Two Sides, Same Coin (Opposites Attract, 2nd gen)

[estinose]

I've had the 2nd gen Ranger team of Opposites Attract show up before on this list; here's a second appearance. In this one, Ian comes to the spotlight with Tomorrow Person girlfriend Olivia.

The title comes from the fact that the Tomorrow People and the Power Rangers balance each other out. They're both trying to save Earth, but in different ways. Still, not even they always realize that, and that sometimes causes a problem.


Disclaimer: The concepts of the Power Rangers and the Tomorrow People don't belong to me, but Ian and Olivia do.

Two Sides, Same Coin
by Selma McCrory
copyright 1998

Ian lay on the picnic blanket. Despite the fact that it was early January, he was dressed in a t-shirt and shorts. Beside him, Olivia dozed. She looked so cute there, sound asleep in the Australian sunlight. But soon, they'd have to go home, her to the east coast, himself to the west.

He couldn't believe he'd fallen in love with her. Olivia was a Tomorrow Person, a peaceful telepath. He was a Ranger, a warrior who fought to save the world. Yet, it had almost been love at first sight. He'd brought up the topic, she'd smiled and said, "Ian, it really doesn't matter. I've been around Teresa long enough to know that we're not mutually exclusive."

Ah, yes, Teresa. Ranger teammate, early crush, potential Tomorrow Person. They'd gotten along so well because they were both of multiple heritages. His had been more obvious than hers. Part asian, part white, part black, but looking as black as his mother. But Teresa had understood. Teresa's worlds didn't have anything to do with the color of her skin, but a conflict in worlds that nobody knew existed. Nobody but maybe a small percentage of the population. Perhaps that was why she balanced them so well.

He wasn't surprised that he'd fallen in love with her. Graceful, athletic, good-looking. A person that his parents knew well and wouldn't have problems with. Problem was, she'd never noticed him as more than a friend. At least he wasn't alone in that - she'd never noticed Lucas mooning over her, either. And Lucas would be a better choice for her, anyway. Ian was far too quiet for her.

Ian was definitely surprised when Olivia had agreed to the date. He knew that Olivia was one of the least judgemental of Teresa's friends, but he hadn't known if her tolerance had extended to actually dating a Ranger. It had. And, actually, both the Tomorrow People and the Rangers approved when they'd started dating. Surprising, actually, for both Lucas and Melissa. Actually, Melissa just had problems with Teresa being a Ranger and with Lucas' attitude. She didn't have trouble with Ian, personally.

But Olivia had been the only one he felt free to discuss Teresa with. They both knew what might happen to her, and both could understand her desire not to be forced to be one or another.

It was amazing what they had in common. Olivia was also mixed-race, white with some asian ancestry. In fact, she was kind of like him, one-fourth Korean. Except she looked white. But that wasn't all they had in common. Both were quiet, moderate. Both didn't always agree with their leaders, but didn't feel the need to be noisy in their opinions. Talking to her was like talking to a slightly different version of himself. In fact, she was more like him than Teresa was- just a slightly different side of the coin. And a beautiful one at that, he realized as he gazed at her.

Ian brushed a lock of Olivia's hair out of her face. She opened her eyes and smiled. "Love you, Ian."

"Love you," he echoed.

-The End