A/N: Saban and Disney own the characters you know, I own the ones you don't.

Chapter Two - The Real World

"Do I look okay?" She was observing herself in the body length mirror in her bedroom. She wore a cocoa colored knee-length dress with cream trim and brown suede flats. Her long, wavy ponytail fell in between her shoulder blades. She tightened her hair tie as she looked at him in the reflection of her mirror.

"Of course you do." He replied. "Jamie, you look perfect."

She turned around and faced him. "I'm nervous. You can tell, can't you?"

He grinned before sitting down on the edge of her bed. He clasped his hands together as his elbows met his thighs."It's normal. Graduating the eighth grade and moving into high school is a big deal." His eyes followed her as she sat down and crossed her arms.

"I'm almost fourteen. I'm four years away from being out in the real world and I still don't even know what I want to be."

"Hey… stay calm, kid. You've got plenty of time to figure your life out."

"Did you know what you wanted to do when you were my age?"

He looked away from her as he took a moment to think about it. "Well… I always knew I wanted to be a martial artist. I wanted to run my own dojo but it was never really in the cards for me." He paused before looking back at her. "It's okay to not know. You're going to grow a lot and discover things about the world and about yourself in the next few years. You'll figure it out along the way."

"Did you go to college right after high school?"

He looked away again as he thought carefully about his response. "I didn't, no."

"How come?"

As much as he wanted to tell her the truth, he knew he had to refrain. "I didn't feel ready for it. I wanted to be certain that I knew what I wanted to do with my life before jumping into it."

"When did you know?"

"When I was twenty-five." He replied. "I decided on Paleontology thinking I'd go off and travel, that I'd research and discover things. When I graduated college, there weren't a lot of jobs available. I went back and got my Masters and thought I'd teach in a college somewhere. I never thought I'd end up here in Reefside but I missed southern California."

"Professor Oliver." She said as she looked up at him with a smile. "Has a nice ring to it."

He grinned as he looked down at her.

"You know…" He began again after a moment. "High school was an interesting time in my life. I experienced a lot, both good and bad and you will too. It's an exciting time really. I think you're going to do really well, Jamie."

She nodded as her eyes landed on her shoes and her demeanor became more solemn.

"Hey…" He said as he placed his hand on her back and looked down at her with fatherly concern. "What's on your mind?"

"I miss her so much." She softly replied. "I wish she could watch me graduate too."

He could see the whirlwind of emotion building up within her. It had been almost eight years since she watched her mother die at the hands of her biological father. He pulled her into him and she embraced him right back.

"She's always with you, Jamie." He told her softly as she held him tight. He rested his chin against the top of her head. "And I will be too."

The subtle crackling of the wood fire stove in the living room could be heard as the downpour continued outside. Tommy sat in his oak leather chair, his worn and stale gaze on the fire.

"I'm going to make a run to the store." Kimberly announced as she pulled on her magenta raincoat. "Can I get you guys anything?" She looked over at Jason who was sitting on a bar stool at the kitchen counter with a cup of freshly brewed coffee in his hands.

"I'm good. Thanks, though." He replied before taking a sip of dark roast. He looked up at her then with a look of pleasant surprise. "This coffee is pretty damn good, Kim."

She smiled as she slung her bag over her shoulder. "I know you like your dark roasts."

She redirected her attention and walked over to Tommy. "How about you, Tommy? Can I get you anything?" He didn't reply. "Are you warm enough? I can go grab another blanket if you'd like."

He glanced up at her before resettling his eyes on the fire. "No, I'll be fine." He finally responded.

She gave him a quick sympathetic look before glancing over at Jason. The two of them made eye contact for a moment before she nodded once and headed for the door. Jason knew that was her subtle way of wishing him luck. This was the first time in three months that he and Tommy were in the same room together and Tommy hadn't told him to leave yet.

The moment the front door closed behind her, silence ensued. Tommy sat with a forest green blanket on his lap, his elbows rested on the arms of his chair. He was wearing a long-sleeved, skin-tight black shirt and his hair was still wet from his moment earlier out in the rain. He used to look muscular, healthy and fit in that shirt and now he just looked thin and frail in it.

Jason looked down at his cup of coffee. He was still feeling the effects of the whiskey he had downed less than an hour before. He wondered if he should say anything, the silence between them almost too much to bear.

"What's going to happen?" Tommy asked after a few minutes as he continued to look at the fire.

"What do you mean?" Jason replied, looking over at him.

"When I go back out there… into the real world." He paused before continuing. "The world you said I'm going to hate."

Jason let out a slow exhale as his eyes diverted back to the coffee in between his hands. "Well… considering no one knows you're back, the media will be all over you once you're seen."

"Would you take me out there?"

Jason looked back up to see Tommy's eyes now on him. "Yeah… I would."

Her feet meandered through the auburn sand. She held herself tightly as the cold winds brushed over her. Despite the sun's fierce presence, this was by far the coldest planet she had ever been on. There were close to fifty tan colored huts ahead of her, half of them enclosed and all of them full of creatures she had never seen before.

