Author's Notes: Fixed.

Things I Learned While Watching Power Rangers:

16. The longer a villain is on the show, the lamer and weaker he/she gets. Witness Goldar. At the beginning, he can take on all five Rangers and make a decent showing. By season 2, Billy can beat him with just a few kicks… unmorphed.

17. It's probably not a good idea to load self-destruct mechanisms on your minions' chests.


A Darker Shade of Green

Chapter 11: Personal Attacks, part 2

The Command Center was quiet, the only noises being the low beeping of systems and the mild clacking of Zack and Alpha on the consoles. The viewing globe showed only peaceful park scenes. True to Tommy's word, no alarm had gone off.

Jason was in his room, lying on his bed and recovering from the unpleasantness of the past hour with his parents. He hadn't yelled or lost his temper, and he'd taken a full and angry lecture on responsibility, making them worry, skipping out on detentions… He knew he'd deserved every word, and he decided to stay home all day… and maybe get some sleep.

Kimberly had showered and was planning to relieve Zack for a few hours before the party. She happily threw outfit after outfit on her bed, making the especially difficult choice of what to wear. Trini was with her.

"The trouble is," Kimberly said, "that I always have to stay practical with clothes these days. I mean, I can't high kick in a straight skirt, and Putties always seem to attack when I'm all dressed up."

Trini rolled her eyes. "Kim, all of your clothes are gorgeous, even the so-called practical ones. Besides, there's going to be a lot of dancing tonight anyway, so you'll want to dress comfortable."

"I know, you're right," Kimberly said. "You going back up?"

Trini shook her head. "I have a lesson with my sensei late this afternoon. I have to make up from Thursday. He doesn't like to skip a full week of practice."

Kimberly finally decided on a sparkly blouse and skirt, both of which looked made for dancing. "I'm going to relieve Zack for a few hours. I know Billy will want to work tonight, but I think Zack needs a rest. Besides, I haven't taken a turn at the search."

Trini gathered up her purse. "Call me tonight and tell me how it went."

Kimberly looked over from putting on a necklace. "You sure you're still not mad at me?"

"I was never mad at you," Trini said. She crossed her arms. "Tommy and I might have words later, but…"

"It was totally not Tommy's fault!" Kimberly said in a panic. "And I'd get so embarrassed if you said anything."

"I was only kidding," Trini amended. "Mostly. He just seems really… violent… to me."

"He's a martial artist."

"So am I," Trini reminded, "and I still don't like how he handled Bulk and Skull that one time."

Kimberly looked upset, so Trini backed off. "Look… I'll reserve judgment on Tommy for now, okay? But if he hurts you…"

"Come with me to the dance tonight," Kimberly interrupted. "Then you can see that Tommy's totally cool and gentlemanly."

Trini smiled. "We'll see. I may need to be up in the Command Center, but I may show up for a few minutes. We need a party, anyway."

Trini left Kimberly's house, still worrying, but trying not to. There was just something about Tommy that didn't rub her the right way. She could usually sense when people were hiding something, and it always seemed like that to her when she was around him. Trini shook her head roughly. It's paranoia, she told herself. There's plenty enough to worry about.

She walked slowly, wanting a few minutes of peace and quiet to empty her mind before her lesson. Her sensei always knew when she was troubled, and she really didn't want to have to explain herself or her problems. She took deep breaths, trying to reach the calm center that she always visualized as the nougat-y center of a candy bar… a visual relic from beginning martial arts training when she was nine.

The calm didn't come as easily this time, though. There was too much to worry about. Forget Kimberly's dubious romantic plans. There was Zordon, and Billy was working too hard, and Jason was freaking out, and there was no way she was going to get her painting for the exhibit finished, and should she be worrying about that anyway, because that seemed really selfish, and…

…why were all the curtains drawn at Billy's house?

Trini frowned at the dark house, getting that weird mental itch she'd developed in the past few months whenever something was wrong. Zack called it her "spider sense." That phrase came back to her. Was she sensing danger? Or was she just paranoid?

Trini pulled a wristwatch from her pocket to check the time. She was probably going to be late for her lesson, but this was just a creep-out she couldn't shake. She'd just walk over to Billy's and pretend she was dropping off to say hey.

She knocked at the door loudly. After the second tap, the door swung open, not securely fastened in the first place. All the lights were out. Burglars, she thought… but Billy's car was there. He could take care of burglars… unless he'd teleported back to the Command Center.

Trini heard a muffled scream. She put her guard up, ready for anything, and entered the house.

She wasn't ready for everything.

"Billy!" she screamed. Billy lay on his side, absolutely still. His face was covered in bruises and cuts. She couldn't tell what all had happened, but he looked… dead…

She felt for his pulse, feeling sick as she did it, and felt the reassuring thumps of a beating heart. She sobbed with relief, realizing that she'd been expecting to find her friend dead.

There was another muffled scream from the hallway. Trini ran to it. She could see Billy's mother's head on the floor, protruding from the bathroom. Trini knelt and removed the gag.

"Trini… thank God!" Ms. Cranston exclaimed. "I can see Billy's feet. Is he…?"

