Disclaimer: As usual. I'm lazy; please look up the previous chapters.
Note: Thanks for staying with me so far, people. Just so you know, this is the last chapter in this story. However, before you collectively get out various sharp, pointy objects and prepare to mutilate, if not kill me (I know this is by no means done!), I'm continuing it in a sequel. The reason for this is simply as follows: the format/theme I've used up to now just doesn't fit right anymore, and so I've decided to end it here and continue in a slightly different vein – something I probably should've done a couple of chapters ago, to be honest. Sorry for that. Still – enjoy, I hope! Happy Easter/Passover/Spring Festival of choice to everyone … and please pass the feedback box on your way out? DB

Times Present, Times Past

Chapter 18: Life Goes On

Angel Grove, early August 1998

"Your flight leaves from gate 7b; have a good trip," the girl behind the check-in counter at Angel Grove's small local airport said with a professional smile as she handed back Kat's ticket and passport. "You'll have a 90-minute stopover at Los Angeles International; please follow directions there to reach your connecting flight. Boarding begins in thirty minutes."

Kat gathered her boarding tickets, luggage stubs and purse. "Thank you," she replied mechanically and turned towards her waiting friends. She'd already said good-bye to her father in the morning, before he left for work, and her mother was standing right next to Tommy and Tanya. Smiling uncertainly, Kat rejoined the small group and found herself gathered in a comforting hug by Doris.

"All set, are you? Are you sure you'll be okay?"

She returned the hug. "Yes, Mum," she replied as firmly as she could. "Don't worry; you can see I'm not alone."

"If you were, I'd have cancelled my appointment, honey," Doris said. "You know that, don't you?"

"Yes. Thanks for driving me anyway," Kat murmured. She dreaded leaving – far more so than the first time a scant year ago. Going to London, studying with the Royal Ballet, had been a dream come true at one time, but now? A part of her wanted to go back as badly as ever, to escape all memories of Angel Grove and what she'd been through in the last few months, but another part of her clamored loudly to stay, to not leave her daughter's grave … everything and everybody she loved.

-Mum and Dad … my friends … Tommy…-

-And Jason,- a tiny voice inside her mind whispered, but she refused to listen. That door was closed – permanently. Not by her choice, it had been Jason's solitary decision, and Kat still wasn't sure whether he'd been right to sever all contact, whether she ought to be furious with him or to give in to the pain their separation was still causing her.

-I have no reason to hanker after him. He obviously doesn't want me anymore, and besides, I wouldn't know how to deal with him and Tommy, anyway.-

She still felt that neither one of them had achieved full closure – not on their daughter's death, not on their relationship. -Whatever that may have been – or become.- And while there was a certain relief in not having to deal with all the turmoil, there was also a wish, a need to talk it all through … and hopefully regain peace of mind in the process.

-I'll have to do that on my own, looks like.- Kat sighed inwardly. She longed to have someone to confide in, but Tommy was adamant about ignoring her experiences in the past, her mother always got teary-eyed for her daughter, and her friends … well, the only ones she'd feel comfortable to open up to were staying here in Angel Grove, whereas she was on her way back to London and her studies.

"Well, honey, I have to go," Doris said at last. "Are you sure you'll be fine?"

"Absolutely," Kat replied with as much confidence as she could muster. She hoped her smile didn't look as fake as it felt. "I'm hardly alone; the guys will stay with me."

"We sure will, Mrs. Hillard," Tanya smiled, patting her friend on the arm. "We'll see that she doesn't miss her plane. Don't worry."

Doris had to laugh, despite her rather maudlin mood. Kat may have been legally adult, but she was still her beloved baby, and letting her go half a world away wasn't easy – even if it was the second time and she knew she'd get a phone call only a little over twelve hours from now, as soon as Kat reached her dorm. "I won't – at least, no more than any mother. Surely you'll grant me that much?" She hid her deeper fear that something might happen to her daughter despite all reasonable precautions; recent events were still very much on her mind. Doris also knew that she must not be too protective – after all, she wanted Katherine to be independent and confident in herself.

