DISCLAIMER: I do not own the Power Rangers or any characters affliated with this series. I may, however, have some originial characters that I will post up here as they are added.
Lovely time, lovely place, so why in the world did it not feel like it was like that today? Well, Jason could think of the answer, but he really didn't want to admit it to himself. He didn't want to admit that there was another monster out there after the rangers. He wanted his life to be going back to normal, especially knowing that his friends were coming home, for good. This day had been a long time coming, but it was still hard to believe that is was finally here.
Geneva, 2001. They had been in this country for close to six years and although the time had passed surprisingly quickly, it still did not feel as if this was home. They still needed to get back to Angel Grove and settle down where they were supposed to be, with the people that they loved.
Who was 'they' you might be asking? 'They' was Trini Kwan and Zack Taylor, neither knew what was ahead of them but they certainly remembered their past well enough to know anything was possible. They had been Power Rangers, they had been friends, and they were the first to be openly attacked by Mesogogg. No one knew what had happened to Tommy, except Jason because of the fact that Tommy didn't want to worry the others. The both of them hoped that it would go away, very soon without too much of a fight.
"Are you packed up?" Zack asked, as Trini nodded her head yes. She was more excited than words could explain. She hadn't seen Jason in a year and although they had parted on friendly terms, she didn't think she could remain just friends any longer and hopefully Jason would feel the same way. She didn't know what she would do if he just wanted to act like there was no spark between them and that they were only friends. She didn't know if she would be able to take that sort of rejection from him right now, when she needed him.
"I'm so ready to see Jase," Trini said bouncing up and down while Zack laughed at his hyper friend. Trini rarely acted like this, but when she did, she was worse than most of his other friends. Kimberly had been known for it, but Trini was the calm one and he didn't really know how to deal with her, no one did when she was like this.
"And he's ready to see you," Zack said, pulling his suitcase into the hallway and locking his door behind the two of them. It was the last time that they would see this place without being visitors and that gave them a sense of joy.
They had been waiting for this day ever since they had gotten the letter saying that they would be allowed to leave the program and return home. They were some of the last ones to leave from the original group, but it had been well worth it and the degrees that they had acquired also made it well worth their time. They were going back to Angel Grove after leaving their stamp on the world and that was all that they could have wanted. They finally got some credit for good, which was something they definitely didn't see when they were rangers.
"Zack, do you know why Tommy hasn't called lately?" Trini asked as Zack shook his head. It honestly surprised him that Tommy hadn't called, but Kim's silence was ten times worse. She had never been silent for this long without an excuse and she had yet to give them one.
"Who knows. We'll make sure to call him when we get to California. I'm sure he'd be able to come visit Angel Grove. It'll probably be a relief for him with the way that his job is right now," Zack said with a smile as they got into the elevator and then went through the lobby to the taxi.
"I don't know, he seemed awfully busy the last time he called," Trini said, while they piled in and their luggage was placed in the trunk.
"Tommy is always busy with something," Zack said as Trini nodded her head. She certainly agreed, but it just seemed to be more than normal, although he had not felt that it should be openly shared. Tommy had always kept secrets from all of them, except Kimberly, but she was no longer there to pull things out of him. "But what about Kim?"
"She…well I think she's back in California, but that is about all I know. She said she'd call when she settled into her home," Trini said as Zack stared at her. He had never expected to hear that from Trini, when they were about to board a plane back to California.
"They're in the same state? Do they know that?" Zack asked as Trini grinned. She had known that Zack would react like this when he heard the news, that was why she had kept quiet for so long. She had wanted to see that reaction so badly, but the shock value was so much better now.
"Kim knows, Tommy won't until we all meet up," Trini said while Zack nodded his head. He was sure that Tommy would explode, but six years was long enough for him to get over everything that had happened, hopefully some of his ammunition had decreased lately.
"How about Billy?" Zack asked. He knew Trini would know if Billy was back on Earth, but she might be the only one that knew.
