AN: Saban/Disney owns the characters you know. I own the ones you don't.

CHAPTER FOUR

ANTICIPATION

"Well, I have sent out all of the RSVP's Ashley." Andros, the Red Space Ranger said with a smile.

"It's about time! The event is a week away. I didn't know you could be such a procrastinator." She gave him a playful look before continuing. "So who has RSVP'ed so far?"

Ashley loved big events like this; everyone always had so much fun. She had already decorated most of the Astro Megaship. Andros thought she had gone a little overboard with the streamers but he wasn't about to say anything to her about them.

"Well… let me see here." He replied as he pulled up his email.

"The Galaxy rangers have all RSVP'ed, so have pretty much everyone from the original teams up to us. Unfortunately I haven't heard anything back from the Time Force, Lightspeed, Wild Force, and Ninja Storm teams. The Dino team is coming though. At this point I don't think the others kept in contact after their ranger days."

"Aren't the Dino Rangers the ones who were mentored by Tommy?" Ashley inquired.

"Yeah." He smiled. "Zordon would be so proud of him."

Ashley was a bit surprised, not only at Andros's words but also by his expression too. Most of the time whenever Zordon was brought up he would leave the room or refocus on something else. That was how it had been for years. It had been quite some time since Zordon had passed but Andros had had a hard time forgiving himself. Maybe this was the first sign of him accepting that he wasn't at fault for Zordon's death.

Ashley patted him on the back. "He definitely would be… but I know he would be just as proud of you too."

Andros looked up at her with a heartfelt grin. "Thanks, Ash."

She bent down to give him a hug but was instead pulled into a kiss.

As Andros let go of her cheeks, their lips pulled apart and once again Andros smiled at her. "How about we grab some dinner and spend the rest of the evening together? We can always come back to decorate and prepare some more later."

Ashley matched Andros's expression. "Sounds good to me."

Jamie looked around at Jason's studio apartment. She was surprised that it was only her first time in there but Jason was definitely a private kind of guy.

"Hey Jamie! Help yourself to whatever is in the fridge." Jason yelled from the other room.

"You know… that pasta had turned out really well. Sauce and all." She responded as she opened up a bottle of water.

Jason walked out into her view.

"I'm sorry we had to leave so quickly. I know you had a great dinner planned."

Jamie continued to look down at her feet.

Jason wanted to say something more but didn't know what at this point. He didn't have much experience these days when it came to talking to 14-year-old girls. Instead he went over to one of his kitchen drawers and began rummaging through its contents.

"What are you looking for?" She piped up.

"My communicator." He responded after giving a frustrated grunt.

"What will that do?" She asked.

"If I can find it, I'll be able to get in contact with someone that may be able to help us find your dad." He paused and looked up from the counter top.

"That's it!" He suddenly announced and left the room once more. Jamie heard some noise coming from the other room before he returned about a minute later with a wooden chest. He opened it up and the first thing he saw was Tommy's old Zeo morpher. He had given it to Jason a number of years ago before he moved away for college; he was afraid of something happening to it. Jason wondered for a second if he should show it to Jamie but opted against it.

"Did you find it?" She asked as she saw him quickly stuff something back into the bottom of the chest.

He continued to delve through all of the trinkets he had collected over the years. "Still looking."

There were a few cassette tapes Zack had given to him as well as an old photograph. He pulled the photo out and instantly smiled. It was the one Ernie had taken of the six original rangers. Himself, Kim, Trini, Zack, Billy and Tommy were all huddled together in front of the youth center. Jason remembered that day well. The young teenagers were beaming as they held Ernie's famous smoothies in their hands. It was the day they found out Tommy would be joining them again as the White Ranger. Jason's smile soon faded as he looked at the girl in yellow. It had been close to a decade since they had lost Trini and not a day went by when he didn't miss her.

"Yes!" He exclaimed with much relief after reaching back into the chest. He now had his communicator in his hands. He immediately placed it on his wrist and brought it up to his lips.

