Gentle Fire

Disclaimer: If I own the Power Rangers, then the boys would be very tired and probably none of the girls would be getting laid.

A/N: This is my first Power Rangers story. It is unbetad and I am looking for someone who is interested in becoming the beta for this story. So please enjoy the first chapter of Gentle Fire.

Ch.1

He couldn’t take his eyes off him, and no matter how hard he tried, he just couldn’t look away. Xander Bly had fallen for the one person who was immune to his charm and handsome looks. The one person who could see right through him and tell him what his deepest darkest secrets were. He had fallen in love with Nick Russell. If things weren’t already complicated enough with them being Power Rangers, Madison Rocca looked like she was falling for Nick too.

Xander groaned frowning slightly at the situation he was placed in. 'Why does life have to be so complicated?' He wondered aloud. Why did he and Maddie have to fall for the same guy, especially after only knowing him for a few weeks? She was his best friend. He couldn’t hurt her like that. She was as dear to him as her sister Vida was. They were his closest female friends. Still, he couldn’t help but wonder what if none of this had happened? What if one of them didn’t become a Ranger or what if one of them hadn’t even met Nick? Xander grimaced with the thought of either him or Maddie having met Nick or all of them become Power Rangers.

The sound of laughter reached his ears, interrupting his melancholy thoughts looking up just in time to see Leelee enter the Rock Porium. 'Oh, great, just what I need a new problem.' He thought as he watched her walk over to Nick and openly flirted with him. He didn’t trust her after that stunt she pulled with the money incident. That damn blonde came close to nearly costing him Nick’s friendship, as well as almost costing him his life. Xander owed Nick his life. He wouldn’t even be here today if it wasn’t for him and Vida!

'I still get shivers when I think of what happened on that horrible night.' And as he thought this though unto himself, a single tear rolled down his cheek. Rubbing his wrist as the memories of that night came flooding back to him.


***Flashback***

A week ago, 8:00PM

“Dad you can’t mean that!” Xander shouted into the phone tears starting to run down his cheeks.

“I do, Alexander. You are no longer welcome here and if you do show your face back here, we will not speak to you or look at you. As far as I am concerned, I have no son, especially on like you. Now never call this number ever again!! Goodbye!” Xander’s father shouted as he slammed the phone. Xander couldn’t believe it. He had just told his family that he was gay. He had hoped that they would support and tell him that he still love him, but the worst possible thing he thought possible happened. His strength had left him and he collapsed on the floor in a ball of pain. Nothing mattered to him anymore. His parents had disowned him and he feared what his friends would think when he told them. With the thought of friends was the last straw for Xander. Tears pour as a waterfall and his sobs echo all through out his apartment. His body convulsed with each sob as his mind twirled with all the thoughts of what his family said and the thought that of his friends abandoning him as well.

‘I can’t have them abandon me too. I just can’t have that. I would die before I hurt any of them with this news.’ Xander thought. The more he said that to himself, he realized what he thought would help him.

‘That’s it.’ he thought with a smile of pain on his face. ‘It’s the only way so that my friends won’t be hurt by what I have to tell them.’ Xander walked slowly to the kitchen and removed a butcher knife from the knife block. He looked at the knife as if it was his savior.

‘Here goes everything. All the pain and suffering will end after this night.' Xander thought as he began to lower the knife to his wrist. ‘The only thing that I will regret is that I never told…’

“Xander, what the hell are you doing?!” shouted a voice from the front door shaking Xander out of his thoughts. He looked at the door and saw that Vida and Nick were at the front of the door. Nick quickly made his way over to Xander and snatched the knife out of his hand.

“What the hell were you planning with this knife Xander?” Nick asked while his eyes bored into Xander’s soul.

“N…Nick, p…please just give me back the knife and you and Vida leave. I…I don’t want any of you to see this.” Xander stuttered and cried as looked down to the kitchen floor as if something interesting was down there. Vida was barely able to comprehend what Xander was trying to do as she made her way to Xander’s side.

“Xander, please just tell us what you were about to do with that knife.” Vida pleaded with him. Xander couldn’t believe what was happening. Tough as nails, Vida was close to crying over what he was about to do for them, he thought. Then there was Nick right beside him looking as if he was about to go three rounds with Koragg. Looking at his two friends, he told them the truth.

“I was about to end the pain once and for all. I was disowned by my parents for telling them something that had hurt them. After that I was in so much pain and the conversation just keep going over and over in my mind. I couldn’t face any of you and tell you what happen or anything because if I lost any of you, I couldn’t live with knowing I had somehow caused any of you this pain. So I was going to end it all. I was going to end the pain of what my parents said and the chance to lose any of you.” Xander spoke with all his emotions showing as the pain start to come back along with the heavy flow of tears.

“Xander, are you saying that you were about to…” Vida start to ask but couldn’t say the final words. Nick couldn’t believe what Vida was asking but the remembering what he saw when the entered the apartment it all added up. What he witnessed next was a miracle in itself. Vida’s eyes filled with tears as she saw Xander nod his head to confirm what she thought. Vida’s tears poured down rapidly as she grasped Xander in a bear hug. Xander had completely checked out as Vida wrapped her arms around him. He couldn’t understand how Vida was so upset over him until Vida started to talk.

“Why would you ever think that you would lose us? We have been together for what seems like forever. Whatever it is that your parents said to you isn’t true. If they can’t see what a great man you have become then it there fault. No matter what happens and what you have to say, we will always be friends.” Vida spoke as tears fell from her eyes onto Xander’s hair.

