When The Past Comes Back To Shove (Power Rangers Wild Force/Time Force Fanfic)

His Struggle

Taylor tossed her bag into the backseat of Eric's SUV as she climbed into the passenger's seat. Even though her convertible was at his house, Eric wouldn't let her drive back to Turtle Cove alone with a madman looking for her and would never let her drive his car because of that speeding ticket. It was one time! She was just testing it out. How was she supposed to know she'd get caught?

"Penny for your thoughts?" Eric asked.

Taylor blinked, realizing that they were already on a main road. "Just thinking about how we met."

"How you were breaking the law?" the Quantum ranger smirked.

She swatted his arm and they both laughed. "You wouldn't even let me get a word out!"

"You got a couple."

She smacked his arm again.

In turn, Eric grabbed her hand and laced his calloused fingers with hers that were equally calloused. "Told Wes you were trouble."

"Oh?"

"I was right."

The yellow ranger couldn't help but laugh at that statement from her boyfriend of only a couple months. "If I'm trouble then what does that make you?"

"Definitely not a knight in shining armor."

"You know," she started, "when I was kid, I didn't want a knight in shining armor. I wanted to be the knight in shining armor. But that changed when my youth pastor said something one night. He said, 'never trust a knight in shining armor. They're the ones who've never fought for anything in their lives.'"

"Sounds like a smart man."

"He is," she stared out the windshield. "He said that when people were calling Arthur my knight in shining armor. I never wanted that. I didn't want to have to be protected. I wanted to be like Amelia Earhart and Joan of Arc."

"Didn't they both die brutally?"

"Amelia went missing and Joan was burnt at the stake, but they both went down doing what they loved, or dying for what they believed in." Taylor chuckled a bit. "I guess going MIA is what's in a name."

Eric laughed at her. "Shakespeare?"

"Admittedly, Romeo and Juliet wasn't his best work, but it's got some good parts."

"What's your favorite?"

Taylor put on her best Scottish accent, which was actually pretty good, "The Scottish Play."

"Macbeth? Where did that accent come from?"

"So you know what I'm talking about?"

"You forget I went to a private school."

"I remember that you dropped out of a private school."

"You still didn't answer my question."

"It's the only accent I can do."

"Scottish?"

"Yep."

"No British or Australian?"

"Every time I tried, I'd get made fun of by my British friend."

Eric cracked up and looked at her. "Is it really that bad?"

"Eyes on the road, Myers."

The man in question turned back to the road before putting in a question of his own. "Head in the clouds, Earhardt?"

She smirked softly. "Always."

They sat in silence for a few minutes while on a particularly loud stretch of road, hands still intertwined.

"You know about my past, but I don't know that much about yours," Taylor stated.

"There's not much to say," Eric's voice was level, but his shoulders tensed up slightly. "Grew up dirt poor. Mom's an alcoholic. Dad was an Army General, retired a few years ago. He always wanted me to be the best at everything," Eric sighed. "If I didn't get the best grades or do the best at something, he'd beat me."

Taylor silently looked over at him and squeezed his hand. Words couldn't help age old pain.

"Mom would have men over every single night he was gone. 'We need the money,' she'd say. I guess that's the only good thing about getting accepted into that prep school. It got me away from them."

"You also met Wes."

"Yeah, I guess. Dad was furious when I dropped out. Told me that if I was going to drop out of school, I might as well join the military."

"But you had other plans?"

Eric nodded. "Bigger plans. I wanted to make something of myself without falling down the rabbit hole and becoming my father." Eric sighed again. "He told my mom she was worthless for not giving him a better son. Maybe that's why she drank. Tay," he sighed, "she was great when he wasn't around and she was sober, but when either my father or alcohol were around, it was bad. I always wondered why they hated me so much. They treated my brother like he was a saint."

"Your brother?"

"Guess I never told you about him. We called him Charlie growing up, but I think he goes by Chuck now. He was always the smartest, always the best. But even when he screwed up, he was right. They thought he was perfect. My dad once said that Charlie would go to Harvard and I'd go to prison."

"I guess we both had hard times."

"I guess we did."

"Eric?"

"Hm?"

"Have you ever felt like you were defined by what happened?"

"Honestly?" he sighed. "Yes."

"Me, too."

"We'll find him, Tay."

"I know you will," Taylor sighed. "He held me back for so long, whether he was with me or not. I'm not letting him control me anymore."

"Don't you go after him."

"I won't. If he found out where I was, word would get out and everyone would know."

"Some knight in shining armor."

"I'd rather have a knight whose armor is dented and is covered in blood than one whose armor shines like Wes's new car any day. Because then, his armor would match mine."

Eric parked just outside of the forest and smiled at Taylor who smiled back. "Matching armor?"

"The only matching couple thing I like."

Eric leaned over and kissed her. "And I'd rather have a Joan of Arc than a Juliet."

"Well then, I'll keep my faith like Joan of Arc." Taylor then reached back and grabbed her bag. "Thanks, Eric."

"No problem."

She got out and they both left, Taylor to the Animarium and Eric to find Arthur Haarmann.