"Hey… this is Jason… Anyone come in?" He paused and then spoke once more. "Anyone read me? …Hello?"

Again Jason got no response.

"So what do we do now?" Jamie inquired.

"We keep trying."

She gave a small sigh as she listened to Jason further speak into his communicator. She felt like she could be doing more than just sitting there waiting for something to happen. But something told her that this was just the beginning and ultimately patience would end up giving her some sort of result. She was now starting to fully comprehend just how much her life had changed, and more importantly how different it would be for the rest of her life. The one person who really cared for her and took her in not only used to be a Power Ranger, but a legendary one at that.

And now he was just gone.

(Planet of Mirinoi)

"I am so betting on Leo screwing up somehow at this thing. He'll definitely forget a line or something." Damon said with a small laugh.

"I'll get in on that." Kai added.

"Very funny guys… so glad I have the loving support of my closest friends." Leo shot back, half annoyed.

"Leo is going to do a fantastic job at the reunion!" Mike said happily as he walked into the room.

"Thanks Mike… At least I know someone always has my back." Leo replied as he patted Mike on the shoulder.

"Oh, no problem baby brother. But just so you know, I'm going to have to get in on this bet too." He laughed as Leo instantly dropped his arm and glared at them all.

"Hey, do you think Cassie is going to be there?" Kai asked a little uneasily.

"Relax Kai, I'm sure your one true love will be there." Maya added with a huge smile.

Kendrix then emerged from the hallway. "Yeah, do you want me to call her to ask if she's going?"

"No, no… that's fine." Came Kai's quick response as his face turned as red as Leo's shirt. "And she is not my one true love either. We're just friends."

Kai looked away from the group as they all grinned.

"Well, I had better get going. I still need to find a suit to wear to this thing." Leo announced as he stood and grabbed a banana from the fruit bowl sitting on the table.

"Hey! Make sure you get one that's entirely in red, alright?" Damon yelled after him, trying not to laugh. "You can even holster your Quasar Saber on the side!" But everyone joined in the laughter after that as Leo merely scowled at the group before making his exit.

The room had been quiet for over ten minutes now. Jason sat on the sofa with his head back trying to figure out what to do next. No one had answered his calls by means of his communicator and he didn't have most of his friends' numbers anymore.

He knew his constant moving around was somewhat to blame for his lack of communication with the others. But everyone had his or her own life to live too. Jason stared at the ceiling and began to lose himself in his thoughts.

Jamie sat on the recliner opposite of him. She had been slowly peeling off the label on her water bottle. Jason let out a slight sigh. He just couldn't believe something like this was happening again. He looked down at his communicator. It was a bit nostalgic for him to see it occupied on his wrist again.

'One more try.' He thought, as he held the communicator up to his lips once more.

Jamie looked up at him, surprised he was going to attempt contact with someone again.

"Come in! Anyone! We have a problem. This is…"

"-Jason?" Came the sound of another man's voice answering back.

"Adam? Is that you?"

"Yeah, man!" He excitedly replied. "What's up? I wasn't expecting to hear anyone on this thing again!"

"I know, I'm sorry… I just needed to get in contact with Andros. Can you ask Carlos to give him my communicator frequency? Tell him to contact me immediately."

"Yeah, I'm on it. Is everything okay?" Jason's tone was making Adam feel concerned.

"It will be." Jason replied. "Thanks, man."

"No problem." Came Adam's response. "Will I see you at the reunion?"

"…Of course." Jason told him a little wearily. "I'll see ya then, Adam."

The two exchanged formal goodbyes before ending the call.

Jason laid back against the sofa once again, this time feeling a bit less anxious. Something was actively being done now to locate Tommy.

"Who's Adam?" Jamie questioned after a short while.

Jason looked over at her with a somewhat questionable expression. "I think it's time for you to watch an old video."

"A video of what?"

