Dreams are Strange Creatures
by: Louise J.

Disclaimer: Saban owns them, not me. No copyright infridgement intended. Yadda, yadda, yadda. You know the drill. Jan belongs to me, though. This one is set two weeks after Close Encounters. Any and all comments, flames, and anything else would be welcome.

Tommy was tossing and turning on his bed, mumbling. Snatches could be heard of what he was saying. "No...don't do that...please...I didn't mean to...leave me alone!"

With the last, he sat up in bed. Once he realized where he was, he put a hand over his eyes and groaned. "Not another one," he said. Tommy had been plagued with strange dreams ever since the confrontation with Jan. Not that all of them were bad. Some of them were fine, and he was able to get a good night's sleep. But, others sent him tossing and turning all night, and leaving him in terrible shape the next morning. Unfortunately, that was the kind he had had last night, and he had a math test that day. So, he made his way out of bed, and got ready for school.

* * * *

"Hey, Tommy," Adam said as he got to at Tommy's locker.

"How are you?" Adam looked slightly concerned.

"Doing OK, I guess. I have a killer math test today, plus I didn't sleep very well last night."

"More dreams?"

"Yeah. I'm sure they'll fade in time. Just a little of Jan's tricks, I'm sure."

"Maybe we should talk to Zordon. Find out if anything's wrong. Maybe this is another attempt that Jan is using-"

"I'm sure it isn't. Jan doesn't have any control over my dreams," Tommy snapped. His shoulders then slumped, and he said "Sorry, Adam. Maybe these dreams are getting to me more that I thought. If I get anymore, I promise to go see Zordon, alright?"

"Right. Now, let's get to class. I have biology first. Definitely not my favorite subject."

The two went down the hall, off to their classes, and trying to get ready for killer classes.

* * * * *

That evening, they all went off to Ernie's. But, this was different than the usual. Ernie was having a big anniversary party, to celebrate the Juice Bar being open for ten years. So, he was having a masked ball. Although some didn't like the idea, most thought that it was cool, and so they got dressed up in their fanciest clothes, and put masks on their faces to conceal their identities.

The Rangers had gone with it, wearing fancy dresses and suits. But, the others couldn't do anything to convince Tommy and Adam to wear those silly masks, as they called them. The rest wore them, though. Tanya had already dragged Adam out onto the dance floor. Adam was looking quite nervous, but appeared to be doing fine. Everyone was having a great time.

"Quite the party, eh Kat?"

Kat turned around and saw David. "Want to dance?" he asked.

"I'd love to." The two then headed out onto the dance floor. Rocky had vanished sometime, no one was quite sure when, but he was soon spotted, of course, next to the refreshment table. Tommy was on his own, leaning against a wall, when a girl came up to him.

"Want to dance?" she asked.

"Sure, why not," Tommy replied. The girl was quite pretty, but there was something about her. The girl led him onto the dance floor, and soon they were swaying along with a slow song. He would have identified it, but his dance partner kept attracting his attention. There was something about her. He thought she looked kind of familiar, but he just couldn't place it or her. She was wearing a long black evening dress, which sparkled in the light. And her blond hair was pulled back into her mask, which was quite different from most of the others. It seemed to go all around her head, holding up her hair as well as hiding her face. All he could see was her mouth and her green eyes.

They danced together for several songs. A few fast, but mostly slow ones. And when he looked into her eyes again, he suddenly realized why she looked so familiar.

"Jan," he breathed. At that, she smiled at him. It had been over two weeks since he'd last seen her, and she was more beautiful than ever. He tried to center his thoughts, because, as usual when he was around Jan, he had a hard time thinking straight.

"What do you want, Jan?" he said the words softly, but with a threatening overtone.

"Just to dance with you, Tommy. It's not that bad, is it?" she teased. She then looked annoying when it looked as if he was going to make a big deal out of it. "Don't worry, Tommy. I'm not here to hurt you. I just wanted to see how you were doing. Had any bad dreams lately?" her voice and face held tons of false sympathy.

