Things were not going well for the two betrothed vampires as they attempted to plan out their wedding. The events of the previous day weighed heavy on them both as they worked, as well. "We don't need a five layer cake, Billy!" Evanthe snapped, glaring at her fiancé as he leaned back into the couch.
"Okay, fine!" he grumped. Evanthe bit back quite a few things she wanted to say, none of them nice.
"What do we need food there for anyway?" she pointed out. "Certainly not this much food, anyway, we're not going to eat it!"
Billy looked over at her. "Rocky's coming to the reception!" he reminded her. "You've seen him eat!"
Evanthe coldly listed off all the items Billy insisted be on the menu. "I seriously doubt that Rocky's going to eat all of that!"
"Fine!" Billy snapped. "Let's rethink the whole reception, not to mention the fact that I now probably have to find a new best man, since he probably won't be able to come after last night!"
Evanthe nodded harshly. "And I've got to find a new maid of honor, and there's no one else I want but Elissa!"
"I'm going for a walk!" Billy grabbed his jacket. "I need some air!" before Evanthe could stop him, he had stormed out of the house. Evanthe threw herself on the couch, sobbing.
"Billy," she whispered. "I'd do anything if Elissa and Adam could both be there!"
She looked up as a voice spoke from the shadows. "Do you want to talk about it?" her face twisted into a hideous mask of hate.
"Get out of my house!" she demanded. Vincent stepped out to where he could plainly be seen.
"I just thought you might want to talk about your problems," he offered, being as kind as he knew how to be.
Evanthe reached for things to throw at him. "You are my problem! Get out!"
"What did I do?" he asked innocently as Evanthe proved how good her aim was, knocking him about the head and shoulders with pens, wads of paper, and various small objects.
"Just get out!"
He smiled. "You know, I didn't tell Michael to put that price on her memories. It's not my fault that he still wants her for his own!"
"But you were the one who took them in the first place!" Evanthe still remembered the look in Elissa's eyes when she'd arrived at Vincent's: totally cold, unknowing of anything but the lies she'd been told, and wanting vengeance for imagined hurts.
"All you had to do was ask, and I would have returned them, and she would still be with her husband, bonded," Vincent treasured the look in her eyes as she lowered her arm suddenly.
Evanthe stared. "You're kidding!"
"No," he shook his head. "I would have!"
Her eyes narrowed. "And what would your price have been? Me?"
"But your friend would have been with her husband, and probably not thinking of suicide," Vincent smiled. At her startled exclamation, he simply faded back into the shadows. The interview had gone well.
Adam sighed as he put another bag in the car. "That's the last of my stuff," he reported to Elissa, standing next to him. She wiped away tears.
"I don't want you to go!"
"And I don't want to go," Adam told her as they hugged. "But I have to!"
"I can't live without you!" she insisted. This was the worst disaster she'd ever had to live through in a hundred years.
"Yes, you can," Adam insisted. "We both know who's fault this really is!"
Elissa nodded harshly. "And he will pay for it! I love you!"
"And I love you," Adam replied softly. "But really, it's Evanthe's fault. Vincent took your memories because he wants her."
Elissa looked at him. "Adam, don't blame her!" she'd never thought to hear Adam saying that.
"It's the truth."
She sighed. "I know. But Michael shouldn't have put that price on my memories."
"The reason your memories were taken in the first place was to get her," Adam insisted. He was going to be moving back to his parents, and he'd thought long and hard about this.
Elissa shook her head. "Adam, let's not let our last discussion be a fight," she smiled gently. "Say hi to Gwen. I'll be there later to pick her up."
"I will," Adam kissed her gently. "I'd better go, even though I don't want to."
Elissa wiped her tears away gently. "Yeah. Say hi to your family too."
"I will," Adam nodded, then slowly got into his car. Tommy was going with him, just in case Michael tried anything else. None of the Rangers trusted him anymore, not in the least. They watched as Elissa ran into her apartment, crying. Tommy sighed.
"Ready?"
"No," the Black Ranger shook his head. "But I have to go anyway."
Elissa looked up a few minutes later as a knock came to her door. She quietly made her way over to it and opened it to see Evanthe standing out there. "What?" she asked weakly.