Jason got up to go pull out his copy of the video Hayley showed Tommy's students just after getting their Dino powers.

"Let's just say a lot of your questions will be answered."

"You have an incoming message from Carlos on Earth." The Megaship's computer programmed assistant informed Cassie and TJ.

"Alright, Deca." TJ responded as the video screen in front of them came on and an image of Carlos's face could now be seen.

"Hey guys."

"Hey yourself." Cassie began. "You've been a bit of a stranger these days, Carlos."

"Yeah, man… What have you been up to lately?" TJ asked right after her.

Carlos had been a bit AWOL so to say, since his days as a Ranger. He had gone through many years of schooling to become an RN and had been working in the Intensive Care Unit of a hospital in San Diego for the past six years.

"I will have to catch up with you guys at another time." Carlos replied before clearing his throat. "I am calling because Adam contacted me earlier."

"About what?" TJ asked as he walked a little closer to Carlos's screen.

"To inform Andros that he needs to contact Jason as soon as possible. He said it was urgent. I'm not really sure what's going on, but Adam said Jason seemed stressed and worried... I just sent over his communicator frequency."

"Alright, we'll let him know, Carlos." Cassie replied with a stern look.

"I'll see you guys at the reunion, okay?" Carlos added soon after her.

"Sounds good. See you then buddy." TJ responded.

Carlos's face then disappeared from the viewing screen.

"Well that was definitely a short-lived conversation." Cassie said with a perplexed look.

"I am going to go inform Andros… this seems serious." TJ announced before leaving the room.

"Knock first! You know they're both in there together!" She stated with a grin.

TJ rolled his eyes. "Yeah, yeah."

(Andros's Quarters)

"…Andros?" Ashley asked softly.

"Yeah?"

"I really love being with you. Just lying here next to you feels so right, you know?"

He spoke softly into her ear. "…I know. I feel the same way, Ash."

They continued to spoon as Andros began to kiss her neck.

"… Promise me you'll never leave me?"

Andros stopped as he attempted to sit up a bit. He was looking down at her as she turned over to face him.

"Why are you asking me that, Ashley?" He felt a little perturbed as he examined her expression.

"It's just… we were one of the only groups of Rangers that actually got to keep our powers after we defeated our enemy. I just want to be certain that the power won't be the thing that takes you away from me for good… I don't want to worry about losing you in a battle or a fight ever again."

"I won't use the power again; you know that. But I hope you understand that the power will always remain within us."

"I know… I just-"

"I'm not going anywhere." He interjected. "I am right where I should be, with you."

She smiled before the two of them inched in for another kiss. They almost managed one kiss before they were interrupted by a knock at the door.

"Yes?" Andros asked out loud in an annoyed tone.

"It's TJ. I just needed to tell you that Jason is trying to get in contact with you. It sounded really urgent."

Andros looked back down at Ashley with clear disappointment in his face. He got up to walk over to the door.

"Did he say what this was about?" Andros asked as his door slid open.

"He didn't give Adam the specifics apparently. Here is the frequency Carlos sent to me." TJ finished as he handed Andros a small piece of torn paper.

"Alright, thanks TJ." Andros replied before inputting the numbers necessary to reach Jason via communicator.

As TJ left, Andros turned back around to see Ashley's saddened expression.

"Leaving?" She asked quietly.

"Yeah, but only for a little while. I am going to call Jason to see what this is about and then I'll come right back. We will still have our evening together, I promise." He pulled his boots back on and kissed her on the cheek.

"Alright." She said as he quickly made his way out of the room and down the hall. She got up and walked across the room to the only window in Andros's quarters. Ashley wondered for a moment just how many times she had stood there and looked out of that same oval window. She thought she would never get tired of seeing space as close as she had been for the last decade. She had seen so much she felt like Doctor Who, only without the time travel. Unlike her and the others still aboard the ship, Carlos had been the only one to stay on Earth to pursue his goals. But now she was feeling like she should have gone back to Earth a long time ago. They would be arriving there in the next few days.

