Long Journey Home

Now thoroughly bewildered, Tommy stared at her for long moments. Reading only a genuine desire to know in her eyes, he shook his head once, but complied.
 
"You’re Jess -- Jessica Leigh Scott, age twenty. Your parents are John and Helen, and you grew up here in Angel Grove. You’re very active in sports, ever since school -- you were AGH’s star pentathlete -- and you’re studying to get your coaching license in track and field. We’ve known each other since freshman year -- since I moved here -- and we’ve been together for four years now. We ... we’ve been living together almost since graduation ...." Tommy’s voice trailed off as he noticed the blush spreading over her face, accompanied by the shadow of a smile.
 
"Track and field, huh?"
 
"Yeah; you’ve won every meet you ever competed in, at least for as long as I’ve known you."
 
"What about ... Martial Arts?" There was a strange wistfulness in Jess’s smoky voice.
 
Tommy grinned ruefully.
 
"You never wanted me, or any of the others, to teach you. You always said you were fast enough to outrun any attacker, and that there was no need for it. Guess you were right, too.Why?"
 
"Later. What about ... what about the Rangers?"
 
Tommy froze. He’d always regretted the lies he’d had to tell her; he didn’t like to think of the times he’d had to run out of her because of his communicator going off. Things were easier now with a new team in training; they’d served longer than Zordon had ever intended, and Dimitria told them it would not be much longer now. Thankfully, Jess had always trusted him enough not to ask, and he’d never told her -- the old promises still held. So, how could she ...
 
Jason noticed his reaction, but only because he was looking for it. It caused him a strange kind of pain to realize that in this reality, he’d obviously never been chosen by Zordon, had never known the feeling what it was like to morph, to defend his world from Evil.
 
"I was never on the team, was I?"
 
Her phrasing showed Tommy one thing: Jess -- or rather, the person who looked like the woman he loved but couldn’t possibly be her -- knew about being a Power Ranger. About him being a Ranger; at least. Cautiously, he shook his head no.
 
Jess *what WAS her name? He couldn’t keep on calling her by that name!* sighed again. Unconsciously, she reached for his hand, squeezing it gently.
 
"Tommy -- I’m not from this reality. At least, my .... mind, or personality, I guess ... isn’t. I got caught in a ‘random reality warp’, I think Billy called it. What it amounts to is that I’m -- whatever makes me me -- being transferred into my counterparts’ bodies in different universes, or realities. For example, back home I’m not yet twenty years old; I just turned eighteen, and I haven’t graduated High School yet."
 
That wasn’t all, not by a long shot; Tommy knew that as surely as he knew the sun was rising in the east each morning. Almost dreading the answer, but needing to know, he made himself ask.
 
"W-what’s your name?"
 
This was the hard part. Blushing unaccountably --*This isn’t my fault! It isn’t!* -- Jason looked right into his best friend’s eyes.
 
"Jason. Jason Lee Scott."
 
Tommy dropped his hand as if it’d suddenly turned white-hot. Blanching visibly, he gulped.
 
"Y-you’re .... a guy?"
 
Jason couldn’t help the snort of laughter. "Yeah. That’s about the reaction I had when it happened to me the first time and I found you as a girl."
 
"Oh man." Tommy slumped on the bed. His reaction was so much like what Jason expected, he felt inexplicably better. Not much, but .... better. He knew that Tommy’s experiences as a Ranger would help him accept the situation; if nothing else, it had taught all of them that nothing was ever so strange that it couldn’t get stranger still. This whole thing had to take the cake, though. He waited for Tommy to take it all in.
 
Numbly, Tommy looked at the girl next to him. His mind would have liked to deny everything he’d just been told, but something in his gut told him it was true, weird as itndednded. It also explained Jess’s -- no, Jason’s -- reaction to finding herself -- *himself, dammit!* -- in bed with him. Involuntarily, he had to grin. He sneaked a look at the familiar curves, clad only in clingy apricot satin. He felt his unsatisfied passion rise again. Almost guiltily, he reined himself back in.
 
"What do I call you?" The question was so normal, for want of a better word, that both had to chuckle. It relieved a lot of the tension. The dark eyes sparkled mischievously. Tommy almost reached out to touch, the look on the gamine face was so familiar.
 
"Well, ‘my’ Tommy calls me Jase, or bro." Tommy felt something almost akin to jealousy at the unmistakeable warmth in the husky voice. He had to remind himself sharply that there was absolutely nol fol for that. This was not ‘his’ Jess talking, this was......
 
"I can’t call you ‘bro’!"
 
"No," Jason laughed. "What would people think?" Sobering again, he gave the matter some thought. "I guess ‘Jess’ is okay; it’s close enough to Jase that I’ll react when someone addresses me. Besides, it’s easier for you. What with your faulty memory, and all ..."
 
"What faulty memory? My memory’s working just fine, thank you very much!"
 
"Oh." Her face fell, as if she’d just lost something dear to her.
 
A million and a half questions were whirling through Tommy’s mind. Before he could voice even one of them, however, his mother knocked on the door.
 
"Tommy? Jess? Are you up yet? Breakfast’s ready."
 
"Coming, mom!" Tommy looked at the stranger with his lover’s face. "Listen -- we’ll talk about this later, okay?" He received an affirmative nod. "We’d better get dressed and out of here; we can sort out everything at home."
 
"Okay."
 
