DISCLAIMER: The following do not belong to me: Mighty Morphin Power Rangers, JLA, & Beauty and the Beast. They belong to the following, respectfully: Saban, DC, & Republic Pictures, which means if you’re expecting the Disney version, you’re going to be disappointed. I moved up the Beauty & the Beast storyline, and I am doing this fic because I am a MAJOR fan of Catherine & Vincent, and thought that the last year of the show was a major downer, and this is my opportunity to give the star-crossed lovers a happy ending instead.
The First Time I Loved Forever
by Carl Turner
Gotham City
Tommy Oliver, the White Ranger, was helping the Batman with the capture of an unknown financial crook, and Two-Face, who was being bankrolled by the crook. Together, the 2 heroes stopped a shipment of cocaine from hitting the streets. Having trashed their hideout, they discovered so far a coke-processing plant, mounds of unrefined cocaine, countless hand guns, tons of money, and other items.
Tommy heard a woman scraming “VINCENT!” from the upper-level, and a man yelling “Shut up, bitch, no one’s gonna hear you!” followed by a slapping sound. “BATMAN! Something’s going on upstairs, I’m gonna find out what it is!”
“BE CAREFUL! We still don’t know what these scum is capable of!” Batman yelled to him. With that warning still ringing in his ears, Tommy dashed up the stairs, to a room at the top. Smashing the door down, he discovered a woman tied to a bed, and a steroid case about to slug her.
Red hot anger and instinct took over, and soon the White Ranger kicked him across the room, snarling “So, you get your thrills & kicks beating up defenseless women, huh? Well, here’s how I get mine, you no good son of a bitch!” Within seconds, Tommy trashed the man within an inch of his life, finally knocking him out. He then went to check on the woman, to see what her condition was, and got the shock of his life.
The woman, although sporting a black eye and a split lip, seemed to be in good physical condition. Long light brown hair framed her face, blue eyes still alert, voice gentle. However, she was still disoriented by her surroundings
“You’re…you can’t be! Hold on, let me get you out of that thing!” Tommy quickly untied her, and helped her out of the bed, taking her downstairs to where Batman had basically just cleaned house. The Dark Knight had the same reaction when he saw her. Her only reply: “Please. You must help me get back to New York.”
Tommy spoke up then. “I’d say a quick trip to New York is in order. But, Batman, do you really think that…”
Still stunned, Batman told him “Normally, I’d say no, but oddly enough, my instincts tell me that this woman really is Catherine Chandler.”
New York City, Underground
Hal Jordan and Isis were fixing up a new generator for an underground civilization known simply as the Tunnel World. With them were Trini Kwan, Zack Taylor, Kimberly Hart, Jason Lee Scott, Wonder Woman, and both Hawkman & Hawkwoman. An older gentleman, known only as Father, thanked them for their help as they moved into another chamber, where they met another man with long hair, like a lion’s mane, a lion’s face, and clawlike hands. He was tending to a baby in his crib. Isis asked him “How are you holding up, Vincent? I mean, you’ve lost so much in the past 6 months.”
His response was “I miss her. They robbed her of her son, of her life. They robbed us of a glorious spirit and a loving soul. There is no reason, no excuse for…” He stopped suddenly, set Jacob gently in his crib, and dashed past the shocked heroes towards the upper tunnels.
“What got into him?” Trini asked.
“He hasn’t been the same since…I’ll explain on the way, right now, time to find out why he just took off like that.” Isis told them.
Central Park, above the tunnels
“This is not a good place to be at night! Why did you ask to come here?” Batman asked.
“Catherine!“ Tommy yelled.
But Catherine Chandler had one particular destination in mind, and nothing and no one was going to keep her from reaching it. Batman quickly took Tommy aside, and explained the one thing that no one else outside of the Tunnel world, Zordon, or the JLA knew.
