Having fun:
"No, I absolutely refuse."
"Oh come on, we all did it, now it's your turn."
"You all voluntarily did it, now you're pushing me into it, and I say it's not fair."
"You've got to do it, you've got more…"
"Fine, fine, if you won't then I will."
"Don't you dare, I told you that in confidence."
"Hey, I'm drunk, what do, I care."
The door to the house was usually unlocked and he had told them all to come over when they were done with their work. Not seeing anyone else in the driveway she made her way up the stairs and tried the door. Finding it unlocked she moved inside and smiled at how he tried to have cleaned, but had still left pizza boxes as furniture. Finding her voice she called out.
"Dr. O? Anyone here?"
She moved into the house a little further and then heard it, the sound of a door opening. Turning around Kira Ford was met with a most unusual sight.
Standing before her in only a towel, a loose tucking at his waist, stood Tommy Oliver dripping water all over the floor. Standing in the doorway to the bathroom he stared at her for a second before either of them said or even moved.
She moved first, turning her head away and blushing profusely before he disappeared into the bedroom around the corner and locking the door tight.
The other two women sitting around the table roared in laughter, clutching their sides. The young blonde had the redhead by the collar and was shaking her violently back and forth, the beer from her bottle sloshing out and some of it spilling onto the hard wood floor.
"You were never supposed to tell anyone about that, Hayley." Kira nearly screamed into the redhead's face.
"Oh come on, Kira, it's not like we all haven't seen him without a shirt on, it's like a rite of passage." Hayley grinned and took a sip from the depleted beer bottle. "Plus, with a little more of a slip you could have been inducted into the elite members who have seen him naked." At this all four women laughed and blush a deep shade of red that would have made most red rangers jealous.
Half an hour ago Kira Ford had stood on the sidewalk facing the rather nice looking house along the suburban street. Clutching her jacket above her head to keep out of the still pouring rain she sighed and started to mount the stairs towards the front door. Once safely under the protection of the roof she shook off her hair and got up the courage to knock on the door, rubbing her hands on her blue jeans to keep out the water and wringing out the yellow and black shirt.
She could hear laughter and the ominous clink of beer bottles and cans as she thought about what Hayley had invited her over to "Hayley wouldn't be that irresponsible, would she?" She thought as she saw the petite redhead poke out of the door and then move aside so that Kira could come inside. Hayley was dressed comfortably in some pajama pants and a yellow tank top.
"You're soaked, come on in, the other girls are right in here." Hayley took Kira's coat and went to hang it up, motioning towards the kitchen where the noises were coming from. The house was decorated nicely with a few rugs here and there that might have gotten wet on the way to the kitchen. Kira hesitated for a moment so Hayley pushed her forward gently into the kitchen.
Seated at the nearby kitchen table, already cluttered with empty beer bottles and cans, was a petite brunette woman, her brown eyes turning at the sound of the door and then standing up slowly. The other woman was a rather pretty blonde with striking blue eyes who only looked up and smiled over the top of her beer bottle. Both women wore pink pajama pants decorated with various swirls of pink and white, as well as matching tank tops.
"I'm glad that you could make it to our little girl's night out. I'm Kim." The brunette offered the girl her hand and she smiled, gently shaking it.
"And I'm Kat." The other woman moved forward and gave Kira a hug instead. Deciding that it was the proper course of action, Kim shrugged and hugged her as well before retreating down to the kitchen table again.
Hayley came into the kitchen and smiled gently "well, I hope that you three don't have any other plans for the evening, because we're going to be a while. The main reason I've got you all together is because we have something in common, besides saving the world." At this the other three women looked in shock at each other and then immediately tried to put on an innocent face as if there was nothing going on.
Kira couldn't believe that Hayley was telling complete strangers that she was a ranger, but there had to be a good reason for it. For their part, the other two were staring at Kira in almost the same disbelief, no one wanted to talk about it.
"Fine, I'll do introductions." Hayley stood up and walked around the table. "Kimberly Hart, first pink ranger. Katherine Hillard, second pink ranger, pink zeo and first pink turbo ranger. And finally we have our latest addition, Kira Ford, yellow dino thunder, unfortunately there was no pink this time, sorry girls"
"What do you mean no pink ranger? I should lodge a complaint with whomever created this new team." Kim almost jumped out of her seat at the realization. Kira retched a little at the thought of her costume being pink instead of her favorite yellow, but decided not to mention her aversion to the color. "Anyway, what's this other thing that has brought us all together, besides Hayley and the promise of alcohol?"
"Just someone that we are all very well acquainted with, and someone whom Kim here just threatened." Hayley smiled almost deviously. "A certain Doctor Thomas 'Tommy' James Oliver."
