Title: What It Takes
Disclaimer: Read as standard. Not mine, never will be, etc, etc.
AN: This story is AU, with the premise that Jack never resigned from SPD after defeating Gruumm.
Sky walked quickly through the city streets, more than looking forward to getting back to base. He had his hood up, but the rain still trickled under it anyway, the drops bouncing off the floor as they'd hit it, that or creating ripples in the giant puddles taking over the streets. He muttered under his breath, cursing the necessity that had meant he hadn't been able to use his bike on the mission, forcing him to rely on, he shuddered, public transport. He'd been away longer than he'd expected and all he wanted to do was crash onto his bed, with hopefully a warm boyfriend to bitch at and curl up next to.
Caught up in the pleasant mental image he did a double take at the figure huddled on the corner. Jack. What the hell? What was he doing out here? Was he trying to catch pneumonia or something? As he got closer he found Jack's arms were wrapped round his knees and he was staring blankly into empty space, not even seeing him as he dropped to his haunches next to him. His heart sank as the realisation sank in - Jack wasn't out here just to clear his head or think about anything like he sometimes did, although not usually in this kind of weather - something was badly wrong. What could have happened to make Jack run back to the streets?
"Jack?" he asked cautiously, not sure if his boyfriend would hear him. God, he was soaked, probably clean through. The sooner he could get him back to the Delta Base the happier he'd be. "What are you doing out here?"
Dull brown eyes lifted sluggishly to his, sending a chill down his spine as Jack stared at him listlessly. "Go away," Jack whispered and it was a punch to the gut that Sky had been completely unprepared for.
"What?" he asked in stunned disbelief. "Why? Jack, what's going on?"
"Go away." The voice was fainter now and Jack was no longer looking at him, his head resting against his knees.
"Not a chance," he replied sharply. It hurt to see Jack like this. It hadn't mattered before, when Jack was just another thief to be brought in, when he was just the guy who'd taken the red ranger powers he'd felt should go to him. But a lot had changed since then, and seeing Jack like this now… it hurt and badly. He needed to fix this. "Something's going on and I want to know what."
That got more of a reaction, Jack showing more life than he previously had. "Go away!" he yelled, his arm lashing out in attack or rejection, Sky wasn't sure which. He just about managed to block the hit, catching Jack's wrist between his hands right before it connected with his jaw. About to tell Jack to snap out of it already, the words died as Jack stared at his wrist held between Sky's hands, expression one of disbelief.
"Sky?" he whispered and the loss that filled that one word made something tighten in Sky's chest. What the hell had happened?
"Yeah," he said quietly. "It's me. We need to get you back to base."
Jack shook his head, his eyes wide with fear now, scrabbling back against the wall, away from Sky. Sky's gut twisted sharply at the naked fear in Jack's eyes, because of him?
"You're not Sky," Jack said. "You can't be."
"Why not?" The question came out sharper than he intended, but he was seriously freaked out by now, not to mention absolutely drenched, and he wanted answers.
"Because Sky's dead," came the toneless reply and he froze, stunned speechless. Why would Jack think he was dead? It wasn't even a dangerous mission he'd been sent on, just far away.
"What?" he asked stupidly, unable to fully process the implications of what Jack had just said.
"Sky's dead," was the just as toneless reply. "He died three days ago."
"Three days?" Three days ago he'd been over the other side of the continent, having his last nerves pushed to the wire by an extremely infuriating criminal whose information had turned out to be useless and not worth the concessions that had been made to his sentence. "Jack, I'm right here." He reached out to take Jack's hands, but the other man phased out of his grip instantly, not letting him get a firm hold. He stared at the other man for a moment, not knowing what else to do as Jack pressed himself as far into the wall as he could without phasing through it, something he looked like right on the verge of doing.