"Why don't you just leave me alone?"

"Too late for that Tommy. Much too late. And I did give you a good one the night before last. So don't complain so much. It's just going to get worse." At that, she gave him a mocking smile, and vanished into the crowd. Tommy tried to follow, then realized that she had lost him. No longer feeling like partying, he left the Youth Center, and headed for home.

Once he was home, he went up to his bedroom and plopped onto his bed without bothering to turn on the light. Memories of the last two nights' dreams he'd had swirled through his head. He remembered the celebration dream, as he called it.

He was walking around the Dreamscape, the usual thing when he first started dreaming, when he heard the sounds of a celebration.

"I wonder what's going on?"

"They won."

Tommy spun around and saw Jan behind him. "Who won?" he asked, suspiciously.

"The Power Rangers. The Machine Empire has been driven off. The city is celebrating."

"And what are you doing here?"

"Just helping you out." She gave a teasing grin, and headed towards him. Tommy shrank away. She gave a knowing smile. "Why don't you go join them. You should find your friends at the Youth Center. Enjoy yourself. It'll be the last good night's sleep you're going to get in a while."

"What do you mean..." he started to say, but when his back had been turned to her, she had disappeared. Well, let's get going. Might was well have some fun, he thought.

She'd been right. It had been the last good night's sleep he'd had. And he knew that tonight's sleep would be anything but restful. It was surprising that he could remember his dreams with crystal clarity. Considering the way dreams were, plus his bad memory, but he suspected that Jan had something to do with that as well. He then started to remember last night's dream. He tried to stop, but he couldn't seem to stop remembering. He shuddered, then finally let go when he realized that it wanted to surface and wouldn't let anything stop it.

He was on the Dreamscape, as usual, but it seemed more sinister than usual. More frightening. He waited for Jan to show up, she always did, and a hand then came down on his shoulder. He turned around, about to greet Jan, when he realized that this wasn't Jan. Obviously, this wasn't Jan. It was the Green Ranger. His former self. Before him again. His helmet was in his hands, and he saw his own face staring back at him, but the other's eyes held nothing but scorn, his mouth twisted in a smirk.

"Hello, Tommy," he said.

"Who are you? You aren't me."

"Oh, but I am. And the end of the Power Rangers are near. After, they'll never be able to tell the difference between us."

Once he said that, there was a flash of light, and Tommy was in the Green Ranger costume, while his double was in the Red Zeo Ranger costume.

"Say goodbye to your friends, Tommy. Because they'll be dead in a second."

He took out his gun and aimed it behind Tommy. Tommy whirled around to see the members of the team chained to a wall. And saw them cut down by his doubleÕs laser gun.

He finally jerked out of the memory. The nightmare had been brutal. And that had only been part of it. It seemed to keep going, and going, and going. But, the strange thing was, although Jan was always there, egging him on, she didn't seem to be enjoying it the way he thought she would. She seemed, almost, sympathetic. It just didn't make any sense. Then, another scene rose into his mind.

"How you feeling, sweetheart?" Tommy felt a hand on his brow. He painfully opened his eyes to see Jan crouching over him. He tried to roll away, but he was in too much pain.

"Why?" he gasped.

"Why does it hurt so much?: Because on the Dreamscape, all mental pain is also felt as physical pain. And all joy is felt physically as well. That's how the Dreamscape works.

"Please, help me."

"I can't help you, Tommy. You have to help yourself." With that, she faded away. And THEY can back. His tormentors. He'd started to realize that they weren't real, but that didn't keep him from being hurt by them. He had a hard time remembering that he was even on the Dreamscape. He was in pure agony.

"Ah, does little Tommy have a boo-boo? Maybe I can kiss it all better."

"Kimberly." Kimberly came out of the shadows, her arm draped around a handsome man's waist.

"Hello, Tommy. How you feeling?" She had an extremely false smile on her face. "You know, I'm glad I left the team. I couldn't stand being around you anymore. You were always so selfish, so full of yourself. And so dark. I knew that you would snap someday. And I didn't want to be around went you ended up destroying everything and everyone. You would have doomed the world, and I bet you don't even care."