At the same time, Isis & Hal revealed to the others the bond that Vincent & Catherine had. Jason asked “He could sense whenever she was in danger? Then why couldn’t he…”
Trini broke in. “I have an idea. She had just given birth to Jacob, and his empathy for her might have been temporarily transfered to him.”
“Well, that explains that, but why is he acting like this now.” Zack asked. They were following Vincent, who seemed to go faster.
Batman & Tommy quickly raced after the woman in Central Park. “Is she really trying to get back to…him?” Tommy asked.
“It would be the one logical place for her to…” Batman quickly broke it off and motioned for Tommy to stop. Coincidentally, everyone else had followed Vincent above. What happened next seemed to come right out of an old romantic movie. Or a fairy tale.
Vincent raced out into the night, calling “Catherine.” To the amazement of everyone there, she ran right into his arms, crying “Vincent.” The Rangers & the Leaguers were in shock as Batman & Tommy quickly tried to explain to everyone what had happened. Kimberly said it for everyone there. “I guess it’s really true. Love really does conquer all.
In father’s chamber, Batman did his best to explain what was going on. “From what Tommy & I were able to discover, Gabriel had crooked doctors & scientists in his pocket, and was able to obtain from them a serum that, once in the body, simulates death for 96-98 hours. Once that was taken care of, he combed the morgues to find a deceased woman the same height, age, eye, hair color, & build as Catherine. A little plastic surgery, and you have Catherine Chandler’s corpse.”
Isis then asked “Why go to all that trouble?”
“I think I know.” Jason spoke up. “This…Gabriel…probably wanted to drive Vincent insane, most likely to the point of suicide. That answered, all that remains is: how did he find out about them in the first place?”
“I don’t know, but in any case, Gabriel’s dead, and his organization is in ruins. He won’t be giving them any more trouble, at least not anytime soon.” Batman finished.
“How’s Catherine doing?” Jason asked.
“She & Vincent haven’t left each other’s side since their reunion. Zack, Kimberly, Trini, Tommy, Wonder Woman, Black Canary, & the Hawks are with them now.” Hal told them
In Vincent’s chamber, he, Catherine, and the JLAers present were talking about all that had happened. Zack had a question for them. “How are you going to explain this. I mean, you just can’t walk back into the D.A.’s office Monday morning and say ‘Hi, everyone, I’m back from the dead, how was your weekend?’ Can you imagine?”
Kimberly added “Yeah, I can just see people screaming and fainting on the spot.”
“Actually, I prefer to stay here with Vincent & my son. I would love to talk with some friends before I leave that life behind, but, are you sure that group won’t cause any more trouble for my son?” Catherine asked.
“The League trashed the last of his holdings, so we’re pretty sure he won’t be causing you any more grief.” Trini told her.
Right then, the communicators went off. “We read you, Zordon.” Zack quickly spoke into the device.
“Rangers, although I am relieved to hear that Miss Chandler is alive, I do have some distressing news. Gabriel has connections to the one-time Legion of Doom, now known as the Legion of Dada. This means that she is still in grave danger.”
“I will not expose Catherine or my child to any more terrors. I have to stop them and make sure they do not bring their evil to this world.” Vincent quickly vowed.
“I’ve got an idea. Wonder Woman, isn’t Themyscira in an alternate dimension, and anywhere the Amazons choose it to be?” Kimberly asked.
“Great Hera, of course! I’ll contact Mother right now, and ask her about this.”
Zordon spoke “I will contact your mother. I just hope Hippolyta can help us in this case. In the meantime, Billy & Samantha are on their way to join you right now. Farewell.”
Batman quickly charged into the chamber. “Rangers, your old goat friend Rita just sent down a monster created after the lamest, most stupid dance craze. It’s…get this…the Macarenatron.
“You have GOT to be kidding!” Zack groaned.
“I really wish I were. It’s already as big as the Empire State Building. You need to call your zords…now!”