That was it, he thought, with a sudden burst of energy. One thing that would convince Jack like nothing else would. He grabbed hold of one of Jack's hands and went after it again when Jack phased out once more. "Jack, pay attention." Erecting a small shield around his other hand, he held it in front of Jack's face, blue light rippling across his palm as the rain bounced off it. "You know anyone else who can do this?"
Jack stared at the shield, some of the dullness leaving his eyes. Tentatively he reached out with his free hand, one finger cautiously poking at the shield, only to be withdrawn with a sharp hiss and a vehement shake of the hand to maybe ease the sting. His head snapped back to Sky a moment later and now he was more like the Jack Sky knew, expression alert, eyes searching his, uncertain still but no longer afraid. Sky stood, then held out a hand to pull Jack to his feet, a hand Jack now took without hesitation, standing easily.
Before he could react, Sky found himself spun round and pushed into the wall, one of Jack's hands on his waist, the other on the back on his head, pulling him into a hungry, bruising kiss as Jack confirmed for himself that Sky was really there. The kiss didn't last long though as Jack pulled away, burying his face in Sky's shoulder and Sky could just about hear him muttering under his breath - 'Alive, alive, thank God, alive' and he slid his arms round Jack's waist, pulling him closer.
He'd never questioned Jack on what the relationship they had meant to him, mostly because he wasn't sure he'd like the answer and he wasn't brave enough to ask. Jack and commitment, the two didn't really go together. When it came to close, personal relationships the only one Jack seemed totally committed to was the one he had with Z, everything else… everything else was a grey area, dependent on how Jack was feeling that day. That was what he'd thought anyway. Now, that no longer seemed to be the case.
Jack stiffened in his arms as he sneezed. "Sorry," he muttered and Sky stifled a laugh.
"Don't be. Let's get back to base and you can dry off."
Jack froze and Sky frowned at the uncomfortable expression on his face. "I can't go back," Jack whispered.
"Why not?" Sky demanded, because seriously, what was it going to take to get the other man home?
"I left."
"You left," Sky repeated flatly. "You resigned?"
Jack shook his head. "No, I didn't resign, I just-- left."
Sky stared at him incredulously. "You walked out?" Jack nodded slowly. "Why? No, never mind why, how long have you been out here?"
Jack could no longer meet his eyes and he stared at the floor. "Three days."
Three days. He'd supposedly been dead for three days. That meant… what?
"Look, the Commander's not unreasonable. Most of the time anyway," he added at Jack's quiet snort of derision. "We'll work this out, okay?" Jack shrugged and Sky felt like strangling him for being so blasted stubborn.
"There was a body," Jack said quietly and Sky blinked at the abrupt and slightly macabre subject change.
"What?" He frowned inwardly. He was saying that far too often.
"That's why we thought you were dead: there was a body. Pulled out the river." Jack's hands had clenched into fists and Sky could see the fine tremors running through him. "It looked so like you," Jack continued. "You were due back that day, it was wearing your uniform and Kat even did a DNA test, just to be sure. It matched as close as you can get. As far as everyone was concerned it was you." Jack's gaze rose to meet his once more. "I couldn't deal with that, Sky. Despite everything we went through, the war against Gruumm, everything that's happened since then, I couldn't handle it. That's why I left. Nothing else mattered anymore."
Sky licked his lips nervously, not knowing what to say. He had his answer to that unasked question and now he had no clue how to respond. "Look, I'm fine," he said. "The mission took longer than I thought and I couldn't get hold of the base to let you know I'd be late. My communicator was on the fritz, so Kat needs to take a look at it, and the power went down because of bad weather. There was no way to get hold of you, I'm sorry."
Jack nodded and opened his mouth to say something before he sneezed again, three times in rapid succession.
"Okay, that's it. We're going back to base. We'll deal with everything else later." Grabbing hold of Jack's arm, he pulled him away and towards the base. Much to his surprise, Jack didn't put up much resistance, but his surprise was tempered by worry when Jack stumbled more than once and the shivers running through his body became more and more pronounced. The sooner they got back to base the better.