“Vida is right, Xander.” Nick whispered as he embraced the two on the kitchen floor. “I might have just come to Briarwood, but you and everyone else as accepted me and became my friend even after thinking that I stole money from Toby. All of you realized that it was Leelee and apologized. After that day, all of you started to become a lot closer to me. Maybe it’s because I really never had friends in all the other places I used to live in, but you are my friend and I don’t like seeing my friends hurt themselves or hurting cause of some stupid assholes words when they don’t see eye to eye with them.” Nick exclaimed as he started to cry a little. Xander was beyond shocked at what Nick was telling him, but still couldn’t get himself to tell two of his best friends why he tried to kill himself. More importantly he couldn’t bear to tell the one person he was falling for the truth and ruin their friendship.
“So please tell us what has you thinking that we wouldn’t want to be your friend and had those fucking assholes that called themselves your parents doing something they are going to regret.” Nick pleaded showing all of his emotion in his eyes. Those same ice blue eyes captured Xander and told him that everything would be alright.

“I’m… I’m ….” Xander started to say and looked back and forth between Vida and Nick. In Vida’s eyes, he saw how worried she really was and understood that what she said earlier was true. When he looked into Nick’s eyes, he saw the anger that he held for his parents, the fear of losing a friend, and an emotion that he did recognize, but it gave him the courage to finally say what he was afraid to tell his friends. “I’m gay.” With those two words, Xander felt as if the world had left his shoulders but also that his world was about to crumple.

“Is that all, Xan?” Nick asked with a sigh. Xander just looked up at him not believing how calm Nick was being when he had just came out to him and Vida.

“Nick is right Xander. If that was the big secret you couldn’t tell then it was not a big deal. We don’t care if you are gay as long as you are happy, we are happy.” Vida smiled with tears still falling from her face. Xander knew then that trying to kill himself was a stupid idea and he should have never tried it, which Vida said in her words. “But if you ever do something as stupid as what you tried to do. You can bet you will have my turntable so far up your ass that you will be tasting vinyl for weeks.” With that Xander knew that everything was going to be fine.


***End of Flashback***

“If you keep up with rubbing your wrist Xander, I’m going to tie your hands together.” Vida whispered in Xander’s ear making him jump from his thoughts and into a chair.

“For Christ sakes, V, don’t do that.” Xander shoved Vida’s shoulder. Ever since that night, Vida has been Xander’s confidant and knows about the one person he wants more than anything.

“You know if you keep staring at him for so long, he may actually get curious and then you will have to tell him.” Vida whispered.

“I just can’t stop looking at him, V, and you know that. “ Xander whispered. “Every time he is near me or looks at me, I just want to push him up against the wall and kiss him till he can’t breathe. But…”

“But you don’t want to hurt Maddie. I know, but we don’t even know if Nick is straight or gay. Once we know that then we can either start finding you another guy or start planning how you are going to get in the sack.” Vida laughed at the last comment.

“Yeah, but either way one of us will be heart broken.” Xander smiled sadly. ‘And it’s most likely going to be me.’ Xander thought as he saw Nick look at him pleading for him to get him away from the clutches of Leelee. “You go back to the tables, V. I got to go supervise a certain coworker with the new stock we got today.” Xander said as he went to go help Nick.

‘If only if you knew what Maddie and I knew Xan, but it’s only a matter of time till you do and you will be thanking us for not telling.’ Vida thought smugly as she returning to her tables before she saw the look of relief in Nick eyes and the bright smile that only showed when Xander was around him.


*****************
Kai: What do Madison and Vida know that will have Xander thanking them? Will Leelee ever get the picture and leave Nick alone? When will Xander make his move and ask Nick out? And where is Chip? Will these questions be answered? Who is asking all these questions?
Nick: You are Kai. And what’s with you asking them.
Kai: I’m trying to build suspense so people will read the story and review it Nick. Yikes for a Power Ranger you aren’t too bright.
Xan: Hey! Leave my man alone, Kai.
Vida: Who says he’s your man yet. Kai hasn’t written it yet. All he is trying to do is get readers interested and I think he is doing a wonderful job.
Kai: (eyes and smile light up like a kid on Christmas) EEEEEHHH!!!! Thank you V. V likes me.
Madi: Yeah but for how long is the question. And I still wonder when I get to speak or get more involved.
Chip: Yea same here I wasn’t even in this one.
Kai: That’s because you and Claire were busy studying spells, but I promise you both that you will have your parts too.
Nick: (mumbles) but I still don’t get any action yet and I have to be chased by a total bitch
Kai: well, if you want I could do something to get you and Xan closer together but you have to do something for me.
Nick: Name it and it yours. I want my Xan cake here soon.
Kai: whispers in Nicks ear
Nick: (mouth falls open) you have a dirty, but genius mind, my friend. Oh, Xander!
Xander runs off as he sees Nick with a wicked smile on his face. Nick then chases after him.
Vida: what did you ask him for?
Kai: I asked him to strap Xander to the bed and lick chocolate syrup and whip cream off him then have his evil way with him.
Madison, Vida, and Chip look at Kai like he has grown a second head.
Kai: What?! He did say he wanted his Xan cake soon. All I did was give it to him soon than he expected. Now excuse me I have to go start writing chapter two.
Kai starts skipping off back to his laptop while a curious Vida watches Nick and Xander, while Madison records it and Chip is still shocked into place.