Long Journey Home

The Rangers returned to the park to make final arrangements for the following day; then, everybody went home. Everybody, that is, but Jason and Tommy. The two regarded each other consideringly. Jason just didn’t feel comfortable facing this Jason’s parents; things seemed so much different here that he wasn’t sure he could cope. He also had a lot of questions himself, especially about the relationship his alter ego shared with his Tommy. He cast about for a way to bring it up, when Tommy beat him to it.
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"Uh .... you want to gme, me, or do you want to stay at my place?"
 
Jason coloured slightly. "If you don’t mind ..." At Tommy’s negative headshake, he continued. "I still need to know a few things." The two slowly made their way to the Oliver home. On the way, something occurred to Jason.
 
"By the way, how will you explain your absence to your folks, and at school? This is going to take longer than just a few hours, won’t it?"
 
"Sure. We cleared it with Mr Caplan and our families when it became obvious we had to go now. Everything’s okay."
 
Jason stopped and stared at the Red Ranger disbelievingly.
 
"What do you mean, you cleared it?!?"
 
"We told the people who needed to know that we were going to be off-planet for some time; why?"
 
"How can you do that without giving away your identities?"
 
It was Tommy’s turn to stare.
 
"Huh?"
 
"I can see it’s going to be a long night," Jason sighed as they resumed their walk. "Where I come from, we always had -- have -- to keep our identities secret."
 
"Oh man," Tommy grimaced. "I can just imagine the trouble that might cause."
 
"You have no idea."
 
Both young men entered the Oliver house, to be greeted by Tommy’s mot
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"Are you all set for tomorrow?" Before Jason could answer and inadvertantly give himself away, Tommy reassured his mom.
 
He steered the former Gold Ranger towards his room, ostensibly to clean up, and briefed him quickly on SOP around the Olivers. "I’ll explain everything later; what you need to know right now is that we’ve been Companions since your return, and you address my parents by their first names."
 
"What’s a Companion?" Jason could tell that the term had a deeper significance than Tommy let on.
 
"After dinner. C’mon, I’m starved." He hustled his friend through his ablutions, and the two made their way back downstairs.
 
Jason found it slightly unnerving to be addressed as ‘Jay’ all evening; he wasn’t used to that particular nickname, and there were undercurrents he was aware of, but couldn’t quite understand. Thankfully, Tommy insisted on an early night, claiming last minute preparations. It was strange to discuss Ranger business so openly, even if they didn’t go into any details; the need for secrecy was so much an ingrained habit by now that Jason had a hard time not to flinch every time Tommy casually mentioned Zordon or any other thing associated with the Rangers. Finally, the meal was over. On Tommy’s recommendation, Jason called his own family to take his leave; his father seemed perfectly at ease at his somewhat halting explanation why he was spending the night before an interplanetary trip with Tommy instead of his folks. When the door to Tommy’s room closed behind the boys at last, he sagged with relief. Then, he turned determined eyes towards his friend.
 
"Okay, Tommy, what’s the deal?"
 
Tommy flopped down on his bed. "Why don’t you sit down? This could take a while."
 
Impatiently, Jason turned a chair around and straddled it, resting his arms on the backrest. "What’s up with you and Jay? It’s pretty obvious that you’re .... close." He blushed, remembering the kiss in front of everybody at the Juice Bar. It sent a shiver down his spine, which he tried his best to ignore. It didn’t work.
 
Tommy drew a deep breath.
 
"Let me start at the beginning, okay?" Receiving an affirmative if slightly grudging nod, he took a few moments to collect his thoughts.
 
"We met at school only a few days after we moved here; there was a ... connection between us right away."
 
Jason nodded, remembering those early days, even while Tommy was Rita’s Ranger. They’d both been drawn to each other, although at the time neither knew exactly why. Only after the spell had been broken did they discover the friendship they still shared .... and which had deepened into so much more for Jason. It took some effort to concentrate on Tommy’s words.
 
"When we became Rangers, we knew that the Green Coin was unstable and possibly tainted by the time Rita had it, but we decided it was worth the risk; and for a while, everything went well. We defeated her every time .... until she found a way to tap into the Green Energy again and subvert me to her service." Tommy closed his eyes briefly as he recalled that period; it still pained him to remember the things he’d done to his friends -- especially Jay. "You -- all of you -- tried everything you could think of to free me, but she’d handed the Sword of Darkness to me, and I couldn’t break free. Then, she ordered me to capture you. I sort of ambushed you at school and teleported you to the Dimension of Darkness."
 