"Adam's gone?" her friend whispered. Elissa nodded. "I'm sorry. Billy and I are sort of having a fight, and Vincent came by earlier, too."
Elissa growled softly. She hadn't opened the door very much, just enough to see who it was out there. "That's nice."
"He. . .he told me something," Evanthe plunged forward with her explanation. "That he could have given you back your memories, without breaking the bond."
"What?" Elissa's eyes flashed. I didn't have to go through this?
"If I'd went to him, then he would have restored your memories," Evanthe couldn't look at Elissa as she revealed this.
Elissa's tears started again. "I'm not listening to this!" she started to close the door; Evanthe blocked it just a little.
"Elissa! I didn't know! I would have if I had known!" she insisted. She would have to; there were few things more important to her than her friend's happiness. Elissa glared at her.
"It's too late for that now!" she slammed the door the rest of the way, and locked it. She didn't want to see her friend right now, and as she collapsed into tears, she wasn't sure if she ever would again.
In the Youth Center, Adam sat at their customary table, head on his folded arms, mourning. "Why?" he repeated over and over. "Why?"
"Come on, Adam, it's not the end of the world!" Kim tried to comfort her friend. Once they'd unpacked his things at his parents' house, Tommy had brought him here, hoping they'd be able to cheer him up a little.
"I want my wife back!" Adam insisted. Tommy tried to point out the good things.
"You'll still see her!"
Adam nodded briefly. "Yeah. When Rita and Zedd attack!" and they've been so quiet lately, who knows when that'll be!
"It's better than nothing," Kim told him, flinching at the look he gave her. "Sorry."
They all turned as Adam's face grew colder. Evanthe was walking over to them. She said quietly, "Adam, I need to talk to you."
"I don't want to talk to you!" he growled. Evanthe took a deep breath.
"And you're going to want to talk to me even less once I tell you something," she told him. He nodded briefly, and Evanthe told them quietly what Vincent had told her. Adam growled and stormed off to be alone. Evanthe was doing all she could not to shed the tears that welled up in her eyes. "If I had known. . .," she whispered.
"Give him time," Tommy suggested, going after his friend. Evanthe stared after them.
"Today has been nothing but hell for me already," she whispered. Kim glanced at her.
"Think it's been easier for Elissa and Adam?"
Evanthe shook her head. "I know. But it didn't have to happen! That's what hurts me the most, that it didn't have to happen! I could have stopped it!"
Kim couldn't believe her ears. "None of us, much less Elissa, want you to be with Vincent when it's Billy you truly love!" she'd known Billy all his life, and he had never been so happy as he had been with Evanthe. He had come close with Trini, though they'd never really had a formal relationship. It was Evanthe who had completed him, though.
"I'd rather be with Vincent a thousand years than cause Elissa one second of pain," Evanthe said softly. Kim stared.
"I hope she realizes what kind of friend she has," the Pink Ranger announced quietly. She looked over to see Tommy was having some serious problems talking with Adam. "I've got to go help Tommy," she sighed. Evanthe nodded.
"You go. I'm going home, maybe I can figure out something to do."
"Maybe the Rangers can talk Michael out of his price," Kim suggested. Evanthe shrugged.
"I don't know. I'll see you later, Kim. Help Adam, please, and someone should go talk to Elissa, she didn't seem very happy when I left."
Kim thought for a moment. "I think Aisha already went to do that."
Evanthe nodded. "I'll see you," she left as Kim walked over to help her friends. Out of absolutely nowhere, things had hit rock bottom for the Rangers. This wasn't going to be easy to fix.
If it were even possible.
Evanthe headed down the street, hardly paying attention to where she was going or what was going on. She stopped only when she felt herself bump into someone. "Huh? Oh, hi, Billy!" she smiled a little bit as she looked up into her beloved's blue eyes. Instead of the customary warmth, she saw coldness looking back at her, though.
"Evanthe, we need to talk," he said quietly.
"About what?" she did not like the look in his eyes at all! Something was wrong, very wrong. . .
He gazed into her eyes. "I think we're rushing this," he said. "With all that's been happening, I think we should call the wedding off."