"Goodbye, darling," Doris whispered one last time, kissed Kat, then quickly took her leave. She didn't dare prolong the adieus, or she'd never be able to go – or let Kat go, for that matter. She just hoped everything would, indeed, turn out fine.

Katherine watched her mother stride towards the elevators leading to the parking decks with mixed feelings. A part of her wanted to call her back, but she forced the words down. She was not a child anymore, nor did she go to a completely strange place. She had made friends in London who'd be waiting for her, and her studies would help her take her mind of things. Or so she hoped.

Still, she was sniffling just a bit, and feeling a little misty-eyed despite her best efforts. Tommy noticed, and placed a comforting arm around her shoulder.

"Don't cry," he murmured soothingly. "Remember – your school has internet access. If you need anyone of us, we're just an email away."

"Which reminds me," Tanya interjected, purposely trying for a cheerful note. She pulled a large manila envelope out of her pocket and handed it to her best friend. "Here you go – it's letters from everybody, including addresses, phone numbers, birthdays and email, as far as we know them."

"As if I could forget something like that," Kat smiled, pleased at the thoughtful gesture. She'd made sure she had all the information safely stowed in her purse, but it never hurt to have an extra reminder. Quickly, she tucked the envelope into a compartment of her cabin luggage. "But thanks anyway!"

"You're welcome." The girls hugged.

•••

Slowly, the three wandered through the busy airport towards the correct departure gate. Tommy hovered close to Kat. He really didn't want her to leave, but knew he had no choice. The Royal Ballet unfortunately was in London, and he couldn't ask Kat to stay in California – or even the US – just because he wanted it.

-Just as I couldn't ask Kim to stay for me.-

The thought came to him unbidden, and he frowned. Not for the first time he wondered if he shouldn't have requested Kim stay anyway when Coach Schmidt made his offer to his ex-girlfriend to train with him in Florida. -Look how that turned out! She moved right across the country and then left me for another guy. Pan-Globals, my ass!- Tommy chose to ignore that Kimberly still was in training for that prestigious event; in fact, had gone back early for the pre-games trials. Or that he'd often claimed that he himself would've jumped at the chance if martial arts were represented at the competition and it had been offered to him.

-But Kat's different. She'd never leave me for someone else just like that, right? Right!-

Hard on the heels of that thought, however, came the even more unwelcome memory of what Kat had done while she'd been trapped in the past – a memory which Tommy ruthlessly squashed. Again. He was thinking about the events during that period far too often for his liking or peace of mind, and was determined to forget it once and for all. -Damn. The one time when I want to have a leaky memory, and it doesn't work!- So, he'd decided to ignore everything. -Pretend nothing happened, and maybe I – we – can forget about it. Eventually.-

Once the friends had reached the customs area from where Kat would have to proceed alone, there were the usual jokes, reminders to call/write and concerned questions while they waited.

Kat barely smiled; she wanted to take part in the banter, but somehow couldn't bring herself to join in. It hurt too much to leave her home, her friends -My little grave …- – and yet she found herself anxious to go, to get as far away from everything and everybody as possible. Shouldn't she long to stay with Tommy, now that she was back from her exile in the past? Or should she be eager to resume her studies in London, to fulfill her life's dream? She just didn't know. And maybe that was hardest to bear.

Soon, the flow of passengers had slowed to a trickle, and the PA system crackled to life.

"All passengers for Coastal Airlines flight 853, please proceed to your boarding gate. Departure will be in fifteen minutes."

"That's my flight," Kat murmured, feeling dazed. "I've got to go …"

Tanya hugged her fiercely. "Bye, girlfriend," the yellow-clad girl said, trying for a cheerful tone. "You write us right away, you hear? Or I may have to start stalking the mailman," Tanya added, past a small lump in her throat. She was supposed to be Kat's best friend; why then hadn't she tried harder to talk to her these past few weeks, to help her work through the grief and emotions she had surely felt? That Kat hadn't been very forthcoming – in fact seemed to have actively avoided any heart-to-heart talks – had never stopped her before. Now, when she looked into those blue eyes, the shadows in their depths screamed to be dispelled. -Too late. Darn it!-

"I'll do my best," Kat said with a smile that was only slightly forced. "Expect my first letter a week from today at the latest."

