The Parent Trap and Power Rangers

Chapter 2: Pranks and Power Rangers

Late that night, Tommy sat on the lake bed near the Arapaho cabin and listened to the clinking of change and laughter of the girls as they played a game of poker. Kimberly was watching the game and was working her butt off to keep it from getting too bad. He heard Hallie ask if there were any more challengers, and then jumped up as he heard Annie's voice as she said she'd have a go. Running into to watch the game and make sure the girls didn't get into any trouble, he stood beside his wife panting.

"I'll tell you what, James," Hallie said in a playful tone. "I'll make you a little deal. Loser has to jump into the lake..."

"Excellent," Annie said just as playfully. Tommy could tell this was not going to end well.

"But naked," Hallie finished with a grin. Both Tommy and Kimberly groaned. They both knew how competitive she could be, and didn't want this to go badly, but it did.

"Even more excellent," Annie said with the same grin. "Start stripping, Parker. Two pair."

"You're good, James," Hallie said in mock wonder. "But, you're just not good enough." Annie's smile fell as Hallie laid down her hand. "In your honor, a royal flush." Tommy and Kimberly both did a face palm as they heard those fateful words.

"I'd give anything to have a monster attack right now," Kimberly whispered so none of the girls could here.

"I agree, but let's let it play out and see how things go." Tommy whispered back as they walked out the door to watch Annie strip and jump into the lake. One thing he didn't expect was Hallie and her cronies to actually take her clothes and run away with them. "Kim, go grab some of your clothes. I have a towel with me." Kimberly ran to their cabin and grabbed an outfit while Tommy wrapped Annie in a towel.

"Nice night for a swim, huh?" Tommy asked with a chuckle. Annie couldn't help but laugh with him. Though he could tell that she was laughing a little maniacally.

The next morning, Tommy was walking with Hallie and her friends...well, he was carrying her on his back because her feet were tired. One of the girls said something about Annie running to the mess hall looking for her clothes, and the others, Hallie included, laughed.

"Well, I just want to go into our cabin, grab a cup of cold iced tea, and go right to bed." Hallie said jumping off Tommy's back.

"I think that's a definite impossibility, babe?" said one of the girls. Tommy's mouth dropped as he looked up at the roof and Hallie asked why not. "That's why not." The girl said pointing to where Tommy was staring.

Hallie's eyes narrowed and her jaw set as she said, "No way." Kimberly ran up to them and looked at the roof and shook her head.

"I can't believe Annie would do that!" she yelled as they looked at the roof.

"I don't think it was just her, honey," Tommy said in awe. "She had some help."

While Kimberly and the girls planned their payback on Annie, Tommy decided to stay out of it. He was more worried about something else. He had an odd feeling something bad was coming, and it wasn't something the girls were doing. "I have to try and call Haley," he said to himself. He held his wrist up and talked into the silver bracelet that held his black gem. "Haley, it's Tommy."

"What's up, Tommy?" Haley asked through the bracelet.

"Well, one, I have an odd feeling something bad's going to happen, and two, Hallie's bed and her friends' beds ended up on the roof of their cabin this morning." Tommy explained.

"Well, I'm not seeing any evil signatures on the screen, so we're good. As for the bed thing...wow."

"Thanks, Haley. Let me know if you find anything." said Tommy cutting the transmission. "Okay, this is weird."

The next morning, Tommy and both Marva Sr. and Marva Jr. were doing their daily cabin inspection. Marva Sr. held up her bullhorn. "Good morning girls," Marva Sr. said happily as Hallie and her cohorts were looking through the Navajo window.

"Morning, Marvas!" the girls said in unison. They looked frightened as the counselors walked near the cabin. "Marvas?"

"Camp inspection!" Marva Sr. said through her bullhorn. "Attention..Navajos!" Hallie tried stopping them, but Tommy told her it was mandatory.

"Ma'am, how about I go in first?" Tommy said nervously. "I'd like to take the first cabin."

"Yes, that's fine," Marva Jr. said as they watched Tommy walk up to the door and pulled it open. A bucket of chocolate syrup covered his body and he slid into the cabin. "Oh dear!"

"Tommy!" Kimberly yelled. "Don't pull that...chain." Too late. Tommy pulled the chain on the ceiling fan and was covered in feathers. "Oh, this is not good."

Tommy walked out of the cabin looking very angry. "You, and you!" he yelled at Hallie and Annie who both jumped. "To the Isolation Cabin!" Kimberly never saw her husband that angry and couldn't override his sentence, so she followed the counselors and the rest of the camp to the Isolation Cabin.

"Aunt Kimberly, is there any way you can override this?" Annie asked hopefully.

"No, honey. When Uncle Tommy makes a decision, he sticks to it, and I can do nothing about it." she said apologetically. "I can stay with you if you like."

"Oh, you're staying with them all right," Tommy said looking at his wife. "You were part of this." Kimberly stood her ground. She looked him straight in the eye.

