Longest Chapter of the story guys - this one is over 12K words alone. That's double the average amount of words per chapter in Chronology Conundrum.
Also, I waited on this one a bit, and got further ahead, so I actually have 13 and 14 finished, plus 15 half written. So look forward to more this coming week.
Last thing I want to say, is more of request. If anyone reading is an Eyeshine fan in the NC/norther SC area, send an email to Fayetteville Comic Con (contact page) telling them we want Eyeshine at the con. It'd be super cool. Steve Cardenas and Jason Faunt are already going, plus the voices of Goldar and Rita, so having Johnny and the band would be even cooler.
Ok, not gonna hold you up any longer. Enjoy the chapter.
"Dude!" Connor shouted through laughter. "That is so cheating!" he added, from his vantage point on top of Rocky's shoulders. In his hands, he held the multicolored beach ball. They were all deep enough in the water that the waves reached midway up Rocky's chest. Something, or someone, caused Rocky to lose his footing, sending both red rangers tumbling underneath the waves in a massive spray of ocean water and laughter. The ball was knocked free of Connor's hands as they fell, which instantly resulted in a chaotic scramble of six other former rangers all rushing to retrieve it, two more, staying behind and shaking their heads.
"No," Tanya laughed back, slightly more inland than Rocky. Her hands held tight to Kira's ankles, the younger yellow clad girl balancing on her on her shoulders. "Cheating was you all taking this game into the deeper water, making it harder for us to keep up." In order to keep the water from going into her nose and eyes, she and Kira were forced to stay closer to the shore than the other eight former rangers, who all happened to be male.
"Can anyone really cheat if we agreed that other than staying a tower of two people, in order to hold the ball, there are no rules?" Adam asked his fiancé, a mischievous grin on his face, as the two former red rangers resurfaced right beside him and Trent. Tanya rolled her eyes at him, a smirk on her face. She was planning payback for later. He'd regret the day he agreed with the other guys to take the ball into the deeper water. Only Connor had protested, and that was due to his lack of successful swimming ability. He'd been quickly out voted.
"Damn it frog boy," Rocky sputtered, shaking salt water from his hair and his eyes. "That was low," he added, knowing it was Adam's foot that had tripped him as he and Connor had attempted to make their way back to shore with the ball as their prize. He coughed a few times, trying to clear the water from his lungs, as he scanned the area for his partner.
"No rules," Ethan reiterated what his own partner had stated, as Adam used his leg strength to maneuver them through the water and away from Rocky's arms that just barely missed closing around Adam's shoulders in an effort to yank the blue and blank ranger team under the water.
"Who's got the ball, anyway?" Connor asked, pressing Rocky's head beneath the waves so he could climb black on top of the older man's shoulders.
"If you hadn't been busy debating who was and wasn't cheating," Trent called out, "you would have noticed that," he added pointing between him and Zack and Tanya and Kira closest to the beach. Tommy was laughing manically from his position on Jason's shoulders, holding the ball between his hands, raised high up above his head. Below him, Jason grinned.
"Suckers!" Jason laughed facing the other three teams of guys, as they closed in on him and Tommy. He was slowly walking backwards, letting the energy of the waves carry him backwards. "The ball is ours!" he added in, a split second before he caught a glimpse of the beach ball, no longer securely in Tommy grasp, floating above his head, followed by the sounds of a loud splash. "Huh?" he asked, watching the ball sail overhead. Connor, Rocky, Ethan, Adam, Trent, and Zack all looked up to watch the ball at it landed about twenty yards away on top of the waves, floating, as if taunting them.
"Ha!" Tanya laughed once, and all eight of the guys turned to look at her. She stood just behind Jason and Tommy, a smirk on her face, one eyebrow raised, mocking them. Kira was missing. All at once, the guys turned their attention off Tanya and onto the beach ball that was floating further away. A moment later all four male teams began fighting the waves, trying to get closer to the inflatable prize, sending up water as they barreled into each other, each trying to knock one another over and send the tower of rangers into the water while at the same time maneuver themselves into the optimum position to retrieve the ball. Tanya laughed watching them, only to double over laughing harder as the ball suddenly sailed over their heads again, just as they all were mere feet away, this time in the opposite direction, coming to land directly beside her, as the boys watched, clearly bewildered at what had just happened.
"Whoa!" Zack cried out. "We just agreed, no touching the ball unless you're in a two person tower," he stated, mock offense on his face, as Kira joined Tanya's laughter, having surfaced from under the waves, right where the ball had been located.
"Nope," Kira laughed. "We agreed you couldn't hold the ball. Not that you couldn't touch it," she added. Closest to her, Connor leaned down over Rocky's shoulders and splashed water at her. Kira flipped onto her back, laughing, and kicked her legs, sending a torrent of water over them.
"Did you just find a loophole?" Ethan asked, looking at his only female teammate in disbelief, shaking his head. Adam was glaring at Tanya, his head craned around Ethan's leg.
"Loophole would indicate that the rules were iron clad to begin with," Tanya refuted, giving Kira a wink, and clearly ignoring the look on her fiancé's face. The younger former yellow ranger teen laughed again, jumped into the air and took a deep breath. A moment later, she disappeared under the waves, leaving the guys staring at her stunned.
"Damn it!" Jason cursed. "They're going to win!" he shouted, and turned as he realized that Kira was swimming through the water, racing back towards Tanya who was guarding the beach ball, waiting for her partner to arrive. He began charging after her, holding tight to Tommy's ankles, moving as fast as the water would allow.
"Bro," Tommy shouted, down to him. "Did you learn nothing? Let me go," he laughed, and Jason grinned, releasing his legs. The regressed ranger, dove off Jason's shoulders and began racing Kira back toward the beach. Jason attempted to follow, but his arms were suddenly pinned to his sides, as he was lifted off the sandy ocean floor and tossed backwards in the water. He came up sputtering, glaring around, trying to figure out who had deterred him, knowing it had to be either Zack, Rocky, or Adam, only to be met with chaos.
Ethan and Trent each held one of Connor's arms, stopping his forward motion towards the girls and Tommy. The teenagers were laughing, and the game was kind of forgotten. Instead they were having fun dunking their former leader, who was freaking out slightly considering they were dragging him deeper into the ocean. There was a limit to how far Connor would go on his own, and they were getting pretty close to it. A stream of curses and threats, which were falling on deaf ears, emanated from Connor's mouth. Some of the things he said made Jason wonder if the teenager had been raised by sailors.
"Hey!" Zack shouted from several yards away, stealing the first red ranger's attention from the actual teenage boys, "That's not funny! Get back here," he added on, his face slightly red. One of his hands was below the waves while the other was curled into a fist in the air. He was glaring. Frowning, Jason looked around, trying to determine who Zack was yelling at, only to see Rocky swimming as fast as he could toward the shore, but not toward Tanya, Kira, Tommy and the beach ball. The former red ranger was laughing hysterically, which was slowing down his pace, slightly, meaning Zack could potentially catch him before he reached the beach. However, as much as Zack was shouting, he wasn't racing towards Rocky, but was actually backing further into the water. Jason, bewildered, just shook his head and sighed, looking around for the only individual not accounted for.