Jason shuddered, along with Tommy. He sometimes still had nightmares about the fights against Goldar and the evil Green Ranger; he’d never been so close to death before or since, barring the loss of the Gold Power. He cast a quick glance at Tommy. What he saw on the angular features sent a chill down his spine. Almost too afraid to ask, he did so nevertheless.
 
"What happened there?"
 
Tommy opened anguished eyes. aft after all this time ... but, he owed Jason the truth, if they were to understand each other. Trying to buy some time, if only briefly, he countered with his own question.
 
"What ... what did your Tommy do?" It couldn’t have been something good, he knew.
 
"He fought me, after Goldar almost had me over a barrel. I’d lost my morpher, and the communicator was jammed, or something ... anyway, he was morphed, I wasn’t, and he soon had me on the ground. If Billy hadn’t transported me out in the nick of time ... you almost killed me." Absently, he rubbed at the scar the encounter had left him with. "Why?"
 
His friend was very pale as Tommy admitted to his own darkest moment.
 
"I raped you." Neither young man noticed that at this moment they made no distinction between their alter egos and themselves.
 
Jason paled as well at the bald statement, fighting sudden nausea. It took him some time to regain the use of his voice. Even so, he could only speak in a hoarse whisper.
 
"Oh God ... Tommy ... I’m sorry ....!"
 
"You’re sorry? Why?" Tommy raised agonised eyes to Jason.
 
He shook his head helplessly as he moved to sit next to Tommy on the bed.
 
"Tommy ... I know you. I’m sorry Rita made you do that. If there’s one thing I’m absolutely sure of, it’s that you would never have done something like that if you’d been in your right mind." Jason couldn’t say for sure if he was getting through, but he was absolutely serious. Tommy looked at him, a mixture of remembered despair and hope in his eyes.
 
"That’s what Jay said ..."
 
"You see? You were not at fault here."
 
Both boys regarded each other, sharing a moment of silence. Then, Jason’s curiosity got the better of him -- after all, considering his own history with the then-evil Green Ranger, it didn’t make a lot of sense.
 
"There’s one thing I don’t understand, though .... why rape? Why not kill me?"
 
Painfully, Tommy explained.
 
"Rita had picked up on the attraction we felt for each other. She wanted not so much to see you dead, but broken so that she could subvert you as well." A weak grin flitted over his face. "She hadn’t counted on your stubbornness."
 
Jason returned the tiny grin. "Couldn’t keep me down, huh?"
 
Sobering again, Tommy continued. "No. When you recovered, you escaped and made it back to Earth. Somehow or other, all of you succeeded in freeing me. I tried to kill you then, but you destroyed the Sword, and broke the spell." The Red Ranger blushed and lowered his head. Regaining his composure, he sought out the dark eyes of his best friend once more. Jason felt and heard the sincerity as Tommy recalled that moment.
 
"I’ll never know why, but I’ll always be grateful that you could forgive me. I think I’d have killed myself if you hadn’t."
 
Both regarded each other for long moments. Then, Jason brought them back to the present. Trying to lighten the atmosphere, he ventured another small smile.
 
"I take it things have changed since then, haven’t they?"
 
"Thank God, yes." Tommy released the breath he’d been unconsciously holding. "It took a long time, but we finally got together. Although, we only got really serious after you came back from the Peace Conference."
 
"Ah, yes, this ‘Companion’ business. Care to explain that?" Jason by now had a fairly good idea w thi this was leading, and marvelled at the changes Society in this reality had apparently gone through.
 
"Companions are same-gender pairings who are in an exclusive, committed relationship. It’s nothing as serious as marriage, although that sometimes happens; it just means that we’re officially together. As it is, we both want a family later; we’ll have to decide then what we’re going to do about us."
 
"Officially together .... that means you and Jay are lovers, aren’t you? And your folks and the gang knoout out it?"
 
"Yeah. Pretty much everybody lnows. Why? What about you?"
 