Kira had her hands wrapped around the redhead's throat and was trying to throttle her as the other two laughed on. They had spent the last half an hour reliving memories and talking about the most embarrassing moments of their former ranger lives; most of the embarrassing moments happened to involve a certain Dr. Oliver that they all were acquainted with. Kira had decided that she wanted to just stay out of it until Hayley decided to tell Kat and Kim about her own embarrassing moment; now she was just hoping to sink lower into the floor of Hayley's house and maybe take the redhead down with her.
"eww….can we please get away from stories about my teacher?" Kira looked a little disgusted as she let go of Hayley.
"Ex-teacher, Kira, remember, you graduated." Hayley swung the beer bottle around a little and then setting it down on the table next to the others that had been drained already. "Don't pretend you didn't fawn over the man when you first saw him in your science class."
"Not me, but Cassidy did and the rest of the female population, including Randal." Kira groaned and crossed her arms defiantly.
"Come on, Kira, it's not so bad talking about Tommy like this. I mean, most of Angel Grove saw the guy without his shirt on at all those competitions." Kat smiled a little as she blushed again thinking back to those wonderful times in the Youth Center.
"Hey!" Kim stared at Hayley and Kat seeming to reminisce about seeing Tommy without his shirt on while Kira was still fuming a little silently. "Tommy was my boyfriend before either of you even met the man."
"Yes, but who got him on the rebound." Kat smiled a little, she liked to poke fun at Kimberly about what happened and both girls were ok with it mainly because they had settled their differences long ago. "And if I remember right, you're the one that tried to kill the cutie in the red spandex."
"Wait, what happened?" Kira now seemed a little more interested in the story, besides the mention of her former teacher as being a cutie in red spandex. She remembered the adoring looks she got from guys while she was morphed and tried to keep a straight face.
"Kim here, and our friend Jason, the first red ranger, were sacrificed and turned evil. Needless to say, the petite woman here still packs quite a punch." Kat grinned as she rubbed her arm and chin a little as if it still hurt. This only owed her new hits to the arm as Kimberly reached across and socked her good on the shoulder.
Kim stuck her tongue out at her blonde friend, but laughed anyway "He was so much hotter in white, oh, and the evil green thing." She fanned herself a little, blushing deeply.
"Stop, stop! I can't take it anymore. It was bad enough having him as my teacher with every female student fawning after him, but also having to go into battle with the guy – "
"Kira!" Hayley jumped up a little, as Kat and Kim simply stared at the other two women sitting at the table. Groaning Hayley slapped her hand to her forehead and shook her head a little as she tried to consider the implications of telling two of Tommy's old girlfriends that he was back in the suit once again.
"oops…" was all that Kira could say as she tried to seem smaller in her seat than usual. Giving in Hayley got up and handed Kira a wine cooler from the nearby fridge figuring that she had earned it and might even need it if she was going to get through the rest of the night. Popping the bottle open Kira took a long sip and braced herself for the oncoming storm of questions and allegations that was sure to come.
"Ok, ok, I think that someone might have to start explaining a few things here." Kim spoke up a little, pushing a strand of brunette hair from her eyes as she stared across the table at Hayley.
Kira sighed as she sat up straighter and took a sip of the wine cooler to give her a little more courage to try and explain to these two what happened. "Dr…Tommy isn't just our mentor and our science teacher; he was also our black ranger. He got the powers when we thought that he was dead, in fact he does seem to do that quite often."
In spite of herself and the situation, Hayley giggled a little and nodded. She seemed to sober however at the expressions from Kim and Kat. "Ok, I wasn't going to tell you two about it, but since it's come up…" Kira took another sip of the wine cooler and looked away from Hayley. "…yes, Tommy is back in ranger form and he does look quite nice in black." Even Kira had to giggle at this, thinking of her former teacher and mentor in the ranger suit. "He was kidnapped by Mesogog and found the black dino gem, when we got him out he disappeared and then reappeared." Kira handed over her bracelet that still contained the yellow dino gem to look at. "I refitted all of the gems in normal bracelets after the power loss so that they can have something to remember it by.
As the bracelet was passed around, Kira dug into her pockets and produced a photo of the five rangers, still morphed without their helmets, and Hayley in the Dino Lab. She handed it over to Kim and Kat before taking another sip of her drink, starting to feel the effects of the alcohol.
"I can't believe he cut his hair." Kat said first, staring intently at the picture.
"I used to love that long hair, so soft and billowy." Kim groaned staring at the picture before laying it out on the table. As if picking up on a private joke Kat blushed and emptied her beer, setting the bottle down on the table and going to get another. This little reddening wasn't noticed by all but the crafty redhead sitting next to her.
"Yes, it does seem that Kim has had a pension for long hair, don't you think, Kat?" Hayley perked up, thinking she had hit something juicy, but Kat just nodded and sat back down with her new beer. Kira however rolled her eyes, seeing through the attempt of coercion and stared down her former tech genius.
"I believe it was because of Hayley here that Dr. O, I mean Tommy, even cut it." She grinned as the Hayley paled slightly while the other two stared at her. Kira sipped at the drink in triumph.