"You will write as soon as possible, right?"

"Any way I can," Kat promised her best friend. She looked towards the gate; the line at Customs had grown short by now, and it was time for her to say her final good-byes. "I'd better leave; it's kind of a long walk to the gate from here."

"Right. Bye!"

Another quick farewell, then Tanya retreated so that only Tommy was left with Kat. He slipped a propietary arm around her waist and slowly led her towards the barrier. Only two families and a businessman were ahead of her.

He pulled Kat close. "I hate to see you go," he murmured into her ear.

"I don't want to leave either," she hiccuped, close to tears now.

"I wish you could stay here with me," Tommy added, as if he hadn't heard.

"So do I, but …"

"Couldn't you transfer, or something? At least to a place somewhere in this country? That way, we could see each other during semester breaks, or I could visit when racing season is over …"

-Doesn't he know anything about my training?- "Tommy – I have a scholarship. One that is specifically linked to the Royal Ballet Academy in London. Even if I were accepted at, say, Juilliard, there's no way I could afford the tuition," Kat explained patiently … and not for the first time. "My parents would have to pay close to $40,000 a year and carry full medical insurance for me. And that's if I can get by in an expensive place like New York on an estimated $2,500 during that time. As a Commonwealth citizen, I get an extra reduction in London in addition to my scholarship."

Tommy had the grace to blush as he winced. He knew an education at these prestigious schools didn't come cheaply, but he'd had no idea it was that expensive. Still, he wasn't prepared to give up yet. "There's no other school you could go to?"

Kat just looked at him. "Would you give up an Ivy League college for something less?"

He sighed. "I guess not. Sorry I asked."

"It's okay; I wish I was staying closer to home, too – I know I'm going to miss all of you terribly – but it can't be helped."

Only one person was ahead of Kat now, and the customs official looked at her expectantly.

Shrugging, Tommy hugged her again. "Well … good-bye then. Have a safe flight."

"I'm sure I will," Kat replied, her smile rather wobbly. "Drive carefully, both on and off track."

He just nodded. "Promise."

A last kiss, then he let her go. "Call, email, whatever as soon as possible, okay?"

"Of course. Bye, Tommy." Kat resolutely put her carry-on bag onto the conveyor belt to the scanner and stepped forward, handing her ticket and boarding pass to the uniformed woman. She could feel his eyes on her back, but refrained from turning around one last time – the prolongued rounds of leave-taking last night and today hadn't been easy, and all she wanted now was to get away. She did hear him call a final good-bye after her, however.

"Bye, Kat!"

She just waved and went through the metal detector, collected her things and disappeared down the passageway to her flight lounge.

···

Tommy joined Tanya when he could no longer see the blond locks. "Man, I really hate to let her go. Damn the Royal Ballet Academy and that scholarship anyway!"

Tanya glanced at him reproachfully. "It's her childhood dream to dance," she murmured. "Even more than diving at the Pan-Globals was. Do you really begrudge her the chance to go to one of the best ballet schools?"

"Well, no, but … I can't help remembering what being separated from Kim did to us," he mumbled. "And Kat is going even further away."

"Okay, granted, but Kat isn't Kimberly. She's not going to go looking for somebody else in London, if that's what you're worried about."

That was precisely what Tommy feared, especially in light of recent (or would that rather be past?) events, but …

-No. Let's not go there. I asked Kat to forget all about that; the least I can do is try and do it myself.-

"I know," he just said curtly. "But there's nothing wrong with wishing she at least stayed in the country, is there? Keeping in touch is going to be a total bitch, what with the time difference and my racing schedule. When am I going to have access to a computer? It's going to be difficult enough to have regular mail catch up with me."

There were several remarks Tanya could have made, starting with how selfish she thought Tommy was being, but she restrained herself. After all, Katherine was going to be most affected by the distance. Tommy at least had a semi-decent chance to hear from their friends regularly if he cared to; Kat was going to be all by herself in a foreign country, with not even family close by.

As the two slowly vended their way through the busy airport to the parking decks, she decided that now was as good an opportunity as any to tell Tommy something he had a right to know.