"More of the same. He just likes exactly where he is today. I'm not going to try to convince him to come home unless he sounds like he is unhappy," Trini said as Zack knew he was still on Aquitar and they missed him more than he knew.
"I miss Billy," Zack said simply.
"So do I, but…wasn't that the airport?" Trini asked, as they passed the building and she realized the driver had a rather scaly face. "Zack…"
"What?" Zack asked as he saw Trini pointing at the mirror and he knew they were in deep trouble.
"Welcome friends," Mesogogg said as Trini and Zack stared and tried not to scream from utter fright. "This is going to be a lovely last ride."
"Puerta," Trini muttered and Zack nodded his head that he understood. They could only hope that the being had left the doors unlocked.
"Nope," Zack said and Trini tried to roll down the windows and they didn't budge. They were locked in the car with this demented thing and no way out.
"We could always," Trini said pointing to the 'watch' on her wrist and Zack nodded. They hadn't teleported anywhere in years, but it was always worth a try. When they pressed the button to teleport it took them to a place they had never seen, but they were sure that they were out of the car and maybe even in California.
"Hello!" Trini called into the room that looked like a modified Command Center and she was surprised when a door flew open and Tommy appeared at the top of the stairway.
"How'd you get here?" Tommy asked running down the stairs in a pair of jeans and both of them noticed he had no shirt on, so they couldn't help but wonder what he had been up to.
"Teleported. Why didn't you tell us that another demented creature is after you?" Trini asked as Tommy looked at her. Had they had a run in with Mesogogg or was there something else out there that he didn't know about?
"Mesogogg found you?" Tommy asked as he escorted them out of his Command Center and into his house.
"Yeah, you better call Jason and tell him we're here. He will probably want to know that we're not going to be coming in on the plane," Trini said and Tommy nodded his head although he couldn't believe the luck he was having today.
He had gone on a run in town and ran into a girl that he could have sworn was Kim, but he knew that was nearly impossible. She was still across the country from what he knew. Now two of his best friends landed in his basement because Mesogogg was after them. He was having one hell of an emotional roller coaster and he was not sure if it was done yet. There still seemed like there might be something else going on here that he didn't know about.
"Jase," Tommy said as he heard someone pick up on the other end.
"Yes," Jason said, cautiously, as he had heard that voice from Tommy before and he doubted that Tommy had any good news for him.
"Zack and Trini landed in my basement and told me to call you," Tommy said as he could tell it was taking Jason a little while to comprehend everything that had happened.
"I'll be up there in an hour and I'm going to try to pick up Kim if she doesn't drive herself over there first," Jason said and he hung up the phone while Tommy stared at it, hoping it would give him some answers. Had he just said that Kimberly was going to come with him?
"Trini!" Tommy roared as she nearly jumped out of her chair and into Zack's lap. "Why didn't you tell me?"
"We couldn't tell you. She moved back a few months ago and created a job in Reefside. We all thought it was best to just let the two of you handle it on your own," Trini said as Tommy glared at her. "We've been rooting for the two of you for years, maybe you'll get your shit straight now."
"Our shit straight? What do we have left to get straight? She dumped me for some asshole in Florida and all I get is a 'dear john' letter to soothe my soul. It's not that easy to just forget something like that Trini," Tommy said as they heard a tentative knock at the door and Tommy glared over at them before he went to answer it. He could only hope that it was some poor soul who got lost in the backwoods and was asking for directions out. If it was Kim, he didn't know what he was going to do, except slam the door in her face.
"If that is someone besides Kim, we're in deep shit. I knew that she would drive herself over here," Zack said as Trini nodded her head and heard Tommy slam the door closed. "I guess we're in deep shit either way."
"Let me in damn it!" Kim yelled as she beat on the door and Trini walked over to let her in. She did not care if Tommy wanted to be childish, they needed to talk this out, now. "What's going on? I didn't do a damn thing to make him mad."
"You showed up, that's something," Tommy murmured through gritted teeth as Kim glared over in his general vicinity, although she didn't make eye contact with him. He got the eerie sense that she couldn't and he didn't know why that bothered him.