Loss:
Tommy moved into the apartment that he shared with two other guys and crashed out on the couch, sighing as he ran a hand through his long hair, now shoulders length and shimmering in the light. He constantly got teased about it, but he always endured it because he felt that it was part of his heritage and some of his past that he could hold onto. Being in college he had left a lot of his life behind him when Kat had moved to England and all of his other friends were growing up.
"Dude, when are you going to cut that hair of yours?" Aaron asked as he came out of his room rubbing at his eyes and smoothing out the t-shirt and pajama pants that he still wore. Tommy's roommate constantly berated him about cutting his hair, but this was mainly because so many girls were always coming up to him and touching his hair. Tommy of course never told anyone that this was because they would ask him what he used to keep it so soft.
"I get it cut when it needs to be, but nothing shorter than it is now." He smiled as he got up and headed towards the door as there was a soft knocking.
On the other side of the door stood a mountain of books, papers, and perched on top was a beaker of something bubbling. The only indication that there was someone actually there was the pale legs and black flats that protruded out of the mountain of things. He moved aside so that the person could come into the apartment. Mountain swaying a little the person moved in and set it down on the kitchen counter, turning to reveal a much frazzled looking Hayley.
"Tommy, we need to talk about your faulty memory again." Hayley groaned as she smoothed out the black pleated skirt and white blouse that she was wearing. "You left some of this at my place, and you forgot to check on our chemistry assignment, so I had to bring it along." She sighed and indicated the smoking beaker on the top of the pile of things.
"Gee, Hayley, I'm really sorry. I got caught up staring at myself in the mirror and then there wasn't anymore time in the day." Tommy joked lightly as he rubbed the back of his neck. "Seriously though, I am sorry, I was telling Anna about my hair treatments."
Groaning Hayley rolled her eyes and started to expertly lift things out of the middle of the pile without disturbing the rest. "Tommy, it takes you 45 minutes to get ready in the morning, most of that has to deal with that hair. When are you just going to give it up and start acting like an adult?"
"I am an adult; I just like my long hair."
"Look, one of these days you're going to get a real job and you'll have to get up early in the morning. Do you really want to spend all that time on your hair?"
"I suppose not, and with my memory I wouldn't remember to even go to work after my conditioning treatments." Tommy thoughtfully ran a hand through his hair, his elbow stuck out at the side. Turning slightly he bumped into the large mountain of books sending it toppling. The beaker on the top was the first to go, sloshing to the side and then dumping right onto his head.
Suddenly in a panic he started to run around the living room screaming before rushing to the bathroom to wash the stuff out. Aaron and Hayley stood in amazement as this all happened, but once the bathroom door slammed shut they rushed to pick up the fallen contents and to assess the damage. For the life of her, Hayley couldn't figure out what the chemical was going to do to human hair. They had only tested the components early on and it showed to lower cellular metabolism in amebas.
Aaron rushed to the bathroom and knocked on the door while Hayley finished cleaning up the chemical on the rug. Oddly enough, the chemical had completely cleaned it back to the original teal as opposed to the dark blue that the rest of the apartment was. "You ok, in there man?" He was only met by groans and moans and then a loud thump. Aaron immediately pushed open the door and moved to the now unconscious man on the floor.
It took some time, but eventually they got Tommy awakened, resting comfortably on the couch surrounded by broken hair follicles. Hayley chewed on her lip a little as he groaned about the loss of his hair.
"Think of it this way, Tommy, at least there's still some if it left."
Revenge?:
Kira couldn't have been more pleased with herself. Kim and Kat were now staring her down with the fabled death glares of their teenage years; something that Tommy hadn't seen in a long time and that most of the other guys never wanted to see.
"You're the reason that he has short hair now?" Kat breathed a little menacingly at the redhead. For her part, Hayley tried to seem small in her seat and ashamed of what had happened years ago.
"It was an accident, how was I supposed to know it would kill off his hair and fuse off the end of it?"
"You mean it will never grow more than that?" Kim stared at the picture still lying on the table between her and Kat.
"Unfortunately, no, he tried for the longest time, went months without a haircut, but it never got any longer. In retrospect, I saved him hundreds of dollars in salon treatments and hair care products. I think he still has some of his conditioner from those days too." Hayley tried to smile to lighten the situation. For her part, Kira felt a little guilty and went to get Hayley another beer. It was then that she noticed all the yellow dishware in the cabinets and a few decorative plates with dinosaurs on them, some featuring a pterodactyl.
"Hayley, what is all this stuff?" Kira pointed to the yellow dishes among the normal beige looking ones. Hayley bit her bottom lip and tried not to answer, instead getting up and taking the beer out of Kira's hand.
"It's nothing, just a few things that I picked up at a local yard sale. My parents were coming into town and my mother loves yellow." Sipping at the beer she tried to keep a straight face. Although Kira seemed to accept the explanation, Kim and Kat weren't so convinced seeing the panic that had crossed the redhead's face when she had mentioned them.
