Pausing in the hallway outside the dining room, Carter tried to gather his thoughts together before he went inside. Tommy obviously didn't want anyone else knowing something was going on, which mean it wouldn't be right to share anything with the others. Taking a deep breath, Carter gripped the first aid kit and walked inside. Cole was sitting leaned back in a chair, trying to keep blood from dripping everywhere. One of the others had found some napkins and he was using them to slow the bleeding.

"Here you go," Carter said, setting the first aid kit on the table. "Everything you should need is in here."

"Thanks," Cole mumbled.

Jason, who had finished eating while Carter was gone, was leaning back in his chair a smirking. Leo had found a seat of his own and was just watching while Wes and Eric were still standing near Cole.

"Why don't you take the kit with you to your quarters?" Carter said. "Take a shower and get cleaned up. I really don't want to return you to your team like this."

Keeping some of the wadded up napkins pressed against his nose, Cole stood up, glaring at Jason. Grabbing the first aid kit, he stormed out of the room. Carter sighed, shaking his head as he took a seat at the table. A few minutes later, TJ came in.

"Hey guys," he said. "I just wanted to give you an update. We will reach earth sometime early tomorrow morning, but no set landing time yet. We've got to wait our turn."

"But what about Cole?" Wes asked. "Doesn't he need to get back to his team?"

"Yes," TJ said. "But we have a backup plan in case of emergency."

"I'm assuming that's why I left the ship's contact information with the Wild Force team?" Carter asked.

TJ nodded.

"If we have to, we'll transport him from here," he said. "But that's a long way and we don't want to if it isn't completely necessary. They'll call if they need him."

The others nodded.

"Speaking of Cole," TJ said. "Where is the rookie?"

"He's—getting himself cleaned up," Carter said, glancing over at Jason. "There was a small incident."

"I hit him," Jason said, smirking and crossing his arms over his chest. "The kid got what was coming to him after his stunt and snide comments."

TJ stared at Jason for a moment and then shook his head.

"Alright," he said. "Didn't see that one coming. Anyways, Andros and I will keep you updated on progress home. In the meantime, get something to eat and spend some time relaxing."

He turned to leave the room.

"Hey TJ," Jason said.

TJ paused, looking over his shoulder at Jason.

"Yeah?" he asked.

"Where's Tommy?" said Jason. "I haven't seen him since the debriefing."

"Oh, I think he's in his room, resting," TJ answered. "Said something about a headache after the explosion."

Jason frowned in concern, standing up.

"I don't think he should be left alone, then," he said. "What if he has a concussion?"

TJ held up a hand to stop him.

"D.E.C.A. is already monitoring the status of everyone on the ship after the fight," he said. "If something is wrong, she'll notify Andros and I right away."

Jason nodded slowly, returning to his seat. Nodding back, TJ headed out of the dining room.

Later that evening, all of the rangers gathered back in the dining room for dinner. Wes, Eric, Leo, Carter, Jason, and Cole had spent most of the afternoon on the simu-deck, entertaining themselves. When they arrived in the dining room, Andros, TJ, and Tommy were already there. Carter paused for a moment in the doorway, looking at Tommy and frowning. Tommy was sitting down at the table, his head in his heads as he leaned on his elbows. He didn't look up when the others walked in, but continued to stare down at his plate of food. Andros and TJ were sitting next to him talking quietly, most of their dinner already gone. The rest of the red rangers got their dinner from the Synthetron and took seats at the table.

"How are you feeling, Tommy?" Jason said, sitting across from him. "TJ said your head was hurting after the explosion."

Tommy glanced up at him, shrugging.

"My headache's gone," he said.

"Is something wrong with your food?" Jason asked, digging into his own dinner.

"No," Tommy answered, shaking his head. "Just not as hungry as I thought."

Before Jason could comment, Cole interrupted, complaining rather loudly to Andros.

"I think there's something wrong with the shower in Carlos' room," he said. "It wouldn't work right when I was in there earlier."

Andros frowned, looking up from his conversation with TJ.

"D.E.C.A.," he said. "Can you please run diagnostics on Carlos' shower?"

"Yes, Andros," she answered.

There was a short pause.

"Results are acceptable," D.E.C.A. said.

"Thank you," Andros said.

"How can results be acceptable when the shower kept going from frozen to scalding?" Cole exclaimed. "It's got to be wrong."

"She," Andros, TJ, Tommy, and Jason all corrected.

"She's tied into the whole system," Andros continued. "If D.E.C.A. says nothing is wrong, then nothing is wrong. You must have been turning the controls too far."

"I was not," Cole protested.

Shaking his head, Tommy stood up from the table and headed toward the door, leaving his food behind. Jason frowned, watching him. The others all glanced up as well.