He might as well have stabbed her in the heart with a wooden stake. "Billy! We've been going out for almost a year now! That's not rushing!"
"There are other reasons," he shook his head. "One of them happened yesterday."
"Billy! If I had known what I would know now, I would have went to Vincent, just to keep from hurting Adam and Elissa as much as they are hurting now!"
Billy seemed to grow even colder. "Maybe that's another reason to call the wedding off."
"What do you mean?"
"You know exactly what I mean!" he started to walk away. Evanthe called after him, not wanting this to happen!
"No, I don't, Billy! You know I only love you! I would have never loved Vincent, even if I had went to him! It would only be to help my friend, my best friend!"
Billy stopped and looked at her. She shuddered at the emotions implied in that gaze. Coldness, jealousy, hate, all wrapped up in that one gaze. "It's over," he said icily. "It's over, Evanthe. I don't want to see you again. Ever."
"Over!?" Evanthe stared at his unbending back as he walked away, turned a corner, and was gone from her sight. Her heart shattered. Billy just broke up with me. He doesn't want to see me. I didn't think the argument was THAT bad. I want to die. Again. To stay, this time.
She stood there in shock for what could have been hours. When she started to walk again, it was to the one place she had never imagined she'd go willingly.
Vincent's.
Aisha knocked on the bathroom door again and again, trying to get Elissa to come out. The Yellow Ranger had teleported right into the apartment, not wanting to risk Elissa not letting her in. Instead, the werewolf had simply ran into the bathroom and locked the door.
"Come on, Elissa, you can't stay in there forever!" she insisted.
"Yes, I can!" Elissa replied through her tears. Adam's loss was a wound in her soul.
Aisha sighed. "Elissa, come out, you've got to sometime!"
"Why?"
"To eat, to drink, to live!" Aisha reminded her. Elissa shook her head harshly.
"Not without Adam!"
The young black woman sighed deeply. "Elissa, please, your life will keep on going without him!"
"How?" Elissa wondered. "I feel so empty inside. I don't have his cracking jokes at very unusual times to me anymore."
"You still have his love, and yours for him," Aisha had learned quite a bit about love, amazingly thanks to Rita and Zedd. This was a subject she felt more or less comfortable with.
Elissa opened the door a little bit and looked at her. "What good is love if you can't share it with the one you love?"
"It's better than not having it at all," Aisha reminded her. "And maybe we can get Michael to lift his price and restore your bond."
Elissa shook her head. "Once they're broken. . .."
"Anything's possible, Elissa!" Aisha reminded her. That was practically the Power Ranger motto.
"I hope so," Elissa gazed at a wedding photograph, and smiled a little. "I don't like being alone."
Aisha reminded her, "You guys had something special, and still do. Never forget that."
Elissa smiled, opening the door all the way and coming out. She really did feel somewhat better now. "Evanthe stopped by earlier."
"Really?" Aisha smiled. "I haven't seen her today," as Elissa told he what Evanthe had said, the Yellow Ranger growled. "Why did he even have to come around!?"
Elissa shrugged as she went into the living room and held up a wooden stake, grinning a little. "He's getting this for messing up my life!" she declared. Aisha nodded.
"I don't blame you one bit!"
The Rose Ranger sighed and leaned against a chair for a moment. "I wish I remembered where his camp was, I'd go there right now and put this right through him!"
"We'll figure out something," Aisha stated. Elissa sighed as she saw one of Adam's jackets he'd left behind, and quietly slipped into it, enjoying the spicy aroma that filled it. "You feel closer to him with that, don't you?" Aisha asked, smiling a little at Elissa's nod.
"I can almost feel him. . .his pain," Elissa stared out the window longingly. There will be revenge. On both of them. Michael and Vincent both. I swear it. There will be revenge.
Vincent smiled as he entered his private quarters, looking at once at the cage in one corner. "How is my captive?" he asked. Billy Cranston glared over at him.
"Let me out of here!" he rattled at the bars of the cage. Vincent had jumped him as he'd walked, and taken him here. Billy had half-expected to be staked at once. Instead, he'd just been locked up. "I need to talk with Evanthe!"
