Okay, time for another update in the world of Billy/Kim fluff. Quick question: um, my stories have next to them a thing that starts for saying Life- 60 days' but the number of days keeps shrinking!!! And there are stories from like 2001, so I know there's a way to make fanfics last forever, but how? I really don't want to upload my stories again every 60 days. Virtual candy corn for anyone who helps out. And hi again to Brigette Barrymore and a warm welcome to Spyridon for liking fluff.

7: Gift

Thanks to his newest morpher, Tommy had e-mailed Billy a few weeks back to tell him he couldn't attend the annual holiday party in the Command Center. He didn't want to leave Conner, Kira, and Ethan alone for even a day. Even Rocky and Zhane calling him 'mother hen' wasn't enough to deter him. Without being able to teleport, Tommy did not want to go so far from Reefside. The other Rangers had resigned themselves to having a holiday party without Tommy when Adam had had an idea.

On the last day of school prior to Christmas break, the first eighteen Earth Rangers (minus Tommy) snuck into his house to prep for a surprise holiday party. As the first Red Ranger, Jason took charge.

"Okay- Billy, Trini, Zack, and Kim, you neaten up and decorate the living room area. Rocky, Aisha, Adam, and Kat, you put up the outside decorations. Tanya and Justin, you'll be helping me cook in the kitchen. Space- you six straighten up the rest of the first floor and put up some decorations."

Everyone nodded. Jason put his fist high in the air.

"Say it with me!"

"POWER RANGERS FOREVER!" everyone cheered before heading off to ready Tommy's house for the holiday party. Putting in a Christmas album, Kim hummed along to the song as she spread holly branches everywhere. Zack and Trini were putting up red and green streamers, and already delicious aromas were wafting out of the kitchen. Placing two candelabrums on the mantel (one for Kwanza and one for Hanukah) she sighed to herself, "This will be the best holiday party ever."

"You always say that," Billy laughed as he came up next to her. With a wide smile Kim replied, "That's because they get better every year."

Still smiling Billy led over to the doorway to the hall.

"Look up."

Kim raised an eyebrow at him. "Mistletoe?"

"Yeah," he smiled sheepishly. Reaching up to wrap her arms around his neck Kim reminded him, "You don't need mistletoe in order to kiss me."

"I know," Billy responded just before he lowered his mouth to hers. Kim felt the familiar warmth rise up in her as the kiss deepened. With a soft sigh she opened her mouth a bit, just enough to take the kiss even further.

Still kissing her, Billy put his hands on Kim's slight hips to tug her against him. Her arms slid down from around his neck to explore his muscled chest under his blue V-neck sweater. Momentarily moving away to get some air and to nuzzle her neck, Billy quickly resumed the kiss. Nearly whimpering Kim grabbed at the front of his shirt and started to add even more passion to the kiss. With a soft growl of approval Billy moved his hands further back to encase her bottom and nipped at her bottom lip.

Her heart pounding, Kim released Billy's shirt only to slide her fingers into his thick gold hair. Kissing desperately, they almost didn't hear the impressed 'dude' from the hallway. Almost.

Both blushing, they stepped back and turned to face their audience, a group of four teens. A sturdy African-American in a blue jersey and jeans with clipped black hair rammed his elbow into the ribs of a lean teen with fair skin and chestnut brown hair who was dressed in a red golf shirt and beige pants, complaining, "You made them stop."

"Ethan, Conner, grow up," the sole girl informed the pair scathingly. She was dressed in a yellow long-sleeved shirt, a black jumper, yellow tights, and black boots and had fair skin and dark gold hair. The last teen, who was hauling a good seven foot tall evergreen tree behind him and had tawny skin and fluffy black hair, laughed. He wore a black turtleneck sweater with a white snowflake design, black pants, and a white winter cap with a white ball on top. Adjusting the hem of her sleeveless pink dress Kim asked without meeting the teens' eyes, "Um, can we help you?"

"You could start by telling us who are you and why you're in Dr. O.'s house," the teen in red commented, folding his arms across his chest. Billy grinned wryly, recovering enough to wrap one arm around Kim's waist. Between the trio's attire and Tommy's e-mails he could guess who they were."

"Calm down, Conner. I take it you're Ethan and you're Kira." He looked thoughtfully at the final teen.

"Then you must be Trent."

"Yeah," he replied bashfully. Suddenly Ethan made a strangled sound from deep within his throat.

"You're Billy Cranston and you're Kim Hart. Okay, question- were you two in a relationship prior to 2003, or were you just that oblivious?"

"Just that oblivious," Zack called out as he inflated a four-foot Santa in a corner. Billy glared at his best friend as he tightened his grip on Kim, who just nestled closer to him.

"I, uh, I, what?!" Ethan tried to make another comment, but confronted with one of his technology idols he was in shock. Conner narrowed his eyes at Billy.

"You still haven't explained why you're in our science teacher's house."

Billy opened his mouth, but suddenly making the link between the color-coded strangers in Dr. O.'s house and Dr. O.'s Ranger history, Conner jerked his head at Trent and shook his head slightly. Understanding, Billy modified his statement.

"We're all high school friends of Tommy's."

"I hope you guys didn't bring a tree because Conner and Ethan made me drag it almost the entire way here," Trent commented dryly. Conner shrugged, "You paid for most of it, so you should carry it the longest."

"I know there's a flaw in that logic but I'm too tired to work it out right now," Trent sighed, putting down the tree and sitting down on the floor. With a giggle Kira helped him back to his feet.

"Come on. Dr. O.'s friends probably want our help."

"Doing what exactly?" Ethan finally managed a coherent thought. Conner rolled his eyes.

"Doing what we were planning to do anyway- plan a surprise holiday party for Dr. O."

"Cool," Ethan decided.

Seeing Tommy's face as he realized what his teammates old and new had done for him when he finally came home was a great Christmas gift, Kim decided. But while everyone was eating and talking Billy tugged her off again to stand under the sprig of mistletoe in the doorway.

"Now where were we?" he grinned, running a hand through her silky hair. Breathing in his vanilla and electric scent Kim replied, "Um… I love you?"

Billy rested his forehead against hers.

"I love you too. Merry Christmas, Kimberly."

"Merry Christmas, Billy," she smiled as she went up on tip-toe to kiss him. And that was an even better Christmas gift.

I hope you all had as much fun reading this one-shot as I had writing it. I'm aware that having Trent becoming the evil Ranger a few weeks after Christmas crams most of the season into the second semester but I really wanted Tommy to be 'normal' for Christmas. Now, I wasn't trying to be politically correct by calling it a 'holiday' party. It's just that from the episode 'A Season to Remember' it is clear that the Rangers celebrate different winter holidays. I think Bridge might be the only Jewish Ranger (I saw a clip of his 'Actually, Jack, I'm Jewish. So you might say that Hanukah came early this year' comment and it was hilarious.) but just in case… Dude, no wonder I love Bridge. I ramble just like him. Shut me up & review!