"Kimberly..." Tommy was writhing in agony now. Her words cut deep. He was unworthy of someone as good as Kimberly, she had found someone better and more handsome. He was happy for her. But, for her to say that she was scared of him, that hurt most of all.

"I think I'll leave you here, with all the destruction you've caused. Maybe Zordon will be lenient with you, maybe all he'll do is take you're powers away. But I doubt it. You're a murderer. And you know what they do to murderers, don't you."

The scene changed abruptly. He was in the Power Chamber, in front of Zordon. He was listing his crimes. The destruction of the Power Rangers, the annihilation of the Earth's Defenses, and the betrayal of a profound trust. The punishment, death.

And so, they executed him.

He shuddered. That had been among the worst. He was glad that the dream had ended shortly after that. But it hadn't ended there. He had then had to watch as Mondo, Zedd, and Rita destroyed what was left of the Earth. And watch as his family was slaughtered by them. Tommy shuddered at that thought. He then shifted tracks in his mind to avoid remembering more of that dream. So, he thought of a dream that still puzzled him. It was with him and Jan in it, but it seemed to explain the reasons why she was after him. If only it were true, and not a dream.

Jan and Tommy were talking, like normal people. Sort of like when they had talked at the Youth Center before he had learned what she was. But after they had talked for a while, mostly about the little trivialities of life, he remembered what she was. So he asked.

"Why are you after me?"

"What, you have to ask? You're such a charming specimen of manhood," She teased him.

"Seriously. Why?"

"You caught my eye, Tommy. At first, that was all it was. But, after I watched you for a while, I realized that there was more too it than that. You're strong, courageous, and independent. So different from the men of my people. They are mostly obnoxious, in my view."

"It's more than that, though, isn't it."

"You're my chosen, Tommy." Jan stood up and started to pace. "My people believe that each one of us has a chosen, a mortal that is the one to whom we will be closest." She looked at him soberly. "That we will change." She smirked. "And I will change you Tommy. You will become like me." Tommy recoiled from her. "Oh, don't worry, it won't hurt. And it won't be for a while yet. But, one day, we will be together, forever."

She then turned and said, "Now you don't want to be around me, do you?"

"No, I don't," he said venomously.

"Why not?"

"Because you want to turn me into a monster!"

"I'm not a monster, Tommy. All the change will do is change your body chemistry. It won't change your mind. You will still be the one to decide how to live."

Suddenly Tommy started to shake.

"What's happening to me?" he asked falteringly.

"Your body is trying to wake up. Don't fight it. I'll see you tomorrow night, Tommy."

That had been a different dream. He was still trying to decide if maybe, just maybe, in these dreams he might really be talking to the real Jan. But, he knew that was next to near impossible. He looked at the clock. It was time to go to bed. He didn't want to, to dream again what he had dreamed last night. But, he knew, he needed his sleep. No matter how restless. Maybe tonight's dream wouldn't be so bad. Besides, he could barely keep his eyes open. Within a few minutes, he was sound asleep. And then, he began to dream...

He was once again on the Dreamscape. This place was really starting to be familiar to him. Almost like a second home. He spotted Jan sitting on top of a big rock.

"Hello, Jan. Lovely evening." His voice was full of malice.

"Hello, Tommy. I trust you're feeling better. Tonight is going to be busy." At that, Tommy shuddered. Memories of last night's dream popped into his mind, and he broke out into a cold sweat.

"Oh, don't worry, Tommy. No more nightmares, I promise. It's time for something quite different."

"Like what?"

"Do you remember what I said to you the first time we met here?"

"Not really."

"I told you that the Dreamscape was your refuge, and that you would soon learn how to control it, and that I would teach you. And that's why I'm here. Well, among other things." She went over to Tommy and put her arms 'round him. He was still too shaken to really care.

"Then if this place is my refuge, then why did I go through hell last night?" he sounded angry.