He ignored the stares and pointing fingers that followed them as he walked Jack through the corridors of the base. Jack was barely responding anymore and the only thing he cared about was getting him warm and dry - everything else was secondary.
Once inside Jack's quarters he pulled a couple of clean towels out the cupboard and awkwardly manoeuvred Jack out of his soaking clothes, Jack himself being more hindrance than help. Once satisfied that Jack was dry, he left the towel wrapped firmly round the red ranger's shoulders and grabbed a smaller towel to rub his own hair dry. With the other man sitting cross-legged on the floor and leaning against his bed with a large white towel wrapped round him, Jack looked absurdly young and fragile, although until today 'fragile' was not a word he would have used to describe Jack Landors.
As it was though, with Jack where he was, it was easy to keep an eye on him as Sky dried off the best he could, switching his shirt to one he'd left in Jack's room and tossing his wet shirt and jacket across the room to the pile of Jack's wet clothes.
"Feel better?" he asked quietly as Jack's eyes tracked the movement and his boyfriend snorted softly.
"Stupid question."
Sky gave him a wry look. "Well if you will sit out in the rain…"
There was a ghost of a smile before Jack's eyes drifted closed and Sky brushed his thumb along Jack's jaw before he heard the door behind him slide open and he whirled round, coming face to face with the rest of his squad, Commander Cruger and a well-armed security detail.
When Doggie Cruger had heard Jack had returned to the base in the company of someone looking very like Sky Tate he'd been shocked, disbelieving, and he hadn't wanted to believe it, not wanting to find they'd been played for fools over something so emotionally harrowing - but then he'd had another report from Cadets Drew and Delgado who'd also seen the pair, and he decided it was time for action. He couldn't just let something like this happen. Maybe it was Jack back at the base, but no-one impersonated one of his cadets, especially one who had died in such a way, and got away with it. The impostor was going to be put away. For a very long time.
Standing outside Jack's room, he nodded at Cadet Carson who opened the door. He refused to give in to his shock at the sight in front of him - if he didn't know better he would swear it was Sky spinning round, eyes wide with surprise and unease when he spotted the security detail. Jack was sitting behind him, apparently wearing nothing but a towel, and he seemed to be more asleep than awake, but the very fact that he was so out of it said that he believed it was Sky. Even after the years he'd spent as SPD, Jack wasn't the most trusting and for him to be so relaxed in someone else's presence he had to believe it was someone he trusted.
He took in the details of Jack's face, reassuring himself that his ranger, one of his surrogate children even if he'd never admit that to any of them, was back, no matter the circumstances of the return. Jack's disappearance had shaken him more than he cared to admit, almost as much as the unexpected loss of Sky on a supposedly routine mission, and the one following hot on the heels of the other…
The rest of B Squad had been enjoying their rare free time when the call had come in and they'd returned to base immediately. It had been pure coincidence that he'd happened to be looking right at Jack when Kat had reluctantly confirmed the DNA results matched Sky's, and something had broken inside his red ranger then, he could see it written plainly in the young man's eyes. Jack had turned and left the room, and he'd assumed Jack had gone to his room or some other place he could be alone. It was only the following day that they realised Jack was gone and even Z hadn't been able to find him.
Except now he was back, in the company of someone Doggie knew for a fact was dead. The body was even still in the morgue. Except that he was staring at someone who looked exactly like Sky.
"Who are you?" he demanded and Sky, no, the impostor sighed.
"I know you won't believe me, but I'm Sky Tate. I don't know who you found a few days ago, but it wasn't me."
"You're right. I don't believe you." But Gods, even the voice was the same.
Just behind him he heard a faint tearing noise as Bridge Carson pulled off one of his gloves. The impostor's eyes flickered sideways to where Doggie knew Bridge was standing, but strangely he seemed to relax, like he knew what was about to happen and wasn't worried. Surely an impostor wouldn't know that… would they?
"Ah, sir?" Bridge's voice was hesitant. "It feels like Sky, right down to the signature of his shields."
