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estiroseWhile looking for an image of a certain character named Kiriya, I ran across a bunch of files, including "Different Assignments, Same Idea", which means that if I can figure out where I was going, I can revise back to my original version. After I get my Orphenochs done, of course.
Anyway, I also ran across this fic. I have no clue where I was going on this, so I'll just post it here.
Title: Recognition
Author: Estirose
Fandom: Power Rangers Time Force/Power Rangers in Space
Pairing: TJ/Katie
Rating: PG
Disclaimer: Not mine.
Summary: TJ meets a girl who actually has never heard of him.
Disclaimer: TJ and Katie don't belong to me. They belong to BVE. Joe belongs to me. No blenders were harmed in the making of this fic.
Author's notes: Set sometime after "Countdown to Destruction", likely before "Forever Red". Or maybe not.
Recognition
by Selma McCrory
copyright 2002
It was a sunny June 14th in the year 2003 when T.J. noticed he was being watched. Still, he was used to that - fame had it disadvantages, even for one who had seen his fifteen minutes go by. T.J. was still occasionally recognized, but a Ranger from several teams ago - even one who had saved the Earth - could get away with the occasional anonymity.
Still, he should have been unrecognizable. One person out of many who used the batting cages. Not anybody worth notice. Nobody had looked at him funny or asked for his autograph.
When the machine was through spewing baseballs at him, TJ walked out of the batting cage, closing the door behind him. "Hello," he said.
"Hi," his watcher answered. She was leaning against the wall that surrounded the cages. "I've never seen you here before. You're good."
"Haven't been here before," he answered.
"I come up here once a week, just to work out," the woman said. "As I said, haven't seen you before."
"Hey, Katie!" someone yelled, as he saw T.J., he stopped dumbfounded and added, "Holy...."
"Yeah, Joe?" the woman answered, obviously perplexed by the man's reaction.
"Hey, this is great," the man said, regaining his voice. "You're TJ Johnson? One of the Rangers? Wow." He started digging in his pockets, obviously looking for a piece of paper. Katie's expression cleared, and TJ winced. Katie hadn't known how he was before Joe had announced it.
Inwardly sighing, TJ reached for a pen. "You got a spare spot on that shirt?"
One signed shirt later, and TJ was able to pack up his things. Katie folded her arms as he shrugged his duffel bag onto his shoulder. "So, what did you do?"
"What did I do?" TJ asked.
"What did you do?" Katie asked. "I've known Joe for a while. He's never acted that way before. So, who are you?"
TJ stopped. Katie's curious expression got to him, and as he looked in her eyes, he wondered if he'd found the first person who didn't care that he was a celebrity, former or otherwise. "Come on, for that I'll treat you to lunch."
"Make it fifty-fifty and you've got a deal," Katie said.
* * *
They settled on pizza, more because Katie pointed out the local pizza parlor than anything else. It was nearly empty at that point in the afternoon. As they worked on their pizza (half extra cheese, half pepperoni and sausage), TJ looked at the woman in her yellow shirt and dark vest. "So you really don't know who I am?" he asked.
Katie shook her head. "No, but I'm really not from around here, so there's a lot of things I've missed. So, tell me, how did you get so famous?"
TJ looked at Katie's curly hair and deep eyes, and took a breath. "You really don't know?"
Katie shook her head.
"All right. I'm a Power Ranger."
He waited to see what reaction his words would have on Katie. She blinked. "So, that's why Joe wanted your autograph. What did you do?"
Folding his hands, TJ sighed. "Just saved Earth and a good part of the universe."
Katie smiled. "That's modest." Her tone held amusement.
"Hey, it's the truth." He studied her. "You really don't recognize me, do you?"
She shook her head. "Sorry. I've seen the Lightspeed Rangers, though."
TJ nodded at that. "You're the first person that I've met that isn't overawed by me being a former Ranger."
His companion unexpectedly laughed. "You're not the first person to be a hero, TJ. I was just a local one."