"He's alive, Ms. Cranston," Trini said, and reached for the woman's other bonds. She was tied tightly to a chair, and she'd obviously fallen over in her struggles. The ropes were cutting into her wrists.

"Forget about me," Ms. Cranston said. "Call the ambulance! We can't know what that monster did to him!"

Trini immediately left her, kicking herself for the lapse in judgment. She grabbed up the cordless phone and dialed 911. She gulped, trying to keep as calm as possible.

"911, what is the emergency?" a calm voice came through the line, the greeting almost one word from repeated use.

"My friend… Billy Cranston. He's been attacked in his home," Trini said, her voice coming out much higher than usual.

The calm voice guided her, asking for information. Trini stared at Billy, willing him to be all right. He had to be.

His Power Morpher was on the floor.

In a panic, Trini stayed on the phone with the 911 operator and knelt beside Billy. She stuffed the Power Morpher in her purse for safety and noticed the remains of the communicator on the floor. Still calm on the phone, she scraped wildly at the carpet with her fingernails, trying to pull every bit of metal from the floor. Technically, she was tampering with a crime scene. But this was Power Rangers business, and that was that.

"Alright, the ambulance is very close. Do you want me to stay on the line?"

"No… they'll be here soon," Trini said. She hung up, feeling wrung out. She wanted to call the guys right away, but it would be too suspicious if they all showed up that quickly.

Billy's secret identity secure, she forced herself away from him and went back to the hallway. "The ambulance is almost here. Are you hurt, Ms. Cranston?"

Billy's mother shook her head. "I bruised my elbow when I fell, but he said he wasn't going to hurt me, and he didn't," she ended bitterly. "Help me out of here, Trini," she said. "I want to ride over with Billy."

The knots were a bit too tight, but Trini spied a pair of scissors on the washing machine. "Ms. Cranston… who is 'he?' Who attacked you?" Trini asked, knowing the answer.

"He looked just like a Power Ranger," she said tightly, impatient to get out of the bonds. "But he was green… and… he couldn't have been a Power Ranger."

"Yeah," Trini said, trying not to cut her clothes. "I've heard that there's an… evil Ranger or something." Trini proceeded cautiously, not wanting to give away too much of what she actually did know.

Ms. Cranston got to her feet and immediately launched herself to the living room. Trini trailed behind. A conflict was raging inside of her. On one hand, she knew she needed to call everyone. On the other hand, she wanted to call the Green Ranger out, to storm the Moon Palace, to take revenge.

Trini worked hard to regulate her breathing. She knew she was always the coolest in battle among all her friends. And if she was feeling like this… Good Lord, how would Jason react?

The paramedics came in, and the phone rang. Ms. Cranston was too busy answering questions to notice, so Trini picked up.

"Trini! What are you doing over there?" Kimberly shrieked. "What's happening? There's an ambulance!"

"Kim…" Trini said in a small voice. "Billy's been attacked."

The tears that had been burning in Trini's eyes finally fell.


Jason all but ran through the hallway, mind clouded with panic.

He finally saw Kimberly, sitting in a chair in the waiting area outside the emergency room. Her face was red, and she was holding her legs curled up to her chin. Zack walked into view, having been pacing the entire room.

"How is he?" Jason said.

Kimberly looked up. "We don't know. We know a… lung collapsed," her voice broke, "when he got here. We're waiting."

Zack didn't acknowledge them. He just kept pacing, his eyes wide.

Jason collapsed on a chair beside Kimberly. "And where's Trini?"

"Talking to the police," she said. "From what she could tell me, she found Billy on the floor in his home and Billy's mom tied up in the bathroom. Billy's mom claims it was a Power Ranger."

Zack kicked a chair. The chair shuddered violently.

"Zack, stop!" Kimberly said in a sudden temper. "They'll kick us out."

"They'll try," Zack said, but he stopped pacing and sat on the edge of a chair, staring at the door of the emergency room.

Trini walked into the room. Wordlessly and casually, she swapped purses with Kimberly, and crossed over to sit next to Zack.

"What's that about?" Jason whispered.

Trini leaned in and lowered her voice as well. "Billy's Power Morpher and the remains of his communicator are in my purse." She bit her lips. "I was nervous… I thought they might suspect me, since I was the one who found him, so I swapped purses with Kim."

"But they…" Zack started furiously.

Trini shook her head. "They fully believe Ms. Cranston, of course."

They all sat in tense silence for a full fifteen minutes, each tick of the second hand torture. Jason was still trying to process.

Kimberly's words came to him… that they no longer had a safe place after the Command Center was sabotaged. And she was right. They didn't even have their homes. No place was sacred anymore.

He remembered taking on the powers, and Zordon impressing on them the seriousness of their duty: the seriousness of the war they had to fight. It had never seemed too serious, though. Sure, there had been some rough spots. There were times when they had to retreat in a battle, and there were times when he faced a monster and saw no way of defeating it. And there were times when they'd been attacked personally… by spells, or with monsters made to specifically taunt one of them. Jason also knew that the only place they were safe from enemy surveillance was in the Command Center.

