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

The Truth And The Past Hurt

Taylor was almost more scared of how Eric would react than she was of Arthur himself. Eric Myers was the only man who could keep up with her and even had his own fight to put up. She didn't want to tell him about her past this soon, but circumstances put a stop to her plans, as always.

They had only been dating for a few months, and this was only their third date. That is, if one would even call napping on a blanket in his yard a date. Even so, she knew he loved her, even if they hadn't said it yet. If he didn't, he wouldn't be holding her so close, wanting to comfort her rather than treat her as if she was last week's garbage like her former boyfriends had when they found out what had happened to her.

He was the first person she ever told about her daughter. Arthur had made sure Taylor was only able to give birth, which took a lot of convincing to even get that far, not keep or even name her. Her little girl was immediately adopted by a family she had never even met. She was so ashamed that she didn't even tell her dad, the police, or Alyssa.

She didn't know why she told him. She could trust him. But couldn't she trust Alyssa and her dad? What made Eric so special?

He wasn't yelling. He wasn't asking questions. He wasn't trying to make her feel better by saying things like, "I'm so sorry" or "you didn't deserve that." No. He was silently holding her. He was comforting her simply by being there and holding her.

She knew he was angry. She could feel it in the way he held her, the way his arms tightened around her waist when she said certain things. She knew he was mad at Arthur. If he was mad at her, he would've pushed her away rather than pulled her closer. They'd never seen this side of each other before. No one had. Taylor had always bottled up her emotions, especially after being held hostage. Arthur would beat her even more if she showed she was afraid. So she didn't show fear. Or any other emotion other than anger.

Once she reconnected with Alyssa after they became rangers, she started to show more. It was still hard for her though. But when Eric said his name, it triggered something in her. It brought back the memories she'd fought so hard to suppress. Memories of pain. Of betrayal. Of fear. Of loss. Of hopelessness.

While the Astro rangers were fighting Astronema and Dark Specter, Taylor was fighting her own battle. One that seemed even more hopeless. The world nearly ended, but at that point, she didn't care. Her world already had. Her daughter was stolen from her. Her life before was only a memory. All she had was memories that seemed to be from a thousand years before.

She'd write songs and she and her friends would preform them. No one knew it was them of course. It was fun while it lasted.

Trick riding with them. "Gymnastics on horseback," Taya used to say. She wondered how they were doing, Taya, Yumi, and Polly. Some of her closest friends growing up. Besides Alyssa, of course.

"What's her name?" Eric finally interrupted her thoughts.

"I don't know," she answered truthfully. "He never let me name her. I only got to hold her for a few minutes."

"Did you want her?"

She nodded. "I did. I still think about her all the time. I wish I could've kept her. Kept her safe. Kept her close. But I was only sixteen and he would've hurt her just to get to me. It was hard enough to convince him to let me even keep her alive."

"Do you know what happened to her?"

She shook her head. "Only that she was adopted immediately."

"Did you have a name picked out?"

"Gianna. God is gracious. It was my mom's middle name."

"Even with everything that happened? You wanted to name her that?"

"The circumstances of her conception was the farthest thing from ideal, but even though she didn't get to stay with me physically, she was always there. God was gracious enough to convince Arthur to let her live. Yes, He took her away from me, but I trust that He gave her to a family who can take care of her better than I ever could. If I hadn't have given her up, both of us could be dead right now.

"And as far as what happened, it still hurts. I've tried to push it down and forget it. It doesn't go away. But I survived," she realized. "Those circumstances made me who I am today. I'm stronger. Through it all, I heard my mom singing. There was one song she'd always sing before tucking me into bed."

"What was that?"

"Strangely enough, the name is "Untitled Hymn.""

"How does it go?"

She started singing softly.

"Weak and wounded sinner
Lost and left to die
Raise your head for love is passing by

Come to Jesus
Come to Jesus
Come to Jesus and live

Now your burden's lifted and carried far away
Precious blood has washed away the stain

So sing to Jesus
Sing to Jesus
Sing to Jesus and live

And like a newborn baby, don't be afraid to crawl
And remember when we walk, sometimes we fall

So fall on Jesus
Fall on Jesus
Fall on Jesus and live

Sometimes the way is lonely
It's deep and filled with pain
So if your sky is dark and coursed with rain

Then cry to Jesus
Cry to Jesus
Cry to Jesus and live

Oh, and when the love spills over and music fills the night
And when you can't contain your joy inside

Then dance for Jesus
Dance for Jesus
Dance for Jesus and live

With your final heartbeat, kiss the world goodbye
And go in peace, and laugh on glory's side

And fly to Jesus
Fly to Jesus
Fly to Jesus and live

Fly to Jesus
Fly to Jesus
Fly to Jesus and live"

By the time she finished, she was in tears and he was holding her.

"Stay here tonight," he told her.

"What?" she asked. "Why?"

"I want to make sure you're safe," he pushed a loose strand of blonde hair behind her ear. "The nightmares were about him, weren't they?"

She nodded. "Him and losing Gianna. I'll call Lyssa and get her to bring my stuff over." She paused. "I don't want to be alone."

He hugged her tightly. "I don't either," he confessed.