"Tommy," Jason said.

Tommy paused, turning around to look at Jason.

"What's up, Jase?" he asked, leaning one shoulder casually against the door frame.

"Where are you going, bro?" Jason asked. "Is everything alright?"

"I'm fine, Jason," Tommy answered. "It was just a long morning. I think I'm gonna turn in for the night."

Jason frowned, looking at his watch.

"It's still pretty early," he said. "I thought maybe you and I could go a few rounds on the simu-deck. It's been a while."

Tommy took a deep breath, closing his eyes for a moment.

"I don't think that's a good idea tonight. How about a raincheck?" he said. "First thing in the morning."

Jason didn't answer for a moment, and then nodded.

"You're on," Jason said.

Tommy smiled.

"Great," he said. "I'll see you in the morning."

Tommy headed out the door. Jason frowned, staring at the door.

"I told you he was getting old," Cole muttered.

Jason turned around to glare at him. Cole shrunk down into his chair, flinching under Jason's gaze. Shaking his head, Jason stood up and took care of his plate before heading out of the room. Carter leaned over to Cole.

"Cole," he said. "You do realize the rest of us are all about the same age as Tommy, right? He just started young, before any of us."

"Oh," Cole said, looking around the room.

The rest of the rangers were looking at him with various irritated expressions. Looking back down at his plate, Cole tried very hard to concentrate on eating.

Out in the hallway, Jason paused.

"D.E.C.A.," Jason said. "Can I make a phone call? I need to talk to Trini."

"Yes, Jason," she said. "I can set up a connection for you in the briefing room."

"Thanks," Jason said. "I'll be right there."

Taking one last look down the hallway after Tommy, Jason turned and headed to the briefing room. Inside, he took a seat and waited for D.E.C.A. to connect him.

"Hello?" Trini said, her voice coming through the speaker in front of him.

Jason smiled.

"Hey," Jason said. "How are things at home?"

"Jason!" Trini exclaimed. "Where are you?"

"Still on the ship," Jason answered. "But we're on our way home."

"How did the mission go?" she asked. "Did it succeed?"

"Of course," Jason answered. "Did you expect anything less?"

"Of course not," Trini said.

Jason smiled, imagining her frowning at him over the phone.

"Anyways," he said. "I'll tell you more about it when I get home. There's something else I wanted to talk to you about."

"What is it?" Trini asked.

Jason took a deep breath, leaning back in his chair.

"It's about Tommy," he said.

"Tommy is there?" Trini exclaimed. "Why didn't you tell me he was going to be there?"

"I didn't know for sure until I arrived," Jason said. "I mean, he's the one who called, but that didn't mean he'd actually be here in person."

"Right," Trini said. "So what's going on with Tommy?"

"That's just it," Jason sighed. "I don't really know. Something's up with him, but he isn't telling. All I've managed to get out of him over the past day is the reason he missed our wedding. And he didn't even give me all of the details on that."

"So what did he say about that?" said Trini.

"He was in the hospital," Jason said.

There was a pause, the other end of the line silent.

"He was where?" Trini finally said.

"Yeah," Jason said. "The hospital."

"I'm going to kill him," Trini growled.

"Join the club," Jason said. "But that's beside the point right now. I think he's depressed about something, Trini. Tommy keeps disappearing, hiding in his room for hours on end. He just passed up an opportunity to spar with me."

"I wonder what's going on?" Trini said. "I've never known him to pass up an opportunity to beat on you."

"Hey!" Jason exclaimed. "He doesn't always win."

"Whatever you say, dear," Trini said distractedly. "Do you think maybe he's lonely? He hasn't been to any get-togethers in years."

"That's what I was thinking," Jason said. "What do you think about an impromptu reunion? I don't know who's in the area right now, but we could invite them over to our house."

"But will Tommy come?" she asked. "I mean, he's never come when we invited him before."

"I'll just invite the rest of the reds," Jason said. "Play it off as a celebration of a successful mission. He can't say no with everyone else coming."

"Well, he could," Trini said.

"Nah," Jason said, shaking his head. "Tommy wouldn't do that. Even if he doesn't really want to come."

"Alright," Trini said. "I'll start making some phone calls and I'll see you when you get home. I love you."

"Love you too," Jason said.

The line went silent. Leaning back in his chair again, Jason started thinking about the best way to extend the invitation.

The next morning, Jason arrived at the simu-deck to find Tommy already waiting for him. he was wearing cargo pants and a long-sleeved red shirt. Seeing Jason, Tommy straightened up from where he was leaning against the wall.

"Ready, bro?" he asked.

