Dark Dreamers IV

Disclaimer- Disney owns the Power Rangers, I don’t. Wes Craven created Freddy Krueger. I have no rights to any of these characters except the ones that I come up with so please do not sue me.

AN- As always a huge thanks goes to my wonderful beta Carla: (PernDragonrider) for her awesome support and encouragement.

"The bigger you dream, the higher you go."- Unknown

Chapter Three: Dreams Become Reality

“I still say you should’ve told me.”

“And I say my reasons were my own.”

“Not if they include me in them.”

“Wanna bet?”

Tori sighed and looked at the little girl she considered as her own. Katie, though very aware of her Aunt Tori looking at her, she was much more interested in her bickering mommy… and daddy. She couldn’t help but snuggle closer to Tori, unused to her mommy being so mad. “Aunt Tori?”

Tori bit her lower lip some before answering. “What is it Katie?”

She looked up at Tori. “Why are mommy and daddy so mad at each other?”

Tori sighed. Isn’t that the million dollar question? “They’re not exactly mad at each other Katie; they just disagree on some things.”

This seemed to satisfy Katie since she then lay her head back down on Tori’s shoulder. Tori breathed a soft sigh of relief, she loved Katie and everything but she shouldn’t be answering these questions. She glanced at her still arguing friends.

Micky was giving Cam a withering look. “Look, be mad all you want, it won’t change what happened.”

“But I wish it did.” Cam muttered loud enough for her to hear.

Hurt flashed across the new Fire Ranger’s face, but she didn’t say anything though she suddenly sprinted down the hall, then out into the courtyard.

Dustin’s fiery gaze swung toward Cam. “Dude, if you’re just going to throw insults at her then don’t say anything at all. I had a hard enough time convincing her to come here, hoping that you could be just a little nice to her.”

Cam matched Dustin’s glare with his own. “She deserved it Dustin, I know she’s your sister and I admit I did hurt her, but she hurt me too.”

“Oh yeah, I can tell you’ve been really hurting.” Dustin said sarcastically, crossing his arms over his chest. “I bet Hayley been helping to soothe that pain.”

Cam’s face flamed up. “Who I see is my own business. I’ll keep seeing Hayley if I want to, I’m over your sister.”

“Are you?” Dustin asked quietly. Without waiting for an answer, he took off after his sister.

Cam sighed and turned, meeting three other stony gazes and one bright one. Tori walked up to Cam, her gaze never leaving his. She gently held Katie out to him. “This has been long overdue Cam; meet your daughter, Katie.”

As Cam awkwardly held his daughter in his arms, Tori, Hunter and Shane wordlessly walked passed him, going out into the courtyard. Cam sighed and looked down at Katie who was looking up at him with trusting eyes. “So… what do you do with Mic… mommy?”

“Play at the water park,” Katie replied as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.

Since he couldn’t exactly leave without Micky flipping out, Cam opted for something different. “How about I show you what I do?”

“Okay, daddy.”

XxX

Tommy managed to steal a quick look at Kim and the condition she was in. When they had found her while she was asleep, she was pale, too pale. She had changed some, but not a whole lot. Though seeing her again made something inside him ache for what could have been. He saw he head loll to the side and her eyes begin to close. “Kim, don’t fall asleep.” When she didn’t acknowledge him, Tommy felt panic and worry rise up inside of him. Thinking quickly, Tommy snapped on the radio, cranking it up. “White and Nerdy” suddenly filled the car. Kim shrieked, her eyes flying wide open. She was wide awake now.

She tried to glare at him but it didn’t do any good. “Thanks,” she murmured.

Tommy smiled. “You’re welcome.”

They were approaching the outskirts of Blue Bay, the forest growing denser by the minute. This was one of Kim’s favorite parts of the city that she’d come to love. Sighing, she turned to the man that she had always loved. “Tommy, since we may not have a lot of time alone once we arrive at the Academy, I need to tell you about the letter.” She shifted in her seat to get a better look at Tommy’s face, watching pain and sorrow flash across it before turning blank.

Tommy kept his eyes on the road, ignoring Kim’s gaze. “We don’t have to talk about it Kim.” He knew it wouldn’t do any good, even when she’d been injured in the past; Kimberly Ann Hart was a stubborn one.

Just as he predicted, Kim shook her head. “Yes, we do. You deserve an answer, the true answer.”

This caught Tommy’s attention as he glanced briefly at Kim. “The true answer?”

Kim nodded. “Yes, the letter was a mistake to begin with.”

Tommy silently agreed with her but didn’t say anything.

“When I wrote the letter, I was a complete and total wreck. I definitely wasn’t thinking clearly, but I never had any intentions of mailing it. Then I wrote another one stating that I was coming home.”

“So… why did the other one get mailed?”

Kim sighed and blinked away bitter tears. “Coach did weekly inspections of our dorms, I’d forgotten about the letters when I was doing some last minute cleaning. He found them on the desk and grabbed them both. I tried to stop him but it was too late. He shredded the one saying that I was coming home and mailed the other one to the Juice Bar.’