"There's something I have to tell you, Tommy," she said neutrally. He gave her a sideways look, not fooled by her casual tone.

"Sounds kinda ominous."

"It isn't; it's just … that envelope I gave Kat? There are letters in it from everybody."

He frowned, not understanding. "Yeah, so?"

Tanya heaved an exasperated sigh. Really, did she have to spell it out for him? "By everybody, I meant it included a message from Jason," she explained carefully, almost expecting an explosion from her former leader. It didn't come, but Tommy did stop in his tracks and there was a sudden, angry light in his eyes.

"What?" he hissed.

Unfazed, Tanya stared back. "Yes. Whatever else you may choose to believe, he still is Kat's friend – as much as Rocky or Adam."

-Rocky or Adam never slept with my girlfriend!-

"How dare you? What-"

Tanya interrupted him. "Stop it right there, Tommy. I've thought about this carefully, and couldn't find any reason not to include his message with the others'. And before you ask, yes, I've read it, and there was nothing in his letter you could possibly object to. Nothing," she repeated for emphasis.

Tommy stalked off. "What the hell has he to say to Kat, anyway?" he fumed.

More sedately, Tanya followed. "Sorry, but I'm not going to tell you. All the messages are meant to be private, after all, and I haven't seen any of the others. But trust me when I tell you it's just from one friend to another." Her expression was adamant, making it clear that she wasn't going to budge on the issue.

Tommy desperately wanted to rip into Tanya, to tell her she had no right to keep the message content from him, to claim that Jason had no right to write a message to Kat – his girlfriend! – in the first place, but knew it would be wasted effort. Tanya had very decided views on what was right or wrong, and if she said the note was innocuous, Tommy knew he could believe her. Still, it rankled. A lot.

Not trusting himself to comment further, he hunted up his car and drove both of them back to Angel Grove in sullen silence.

···

The in-flight meal on the London-bound plane had been served, and at long last Kat thought she might have enough peace to take a look at the envelope Tanya had given her. She'd been dying of curiosity ever since she'd tucked it into her cabin luggage, but had wanted to take her time over her friends' messages, not be interrupted at any time by a flight attendant or the need to be somewhere at a certain time. Now, she would have several hours, and as the seat next to hers was thankfully empty, she was eager to take a look.

A handful of smaller envelopes slid onto her lap, as different as the people who had written the messages inside. Carefully, she opened one after the other in the sequence they'd been stacked.

Aisha's message was mostly girl talk. She smiled as she read the list of shops she insisted she check out, and was grateful for the recommendations what small gifts she might choose for everyone back home come Christmas. Trini had drawn on her experiences at the Peace Conference and compiled a number of addresses where Kat could get specific information on a variety of subjects geared to her interests and hobbies. Rocky's letter was as friendly and supportive as he himself, full of good cheer and joking tidbits. Adam, thoughtful as ever, had looked up events like concerts and exhibitions for the upcoming fall season; Zack sent her a list of out-of-the-ordinary activities in London, like a guided tour tracing Sherlock Holmes.

Kat nodded appreciatively as she read through both lists. It wasn't as if she couldn't have found out about this herself, but now she wouldn't have to go through a large number of guide books and other publications. Time and funds permitting, she was looking forward to following quite a few of their suggestions.

Next came Justin's message. It read slightly awkward – not surprisingly, given his age, but she still treasured every kind word. A pity that she wouldn't be there to watch his progress, as a Ranger, student and person!

Billy had written only a short personal note, but he was giving her something truly useful – her father had promised to buy her her own computer for Christmas, so Billy had done some research on models, prices and the like, listing exactly what she should be looking for. It would come in very handy once she started shopping, she was sure.

Kimberly's letter … Kat didn't rightly know whether to be reassured or worried by it. Her predecessor briefly told her to have fun, but then went on to say that she would be keeping an eye on Tommy. Sure, Kim also promised that she wasn't trying to intrude on their relationship, just that Tommy might need someone to talk to with her gone, and she was volunteering just in case. Kat frowned; why would her boyfriend turn toward his ex? Couldn't he talk to another guy?