Adam, apparently the only one of the other three teams who was still trying to play the game, had ditched Ethan and was making his way towards his fiancé who was trying to prevent Tommy from reaching the ball. The male teenager had outswam Kira and reached Tanya first, but without Jason, he couldn't pick up the ball. Instead he'd kick it slightly out of Tanya's reach, forcing Tanya to dive towards it, and Kira to have to reroute her course every time she surfaced. Adam finally caught up to Kira and lifted her out of the water, tossing her off to the side, before resuming his swim toward Tanya.
Determining that he didn't want to give up the game and join the insanity, Jason dove into the waves and swam as fast and hard as he could. He reached Tommy, and swam between the teenage boy's legs, lifting him onto his shoulders. As soon as Tommy felt himself rising from the water, he grabbed the beach ball, as Jason began running towards the shore, both laughing hysterically.
"No!" Tanya shouted after them, and jumped up to dive beneath the waves. Adam grabbed her around the waist in midair and, twisting her, he tossed her over his shoulder, holding her waist with both hands, as he trudged toward the shore with her as his captive, a triumphant grin on his face, despite the fact that she was pounding against his back with her fists, demanding that he put her down.
"Gottchu," Kira laughed, wrapping her arms around his waist when the water reached just below his hips.
Adam laughed, but ignored her, continuing to trudge forward, even as Tommy spiked the beach ball into the sand, and the regressed ranger hoped off Jason's shoulders. They high fived each other, and collapsed exhausted into the sand. Tommy stretched his legs out in front of him, leaning back on his palms, while Jason pulled his knees up slightly and rested his elbows, turned outwards, on his knees, letting his forearms dangle, as they watched the rest. Adam reached them first, Tanya still over his shoulder, and Kira, having slipped down as the water level receded, was now clinging to his left ankle as he dragged her through the surf. Laughing, he dumped Tanya into the sand, and then peered down at the teenage ankle bracelet he'd acquired. "You can let go now," he told her. "You lost."
"So did you," Tanya laughed, reaching her hand up towards him, as Kira chuckled and let go, pushing herself onto her knees. Adam shook his head and laughed, reaching down to take Tanya's hand and pull her up to her feet. Caught off guard when she yanked on his hand instead, Adam found himself having to thrust both hands forward in order to prevent himself from getting a face full of sand, as he plummeted to the ground. He turned his head to glare at her, only to see that she was smirking playfully. He chuckled and flipped himself over so that he was sitting beside her, wrapping one arm over her shoulders, as Tanya laid her head down on his shoulder. "Kira," Tanya asked. "What are your teammates doing?" her face clearly reflected complete and utter confusion.
"I'm thinking some type of intensive swim lesson," Kira replied, looking backwards over her shoulder and frowning, despite the fact that she was grinning. She put her hand up to her forehead to shield her eyes as she studied Connor, Ethan and Trent. Trent had Connor in some type of choke hold, and Ethan held his feet. All three boys were clearly beyond their ability to stand, as Ethan was kicking his legs rapidly to keep himself afloat, while Trent was using his free arm to paddle. "Hopefully, they don't kill him in the process," she added in, although she didn't look entirely concerned as she turned back to face Tanya and Adam.
"Never mind what they're doing," Jason stated. "What is Rocky doing?" he asked, frowning as the second red ranger came running out of the ocean laughing hysterically. The moment he hit the beach, he collapsed onto his hands and knees between Jason and Adam, gasping for air as he laughed. There was no sign of him stopping any time soon. He held something clutched in both of his hands. "Seriously, there is nothing that funny," Jason told him. Rocky just nodded, rolling onto his back and planting his feet firmly in the sand, as his stomach heaved up and down with the effort of his laughter.
"Wanna bet?" he choked out, freeing one hand and holding up his prize with the second. In his hand was a purple and black garment.
"Rocky DeSantos!" Zack shouted from the waves. "You bring that back here!" he added in, his cheeks flushed red, glaring at the individuals on the beach, as Adam, Jason, Tanya, Kira, and Tommy looked from the hysterical former red ranger to the embarrassed original black ranger.
"You're twisted," Tommy told Rocky, breaking into a fit of laughter, and rolling onto his back as well. He didn't know Rocky all that well, but the look on Zack's face was pure gold. He was enjoying seeing his teammate, grown up or not, in such a predicament. Beside him, Jason had collapsed into nearly the same level of hysterics that Rocky was in. Tears were streaming down his face.
Adam shook his head, laughing slightly, while both Kira and Tanya gaped at Rocky, their mouths hanging wide open. "That's low," Adam told his best friend who was pushing himself into a seated position. "Even for you."
Rocky shrugged in response, once he was upright, his laughter starting to die down now that there were others in on his joke. Tanya sighed and rolled her eyes, pushing herself to her feet. She walked over to Rocky, snatched the pair of swim trunks from him, and hit him in the back of the head, a grin on her face. "You are such an idiot," she told him, laughing. "Coming Zack!" she called out to the only remaining black ranger in the water. He gave her two thumbs up.
"Oh hell no," Adam laughed, jumping to his feet without using his hands. He snatched the suit from Tanya and took off running into the water. Tanya watched him go, her arms crossed over her chest.
"Thought that might work," she muttered to Kira, who just laughed in response.
Kimberly, Trini, and Aisha sat on beach chairs under the shade of the umbrella canopy watching over the three children as they slept. Jason and Rocky had filled them in on Tyler and Katie's incident before racing off to join the others in the ocean. Kira and Tanya had decided to go into the water as well, and while the two ranger mothers insisted Kim go to, she'd decided she'd have more fun staying and gossiping with her two best friends. Their choice of conversation had ranged from recalling old high school memories to current jobs and lives. Trini and Aisha each nursed once frozen, now slightly thawed pouches that contained strawberry daiquiris. Kim's hand were clutched around a bottle of water.
"Alright girl," Aisha told her, leaning back in her chair and turning so she was looking at Kimberly, "spill it," she commanded, raising an eyebrow, a slight smirk on her face. However, her eyes told the former pink ranger that she was completely serious and slightly concerned.
"Spill what?" Kimberly replied, feigning ignorance to Aisha's line of questioning. Aisha cast a look at her predecessor, who met her eyes and shrugged. Both women in yellow turned back to Kim, eyebrows raised, indicating that they were not giving up getting an answer out of their former teammate. Kimberly sighed, knowing neither of them was going to back down. She slumped her shoulder and shook her head. "I'm fine, really," forcing a smile onto her face, trying to kid herself that the two women who knew her best would not see through it.
"You are not," Trini told her with a glare, "and you have every right to not be fine." She knew it wasn't a good idea for Kim to keep her feelings bottled up inside.