'Maybe I'll stay this time.' She thought to herself. 'But will Andros stay too?'

Little did Tommy know that the video he created to have a history of the Power Rangers, was now being viewed by his 14-year-old daughter. Jamie sat bug-eyed as her attention remained focused on the video in front of her. Jason sat across from her on the smaller sofa. He was feeling a lot of mixed emotions watching the video at such a dire time. His anxiety grew seeing and hearing about some of the enemies he used to face.

'It could be any of them.' He thought to himself.

He hoped above all that it wasn't Rita who was responsible for Tommy's disappearance. The last thing Tommy needed was a reminder of his days as the evil green ranger. To this day he still had a lot of guilt surrounding his actions during that time.

The video finished as he looked over at Jamie for her reaction.

"Well that explains a lot." She said with a neutral expression.

"I hope you understand now how serious this is."

"He should have told me the truth." She stated with a bit of bitterness in her tone.

Jason looked away and collected his thoughts before continuing. "I know you're feeling confused, hurt, sad and every emotion in between, but we can't let our emotions get the best of us. Your dad needs us right now, and I-" He was interrupted by the sound of his communicator.

The two of them looked at each other anxiously before Jason answered the call.

"This is Jason."

"Jason, this is Andros. I heard you needed to speak with me?"

Jason let out a sigh of relief before continuing, "Thanks for getting back to me, man. We have a bit of a situation."

Andros was definitely concerned at this point. After all, it wasn't often you got an urgent call from the original red ranger.

"Whatever you need." He responded in a strong tone.

"Tommy is missing and I am almost certain he has been taken captive. He was last seen earlier this evening around five. I don't know who is responsible at this point for his disappearance, but there was definitely an intruder down in his lab before I got there. The place was a mess."

Jason's words all came out so fast.

"I will search everywhere I can for him, Jason. Don't worry, I'll begin right now."

"Thanks, Andros. You don't know just how much I appreciate this."

"Don't worry about it. I'd do anything for my fellow rangers. I'll contact you as soon as I find something." Andros responded as he began his walk to the main control room.

"Oh, and Andros… can we keep these between us? With the reunion coming up, everyone will be so happy… I don't want to spring this on them."

Andros was taken aback momentarily. He had assumed that Jason would want everyone in on the search. He had mixed feelings about it, but he knew he had to respect Jason's wishes.

"No problem. You have my word." Came Andros's response. The call ended just as he had reached the main control room. He quickly walked over to the computer and began the search for Tommy's whereabouts. Something told him finding Tommy was the least of his problems. It would be the discovery of whoever has him now that made Andros uneasy. This might mean returning to duty, but with his recent promise to Ashley to never return to Rangering, he had no idea what was in store for him.

He began the scan. "Okay Tommy… where are you?"

"This Andros guy is going to find my dad, right?"

"Hopefully." Was all Jason said.

"What do you mean, hopefully?" Jamie asked, growing a bit impatient.

"There is no guarantee that Andros will locate him, Jamie. He could be anywhere. We just have to hope Andros gets us a lead."

"So while he's searching for my dad, we're supposed to just sit here and wait?"

She looked away from Jason and down at the floor almost immediately. Her arms were crossed over at this point.

"Jamie, you have got to trust me. Everything will be okay, we just have to get through this first."

"How do you know?" She yelled back at him, her eyes staring right into Jason's now. "How do you know it will all be okay when you don't even know where he is!" She was on the verge of tears; Jason could see that much.

He was about to respond but was cut off.

"You know… I see that look on your face. You try to hide your worry from me but I see it." She paused before continuing, "And I know there are a lot of things I still don't know… But I am not a child anymore so don't treat me like one!" Jamie got up from the recliner as she finished.

Jason stood up as well causing her to retreat a few steps.