"Because, before you can learn, first the Dreamscape must test you. And that was what last night was. And, as I was sure you would, you passed with flying colors." He turned, then pushed her arms away from him.

"So, now what?"

"Now, I teach you."

They spent hours, or at least Tommy thought it was hours, training on the Dreamscape. She taught him how it worked, the premises, how to materialize things, how to change things, the works. But, even as morning threatened, Tommy could still not do the simplest of them. She told him not to worry about that, that it took months to master these arts, that it would come to him.

But what bothered Tommy the most was the fact that Jan kept teasing him through the entire process. She was an extremely sensual woman, and it played hell on his concentration. And, he guessed that Jan was enjoying that very much. He wasn't quite sure what to do. Eventually, he could feel the strange sensations that meant it was time to wake up.

"Time to go," he said.

"So it is," she agreed. She then went over and gave him a kiss. It was the first time she had touched him since the beginning of the dream, so he was a little startled. She ended it herself before he could push her away. "See you tomorrow night, Tommy. Oh, and don't expect to feel rested when you wake up. This kind of training takes up a lot of energy."

With that...

Tommy woke up. Tommy moaned. She had been right. He felt terrible. Incredibly sluggish. But, what could he do? He had school. So, he got ready for school. Very slowly. But, luckily, he made it to school on time. Barely.

* * * *

"Hey, man, how you..." Rocky then got a good look at Tommy. "You look awful!"

"Thanks Rocko. I'll return the compliment sometime." Tommy turned around and the rest of the gang saw what he meant. Tommy's face was pale, and there were dark bruises under his eyes. On top of that, his carriage spoke of extreme exhaustion.

"You dreamed again last night, didn't you?" Adam asked.

"Yeah. I know, I'll talk to him at lunch. Promise."

So, they all headed for class, Tommy walking slowly, as if he could hardly stay awake.

* * * *

"Look at the Red Ranger. Tired and weak. This would be a perfect time to destroy him," cackled Mondo. "Klank!"

"Yes, Sire?"

"I want our best robot, to destroy the Red Ranger."

"That would be Omnibot, Sire."

"Send him down immediately."

"But, Sire, if Omnibot is to win, he must be able to fully charge. He'll be ready in four hours."

"But by then, the Rangers will be out of school and, yes, the Red Ranger will be even more tired than before. Perfect. Send the Omnibot when the school just finishes."

"Yes, Sire."

As Klank, with the ever present Orbus, walk away, Orbus asked, "Do you think we should mention that he's the best of the junk heap?"

"Of course not, Orbus. Now, be quiet before he hears you."

* * * *

Once the lunch bell rang, Tommy went to a secluded area, and teleported to the Power Chamber.

"Zordon. I have a little problem." He started to weave back and forth. When Alpha saw this, he teleported a chair from somewhere for Tommy to sit on. "Thanks, Alpha."

"Tommy, what is the matter. You appear unwell."

"I haven't been sleeping well lately. I keep having these weird dreams."

"Do they have Jan in them?"

"Yeah, almost always. Why?"
"Alpha, scan Tommy for metostatic waves."

"What are those?"
"People who have control of the Dreamscape often give off metostatic waves before they are proficient in their use. They are what is used to control the Dreamscape."

"Ai yi yi yi yi, Zordon. Tommy is putting off a large amount of metostatic waves."

"Ok, wait a minute. What are you saying? That these dreams are real?"

"All psychic vampires are skilled in the use of the Dreamscape. They are dreams, but any conversation you have with Jan there is most likely as real as one when you are awake."

"But," Tommy tried to stand up, but fell to the floor. He was too tired to do anything. It was hard to stay awake. He tried to get off the floor, but couldn't. Alpha picked him up and put him in a nearby cot.

"You must sleep, Tommy. You are in no condition to go anywhere at the moment."

"But, I have to go back to school."

"I will make sure you won't get in trouble at the school for this. You must sleep."

But, as Zordon said this, Tommy had already drifted off to sleep.

* * * * *

Tommy once again found himself on the Dreamscape. He didn't feel tired now.