"So..uhm…come on, let it all out, let me have it. I know how you two adored Tommy's long hair, so let's hear it." She seemed to brace herself a little, sipping at the beer and starting to feel slightly drunk.
"No, I suppose you've suffered enough." Kim smirked as she stared down the other woman, setting her own beer down on the table. "Speaking of people though, is there anyone for you, Hayley?"
"Me?"
"Yeah, Hayley, is there someone that you crush on or are you tied up with someone already?" Kat seemed to pick up on what Kim was trying to do and leaned in closer to hear how the redhead was going to worm her way out of spilling at least some information.
"Oh, no, no one really for me. I've been way too busy being the resident tech genius and having to come up with inventions to pull the rangers out of trouble every other day."
"But that's all over with now, and has been for a while; there is tons of time for you to have a love life now." Kira sat back down joining in the conversation, but not picking up on the tense vibes coming from the other three women. "Even Connor is starting to have a nice life with Krista." She sounded almost depressed by the admission, but gulped down the rest of the wine cooler, setting it aside and not getting up for more.
"What about you and Trent?" Hayley asked quickly, thankful to have some kind of diversion away from her own love life.
"Oh, well, Trent is going to art school soon and he'll be across the country. I don't really like the idea of a long-distance relationship, and neither does he. We'll still keep in touch though and then maybe try it again when he comes back." She sighed and shrugged a little as she turned in her seat to the other two that hadn't spoken by this point. "What about the veterans here?"
"Oh, well…" Both women spoke at the same time, making all four women fall into a fit of laughter. They carried on like this for a few minutes until finally Kat was able to wave it off enough so that she could speak.
"I've dated around, but nothing really serious. For the time being I'm enjoying being who I am."
"Yeah, same here. I did have something serious for a while, but that didn't really pan out." Three of them seemed to share some secret as Kim finished and Kira looked just lost as to what it could be. As if answer to her silent question, Kim sighed deeply and continued. "I broke up with Tommy in high school through a letter, I had met someone else and thought I was in love with him instead."
"He was devastated for the longest time, but he had his friends to help him through all of that." Kat smiled warmly and rubbed Kim on the shoulders that still looked like she wanted to cry. "At any rate, it's all in the past and we should just learn to move on and not worry about all of that. Plus, tonight is about celebrating life and telling embarrassing stories about ourselves."
To lighten the situation the girls started to laugh again at themselves, feeling a little lonely, but knowing that having them all there was a little helpful. All four of them seemed to move at the same time, Kim and Kat embracing each other while Hayley and Kira did the same. The long group hug was only broken by the ringing of the phone, breaking the silence and bringing them all out of a trance.
Peeling herself away from the group, Hayley moved towards the phone in the living room while the other three started to chat about nothing and everything.
"So, the girls at your school really thought that he was hot?" Kim didn't have to elaborate about who she was talking about.
"Oh yeah, I think there was even a fan club set up to find all about him and to try and get a date with him. It was a little pathetic on occasions, but they did provide some great amusement." Kira laughed slightly while Kim and Kat pulled a face of disgust at the thought of teenage girls going after an almost thirty year old teacher. "You have to admit though at his age, he still looks really good."
"We're not that old." Kim sighed and leaned back in her chair playing with the beer bottle a little as she looked at the youngest addition to the female ranger legacy. "At any rate, I'm sure that he's moved on with his life."
"I don't know about that, but I know that I've never seen him with anyone, save for myself, Hayley and Elsa."
"Speaking of which…" Hayley had come back into the kitchen after having a short conversation on the phone. "…our favorite school principal called, she thanked for the invite, but she couldn't make it. Apparently Anton decided to experiment a little more and ended up blowing something up." The two girls giggled while Kim and Kat looked on confused before Hayley could explain.
"Elsa is the school principal where Tommy teaches. I don't care how many times I say it; it still feels weird to say his first name like that. Anyway, she used to be the general of our head villain before she became good and decided to settle down."
"Anton is her new fiancé; he used to be Mesogog after a horrible lab accident."
"So, why was she invited to this party? I thought it was only for ex-rangers?" Kat asked, pushing her empty beer can along the table to a free space.
"Oh, well, she wasn't a ranger, but she had a somewhat unhealthy obsession with our other shared interest." Hayley smiled lightly.
"Seriously, she was after Tommy?"
"In more ways than one, she tried to kill him one second as Elsa the evil space cyborg and then seduced him as Randal the mild-mannered high school principal."
"He does seem to invite some admiration from female villains as well." A new voice picked up from the hallway, a scratchy voice that made Kim and Kat pale as they turned slowly towards the owner of the voice.