-Stupid. The only guy he'd ever consider opening up to is Jason, and you know why he's definitely out of the picture.-

So she should be grateful to Kim, right?

-I suppose so …-

Kat sighed. She was thankful that somebody would be there for Tommy, but … Resolutely, she tamped down on a vague resentment. If Kimberly hadn't dumped Tommy in the first place, she now wouldn't have to worry that he might still be carrying a torch for her. -Then again, if they hadn't broken up, he and I would never have got together.- Since there was nothing else she could do anyway, Kat resolved to trust both Tommy and Kimberly. If nothing else, they were too honorable to go behind her back … and Kim was back in Florida. Quite out of temptation's way.

To distract herself from a definitely unwelcome train of thought, she opened the next-to-last message. Tanya ... whose letter, as expected, was warm, understanding and just full of friendship. But apart from sending her the usual good wishes and so on, she was going all big sister on her, telling her to be careful, to keep in touch, and that she promised to send regular accounts on everybody's doings. The word 'everybody' was underlined, and Kat took that to mean that Tanya meant Tommy and Kimberly. -And Jason,- a little voice at the back of her mind murmured, almost too softly to hear. Kat chose to ignore the comment. If she ever was to get past her connection with Jason – other than the fact that he belonged to the select little group of former Rangers – she had to stop thinking about him at the slightest provocation.

-And if I keep telling myself that, I may even succeed ... in a million years or so,- Kat thought morosely to herself. Only to find her good intentions shot to pieces when she unfolded the sheet in the last envelope.

"Dear Kat –

I hope you'll have the best of time in London. I know how much winning that scholarship means to you, and that you're fulfilling your childhood dream by studying with the Royal Ballet. So I wish you lots of luck and as much success as it's possible for you to achieve, both professionally and in your life in general. I know that all of your friends will be thinking of you, just as we think of Kimberly and everybody else who's moved away. Please try and spare a thought or two on occasion for us as well, okay?

Best wishes, Jason."

Katherine read the brief note four times, and afterwards felt torn between relief, confusion and – right at the moment – exasperation. That was it? He had nothing more to say to her than some generic, bland, insipid well-wishing? Who was she anyway, his great-aunt, or a distant cousin who got a postcard out of obligation, or something?

-Don't I mean anything more to him than that? Has he completely forgotten what we went through together?-

Thoroughly put out, she crumpled up the note and stuck it into the seat pocket before her – only to fish it back a few minutes later. Hating herself for it, she smoothed the single sheet as best she could and reread the brief missive.

-Why has he written something so impersonal? It's not as if anybody else is going to look at my personal messages!-

A bit of reflection brought a possible answer. -Tommy hasn't included a message of his own because he's promised to write a real letter as soon as he can … but he's seen Tanya give me the envelope, and I'm sure he knows what was inside. And knowing him, he's going to ask what the others have written to me – out of curiosity, if nothing else. The others are all innocuous enough; I can tell him with a clear conscience about the contents. And if he asks if there was a message from Jason as well, I can tell him yes, but that it was totally harmless and actually less personal than the others. I can even show the letter to him and won't have to fear he'll get angry or something.-

The more Katherine thought about it, the more likely an explanation it seemed to be. As Jason knew Tommy – and her – very well, it was also likely that he just might have anticipated that very scenario and worded his message accordingly, thus sparing her any possible embarrassment or the need for justification. -It's just what a friend would write to another; not a love letter or whatnot in the least.- Which cast an entirely different light on the matter.

Carefully, she read through the few sentences again. They seemed much friendlier now somehow, while still remaining essentially harmless. However, she still couldn't detect any truly personal undertone, which left her feeling equally relieved and frustrated.

-It's nice that Jason is looking out for me, but he should know by now that I can take care of myself. He needn't have been this careful!-

But he had … and that seemed to be definitely that. With a sigh, Kat slowly folded her friends' notes back into their respective envelopes, then stowed them into her purse. She leaned back, fastened her seatbelt once more just in case and put her seat into a reclining position. As most of the passengers around her were either engrossed in quiet conversation, reading, watching the in-flight movie or seemed to be settling in for the night, she decided to try and do the same. Wearily, she curled up in her seat as best she could and closed her eyes, hoping sleep would come. If it didn't … it was going to be a long flight.

