Time frame: A few months after "After the Fall of Evil."

"Jason!" A voice yelled from nearby.

Jason turned around and saw an old friend of his approaching. "Hey Kevin."

"So you interested in working here or not?" Kevin asked flippantly leading him to the office. Jason had known Kevin since Junior High. They may not have been best friends but they did hang out in Junior High.

"I'm not sure yet. I thought I'd drop by and look things over." Jason said.

"It's a good school. I've got some of the best martial artists employed here." Kevin said.

"I'm sure you do Kev. It's just that Kim and I just came back to Angel Grove to live after...well I'm sure you know." Jason trailed off.

"I'm sorry I couldn't attend but was out of town for Christmas." Kevin said and decided to change the subject. "Oh I saw Kimberly competing on TV. She's really good. She didn't want to go to Sidney for the 2000 Games?"

"Nah she said she wasn't ready for more of the strenuous training."

"Cool." Kevin said, turned, and looked out the window of his office.

Jason turned also. He saw a tall brunette teaching a class. He saw Kevin smiling. "Who's that?" Jason asked.

"That's Erin." Kevin said with a bigger smile.

"Your girlfriend?"

"Uh huh. She's a great girl. She's a great Martial Artist. Not many with those skills." Kevin said and turned back around. "You want to meet her? Her class is almost over."

"Sure." Jason said and followed Kevin out the door.

"Thanks Sensei." The class said and walked over to their stuff.

Erin pulled a towel out of her bag, wiped her brow, and then grabbed her water bottle. Someone slid a hand over her eyes. "Guess who?"

Erin pretended to play along. "Um Steven?" She asked trying not to smile.

"Who's Steven?" The person asked dropping their hands.

Erin turned around and saw her boyfriend Kevin. "I was kidding silly!" She said kissing Kevin.

"You better be." Kevin kidded. He grabbed her hand. "Come on. I want you to meet an old friend of mine." He moved out of the way. "Erin I would like you to meet Jason Scott. Jason this is my girlfriend Erin Cartwright."

'He didn't just say Jason Scott did he? No! I'm not ready for this!' "Pleased to meet you Jason." Erin said trying to keep her voice level.

"Pleased to meet you to Erin." He said smiling.

'Good he doesn't recognize me. Wait I don't have the red hair any more! He won't know me!'

"Hey how about we double date Jason? It will be you, Kim, Erin, and me. How about it Er?" Kevin asked.

"Sure." Erin said trying not to sound nervous.

"I'll ask Kim and I'll call you." Jason said and took Kevin's phone number from him.

"Oh! I've got to go Kevin! I need to change before meeting Rachel to go shopping. Call me on my cell phone and let me know if we're on tonight okay?"

"Bye Erin!" He called watching her hurry into the changing room.

"She seems really nice." Jason said. He couldn't shake the feeling he had seen her before. "I'll call you later."

"Blue's always been your color Rachel." Erin said distractedly.

Rachel put it back on the rack. "What's wrong Erin?" She asked. "Did you and Kevin have a fight? I told you dating your boss might end up a bad idea. But you wouldn't believe me."

"No Kevin and I didn't have a fight. I'm just nervous about the date tonight." Erin told her truthfully.

"Oh. You think he's going to..." Rachel trailed off picking up a pair of pants.

Erin couldn't help but laugh. "Rach! Kevin and I have only been dating a couple of months. He's not going to ask me to marry him!"

"Okay so what's the problem then?" Rachel asked grabbing another shirt.

"You know what? I'm not sure." Erin lied. "We're going to double date with an old friend of his. You've been in Angel Grove all your life, do you know of Jason Scott?"

"Who hasn't heard of him? He's a nice guy and has a girlfriend I hear. That's nothing for you to worry about Erin. Except..." Rachel stopped. "No I better not tell you. Better, he tell you. It's still sensitive for him and his friends."