New Life:
Standing in the doorway that separated the kitchen from the living room stood a short woman with short black hair and narrow almond shaped eyes. Her hair was pulled back with a red ribbon away from her face showing off the striking brown eyes. She wore a long dress of sparkling white that dragged near the floor. In both hands she carried several boxes of pizza and stared with a bemused expression at the four women.
Kim and Kat were still pale, but staring at the woman with a renewed interest unsure if they're assumption had been correct. Hayley stood up and moved towards her, taking the boxes of pizza from her arms and setting them on the counter; then she turned and hugged her tight and smiled gently.
"Karen, it's so good of you to come. I was worried that you weren't going to make it because of your tight schedule."
"Oh, come on, I can always make time for friends." She giggled a little and waved her hand absentmindedly. "Plus, you know I wouldn't miss this for the world, especially the look on those two's faces when I spoke." She giggled even more seeing the pale returning to Kim and Kat.
Being raised with good manners and seeing that this woman was a friend of Hayley's, Kira stood up slowly and moved to shake her hand. Instead, Karen pulled her close and gave the young woman a surprisingly warm hug.
"It's nice to see that Hayley has taken good care of you, I have to admit that I was worried when she and Tommy told me about the new team. I was rather surprised when they came to me for help."
"Tommy forgave you a long time ago when he heard from Kyle what happened. Where is he by the way?"
"He had to deal with some of daddy's resistance forces fighting back. Needless to say, it's still difficult knowing that family has to fight like this." Karen sighed and moved towards the table, waving her hand as another chair slide in between Kira and Kat. It was this action that finally broke the trance on Kim and Kat.
"Wait, who is this woman and more importantly, where did that chair come from?" Kim stood up and placed her palms on the table top, staring down the other woman.
"If it wasn't for Karen here, none of us would even be able to know each other, let alone Tommy." Hayley smiled a little as Karen moved forward.
"You girls always did give me such a headache." Karen nearly screeched out the last word and smiled as to the effect on the two ex-rangers. Both dropped out of their chairs and then jumped into fighting stances. Hayley giggled at the action and moved between the three people; even though Karen looked like she wasn't going to attack or even react in any way besides an amused smile.
"Rita!" Kim and Kat breathed as they stared at the woman with a mix of hatred and surprise in their eyes.
"Girls, we're all here on peaceful terms, leave her alone. Besides, she hasn't been Rita since the Z-wave, now she's Karen, also known as Mystic Mother." Placing a hand on her shoulder, Karen moved forward to face the two women.
"I'm sorry for everything that I and Kyle put you through, but you have to know that Zordon's wave changed us all for the better. I know that there's nothing that I can really say to make up for your hurt, especially you, Kat." Karen looked ashamed of her and looked down at the floor, her dress changing colors from the sparkling white into a soft shade of blue. "Believe me when I say that I've used my magic for good ever since, I even apologized to Tommy, that's how I met Hayley here."
"She appeared on his doorstep when we were working on the dino gems late one night. We got to talking and it took some convincing, but he eventually forgave her for everything that happened and realized that it was because of her that he even got the chance to be a ranger." Hayley smiled and put a hand on Karen's shoulder, giving the other two an encouraging look.
"You tried to kill us, and kept me as your pet for months." Kat choked out, hot tears of anger flowing down her cheek.
"Yes, but if I hadn't, would you two have met?" Karen said simply, staring into her eyes soft and compassionately. "Would you two have fallen in love?" Without moving much, she reached out and touched Kat's hand gently. Kat blushed slightly and stared at the floor, Kim seeming to relax a little as well and gently reached out to touch Karen's hand as well.
"I forgive you, and I'm sure that Kat will as well." Kim smiled gently as she moved back towards her chair. Kira smiled gently and moved to Hayley's side at the counter.
"That was really nice of you, you know." Kira whispered over the other woman's shoulder, before turning around and grabbing a slice of pizza from the top box. The redhead tried not to shiver a little as she moved to sit back down at the table. Karen had joined the girls around the table, waving her hand again to change her dress into a t-shirt featuring a rainbow and some flannel pants of red and green plaid.
"I wish it was that easy for me, it takes me twenty minutes just to find anything in my closet." Kim sighed and started to clean off the table of beer bottles. All the girls around the table giggled even more as they were starting to relax even more now.
With the table cleaned of the empty alcohol containers the pizza was quickly passed around and the topic of conversation switched easily from one topic to the next. Before long it had come back to their favorite subject.
"Now that our party is complete, we can get down to the juicy bits. Come on, Karen; tell us what really went on with you and our green friend before Kyle showed up." Hayley pressed.
"I am dying to hear more about what Dr. O was like when he was a teenager, good or evil, it should be fun to torment him with it."
"I'm telling you, nothing happened between us. He was brooding so much that he was either plotting your downfall, sorry girls, or fighting with Goldar. I get enough interrogation when I go to visit Diana."
"Diana?"
"Divatox, we three along with Karone were the only one's to revert to a human form. I know that the Machine Empire was reduced to dust as was the armies of Astromena."