"Hello, Tommy." He felt a hand on his shoulder. He turned around and saw Jan. "I really tired you out, didn't I?" she smiled coyly. "How naughty of me."

"So, this is real."

"No, Tommy, this is a dream. But, if you mean you are talking to the real Jan, and not a dream creation of her, than yes, this is real."

"Look, Jan, I really need the rest."

"Yes, I suppose you do. So, did the floating head talk you into this, or did you decide yourself?"

"Zordon did-..., wait a minute. What?"

"You heard me. I know." She said, a large grin on her face. "I've known for a long time. Did you really think I didn't know? I've been watching you for months. And you were less than discreet sometimes with your identity as the Red Zeo Ranger. And, I know about Zordon, too."

"How..."

"I just do, Tommy. Now, you're really going to need your rest. Big things are coming up. But this is only for this nap. Training starts again tonight, as I said last night."

"No. I need my sleep, and your training is useless. I won't do it."

"You don't have a choice, Tommy. Either you train, or I try to train you. Now, if you train of your own free will, you'll feel less tired, I promise. Ask Zordon, if you don't believe me."

"Why are you doing this?" He was really bewildered now.

"Because I have no more of a choice than you do." With that, she left, without the parting shot or embrace she usually used. Which left Tommy confused and more than a little disappointed. And then he dropped into a restful nothingness of normal sleep.

* * * * *

The others at school were worried when Tommy didn't show up for his afternoon classes, but, when they thought about how he'd been earlier, they guessed it was for the best. After school was over for the day, Kat, Tanya, and Rocky headed for the park, while Adam headed for the Power Chamber. Once he got there, he saw Tommy, fast asleep on a cot.

"How's Tommy doing?" Adam asked Zordon softly.

"He will feel better after some sleep," Zordon said much more quietly than usual. But the effort was lost when suddenly the alarms went off.

"Ai yi yi yi yi!"

"What's wrong Alpha?" Adam asked.

"Omnibot is attacking people in the park. I'll call the other Rangers."

Meanwhile, Tommy was woken up by the alarms. He was extremely groggy, and not yet rested enough to even stand straight.

"What's going on?" he asked, sleepily.

"There's a monster in the park."

The other Rangers teleported in.

"What's wrong, Zordon?" asked Kat.

"Rangers, you must stop Omnibot. He is in the park. Please use caution. May the Power protect you."

"Right, guys, it's -"

"I'm sorry, Tommy, but you have to stay here. You are much too tired to fight. Only if they truly need your help will you be able to go."

"But-"

"He's right, Tommy. We'll do fine on our own," said Tanya.

"It's Morphin' Time," yelled Adam.

"Zeo Ranger I, Pink!"

"Zeo Ranger II, Yellow!"

"Zeo Ranger III, Green!"

"Zeo Ranger IV, Blue!"

They morphed into the Zeo Rangers and they teleport to the park.

Tommy watched on the viewing globe as the others fought Omnibot. Although he was tired, he noticed something immediately.

"Zordon, why is Omnibot hopping like that?"

Omnibot had a slight hop, which was barely perceptible, to each step, which was quite uncommon for a machine of its' size.

"Rangers, Omnibot appears to have a weakness in its' feet and legs. Center your attacks there."

Soon, the Rangers had defeated Omnibot, with simply their Zeo Weapons.

"Alright, that was weird. That was the first monster that Mondo's sent down in over three weeks, and it was as weak as a kitten. What's up with that?"

"Alpha, scan the Machine Skybase for any unusual readings."

"Ai yi yi, Zordon. The power levels on the Skybase are barely there. It's as if the Skybase has been shut down."

"Looks as if Mondo's having some internal power problems," joked Rocky.

"As long as they stay away from us, and Earth, I'm happy," said Kat.


"So, what's causing the power shortage?"

"I've been looking into that."

"Billy!" Rocky shouted. The others covered their ears and glared at him. Billy had been off to see a cousin in Wisconsin for the last month. They had figured he could teleport to the Power Chamber if he was needed.

