My first attempt at a fanfic, any comments are welcome. This is a Kirommy fanfic, and WILL end up in a romance angle eventually. It is a slow-burning story arc, so please bear with me while it takes place.

Time Line: A couple of months after the events of Operation Overdrive, and over three years since Kira graduated from Reefside High (Don't want Dr O getting in any trouble.)

Rating: T. Issues of death and bereavement, but references are mild. May be some mild language (the rating is just to be on the safe side.)

Legal: Usual story, I do not own the rights to Power Rangers, any of the places, names, events etc. etc… This story is strictly non-canon and not connected to the Power Rangers universe. The events in this story (with the exception of those under rights of the creators of Power Rangers as above) are purely the creation of the author.

FATEFUL HOMECOMING

Kira stepped off the plane at the Airport and looked out over the gloom of Reefside's evening sky. It had been months since she had returned to the city that had been her home for most of her life.

Since graduating from Reefside High, she had moved to New York to land a recording contract, but had found the city hard going. While she had been there almost three years, she had found work to be inconsistent at best. She had accepted work singing Radio adverts, performing in night clubs, and had sung at more weddings, funerals, christenings and bar mitzvahs than she could count. To say money was an issue would be an understatement.

She was almost shoved down the stairs by the impatient man in a cheap, polyester business suit as she regained composure and headed towards the arrivals lounge. New York had made her accustomed to such rudeness to the extent that she didn't even comment. Instead she just thought about how great it would be to see everyone again. She had deliberately not called Tommy, Hayley or any of the other former Dino Rangers so she could surprise them. She instead only told her Mom and Dad about her impending visit to get a ride from the airport.

"KIRA!" She heard her mother yelling as she approached the baggage train. Mrs Ford bounded up and down with unrestrained excitement as she saw her daughter collect her small sports bag and guitar case from the carousel. "Over here honey."

"Hi mom." Kira replied, grabbing her mother in a one-armed hug.

"Hello Kira, it's great to see you." Mrs Ford replied, kissing her daughter on the cheek. "You're looking well."

"I'm fine mom." Kira groaned. She knew when her mother said 'you're looking well' that was her code for 'you look skinny, are you eating right?' which she wasn't. All the singing work Kira could get barely made the rent payments on her flea-pit apartment in the area of town where landlords got away with letting out apartments so far below building codes it wasn't funny through virtue of the inhabitants being unable to afford anywhere else. Lately her diet had consisted mainly of soups, tuna and, when she was lucky, whatever she could steal from the buffet of the many private functions she performed at.

"Where's Dad?"

"Oh you know your father." Mrs Ford snapped back, picking up Kira's sports bag (she knew better than to touch her guitar). "He refused to spend the $10 parking fee."

With that, Mrs Ford grabbed Kira's arm and dragged her with surprising speed through the terminal building. "Come on Kira." She sighed, "He'll be waiting at the drop off zone."

"Have you ever explained that he'd be cheaper spending $10 on parking than risking a $200 parking ticket?" Kira asked as she stumbled, struggling to stay on her feet as her mother dragged her to the loading zone.

"Oh that's just lovely John!" Her mother simply barked, seeing her husband arguing with a traffic cop who was clearly in the middle of serving him a ticket.

"There's all those murderers, robbers and con men out there, and you spend all day at the airport slapping tickets on innocent bystanders trying to pick up family!" Mr Ford roared at the officer. "Thanks a lot!"

"Maximum waiting period's 15 minutes sir." The cop put down bluntly, handing over the ticket. "You've been here 25. Good evening sir." With that, he turned sharply on his heel and walked away.

"Dad." Kira piped up, hugging him. "How.."

"Later Kira." He snapped, throwing her belongings into the back of the car, and virtually launching her into the back seat. "Let's get out of here before he decides he has nothing better to do than give me another ticket."

"For goodness sake Stephen.!" Mrs Ford sniped back as she climbed into the car, snapping on her seatbelt. Kira adjusted herself into a more comfortable seating position and followed suit. "Our daughter's just flown in from New York for the first time since Thanksgiving, and all you can worry about is a bloody parking ticket!"

"I'm sorry Alice." He replied, putting on his own seatbelt and turning out onto the freeway. "Of course, you're right. How are you sweetheart?"

"Things are going all right." Kira answered. "Keeping busy."

"Sorry we haven't been able to come round more often, but things have been busy lately." Mr Ford answered back as he absent-mindedly stuffed the parking ticket into his glove compartment. "So when do we finally get to see this apartment of yours?"

"I keep telling you, there's no room to put up you and mom, the guys just kind of crowd the place out." Kira lied. She had invented a houseful of flatmates to explain why she had never taken her parents to see her apartment. They'd only worry and try to talk her into coming home. Her apartment block was so far below code it was untrue. She hadn't had heating since she arrived, the electrics shorted when the rainfall was too high, and she was reduced to using the shower block of the community gym at the local Y to maintain basic hygiene. "You'll just have to keep using the motel until I get some more money together and get somewhere bigger." Kira's stomach almost rumbled out loud as she said this, remembering the last time her parents visited. She had put them up in a nearby motel, but even this had wiped out her modest savings. She almost went a whole week without eating after picking up that tab.

"Well, we'll be home soon." Mr Ford replied. "Maybe we can hear what you've been working on since you were last…."

"JOHN, LOOK OUT!" Mrs Ford Screamed, reaching across the dashboard. Kira spotted the headlights coming towards them and instinctively reached for her Dino Morpher, activating it just as the world seemed to fade into darkness.