But they'd always felt safe. There were lines he knew no one would cross. And attacking them at home was one of those lines.

The difference between heroes and villains is what they're willing to do: what lines they will cross. He'd just thought there were some lines even villains wouldn't cross.

Jason clenched his fist in silent fury, still staring down, unwilling to meet the worried, tortured glances of the other Rangers. It was the Green Ranger. It always came back to the Green Ranger. Rita had never been so ruthless before. This was nowhere near her style. It wasn't just that the Green Ranger was following her orders. The Green Ranger was coming up with the plans. He attacked Billy. It was he alone.

Jason's head jerked up to see his mother trotting toward them. She'd gone to work directly after their fight at home, so she'd been here right when Billy was brought in.

"Oh, good. You're all here," she started as they all sprang up to their feet. "First off, Billy's going to be fine." She said it in a determinedly reassuring voice.

"Oh, thank God," Kimberly said. Trini had sagged to her chair, breathing easier.

"So, he's fine," Zack said quickly. "Can we go see him?" Kimberly and Trini surged forward.

Jason held his arm up, blocking them. "Now… wait. We're all relieved, but we can't all crowd in there."

His mother smiled at him approvingly. "He's going to be moved into a room very soon. You can visit him there. Right now he's asleep, recovering. He was in really bad shape. He has two fractured ribs, which made his lung collapse at one point. They fixed that, and it's going to heal nicely, so there won't be any need for surgery. But the big danger area is the concussion. Now, I repeat," she said to the renewed worried expressions, "he's going to be fine. He's young, and he's already woken up. But he'll need a long time to recover."

"How's Ms. Cranston?" Kimberly asked. "I heard she was hurt, too."

Ms. Scott smiled. "Not too badly. Scared out of her wits, and she got some pretty bad cuts from struggling against the ropes, but other than that she's fine." She frowned. "Though I think she'll be even more fine when Billy's more recovered."

Jason sat down and held his head in his hands, no longer listening. He couldn't help but imagine the scene in his head. The Green Ranger looming over Billy. Billy, for some reason, powerless to stop him. He wondered how the ribs had broken. He wondered if Billy had put up a fight. He had to have, unless the Green Ranger had threatened his mother or something.

He pictured himself running into the living room, just in time to save Billy. Those were the fantasies that made him the sickest.

A hand came across his shoulder, and Jason looked up. It was his mother, and he felt the sudden, childish urge to cling to her. He clenched his fists, restraining himself, and his mother gave him that look that said she knew exactly what was going on inside his head.

"You stay up here as long as you want," she said. "We won't get worried."

Jason stood up and hugged her, and she hugged him as tightly back. As she left, he realized she hadn't even mentioned the argument they'd had earlier. It didn't seem to matter all that much anymore.


Everything hurt.

Billy opened his eyes to see white walls, the depressing hospital white. Everything was blurry, but a few seconds groping produced his glasses on the table beside his bed. He was apparently sharing the room with someone, as a bed was right across from his, but his roommate was out for the time being.

A knock on the door. "Can we come in?"

Billy tried to scoot up in the bed, but he almost screamed in pain. Apparently, moving was not on the agenda. Instead, he said, "Yes, come in." His voice was rough, like someone else's voice.

Trini led the way in, holding some flowers. "Hey," she said quietly, uncertainly. Jason, Zack, and Kimberly peeked over her shoulder. They were very still, as if air currents would injure him or something.

Billy tried to smile, and he seemed to succeed because they moved easier as they walked in. Trini arranged the flowers beside his bed. "I thought these would cheer up the room."

"They do, I guess," Billy said. He had no idea what to say. For the first time in months, he wished his friends weren't there.

His discomfort was shared by all. They all fidgeted and stared… and then realized they were staring and pointedly didn't stare.

Billy laughed drily. "I… I'm fine, guys." He considered this. "Okay, I'm not fine, but I will recover."

"You almost died," Zack said. It sounded like he'd been holding that in forever.

"Zack," Trini said sharply.

Zack looked angry with himself. "Okay, I'm sorry, but it's all I've been thinking about. I… I just can't."

He sat in the chair under the TV on the wall, his face in his hands.

"I don't think he wanted to kill me," Billy said after a time. "Otherwise he would have. He had me cold. There wasn't anything I could do. He took my Power Morpher and everything…" Billy broke off. He realized he was trying to justify why he was there. Why he couldn't have protected himself, like all of them could have.

Kimberly walked over and put an arm around Zack. Her face was red and blotchy, and she looked like she couldn't even speak. Trini, though, sat on the edge of his bed. "Billy, it's not your fault. You were protecting your mother."

Billy felt a thrill of panic. "Did she overhear anything?"

"A little," Trini said. "No mention of you being a Ranger or anything. She did hear him threaten her, and then…" She broke off.

"Screams," Billy finished for her. His voice sounded dead in his own ears. The memory seemed far away, like not a part of himself.

"Billy, you did the only thing you could do," Jason broke in. His voice sounded rougher than usual. "You survived, and you protected your mom in the process. I mean… we've never faced an attack like that."