"Hello, Rocky. Anyway, from what I've gathered, it appears that someone fed a virus into the main systems of the Machine Skybase, starting with the anti-virus systems."

"So, you're saying that they got the machine version of AIDS?"

"If you want to put it that way, yes."

"So, how long before they're up and running again?"

"I'd say at least a month, probably several, though. This virus is quite sophisticated, and would keep mutating to avoid being stamped out. But my question is, who put that virus into the Machine Skybase?"

"We might never know," replied Tanya.

They looked at their leader, then realized he had gone back to sleep.

"Poor guy, hasn't got a decent nights' sleep in ages. Come on, guys, let's get out of here." With that, they teleported from the Power Chamber.

* * * *

The Dreamscape looked the same as always. But it seemed kind of empty without Jan there. She usually was, but tonight (today?) she wasn't. He wasn't quite sure if he'd nodded off again at the Power Chamber, or if it was night and he was home in bed. Did it really matter?

"Hey, Ranzee. How you doing?"

"Jan. Ranzee?"

"It's a term my people use, for their chosen."

"I'd prefer you not use it."

"I'll think about it. So any trouble with the Machine Empire lately?" she asked with a mischievous grin.

"Not really. Why do I have a nagging feeling that you're at the bottom of that, too?"

"Probably because I am. I couldn't have them bothering my Ranzee during his training. So, I put a virus in their systems that should keep them occupied for a good while." She had an almost evil grin on her face as she said this.

He looked at her as if he couldn't believe her. "You are the strangest," he finally said, with something like incredulity in his voice.

"So, do you still think these are just run of the mill dreams?"

"Why?"

"I want you to meet me at the park later. Around seven p.m., near the lake and the old oak tree. You know the one. I want to talk to you."

"Oh, no."

"What, you afraid?" she taunted him.

"No..."

"So, you'll come. Are you the least bit curious?"

"I guess so. Alright, I'll be there. But no tricks," he said warningly.

"Girl Scouts honor."

"I doubt you were ever a Girl Scout," He muttered.

"Tommy. I'm hurt." She put a hurt expression on her face, but it soon dissolved into huge grin. "You are my kind of man. I always loved the sarcastic ones. I promise, Ranzee, no tricks. See you then." With that, she left.

And Tommy woke up.

* * * * *

Tommy woke up feeling more rested than he had in a long time.

"Zordon, what time is it?"

"Around six forty-five. Why?"

"I'm going to meet Jan in the park at seven. I want you to monitor us, to make sure Jan won't pull any tricks. Alright?"

"If you are sure about this. Her kind are master illusionists."

"I can handle it, Zordon."

Tommy then teleported to the park. He walked over to the spot she had mentioned, and sat down to wait. And he didn't have to wait long. About five minutes later, Jan came jogging up the path. When she got near him, she went and plopped herself down beside him.

"Hey, Tommy. How you feeling?"

"Rested." He said, nodding his head as though still slightly surprised at this.

"I'm glad. Look, we need to talk. I think it's time to level the playing field."

"How?"

"I'm going to tell you about the relationship between Carthars, my kind, and Ranzees, their chosens. Hopefully, it will be helpful information."

"And why are you going to tell me this?"

"Because I want you to have a better changing than I did. Mine was pure hell. My maker played the game well, and I was extremely vulnerable at the time. I was easy to subvert. But, I ended up hating him. I don't want you to end up hating me." She looked down, looking absolutely miserable at this. He couldn't help feeling compassion for this creature. But, then, she looked into his eyes and anger flashed in them. She then stood up and began to pace. "In case you haven't noticed," she had a very nasty grin on her face, "I have extremely quickfire moods. You'll never know what I'll be like. Kind and gentle. Or aggressive and ready to claim you."

"Claim me?" he asked, a frown forming of his face.

"You are my chosen. And, we claim our chosens." She then gave a somber grin. "When one of my people discover who their chosen is, we then brand them, so that no other Carthars can touch them."

"But, you didn't brand me," Tommy said, quite confused.