"She doesn't want to talk to you," Vincent laughed softly as he took a seat and stared at the imprisoned vampire Ranger.
"What do you mean?"
Billy stared as Vincent shimmered, then his own face looked back at him. "She thinks you canceled your wedding, and broke up with her. Rather harshly too, I might add!" Masquerading as Billy had been one of the best pieces of work he'd ever done.
"You slime!" Billy added quite a few more epithets to that. "How dare you impersonate me!?" that was almost as bad as when Rita and Zedd had made his clone!
Vincent changed back to his normal self. "Because I can," he chuckled. "And just so you know, as a wedding present to Evanthe, I am letting her friends have their bond back!"
"Evanthe will never marry you!"
"I wouldn't be so sure right now!" Vincent knew Evanthe very well, he'd studied her for years. "I think she's on her way here!"
"You son of a bitch!" Billy growled. "you're using what Michael did to get her, aren't you?"
Vincent smiled. "Michael was never a bright man. He is using his powers as King of Werewolves to get what he wants, and that is Elissa."
Billy struggled as hard as he could against the bars. "I can't let Evanthe or Elissa be taken by either of you!"
"I have no intentions of taking Elissa!" Vincent said a trifle self-righteously. It was the truth, as well. "And I have no intentions of letting Michael have her. Which is why I'm reversing what he's done."
"Just what are you up to?" Billy didn't trust this one bit, Vincent never seemed to do anything without some form of ulterior motive!
"Saving a great many people from Michael," Vincent sat up a little straighter suddenly. He knew perfectly well that Billy would never believe what his true, and ultimately main, goal was. Ah, well, such was the price of being a fool such as this young Cranston. Ignorance.
Billy glared harshly. "And I suppose Evanthe is just a bonus for you?"
"True," Vincent whispered that more or less to himself. "But right now, that is not my main concern. I have to find a way to re-establish their bond."
Billy muttered as he sought a way to get out of the cage. "If Evanthe's coming here, I have to warn her!" Vincent waved him to silence as Liana entered the room.
"My lord, she is here!" she seemed very surprised! Never had she really thought Evanthe would come to him. Vincent smiled and ordered her brought in to him as he covered Billy's cage with a cloth. Evanthe walked in a few minutes later, her cheeks pale and tear-streaked.
"Evanthe," he said softly. I didn't know this would hurt her so badly. "What is the matter?"
"Billy broke up with me," she said, taking the seat he offered her. It felt strange not to be screaming and yelling at him. "Elissa and Adam hate me. The others probably will too."
Vincent looked at her quietly. "I'm sure they don't."
"You didn't see the way they looked at me," Evanthe dabbed at her eyes, not letting herself show weakness in front of him. He reached out and gently took her hand.
"I am always here for you, Evanthe," he promised. "You know that. We got off on the wrong foot, I know, and I am sorry."
Gratitude filled her eyes as she looked at him. "Thank you. Can. . .can you restore their bond?"
"I can," Vincent nodded. "But like Michael, there is a price."
"What do you want?"
Vincent made his offer. "I still wish to marry you, and I promise that if you do agree, Elissa will live, and their bond will be restored."
Evanthe didn't have to think, she'd decided on this ever since she'd started here. "Yes."
"I think we should go announce it to the rest of the vampires," he said softly. Evanthe nodded.
"If Billy still loved me," she told him honestly. "I never would have agreed, but he doesn't, not anymore. If I can save my best friend like this, I will. No matter the cost to me."
He held her close as she began to mourn. "It's okay," he told her. "It's all right."
Slowly her tears ceased as she raised her head to look at him. Quietly she leaned forward and for the first time in over a year, kissed someone who was not Billy. He returned it tenderly, then as they pulled apart, told her, "Let us go tell the others. But first," an invitation appeared in his hand. "Your parents need to know."
Elissa had went looking for Evanthe to apologize, only to find no one had seen her for a while, ever since she had left the Youth Center. Aisha had went with her, and they stayed at Evanthe's house, speaking with her parents and hoping their friend came home soon.
As usual, the conversation was about what Michael had done. "We'll find a way," Christopher told her. "Something we can do to get you two back together."