"Oh," he said.
"I was just doing my job," Katie said, "Doing what I knew was right... and when I came home, I was a hero. Granted, I didn't save the entire universe, but...." She smiled tiredly. "I got asked to come here, and at least here nobody knows who I am, nor cares."
TJ smiled at that. "So what did you do? Who are you?"
"Nobody," Katie answered.
"So am I," TJ said. "Or I try to be."
Katie smiled. "I really mean it. I'm nobody here, and glad to be that way. I never wanted to be famous."
"Neither did I," TJ said. "I wish there had been a way to win the day without everyone knowing who I was. I maybe wanted to be a famous baseball star someday... but I didn't want to be famous like this."
Katie gave him a small smile. "Fame has its disadvantages."
"It certainly does."
"That's what you were doing over at Matt's. Being anonymous."
"I try to be. Half the world knows I'm into baseball. I guess since my family was on this trip, I might as well try someplace where people wouldn't recognize me."
His companion smiled. "Didn't work out as well as you hoped."
"Nope," he said, downing half his drink. "Never does. I wish I could get away entirely, like you say you did."
"I'll have to go back someday," Katie said. "Probably soon."
TJ nodded.
"So, how do you cope?" she asked.
"Try not to be recognized," TJ asked. "Sometimes I think about moving to KO-35, but I'd be just as big a hero there."
"That's what you get for being a universal hero," Katie teased. But her expression turned somber. "Hold on, TJ. You'll cope. I know you will."
"I hope so," he echoed.
They finished eating their pizza in silence.
* * *
"So, what are *you* doing here?" TJ asked Katie.
Katie shrugged. "Living here."
He leaned forward. "There's gotta be more to it than that."
TJ's companion shrugged. "Not much. I'm doing some stuff, getting away from things."
"Away from fame," he stated.
"I've had my fifteen minutes," Katie stated. "Besides, I didn't quit doing what I did when I became famous... and I didn't do it to be famous, so it really doesn't matter to me. It's just... nice not to be recognized."
"You're telling me," TJ stated. "Me... I got into Rangering because I was chosen to be one. I was taking a bus and I heard a noise... couldn't keep myself from investigating. Ended up saving my predecessor." He knew that it was risky, describing things like that, but it safely left Cassie and Kat out, and besides, most people could figure out that he wasn't the original Red Ranger.
Katie smiled. "I got into it accidentally too. But I wouldn't trade what I did for not being famous. Besides, someday people'll forget who I am."
"Yeah," TJ agreed, looking forward to that day. "I wouldn't trade being a Ranger for anything."
"Neither would I," Katie echoed.
TJ smiled at that. "I'm surprised you're not peppering me with questions about what it's like being a Ranger."
Katie shrugged at that. "Why should I? You've told me you don't regret it... and that's enough for me. I've had my own scrape with being well-known, and I didn't like it very much."
"Thanks. It's nice talking to someone who wants to know ever detail about my life as a Ranger."
"If it's as boring as my time as a police officer," Katie said, "Then I don't want to hear it."
"You were a police officer?" TJ asked, looking at her.
"Among other things. I quit for a year and did various and sundry jobs."
"Oh," TJ said.
"i went back to being a police officer for a while... but I'm off for personal reasons. Someday I'll go back again."
TJ grinned. "I'm sure you will."
"So, what are you doing out here?" Katie asked. "Out in the middle of nowhere."
"Seeing family for a month," TJ said.
Katie nodded. "Maybe I'll see you around the batting cages."
"Not when half the town now knows that TJ Johnson is doing batting practice there," TJ said.
Katie nodded. "How about the local field? I'll pitch, you bat."
"You wouldn't believe how good that sounds," TJ said.
* * *
So, with a few calls, TJ ended up walking to a local, thankfully deserted baseball diamond. "So, how'd you get into baseball... softball?" TJ asked.
"Baseball. My friend Wes got me into it," Katie said. "He said it was great exercise, which it was. Then we got Trip and Lucas into it. Trip was better watching than playing, though."