"Trini's right," Aisha added in, setting her mouth in a grim line and nodding. "He's freaking fifteen years old for crying out loud. I'd be a hysterical mess right now if it was Rocky," she confirmed. The very idea caused her to freak out, despite the fact that she knew her husband was still very much twenty seven. She couldn't imagine trying to keep it together like Kimberly was.
"Yeah, well," Kimberly began, sighing and leaning back in the chair, turning away from both of them and looking out at the water so they wouldn't see the truth reflected in her eyes. Her gaze immediately locked onto the teenager in question and followed his every movement. "That's because Rocky doesn't normally deal with shit like this," she added in. "For Tommy, this is par for the course."
Aisha shook her head, frowning at Kimberly's answer. She knew her friend was lying, whether she wanted to admit it to them and herself or not. "Did you know Rocky once nearly turned himself into a plant?" she asked her friends. Both women immediately looked at her, their faces showing shock, confusion, and disbelief. "It's true," she added with a laugh. "Tanya told me. Happened during Zeo."
"A plant?" Trini asked. "How does… you know what, I really don't think I even want to know," Trini added with a slight cynical laugh, shaking her head.
"The point is," Aisha stated. "We've all dealt with crazy stuff like this. Doesn't matter if it happens once or twice or every other week. It still affects you. You've been hiding it, Kim," Aisha told her, forcefully, but gently at the same time.
"No one else is here," Trini told her. "It's just us. You know you can tell us anything," she added, studying her former teammate. During one of the most intense and trying times of their lives, they'd been each other's confidants in a male dominated situation. They'd relied on each other almost more than they'd relied on the guys on their team. They'd told each other everything. However, while they still kept in touch, still talked, still visited each other every so often, their relationship was clearly not the same. Kim was hiding things instead of opening up, and they were being forced to drag them out of her.
"There's nothing to tell, really," Kimberly defended, fighting the feelings that were welling up inside her. Fear, confusion, anger. Everything that was threatening to overwhelm her. But she couldn't let it out. She wrapped her arms around herself in an effort to prevent herself from falling to pieces. Tommy needed her to be strong. If she freaked out, even just in front of Aisha and Trini, she didn't doubt that it would get back to him. And then what? Tommy was just beginning to relax and accept the situation. He'd finally stopped frantically searching for a way to reverse things on his own and was trusting his teammates to keep it together until they could fix him. She couldn't and didn't want to let him down. She looked up from her water bottle and made eye contact with Aisha and Trini who were staring at her. "Really," she insisted. "I'm good," she added, knowing that they knew she was lying.
"Just say you don't want to talk about it," Trini informed her, sighing and shaking her head. She looked away from the pink clad woman out to the surf where the other former rangers were causing quite a ruckus. She wondered if they were aware that everyone else on the beach were giving them angry looks as they were pretty much responsible for disturbing the peace. "You don't have to lie," she added, a bit of hurt in her expression, as she dropped her voice.
Kimberly exhaled sharply and shook her head, "Sorry Trin," she stated, a slight sad smile as her expression. She hated the tone she heard in her first female teammate's voice. She hated the acknowledgement that they truly weren't teammates anymore, in both power and relationship. "I just, really don't want to talk about it." Aisha opened her mouth to reply, but was interrupted by soft cries coming from beside her as Luke stirred in his baby carrier. "Somebody's not happy," Kim said softly, glad that there was a change in subject. Aisha sighed and bent down, retrieving the baby, and standing up. She grabbed the diaper bag, and knelt down on the ground, laying the fussing boy out in front of her, clearly recognizing his cry. "How'd you know he needed a change?" Kim asked her, smiling down at the boy.
"Intuition," Aisha laughed, and Trini nodded. Both women laughed, and Kim gave them a strange look as if they were both nuts. "You'll find out when it's your turn," Aisha continued, though she sighed, looking at Trini. They both knew Kimberly had changed the topic on purpose. And they knew that their opportunity to get her to open up had passed. They wouldn't get her to admit her feelings just yet. Kim shook her head, standing up to gather their trash. She grabbed the empty alcoholic slushy containers as well as her now empty water bottle and took them to the black trash bag the guys had rigged up on one of the umbrella poles. She clasped her hands together and stretched them above her head, bending herself backwards, before she stood straight back up and raised one hand over her eyes to study the other rangers.
"What the hell are they doing?" Kimberly laughed lightly, getting the attention of both the first and second of Earth's yellow rangers. All three women watched as Jason, Tommy on his shoulders, came running out of the ocean and spiked the beach ball as if it were a football in the end zone. Behind them, Adam was carrying Tanya, and dragging Kira up the beach, and Rocky came running out waving something they couldn't make out in the air.
"Don't ask me," Trini stated, with a grin. "I gave up trying to understand my husband years ago."
"Causes too many headaches," Aisha agreed, frowning, as she watched Tanya smack Rocky upside the head. The item in Rocky's possession traded to hers and then Adam's. The second black ranger took it back into the ocean. "Oh god," Aisha stated, scooping Luke off the ground and coming to stand near Kimberly.
"What?" Trini asked, she didn't join them, as Tyler and Katie had begun to stir. Instead, she took her son by the wrist as he rubbed sleep from his eye with his other fist and crawled to his feet. She guided him into one of the beach chairs and leaned over, going into the cooler and grabbing a juice box, before handing it to the boy.
"Somehow," Kimberly giggled, turning around and shaking her head while Aisha continued to start out at the ocean, completely horrified and bewildered, "it appears Zack ended up naked, with Rocky in possession of his swim trunks!"
"Zack's what?" Trini laughed, snapping her head up and away from Tyler. The boy wasn't paying attention as he was still trying to wake up from his nap. Katie sat on her knees on the towels, rubbing her eyes with both fists.
"Mommy?" the little girl whimpered slightly, looking around.
"Right here monkey," Aisha replied to the small girl. "And yep," she stated, turning to look at Trini as Katie came over and wrapped on arm around her leg, slipping her thumb into her mouth. Aisha reached down and gently began to stroke Katie's hair. "Zack was naked," she stated, noticing that Adam and Zack were headed back toward the shore. Connor was also racing back towards dry land, shouting something and glaring at his two teammates who were trailing behind him, laughing. Those who were already on the beach had stood up and were migrating back towards them. "You know," she added to the two women beside her as she turned her back on the scene and walked Katie over to the towels again. She got a sippy cup of water out and handed it the toddler, who sat down on the towels, drinking it. "I think I'm going to need another drink," she laughed, reaching into the cooler again, grabbing an alcoholic beverage.
"Hand me one, Aisha?" Trini laughed from her seat next to Tyler. Aisha grinned and tossed her the one she was holding to Trini who caught it nimbly, before reaching back into the cooler for a second one.
"Kim?" she asked, addressing the third women, who was still watching the others, her eyes locked onto Tommy. Kim turned to look at her, and then shook her head, sighing.