Kat stifled a sob. She'd get through this somehow – her education, her studying in another country, the separation from everything and everybody she loved. She had to, or everything she'd gone through, had hoped for and dreamed of would count for nothing.

Even if it meant she had to go it alone.

···

Jason returned home, let himself quietly into the house and went up to his room without checking in with his parents. He had things to think about, decisions to make, and he needed some time alone for that. Lying down on his bed, he reviewed the afternoon's events once more in his mind.

---

He'd gone early to meet his friends at the Youth Center; everything had been fine at first. There had been a momentary hubbub when the Turbo Rangers had to dash off for yet another monster attack launched by Divatox, but all things considered, it had been time well spent. Of course the former Rangers had shared wry (and slightly envious) looks as they'd heard the communicators go off.

"Damn, I never knew Alpha's alerts were this loud," Zack had muttered.

"Yeah – it's a miracle nobody else noticed," Tanya commented. "I know the sound startled me something fierce in the beginning, and I knew what it meant."

Adam nodded, then shrugged. "Hey, there are so many people using pagers these days for all sorts of things … folks likely just shrug it off as one of these 'teenage things'," he grinned, making quotation marks in the air with his fingers.

"Uh huh. And with mobile phones becoming more affordable, too, I think in a short time we'll be wishing for the 'good old days' – when all kinds of signals will be going off at every corner," Trini added. She grimaced comically at her own choice of words.

"Don't say that," Aisha muttered.

"Why not? It's true; just look at the predictions and sales numbers from the communications companies. They're already making millions off the new technologies."

"Maybe," the former Yellow Ninja Ranger said. "It's just … it makes us sound so …well, old, just because we don't have every new gadget yet," she pouted, making the group chuckle.

"Poor 'Isha, getting behind the times before she's even twenty," Jason teased her, then quickly ducked away from her playful swat. The conversation became very animated as they each tried to come up with more and more outrageous predictions for future developments, and there was much laughter all around. Jason had enjoyed himself immensely … until a shadow fell over the group.

That shadow was about six feet tall, had long brown hair and went by the name of Tommy Oliver.

Tommy had arrived late, as he'd been out for a practice run at his uncle's race track, and as soon as he joined the gang, all the fun and laughter came to a crashing halt.

Although Zack and Rocky tried valiantly to keep the jokes coming and the girls made several attempts to bring him in on the conversation, it didn't work. Sure, they were nine people gathering around 'their' table, but the group just wasn't large enough to overlook that Tommy was completely ignoring Jason's presence altogether – even to the point of rudeness. He wouldn't look at Jason, would certainly not speak to him, and if Jason made a remark pretended as if he hadn't heard. Which made an already uncomfortable situation even more so.

Jason had tried not to let Tommy's attitude bother him – he still honestly thought his erstwhile best friend was entitled to his resentment of him – but when the friends were trying to make plans for the weekend, things completely went to hell in a handbasket.

Billy had suggested they go once more to the Natural History Museum; there was another exhibition of international crafts that touched on several of their combined heritages and sounded very interesting to all of them.

"How about I pick up Tanya and Aisha, Rocky can drive by Tommy's house and Billy, you won't mind meeting Zack, Trini and Jason, do you?" Adam proposed, trying to arrange the car pooling. Billy was about to consent when Tommy's cold, implacable voice cut through their animated chatter.

"If he's coming, I'm staying home." He wasn't even looking at Jason when he said it, but it was quite clear to all who 'he' was. "And that goes for all outings."

The shocked silence around the table was deafening, and beyond awkward.

"Well, I suppose we can go separately," Adam murmured, trying to smooth the waters. "Say, half of us go in the morning, the others in the afternoon …"

"Yeah; it might even be easier," Rocky jumped in to help. "It's always so difficult, trying to look at an exhibit with over half a dozen people …"

"Sure; then we could meet here afterwards and compare notes," Tanya added brightly. "I'm sure Lt. Stone won't mind if we had pizza delivered, or something."