Billy tried to believe him. He imagined if the Green Ranger had gone to Jason's house. If he was in the exact same circumstance. Jason would have fought back. He would have discovered that the Green Ranger wasn't really morphed, and he would have fought, and gotten his morpher, and moved the fight outside away from his mother or father… Billy pictured the scenario very clearly in his mind. He could picture how each of them would have handled it. Kimberly would have stayed calm and maneuvered the Green Ranger to make a mistake, as he'd seen her do so many times. Trini would have attacked quicker than the Green Ranger could think, ending the fight quickly with a few well-chosen blows and evasions. Zack would have taken control of the conversation and flustered the Green Ranger until he attacked blindly, giving Zack the advantage.

Billy watched each fight in his head. Looking around, he knew the Green Ranger was right. He was the only helpless one of the group. He was the only one who needed rescue.

"If he didn't want to kill you," Jason said, and it was obvious he was forcing himself to talk, "then what was he after? I would have thought kidnapping or something would have been the better option. And why did he leave your Power Morpher?"

All eyes were on Billy. He shifted, and then regretted that instantly as his chest seized up in pain. He tried not to wince. "He… he began by saying he wanted to leave a message. Then it became clear that I was the message." He stared at the others, who were looking away. He wondered what sort of "message" they were deriving from him. He was painfully aware of his body, of his broken ribs and newly inflated lungs, of his bruises and swellings. He was aware of how he looked to them.

"All right," Trini broke in to the uncomfortable silence. "I think we need to let you rest. You need to focus your energy on recovering."

Zack got up swiftly and walked straight up to Billy. "I'm sorry I was useless here," he said, half-smiling. "I really wanted to come in and cheer you up… or something."

"With a torso full of broken ribs," Billy commented drily, "I don't think laughing is the order of the day. Besides…" He smiled for real this time. "You made me feel better anyway. You all did." He looked around at his friends, taking comfort in their nearness for the first time.

Kimberly came over to the other side of his bed. "I'm so sorry. I feel awful. I was right across the street the whole time, and I didn't even know…"

"Don't worry about it," Billy said firmly. "The Green Ranger was very careful. He made sure no one knew or could interfere."

Kimberly bent over a kissed him on the cheek. She tried to hug him, but she was afraid to, and Billy was a bit relieved when she gave up.

Trini grabbed Billy's hand. He felt metal being pushed into his palm, and he realized it was the familiar circlet of a communicator. "I stopped by your lab to get an extra," she said in a low voice. "I grabbed your morpher and what I could of your old communicator while I was calling 911. I tried to get up every bit," Trini bit her lip. "I mean, I didn't want the police thinking anything strange."

"Thank you," Billy said. He smiled. "There are bits of metal and circuits all over the carpet in the living room. They won't find anything amiss."

Trini smiled. "Just in case, I teleported up anything suspicious in the lab. I want you to promise to get in touch with us if you need us," she said. "I also have your Power Morpher with me, but I thought it might be a hassle to keep it hidden."

Billy smiled, trying to keep the bitter edge out of his voice. "It's not like I'll need it."

"I'll keep it safe for now," Trini said, though she frowned, and Billy wondered what signals she was getting from him. She always knew what he was thinking better than the others.

A sudden impulse took Billy, and he grabbed her hand as she was leaving. "I'm sorry," he said.

Trini's brow scrunched in confusion. "What for?"

Billy shook his head. "Nothing… never mind."

Trini looked like she wanted to pursue the question, but she seemed to think better of it. She followed Kimberly and Zack out, and looked pointedly at Jason.

"I'll catch up," Jason said. Trini gave him a severe look, but Jason didn't look perturbed. "I won't be long."

The three left, and Billy wished Jason was with them. He felt drained from the very act of "being fine."

"So…" Billy said slowly, trying to allay any line of questioning from Jason. "How did it go with your parents?"

"Pretty rough," Jason said, "though I think they're easing off now. Mom was there in the emergency room with you."

"Yes, I thought she was," Billy lied. He really couldn't remember the emergency room at all. It was just a blur of pain and panic.

Jason folded his arms and began pacing, obviously trying to stay in "leader" mode. Billy understood. What the Green Ranger had done to him had escalated the war. It was a move that had to be answered, and Billy understood Jason needed to force himself into cold-bloodedness. Billy shored up his emotions and prepared to answer anything Jason asked of him.

"I need to know exactly what the Green Ranger did… what he said… everything," Jason said, his face a mask.

Billy nodded once. Without looking at Jason, he told him everything he remembered. It wasn't difficult. Every word, every gesture… it was all burned into his brain. He could still hear the Green Ranger's mocking laughter as sure as if he were beside the hospital bed.

Billy occasionally glanced at Jason, who wasn't looking at him. He was expressionless, but his emotions centralized in his hands. Fists clenched and unclenched and clenched harder. He'd stopped pacing after a while. His face jumped at every insult and every blow. Billy began to feel his own anger empty into Jason, and he wasn't sure he wanted that, but he knew Jason had to hear… had to know.