"I wish there was," Elissa shook her head. "But from what I understand of this, if I so much as go into the same room with Adam, when Rita and Zedd aren't attacking, then I will start to die."
"There has to be a way!" Diana was pouring over her books of magical lore, seeking something they had overlooking, anything!
Elissa smiled. "I know you guys are trying to make me feel better, but I have to face the fact that Michael got what he wanted: me, away from the man I love the most, again!" she growled a little. This was even worse than the first time, for now Adam was still alive, and she couldn't even be near him!
She jumped a little as an envelope shimmered into existence on the coffee table. Diana looked at it, and growled. "It's from Vincent!"
"What does it say?" Elissa wondered. Maybe it's a suicide note!
Diana read it out loud, "You are cordially invited to the wedding of Vincent, King of the Vampires, and his chosen bride and queen, Evanthe Foster. She is fully willing and is under no control by me, whatsoever, on my honor as a vampire."
Elissa growled as she picked up the stake she'd brought with her, just in case Vincent showed up. "He has no honor. Mind if I come with you?"
"You're welcome to," Diana told her. "But I don't know if you should, you know how some vampires feel about you werewolves."
Elissa sighed and nodded. "The wedding is set for tomorrow," Christopher saw some small print at the bottom of the invitation and read it. "But we're supposed to come by today to make sure that she really is willing, and to meet the sacrifice."
"I wonder if Zordon would allow me to teleport her out of there, her and the sacrifice?" Elissa wondered absently. Aisha shrugged.
"I don't know, but what I do want to know is. . .where's Billy?" he also was mysteriously missing. Elissa's eyes went wide.
Christopher couldn't believe what they were implying. "He must be the sacrifice. I can't believe Evanthe would do that, she loves him!"
"Vincent must have offered her something major for her to do this!" Aisha breathed.
"I can't think of anything he. . .," she trailed off suddenly, as the one thing Vincent could and would offer that would get Evanthe to marry him struck all their minds.
"She wouldn't!" Elissa gasped. "Not cause of us!"
Evanthe's father nodded. "She would." She would sacrifice everything for those she cares for. She's always been like that.
"I'm not going to let her throw her life away because of what happened," Elissa growled, "Let's get to the Command Center."
"Where is Tommy?" Elissa looked around a few minutes later at the familiar faces. Everyone except Adam, Tommy, Billy, and Evanthe were there, even Rocky, who had just returned from a weekend visit to his grandparents.
"He and Adam are going to be here in a second," Kim told her. She paled suddenly.
"What?"
Just as she uttered the syllable, Adam and Tommy teleported in. As they stared at each other, Elissa suddenly clutched at her chest, in sudden and extreme pain. Adam stared at her, then teleported out twice as fast as he had teleported in. As soon as he was gone, Elissa was able to breathe easier.
"Oh, man, I forgot about that!" Tommy groaned. "Sorry, Elissa!"
"What just happened?" Rocky asked; they hadn't had time to explain things yet. As Elissa regained her breath, Aisha filled her friend in on what had went on while he was away. Rocky said something in Spanish that they all would have been willing to wager he hadn't learned at Angel Grove High, since it compared Michael's ancestry to dung beetles.
"Exactly," was all Tommy said in return. Elissa cleared her throat a little.
"Guys, we have a problem, and one other than what's going on between me and Adam," she held out the note, quickly explaining what they believed had happened to Billy. "The thing is, Vincent has seen all but one of us with Evanthe or Billy."
Rocky looked up. "Huh?"
"Rocky," Elissa frowned a little, she really hated having to ask this. "How would you like to attend a vampire wedding? And don't worry, Evanthe's parents will protect you from having your blood sucked!"
"They'd better!" Rocky declared. Diana touched his shoulder gently.
"If anyone tried, I'll tell them you're my supper," she promised. Rocky looked very uncertain as how to take that. Elissa cleared her throat.
"Rocky, will you do it?"
Rocky answered right after looking up at Zordon for his approval. "I'll do it."
As the Rangers began to make their plans, Elissa gasped suddenly. Tommy looked over at her. "What is it?"
"It was almost as if. . .," she paused, smiling a little. "No, it couldn't be!"
"Almost as if what?"
