Back in the Line of Duty

Authoress Note: Okay there were supposed to be two fan fictions between Better Together & Back in the Line of Duty that followed Hayley and Tommy through their college years and then what I've dubbed as the missing years shortly after Tommy starts going on archeological digs but they are not coming to me easily.

Therefore we're skipping those two segments and jumping straight into this one. If that plot bunny comes back then Back in the Line of Duty will be the fourth in the series but as of right now it's the second in the series with at least two more parts to follow no matter how the original second and third parts play out.

As always check my profile to find out what fan fictions and one shots are included in the Better Together Series.

01. The Phone Call

Hayley Zicktor had been fast asleep when the phone call came in. Looking at her phone found it was a number she didn't recognize which almost made her not answer it, but something told her she needed to and ignoring the logic that told her not to she opened her phone before mumbling a quiet, and rather sleepy 'hello'.

"Hayley, it's me." The voice said, which was all it took for her to awaken fully and sit straight up in the bed.

"Tommy, where have you been the past few years?" she asked, looking around the apartment that was technically still theirs, even though he had left for an archeological dig and since then, rarely spent any time at their apartment, and three years ago, stopped coming home at all.

"It's a long story Hayley. We need to talk. There's a lot I need to tell you and I can't do it over the phone." He said.

That sparked her interest. That meant he thought he was being listened to, or there was a chance he was being recorded, or just flat out didn't want to tell her over the phone. She needed to be sure.

"Can't or don't want to?" she asked, falling back into the playful banter they had built over the years.

"Don't want to. You can talk freely; I'm on a burner phone just in case." Tommy said which really raised Hayley's eyebrows into her hair lines. "How much vacation time do you have?" he asked, knowing she never took a vacation unless her boss forced her too.

"Nine weeks. I passed my three year mark last week." She said, but Tommy should have known that, he was there when she had started at that company.

"Good. Take four of it if you don't mind. If it's not PTO I'll reimburse you the difference." He said, throwing the last part out like it was nothing that he could drop $5,000 to see her for a month.

It was definitely serious.

"It's paid so we're good. Where am I meeting you?" Hayley asked, she had gotten a job at a think tank in Seattle shortly after graduating and Tommy had followed her to Seattle to teach at the University there which was why he was on digs so much.

"Get a hold of your boss and let me know what day you can leave. I still have a few things to work out. Keep your phone charged and call me back once you know when you can leave." He said before he sighed.

"I should be good to leave tomorrow. I never take time off but give me a little bit." She said before they said their usual goodbyes and hung up the phone.

A glance at the clock told Hayley it was six in the morning, which meant her boss was already at work. Making the phone call had been rather easy, her boss had been on her ass about her not taking vacation time and when Hayley had told her she would be working on a new program for the Think Tank, she had readily agreed and told Hayley she would see her in six weeks: starting that day.

Returning the phone call, Hayley was a bit put out that Tommy didn't answer but she knew he would call back as she started making coffee, not surprised when her phone rang just as she took the first sip of her coffee.

"I can leave today." Was Hayley's opening remark as she answered her phone, which earned her a laugh from Tommy.

"Good because I already booked your flight. You leave in two and a half hours. You'll land in San Francisco California at 9:30 if everything goes as planned. Bring enough clothes for at least a week I need to buy a washer and dryer while you're here." He said, throwing the last comment out halfheartedly before Hayley hung up the phone and started scrambling to get ready, bringing as much of her tech gear as she could per Tommy's orders.

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The flight was rather uneventful all things considered and true to his word Tommy was waiting for her as she made it out into the terminal, greeting her with a tighter hug than she thought she had ever received.

"It's good to see you again. I'm renting a house while I'm here so let's get going." He said, taking her carry-on luggage which felt like it weighed a ton before they made it onto the freeway.

"Where are we headed and can we stop and get coffee?" Hayley asked, which earned her a laugh from Tommy as he motioned to a second cup of coffee that was sitting in a cup holder next to his.

"You didn't think I forgot that did you?" He asked, causing her to laugh as she remembered how forgetful he was when the first met," and as far as where we're going. Reefside, California. We should be there in about two hours but it was safer to have you fly into San Fran. I'm in some deep shit Hayley. I thought my days as a ranger where over with."

Tommy mentally kicked himself for letting it slip like that as Hayley gave him a dubious look before she shook her head.

"That explains where you disappeared to a few years back. You came back so beaten up I thought I was going to have to erase someone's existence." She said, apparently taking things in stride a lot better than he thought she would. "Now what have you gotten yourself into?" she asked, making her self-comfortable, she could tell this was going to be a long ride.

"You remember when I started working for Anton Mercer?" He asked, knowing she would, Hayley had helped him get the job. When she nodded her head he continued. "He wasn't just excavating them, he was draining them of the residual power they had and turning them into monsters. Well the plan backfired on him and the island blew up in our faces literally, but somehow the technology he was working on has vanished, his research notes, the equipment, everything. I couldn't find anything in the wreckage and that bothers me, but I was able to steal a few things before the island blew itself sky high. That's what I need your help with, because I don't think this is over by a long shot." He said, giving her a look that said to bear with him.

"What ranger where you?" she asked suddenly, earning her a boisterous laugh.

"What color wasn't I would be the better question. I was the evil Green Ranger, then the good Green Ranger. The White Ranger for the original team and then when the Zeo Rangers arrived I was the Red Ranger before we transferred our powers to a new team to give us time to live our lives not always looking over our shoulders and it seems I may have stumbled right back into it all on my own." He said, the bitterness evident in his voice. "I helped create something that may very well be in the wrong hands right now and I can't live with that." He said, his voice almost breaking towards the end when Hayley reached over and gave his free hand a squeeze.

"We'll figure it out Tommy, we'll figure it out." She said, before she turned her attention back to the scenery that passed them by.