Erin frowned. 'Of course, it's sensitive! I killed the guy's best friend in front of him!' She mentally yelled.

"Don't you like these pants with this shirt?" Rachel asked in confusion when she saw the frown.

"Oh no I do I was just thinking of something."

"You haven't gotten anything for yourself Erin. You might want to get something for your date. Might make you feel better." Rachel said heading for the dressing room.

"Rach if I had your philosophy I would never make any money! I don't know how you manage to pay for your half of the rent." Erin said with a smile.

"I never saw a sell I didn't pass up Erin. Nothing's out of reach for me." Rachel said and stepped into the dressing room.

Erin sat down. She was very nervous about the date tonight. What if Jason somehow figured it out she was Dierdra? Would he believe her if she said she's moved on? He'd probably kill her. Not that she'd blame him. She'd feel the same way if roles were reversed. "Hey Rachel?" She called.

"Yeah?"

"I'm going to check out the jewelry section. I could use another pair of earrings." She knew that would get her roommate off her case. She walked over and picked up a pair of silver earrings. What was she going to do? She didn't want to blow Kevin off. She really liked him. Her cell phone rang. "Hello?" She said.

"Erin? It's Kevin. We're on. La Mesa sound good to you?" He asked naming a popular Mexican food restaurant.

"Sounds great."

"Okay then. I'll pick you up at six. I love you." Kevin said and hung up the phone.

Erin put her cell phone back into her bag then picked up the earrings again. She looked in the mirror. What she saw was her unruly red hair instead of her brown hair. She closed her eyes a second and then looked in the mirror again and she looked normal again.

"Erin I like those earrings."

Someone said from behind her making her jump. She turned around and saw it was Rachel. She quickly composed herself. "Me too. I think I'll buy them. Decide on the outfit?"

"Yep. I'll tell you what. You can borrow it for tonight."

"Thanks Rachel." Erin said and they headed to the nearest register.

"I just can't shake the feeling I know Erin from somewhere. I know it sounds silly." Jason said pulling into the parking lot of the restaurant.

"Maybe she's from around here. Maybe you've seen her around." Kim suggested.

"Nah Kevin says she's from Arizona. Who knows? Maybe it's just one of those cases of De ja vu." Jason said and turned off the engine. He got out of the car and walked to the other side to open Kimberly's door.

They walked in and they saw Erin and Jason sitting in chairs waiting. "Hi Jason." Kevin said. "Hello Kimberly been a long time." Then he turned to Erin. "Erin this is Kimberly Hart. Kim this is Erin Mason."

"Pleased to meet you Erin." Kim said shaking her hand.

"Likewise." Erin said. Kevin took her hand and the four of them walked into the restaurant.

After they ordered their food they sat around and talked. "So Jason did you decide if you wanted to work at the Silver Dragon?" Kevin asked.

"I think I do. It looks like a good school." Jason said.

"I hear you work there Erin. Do you like it?" Kim asked.

"I've always liked the martial arts. I'm teaching there for now but I really want to go to college and become a Psychologist."

"She's really good at karate. She's got a fifth degree black belt and has skills in other areas." Kevin boasted for his girlfriend.

"Well when I was growing up I dabbed in a little of everything. I am one of the best at what I do." Erin said and smiled. "I'm kidding! I'm not that good."

Jason went white. 'I am one of the best at what I do. As you have seen and will see.' It's her! Dierdra's here! He realized.

"Jase? Are you all right?" Kim asked.

"What? Oh I'm fine." Jason said and didn't say another word during the dinner.

"Do you like to shop?" Kim asked Erin as they started to leave the restaurant later that night.

"Love it. My roommate spends more then I do but that doesn't matter." Erin said.

"Give me your phone number and I'll call you later in the week." Kim said. Erin wrote it down and gave it to Kim. Then they went their separate ways.