"Oh, God," Jason said quietly, his voiced strained. And that expression of horror and grief was better than any wild railings Billy had feared. It summed up Billy's frame of mind.

"We're going to fight him, Billy," Jason said. "And if I haven't beaten him by the time you recover enough to fight again, I'll make sure you can pay him back, blow for blow. I know that's not what martial arts is all about. I know that goes against some sort of 'hero code' or something, but, dammit, it's right."

"Yeah," Billy said without spirit. "You'll get him back."

Jason shot a look at Billy. "Billy, what did you mean… what you said to Trini? About your Power Morpher."

Damn, Billy thought. He wouldn't just ignore that.

Billy smiled and tried to gesture around. "I am hardly in the condition to keep a Power Morpher. I'll have a hard enough time hiding the communicator."

"That's not what you meant and we both know it," Jason said. "You didn't say 'I don't need it right now.' You said 'It's not like I'll need it.' Future tense."

Billy glared at Jason. "What's your point?"

Jason raised his eyebrows, continuing to stare at Billy. "I just don't want to see you give up, that's all. The Green Ranger's not worth that. You've got to prove him wrong."

"Prove him wrong how?" Billy burst out. His chest ached more, but he didn't care. "Prove him that I'm not helpless? Prove to him that he can't attack me and put me in the hospital? Because it's a little late for that."

Jason was a little taken aback, but he stood his ground. "You need to prove to him that he can't scare you away…"

"You know what?" Billy said. "He can. Okay? I was scared, okay? I still am. You don't know." Billy's head started to pound. "He didn't attack you, or Trini, or Kimberly, or Zack. He attacked me. I'm a victim, remember?"

"You're not…"

"Save it," Billy interrupted Jason. "Save your pep talk. How exactly can I be a Power Ranger," he said the last few words in a whisper, "when I can't even protect myself? And he knew that, and that's why I was a target. So how can I bring the whole group down again by taking powers I don't even deserve? When I couldn't even use them when I needed them most?"

Jason's face clouded, and Billy could see both fury and grief warring in his eyes.

Billy sighed, exhausted after his burst of temper. "I… I'm not abandoning the group, okay? I'll still help as much as I can. Alpha still needs help with the Command Center, and once I'm recovered I can be Mr. Fix-it." He paused. "And I can fight if it's absolutely necessary. But it may be time to start looking for someone else to take my place. Someone… who can actually fight."

Billy laid his head back. It felt too heavy on his pillow, and he was a little dizzy. The dizziness passed, though, and he just felt extremely tired.

He felt a hand on his shoulder, and Jason was there, his face now calm. "It was unfair of me to do that when you're so hurt," Jason said quietly. "And when I'm so angry at the Green Ranger. Get… get some rest. I'll be back tomorrow before the meeting."

Billy knew that Jason thought Billy was out of his mind with pain and painkillers. He knew that Jason wanted a little rest and recuperation to make everything better… to bring back the old Billy. And Billy let Jason believe that. He pretended to be more tired than he was, and murmured thanks, and said that he'd work to recover, that they'd keep fighting. Because it was easier like that, and it got Jason out of the room.

But Billy knew that he had changed. The Green Ranger had broken any illusions of safety he'd held, and Billy was grateful for the doctors and nurses. He slept, and woke, and was grateful for the reassuring presence of a sleeping roommate, and could sleep some more.

For he was scared. Zack was right. He had almost died. He knew enough about medicine to decode what the doctors said about him. He had escaped death, and he was scared of the Green Ranger, and what he could do to him. And he knew he would never morph again.


Trini walked silently beside Kimberly in the dark street. It was the center of town, and they cut across Main Street, the funky little shops all closed and dark. The only light and sound other than the street lamps was a popular family restaurant, and people were gathered outside waiting for tables. Kim and Trini winded their way through the laughing couples blocking the sidewalk.

"He's going to be all right," Trini said. "It'll take time to recover, but there could be something we could do at the Command Center. Some sort of alien medical technology we could adapt… or something."

"Yeah," Kimberly said. "I mean, Zordon would have had to have planned for this."

The silence grew thicker as they turned down a darker street. Trini suddenly wished they'd been able to teleport directly there. For the past few months she'd been able to face the lonely dark with confidence—after all, she fought space aliens on a regular basis—but now, after Billy's attack… Kimberly was hugging herself, glancing nervously into alleyways, and Trini knew she was thinking the same thing.

"I'll start working on the teleporter tonight," Trini said. "This is ridiculous not being able to teleport anywhere we want."

They came within sight of the Youth Center finally. Muffled music filled the silence of the night, and a small group of older teens were laughing and sneaking back behind the building, probably to smoke. It was all warm and familiar…

"I shouldn't be doing this," Kimberly said. "I mean…"

Trini understood. Kimberly had talked obsessively about having fun while Billy got attacked. "We need to go," Trini said. "Tommy will think you stood him up. Besides, he needs to know about Billy. Believe me, once he finds out, he's not going to want to stay, either. We'll just be in and out."