"Something I felt when Adam and I were first bonded," Elissa smiled, remembering. "I wish I knew if he felt it!"
Aisha stood up. "I could go ask him!"
"Could you?" Elissa's eyes shone with joy. She missed having Adam's mind inside her own. Aisha grinned a little and teleported out in her usual yellow stream of light. Elissa turned back to the planning, her heart somewhat lighter for the brief contact.
Adam stared out of the window at the Youth Center, wishing he knew what the problem was. It wasn't an attack, obviously, since he and Elissa hadn't been able to be together. Maybe Vincent or Michael were up to something, since he hadn't seen Evanthe or Billy there. "Adam?" he turned to see Aisha behind him. "Adam, a few minutes ago, did you feel anything that might have been Elissa?"
Adam thought for a moment. "I felt something really weird a little bit ago."
"Elissa felt it too," Aisha told him. "She said it felt like when you two were first bonded."
Adam nodded. "That's what it felt like."
"Is it possible that your bond could just come back?" Aisha wondered. Adam shrugged.
"I don't think so, but we'll have to wait and see."
Aisha nodded. "I guess so," she quickly filled him in on what they suspected Vincent was up to, and what they planned to do about it. Adam's eyes went wide in shock.
"Rocky?" he'd never imagined his friend would practically rushed headlong into a nest of vampires!
Aisha nodded. "He's the only one of us Vincent doesn't know," she reminded him.
"I hope he has a wooden stake!" Adam declared. Aisha glanced out the window.
"I just hope he gets them both back in one piece!"
Diana, Christopher, and Rocky were shown into Vincent's chambers by Liana. Diana glared at the king. "I don't know how you talked her into this, but it won't work!"
Vincent smiled. "I asked and she said yes!"
"Can we see her?" Diana asked, expecting the answer to be no. Vincent gestured briefly, calling for her daughter, and Evanthe stepped out.
"Mother, father!" she hugged them and smiled at Rocky, wondering what he was doing there. They're probably going to try and get me out. I don't want to go this time, though.
Her mother looked harshly at her. "Why did you agree, Evanthe?"
"For Adam and Elissa," she said at once. "To get their bond back."
Diana gently brushed her daughter's hair away from her face. "There has to be another way to do that!"
"I have no one else, anymore, mother," Evanthe choked up a little as she spoke the next words. "Billy broke up with me!"
Diana leaned over and whispered into her ear, "We think Billy's the sacrifice."
Evanthe raised an eyebrow, then looked over to Vincent. "Vincent, who is the sacrifice?" she asked harshly. He gestured her over to a cage in the corner, and pulled the cover off it to reveal Billy. Evanthe's eyes blazed with hate as she looked at him.
Vincent took her hand gently. "Come, we have a wedding to attend," he'd moved the date up a little, at Evanthe's request. She wanted this over with as fast as possible. He and she left to begin the ceremony, as Billy looked up to see Rocky and Evanthe's parents there.
"Billy, what's going on here? I thought you and Evanthe were in love, but from that look she just gave you, I think she's about ready to kill you herself!"
Billy sighed. "Vincent grabbed me while I was walking, and it appears that he made himself look like me, and broke off our relationship. She came here because she thought Adam and Elissa hated her."
"We've got to get you and her out of here!" Rocky started tugging at the bars. Liana put a hand on his shoulder, jerking him away.
"Come, the wedding is commencing!" she pulled them outside to the main hall. Once she'd shown them to their places, Liana took her place to perform the ceremony. "Do you, Vincent, take Evanthe to be your bride?"
"I do," Vincent nodded.
"Do you, Evanthe, take Vincent to be your husband?"
"I do," as Evanthe agreed, Rocky, her parents, and Billy all groaned.
Liana looked over the congregation. "If there is cause for anyone to object, do so now!"
Rocky was on his feet a moment later. "Over here! Over here!" he waved his arm maniacally. "Objection over here!"
"You have no say!" Liana snapped. "You're not a vampire!" she turned to the guards. "Bring out the sacrifice!"
As the guards dragged Billy out, Rocky shook his head harshly. "I still object! She doesn't love him!"