Tommy got up, only to discover that his knees were slightly wobbly. He started to untie his robe, when he caught Je--Jase’s expression. He grinned. "You .... uh .... want to use the bathroom first?"
 
"Yeah." She -- he -- *damn, this was going to be hard!* -- crossed over to the bathroom door. Suddenly, she stopped. Yet another flood of crimson stained her cheeks. "Uh ... Tommy?" He looked up, a question in his eyes.
 
"Where are my clothes?"
 
Tommy picked up their overnight bag, rummaged around for his underwear and a fresh shirt, and handed the bag to Jess. He’d be damned if he confused himself any further; she looked like his Jess, and if her name and body were the only familiar things about her left, at least for the time being, he was not letting himself forget that! She took the bag with a mumbled thanks and disappeared from the room. Suddenly, a thought occurred to Tommy, and he nearly laughed out loud. If it really was a guy occupying Jess’s body, he was in for a BIG surprise!
 
Jason hurried through his shower, angry at himself that he actually felt embarrassed washing himself. It just was too strange touching this soft, curvy body; he’d felt himself colour up as he ran his hands over the full, firm breasts and between his legs. This was so ridiculous! It wasn’t as if he was feeling up a stranger; this was his body, at least for now! Towelling off, he automatically started to reach for the shaving kit. He’d already opened the can of shaving cream, when he caught his own face in the mirror. Sheepishly, he stared for a full minute until he slowly stowed it away again.
 
*Well, that’s one thing less to worry about!*
 
Then, he pulled out the clothes his alter ego had packed.
 
"OH NO!!!!"
 
***
Tommy leaned next to the door, waiting for Jess to come out. He’d heard her shout and was grinning broadly as she stepped hesitantly back into his old room, fidgetting in the unfamiliar clothes. Her face was a bright shade of crimson, but her eyes were flashing dark fire.
 
"Not one word, Tommy Oliver; not one - single - word !"
 
"Who, me?" He ducked her arm -- only not fast enough; to his everlasting surprise, she grabbed him, executed a twisting motion, another swift turn and shove, and he found himself ignominiously held up against the wall, immobilized. He knew he could get out of her grip easily; after all, he had a good six inches on her, and the weight advantage, but Jess had never been able to do something like that. He looked at her, incredulously. She released him abruptly, stepped back and gave him a saccharine smile.
 
"Did I mention that back home, I’m not into track and field, but Karate? I’m a fourth Dan, just like you."
 
With an effort, Tommy controlled his voice. Her expert maneuver brought the change home to him like nothing else could have done.
 
"Guess I’d better be careful with what I say from now on, huh?" He had to keep this light for now, or he’d lose his mind.
 
"You bet." She turned away, the momentary spark gone again. "Go get ready; your mother’s waiting for us." Without another word, Tommy vanished in the bathroom.
 
Jason wandered over to the dresser mirror once more. He could hardly believe what he was seeing. He’d expected the bra and the tiny panties -- only not that they would be so lacy and, well, provocative; when he’d ventured a look into the bathroom mirror once he’d figured out how to put the bra on (he’d tried leaving it off, but since his was an eighteen-year-old male mind, once he took a good look at himself he had to admit that that probably wasn’t a good idea -- his counterpart had a dynamite figure, with generous curves), he’d nearly had a heart attack, he looked so sexy. He’d hoped for a pair of jeans and a t-shirt; instead, he got a short short denim skirt, and a skimpy white top that did not quite reach the waistband. Actually, he reflected, it was a lot like the things Kim used to wear when she wanted to drive Tommy to distraction. At least he wasn’t punished with heels, as well; he’d found a pair of flats next to the bed. The woman looking back at him from the silvery surface wore his face -- the eyes were the same, but his mouth looked softer, somehow; his skin was smooth, he wore two earrings instead of one, and his hair...absently, he picked up a brush from the dresser and ran it through his locks. He’d tried a longer style once, but hadn’t liked it; apparently, Jess thought so, too, because she had a sassy, feathery cut which emphasized her cheekbones and eyes. The dark strands, still damp from his shower, fell easily into place and would dry on their own.
 
Jason felt eyes on him and looked up. In the mirror, he saw Tommy a few feet behind him, looking at him with a puzzled, slightly sad smile. He turned slowly as Tommy came up to him and rested his hands on his shoulders, squeezing gently. Jason marvelled that he had to look so far up; while this body wasn’t exactly short, it was definitely shorter than he was used to. Normally, he and Tommy were almost eye to eye.
 
"Don’t worry; we’ll find a way out of this mess. We just have to hang in there for a while -- both of us."
 
Jason nodded wordlessly. Tommy bent towards him as if to kiss him, but he stiffened; after a moment, the warm hands fell off his shoulder, leaving him cold inside and out. Instead, Tommy held out a hand.
 
"We’re friends, right?" Tommy couldn’t tell how he knew, but was certain of it.
 
"Best friends," Jason confirmed.
 
"That’s what I thought. Come on. I’m with you, no matter what." It was something Tommy had told him countless times, back where he belonged. It sounded as if he’d said it not for the first time here, either. Jason let out a breath he hadn’t been aware of holding, and put his own hand into his friend’s. *Together.* The thought echoed through both minds, and was reflected in two pairs of brown eyes.
 
Simultaneously drawing deep breaths, they squared their shoulders and turned towards the door. Noticing the other’s identical reaction, both had to chuckle. Tommy squeezed the slender hand once and smiled.
 
"Let’s go."
 
Hand in hand, the two left the room.