2 colored flashes of light came in, then solidified into Billy Cranston, the Blue Ranger, and Samantha Dean, the Purple Ranger. “Just in time, guys, we’ve got work to do!” Jason shouted. This was followed by 2 more flashes of color, red & silver. They were Andros…and a silver Ranger. Andros quickly spoke up “There are a pack of Quantrons headed here, and the monster may just be to draw your attention away from them. I’ll explain my friend later, right now, we’ve got work to do.”
In minutes, the Rangers joined Jason in the middle of Central Park. “OK, GUYS, LET’S SHOW ‘EM THE POWER OF THUNDER!”
“MASTADON-LION THUNDERZORD POWER!”
“PTERODACTYL-FIREBIRD THUNDERZORD POWER!”
“WHITE TIGER THUNDERZORD POWER!”
“SABRETOOTH TIGER-GRIFFIN THUNDERZORD POWER!”
“TRICERATOPS-UNICORN THUNDERZORD POWER!”
“STEGASAURUS-MEDUSA THUNDERZORD POWER!”
“TYRRANOSAURUS-RED DRAGON THUNDERZORD POWER!”
Soon, the Thunderzords merged and formed the MegaThunderZord, while the Tigerzord assumed it’s warrior mode. Just in time, the Macarenatron was gyrating badly, and that music was deafening.
“Oh, brother, I don’t know which is worse, the monster, it’s dancing, or the song it’s dancing to!” Samantha frowned.
Tommy shouted “Hal! I’ve got a plan. If the music was taken away, it would affect the monster. How about it?”
“Worth a shot. I found 2 heavy-duty loudspeakers on either side of the building. Let’s trash those babies, besides, I hate that damn song too!” Hal fired a intense blast on one speaker, while Tommy’s zord picked up the other speaker, and threw it on the ground, trashing it completely. Both speakers were trashed, and it had a marked effect on the monster, who was now totally confused.
“While it’s off balance, guys, THUNDERSABRE, ENGAGE!” Jason shouted.
One incredible slash later, the monster was history. “Rita must really be losing her touch.” Billy replied.
Cogs tried to gain entrance to the Tunnel World, but were stopped at every turn by Batman, Wonder Woman, Black Canary, Hawkman, Hawkwoman, and the Red & Silver Lightstar Rangers.
“Good thing Jason taught me this. TORNADO KICK!” Andros did that move almost letter perfect, trashing his group of cogs. Calling over to the Silver Lightstar, he asked “Zhane, how’re you doing?”
“These are Mondo’s footsoldiers? Talk about pathetic! SUPERSILVERIZER!” Zhane finished off the other cogs, while Batman nailed Prince Gaskett. “Give up, you walking videogame. You’re through!”
“HMPH! Do you really think that you, a mere human, can ever catch me? ME? I am the heir to the Machine Empire, I can make your insignificant existence end right now! I…” He was cut off by a sonic scream that trashed his motors, a gift from Black Canary. “GET OVER YOURSELF, GASKETT!” she yelled.
Bolts of electricity were soon fired at the heroes by Archerina, Gaskett’s wife, shouting “Release my beloved, now!” These were soon shot back her by Wonder Woman, who deflected each shot with her bracelets. One shot, she yelled “Hey, Archerina, EAT THIS!” and shot it back so that it fried her neurons and motor functions, effectively putting the mechanical villainess out of action.
The other Rangers & Green Lantern soon came back after destroying the Macarenatron and sending the zords back to their hiding places. Trini asked “Um, Andros, is this…?”
“Zhane. He just woke up from a 2-year cryosleep, and just in time too. Things are getting weirder than before.
“Hi.” Zhane said rather simply.
After hellos were given, the communicators went off again. “We read you, Zordon.” Tommy quickly spoke.
Instead, Queen Hippolyta’s voice rang from the device. “Thomas, is my daughter there? I must speak with her.