Tommy closed his eyes briefly, it all made sense now! Why else would that letter get mailed to the Juice Bar instead of his home? Schmidt only knew Kim’s address and the Juice Bar’s, not his. He sighed. “Kim, if I had known, I would’ve made things right with us. When you tried to talk to me after the tournament it was…”

“To explain what had happened.” Kim finished quietly. “I don’t blame you Tommy; I blame myself more than anything.”

“Don’t; we both made mistakes Kim, but… after all this is over, do you think we can pick up the pieces of our relationship?”

He couldn’t see Kim’s face but he could hear the smile in her voice. “I’d like that Tommy.”

They drove in silence for a few minutes when a body suddenly burst out of the Earth and landed on the hood of Kim’s car. Tommy slammed on the brakes, causing the person to roll off the car and onto the ground. Immediately Tommy and Kim jumped out of the car, running over to the fallen person. They could clearly see blood staining the back of her shirt. Tommy knelt down and gently turned over the coughing girl. Soon the others joined them.

“What happened bro?” Jason asked, kneeling down next to him.

“She just came out of the ground and landed on the car.” Tommy explained, pushing back the girl’s long hair from her face. Though he’d met her briefly, Tommy recognized her immediately. “We need to get to the Academy and fast.”

“Why?” Kira asked.

Tommy turned his head ever-so-slightly to look at his former student. “This is Micky Brooks, Dustin’s Brooks’ twin sister.”

XxX

One hour earlier…

“Micky! C’mon Mick, you know Cam’s just blowin’ off steam.”

Micky sighed and shook her head as she watched her brother walk under the huge oak where she was sitting on one of the higher branches. She knew Dustin would be checking the Earth rather than up in the trees. It was rare for siblings to share the same element, but she and Dustin did. She loved being inside the Earth, it comforted her. But Air and Water elements called to her as well, why she didn’t know. Shortly before she and Cam had spilt up, they’d been trying to figure out why.

Micky sighed again, no use in thinking about what could have been. She felt a sudden breeze ruffle her hair; it almost seemed to whisper at her. Her eyes widened. Crap… the element spirits. In the distance she could see Shane streaking towards the tree. Knowing this wouldn’t do her any good, but she did it anyway; jumping silently from branch to branch, keeping her eyes on her brother. Landing in a crouch, thankful for the tall grass, Micky did a hand motion and disappeared into the earth with only a faint pop.

Sighing, she relaxed, only for a moment. Guilt began to seep in. “Can’t believe I just up and left my daughter like that. Well, at least I know she’s in good hands with Tori…” She heard a bang then saw, or rather, felt Dustin landed roughly beside her.  Glancing at her brother, she muttered, “Okay, who ratted me out?”

Dustin only grinned at her. “Do you really have to ask?”

Micky sighed and leaned into Dustin. She’d missed him so much, lately his visits to San Diego had been few and far between, and she could understand that. The last time she’d been in town was to see everybody; the town had been Reefside actually. For one of Blake’s races. She’d even got to meet one of the Dino Rangers, Tommy Oliver. Dustin kept going on and on about him, how he really was the greatest Ranger ever.

“Wanna talk about it?” Dustin asked, interrupting her thoughts.

Shaking her head, Micky pulled away to look up at Dustin. “Later… Look, you and Shane go on back to the school, I’ll catch up. It’ll give you two sometime to be alone.” She grinned as Dustin turned a nice shade of crimson, but didn’t move. “I’ll be fine, Waldo.”

“Don’t call me that Michaela.” He sighed. “Okay, but if you’re not back in a half hour I’m sending the whole Academy to look for you.”

Micky rolled her eyes. “Do you really have to play the ‘big brother complex’ even though I’m the older one?”

“Two minutes, big deal.”

Micky smiled. “Go, I’ll be fine.”

Dustin sighed but placed a brotherly kiss on the top of Micky’s head before going back up to the surface, so to speak.

Sighing, Micky managed to relax somewhat. Closing her eyes, she wondered what had been so urgent of her coming here? Dustin hadn’t gone into specifics, probably not wanting to alarm her. It couldn’t be that bad, the Rangers were tough, they had faced worse before.

When she opened her eyes, Micky knew immediately that something was wrong. She wasn’t underground like she had been not even thirty seconds ago. Looking around, she realized that she was on the Action Games area, where the Ninja Rangers had had their final battle with Lothor. Her brow furrowed in confusion, what the hell was going on?

Turning around in a full circle, her gaze suddenly landed on a man standing on a half pipe. She squinted, trying to get a better look; he wore a long trench coat, a battered hat lay atop of his head, covering most of his face. She sucked in her breath sharply… it couldn’t be. .

Razors flashing in the sunlight proved what she was dreading; Freddy Krueger, her favorite horror movie baddie. “No, it can’t be.”

He sneered at her. “How sweet, fresh meat.” He approached her slowly; she could feel his eyes roaming over her. She tried to suppress a shudder but couldn’t.