"Well, if you knew that I was in on this, then why didn't you stop it from happening?" she yelled to the rest of the camp. Both Marva Senior and Junior's mouths dropped and a series of gasps echoed from the other campers.

"Thomas Oliver, I thought you would have come to us right away!" Marva Senior said angrily. "I'm going to have to send you with the girls." Tommy hung his head in shame and followed his two nieces and his wife to the cabin.

"I can't believe my own uncle did this!" Hallie yelled as she sat on the bed. Tommy was outside on the porch thinking about how he acted. "It's like being grounded!"

"Honey, your uncle never gets that angry unless something really gets him. I don't know why I'm saying this, but we deserved it, and so did he."

"You bet your bottom dollar he deserves it," Annie said crossly. "I've never been grounded, and I am now starting to know what it's like, and I don't like it." Hallie agreed. "Aunt Kimberly, if you could get Uncle Tommy in here, we'll talk to him calmly."

Tommy walked in before Kimberly could get up. "I heard every word, and I'm sorry about my actions. You're right. I deserve to be here." Annie sat down next to him and looked him in the eye. "Annie, don't try to cheer me up, because it's not going to work."

"I wasn't going to," Annie said. "I was going to tell you how much of a jerk you were, but I think you already know."

"I was going to cheer you up, Uncle Tommy," Hallie said. "I don't get angry much either, but I felt like I was being grounded by my own dad, and I couldn't handle it." Tommy nodded and the girls started talking.

Nearly an hour later, the girls found out their origin and started having a touching moment that Tommy didn't want to mess up. Later that night, he and Kimberly were sound asleep until Hallie made an announcement.

"I have the most brilliant beyond brilliant idea!" she yelled. Tommy and Kimberly jerked awake. Annie sat up and give her sister a skeptical look. "I'm serious. You want to know Dad, right?" Annie nodded. "And I'm dying to know mom. Why don't we switch places?"

"What?" Kimberly and Tommy yelped as they heard them talk. "Look, Hal, I know you're smart, but I don't want your mom and dad to have a heart attack."

"No, listen. I can do her already," Hallie said. She pulled her short hair back and repeated Annie's statement from when the first found out about each other. "See?"

"She's good," Kimberly said. "But still, this is not going to work. If you guys switch places, sooner or later, your parents are going to switch you back, and they will not be happy."

Annie gasped and grinned as she realized the plan. "Aunt Kimberly, you just took the words right out of my mouth." Kimberly groaned and hid her face in her husband's chest. "But, Hal, we may look alike, but I'll have to get my hair cut and...no, no, no!"

"Oh, come on, Ann, I've cut my friends' hair and they look great. I can do yours, and you'll look just like me." Hallie explained. Annie looked at Tommy and Kimberly for help, but they just shrugged. "I can cut yours, too, Aunt Kim."

"Well, I could go for a trim." Kimberly said running her fingers through her long locks. Hallie smiled.

"Then it's settled. I'll do Aunt Kim's first, then yours, Annie."

"Well, I suppose." Annie said as she laid her head back down on her pillow.

"Thank you," Hallie said happily. "I told you I was brilliant." Tommy laughed and fell back to sleep knowing that the next morning was going to be interesting.

The next morning was actually like Tommy thought. Kimberly sat in a chair as Hallie cut her hair down to just above her shoulders. He thought she looked like the way she did in high school. Even the bangs were back. Next was Annie's turn, and Hallie was really nervous.

"Don't shut your eyes!" Annie yelled as Hallie squealed nervously and shut her eyes.

"Sorry, I'm just a little nervous," Hallie said taking a deep breath.

"You're nervous? I'm letting an eleven-year-old cut my hair!" Annie said. Her British accent went away for a second. Tommy and Kimberly smiled.

"Hey, you sounded just like me!" Hallie squealed happily. Annie looked up at her and smiled.

"Well, I'm supposed to aren't I?" she asked with a little smirk. After another half hour, Annie was looking just like her twin sister.

"Oh my gosh," Hallie said looking into the mirror. "I have pierced ears." Annie jumped up and backed away from her.

"No, no, and no! I am not getting my ears pierced. Sorry, wrong number, I refuse." she said a little rashly. Hallie insisted on doing Kimberly's who happily agreed to it. Annie finally agreed to it after a while.

That night, Tommy lay on his sleeping bag dozing off slightly as Kimberly looked at her ears in the small mirror. Annie was more nervous than when she got her hair cut.

"Okay, do you have the needle?" Hallie asked. Her sister held up a needle. "Good. What about the apple?" Again her sister held it up. "Awesome. Now to get to work." After sterilizing the needle with a lit match, she told Annie to hold the ice cube under her ear lobe. After that, she replaced the ice with an apple slice and punctured a hole in the earlobe. Tommy had to hold his ears as both girls screamed.