Dark blond eyebrows rose slightly before… Sky's? attention returned to him. "You're sure, cadet?" he asked, although he didn't know why he was asking. Bridge wouldn't have said it was Sky if he wasn't certain.
"Yes sir," Bridge answered anyway.
The young man in front of him (could it really be Sky?) shifted uncomfortably in his crouched position, then lifted a hand slowly and turned it palm up. Blue light surrounded it and there were a couple of gasps behind him, along with some uneasy shuffling.
Elizabeth moved past him into the room and stared at the young man, not giving an inch. "Prove you're Sky," she said. "Tell us something only he would know."
Sky sighed inwardly. What did it take? Then again, they had been fooled before, so he couldn't really blame her for being suspicious. He thought for a moment, then remembered something she most likely wouldn't have forgotten, even after all this time. "Back when we first met Sam, I didn't understand why you cared so much about helping him. You wanted to know why we all had powers, why we'd all ended up at SPD. I said that our powers were no big deal and that all of us, especially you, were a freak of nature." He grimaced. "I'm sorry about that by the way. I don't think I apologised back then."
A dark eyebrow rose archly. "You didn't."
He winced. "Sorry?" he asked hopefully and he was relieved when the corners of her mouth twitched as she fought back a smile.
"Forgiven."
About to respond, he had the breath knocked out of him as he was bowled over by Syd and Bridge pouncing on him, both of them extremely vocal in welcoming him back, both holding tightly onto him, not unlike the way Jack had, as if they weren't planning on letting him go for a while, let alone let him out of their sight. He finally managed to come up for air and Syd settled down at his side, with Bridge not that far away, and somehow during the 'welcome back, we missed you' melee he'd ended up sitting closer to Jack than he had been, so it wasn't really a surprise when Jack's head came to rest on his back, right between his shoulder blades, but it wasn't a good sign and he cursed softly under his breath.
"Is he going to be alright?" Z asked in concern and he shrugged carefully, mindful of Jack resting against him.
"He was sitting in the pouring rain, not even trying to shelter. If all he gets is a cold, he'll be lucky."
She shook her head. "Idiot," she said reprovingly to her sleeping brother. "Serves you right. Did you know he was out there for three days?" she asked, the question directed now at Sky.
He nodded. "Yeah, he said." Absently he shifted so he was sitting more comfortably, Jack's head now resting on his shoulder instead of his back, combing his fingers idly through the dread-locked hair. "I'm sorry I couldn't get hold of you guys earlier. If I had, this might not have happened."
By the time he'd finished explaining what had happened, he was alone in the room except for his teammates and he blinked in surprise. "Where'd everyone go?"
"The Commander dismissed them," Syd replied. "I think he's convinced you're you."
He gave her a wry smile. "Hopefully anyway. I don't want to end up in the cells again."
Z snorted derisively. "When were you ever in them?"
He raised an eyebrow at her. "Wootox."
She frowned. "Oh yeah. Never mind then."
Unfortunately, Jack wasn't lucky enough to just come down with a cold. Twenty four hours after the dramatic return to base, he was in the infirmary with a temperature and coughing so hard he swore he'd be coughing up a lung. Somehow, over the three days he'd been back on the streets, he'd managed to pick up a viral infection, which combined with the thorough drenching he'd had to form a full blown case of bronchitis.
Sky and Z alternated their visits, with Bridge and Syd stopping in regularly as well. After his debriefing, a very long, very detailed debriefing, Sky finally managed to escape and stopped off at his mom's house to reassure her that he was alright. After much crying and lots of milk and cookies that he mostly avoided eating, he eventually managed to convince his mother that he was fine, and yes, Jack was fine too, or he would be after he got over the bronchitis.
