kat and I feel, too," he assured his best
friend. "I know there’ll probably be some rough spots ahead for all of
us, but Kat -- and you -- mean too much to me to freak out over this."
Jason looked at both his friends wonderingly, hardly able to believe
his ears. Could it really be this easy? He turned towards Adam.
"That’s not quite the way you felt when Tanya first offered, though,"
he reminded the Green Ranger cautiously.
"I know," Adam conceded. The memory of his first anguished reaction
briefly shadowed his expressive face. "But I understand and accept her
reasons for doing what she did. Tommy and the others helped me see that
there really was no other way." The teen briefly smiled his thanks to the
Team’s leader, remembering their conversation and the unstinting support
the rest of the team had given him.
Tommy smiled back fleetingly, then they both returned their attention
to Jason. Adam drew a deep breath.
"Look, Jason, I know you probably want to explain, or apologize, or
whatever, and I guess I’d want to do that, too, if I were in your position,
but there’s really no need. What happened to you was not your fault
-- it was no-one’s really, if you don’t count Mondo. We’ve said it often
enough, it could have happened to any and all of us. It just turned out
it was you."
"Yeah, bro," Tommy chimed in, draping an aroundound his best friend’s
shoulders. "Adam’s right. The girls did what they felt they had to do,
and I for one don’t blame you for accepting their help. We’re friends.
All of us. Friends help each other."
Adam also rested a hand briefly on the black-shirted shoulder. Time
to stop skirting the issue.
"Jason, let it rest, okay? Tanya ... well, she told me that you actually
made love to her. I’ll be honest, at first it threw me a bit, but then
all I could feel was relief that it was not as much of an ordeal for her
as I’d feared. I know that you tried, right from the start, and also how
you found out what would work."
Zeo Ranger Four cast an apologetic glance at Tommy, who just nodded.
He could understand and accept Adam’s reluctance to mention his fears that
Tanya might develop feelings for Jason, especially after what Kat had told
him about her own reactions to being with his best friend. It was a bit
embarrassing, but as Billy had pointed out to him in a private conversation,
it was probably inevitable (and maybe for the best) that both he and Adam
knew about what had happened to their lovers up at the cabin.
The former Ranger looked up then, searching his friends’ eyes. Finding
only sincerity and understanding, he released a breath he hadn’t even been
aware of holding, his shoulders sagging in relief.
"I ... I don’t know what to say," he said, his deep voice rough with
emotion.
"You don’t have to say anything, bro," Tommy reassured him. "It’s over;
we made it through, all of us, and it’s time to let it go. Otherwise, we’ll
end up stirring up all kinds of things we don’t want to, and chances are,
somebody will get hurt then." The long-haired young man briefly
thought about Kat’s confession, that under different circumstances she
might have fallen in love with his best friend. He’d caught a couple of
wistful glances in Kat’s direction that Jason hadn’t quite been able to
hide, and had wondered if those feelings might not be mutual. However,
he trusted both.
"Y-you really mean that?"
The hope in the low voice brought a smile to Tommy’s face.
"Yeah, I do. Have I ever lied to you?"
"No." Jason straightened then, and gripped Tommy’s hand that still rested
on his shoulder. Their fingers squeezed, hard, a look of understanding
passing between them as it had countless times in the past. Then, Jason
turned once more to the Green Ranger. "Adam, I ..."
"It’s allright, Jase. Really." Adam found a smile of his own, and slowly
the three relaxed, relieved that neither would have to listen to or talk
about things they all preferred to keep private. At last, Jason cleared
his throat. There was still one matter he had to bring up with both Adam
and Tommy....
"I ... thanks, guys. You have no idea what this means to me."
"I can imagine what it would mean to me," Tommy interjected gently.
He knew the former team leader too well not to know what was going through
his friend’s mind. Adam seconded his statement with a nod and soft affirmative.
He was about to say more when Jason fixed him with dark, serious eyes.
"There’s ... there’s something I have to ask you, though," he said,
blushing slightly. The two boys exchanged somewhat uneasy glances. The
way Jason was looking at them, it almost seemed as if he was .... well,
not exactly afraid, but certainly apprehensive about something.
"What is it, bro?" Tommy was the first to find his voice.
"Well, I’ve been thinking ... the girls were so incredible ... patient,
and understanding, and just all-around wonderful ... I wanted to, um, express
my thanks to them somehow. Give them a small present ... if you two don’t
mind, that is," Jason finished in a rush.
