Fathers and Sons

[Ellen Brand]

Disclaimer (the fine print): Mighty Morphin Power Rangers and associated indicia do not belong to me. They are the property of the high and mighty Haim Saban and his Sabanettes. Thanks to Kittie and other fanfic writers for the names of Billy's parents and early history. Thanks to my best friend Jen Bigley for Rocky's girlfriend Katarina, the circumstances of his first girlfriend Jennifer's death, and the setup of the Morphin powers. Any resemblance to beings living, dead, or in between is purely coincidental. Remember, if you or any of your IM force are caught or killed, the Secretary will disavow any knowledge of your operation.

This fanfic is rated PG by the Motion Picture Association of America for language and violent content. Parental Guidance is suggested. This story contains the use of a firearm.

Note: This story takes place in the same universe as "Personality Conflicts," and takes place after. Kat's with Dave (Tommy's brother), Chelsea's with Trey. Any other questions?
Fathers And Sons
by Ellen Brand

..........Hearing the garage door open, Adam Park looked up from his school work and grimaced. That sound could only mean one thing. His father was home from work. Not what he needed right now.

..........Not that Adam didn't love his father; he did, very much so. It was just that they had so little in common. It seemed that all they ever did anymore was argue, especially about the Power Rangers. Trevor Park was a detective with the Angel Grove Police Department, Homicide division. He was a good man, kind, caring, dedicated to his job but always around when his family needed him. The only problem was that he hated the Power Rangers. Well, maybe "hated" was a strong word. Detective Park felt that the Power Rangers were dangerous hot-doggers who caused almost as much trouble as they prevented. Adam wondered what his reaction would be if he knew that his son was second-in-command of the people he disliked so much. Probably a heart attack.

.........."Adam, Franklin!" his mother called. "Dinner time!" Adam put his book away, stretched, and went to go knock on the door to Franklin's room.

.........."Hey, Frank. Dinner's on," he remarked, pushing his way through the door. As he had expected, Franklin had his nose buried in a book, yet another sword and sorcery novel based on a role-playing game. "Franklin, what are you reading?" he asked, curiously. He didn't think he'd ever seen this series before.

..........Franklin grinned shyly. He held the book up to Adam, who couldn't help gasping. "Power Rangers Crystal Quest? Franklin, where did you get this?"

.........."The library," the thirteen-year-old answered innocently.

.........."Somehow, I doubt the Rangers are getting a cut of this," Adam chuckled.

.........."Well, see, the guy who writes them says that since he can't contact the Rangers to send them royalty checks, he's donating what would be their shares to charity."

..........Adam smiled. "That's probably what they'd do with it if they could get it," he told his little brother. "C'mon, Mom's calling us for dinner." The two boys walked down the stairs, teasing each other good-naturedly as they went.

..........Sitting down at the table, Adam looked at his father. Trevor Park was smiling at his wife, so it didn't look as if the day had been a really bad one. "So dad, how was your day?" Adam asked, testing the waters.

.........."Fairly good. We had someone bring in a nutcase who was convinced he was the Lord of Evil. Since he didn't zap anybody or call putties out of the ground, we labeled him as just another kook. He's probably staring at the inside of a rubber room right now. You know, the worst thing about living in Angel Grove is that you have to take some of these guys seriously. There really are gold flying monkeys walking around." Trevor shook his head. Just then, his beeper and Adam's communicator went off at the same time. Adam excused himself and headed for the bathroom, glad that no one could hear the tone of his communicator under his dad's beeper.

.........."What's the matter, Zordon?" Adam asked.

.........."Lord Zedd has sent down a monster called Warpitor. The monster has the power to warp the fabric of reality, setting up barriers and even transporting its victims to other planets or into other dimensions. You must go to the park and confront him. The other Rangers will join you as soon as they can."

.........."I'm on it, Zordon." He exited the bathroom just in time to see his father hanging up the phone. "Sorry, honey," Trevor sighed, kissing his wife on the cheek. "A witness just turned up in the Sandowski case. I have to go downtown and interview her. I'll be back later tonight. Don't hold dinner." He headed for the garage, leaving Mrs. Park to stare at her dinner in resignation.

.........."Um, Mom, I have to go over to Rocky's. I told him we'd study together this evening, okay?" Adam asked hurriedly.

.........."And what about dinner?" Mrs. Park asked, hands on her hips.

.........."Mom, I'm really not hungry right now. If I get hungry later, there's always food at Rocky's, at least as long as you can stand guacamole."

.........."All right, go," she sighed. "Well, Franklin, I guess it's just you and me," she remarked as her older son sped out the door.