"Of course," Jason said. "It's gonna be just like old times. Umm… Why are you wearing that shirt?"

Jason looked down at his own pants and shirt, the sleeves cut off. Tommy shrugged.

"Let's get going," he said as an answer.

"Bring it on," Jason said.

"Hey guys!" Wes said. "Taking a turn on the simu-deck?"

Tommy and Jason turned to see the others approaching. TJ and Andros both looked concerned as they looked at Tommy, but the others didn't notice.

"Hey," Jason said. "What are you guys doing here?"

"We were gonna have another training session with Cole," Wes answered. "But it looks like you guys beat us to it."

"Well why don't you join us?" Jason asked. "We'll have our match and then the rest of you can join in."

Behind Jason, Tommy grimaced, rubbing a hand across his forehead. TJ and Andros exchanged glances.

"Sounds good to me," Leo said. "We haven't really seen Tommy in action since the moon. It'll be nice to see you fight up close."

"Mm hmm..." Tommy said, nodding.

They all entered the simu-deck, setting up the environment as a dojo. The other rangers all took up places around the room, out of the way. Tommy and Jason took places in the center. Sighing, Tommy got set in a ready position.

"Ready, bro?" Jason asked, grinning.

"Yeah," Tommy sighed. "Ready."

Both of them jumped into motion, Jason going full out into fighting mode. Tommy managed to hold him off for a little while, blocking kicks and hits. But it was all he could do to stay on the defensive, he couldn't attack back. On the one side of the room, TJ and Andros were trying not to panic. TJ was flinching every time Jason landed a hit. Andros had his face in his hands.

"Please don't die," he muttered under his breath. "Don't die. Hayley will kill us. Please don't die."

Tommy slipped up and Jason landed a solid kick, knocking him to the ground. Grunting as he landed, Tommy stayed down, staring up at the ceiling. Jason froze in surprise. TJ and Andros just stared in horror.

"Are you alright, bro?" Jason exclaimed, hurrying over to pull Tommy to his feet. "What happened?"

Tommy took a deep breath, leaning against Jason for a moment before straightening up.

"I guess I'm more out of practice than I thought," Tommy said, shrugging. "So, I think I'm going to bow out now before I embarrass myself more."

Jason frowned. Some of the other rangers exchanged looks.

"But you can fight better than that," Carter said. "I saw you on the moon."

"The morphers give quite a boost," Tommy said. "I'll see you guys around."

Before anyone could stop him, he slipped out. Jason stared after him, still surprised by the outcome of the fight.

"We're usually evenly matched," he muttered. "Wonder what that was about."

"How can he be such a legend if he can't even fight?" Cole commented, shaking his head.

Jason spun around to glare at him.

"Alright," he snapped. "That's it. Your turn, rookie. On the mat."

"Sure," Cole said, grinning. "This'll be fun."

With everyone else distracted by Cole and Jason, Andros and TJ slipped out of the simu-deck after Tommy.

Andros and TJ entered Tommy's room to find him lying on the bed, eyes closed and not moving.

"Tommy?" Andros said. "Are you al—"

"I'm fine, don't touch me," Tommy interrupted.

TJ and Andros exchanged glances. The room was silent for a moment.

"So," TJ said. "Should we—"

"Go," Tommy interrupted again, still not moving.

"Ok," TJ said as he and Andros headed back out the door. "We'll just check on you later."

They stepped out into the hallway.

"D.E.C.A., lock the door," they heard Tommy say behind them.

The door closed and they heard the click of the lock. They looked at each other and shrugged.

"Well," TJ said. "I guess we'd better get back to the simu-deck and make sure Jason hasn't killed Cole."

"Right," Andros said.

"Ow, ow, ow, ow," Cole muttered, sitting gingerly down in a chair in the dining room.

It was lunch time and the rangers had left the simu-deck to get something to eat. Tommy was already there, picking at a spinach salad. He looked at Cole, raising an eyebrow.

"Are you alright?" he asked.

"He's fine," Jason answered, sitting down next to Tommy.

The other rangers shook their heads, sharing amused glances as they all joined the group at the table.

"He just had a personal training session with Jason," Eric said, grinning.

"Jason!" Tommy exclaimed, turning to look at his friend. "I told you that you weren't allowed to kill the rookie. We do need to return him to his team in one piece."

"He's still in one piece," Jason protested.

Cole glared at them.

"Would you stop calling me rookie!" he exclaimed.

Jason and Tommy both turned to look at him.

"Have you been a ranger longer than a year?" Tommy asked.

"Well, no—" Cole started.

"Then you're a rookie," Jason finished for Tommy.

Cole frowned, staring down at his lunch.

"Don't worry," Wes said, clapping a hand on Cole's shoulder. "We were all rookies at some point."