'So this is Zultan.' She thought to herself as she slowly shook her head. 'What a dump.'

She stopped, pushing back her waist-long braid as she retrieved her canteen from her small canvas messenger bag. She took a sip of warm water before scanning the rest of the desert area. Her mission was clear and she was ready to face whatever came her way. He had given her a deadline and she was determined to make it. The last thing she ever wanted to do is disappoint him.

She placed her canteen back in her bag and continued walking. As she neared the first hut she was overcome by the stench. She wondered for a moment whether or not to enter but she knew she had to search every inch of this place for the creature she was looking for.

As she walked into the hut she was immediately pushed back out. "What do you think you're doing?" The creature barked at her. She noted how ugly it was, its pale head too big for its body, its fly-like eyes a piercing yellow that sat above what she assumed was the remnants of a nose. "This is my home you desert rat!"

"I'm sorry." She replied flatly. "I am looking for someone and clearly you aren't them."

"Clearly!" It replied before walking back inside its home.

She walked around to the right and could hear music being played in the near distance. Drawn to it she went searching for the source. As she got closer to the music she began to notice the eyes watching her. The residents of this community had never seen a human on their planet before. She cautiously looked around her as she slowly made her way to the tent producing the music. She noted how much bigger it was from the others before walking inside.

Foul flavored smoke entered her nostrils upon entry and she coughed instantly. Her eyes quickly scanned the room as she took another sip of water from her canteen. There was a small bar with a robotic female bartender and two creatures off to the left of her playing cards on a clockwise rotating table. One of them was singing to itself in a language she couldn't even begin to understand. It only took a minute before she gained the attention of everyone present. The music stopped then, the room fell silent and all eyes migrated to her.

"Hi." She addressed the crowd sheepishly. No one replied, they all just continued to stare.

"You shouldn't be here." A deep, unnervingly strong voice spoke from behind her.

She jumped at the sound of whoever it was. She turned around, immediately pulling her staff off of her back and pointing it at the creature.

"Who are you?" She asked, looking up at the black creature. She could barely make out its facial structure. All she could really see were its thick muscles and white horns. It almost looked like some sort of buffalo crossbreed.

"I'm the owner of this joint and you are a human very far from home."

"I don't live on Earth." She replied. "I'm from Rowen."

The creature laughed as it crossed its arms. "Rowen? That planet has been abandoned for years."

"Not for the past four."

There was a moment of silence before the creature spoke again. "What are you doing here on Zultan?"

She was still pointing her staff at him, her stance remaining defensive. "I'm looking for someone."

"And who might that be?"

She glanced around her shoulders making sure no one was about to attack from behind. "His name is Finster."

The creature dropped its arms as whispering began to ensue around the room. "No one has ever asked about Finster before."

"So he's here then?"

"Yes." The creature replied. "You'll find him near the back of the colony. There's a blue space crystal sitting outside of his residence."

She finally dropped her staff. "Thank you." She sincerely replied as the creature remained in place. "Are you going to let me leave now?"

The creature reluctantly stepped out of the way. "I wouldn't come back to Zultan if I were you." It added firmly as she walked toward the exit. "We don't like visitors disturbing our peace."

"Don't worry…" She replied definitively. "You'll never see me again."

The music resumed the moment she stepped out of the hut. She placed her staff back in its holder on her back as she made her way through the rest of the community. She again caught many of the eyes of the residents there but she paid no attention to them. She was walking quickly now, her eyes looking out for the blue crystal that would signal she had found the right hut. She was shivering, wanting to complete this mission and get out of the cold. 'I've got to be getting close.' She thought as she turned another corner. She pulled her canteen out again and was about to take another sip before her eyes landed on her destination. She threw her canteen back into her bag as she made her way over to the hut with the blue crystal out front. She carefully pulled back the cloth door and walked inside.

"Hello?" She called out as she looked around. No one responded. There was a kettle about to come to a boil on a hot plate in a small makeshift kitchen in front of her. The areas to the left and right of her were both cordoned off with extra cloth for privacy. The kettle began to whistle its high-pitched tune and sure enough a creature emerged from behind the cloth to the right of her. It didn't notice her as it went over to the kettle, pulled it off the burner and began to pour itself a cup of tea. The description he had given her matched the short, blue skinned creature with long pointed ears standing before her.

"Finster?"

He looked up then, clearly startled by her voice as he nearly dropped his cup. He set his cup down on his table, slowly walking around to stand in front of her. 'He's even shorter than I thought.' She noted as the two stared at each other in silence.

"You're Finster, right? ...You helped Rita Repulsa and Lord Zedd back in the day."

He took in a deep breath as he pushed his glasses a little further up on his nose. He got a very strange, yet familiar feeling being in her presence.

"I am." He finally replied. "No one has come to see me in over a decade." He paused as he thought about who she might be. "Who are you, my dear?"