"I guess you're right," Kimberly gave a weak smile. The two of them walked to the light and sound of the party.

Kimberly stopped, though, at the bathroom, going into a panic about the state of her makeup. Trini smiled and waited outside. She was glad to see this glimpse of the old Kimberly. She'd been far too quiet and jittery.

"Psst!" she heard a voice from around the corner. "Hey… Trini!"

Trini turned, wondering who would say "psst" anyway. Skull was there, hiding in the doorway of a supply closet, and motioning her over. Trini was intrigued. It was entirely possible he wanted to hit on her, but he usually reserved that for Kimberly. She walked over, thinking Kimberly would be at least another ten minutes, from the state of her mascara.

"Trini… Kimberly's with you, right?" Skull asked, still in a whisper.

"Yes, she's in the bathroom," she said, ready to rebuff another one of his attempts to get her on his side. He'd tried a few times to enlist her help in getting Kimberly to date him. Trini was a little more polite in shutting Skull down, but she did it just as firmly as Kimberly.

Skull's eyes widened, and Trini noticed for the first time that he had a black eye. "You need to get her out of here. Don't let her go into the party," Skull said.

Trini stared at Skull, waiting for the other shoe to drop. For him to laugh, or offer to escort them both to the "submarine races"… whatever the hell those were. But his face remained sober, with a strain of frustrated anger directed at who knew what.

"What's going on, Skull?" Trini said, whispering without knowing why. "Why aren't you in there with Bulk? I heard he made the winning tackle… He's the hero of the party."

Skull grimaced. "Yeah… I was in there, and it was awesome, and you totally should have seen the game. I mean, Bulky took down the other team's star quarterback, and…"

Trini cleared her throat.

"Oh, yeah. Anyway, I was in there, but then I heard him talking." Skull looked toward the party, and his eyes grew murderous.

"By him, you mean…" Trini prompted.

"That new kid, Tommy." Skull spat the name out, like an insult. "You know, the one who's been hanging out with you guys."

Trini nodded, seeds of fear bubbling up in her. Though, she reasoned, it could have been Skull blowing things out of proportion. "What was he saying?" she asked.

Skull turned his serious eyes to her. "Trini… not anything good. Not anything I would repeat. He was calling her…" He gulped. "The word 'slut' was the nicest word, I guess."

Trini held her breath. No…

"But…" she stammered. "It couldn't have been… Are you sure, Skull?"

Skull looked at her furiously. "Why do you think I have this black eye? He hit me when I tried to defend her. Called me a geek with a crush. Well, okay, so I am… except for the geek part… but you should have heard him, Trini. He was spreading all around the party that Kimberly jumped him just this morning. Practically had sex right on top of him. That she begged him…" Skull spat out the words with as much vehemence as he had Tommy's name.

Trini gaped in horror. Skull may do a lot of stupid things, but lie about this when she could find out the truth so easily? "But…" she started again. "I mean, he invited her here tonight. He knows she's coming."

Skull's eyes widened in shock. "Um… he's here with another girl. And they're sort of all over each other."

Trini's heart pounded. Part of her wanted to run right in and confront Tommy, and part of her just wanted to get Kimberly out as quickly and quietly as possible.

Skull's expression changed to horror as he looked over Trini's shoulder. Trini turned and saw Kimberly walk right into the party. She obviously hadn't seen Trini in the shadows and thought she'd gone in.

"Go on, go on!" Skull said in a panic. "Get her out before…"

Trini didn't wait. She ran to the doorway, but a group of seniors were just leaving. She made herself as small as possible and squeezed through the crowd, apologizing as she trod on feet in her haste. But it was like walking against the ocean, and it took several minutes for Trini to spot Kimberly on the other side of the room.

The scene played out in the flashes Trini could make out as she inched forward between the mass of dancing, talking people. Kimberly had walked up to Tommy and was talking to him, and Trini could make out the word 'Billy' on her lips. Tommy looked startled and concerned, saying things that Trini couldn't make out. And then… a beautiful girl approached with drinks and pulled Tommy into a passionate kiss. Tommy answered in turn, and Kimberly could only gape in horror. "What?" Trini could hear Kimberly say distinctly.

The rest of the party was starting to stare at them, and Trini had to practically shove people aside just to get to Kimberly. She still couldn't quite hear what they were saying yet. Kimberly had pulled Tommy away from the other woman and seemed to be demanding what was going on. Tommy looked incredulous and confused.

"What did you think… we were married or something?" Tommy's voice finally reached Trini's ears.

"What… how…?" Kimberly spluttered. "What are you doing? What about this afternoon?" she practically screamed. A few people snickered, and Trini had to fight to keep moving ahead instead of finding those people and hitting them.

Tommy finally detached himself from the girl and got closer to Kimberly. He reached out to caress her hair, and she slapped his hand away, eliciting general gasps. He looked at her like she was crazy. "Come on… Kim, you're a good time, but aren't you taking this a little too seriously? After all, I'm sure with your skills you'll have no trouble hooking another guy." He leered at her, letting her know exactly what he meant. The other girl laughed mockingly and draped herself over Tommy, who smirked.