"I thought Karone was Astronema." Kira asked, tucking her feet up under her a little and becoming interested in the talking of old villains and the original rangers.
"She was, but after Zordon sacrificed himself she became good like the rest of us. Interestingly enough, she later served as a pink ranger herself with Tera Venture." She had timed it well to the point where Kim was sipping at her drink when she said it, now Kira was covered in soda across the table.
"ewww….gross." Kira groaned as she tried to wipe off the soda with the sleeve of her shirt and not having much luck. Hayley giggled lightly and then took her hand and lead her out of the kitchen and towards the bathroom.
"Karone was a pink ranger, that's so unfair."
"Cassie was supposed to replace Kendrix, but Andros thought that he would need the full team on Earth should anything happen. Needless to say, she was a little upset by the decision." Kat smiled and sipped at her new soda. They had switched so as to give their brains a little more time to recover. "I only know because she complained to me that the pink galaxy powers were so much cooler and having a sentient zord might be fun."
"I think that we need a female ranger reunion, if not a special pink reunion. It really is too bad that there isn't more of us, and especially since there was no pink ranger with Tommy." Kim took a tentative sip of the soda keeping her eyes on Karen.
"I tried to help, but my powers can only go so far, fixing the boy's memory isn't an easy thing to accomplish. There was a pink dino gem, but he couldn't remember where it was, so even if he did find it, who knows who the new ranger would have been since the gem chooses the wearer and not the other way around."
"Couldn't you have used your magic to create a new gem and given it to whomever you thought worthy."
"It wouldn't have worked, the last powers to be created by magic were the growl phones of Wild Force, and those were unstable as it was, plus anything I created through magic wouldn't have worked with the morphers that Hayley created. I can only hope that magic is used when it's truly needed, but I wish that it won't have to be called upon."
She does that a lot:
After some time, Kira and Hayley came back into the kitchen. The sight that met them was one of wonder and fun. The three women were seated very comfortably around the table, laughing and joking on one another. Having cleaned up as best she could and changed out of her clothes, Kira now wore a long red shirt that came down to her thighs with some blue work out shorts underneath. Upon seeing the shirt Kim shot up out of her seat once more.
"Hey, I gave that shirt to Tommy." Hayley giggled a little and blushed somewhat.
"I stole it from his dresser when I had to stay over. We were working late on the dino gem morphers, nothing happened." She quickly added seeing the shocked and angry faces from all four of the other women. "I swear; I just took it so that I could be warm. I wear them sometimes when I drink or when I have something messy to take care of."
Seemingly placated for the time being, Kim sat back down and sigh a little as she picked up another slice of pizza and another soda from the dwindling supply on the counter. Hayley looked a little flushed for the moment and moved to sit down next to Karen where Kira was sitting, forcing her to sit down between Hayley and Kim.
"So, what were you all laughing at when we came in?" Kira smiled to release the tension in the room and tucked a piece of hair behind her ear.
"Just remembering the good old days, back when I was constantly trying to destroy them." Karen smiled gently and sipped at the soda "I have to admit that it was quite a shock to find that old baldy was still alive after so long."
"Zordon did say that you trapped him in a time warp, so it wouldn't surprise me that he was alive after ten thousand years." Kim smiled a little and nibbled on her pizza.
"Regardless though, he was quite the handsome man back in his Eltarian special police uniform." Karen giggled at the shocked looks from Kim and Kat while Kira laughed along with her. "Oh come on, you didn't think that he was a floating head forever, did you?" At this all five women around the table started to laugh hard and wouldn't stop for several more minutes.
"I do still miss him, you know." Kat spoke up slowly, staring down at the swirling dark liquid of her soda, watching the ice bump and float around one another. "It's too bad Kira didn't get to meet him, or any of the others."
"I got a lot of information on the great man from Tommy, not to mention all of the videos of him when the original rangers were still together. Quite a few of Kat and Kim here." She smiled and blushed lightly at the incredulous stares from Hayley. "Speaking of our dubious ranger, anyone have an idea of his status." They didn't have to ask as to what she was talking about, and they felt comfortable enough to speak about it now.
"He dated some in college, but then abruptly stopped. He won't give any reason; all he ever says is that he's waiting for the right girl."
"And the only women he's around are I, Hayley, and Elsa. And none of us is dating him."
"I happen to have some information about our elusive man." Karen smirked a little and smiled a little more like her evil days. "Being the deity of all good magic can get dull sometimes, so it's fun to watch humans. I have kept up with all of the originals as well as a few of the other teams, giving them help when it would only appear as a coincidence."
"Well, come on; don't keep us all in suspense." Kira leaned forward, maybe looking a little too eager to hear of her former teacher's love life, but he was her former teacher she so mused that it was all right for her to be curious. It would seem that the other girls were just as interested as all five women moved closer together and speaking in hushed tones, like they might be overheard.