"Oh, but I did. In here." She tapped his forehead. "Whenever another of my kind would start to look inside your mind, they would find my brand. And so, they would leave you alone." She then paused, and threw herself back onto the ground beside Tommy. "We have a rather destructive cycle. We find a chosen. Then, we pursue them. We then claim them, and change them. The problem is, we often make them run from us. And we often fall in love with our chosens, but, in the end, they despise us. So, the logical thing would be not to stalk our chosens, but to bring them to us in another way. Sound logical?"

"Quite." Tommy couldn't quite take all this in.

"Unfortunately, logic doesn't work well with instincts, and our instincts are barely controllable. Often, they are uncontrollable." She gave a demonic grin. "Some of us no longer try to control our instincts. And then, they become like animals. But, if we try to control them, we often go insane. Now, which is better?" She pulled her head side to side, as if trying to make a choice. "Insanity, but still being human, or being sane, but behaving like an animal? Hmmm..." She appeared to be thinking for a bit, then shook her head as if to clear it. Tommy was still quite baffled by this new aspect of Jan. She seemed to be holding nothing back, and he realized that Jan was not at all what she seemed. "I'm getting off topic here. Our chosens. We get determined that our chosen are ours alone, that no other is allowed near them. We often become violent with our chosens' loved ones, family and friends, but especially lovers and spouses. We feel that if we isolate them, we would have a better chance of binding them to us, forever. We even sometimes kill. I remember hearing once about a Carthar that drove his chosen mad by killing everyone she loved. Not pretty. Enjoying the view I'm giving you, Tommy?" Her voice was sweet, almost like it was overloaded with sugar, but the twisting on her face gave away the pain she was feeling.

"Uhhh..." Tommy was stunned to say the least.

"Speechless, huh? I should finish. This is no different for me. I'm no less prey to my instincts, and they are screaming at me. They're controlled for now, but for how long? I don't know. They're saying that you're mine. That I should just take you. And to hell with everything else." She began to stalk him. He quickly tried to move away, but she was on him in a second, pinning him against the tree. But, she just put a hand to his cheek, and a sad look came over her face. "See what I mean. My control is tenuous. It could break at any moment. And when it does, who knows what I'll do." She looked extremely sad at this, and a tear rolled down her cheek. She then put her face against Tommy's shirt, and began to sob. Tommy hesitantly put his arms around her, trying to comfort her.

"Shhh..., it's all right." Her tears seemed to dry up, and then she threw herself away from him, and stood up.

"It's not safe for you to be around me, Tommy. And I'll never leave you alone. Now, although I don't know much about how you want to live your life, I do know this. For as long as I live, I'll be after you to become like me. The longer the time, the more out of control I will become. And the more violent. You've seen how out of control my moods are. And that's just the beginning. So, you have to choose. Because eventually, I'll decide for you."

"Choose?" he asked, confused.

"If you want to become like me, great. That solves both our problems in my view. But if you don't, then you're going to have to do something drastic."

"And what's that?"

"Kill me," she said calmly.

"What!!!" Tommy said, jumping to his feet.

"It's the only way you will ever be free of me. If I'm dead. Keep it in mind." She then stood up and pressed her lips against his. His arms almost came around her, then stopped. He didn't know what to do. She appeared harmless now, but what if it was another trick? He still didn't know what to make of her. She pulled away from him, eyes cast on the ground, looking shy. Then, she looked up at him with a wicked look in her eyes. She then put a hand against his cheek. "Take care of yourself, Oliver. I'll never give up. And you'll never know where I'll be, or what I'll do. So watch yourself. Sweet dreams." She then took off down the path at a run.

Tommy watched her go, with indecision in his eyes. He didn't know what to do. He was starting to notice a definite pattern to her erratic moods. And that was that she tried to be nice, but that her instincts wouldn't let her. And now, he was starting to feel for her. And he knew that he could never kill her, but he didn't want to become what she was. Because it was obvious that it was tearing her apart. What was he going to do? Then, an idea came to mind.

"I wonder if Zordon can do anything to help?"

The End ? ? ?