"No thanks," she stated, walking back to the chairs they'd set up. She sat down on the beach towel beside Katie, and the little girl crawled into her lap, one hand holding her sippy cup, the other wrapped around Kimberly's neck in a childish hug. "I'll stick with water," she confirmed, with a nod.
"Your loss," Aisha laughed, tossing her a water bottle and closing the cooler, as the first wave of the others reached them. Tommy, Jason, and Rocky entered the shaded shelter first, heading straight for the cooler.
"What's whose loss?" Tommy asked, opening the cooler and grabbing a bottle of water. He held it up to Rocky and Jason who both shook their heads. Tommy shrugged in response, and shut the cooler, sitting down on the ground and opening his bottle, before pouring half its contents down his throat.
"Kim declined alcohol," Trini explained, seeing the same question that the teenager asked reflected in both Jason and Rocky's faces.
"Kim drinks?" Tommy asked, confusion on his face for a moment, as he watched Jason pull out a few beers from the cooler as the rest of the group finally made their way in. Jason handed them off to Zack, Rocky, and Adam, offering one to Tanya, who shook her head.
"But I will have one of those," Tanya stated, indicating the frozen drink Aisha and Trini each held.
"You got it," Jason replied, keeping the beer for himself, and grabbing another of the frozen pouches for Tanya. He tossed it toward her, before holding the lid of the cooler open for Kira, who grabbed a water bottle. Connor was still yelling at Ethan and Trent, standing in the surf, while the former white and blue rangers tried to keep from falling over as they laughed at him. "And last time I checked, yes Kim drinks," Jason told Tommy as everyone grabbed seats, either in beach chairs or on the floor. Jason scooped Tyler up out of a chair, sat down, and placed the boy in his lap. Tanya curled into Adam's lap on the ground, while Zack perched himself on top of the cooler. Kira sat cross legged near Aisha and reached out to take Luke from her. Aisha handed the baby over, and sat back in the beach chair she'd occupied earlier, while Rocky sat beside Kim. Katie immediately abandoned Kim, to hang one armed down Rocky's back.
"I do," Kimberly laughed, seeing the confusion still radiating from Tommy as he tried to piece together what was happening around him. "Aww," she stated, laughing at him. "We've gone and freaked him out again," she added in, causing everyone around her to laugh. Tommy's eyes were darting between Trini, Jason, and Zack, each who held and sipped from an alcoholic beverage. "Tommy, handsome," she told him with a bit of a giggle. "You're fifteen. We're not," she added in, downing some of her water.
He blushed, realizing Kim knew exactly what had just happened. For the last hour or so, he'd been rough housing in the ocean with his friends. He'd completely let his guard down and forgotten that he wasn't hanging out with the friends he knew. He was hanging out with people who were nearly twice his current age. They were all adults. They weren't in high school anymore. They weren't the versions of his friends he remembered.
"Oh stop that," Trini laughed at him, rolling her eyes. "Two seconds ago you were fine. Don't go all quiet and sulky on us now," she added in, scolding him, alcohol making her a bit less gentle than she normally would have been. After all, that was her second drink in the last hour.
"Unky Ranger?" Katie's voice grabbed Tommy's attention before he could respond to Trini. Tommy turned towards the little girl who was still hanging off her father's neck. "Build san casdol?" she asked, sweetly, a mischievous smile on her face.
"I wanna build one too," Tyler announced, sliding off Jason's lap. "Please?" he begged.
"We can build one with Katie," Jason stated, nodding, and standing up to gather the sand toys. Tommy was still trying to process how he'd gone from being scolded by Trini to being roped into sand castle building with Katie.
"Why don't we make it a competition?" Zack laughed, gauging the reactions from the others. "Katie and Tyler can be the team captains."
"I'm in for that. What do you say, monkey, want daddy on your team?" he asked the little girl, who'd abandoned him and was sitting on Tommy's lap at that point, her sippy cup discarded near her father. Rocky picked it up and handed it off to Aisha.
"No," Katie giggled. "Want Unky Rangers," she told him, and no one missed the plural. Rocky gaped at her, as the little girl jumped off Tommy's lap and ran to Zack, clinging to his hand. Zack frowned and looked at Rocky.
"How exactly did I become an Unky Ranger?" he asked, one eyebrow raised, clearly bewildered. They'd all expected Katie to indicate Adam.
"We haven't completely figure out how she knows to pick up on color," Adam laughed, shaking his head. "But, apparently, any and all black rangers are 'Unky Ranger'," he explained. "How about me Katie?" he asked her. Katie frowned at him for a moment, tilting her head to the side, as if debating. She put on finger on her lip, and then nodded.
"Ok, Tyler," Jason told his son. "Katie picked Tommy, Adam, and Uncle Zack. Who do you want?"
"Daddy Wangew," Tyler stated, and then cast his glance around at everyone in the shade. "Him," he stated, pointing directly at Rocky after a moment of thought.
"That's Rocky," Jason reminded the boy. "We don't point," he added in. "Anyone else?" He waved in greeting as the three remaining members of the dino thunder team walked underneath the canopy. Zack shifted, letting the three boys each grab a bottle of water out from inside the cooler.
Tyler, glanced around the area, his eyes coming to rest on the teenage boy in red. He smirked. "Connew," he giggled.
"Huh what? What'd I miss?" Connor asked, looking up from his water bottle, completely not understanding why Tyler had just called his name, and being slightly exhausted and brain fried from the water and the sun. Not that he would have had a better ability to understand if he wasn't tired.
"That boy just seriously choose everyone in red," Adam laughed, shaking his head.
"Well, Katie did choose black," Tanya informed him, despite the fact that both Adam and Tommy had chosen to lean towards green that day, and Zack was clad in mostly purple. She had a point, but it unfortunately made Katie's ability to pick out ranger colors even creepier than it normally would. At least Tyler had actually clothing to go on.
A few minutes later, everyone else was divided among the teams. Kira, Trent, and Aisha joined Katie's team, while Kim, Trini, and Ethan joined Tyler's. Tanya agreed that she and Luke would judge the competition and gave the sand castle builders one hour, before taking Luke and wandering down to the ocean. The group divided the large bag of sand toys between them, and surprisingly, neither Katie nor Tyler started a fight over wanting anything the other had.
About a half hour into the competition, both groups had pretty decent sand castles going. Connor and Tyler were decorating the ramparts of their castle with Tyler's toy dinosaurs, the small boy trying to determine the perfect location for his tyrannosaurus. On the other side, Katie and Adam were digging a moat around their castle.
"Connor!" A new voice called out to the group, and everyone looked up, confused, as it clearly wasn't Tanya. Instead, a girl with her hand in one long pale blond braid down her back, wearing a hot pink bikini, and a boy in camo colored swim trunks, black sport sunglasses over his eyes, were approaching the group of rangers. Realizing who they were, Connor, Kira, Ethan, and Trent waved to them. Kim frowned, looking from the recent high school graduates to the regressed member of the dino thunder team.
"Hey Cassidy! Hey Devin," Connor called in response, as the two teenagers reached them.
