Italics are Kira thinking. Bold is Connor thinking.

CHAPTER 2: KIRA AND CONNOR

ANGEL GROVE
FEBRUARY 6, 2004
10:00

"Kira, are you absolutely positive that everything's ok?"

"For the fourth time, yes Dr. O, everything's fine."

Everything was, in face, far from fine.

"Well, I'm fine at least," Kira said. She lifted her shoulder to hold the phone to her ear while she mixed the macaroni and cheese and poured the hot chocolate at the same time. I guess experience baby-sitting two little devils really teaches one to multi-task.

"Connor is in a bit of a, um, jam…but I'm sure Cora will unlock the closet eventually!" Kira ended cheerfully.

Dr. O was silent.

"He let himself get locked in a closet?"

"Long story short…yeah, he did," she replied, bringing the tray of marshmallows to the living room. "Hey, I better go Dr. O. Cora just put her boom box in front of the door and it's blasting The Cheetah Girls."

"Huh. How nice of you to think of Connor's sanity in his time of desperation."

"Connor?" Kira asked while walking to the front hall. "Who said anything about Connor? Red got locked in a closet by a 6 year-old. I just don't want the baby to wake up." She leaned down to shut off the CD, but gave Cora a big smile and a thumbs-up to let her know she's doing a great job, then walked back to the living room. "Call us if something comes up!"

"All right. But Kira-"

Before he could say anymore, she hung up. Dr. O pocketed his cell phone and looked up at the computer screen he was working at. "She let him get locked in a closet?"

"Food!" Kira announced in the general direction of where the kids were 'playing'.

"Food's ready," she heard Cora say to her deaf brother, and then they were thundering into the living room.

"Hey-guys! Let me out, then we can all go eat," Connor's muffled voice said. "Guys?" He pounded on the door, although that hadn't done anything in the last 5 minutes, but he was hungry!

"Hey! Let me out! This isn't funny anymore!" He paused a second to ponder what he just said. "Actually, it was never funny, but that's not the point! Open this door right now!" He stomped his foot at those last 2 words. Deaf people feel vibrations or something, don't they? Like bats. This house is probably as big as Bruce Wayne's is, so why can't Uncle C be Batman? "Cora? Are you there? KIRA! A LITTLE COUSIN INTERVENTION WOULD BE REALLY NICE RIGHT ABOUT NOW!" Or even DareDevil. He could see vibrations or whatever.

"I'm hungry and after this experience I am never going to get my grandma's coat for her ever again!" Now that I think about it, Uncle C does kind of look like Ben Affleck. He silently counted to ten before bringing out the big guns.

"KIRA! I AM NOW OFFICIALLY CLOSTERPHOBIC! And it's all YOUR FAULT! How am I supposed to fight Mesogog like this? If Elsa were to pin me against the wall I would probably have a panic attack! Being morphed and enclosed might protect me from the wrath of Zeltrax, but not from-!"

But from what else, Kira will never know, because she yanked open the door at that point to shut up the big red oaf. That did shut him up, but he also stumbled into her arms.

"Kira!" He held her shoulders at arms length, then engulfed her in a hug.

"Connor…" she warned.

"I almost thought I was going to die in there! You seriously claim to be related to those two?!"

"Connor!" Kira hissed.

Whoa…I thought only Mesogog could do that…

"What?" He replied, stepping back with his hands still on her shoulders, clearly aggravated she was interrupting his rant.

She gripped his elbows.

"Those two want to say something."

Both of their heads turned to see the two kids standing there, but not in the apologetic manner both the rangers had expected.

Cora looked like she just walked into the front door. The very big front door. Her mouth was hanging slightly open, and she was looking back and forth between the two teenagers. Cormac just looked horrified. They all stared at each other a moment or two, then…

"GED OFF MY COUTHIN!"

And he charged.