Burn [Larry Stylinson AU]

Prologue

December 21, 1995

"Papa! Papa!"

"What is it Lou?" Keith Tomlinson asked his grandson, setting down his newspaper and placing the three year old in his lap on the recliner. The little boy looked so much like his mother, with the arched eyebrows and thin baby pink lips.

Louis flailed his little arms and his blue eyes widened, "I can't find my red Power Ranger! I've looked and looked but I still can't find it!"

"Hm, that is a problem," He pondered and turned to the boy, "Did you look everywhere?"

Louis nodded feircely.

"Everywhere everywhere?" the old man continued, teasing the exasperatted boy on his lap.

"Everywhere!" Louis shouted, lifting his arms to show his granddad, "I even looked in mummy's toy chest but I only found . . . knickers." The little boy whispered the last word into his grandpa's ear before pulling back and wrinkling his nose.

Mr. Tomlinson chuckled. "Well then, did you ask your mum if she knew where it was?"

"Yes! She said she saw it under my bed but it's not there cause I already looked!" He pouted. Louis had to find the red Power Ranger! It was his favorite and had a cooler belt than the blue one. Besides, the green and red Power Ranger were best friends and the green Power Ranger would miss the red one if he didn't find it.

"Why don't you go check again? If its not there then I'll get up and help you find it," Keith told the three year old, pulling him off his lap and placing him on the carpet.

"Ok!" Louis sprang up and darted to his room. He pushed the door open and began rummaging in his toy box. When he came up with nothing, and all his toys were tossed onto the carpet, he continued on with his expedition.

He looked under the big brown teddy bear in the corner of his room, around his dinosaur lamp, and even looked inside his shoe for good measure. He crawled inside his cool Scooby Doo bedsheets and checked there as well, but to his disappointment, only found a granola wrapper and his grandma's missing car keys.

Louis wiggled out of his bed, crawled over to his large teddy bear and began to cry. Louis knew only babies cried but Louis was sad. Daddy had told Louis that Louis would be getting no more toys if he kept losing them.

And when Daddy got home, Daddy would be mad at Louis because he lost his toy. His red Power Ranger. He loved that toy more than he liked eating ice cream with grandpa in that downtown shop where there is a gumball machine and big TV playing Spongebob Squarepants.

When Louis lowered his little fists from his tear-stained face, he noticed the boy standing by his bed. The boy, who was really tall, looked at Louis with a smile. The boy had a nice smile and had eyes even greener than his green Power Ranger.

"Why are you crying Lou?"

Louis sniffled and wiped his eyes, "Cause I can't find my red Power Ranger and my daddy will be mad at me."

The older boy smiled at the three year old and pointed to the closet, "Did you check in there Lou Lou?"

"Oh!" Louis scrambled to the closet and jiggled the door handle until it opened. He stepped inside, and there on the floor was his red Power Ranger! Louis squealed in delight and clutched the action figure to his chest.

He walked over to the boy who was now sitting on his bed. He was smiling at Louis and Louis smiled back at him, "How'd you know where it was?"

"Lucky guess," the boy grinned.