Dr Tommy Oliver found himself ripped out of his bed by an aggressive pounding on his front door. Looking over at his radio alarm clock, he noted the time at 3:17 AM. "Does no one get how little sleep a high school science teacher gets?" He groaned as he reached for a pair of black jeans. Pulling them on, the door sounded again.

"I'm coming!" He yelled, slipping a black silk shirt on over his muscled torso. He barrelled down the stairs, throwing open the front door aggressively. "What!" He snapped, before realising that outside were two police officers.

"Reefside Police Department." The first officer identified himself, showing Tommy his badge. "Are you Dr Tommy Oliver?"

"Y-y-y-yes, sorry officer." Tommy stammered as his mind raced to think of a reason why the local police department would want to speak to him at this time. "C-can I help you with anything?"

"I'm afraid I'm not allowed to discuss this matter with you sir." The officer replied, gesturing to the patrol car. "If you wouldn't mind getting dressed and accompanying me to the Reefside Hospital."

"Of course." Tommy replied, slipping on a pair of shoes and buttoning up his shirt. "I'll be right with you."

When they arrived at the hospital, the police officers led Tommy to a physician's office, where they waved him inside. Tommy sat down at the desk opposite the small, lanky young doctor who greeted him.

"Dr Armstrong." He snapped, with the bedside manner of an anaconda, extending his hand. Tommy shook his hand firmly.

"Dr Tommy Oliver." He replied. "What seems to be the problem?"

"We have an uncomfortable situation here Dr Oliver." The physician continued. "How would you describe your relationship with ah…" He leafed through the chart in his hand. "Kira Ford?"

"I beg your pardon?" Tommy was taken aback, unable to fathom where he was going with this.

"Kira Ford." He repeated. "How do you know her?"

"We're friends." Tommy stated, starting to get a bit ratty at this questioning. "I used to teach her in high school. What's this about?"

The physician removed his reading glasses, looking at Tommy directly. "Ms Ford was involved in an accident on the freeway leaving the airport. A truck driver fell asleep at the wheel and slammed into her vehicle…"

"Is she?..." Tommy interrupted, his eyes wide with horror.

"She is stable Dr Oliver." The physician responded, continuing with his story. "Her parents, however, were killed at the scene. She doesn't have any other living relatives, but we found your contact details in her personal effects."

"Of course, thank you." Tommy croaked, his mind reeling from the barrage of information he'd just been hit with.

"Ms Ford has slipped in and out of consciousness a few times since she was found at the scene of the accident." The physician continued. "She has not yet been informed. Also, as she is quite young, we thought it best if someone was there when she identifies her parents."

"C-can I see her?" Tommy managed to force the words through the wall of emotion welling up inside him.

"I'll just check to see if she's conscious." Dr Armstrong replied, getting out of his chair and leaving the office. "A nurse will come for you."

Tommy sat alone in the cold, lifeless office as his thoughts pounded around in his head. The few minutes that passed before the nurse arrived felt like hours as he steeled himself for what he knew would be the hardest moment of his life.

"Ms Ford can see you now." The nurse whispered, rousing Tommy from his thoughts. "Thank you." He breathed back before following her to the examination room. Dr Armstrong waited for him outside the door.

"Dr Oliver, Ms Ford…"

"Kira!" Tommy interrupted. By now his patience was wearing thin.

"Of course. Kira has come through this miraculously unharmed. We don't know how, but she was found several feet from the vehicle." Dr Armstrong began. "She has a hairline fracture in her right wrist that will require a splint, but other than that, it's all superficial cuts and bruises."

"Small miracles." Tommy replied.

"Dr Oliver." The physician groaned, as though he were hoping for an explanation. "By all rights she should have died! The truck hit her car at 65 miles an hour." He turned to stare at Tommy with disbelief. "I had worse injuries when I tripped over my cat."

"Guess we should just be glad that she made it!" Tommy snapped. "God knows she's lost enough already tonight!"

Tommy knew immediately how she had survived. Kira had written to him a couple of months ago explaining with excitement that a being connected to the Morphing Grid known as the Sentinel Knight had temporarily re-energised her Dino Gem so she could help Dr Hartford's Overdrive Ranger team. He knew she still had power in the gem, obviously she had seen the truck and morphed in time to save herself.

Tommy moved slowly into the examination room, finding Kira lying on the bed limply, her long, wavy blonde hair cascading chaotically around her in all directions. Monitors continued to track her vitals as she turned to the door. Her beautiful, deep brown eyes lit up as she caught sight of Tommy, a smile spreading across her face.

"Hey Dr O." Kira began, raising herself into a seated position on the bed. "Surprise!" She announced weakly as she winced in pain from the effort of pulling herself up.

Tommy sat down on the edge of the bed, taking her hand gently in his own. "You always did have to make a big entrance." He remarked.

"Where's the guys?" She asked, craning her neck to see if Conner, Ethan and Trent were in the room.

"The hospital doesn't let many visitors in at 4 in the morning Kira." Tommy sighed, tapping his watch. He took a long, slow, deep breath as he steeled himself for the next part. "Kira..."

"Then why are you here?" She croaked, tears already forming in her eyes. "No one's telling me anything. What's happened to mom and dad?" She wailed, looking deep into his eyes as the tears began to flow down her beautiful face. She stared at him, already knowing what was happening, but wordlessly begging him to make it not true.

"I'm sorry Kira." He breathed, pulling her into a deep hug, rubbing her back reassuringly as she sobbed uncontrollably into his chest. He would joyfully have given his life a thousand times to avoid putting her through this. "I'm so sorry."