"Speaking from my own experience as well as from what I've seen, I think that he already has a girl that he's trying to keep a secret from everyone else. A while back I saw that he was a little depressed because so many of his friends have wives, husbands, or lovers to call their own, so he sought out a few friends and got in touch with a special woman." Karen shrugged at the end of her speech and took a sip of the soda in her hand. The other girls waited expectantly for the identity of the mystery woman, but Karen wasn't giving it up so easily.
"If you're not going to tell us who she is, then why even bring it up?" Kat sighed and leaned back in her chair, swirling her soda once more.
"I suppose if I give you some clues and you guess her identity, then I'm not breaking any rules. She used to be a ranger, white in fact, and since he's been with her he's also been able to visit another lost friend of yours." Karen smiled deviously and sat back in her chair to let the others stew it over. Hayley was the first to react, pulling out a sheet of paper and pen from a nearby drawer.
"Let's see…white rangers, there was Tommy of course, and knowing him he would date himself if he could." This gave up another round of laughter from the table as she chewed on the end of the pen. "Then there was Zhane and Alyssa." All five women stared at the list that she had made and sighed collectively.
"Well, it's not Zhane, or Tommy himself, so it has to be Alyssa; however that doesn't fit with her second clue." Kira sighed and rubbed the side of her head, it was increasingly difficult to figure out this man.
"Ok, so maybe we should focus on friends that we've lost. More specifically friends that are lost, but could be found again which eliminates anyone deceased." Kat sighed.
"Jason, Zach, and Trini left, but they all live nearby. I think that Jason and Trini are in Angel Grove while Zach is in LA. Next to leave was Kim here, but she's just fine." Kat put her hand on Kim's shoulder as she tried to tick off all the rangers that had left in the past ten years. "Billy's on Aquitar with Cestria, then there's Rocky…."
"Wait, Billy!" Kim jumped out of her seat and nearly toppled onto the floor again. The girls giggled a little at this as her head appeared over the top of the table once more. "Billy was lost on Aquitar and none of us have kept in contact with him over the years. Could Tommy be there?"
"I thought Tommy said that Aquitar was a world of water, why would he go there of all places?" Kira shrugged as she sipped at the soda.
"Of Course, how could we have forgotten her?" Hayley stared down at the list of white rangers and slapped her forehead noisily.
"Forgotten about whom?" The question had come from the other three members of the group; Karen being occupied trying to keep in her laughter as she sipped her drink.
"Delphine" Hayley breathed and smiled in content. All of a sudden everyone turned towards Kim in a single motion as her eyes rolled into the back of her head and she slowly slipped towards the floor. Kat was the first to react, sliding closer to the other woman and wrapping her arms around her waist to prevent her from hitting her head on the floor.
Kat slowly lowered Kimberly's body down onto the floor and sighed, moving to get some water. Hayley understood as well as she went to the bathroom to gather up some supplies leaving Karen and Kira to look over the unconscious woman in case something happened.
"What just happened here?" Kira turned to Karen.
"She fainted. She does seem to have a knack for it if you ask me." Karen chuckled a little and moved her hand over Kim's eyes. "She'll be fine, just in a little shock I imagine. She did the same thing when she found out that Tommy was the first white ranger, and then again when…" She was interrupted this time by a grunt and groan from the body on the floor.
"Tommy…" Breathed the unconscious brunette, Karen giggled a little and made sure that a certain blonde hadn't heard the breathy reply. Giggling, Karen and Kira didn't hear Kat come back into the room until she was kneeling down next to the unconscious Kim.
Taking her head gently into her lap, Kat brought a glass of water to Kim's lips and gently slipped some of it down her throat. Coaxing the young woman back Kat sighed and lightly stroked her hair until she was certain to come around.
"She'll be fine, Kat, just a little shocked."
"As are we all, I'm sure." Replied Hayley, having retrieved something from the bathroom, standing at the door holding a bottle of liquid. Bringing it down she gently wafted it in front of Kim's nose and smiled when the brunette wrinkled her nose in frustration and slowly starting to come around.
"eww…what is that nasty stuff?" Groaned Kim.
"Smelling salts, used it quite a lot in college and comes in handy around the house; especially when you're friends with a girl that faints a lot."
"I do not faint that much, just on special occasions." Opening her eyes, Kim stared up at the faces surrounding her, feeling the comfortable cushion of Kat's lap that she was still resting in. Slowly she moved to sit up, moving away from Kat a little as she smiled embarrassed. "Ok, so I faint, but hearing that Tommy is dating an alien fish woman is a little bit of a shock."
"Billy did it and he hates fish." Karen smiled and set her soda down on the floor next to the group, tucking her feet under her to sit down. "Last I heard they were expecting another child to add to the two they already have."
"How did Tommy get together with an alien anyway?" Kira leaned back and rested against the nearby counters, stretching her legs out in front of her. The other girls seemed to reposition themselves in a loose circle on the floor in almost the same positions that they had sitting at the table.