"Yeah," Eric agreed. "And you should hear some of the stupid things Wes did. Like during his first week as a ranger. He went to help paint a TV studio and managed to get himself captured and tied up by Nadira. The others had to save his butt."

"Wait a minute," Wes interrupted. "How did you hear about that? You weren't a ranger yet."

"Trip told me," Eric said with a shrug. "He told me all sorts of stories from before I joined."

"He is so lucky he's out of my reach," Wes grumbled. "I guess being in the future benefits him in this case."

Eric just smirked. Tommy yawned, leaning back in his chair.

"You could always leave him a note," he suggested. "Although I'd choose something other than paper to leave it on."

"Yeah, well I wasn't the only one doing stupid things," Wes said, glaring at Eric. "You had plenty of those moments yourself, Eric. How about when you found your morpher? I think sticking your hand inside that box without knowing what it would do was a pretty stupid idea."

"Not really," Eric said. "It was just a box. What was the worst that could have happened?"

"It could have been one of Ransik's traps," Wes countered. "You really would have been in trouble then."

"Don't worry about it, guys," Leo said. "We've all done stupid things. Right, rookie?"

"Not me," Cole said, crossing his arms in front of him.

The other rangers laughed. Tommy sighed, shaking his head at Cole before closing his eyes.

"Uh-huh, sure," Leo said, raising an eyebrow. "We'll see. I know I did on multiple occasions. Like when I joined Terra Venture's military. I was on duty and left the weapons dome unlocked. A monster got inside and had access to all of our weapons. And when I tried to fix it, I managed to place all five Quasar Sabers in Furios' hands. That almost ended really badly."

"We've all been there," Carter said. "Too cocky for our own good. When I first became a ranger, I managed to beat the record for the fastest time completing a training sequence. But if it had been a real gun in my hand, everyone would have died. I was moving too fast and not paying attention to what I was shooting at and hit a tank that would have caused a major explosion. It would have taken out the whole base. I slowed down after that, realizing I needed to pay attention to what I was doing."

The others nodded, agreeing with Carter.

"We've all had those lessons to learn," Jason agreed.

"Yeah," said Wes. "Being the leader isn't always what it's cracked up to be. You'll realize that sooner or later, Cole."

"Hey," he protested. "I'm not the one talking about stupid things I've done. I haven't done anything like that."

"I'm sure your team could come up with a few," TJ said with grin. "Teammates are the best ones to go to for dirt. Right, Andros?"

Andros rolled his eyes, shaking his head at TJ.

"But my favorite for myself is the time I was baked into a giant pi—" TJ started to continue.

"No," Andros said. "I am not listening to that story again. How about we try something else? Like the time you managed to lose your memory. That one is entertaining."

"Now wait a minute," TJ argued back. "You've done lots of stupid things, too."

Andros raised an eyebrow, crossing his arms in front of his chest as TJ continued.

"Let's see," TJ said. "The day we first met you insisted that you were going to fight by yourself and tried to get rid of us; you took off on your own and would have been killed if Carlos hadn't saved you; you were jealous of Zhane for a while. Oh! And there's always the whole car thieves incident."

"Car thieves?" Cole asked.

Andros groaned.

"Yeah," TJ said. "We were at school taking a test and somehow Andros ended up running around with a gang of car thieves. He helped them steal a car!"

"In my defense," Andros said. "It was one of my first visits to earth. And I did return the car. Plus, they turned out alright in the end."

He shrugged as some of the others laughed, shaking their heads. Cole looked around in surprise.

"I don't know why you guys are sounding so proud of this stuff," he said. "Why would you want everyone to know your mistakes?"

"Making mistakes is part of being a leader," Carter said. "If you don't learn from your mistakes, then you're just going to keep making them. And that would lead to disaster."

The rest of the rangers agreed. Cole just shook his head, still not agreeing. Jason smirked at him.

"I'd say stupid is a common theme when it comes to being a rookie," Jason said. "You should hear some of the things Tommy and I did. Right Tom—Tommy?"

Jason frowned, looking at his friend. He had turned around to find the other ranger asleep in his chair. But before he could do anything, D.E.C.A. interrupted the conversation.

"Andros," she said. "We are about to enter earth's atmosphere. Approval has been granted for approach and landing."

Tommy jerked awake when he heard D.E.C.A.'s voice. He sat up, looking around. Jason started to say something but was interrupted again.

"Alright everyone," Andros said, hopping out of his seat. "Strap yourselves in for approach."

Andros left the room, heading for the control room. TJ was right behind him. Seeing them leave, Tommy stood up and hurried after them. Jason and the others headed toward the briefing room to get strapped in.