By the time he'd got out the house it was starting to get dark and considering he didn't want to freak people out any more than they already had been, he decided it would be best to get back soon. With a promise that yes, he'd visit again soon and yes, he'd bring Jack with him, he headed back to base with a wry smile on his face. His mother had taken to Jack almost immediately, a fact which had surprised the red ranger no end. Nonetheless the affection went both ways and Jack had incorporated Sky's mother into what passed for his family, although how she fit in Sky had no idea.
A couple of weeks later, Jack was out of the infirmary and things seemed to be getting back to normal… except that now he was waking up with Jack curled up next to him, when he'd gone to bed very much alone.
The first time it had happened, Jack had stared at him in confusion on waking up, wondering aloud why he wasn't in his own room. By now though, it was more routine than anything - go to bed alone, wake up with Jack there. It was nice, and he wasn't looking forward to when Jack stopped sleepwalking.
Walking through the corridors of the base on a late night patrol, Doggie sighed and wished he was curled up with Isinia instead of having to be out here. It was just as well he was almost finished because he was extremely tempted to cut the patrol short. Much to his surprise though, he almost bumped into Jack as his red ranger walked in the opposite direction.
"Jack?" he asked, stepping in front of him and blocking the way. "Where are you going?"
Brown eyes met his and seemed to look right through him. "Bed," was the only reply he got and it was unnerving the way Jack was looking through him.
"Your room's that way," he said gently, pointing back the way Jack had come, but Jack's forehead creased in confusion before he apparently decided he had better things to be doing. Doggie blinked as the young man walked through him, unease settling in his stomach. He wasn't superstitious by any stretch of the imagination, but Jack walking through him almost like a ghost made him shiver. Frowning, he abandoned his patrol and followed his red ranger, wherever he was going.
Somehow he was still surprised when Jack's destination turned out to be Sky's room, although he didn't know why he was. It should have been obvious really, where else would Jack be going? He hesitated a moment, then activated the door to the Tate-Carson room just in time to see Sky subconsciously adjusting to Jack's presence and making room for him, Jack apparently fast asleep from the moment he climbed into the bed.
Doggie smiled, a little sadly. The scare they'd had over Sky had affected Jack badly, and it seemed he wasn't entirely over it yet, not if the need to be around his boyfriend was strong enough to draw him to the other man's room in his sleep. He debated filling Jack in on the details behind the capture and confinement of the people behind the scam, but decided against it, for the time being anyway. He didn't want to make it harder for Jack to deal with this, and too many details would probably be counter-productive. For now, it was enough that Jack knew they had the people responsible and that they wouldn't be doing it again.
He stepped away from the door and headed back to his own bed where his wife was waiting for him.
Jack sighed and turned over in bed yet again. It was ridiculous. It had been over a month now since Sky's apparent death, he should be over this. But he wasn't. It wasn't usually this bad, but for some reason tonight was the worst it had been since the realisation that it had all been faked and Sky was alive, really alive and with no clue about what had been happening in his absence. Tonight, all he could see when he closed his eyes was Sky's body in the morgue, blue eyes lifeless, staring sightlessly at the ceiling. Never mind that Sky's eyes hadn't actually been open, his imagination wasn't that kind, being all too vivid.
He turned over again and growled in frustration when it didn't help. He never had this problem when he was sleeping next to Sky. His eyes snapped open. Maybe that was it. He bit his lip in an unconscious mimicry of his boyfriend's nervous habit. Should he or shouldn't he? It wasn't like it had been a conscious decision before - he'd simply found himself in Sky's bed every morning with no memory of how he got there in the first place.
He sat up and swung his legs out of bed, sitting there for a moment before resolutely climbing out of bed and heading for the door. Sky hadn't complained about having his bed hijacked and Bridge hadn't commented either, so maybe it would be okay.
Fortunately Sky's room wasn't that far away and it wasn't long before he was sliding under the covers next to Sky. Sky mumbled something unintelligible, then shifted slightly to accommodate him, arm sliding across his stomach to rest against his hip. Smiling to himself, Jack settled down, sleep beginning to overtake him. This was much better.