She looked down at her shoes for a moment before looking back up at him. "I am here to ask you to come to Rowen."

"Rowen?" He asked, startled. "My, my… Rowen is no place for either of us."

"It is right now." She replied. "I've lived there for some time now with the keeper. He has asked me to find you and bring you back to Rowen with me."

"Why would I possibly go to Rowen? My home is here… I have lived peacefully, away from the fighting and the wars for a long time."

"Because the keeper needs you."

"The keeper, you say… what is this person the keeper of?"

She paused, letting out a long breath before continuing. "He's the keeper of the Dolmen Stone."

Finster's entire demeanor changed. He looked away from her as he gripped his chest. "I think it's quite possible I've just had a heart attack."

"It won't be forever." She began in a convincing tone. "He needs your help and that's all I know right now."

Finster slowly shook his head as he thought deeply about the request. He couldn't believe someone was in possession of the all powerful Dolmen stone. He was intrigued, yet terrified at the same time. He slowly took his glasses off, crossed his arms and looked back up at her.

"Very well then. Let's go."

The rain continued to hammer the streets of Reefside. The roads were flooded and electricity was out for many residences and businesses. The weather wasn't keeping people from enjoying their New Year's Eve though. The Cyber Cafe, a local favorite, was packed with people on computers, playing arcade games and watching football. Hayley Ziktor was working harder than ever to ensure her customers were getting everything they needed. Despite the help she had from her husband, Billy and long-time employee, Trent, the three of them were overwhelmed and exhausted.

The bell rang again. "Order up!" Billy called out as he placed two plates on the counter between the kitchen and the bar. "These are the ham and cheese sandwiches you've been waiting on, dear!" He added as Hayley finished a transaction at the register.

"Thanks honey!" She replied as she grabbed the plates and Billy disappeared into the kitchen. As she walked them over to one of the tables she contemplated why she had chosen to expand her business. What was once a small, quiet coffee house was now more like a gastropub with games.

She apologized to the young couple for the delay on their food before quickly returning to the register. A line had already formed and Trent was behind by five drinks at the coffee bar.

"I take it we aren't getting any breaks tonight." Trent said as she wrote on three more cups, placing them in the queue on the counter.

She gave him an apologetic grin. "It will calm down, I'm sure of it… you're doing great, Trent."

He nodded as he began to steam milk. "Thanks… really trying here."

The bell on the front door rang as two more people walked in. They were startled by the shouts of joy that suddenly came from the crowd watching the football game.

"I'm sorry… can you repeat that?" Hayley asked the customer in front of her as she leaned in to hear the response.

"Order up!" Billy called out again before running back to another dish he was preparing.

"Trent? Can you run that?"

"No can do, Hayley." He immediately replied. "I'm swamped."

She turned around to look at the ticket. They were salads and she decided she would wait a moment before running them. She turned back around to greet the next customer when the unexpected happened.

She froze, her mouth instantly falling ajar. She was the deer caught in the headlights, her look of astonishment was coupled with the instant inability to form any words.

Trent caught her standstill moment in his peripheral and stepped away from the machine for a moment to see what had caught her eye. He nearly dropped his pitcher of hot, steamed milk as he too froze in shock.

There standing before them were Tommy and Jason. Tommy leaned to the right as he put his weight onto his cane. Jason stood behind him with his arms crossed. Both men carried worn, desolate looks.

"Hayley!" Billy said in an urgent tone as he moved the two salads aside and set a hot plate of pasta down. "I called this order out already." He was about to walk back into the kitchen when his eyes landed on his former teammates and friends standing on the other side of the counter. He did a double take before stepping out of the kitchen.

"Oh my God..." He stated softly as he crossed his arms. His eyes scanned Tommy in disbelief.

Hayley slowly walked around the counter and right up to the dear friend she thought she had lost. Her eyes never migrated from his. She stood with her arms at her sides as the two looked at each other for a moment. Tears began to well up in Hayley's eyes. Tommy bit his lip as he held his emotions at bay. She slowly raised her right arm and cupped his cheek with her hand. He responded by reaching up with his left arm and taking hold of that hand. She blinked upon feeling his touch, tears finally falling onto her cheeks. Without a word she wrapped her arms around him. He closed his eyes and returned the gesture as best as he could. They held onto each other for a few moments unaware of the growing increase of eyes on them. The noisy, busy establishment started to quiet down and whispering quickly ensued. Hayley withdrew from the embrace and took his left hand into both of hers as she looked up at him with raw emotion. "I'm so happy to see you." She told him softly.

"I'm happy to see you too." He replied with half a grin. He looked up from her then and to his right as he began to notice what was happening. Jason, Billy and Trent were already aware of it and while they wanted to say something, they refrained and let Tommy take it in.

His eyes slowly migrated around the room as a sea of cellphones looked right back at him.

He was alive, awake and alert.

And now he was exposed.