"I am really trying here Jamie… I know how scared you are, but so am I. We have to stay strong and support each other. You're right… I can't be certain that everything will turn out fine but how would we get through this without that hope?" He could see she wasn't fully listening.

"Something bad is going to happen to him… I just know it." She let out a small cry, as she looked to Jason's right and took off toward the bathroom. Her emotions were starting to get the best of her.

Jason decided it was best he let her be alone for a little while. She would come out of there when she was ready. He went back to the couch and laid down on his back, extending his hands up and under the back of his head. He began to drift off into a light sleep; thoughts of Tommy and how the reunion would be flooded his mind. He decided it be best to try and sleep now because sooner or later… he wouldn't have the option to.

Tommy had been sitting inside his cell for well over two hours. Mesogog still hadn't returned after his previous departure. He had been so hungry before his capture, but now he didn't feel like he had an appetite at all. His main concern now was how he would make it out of there safely. There was no guarantee Jason would be able to locate him. Before he could think any further the door to his left flung open and at least a dozen Tyranodrones marched in. Mesogog followed and the lights then went off. Tommy listened for the door to close but it never did. At this point all he could see was pitch black.

"Alright, what kind of game are you playing here Mesogog?" Tommy practically yelled. He then heard the door to his cell creak open.

"Go!" Mesogog yelled.

He could hear the footsteps all around him. He felt a strong kick go into his calf, knocking him halfway down. As his knees hit the floor he grabbed a hold of one the cell bars to hold himself up. But before he could defend himself, he felt another kick go into the middle of his back. The full force of the kick was definitely felt as his body flung to the floor; the side of his face now on the frigid stone. What he felt next he hadn't felt in years. His head felt like it was on fire as Mesogog steered all of his energy at Tommy's skull. Even if he could see Mesogog at this point, he definitely wouldn't have been able to retaliate.

"Beg me to stop, Oliver." Mesogog yelled down at him.

Tommy's cries could have been heard from a mile away. But Mesogog wouldn't let up.

"No!" He yelled back. "I won't…"

"You don't want to kill him just yet Mesogog. After all… he's the only collateral we have with those silly rangers at this point."

Tommy could barely make out this new being's words, but 'collateral' was definitely one he had heard. Suddenly he felt the energy leave him as he clutched the sides of his head, still feeling the remnants of it all. A small light that illuminated the inside of Tommy's cell then came on.

"Open your eyes, Tommy boy!"

'That voice…' He thought to himself before opening his eyes slightly. His blurry vision adjusted to the light only to reveal Divatox hovering over him.

He continued to lay on his side. 'How is she here?' He wondered. As much as he wanted to, he was unable to form any words at this point. She suddenly kicked his stomach with the end of her boot, sending him onto his back. He instantly coughed; a small amount of blood trickled down the corner of his mouth. He groaned as he looked up at Divatox again with squinted eyes. The Tyranodrones hoisted him up onto his knees as his head hung low.

"Already too much for you, Oliver?" Mesogog asked as he walked around Tommy.

"It's just the beginning!" Divatox said quickly after him with a huge grin.

"Now… I am betting you're already in shock that I have brought back one of your oldest enemies Oliver, but you see… I need to reintroduce you to some others as well."

Tommy still hadn't looked up from the floor. It was too difficult.

"Ah, in the position I like to see you in the most, Tommy… cowering and vulnerable." Another voice finished saying.

'It can't be…' Tommy thought before slowly picking his head up.

Standing there before him was Lord Zedd. With his staff and all, he stood beside Mesogog and Divatox.

"I don't believe this…" Tommy stated in a quiet tone.

As if Tommy couldn't feel any more shocked than he already was, another voice spoke from behind the shadows of the room. "Believe it, my old friend."

Tommy looked over into his or her direction before the being stepped out into view.

"No…" Tommy said disbelievingly. His mouth hung ajar as he stared wide-eyed at the new being before him.