"Jase, Tanya and Kat didn’t help you and expect to get anything in
return," Adam protested automatically. He wasn’t sure how he felt about
this. And what exactly did Jason have in mind?
"I know that," the former Gold Ranger replied, grinning a little bit.
"It’s just that I feel I have to repay them, as it were." He shook
his head at both Tommy and Adam before they could utter a single word.
"It’s not the right word, but ... I think you know what I’m talking about
-- and don’t tell me you wouldn’t feel the same!"
The other two had to concede that -- albeit grudgingly.
"Don’t worry, I’m not about to go overboard, and I’m not going to give
them jewellery, or anything like that -- I leave that to the two
of you!"
Red and Green Rangers blushed, much to Jason’s amusement. He felt incredibly
relieved now that this talk was behind him -- even if not an awful lot
had actually been said, thanks to his friends’ understanding.
"No, I think I saw a couple of things I believe the girls will like,
nothing too personal though, and if it’s okay with you, I’d really
like to get them for Tanya and Kat."
Tommy and Adam exchanged a glance, then both shrugged.
"I agree that they don’t expect anything, but if that’s how you feel,
bro, then go for it. It’s fine with me," Tommy finally said, after thinking
it over.
"Me, too," Adam added, mildly curious now. What would Jason think was
appropriate under the circumstances? However, when asked, the ex-Gold Ranger
wasn’t telling. Instead, he put on an enigmatic smile as he levered himself
to his feet again.
"You’ll just have to wait and see," he grinned. "I’m not risking you
spoiling the surprise. And if you even breathe a word of this to
either Tanya or Kat, I’ll make you regret it big time!"
Never one to pass up a challenge, Togot got up as well. He punched Jason
slightly in the arm.
"You and what army? You haven’t beaten me in a good long while, bro!"
"Oh yeah? And what about last week, when we were sparring, and you mistimed
that hook kick? If that wasn’t ..."
Adam just sighed and shook his head, grinning as broadly as the other
two. He followed Jason and Tommy as they made their way back, taunting
and bickering in great good humour -- like a hundred times before. Things
were definitely getting back to normal, and he couldn’t feel better
about it.

***

The next weekend, the gang met at the Youth Center for another 'Late
Night at Ernie’s'. Tanya had studied a new song and wanted to perform,
and since they all loved to hear her sing, it was a foregone conclusion
that they would be there, cheering her on. However, at Jason’s request,
the two couples came by his house half an hour early. Jason let them in
and guided them to the den, where he’d put two small parcels on the coffee
table -- predictably wrapped in pink and yellow. His parents weren’t home,
so it was safe to talk about things without giving anything away the adults
needn’t know.
Tanya and Kat looked a question at their boyfriends as Jason briefly
vanished into the kitchen. They’d noticed the gift-wrapped packages in
their signature colours, and were understandably curious. Before either
young man could say anything -- they’d scrupulously kept their promise
to Jason not to say anything to the girls -- their host came back, carrying
two small bouquets lowelowers that had the girls’ eyes light up with delight.
Presenting one to each girl, Jason cleared his throat.
"Kat, Tanya ... I talked about this with Tommy and Adam, and even though
I know that you’ll probably think it’s unnecessary, I wanted to say ‘thankyou’
once more for what you both did for me." He handed the flowers to the girls.
Kat sniffed delicately at the bouquet -- a variety of flowers all in
the same shade of pale pink, with ferns and baby’s breath added to give
volume. Tanya’s was identical in every way, only in yellow, and she, too,
enjoyed the subtle mix of fragrances. She looked up into Jason’s dark,
slightly anxious eyes and smiled.
"Jason ... you shouldn’t have ...! I mean, thank you, but ..."
"I know. But can you understand that I needed to do this?"
"Knowing you as I do now, I can," Tanya said quietly, her delight evident
in the way she held the fragile stems. "These are so lovely! Thank
you!"
"Yeah, well ..." He blushed a bit. Picking up the gifts, he handed one
to each girl. "These are for you, as well. Hope you’ll like it. And --
thank you once again, from the bottom of my heart." They had rarely heard
Jason speak so sincerely.
Curious, Tanya handed her bouquet to Adam, who smiled indulgently as
she carefully undid the wrapping. From the shape, it was rather obvious
that Jason had bought one or two CDs, and he certainly could live with
that. Only, what kind of music did the former Ranger think Tanya would
like? He watched as she read the label and squealed with joy, her eyes
suddenly sparkling.
"Ladysmith Black Mambazo! Jason, where on Earth did you get these?!?"