Unaccountably, Jason blushed. Squirming slightly, he admitted the truth.
 
"My Tommy and I .... we’re best friends. Nothing more."
 
Something in his tone or expression must have given him away, because Tommy leaned over and placed a hand on his thigh. With surprising insight, he murmured, "But you wish it were more, don’t you?"
 
Jason wanted to deny it, but a look into the warm, understanding brown eyes permitted only honesty.
 
"Yeah."
 
It was the first time he’d admitted it out loud to another person. Even Tammy hadn’t gotten that much candor out of him -- all he’d been able to tell her was that he was ‘attracted’ to Tommy. As if a dam had burst, Jason recounted the tale of his deepening feelings for his best friend.
 
"It’s just ... I’ve known that I love him, as my best friend, the brother I never had, for quite some time now, even though I never said it out loud. I think, in his own way, he loves me, too; it’s only recently that I’ve started to want more than friendship. Sometimes ...." he trailed off, but an encouraging look brought forth a final whispered admission.
 
"Sometimes it’s so hard not to reach out and touch ...." Jason was unaware that Tommy had scooted over and was now sitting next to him. He only felt the warm arm around his shoulders pulling him into a comforting embrace, and he wearily rested his head against the strong shoulder. For a while, he lost himself in the close contact, then eased back reluctantly. He met the chocolate eyes hesitantly.
 
"Have you told him yet?"
 
Jason hung his head. A part of him wished he were miles away, but another part was just glad to get it all out into the open. For once, he could be sure not to be censured, and if he were totally honest with himself, it did him a world of good to be able to talk about his feelings for the Red Ranger to someone who really understood.
 
"No ... and I’m not sure I ever will."
 
"Why not? What’s wrong with telling someone you love them?"
 
Jason laughed humorlessly and disengaged himself completely from Tommy’s hold. Leaning back on his elbows, he spared him a sardonic glance. "Can you guarantee that he’ll take it in stride? If there’s one thing I know, it’s that I don’t want to lose Tommy as my friend. I need him too much for that. And if that means I’ll have to keep my feelings under wraps, then that’s the way it’s gonna be."
 
Tommy was not convinced, but kept his opinion to himself -- for the moment. He and Jay had found too much joy in their relationship to totally buy into this denial thing. However, all he said was a non-committal "I suppose you know what’s best."
 
Jason glanced at him quizzically, but let it rest. The two sat in silence, when suddenly they both were overcome by jaw-cracking yawns. Chuckling, Tommy heaved himself off the bed.
 
"It’s been a long day, and tomorrow is going to be even longer. C’mon, let’s go to bed."
 
"Right."
 
Jason, too, got up, then glanced around the room. It contained a desk, computer rack, a closet ... and one comfortable-sized bed ... large for one, spacious enough for two if those two didn’t mind getting very friendly. He felt the heat rise in his cheeks.
 
"Um ... Tommy?"
 
"Yeah?"
 
"Uh ... where am I supposed to sleep?" Jason asked sheepishly.
 
"What? Oh ..." it was Tommy’s turn to blush. It was just too easy to forget that this was not Jay. He grinned somewhat shamefacedly.
 
"I’m afraid we’ll have to share. I mean, how would we explain it to my folks if you suddenly used the guest room?" Noticing the high colour in Jason’s face, he tried to lighten the mood. "Look, I promise to keep my hands to myself, okay?"
 
Seeing that there was no choice if they didn’t want to give things away, Jason just nodded, temporarily unable to speak.
 
*What’s the big deal, anyway?s nos not as if you and Tommy have never shared a bed, or a sleeping bag!* That was true, as far as it went, but it had never happened since his feelings for Tommy had changed.
 
Trying to control his suddenly bubbling hormones, he joked weakly.
 
"I’ll try to behave myself, too."
 
Tommy just barely managed to suppress his own disappointed moan. He’d hoped for a prolonged tryst with his Companion when they’d planned this last night on Earth; now it looked as if he’d have to rein in his libido far longer than he anticipated. It was not going to be easy, not with Jason so obviously in need for him -- and reminding himself of Jay so much. However, these were unusual circumstances. And Tommy had sworn to himself that he’d never force Jay into intimacy again. Sighing, he just shrugged. "If you say so."