Her eyes held some element of sadness that he wasn't sure he wanted to remark on. "So, you played it a lot?"
"After Trip, Lucas, and I went home, no," Katie said. "That was after I left the force, and four of us ended up doing odd jobs to keep ourselves fed. When the business folded, Wes stayed, but we went. I kinda lost interest after that... besides, I forgot to pack my baseball. I only got back into it when I came here."
"Bet it feels better to be up against a human opponent," TJ suggested.
"Oh, much, much better. That way, I know to pull my punches," Katie said, before smiling and striding through the gate and across the field to the pitcher's mound.
TJ grinned, took his bat and helmet out of his gym back, and went to join her.
* * *
It became a routine for the two of them. Spend some time at the basebal diamond, and then go out for pizza. Katie loved pizza, and given the pizza place, TJ didn't blame her.
"Don't worry," he said, "I don't think anyone'll notice the hole in the fence."
Katie gave him an embarrassed smile. "I hope not." Somehow, Katie had managed to throw the ball so fast that she'd made a hole in the chain-link fence. She had quite an arm on her and TJ had to wonder why she'd gone into police work instead of sports. Her fastball was to die for... even if he'd had to tell her a few times to slow her pitch down. And sometimes he wondered if his bat would ever be the same.
"Besides, you're a natural. Did anyone tell you that?"
"You, a few times," Katie teased.
TJ paused at that. "Didn't you play any sports while at home?"
Katie shook her head. "Not really. I'm really strong, TJ, and I was kind of the world's clumbsiest person when I was growing up." She paused and shook her head. "And now I'm sounding like Trip."
"So, who's Trip?" TJ asked.
"A friend of mine," Katie said evasively, just as she had every time he'd tried to bring up her past. There were some things she'd tell him, other things that she wouldn't, and what she would and what she wouldn't made no sense. Still, as someone who had had his life pried into, TJ understood. Sometimes he didn't want to explain everything about himself either.
"Ok." He tried a different angle. "How much did you learn about curve balls?"
She smiled mischievously in reply.
Anyway, I also ran across this fic. I have no clue where I was going on this, so I'll just post it here.
Title: Recognition
Author: Estirose
Fandom: Power Rangers Time Force/Power Rangers in Space
Pairing: TJ/Katie
Rating: PG
Disclaimer: Not mine.
Summary: TJ meets a girl who actually has never heard of him.
Disclaimer: TJ and Katie don't belong to me. They belong to BVE. Joe belongs to me. No blenders were harmed in the making of this fic.
Author's notes: Set sometime after "Countdown to Destruction", likely before "Forever Red". Or maybe not.
Recognition
by Selma McCrory
copyright 2002
It was a sunny June 14th in the year 2003 when T.J. noticed he was being watched. Still, he was used to that - fame had it disadvantages, even for one who had seen his fifteen minutes go by. T.J. was still occasionally recognized, but a Ranger from several teams ago - even one who had saved the Earth - could get away with the occasional anonymity.
Still, he should have been unrecognizable. One person out of many who used the batting cages. Not anybody worth notice. Nobody had looked at him funny or asked for his autograph.
When the machine was through spewing baseballs at him, TJ walked out of the batting cage, closing the door behind him. "Hello," he said.
"Hi," his watcher answered. She was leaning against the wall that surrounded the cages. "I've never seen you here before. You're good."
"Haven't been here before," he answered.
"I come up here once a week, just to work out," the woman said. "As I said, haven't seen you before."
"Hey, Katie!" someone yelled, as he saw T.J., he stopped dumbfounded and added, "Holy...."
"Yeah, Joe?" the woman answered, obviously perplexed by the man's reaction.
"Hey, this is great," the man said, regaining his voice. "You're TJ Johnson? One of the Rangers? Wow." He started digging in his pockets, obviously looking for a piece of paper. Katie's expression cleared, and TJ winced. Katie hadn't known how he was before Joe had announced it.