Jason said nothing, but he'd gone pale. He was watching Tommy's averted face intently and could read his hostile posture like a book. There was no way Tommy would agree even to this; he hadn't meant he'd stay away just from the trip to the museum, but permanently from the group as long as the others included both of them in their plans.

It hurt more than he'd imagined. Jason knew that his friends would try to move heaven and earth to make things work, but it really was an untenable situation. He had wronged Tommy, and it wasn't fair to the rest if they had to bear the consequences as well when it should only be him. Sure, at least Trini, Billy and Zack would stay loyal to him over Tommy even though they still weren't in possession of the whole picture, but Billy had developed equally strong ties to their successors; he couldn't force him to choose between old and new friends. Which left Jason with only one option – if he didn't want to tear his friends apart as a group, he would have to be the one to leave.

He thought wryly of a line from one of his favorite movies – 'The good of the many outweighs the good of the few'. He had eight (seven, not counting Tommy) good friends in front of him, and he was only one. -Which makes them the 'many' and me the 'few'.- Jason sighed silently. -No contest, really.- He drew a deep breath.

"It's okay. I'll stay home," he said quietly. There was a moment of stunned disbelief, then Tanya protested. -Bless her!-

"Jason, no – surely we can work something out! Can't we?" she implored the others.

But he'd made his decision. Giving her a fleeting smile, Jason pushed back his chair and got up. "Maybe, but you won't have to. I'm not going."

"Jase …" Trini murmured, looking very unhappy, but unable to find an alternative. He patted her shoulder.

"It's okay, Trini. Give me a call if you have the time, okay? Anyone," he remembered to add to the group. "Seeya, guys."

Before he could reconsider or let himself be persuaded into changing his mind, Jason quickly left the Youth Center.

---

That had been several hours ago, and Jason had spent the walk home and the time since in serious thought. There was no doubt in his mind – and he was sure most of his friends would reluctantly agree – that Tommy's attitude wasn't likely to change anytime soon. And as it was because of him, of what he'd inadvertently done to destroy their former friendship, Jason saw it as his duty to do as much as he could to rectify the situation.

-As long as we're both around, it's gonna be awkward for the others. Dancing on eggshells around Tommy, trying not to offend me, constantly having to choose between him and myself.-

Knowing his friends as he did, Jason realized full well that that was exactly what would happen.

-I can't do that to them. They deserve better from me.-

The only problem was, all of them were staying in Angel Grove, or close by. Only Kim and Katherine had moved away, and maybe Billy would, too, once he decided on which Ivy League school to attend. But the rest? Rocky was working in Stone Canyon – practically next door. Aisha and Zack had enrolled at AGU and would be living right in town, Tanya and Adam would be studying in Los Angeles and visit home every weekend. And Tommy was also still living at home while he was in training. As soon as John Rush decided he was good enough for NASCAR he'd be on the road a lot, but who knew when that would happen!

Jason had applied to AGU as well, as it would allow him to keep expenses down as much as possible. Also, he could earn extra money by helping out with his father's construction business. If he moved away, it would change his situation completely … and involve some major rearranging and rethinking of his finances.

-It's the only way, though …-

He'd dreamed about attending Radford University in Virginia; the college offered an excellent study course in Health Education, Sports and Fitness – and they even had special classes in Martial Arts, with a highly-ranked instructor. It would provide him with a variety of choices for his eventual professional life, but the tuition was considerably higher than at a local college, he'd have to pay more for living expenses, find a job … in short, Jason hadn't wanted to put that much of a strain on his parents and had thus opted against this dream, deciding that he would go at it in a different, less costly way. However, moving across the country from California to the Blue Ridge Mountains sounded like the best choice if he wanted to protect his friends as well as fulfilling his ambition. The big question was, would it be possible for him to do so?

With a sigh, he rolled off his bed and went downstairs. Dinner was on the table, and he'd have to have a serious talk with his parents afterwards. With any luck, Jason would leave Angel Grove behind for the fall term in September. Until then, he'd find a way to juggle both his friends' loyalties and Tommy's hostility.

Even if it meant that more often than not he'd be alone.

The End.

(To Be Continued soon in

"Times Past, Times Future")