She glared at him. “Don’t come near me.” He merely ignored her and came closer to her. “This is just a dream, it isn’t real.”

Freddy picked up the pace, waving the razors at her. “Oh, it’s real.” Out of thin air a picture of Katie appeared in his hand. Grinning wickedly at Micky’s horrified look Freddy took one blade and put it down the middle of the picture.

Fury filled the Fire Ranger; no one threatened her little girl and got away with it. Her fingertips began to glow red hot. “Leave my daughter out of this…”

Krueger paid her warning no heed as he continued to shred the picture. Fire began to spew from her fingertips at that point. Finally noticing the flames at the point, Krueger looked… nervous? He even took a step back. Smirking to herself, Micky stepped closer. Holding her hands up, a fire ball started to form. “Don’t mess with me,” she warned before hurling the ball at Krueger, just before the blaze struck Krueger in the chest, it suddenly curved and came back at her. Micky’s eyes widened as she dove out of the way, the ball missing her by inches. Instead of it hitting her, it slammed into a deserted snack stand, exploding on contact.

Jumping up, Micky couldn’t believe it; he was using her power against her. But how? Shaking her head, this wasn’t a time to question, she’d find out later. C’mon Micky, wake up! She and Krueger circled each other, daring each other to make the first move. She knew it wouldn’t be her, if she did, she’d be in tatters before noon.

Krueger took one step toward her and in an instant he was inches away from her face and had her throat in a death grip. She gasped, or she tried to as the gasp came out as a wheeze, if you could call it that. He began to lift her off the ground, using that opportunity Micky raised her legs and gave Krueger a solid kick in the chest, making him release her as they were knocked apart.

Micky fell not so gracefully to the ground, slamming into another half pipe. She could feel her lungs convulsing, trying to draw air in. She started to reach for her inhaler but stopped, remembering that he could turn it against her. Attempting to sit up to breathe better, Micky saw him walking toward her. As he knelt down next to her, Micky gave him a look that would’ve scorched him a second time. Krueger merely chuckled and waved his blades in her face. Punching Krueger in the face, Micky snatched his hat off his head then took off running.

She didn’t get very far as Krueger somehow caught up with her with ease and dug his claws into her back, then pushed forward.

Micky tried to scream as she felt his razors in her back but couldn’t, she then felt herself flying up in the air. Everything seemed so slow to her as she came back down, landing roughly on a car? Vaguely she heard the car screech to a stop and she rolled off the car and onto the dirt path. She couldn’t feel anything anymore. Not good, Micky thought hazily as she heard voices around her. She sensed, rather than felt someone turning her over. She managed a weak cough. At least I’m still alive, she thought as she tried to look up through her unruly hair.

Someone pushed her hair out of her face and Micky found herself looking up at Tommy Oliver. She could hear voices asking who she was and what happened. She tried to say something, anything.

“Don’t try to talk Micky,” she could hear Tommy tell her. She had to, had to warn them about Krueger. She had to find Katie, hold her little girl in her arms… even if it was just one more time…

“Micky! Wake up!” She flinched but continued to fall asleep.

Tommy shook her shoulder, trying not to injure her further but nothing seemed to work. In the distance he saw four streaks of crimson, red, blue and yellow. “Oh man…”

“What is it Tommy?” Kim asked, worried.

Tommy nodded in the direction where the Ninja Rangers had landed not even five feet away from them. Within seconds they were making their way to where Micky had fallen.

Dustin stopped short when he realized it was his sister. “What happened?”

Tommy explained what happened while Tori and Hunter looked over their friend. Tori immediately saw the blood stained ground and looked at Hunter fearfully. The Crimson Ranger nodded grimly, and then muttered. “Wake her up Tor.”

The blonde ninja nodded, then did a swift but silent hand motion making a small water sphere appear out of thin air. She then dropped it on Micky’s face, causing her to sputter and cough but her eyes opened.

A few feet away Shane knelt down and picked up the hat that Micky had dropped. With a sigh he realized it was Krueger’s, she had fallen asleep. Regret filled Shane, in a way he felt as if this were his fault; he or Dustin hadn’t warned Micky that if you fell asleep, you’d be attacked by Krueger.

After Tommy finished explaining the situation, Dustin strode over to his sister and gently scooped her up, despite her protests. He then turned to his friends, “you guys lead them to the Academy, I’m going on ahead.”

Shane nodded, his eyes meeting Dustin’s “We’re right behind you.”

Dustin nodded then was gone in a yellow blur.

Tori and Hunter soon joined Shane and began toward the Dino team. “Mick didn’t know, did she?” Hunter asked, knowing full well she didn’t.

Shane tried not to wince but failed. “No.”

Tori jumped in. “She’s going to be pissed when she comes to.”

Shane’s winced deepened. “I know.”

To Be Continued

AN2- That’s it; for now. See you all next week. Please leave a review on your way out no flames please. Thanks.

CamFan4Ever