"Over the internet," he explained, glad to have hit on the right thing.
"I remember you telling me that you liked them, but didn’t have any of
their recordings, so I did a little surfing, and got lucky."
"They’re a South African group, but one of the members is from the village
I used to live at," Tanya told the others, still busily reading the song
titles. "Of course, we didn’t have anything like CD players or stuff, but
we had a transistor radio, and they were on practically every show! They’re
very popular all over Africa!"
"They also worked on Paul Simon’s ‘Graceland’ album from years back,"
Jason added, for the others’ benefit. "Tanya’s seen that in my parents’
record collection, and told me about them."
"Oh, this is like a postcard from home," the Yellow Ranger sighed happily.
"Sometimes I really miss the music, and the language so much ...! This
is so great -- thank you!"
Tommy watched Kat turn her pink package over in her hands. It was more
voluminous that Tanya’s, but not very heavy, from the way she handled it.
It seemed as if she was almost reluctant to take a closer look.
"Go on, honey, open it," he encouraged his girlfriend. "I don’t think
it’s gonna bite!"
"Of course not." Kat was carefully loosening the broad satin bow. "After
all, this is from Jason, not Rocky." They all laughed at that. The Blue
Ranger was famous -- or more accurately, notorious -- for his gag gifts,
which often caught his friends unawares. The paper fell away, and Kat lifted
the lid of the cardboard box. A look inside brought a pleased exclamation
to her lips. She’d admired the item at the mall quite some time ago, and
for Jason to have remembered ...
"Oh ... !"
Shiny blue eyes met warm dark ones.
"You like?" Jason asked, his voice gentle.
"Like? I love it! Thank you so much!" Kat gingerly lifted a small wooden
box, made up to look like an old-fashioned treasure chest, out of the container
and set it on the table. Unsnapping the tiny clasp, she lifted the domed
lid, and a delicate tinkling sound filled the room. On a mirrored surface,
a minuscule figurine of a ballerina in a frothy white dress began to move
in small circles, turning around and around in a stylized dance. "Oh, it’s
the ‘Flower Waltz’ from ‘The Nutcracker’! I love that music!" The Pink
Ranger smiled as she watched the figurine twirl.
"It’s a music box," Tanya realized. "Kat, that’s just lovely!"
"Yes, it is, isn’t it? Oh Jason, it’s perfect! Thank you so much!"
"From me, too," Tanya added. Both girls moved forward, and before he
knew what was happening, Jason found both his arms filled with lovely femininity
and two pairs of soft lips were pressed gently against his cheeks. He blushed
to the roots of his hair while Adam and Tommy looked on, grinning broadly
at his predicament.
"Serves you right, bro," Tommy laughed, as he watched Jason trying to
fend off the gushing thanks from his former teammates. He snickered ae cae caught Adam’s equally amused eyes. "You pick something like this for
the girls, you’ll have to live with the consequences!" Jason’s gifts were
indeed perfect -- personal, suited to each young woman’s taste, and yet
nothing he and Adam could object to. Silently, he vowed that at the next
opportunity he would find something to give to Kat that was just as thoughtful
and fitting. Realizing he still held her bouquet, he thought that some
flowers ... *Maybe just three of those pink roses she likes so much*
...might just be a step in the right direction. He looked over at the Green
Ranger. Adam’s lips quirked in his trademark half-smile, a bit sardonically,
Tommy thought. Seemed like Adam was having much the same thoughts as himself.
He shrugged, a sheepish grin twitching the corners of his lips.
"You think there’s a message for us in there somewhere, buddy?" the
Red Ranger asked drily, as Tanya and Kat hugged Jason again, who seemed
torn between embarrassment and delight and was casting helpless looks in
his friends’ direction.
"Probably," Adam agreed, shaking his head mournfully. "Otherwise, we’ll
never hear the end of it."
"You got that right," Tommy sighed, crossing his arms over his chest
as he continued to watch the little scene being played out only a few feet
away. Both girls were no longer seriously trying to thank Jason, but seemed
mischievously bent on deepening his blushes. Finally, it got to be too
much for the former Ranger. Disentangling himself from the clinging embrace
of the two gorgeous girls with someort ort ( and a big show of reluctance
that was not entirely feigned), he took a few steps back, out of both young
women’s reach.
"Aw, come on, ladies, enough already! It wasn’t that big a deal!"