This was too much for Kimberly. She turned and stormed off. This time, only Tommy and his girl laughed. There was a feeling in the air that Tommy had gone way too far with that last one.

Trini finally broke through the crowd. Kimberly had already gone out behind the bar, and Trini was about to follow her, but she stopped in front of Tommy. He looked at her with those damned laughing eyes, and she felt like ripping them out.

"You…" she said in cold fury, in a voice that carried through the whole room. "You stay the HELL away from Kimberly. Stay away from all of us!"

Tommy held his hands up. "Look, I'm sorry it happened this way, and we're all upset about Billy. But I can't help it if Kim's a psycho or whatever…"

Trini didn't fully register what happened. The next thing she knew she'd backhanded him across the face. He glared at her. She prepared for a fight. The air was tense… but then he merely licked at the cut on his lip and laughed. "I see the geek isn't her only defender, then."

"No, they aren't," a voice came from behind Trini. Ernie was pushing people out of the way, his face red with fury. "And you and your friend have been causing enough trouble tonight, Tommy. So why don't you find your way out of here?" Ernie pointed to the door, a path cleared in the crowd as people avoided Ernie's ire.

Tommy glared defiantly at the juice bar owner, and Trini began to worry about the violence she always sensed in Tommy. But Tommy merely grinned mockingly at Ernie. "Come on, Sabrina…" Tommy said, putting an arm around the woman, who was still glaring at Trini. "This party's dead anyway."

Tommy and the girl Sabrina walked out. Trini considered rushing after them, but finding Kimberly was more important than starting a pointless fight.

"Come on, Trini… Kim's in my office," Ernie muttered to her. He turned to the crowd. "All right, show's over. And if anyone causes any more trouble, they're out of here, too."

Someone started the music back up, and everyone made a brave attempt at starting the party back up again. Ernie paid them no mind; he guided Trini past the bar into the kitchen/storage area of the juice bar. Ernie's office was tiny and filled with ledgers and cardboard boxes. Kimberly sat in a chair, slumped over on the desk.

"You girls stay here as long as you want," Ernie said. "There's a back door down that hallway that opens from the inside and automatically locks."

"Thank you, Ernie," Trini said softly.

Ernie's face turned red again. "I just got wind of what that…" he stopped, obviously wanting to say a word he couldn't say in front of kids. "What he was saying and doing. No one does that in my bar, and especially not to Kimberly."

Trini gave Ernie a quick hug before he left. She approached the office. Kimberly's body was shaking, but there was no sound.

Kimberly looked up suddenly, the newly applied mascara staining lines of black down her face. "I… guess you deserve to say 'I told you so,'" she croaked out, fresh tears spilling down her face.

Trini felt tears spill over her own eyes and pulled Kimberly into a fierce hug. Kimberly sobbed and clutched to Trini tighter.

"I… I can't be… believe," Kimberly said between sobs.

"I know," Trini said. She pulled away, dived for her purse, and grabbed out a tissue. She began dabbing at Kimberly's eyes, wiping away the mascara streaks.

They held each other for a while longer. No one came to disturb them. Neither of them talked much. There was nothing to say. Trini just held Kimberly together, waiting for the moment that the shock and embarrassment went away and the anger connected, as Trini knew it would.


Scorpina and Tommy teleported straight to his uncle's summer home in a burst of golden fire, gasping in laughter.

"Damn…" Scorpina said, wiping her eyes. "The look on her face… and that other girl…"

Tommy grinned. "That oughta shake them up, don't you think?"

Scorpina pulled up a chair at the kitchen table. "You know, I'm liking you more and more. I can't wait until we're on the battlefield again."

"It's high time we attacked again anyway… wait a minute," Tommy frowned. "Why didn't you teleport us to the Moon Palace?"

Scorpina bit her lip. "You need to stay away from the Moon Palace tonight. It was a great trick, and there are absolutely no feelings between us, but Goldar…"

"Ah," Tommy said. "I understand. While you're here, want something to drink?"

Scorpina leaned back in her chair. "I suppose I need to hydrate if I'm going to pacify Goldar tonight."

Tommy put some water on to boil for some hot chocolate. Scorpina had discovered chocolate cake at the party, and she had expressed interest in exploring the whole realm of chocolate. Tommy didn't blame her, and he searched for mini marshmallows.

"Ugh… I can't wait to get back in my armor," Scorpina said. "I feel naked without it."

Tommy glanced over at her. The red dress taken from a shop for that very night hugged her in all the right places, showing off soft curves usually contained behind armor. "I can see why," he said with a smirk.

Scorpina raised an eyebrow and smirked back. "Look, you're a good kisser, and I would totally go for it, but I'd rather Goldar not kill you. You're too nice a kid for that."

"Point taken," Tommy said, and he moved his attention back to the cocoa. It had been difficult enough to convince Goldar to go along with the plan, and Scorpina had put her foot down about them not being exclusive, but Tommy still expected to pay for making out with Goldar's girl.