"What are you doing?" Cassidy asked, drawing out the word 'are' as if she couldn't believe they were building sand castles on the beach, since it clearly wasn't an actual question about what their current activity was.
"Really Cassidy?" Kira replied with a slight laugh. She rolled her eyes, and continued to help Aisha pat some of the sand. "What's it look like we're doing? Brain surgery?"
"Whatever," Cassidy replied, shifting her features into a grin. "Hey Tommy," she added in to the teenage boy in green, who'd gone slightly pale when Cassidy and Devin arrived. He remembered his last encounter with Cassidy, and it wasn't exactly a moment he wanted to relive. He dropped his gaze down from her to the sand.
"Hi, um… Cassidy, right?" he asked, looking back up and trying not to blush. At the same moment, everyone except the teenagers (and two oblivious toddlers) had gone wide eyed in horror. This teenager, Cassidy, had addressed Tommy by name, and Kira, Ethan, Trent, and Connor did not look distressed at all. Cassidy gave Tommy a wide grin, while Devin shook his head.
"You're making him uncomfortable again, Cas," Devin told her. "Sorry Ms. Hart," he stated, addressing Kimberly. Since moving to Reefside, she'd accompanied Tommy to a few school functions, including prom the evening after the rangers had lost their powers for good. Kimberly closed her gaping mouth, and nodded slowly, casting a questioning look at Kira, Ethan, Trent, and Connor, who shrugged. They couldn't say anything at that moment. While Cassidy and Devin knew who the dino thunder rangers were, they didn't know that Kim was a former ranger, which clearly meant that they had no idea who the remainder of the people in the group were. If Connor or the others tried to explain why Cassidy and Devin knew who Tommy really was, there would be some serious explaining needing to be done, and Connor didn't think the others wanted their identities outed in any way.
"That's alright, Devin," Kimberly stated, forcing a smile onto her face, as she broke the look she was giving the four actual teenagers. "What can we do for you?" Tommy had filled her in on the fact that Cassidy and Devin knew the dino thunder teams' identities, but he'd assured her that he would never let them find out anything more than that.
"Oh," Cassidy laughed. "We just came to see if Connor, Tommy, and the others wanted to come hang out with a group of us from school down the beach. After all, I didn't think Dr. Oliver's nephew would want to hang out with some adults all day," she stated, with a smirk. "No offence," she added in, before turning to Connor and the other teenagers. "After all, no one is going to believe Dr. Oliver has a nephew if they don't see him away from Ms. Hart," she added, and Kira realized what the girl was hinting at. She turned slightly red and nodded, standing up.
"Right!" she laughed, looking over her shoulder and noticing that Jason and Rocky were both mouthing the word 'nephew' to one another. Aisha looked mystified, while Zack was still struggling to compose his expression. Trini and Adam exchanged concerned looks.
"Who is everyone anyway?" Cassidy asked, frowning and gazing around at the group, sizing everyone up. She was pretty sure she'd never met any of them before, or seen them around Reefside. Yet, they were all about the same age as Dr. Oliver.
"Oh, um," Trent stated, standing up as well and dusting the sand off of himself. "They're all um, old friends of Dr. Oliver and Ms. Hart. They came up for a visit," he added, gritting his teeth, sensing that Cassidy was trying to see if there was more to his story. He knew she'd catch an outright lie, but he hoped she wouldn't dig any deeper.
"Sure picked a hell of a time to come visit," Devin stated sarcastically, before running his hand over the back of his neck. "I mean, um, what with Dr. Oliver's nephew visiting. It must um, be very difficult to spend any time with him," Devin stated.
"Yeah," Kimberly replied, frowning, and slowly starting to catch on. Apparently Devin and Cassidy did know that the teenager in front of them was Dr. Oliver; she shot a look at Kira, who nodded, indicating that Kim should just play along. "Yeah," she repeated, sighing and throwing a smile on her face. "Dr. Oliver had to go out of town for an emergency meeting, on um… fossils," she stated, wanting to smack herself. Devin frowned, but Cassidy nodded, clearly accepting the fact that it appeared Kim was in the dark about the fact that the boy was really Tommy. "But I've been keeping everyone entertained. Connor and the others volunteered to help us build some sand castles, but we've definitely taken up enough of their time. You should go, hang out with kids your own age," Kimberly stated, and as one, her friends' eyes shot open. Tommy's head sprang up as he made eye contact with Kim, who gave him a slight nod, trying to reassure him.
"If you're sure you don't need us to stay," Connor stated, hesitating slightly as he and Ethan climbed to their feet. Kim shook her head, having completely pieced together the cover story that Kira, Cassidy, and Devin all seemed to be in on.
"Cassidy?" A young voice from a bit further down the beach called out, and for a moment everyone's attention followed it, noticing a group of high schoolers and recent high school graduates it various styles of beach attire, clearly waiting on Cassidy and Devin. Cassidy waved back, indicating that they would be right there. She gave Connor an impatient look.
"No," Kim stated with a sigh, as she bit her lip, tearing her eyes off the young teenage girls in bikinis. "Go on," she stated, and even Connor could tell the smile she wore on her face was fake, but he attributed it to the fact that they were all stressed out having to lie about the situation and their identities. "We're only going to be at the beach until about five o'clock anyway. Thanks for letting us borrow the chairs and umbrella. I'll make sure you get them back" she added in, and knew that Kira would make note of what time to meet back at Tommy's house and the fact that the adults would take care of gathering the teenagers' belongings. "Take Tommy with you. He could stand to make some friends," she added in, as Tommy's face shifted to one of horror. She was making him leave? She was making him go hang out with teenagers from decade that he really didn't have a good grasp on? She was basically sending him off to his doom? He'd rather be stepped on by the Megazord than face the reality of his current situation.
"Alright," Trent stated, with a nod. "Come on Tommy," he added, grabbing the fifteen year old boy by the arm, despite the fact that the teenager tried to protest. Connor grabbed his other arm, and together, they hurled him to his feet; two eighteen year old former rangers being a lot stronger than one fifteen year old who had just become one. "We'll see you around," Trent told Kimberly, as he and Connor began dragging Tommy down the beach, Kira and Ethan falling into step behind them. After a few moments, they stopped forcefully dragging him, but Connor looped his arm over Tommy's shoulders to prevent him from attempting to retreat back to the adult rangers. Tommy glanced over his shoulder and gave Kim and the others a helpless look, before he slumped his shoulders and allowed the dino thunder team to lead him away.
Kim watched, biting down on her lip and trying to fight the panic that was welling up inside her. She just realized that she'd sent the love of her life off with Cassidy and bunch of other scantily clad teenage girls, while he currently had the physical, mental, emotional, and hormonal capacity of a fifteen year old. Horrifying images flashed through her mind, including one of a teenage Tommy making out with the petite brunette she'd noticed in the purple one piece with no back.