Explanations and Visitors:
"During college, Tommy received word that Billy needed his help. It was the start of his collaboration with Mercer Industries, and Billy thought that Tommy could use his contacts to get some vital components needed. It was during this time that the alien rangers came to Earth and were attacked by forces unknown. Interestingly enough, it was the valiant red zeoranger that came to the rescue and saved the white ranger. From there on, they talked for countless hours even after she had to go home." Karen recited nonchalantly as she sipped at the soda.
"Wow, I knew that something major happened, but I didn't know about all this. You think he plans on living with her for good now that Mesogog is gone?" Hayley said from her position leaning against the back of a chair and partially on Kira's shoulder. Kira didn't seem to mind of the closeness nor really took any note of it as she kept her eyes on the other three.
"There were talks that he would move once the threat was gone, but I still think that he loves it here. It will be interesting to see what happens."
"It's so nice to think that he's finally found someone that he can relate to on some level. Being a leader, white ranger, and somewhat of a loner is something that Delphine definitely knows about. And I always did wonder about that wink that she gave him before leaving after our zeo quest." Kat smiled and leaned against the counter as well on the other side of the room from Kira.
"I miss so much when I was gone in Florida. It's so unfair really that you all got cool powers after I left." Kim huffed a little and then softened as Kat touched the small of her back. "On the other hand, it was nice to see everyone again, even if I had to be evil for a time to do it."
The girls started to laugh a little at this until they heard the doorbell. Hayley looked up in mild surprise as she pulled herself from her comfortable position on the floor and walked towards the door to the kitchen.
"I'm not expecting anyone, Karen, do you sense any evil?"
"Nope; although whomever is on the other side of that door is quite anxious to see all of us."
"All of us?" The girls voiced in soft whispers as Hayley disappeared into the hallway to open the door. The soft click of the lock and the squeak of the door were followed by a giddy laughter, a near scream and a loud thump that seemed to reverberate through the floor into the kitchen. As one the women stood up and rushed to the door to see what the matter was.
Lying in the middle of the floor of the hallway was a young man in his mid-twenties with dark brown hair, bordering on black. His eyes were blue/green that portrayed years beyond his own lifespan, and set back in soft eyes that befitted his caring personality. He was wearing a black long sleeved t-shirt, khaki pants, and a long coat that was now bunched up underneath of him.
It wasn't so much seeing him lying there on the floor that caused such an outburst of giddy giggles and blushing as it was what was pinning him to the floor. The usually reserved redhead had tackled the poor man and was now attempting to hug him through the floor. It took some time before Hayley finally managed to pull herself off of the young man and he stood up.
"Derk!" All five women yelled simultaneously and then looked around at each other. "How do you know him?" Once again asked curiously in the same voice as all five had joined in a chorus.
"Karen, Kim, Kat, Hayley and even Kira here. I was wondering why so much energy was being built up around this house." The young man spoke for the first time, rubbing the back of his neck and twisting his back to be sure nothing was broken by the flying tackle. His voice showed one of compassion and a little bit of comedy within it as well. "I guess I should have phoned ahead to tell you all that I was going to be coming by, otherwise I wouldn't have been greeted so harshly."
At this the girls giggled and blushed a little more, Kira now trying to hide herself behind Hayley and Karen because of the way that she was dressed. The shirt did show off a lot of her legs, and she didn't feel all that comfortable about having a man here, even one that she knew. The other girls surged forward and gave the young man a large group hug before directing him towards the kitchen.
"Come on, have some pizza with us. What brings you here anyway?" Kat smiled warmly as she sat down at the table once more and showed Derk towards the pizza boxes. Kim sat down next to Kat as the rest of the girls filed into the room with Kira last, still trying not to be seen.
"Actually, I noticed that all of you were getting together tonight and thought I would drop in to give you all an update." Derk sat down on the edge of the counter and watched the five women, nibbling contentedly on his pizza.
"I hope that everything is alright with…" Derk raised his hand to stop Karen. For her part she looked a little forlorn staring at the table. He smiled gently and patted her shoulder a little.
"She's fine, and it wasn't your fault, or Kat's for that matter, so both of you stop thinking like that. She's in good hands right now."
Hayley seemed to consider something for a second before she looked up at Derk quickly and with a relative motion of surprise. "Hey, wait a minute!" Kira seemed to giggle lightly, but Derk motioned it away with his hand.
"So, how do we all know you, Derk?" Kira voiced for the first time, sliding into the chair so that he wouldn't see her for long. "I mean, I know how Hayley and I know you, but I didn't think that you would know the rest of our group here." He smiled gently at the gathered women.
"Now, that, dear Kira, is a long, difficult and amazing story." He smiled a little more broadly as the face of his watch glow gold for a second before it beeped slowly. "Oh, but I should be getting back. I can only hope that my story will be coming to light very soon; you can be sure of that."