The cocoa was served, and Scorpina drank in sensuous delight. "It's a crime," she purred, "that chocolate is confined to this very tiny planet."

"We'll have to remedy that," Tommy said in amusement.

They chatted pleasantly, mostly laughing over the details of the "attack" earlier. Scorpina was obviously enjoying this psychological warfare… she said she usually just did the physical type warfare. Tommy couldn't help but admire her. She was beautiful, funny, and had a psychotic love of violence that Tommy found appealing. But she could still laugh easily… and she was damn sexy. So different from Kimberly, and Tommy wondered briefly why he was comparing the two.

There was a knock on the door, and Tommy looked up, startled.

"Isn't it a bit late for visits?" Scorpina commented.

Tommy hushed her up and motioned her to go upstairs. She looked a little put out, but she left anyway. He quickly put away her drained cup and, wary, answered the door.

Jason was standing on his stoop, looking upset. Tommy wondered if Kimberly had already gone running to her "big brother."

"What's up?" Tommy asked with increased caution.

"I'm so sorry for coming so late… this is becoming a bad habit," Jason said, and Tommy knew this had nothing to do with Kimberly.

"Come on in," Tommy said. Jason went to the chair Scorpina had just vacated, and Tommy, his sense of irony on full, prepared a cup of cocoa for Jason.

"I just wanted to let you know…" Jason said, "that Billy was attacked today. He's in the hospital."

"Oh, God, no," Tommy said, putting the proper amount of horror into his voice. He made a show of nearly dropping the cocoa. "What… what happened?"

Jason looked down, looking utterly exhausted. "He's recovering… He has a minor concussion and three fractured ribs… that's the worst of it. It was touch and go there for a while, but he pulled through." Jason paused and looked up. "His mom said that an evil Power Ranger did it. The police are still investigating."

Tommy hid his smirk behind a look of surprise. "A… Power Ranger? But… why?"

Jason shrugged. "Random attack, I guess. It's been known to happen." Jason glossed over the question easily. "I… I know you and Billy were hanging out a lot… with tutoring and stuff, and I knew you'd want to know…"

Tommy sat down heavily, schooling his face into guilt and grief. "God… it's my fault…"

Jason looked up sharply, and Tommy dangled the clue in front of him before pulling it away. "I… I shouldn't even be telling you this. I promised Billy…"

"What is it?" Jason said. "Do you know something?"

Tommy shook his head miserably. "Nothing about the attack or anything… but if I hadn't told him that stuff…"

"What? What is it?" Jason said, panic clearly showing on his face.

Tommy sighed. "Okay… don't tell Billy I'm telling you this, because I did promise not to tell you guys, but… I was sort of giving him lessons in dealing with bullies," Tommy said in a rush.

Jason's face clouded in confusion. "Bullies? Since when does Billy have problems with bullies?"

Tommy looked as Jason, acting reluctant in this tale. "Well… Billy didn't want to say anything to you… especially you… but Bulk and Skull have been quietly extorting money from him all year."

Jason looked furious. "But… but…" he spluttered. "I mean, why didn't Billy want to tell me?"

Tommy shrugged. "He… sort of said he was tired of you guys always rescuing him. That you never let him just take care of things himself."

The sentence blindsided Jason, and he looked stunned. Tommy kept his serious face on, glorying in the opportunity Jason had presented him tonight. He'd been prepared to pack it in for the night and maybe get a little studying done. He hadn't expected to further his plan like this.

"Anyway," Tommy continued in Jason's stunned silence. "In exchange for him helping me with math, I've been giving him lessons in dealing with bullies. You know… just common sense stuff. Mostly working on his confidence." Tommy's face crumpled. "But… if he used it on someone really dangerous… I mean, if I hadn't been teaching him that stuff, he might have gotten out of it without a trip to the hospital."

"It's not your fault,' Jason said, partially recovering. "That Green Ranger was there to attack him, and the bastard was threatening his mother. There was nothing Billy could do."

Tommy put on a face of miserable relief. "You… you won't tell Billy I said this. It was just… I was really worried…"

"It's okay," Jason said, and he was obviously a bit put off by Billy, and what Tommy said Billy had said. "Listen… I gotta go. I just wanted to let you know."

Tommy got up as Jason did. "I'll go visit him in the morning. What's his number?"

"He's in room 3102," Jason said, edging out of the doorway. "I may see you there tomorrow?"

"Yeah, sure," Tommy said, though he knew he was going to visit Billy before any of them could get to him. His time on the Ranger's friendly terms was growing more and more limited.

Jason left, and Tommy trudged up to his room. He was absolutely exhausted. He was unsurprised and grateful to see that Scorpina had already teleported away. He pulled out his math book, telling himself to get some studying done. Tomorrow looked like a busy day as well, and he still had the test to deal with. That was one thing Tommy regretted, he mused. Without Billy, he'd lose the help in math.

By 2:00, he'd already put the notes away and had been lying quietly for an hour without a hint of sleep. He finally gave up and teleported to his room at the Moon Palace. He shut and locked the door, took the rest of the bottle of sleeping potion, and barely made it to the bed before passing out.