"What the fuck was that?" Jason stated, and not even Trini scolded him for his use of a swear word around Tyler and Katie. Everyone present was staring at Kim, wearing expressions that showed considerable concern, anxiety, and bewilderment.
Startled out of her thoughts by Jason's outburst, Kim quickly tried to hide the tears that had started to well up in her eyes. She swallowed the sob that threatened to escape from her throat and gave her friends a halfhearted smile. "That was Cassidy and Devin," she stated, simply, not fully trusting her voice. As much as she was striving to be calm on the outside, her insides were clearly in chaos.
"Well, that much was evident," Adam replied with a small sarcastic laugh. He wasn't entirely in agreement with Kim and the teens that Tommy should have gone off with them. "I'm pretty sure Jason was referring to the entire thing that just transpired."
"Oh," Kim stated, still trying to focus on her friends, rather than the fact that she'd probably just sent Tommy off to his next girlfriend. She knew they sensed her unease, knew that she was on the verge of breakdown, but while they were curious, they wouldn't call her out on it. "Um," she went on, still trying to get a grip on herself, she sniffled slightly, hoping they wouldn't notice, but in reality, knowing they would. "Devin and Cassidy kind of caught the kids and Tommy on video during their final battle," she stated.
"What?" Aisha, Trini, and Zack exclaimed all at once. Jason, Rocky, and Adam both looked horrified. Someone knew the identity of the dino thunder rangers. That did not bode well for them.
"It's ok," Kim stated, trying to calm the alarms that were going off in her friends minds. "They're good kids," she told them. "And they know nothing about Tommy's past," she added in. "Which was evident, or they wouldn't have beaten around the bush so much, trying to get Connor and the others to go with them," she added.
"Come again?" Aisha asked Kim, who sighed and nodded, a bit reluctantly. She didn't look any more pleased than any of the others in the group did. However, her expression showed confusion more than anything.
"Devin and Cassidy must be helping the kids spread the rumor that 'Tommy'," she stated, throwing air quotes around his name, "is his own nephew, visiting from out of town. It won't help their rumor if Tommy is always seen hanging around us, without his adult self," she added in. "Getting Connor and the others to go hang out with the other teens of Reefside was actually a smart idea," she stated, nodding in appreciation of the Cassidy's plan. Jason, Adam, Rocky, Zack, Trini, and Aisha all gaped at her.
"Why didn't the kids say anything about this cover story earlier?" Trini asked, frowning, as she cast her gaze in the direction of the teenagers. They'd wandered so far away that they could no longer make out individual identities within the massive teenage beach party, yet she was pretty sure Connor, Tommy, and the others were all with them.
"In the chaos of the last two days," Kim stated with a shrug, "they must have forgotten. And they couldn't say anything just now without alerting Cassidy and Devin to the fact that we also know who Tommy is. They would have certainly questioned how that is," Kim reminded them, sighing and standing up. Now that they'd gotten her talking, she had a much better grasp on her emotions. She still felt like crying, but she knew she wasn't going to go to pieces right there on the beach.
"But what if he slips and says something stupid," Jason stated, knowing that that option was a distinct possibility. "Like asks how to work a cell phone?" he added in, and Zack and Rocky shook their heads, hiding the fact that they could see it happening and were highly amused.
"I trust Connor, Kira, Ethan, and Trent, to handle it," Kimberly stated, turning away from the direction they'd headed and making eye contact with her friends. "They've spent the last year of their lives getting pretty good at coming up with lies and cover stories to explain strange events. If you recall, teenagers can be pretty good at acting and convincing people of things when they try," she laughed, although it had a nervous edge to it.
"If you're sure," Zack stated, glancing in the direction the teenagers had gone and then back at Kim, his expression clearly indicating that he still wasn't.
"I am," Kim stated simply, reaching down to take Katie's hand. "Come on Katie," she said to the small child who happily grabbed on. "Let's go get some sea shells for your castle," she added in.
"Okay," the toddler replied, picking up a bucket with her free hand and moving her small legs as fast as she could to keep up with Kimberly, who appeared to be trying to put as much distance between herself and the other former rangers as she possibly could, as fast as she could, leaving them all staring after her, concerned.
"Do we have to stay here much longer?" Tommy complained to Ethan. Both teenage boys were sitting on a large piece of driftwood on the beach, just on the edge of where the woods came in contact with it. The sun was still out, but it was low enough that the entire area where the Reefside teenagers were having their party was cast into the shade. Tommy held a red solo cup containing a fruit punch in his hands. Beside him, Ethan shrugged, glancing around the party, trying to pin point his other three teammates among the multitudes of teenagers.
"We'll leave soon," Ethan told him, taking a sip of his own punch. "Yours wasn't spiked right?" he asked the younger boy, whose eyes shot open at the thought, as he began studying the liquid in his cup. Ethan grabbed it and sniffed, handing it back to him. "You're good," he stated. "Anyway, you heard Kim; they'll all be heading back to the house around five. Cassidy heard her too," he added. "We can't leave till at least then."
"Ethan, Tommy!" Connor called out, leading a group of teenage girls, including Kira, over to where the black and blue dino thunder rangers were sitting. Ethan frowned, looking up at his former leader, while Tommy cast his gaze down towards the sand, as Kira took a seat on the log beside Ethan.
"How many drinks has he had?" Ethan asked her, his frown shifting into a glare as he realized that his and Tommy's cups might not have contained the spiked punch, but there was a distinct alcoholic scent on Connor's breath.
"Just one," Kira replied, rolling her eyes at Connor, not Ethan. "But to be honest," she stated. "I actually think that was an accident as well. Someone's idea of a joke," she stated. Over the last year, Connor had definitely become the type of teenager who would shy away from doing anything illegal, and probably would not have intentionally drank the spiked punch. "He's been sticking with water since he realized it," she added in.
"Come on guys," Connor stated, grinning and throwing his arms over the shoulders of the two nearest girls. "You so totally need to come and dance," he stated, clearly enjoying himself and the party. Each of the girls laughed slightly, apparently having enjoyed some of the special punch as well.
"Count me out," Tommy replied, crossing his arms over his chest. All he wanted was to go back to the group of people he recognized so he didn't feel like he was making a fool of himself. Connor laughed at him slightly and shook his head.
"How about you?" Connor stated, nodding to Ethan, who sighed, and set his cup down, shaking his head, but grinning as well.
"Alright," he laughed. "Someone ought to keep you out of trouble," he added in, ignoring the fact that Tommy was clearly giving a look that called him a traitor. Ethan smirked at the younger boy and pushed himself off the log, as Connor and the girls turned around. They walked off back into the main body of the party, leaving Kira and Tommy alone on the log.
"You ok?" Kira asked Tommy as soon as everyone else was out of ear shot. Tommy looked up at her, a glare on his features. She was partially responsible for the fact that he was there in the first place. "I'll take that as a no," Kira stated, with a slight laugh. "Come on; it isn't that bad," she told the boy. "Before you know it, you'll be back with Kim," she stated, as Tommy took a sip of his drink. The moment the words left her mouth, Tommy spit his liquid out in front of him, causing Kira to burst out laughing.