Erin sighed and quickly wrote down the other messages. 'He knows. I must have said or done something that made him know.' Erin looked at class schedule for tomorrow and realized her first class wasn't until noon. It was a ladies self defense class. So that gave them three hours to talk. She wasn't looking forward to tomorrow.

Erin looked up and tried to smile. "So you wanted to meet. What is this about? I have to teach a class at noon."

"I think you know what it's about. I know you're Dierdra." Jason said with a frown.

Erin looked around. "Maybe this isn't the best place to talk. You want to go to the park?"

"Sure." Jason said and they headed to the park. They sat at a picnic table. "Why are you in Angel Grove?"

"First off let me explain." Erin said.

"I don't know if I can believe you." Jason warned.

"I don't expect you too but hear me out." Jason nodded so Erin continued. "You're right. I used to be Deirdra. I'm the same Dierdra who killed Tommy Oliver. But that's in the past."

"How can it be in the past? You killed people!" Jason said his temper rising.

"Let me tell you about my life Jason. I started training for this when I was four years old. You may think that's young but on Tao the younger, you are the better. I don't know who my family was I don't even know if they are still alive. I never really had a choice on what I did. Course I didn't ever think what I was doing was wrong. I used to live on the Dark Fortress and I got my orders from Dark Spectre. Astronema or Karone as is her name, always ignored me. She knew that I wasn't under her command and she wasn't under mine. When the Red Astro Ranger, Andros, killed Zordon, I wasn't destroyed. You might want to know why. I don't know. Maybe because Zordon knew there was always a part of me that didn't want to do this."

"Maybe he didn't know you killed one of his former Rangers." Jason suggested stubbornly.

"Maybe. But I think he knew. I passed by the room he was once and he asked me I kill people. I said that I didn't know. What else was I supposed to do in life. He looked at me sadly and said, 'There are many things you can do Dierdra.' I heard that and I left the room quickly. Maybe that was why I was spared I don't know."

"Why did you come to Angel Grove?" Jason asked.

"I ask myself that a lot. Of a world with many cities why am I in the town that would hate me if they knew what I did. It might surprise you but I am; sorry for all that I have done. If I wasn't I would have gotten a job on the other side of the law on Earth but I didn't. I'm happy here. I've got friends, a job, a boyfriend, and a future something I never had when I was on the Dark Fortress. You probably don't understand what I'm saying. I don't expect you to forgive me Jason."

"Good because I don't think I can forgive you. Maybe a long time from now but not now."

"I never expected you too. Just don't tell anyone okay? I could understand if you did. But if you do you might as well kill me because if I lose everything then I will probably kill myself." Erin said sadly.

"I won't tell anyone. I think I believe you it's just that I don't forgive you. Tommy was my best friend. After he died everyone tried to tell me, that they knew what I was going through. But they didn't! They didn't watch their best friend get murdered. People probably wouldn't believe me even if I said you did it."

It remained quiet for five minutes as both of them contemplated the events that brought both to Angel Grove. In Jason's case what brought him back to Angel Grove.

By the time they finished talking, Erin realized it was time to leave for her class. "It was nice talking to you Jason. Please consider taking that job at the Silver Dragon. Kevin would really like you to. He told me so." Erin said and picked up her things.

"I'll think about." Jason said and walked in one direction and Erin walked in the other.

As Jason was walking, he realized he met a person who seemed to really want to change her life around. That didn't change what she did but it showed that she was sorry for what she did. It was time he got his life back in order. He was even planning to ask his girlfriend to marry him. Maybe he would take the job. He wouldn't let Erin stop him.

Erin watched Jason leave before walking in the opposite direction. She knew Jason wouldn't ever forgive her. She really wasn't asking him too. She just wanted him to know her side of the story why she wasn't the same person. Now it was time for Erin to continue her life. She wanted to go to college and she knew she was going to. 'Thanks Zordon.' She mentally found herself saying.

I'm not kidding this time that's the end of this series. I hope you liked it. Email me at Willow@grrtech.com. And let me know what you thought of the fanfic.