Inwardly sighing, TJ reached for a pen. "You got a spare spot on that shirt?"
One signed shirt later, and TJ was able to pack up his things. Katie folded her arms as he shrugged his duffel bag onto his shoulder. "So, what did you do?"
"What did I do?" TJ asked.
"What did you do?" Katie asked. "I've known Joe for a while. He's never acted that way before. So, who are you?"
TJ stopped. Katie's curious expression got to him, and as he looked in her eyes, he wondered if he'd found the first person who didn't care that he was a celebrity, former or otherwise. "Come on, for that I'll treat you to lunch."
"Make it fifty-fifty and you've got a deal," Katie said.
* * *
They settled on pizza, more because Katie pointed out the local pizza parlor than anything else. It was nearly empty at that point in the afternoon. As they worked on their pizza (half extra cheese, half pepperoni and sausage), TJ looked at the woman in her yellow shirt and dark vest. "So you really don't know who I am?" he asked.
Katie shook her head. "No, but I'm really not from around here, so there's a lot of things I've missed. So, tell me, how did you get so famous?"
TJ looked at Katie's curly hair and deep eyes, and took a breath. "You really don't know?"
Katie shook her head.
"All right. I'm a Power Ranger."
He waited to see what reaction his words would have on Katie. She blinked. "So, that's why Joe wanted your autograph. What did you do?"
Folding his hands, TJ sighed. "Just saved Earth and a good part of the universe."
Katie smiled. "That's modest." Her tone held amusement.
"Hey, it's the truth." He studied her. "You really don't recognize me, do you?"
She shook her head. "Sorry. I've seen the Lightspeed Rangers, though."
TJ nodded at that. "You're the first person that I've met that isn't overawed by me being a former Ranger."
His companion unexpectedly laughed. "You're not the first person to be a hero, TJ. I was just a local one."
"Oh," he said.
"I was just doing my job," Katie said, "Doing what I knew was right... and when I came home, I was a hero. Granted, I didn't save the entire universe, but...." She smiled tiredly. "I got asked to come here, and at least here nobody knows who I am, nor cares."
TJ smiled at that. "So what did you do? Who are you?"
"Nobody," Katie answered.
"So am I," TJ said. "Or I try to be."
Katie smiled. "I really mean it. I'm nobody here, and glad to be that way. I never wanted to be famous."
"Neither did I," TJ said. "I wish there had been a way to win the day without everyone knowing who I was. I maybe wanted to be a famous baseball star someday... but I didn't want to be famous like this."
Katie gave him a small smile. "Fame has its disadvantages."
"It certainly does."
"That's what you were doing over at Matt's. Being anonymous."
"I try to be. Half the world knows I'm into baseball. I guess since my family was on this trip, I might as well try someplace where people wouldn't recognize me."
His companion smiled. "Didn't work out as well as you hoped."
"Nope," he said, downing half his drink. "Never does. I wish I could get away entirely, like you say you did."
"I'll have to go back someday," Katie said. "Probably soon."
TJ nodded.
"So, how do you cope?" she asked.
"Try not to be recognized," TJ asked. "Sometimes I think about moving to KO-35, but I'd be just as big a hero there."
"That's what you get for being a universal hero," Katie teased. But her expression turned somber. "Hold on, TJ. You'll cope. I know you will."
"I hope so," he echoed.
They finished eating their pizza in silence.
* * *
"So, what are *you* doing here?" TJ asked Katie.
Katie shrugged. "Living here."
He leaned forward. "There's gotta be more to it than that."
TJ's companion shrugged. "Not much. I'm doing some stuff, getting away from things."
"Away from fame," he stated.
"I've had my fifteen minutes," Katie stated. "Besides, I didn't quit doing what I did when I became famous... and I didn't do it to be famous, so it really doesn't matter to me. It's just... nice not to be recognized."