“I’m right here, Mother.” Wonder Woman told her. After a quick conversation, she told them “We can go ahead with plans for Vincent & Catherine, but we’d better hurry. We’ve only got 22 hours, so we’ve got no time to lose.
14 hours later, Themyscira: With the Rangers, the JLAers, and Hippolyta watching, Tommy told Vincent & Catherine “Kyle said he’d keep an eye on the Tunnel World from time to time. Are you sure you both want to do this?”
Yes. If this is the only way that we can be together, so be it. I just cannot live my life without Vincent or my child.” Catherine told them.
“My life without her has been empty. I will not go back to that existence, for there is no life without Catherine. This is also what I wish to do.” Vincent finished.
Isis joined them. “Is everyone ready?” the human goddess asked.
Vincent & Catherine looked at both each other, then their son. As one, they said “We’re ready.”
Catherine looked at the heroes assembled. “None of this would have been possible if not for you. You saved us both. Thank you.”
“You have given me the best part of my life back. Even with my son, I would be incomplete. There are no words that can express my gratitude.” Vincent added.
Kimberly smiled. “This is like a fairy tale come to life. I hope the 3 of you have a beautiful life together.” The others echoed those same wishes.
Hippolyta walked up to the couple. “All is in readiness. This is basically a storybook dimension. You will both fit right in. Hurry now, it is time.”
The doorway was opened, and to both Kimberly & Trini’s joy, fairies, unicorns, and deer were in a lush, beautiful forest. 2 women appeared, saying “They may enter now.”
Vincent, Catherine, and their child went to the portal, looked at the Rangers & the JLAers one last time, then walked through. As they held each other, the portal faded, maybe for forever.
Everyone stood there for a long time, lost in thought. Then they all looked at each other. “Come on, guys, let’s go home.” Jason finished.
4 days later, Angel Grove Park:
Trini & Billy were talking as they sat down under a shady tree, as the sun was rather hot that day. They were talking about what had happened in this last adventure.
“I was thinking about Black Canary and how her relationship with Oliver Queen went sour just before he died, and about Vincent & Catherine, and how theirs just gets stronger, no matter what gets in their way. Both of those tell me something, Trini.” Billy revealed.
“There is a difference between the 2. Vincent & Catherine were, and are, sensitive to each other, and their needs. BC however was sensitive and caring, but her deal with Oliver was a one-way street. It was doomed from the start.”
“I don’t want that to happen to us, Trini. I won’t let it. I love you, with every fibre of my being, and I will always be there for you. Also, look at what’s happened because of this: Zack’s spending more time with Angela, Jason & Jamie seem to be joined at the hip, Tommy & Kimberly are making wedding plans, Batman & Wonder Woman are shooting looks at each other, and Samantha’s dating Skull. That one I still don’t believe!”
“YOU don’t believe it? Anyway, I definitely don’t want to spend the rest of my life with anyone else but you, Billy. It’s you and me from here on out.” Trini told him. Nothing else neede to be said as they drew each other into a gentle embrace.
THE FIRST TIME I LOVED FOREVER
The first time I loved forever was when you whispered my name
And I knew at once you loved me, for the me of who I am
The first time I loved forever, I cast all else aside
And I bid my heart to follow, be there no more room to hide
And if wishes and dreams are merely for children, if love’s a tale for fools, I’ll live the dream with you
For all my life and forever, there’s a truth I will always know
When my world divides and shatters, your love is where I’ll go.
**
This is where the wealthy and the powerful rule
It is her world, a world apart from mine
Her Name is Catherine. From the moment I saw her, she captured my heart, with her beauty, her warmth, and her courage.
I knew then, as I know now, she would change my life…forever!
He comes from a secret place, far below the city streets
Hiding his face from strangers, safe from hate and harm
He brought me there to save my life
And now, wherever I go, he is with me, in spirit
For we have a bond, stronger than friendship or love,
And although we cannot be together, we will never, ever, be apart.