"How did," Tommy began, trying to determine if he wanted to protest her accusation or figure out how she'd reached it.
Kira just shook her head, and laughed again. "Tommy, you're so readable, it's not even a challenge," she told the boy. "But you need to relax. People are going to start questioning who you really are if you don't start behaving more like you belong here," she added. "Kim's not going anywhere. She'll be back at the house tonight and at the end of the week, when Billy gets here, all will be back to normal," she stated.
Tommy exhaled and rolled his eyes, but he did nod. She had a point. Whether he thought he was in his correct time or not, there was one big rule as a ranger. No one could find out his identity, and that meant that he had to keep them from figuring out that he wasn't really fifteen, or at least that he wasn't supposed to be. "Where's Trent?" he asked Kira, trying to change the topic. Kira nodded into the distance slightly where the white ranger in question was on his toward them carrying two drinks.
"Sorry it took so long," Trent apologized to Kira. "They've gotten to most of the punch at this point, so I had to find some water," he added, handing her one of the cups.
"You sure it's safe?" Kira chuckled in response, as she looked into the clear liquid in the cup, and Trent nodded.
"Hey Tommy," Trent stated. "How you holding up?"
"Don't ask," Kira laughed, before Tommy could reply. The younger boy paused for a moment and then sighed and shook his head, cracking a grin in response. Kira had a point. He was being sulky, he just wished he had a better grasp on who he really was. Maybe if he'd been a little older; or had been a ranger for a bit longer; he'd feel more confident.
The three dino thunder rangerss fell into easy conversation for a while, before Trent and Kira slowly began discussing things that Tommy definitely didn't understand, such as Haley's and college. As a result, he slowly found himself being isolated, unintentionally from the conversation. Sitting alone, staring into his now nearly empty cup, refusing to refill it for fear he'd accidentally consume alcohol and have to face Jason and the others when he got back, Tommy didn't notice he had company until a pair of small feet appeared in his vision. Startled, he jumped back slightly looking up, and meeting the bright blue eyes of a dark haired teenager wearing silver bikini.
"Hey," she said, smiling at him, one hand dangling at her side. She had the other wrapped around her back, gripping her own wrist. She didn't appear to be any older than maybe fourteen or fifteen. "Wanna dance?" she asked Tommy, when he didn't automatically reply. Tommy gaped at her for a moment, before turning his head to look at Kira and Trent who had stopped talking the moment she'd arrived.
"Um," Tommy stated, not knowing exactly what to do. Every fiber of his being was screaming no, but for the sake of his cover story, he wondered if he should consent.
"Go on," Kira encouraged him, giving him a reassuring smile. "We just finished saying you should relax," she added in, and Tommy sighed, turning back to the girl.
"Sure," he spoke, setting his cup inside Ethan's discarded one, and following the girl. Behind him he heard Trent ask Kira if she really thought that was a good idea. He didn't hear Kira's reply, so he had no idea that she had just shrugged her shoulders in response. At this point Kira had pretty much given up trying to determine if things were going to work out or not. It was pretty much guess and test and fly by the seat of your pants as far as she was concerned. Watching them walk away, she downed half of her cup of water.
"I'm Sarah," the girl told him when they reached the area where the teenagers had set up speakers and music. She gave him a genuine smile. Tommy, grateful that the music was nothing slow, giving him reason not to actually touch the girl, returned her smile with a halfhearted one of his own.
"Tommy," he replied, nervously as the two of them began moving their bodies to the beat of the music. Tommy cast his glance around, making sure that the teenagers in two thousand and four didn't dance too incredibly different from what he was used to.
"You're new around here?" Sarah asked him after a moment. "Did you just move to Reefside?"
"No," Tommy stated, shaking his head. "Just visiting my, um, uncle," he stated, trying to remember the details of the cover story that Cassidy and Devin were supposed to be spreading around Reefside. "Just here for a little while," he added in. In his mind he repeated the phrase 'please only be a week'. He was desperate for this nightmare to end. The sooner Billy arrived, the better.
"That's too bad," Sarah stated, with a slight giggle. Tommy struggled to keep himself from frowning. He didn't like her giggle. What was she giggling about? As far as he knew, he hadn't said anything funny. Was she laughing at him? Or could it be something else. "I was hoping we might have some of the same classes next year," she added in with a wink. Tommy chuckled nervously, and ran his hand over the back of his neck, as he realized it was definitely something else. She was flirting with him. "You ok?" she asked him. "You seem kind of down."
"Oh, um," Tommy stated, trying to force himself to smile. "I'm sorry, I'm just uh…" he stammered, cursing himself silently for failing at coming up with a cover story. All the other rangers were pretty good at it; Granted, he'd only needed to hid his actually identity for a week now, so he wasn't really surprised he was struggling. He just sort of hoped that, with as long as the others said he was going to be a ranger, he got better at it.
"Missing someone at home?" Sarah offered for him. Tommy gave her a weak smile in return, and nodded once. Kira was right. He was that obvious. "It's a girl, isn't it?" Sarah asked him, and once again, Tommy sighed.
"Yeah," he told the teenager in front of him, simply.
"You must like her a lot," Sarah stated, matter of factly. And Tommy beamed. That was an easy one. Like wasn't even the word. He loved her. And despite that in his mind he hadn't asked or out yet, or the fact that he wasn't actually a fifteen year old, dancing with Sarah on the beach, sort of felt to him like cheating. He nodded once, allowing his body to stop moving, as Sarah did as well. "She's lucky to have you," Sarah told him. "You're sweet Tommy," she added, before turning slightly and waving at him over her shoulder. "Thanks for the dance," she said before she disappeared into the crowd, leaving him standing there bewildered for a moment, before he spotted Connor, Kira, and Trent waving at him from the piece of drift wood he'd been at earlier. He cracked a smile, and walked over to them.
"Did you have a little fun?" Kira teased him, noticing the grin on his face.
"Not really," Tommy laughed, shaking his head. "She just reminded me that I'd rather be at home with Kim and the others. Is it time to leave yet?" he added, specifically looking at Connor since it seemed he would be the one that most likely wanted to stay.
"Alright," Connor laughed at him. "We can get going now," he stated, casting his gaze around the beach for the fifth member of their team. "Anyone seen Ethan?" he asked, frowning when he didn't immediately spot him.
"Thought he was with you?" Kira asked, searching as well.
"There he is," Trent stated, pointing another piece of drift wood not too entirely far away. Ethan was sitting side ways on the log, one leg tucked underneath him, while the other remained in the sand to support him. Across from him was a teenage girl, not dressed in a bathing suit. Instead, the girl who had long dark hair and pale skin was sitting cross legged, balancing easily on the log, facing Ethan, and wearing a pair of black jeans and a t-shirt. She was barefoot at the moment, but beside her on the drift wood rested a pair of red converse sneakers. Both individuals were leaning forward, talking, while the girl was showing Ethan a sketch book. "Who's that with him?" Trent asked, frowning.