Vincent handed Evanthe a wooden stake, wrapped around at the base with cloth. "I will let you have the honors after he hurt you so badly," he said. The marriage was technically complete, but wouldn't be legal until the blood of the sacrifice was spilled by one of the two participants in it.
Evanthe went over to Billy, eyes blazing. "You tore out my heart. . .now I'm going to put this through yours!"
She didn't have time, though, as Rocky teleported her, him, Billy, and her parents out of there and to the Command Center.
"Evanthe!" Elissa grinned as they appeared. Evanthe was still going after Billy with the stake in one hand, though. Elissa leaped in between them. "Don't you dare!"
"Do you know what he did, what he said to me, Elissa?" Evanthe snarled. Elissa glanced up at Zordon; they'd figured out the truth and how to show it to Evanthe while waiting for Rocky and the others to return.
"Look at the Viewing Globe," she instructed. Evanthe looked, and the stake tumbled out of her hand as she saw Vincent changing into Billy and going to meet her.
"See, it wasn't Billy!" Elissa declared. Evanthe didn't seem to be listening, though, as she teleported out in tears. Elissa stiffened suddenly. Adam?
Elissa? her heart exploded with joy to hear his voice again in her mind. "Adam?" she whispered. She turned to see him behind her, she'd known where he was.
"Elissa," he whispered. "I heard you!"
So did I!
He smiled, even as the connection slipped away. "Elissa, it's coming back. I don't know how, but it's coming back!"
Elissa looked at the others, smiling. "Congratulations!" Tommy grinned. As Elissa and Adam looked at other, she suddenly bent over with pain. Adam sighed.
"Elissa, you'd better get out of here!" he told her. She nodded, and teleported out quickly, going to find Evanthe.
"I hope we can figure out some way to be back together," Adam sighed. Tommy nodded.
"That was a start, though," he reminded Adam. And sometimes a start was all it took.
Elissa arrived at their snowbound cabin, and walked in to see Evanthe curled up in a chair and crying her heart out. She went over to put a careful arm around her friend. "I thank you for what you tried to do for me today."
"Not what I tried to do!" Evanthe pulled away. "What I did!"
Elissa shook her head. "Billy is still alive, the marriage isn't complete. And if Vincent doesn't kill him within the next forty-eight hours, the marriage is null and void!"
"He's going to be trying to," Evanthe said. "And how can I face Billy now? Not only am I almost married completely to Vincent, I tried to kill him!"
"Billy forgives you," Elissa told her. "And Vincent did keep his word, if only for a moment."
Evanthe shook her head. "Billy can forgive me all he wants, but I won't forgive myself!" she paused for a moment. "He what?"
"Adam teleported into the Command Center, not knowing I was still there. There was some pain for me, but I heard him," she touched her temples, "in here!" she looked at her friend firmly. "You can't blame yourself for Vincent's trickery!"
Evanthe sighed. "At least he did that much," her eyes saddened. "I was the one holding the stake, Elissa. And I fully intended to kill him!"
"Because of what Vincent said to you!" Elissa reminded her. Evanthe almost broke down into tears again.
"I am such an idiot! I should've realized Billy would never break up with me like that!"
"You're allowed to make mistakes," Elissa grinned. Evanthe stared out the window.
"This one nearly, and still could, cost me everything that means anything to me!"
Elissa shook her head. "Zordon is keeping an eye on Billy, and we're not going to leave him alone!"
Evanthe's tears slowly dried. "I just wish Vincent would leave me, Billy, all of us alone!"
"I know, so do I," Elissa whispered. "And that Michael would leave me and Adam alone."
Evanthe looked out at the glittering stars overhead, and smiled as she saw the skiers still going downhill, despite the lateness of the hour. "I need to go out, Elissa, get a bite to eat." been a while since I hunted up here. Hope I've still got the edge!
"I'll be here when you get back if you want to talk."
Evanthe nodded and hugged her. "You're the best friend I've ever had! And the only real friend I've had for quite some time!"
"So are you," Elissa smiled a little, then went to her room. It had been quite some time since she'd been there, and it brought up even more memories of Adam in her. She heard the door shutting behind Evanthe, and sighed.
Hunt well, my friend. See you when you get back.