"You're telling me," TJ stated. "Me... I got into Rangering because I was chosen to be one. I was taking a bus and I heard a noise... couldn't keep myself from investigating. Ended up saving my predecessor." He knew that it was risky, describing things like that, but it safely left Cassie and Kat out, and besides, most people could figure out that he wasn't the original Red Ranger.
Katie smiled. "I got into it accidentally too. But I wouldn't trade what I did for not being famous. Besides, someday people'll forget who I am."
"Yeah," TJ agreed, looking forward to that day. "I wouldn't trade being a Ranger for anything."
"Neither would I," Katie echoed.
TJ smiled at that. "I'm surprised you're not peppering me with questions about what it's like being a Ranger."
Katie shrugged at that. "Why should I? You've told me you don't regret it... and that's enough for me. I've had my own scrape with being well-known, and I didn't like it very much."
"Thanks. It's nice talking to someone who wants to know ever detail about my life as a Ranger."
"If it's as boring as my time as a police officer," Katie said, "Then I don't want to hear it."
"You were a police officer?" TJ asked, looking at her.
"Among other things. I quit for a year and did various and sundry jobs."
"Oh," TJ said.
"i went back to being a police officer for a while... but I'm off for personal reasons. Someday I'll go back again."
TJ grinned. "I'm sure you will."
"So, what are you doing out here?" Katie asked. "Out in the middle of nowhere."
"Seeing family for a month," TJ said.
Katie nodded. "Maybe I'll see you around the batting cages."
"Not when half the town now knows that TJ Johnson is doing batting practice there," TJ said.
Katie nodded. "How about the local field? I'll pitch, you bat."
"You wouldn't believe how good that sounds," TJ said.
* * *
So, with a few calls, TJ ended up walking to a local, thankfully deserted baseball diamond. "So, how'd you get into baseball... softball?" TJ asked.
"Baseball. My friend Wes got me into it," Katie said. "He said it was great exercise, which it was. Then we got Trip and Lucas into it. Trip was better watching than playing, though."
Her eyes held some element of sadness that he wasn't sure he wanted to remark on. "So, you played it a lot?"
"After Trip, Lucas, and I went home, no," Katie said. "That was after I left the force, and four of us ended up doing odd jobs to keep ourselves fed. When the business folded, Wes stayed, but we went. I kinda lost interest after that... besides, I forgot to pack my baseball. I only got back into it when I came here."
"Bet it feels better to be up against a human opponent," TJ suggested.
"Oh, much, much better. That way, I know to pull my punches," Katie said, before smiling and striding through the gate and across the field to the pitcher's mound.
TJ grinned, took his bat and helmet out of his gym back, and went to join her.
* * *
It became a routine for the two of them. Spend some time at the basebal diamond, and then go out for pizza. Katie loved pizza, and given the pizza place, TJ didn't blame her.
"Don't worry," he said, "I don't think anyone'll notice the hole in the fence."
Katie gave him an embarrassed smile. "I hope not." Somehow, Katie had managed to throw the ball so fast that she'd made a hole in the chain-link fence. She had quite an arm on her and TJ had to wonder why she'd gone into police work instead of sports. Her fastball was to die for... even if he'd had to tell her a few times to slow her pitch down. And sometimes he wondered if his bat would ever be the same.
"Besides, you're a natural. Did anyone tell you that?"
"You, a few times," Katie teased.
TJ paused at that. "Didn't you play any sports while at home?"
Katie shook her head. "Not really. I'm really strong, TJ, and I was kind of the world's clumbsiest person when I was growing up." She paused and shook her head. "And now I'm sounding like Trip."
"So, who's Trip?" TJ asked.
"A friend of mine," Katie said evasively, just as she had every time he'd tried to bring up her past. There were some things she'd tell him, other things that she wouldn't, and what she would and what she wouldn't made no sense. Still, as someone who had had his life pried into, TJ understood. Sometimes he didn't want to explain everything about himself either.
"Ok." He tried a different angle. "How much did you learn about curve balls?"
She smiled mischievously in reply.