"It's good to see you again, Thomas." The being stated.

Her voice was just as annoying as it ever had been.

"Rita…" Tommy just couldn't believe what he was seeing.

"I bet you never thought you would be seeing my gorgeous face again, did you?"

"How could I ever forget that face." Tommy replied nastily with a glare.

"Hold him still!" Rita ordered the Tyranodrones.

She came up to Tommy and hit him hard against the side of his face with the end of her staff.

Tommy grunted instantly. That one really hurt and it was evident it had as blood was now coming down the side of his face from his hairline. His head swung back to the center where it had been before. The hit had left him feeling disoriented. Rita grabbed his face hard; her hand under his chin as their eyes met once more.

"You're in for a real treat, Tommy."

He got up enough strength to pull his head away from her clutched fingertips. He couldn't bear to look at her any longer.

"A real treat indeed, if I may add."

Tommy didn't even want to look. He knew right away who had said those words.

"Such a pleasure to see my favorite Power Ranger again." Prince Gasket said with amusement, as he too walked out to join the group.

Tommy couldn't help but let out a laugh. "Any more of you I should know about?" He asked as he looked up at them all, his grin still visible.

"Actually… there is." A sixth being added before walking in to join the group.

Trakeena now stood next to Rita, all six of them now looking down at Tommy.

"See Oliver… I just felt our mutual friends deserved an invite to the reunion too." Mesagog stated in a deep tone.

Tommy took in a small, yet painful breath before responding. "They aren't going to hand themselves over to you without a fight. They'll always win… haven't you learned that by now?" As he finished that sentence he directed his glare at Gasket, Zedd and Rita.

"But you see Tommy… they're all fools. They will choose their loyalty above everything… they will choose to save you." Zedd spoke up.

Tommy wasn't about to give Zedd the satisfaction of being right. He knew his friends would do all that they could, but just how far were they willing to go? The damage these six could do together would be catastrophic.

"So… you're using me as bait then? …Real original."

"You know… I wouldn't give us any more reason to hate you more than we already do, Tommy boy. I mean, you nearly sliced off my beautiful left hand with that silly little knife of yours."

"You?" Tommy asked in shock as he looked up at her. "You drugged me? I didn't know you had it in you, Divatox… Way to take the coward's way out by coming at me from behind."

"Does this knife have any meaning for you? Divatox asked as she surveyed the outside of the knife. Engraved on it were the initials D.T.

"Yes actually, I think you should give it back to me." Tommy replied, half-annoyed as his anger started to build up more and more.

"I think I'll hold onto it for you instead." She responded with a smile.

He couldn't stand the thought of her holding the only thing he had left of his brother David's. He had given Tommy that knife just weeks before a drunk driver hit the side of his car near the reservation. The accident resulted in his death.

"I'm starving, Zeddy! Let's eat already." Came Rita's high-pitched squeal.

"Shut your trap, you relentless woman! Mesagog gives the orders here. After all, we owe our lives to him." Zedd was clearly aggravated.

"Why thank you, Zedd…" Mesagog slowly spoke. "Let him go, and lock up. We will be back."

He made his way for the door as the Tyranodrones dropped Tommy and locked his cell door.

Tommy sat up slowly, clenching his stomach. "What… that's it?!" Tommy yelled angrily.

"For now…" Prince Gasket responded as Trakeena laughed, the two of them being the last ones to leave. The door shut behind them, leaving Tommy alone in the dark once more.

"Oh God…" He whispered in a desperate tone. "This can't be happening."

He couldn't even think straight as his breathing became rapid and he began to panic. In all of his years as a Ranger, he had never been knocked down so easily. The beating he had just taken was only the beginning and he knew that. But he wasn't sitting there knowing his friends would find him and come to his rescue like they always had. He couldn't feel the strength he had displayed for so many before, the strength that had pulled him out of one too many situations. No… this time was different.

This time he was genuinely afraid for his life.