"Maybe not to you, but it was to us," Tanya purred playfully. She exchanged
a teasing look with Kat, who smiled right back. Studiously avoiding to
glance at Tommy or Adam, she once more snagged Jason and bussed him right
on the mouth. Before he could protest, Kat did the same, which produced
another flood of colour into his already flaming face.
"Guys!" Jason called plaintively, somewhat at a loss of how to deal
with the girls’ exuberance in the presence of their respective boyfriends.
"I could use some help here!"
The two Rangers looked at each other, at the tableau before them, and
at each other again. Then, they broke out into laughter.
"Hey, you wanted to thank the girls like this," Tommy smirked,
thoroughly enjoying Jason’s predicament.
"Yeah; you should’ve known them well enough to know what might happen,"
Adam added, but nevertheless started to pull Tanya back into his own arms.
She pouted at him, but her dark eyes were dancing.
As soon as Kat found herself left behind, she backed off on her own,
but not without teasingly ruffling Jason’s short hair. He groaned and closed
his eyes, torn between laughter and chagrin. Stepping up next to Tommy,
she shared a smug grin with the tall Red Ranger, who laughed even harder.
"Oh man, I wish I had a camera! Your face is priceless!"
Jason scowled at his friends, but had a hard time controlling his own
grin.
"Yeah, yeah, laugh all you want. Just wait ‘til the next time; I’ll
get you for this somehow."
"Don’t say we didn’t warn you, Jase," Adam smiled, a hint of deviltry
in his light tenor that made Tanya catch her breath surreptitiously. Ever
since she and her boyfriend had resumed their intimate activities, she
had come to recognize that particular note in his voice. A quick look into
the obsidian eyes confirmed her suspicion that Adam had planned something
more for tonight than just be an enthusiastic audience at her performance.
It made her tingle all over. However, her attention turned back towards
Jason who took a step forward.
"If either one of you dare say ‘I told you so’, you’ll be listening
to Tanya from a stretcher tonight," he growled mock-menacingly. Gripping
both Tommy and Adam by the shoulder, he turned them around and gave them
a not-quite gentle shove in the direction of the door.
"But we did," Tommy protested, pulling Kat along with him. She just
barely had time to collect Jason’s gift and her bouquet. "Is it our fault
you wouldn’t listen?"
Tommy knew exactly how far he could needle his best friend, and both
boys were grinning madly at each other.
"Go on, get outta here before I do you serious bodily harm," Jason groused,
including a laughing Tanya and Adam in his threat. He gently but firmly
ushered his friends towards the front door.
"Besides, if I don’t get a move on, I’ll be as late as Tommy usually
is. And I don’t want to keep Emily waiting!"
"Come on, guys -- I can tell where we’re not wanted;" Tommy huffed.
"Besides, you could’ve just told us you had a date with Emily. And I’m
not
usually late!"
"No, of course not," Kat soothed her boyfriend, dragging him along to
his car. "You’re only almost always unpunctual!"
That set all five off again, and Jason watched his friends pile into
Tommy’s red 4x4, a broad grin on his face. His world had been thrown badly
off-kilter when Mondo had contaminated their drinks, and now, after anguish,
turmoil, fear and a whole lot of love and support from his friends, it
seemed as if his universe had finally turned right-side up again.
Still smiling to himself, Jason collected his jacket and keys and left
the house, to pick up his lovely girlfriend. Then, they would spend the
rest of the night with his special friends, secure in the knowledge that
all was well again for the moment -- until some other crisis, personal
or caused by some alien menace, would disrupt the Rangers’ lives again.
*I always knew life as a Ranger -- even an ex-Ranger’s -- was going
to be interesting, but whoa! What a ride it’s been!*
Whistling to himself, Jason jumped into his car and drove off, contemplating
how and when he could tell Tommy and the others that in a few weeks, just
in time for graduation, Kimberly would be coming home for a visit.
*Maybe we can all go scuba-diving, or something ...*
Full of happy plans, the former Gold Ranger made the turn into Emily’s
street. Life was certainly good; and surely, nothing could ever go wrong
again.
 
 


The End ...
(as we all know!)



Note: This is the end of all the angst and turmoil; the story
has certainly taken a *completely* different direction from where it was
intended to go. But those kids always were a stubborn, independent lot...why
am I so surprised? My heartfelt thanks go out to Cheryl, Naomi, Kathy and
Jacqui, chief among others, who commented, nagged, encouraged and generally
were there for me. Bless you, guys! This would have been much poorer without
you. Comments, as always, are welcome. DB, Spring 1999