"They're my friends too, Tommy, I deserve to see them," Kim said as Tommy just shook his head. She had honestly lost her mind to think that she could come in here and see them. She could see them somewhere else, when he was not involved and preferrably very drunk.
"Not here," Tommy said as Kim glared at him and then cautiously walked over to Zack.
"What attacked you?" Kim asked, worriedly, as she ignored the daggers Tommy's eyes were throwing at her. She was more concerned about her friends than with what Tommy might do to her. She had already been through the worst pain possible, anything he did to her would not hurt nearly as bad.
"Another one of Tommy's lovely friends," Zack said as Kim looked over at him.
"Another monster is after you? Tommy, do you just have a sign hanging out front that says 'Come after me, I used to be a Power Ranger'?" Kim asked as she turned towards him and he just stared at her. She had the right to be mad because of his cold reception, but this was not the way that she would usually act, he knew that much.
"No, I don't have that," Tommy said as Kim walked over to him and gave him a long look. "What are you doing?"
"My glasses are in the car, I couldn't see how pissed you are at me," Kim said as Tommy gave her a confused look. "I started losing my sight a couple of years ago. I was on a medicine that caused it and when I found out that was it, I stopped taking it, but the damage was already done. It's improved some, but I don't hope for much more than what I've gotten back."
"You make it hard for him to stay mad at you," Trini said as Kim looked over at her and shrugged her shoulders.
"Why should he be mad at me? I only did what was right to protect him, to protect all of you," Kim raged as they gave her a confused look. "Zordon didn't tell you?"
"Tell us what?" Tommy asked as Kim looked over at his fuzzy frame and handed him her keys.
"Please get me my glasses. I don't know this place well enough to not hurt myself," Kim said as Tommy took the keys. "When's Jason going to get here?"
"It takes him about an hour to get here," Trini said as Kim covered her eyes.
"I have to try to buy sometime before I tell Tommy what is really going on here," Kim said as Zack and Trini nodded. To be thrown back into this, Kim seemed more than prepared to do whatever she had to do to make it work out all right in the end.
"Here you go," Tommy said as Kim felt around for the glasses before Tommy placed them in her hands. He hated seeing her like this, helpless. It was something that had always made him feel a soft spot for her.
"Thanks, that's much better," Kim said as she put on her glasses then smiled at Tommy. It had been a very long time since she had really seen him and she had to admit that he had built on everything he had in high school. She, however, couldn't think of him like that right now or she wouldn't be able to think of a way to get herself out of this situation. "Look, I know you still have a lot against me, but it seems I am going to have to explain everything to you."
"Everything?" Tommy asked, tentatively, as Kim nodded her head yes. This was not something that she wanted to do, but she didn't really have much of a choice about it. "I have the feeling I need to sit down."
"Sit down? Tommy, what I have to say is not that bad," Kim said as she followed him into the living room, while Trini and Zack smiled before following them.
"I kinda have the feeling it will be for me," Tommy said as he sat down and Kim sat down across from him.
"When I left Zordon warned me about some things, I didn't think that I needed to take it seriously. Who the hell would want to come after me? A Power Ranger without powers who was living three thousand miles away, but I was wrong about that Tommy. They did come after me and they threatened much more than what has happened. I thought it was all gone, but now they've decided to come after you," Kim said as Tommy's eyes widened and he looked at the others. He was begging her to say something other than what he was thinking, to disprove that she knew about Mesogogg. "Mesogogg's not new, he's just decided that now is the time to break me down."
"Why do you matter so much to him?" Tommy asked as Kim looked away from him and gently rubbed her forehead. This was where things got sticky, if she didn't tell him everything then she would lose any chance of him ever trusting her again, but if she told him everything he was going to hate her, at least at first.
"I matter because I'm the only one that can stop him. He's the man I turned down for you and then the man I had to leave you for, to keep him from becoming your monster as well," Kim said as she stared out the window while she allowed them to let it sink in. None of them had ever heard any of this and she couldn't help but wonder why Zordon didn't tell them, he had known all about it.