"No idea," Connor laughed, before putting both of his hands to his mouth. "Yo Ethan!" he called out, getting the blue clad former ranger's attention. Ethan looked up, searching around for the sound, his eyes falling on Connor. Connor grinned and waved, then beckoned Ethan over. They watched as Ethan said something to the girl, then hopped off the driftwood and headed toward his friends.
"We ready to head out?" Ethan asked, clearly realizing that Tommy still looked anxious to leave the beach party. Connor, Trent, and Kira nodded as the group began walking away from the party and towards the parking lot where both Trent and Connor had parked earlier that day.
Connor pulled his keys out of his pocket and began tossing them up and down in the air for a moment before he tossed them to Ethan who caught them easily. "Just in case," Connor told him. He wasn't exactly sure how much alcohol he'd consumed in that one cup, but he didn't want to chance anything. "By the way," he added with a laugh. "Who was the girl? Never seen her before."
"She's new," Ethan laughed. "Just moved here," he added in. "Name's Alex."
"Gotcha," Connor laughed again as the group of five teenagers reached the parking lot and split off into the two cars, Tommy incredibly happy to just be heading home.
It was about quarter after five when Kimberly pulled Tommy's jeep into the drive way. She'd been blasting the radio, the entire drive home, trying to keep her mind busy and off particular subject matter. It was the same thing she'd been doing since she'd sent Tommy off with the other teenagers. She didn't want to think about that. She didn't want to have Tommy off at a beach party with teenagers. She didn't want him to belong with other teenagers. She wanted him, normal sized, normal aged, and home with her, enjoying a reunion with all of their friends. She put the car in park, and took a deep breath, running her hands over her face as she glanced up to see Rocky's minivan and Jason's car pull in beside her. Immediately realizing she couldn't hear the sounds of their tires on the gravel, Kim adjusted the volume on the stereo so that the others wouldn't hear and question it, as she climbed out of the jeep, meeting them in the driveway.
"Hey guys," she called out, attempting a cheerful smile and a wave, though she felt anything besides cheerful at that moment. She reached into the back of the jeep and grabbed her beach bag and the cooler from the back of the jeep. Without Tommy, it was bit harder to carry, since it still held multiple cans, water bottles, and other drinks, as well as being partially filled with water from the melted ice. As a result, when she didn't get a good grip on it, the cooler slipped from her hand, landing near her foot, as she jumped back, her reflexes still sharp. "Fuck," she muttered. Jason had grabbed his and Trini's bag that held changes of clothing for him, Tyler, and Trini, while Trini was getting Tyler, who'd fallen asleep again, exhausted from the water and sun, out of the car. Beside him, Zack slung his own book bag of clothing over his shoulder. Jason nudged him, indicating Kim, and Zack nodded, immediately going over to her. She was standing, glaring at the fallen cooler, water splashed everywhere, and several drinks had rolled into the driveway and under the jeep. Tears had welled up in her eyes, and she looked to be on the verge of a breakdown.
"I've got it Kim," Zack called out to her, and Kim just took a deep breath and nodded, trying to shake herself out of her funk, she brushed her eyes with the back of her hand, not realizing that everyone else was staring at her. "You ok?" he added, as he stooped down and gathered up the items that had spilled from the cooler.
"Yeah," Kim muttered, before shaking her head. "Yeah," she said a bit louder, forcing her smile back onto her face. "Just a little tired," she added. Zack frowned, but lifted the cooler into his hands and followed her toward the house, casting a concerned look over his shoulder at the others. Rocky and Tanya both just shrugged in response, as they grabbed their own stuff, as well as the two DeSantos children out of the car, along with Adam and Aisha.
Kim let the entire group into the house, dropping the car keys in the bowl that she and Tommy kept near the doorway. "Zack," she stated, "you can set the cooler out on the back porch. I'll clean it out later," she told him, her voice a bit unsteady.
"Sure Kim, no problem," he replied, concern for her still evident in his face, as he went to do as she suggested. She may have tried to hide it from them, but each of her friends knew that something was seriously bothering Kim, more than she was willing to admit. They'd all noticed that her attitude had greatly shifted the moment Connor, Kira, Ethan, Trent, and Tommy had left them.
"Kim?" Trini asked, as she carried the passed out Tyler into the house. His arms dangled down from her shoulders, where his head was laid, and his was mouth partially open. Aisha had Katie in a similar sound asleep position on her own shoulder, while Rocky carried the baby carrier. For once, Luke was actually wide awake, having slept on and off most of the afternoon at the beach. The baby kicked his legs and reached for the toys suspended from the handle. "You mind if we put the kids down for a little bit."
"Not at all," Kim replied with a smile that clearly did not reach her eyes. She knew she probably wasn't fooling them, but at that moment, she really, honestly didn't care. Aisha and Trini nodded, whispering thanks, as they headed towards the two bedrooms to put the toddlers down in the spare room.
"Are you sure you're ok Kimmie?" Jason asked her, setting the bag he carried down on the floor along with the ones Adam and Rocky had deposited, as Zack came back from the back yard and deposited his own.
"Just stop asking me that!" she shouted, quite a bit louder than she'd meant to, causing Jason, who'd been stepping closer to her to jump back. Tanya and Rocky frowned, while Zack and Adam wore confused expressions and wide eyes. Kim sighed, biting down on her trembling lips. Clearly she was not alright. She knew it. They knew it. She knew they knew it. But she didn't want to talk about it. She'd spent two weeks separated from the love of her life that she'd just spent the last eight years not speaking to. She'd expected to come to him. She'd expected to be held by him Friday night. And now, here it was, Sunday night, and he wasn't there. In his place was a fifteen year old, whom she still loved, but couldn't go anywhere near. And every moment that he spent regressed was one more moment that the doubt about them successfully fixing the problem crept further in on her to the point where she felt like she was drowning in her fear.
She shook her head, not even trying to lie again, but she didn't try to deny it. She didn't trust herself to not start sobbing as her tears once again fought their way forward as she made eye contact with Jason. "I…" she began, and her voice shook with the effort. She shook her head again, and Jason noticed her eyes glistening with the unshed tears. "I need a minute," she choked out, turning on her heels. She couldn't look at Jason. Jason had been Tommy's best friend when he was actually fifteen. If not for the current catastrophe, he and Trini and Zack wouldn't be there. But if not for the current catastrophe, she'd have her Tommy with her. It was too much, wanting to be happy they were there, but being so distraught over the reason why. She practically ran out of the room, passing Trini and Aisha on the way to her bedroom, where she nearly slammed the door behind her.
"Well," Adam stated, drawing out the word and looking from Rocky to Jason to Zack and Tanya as Trini and Aisha joined them in the living room. Tanya placed her hand on his shoulder, giving him a questioning look. "That was," he added, trying to find the right word to describe Kimberly's behavior.
"Strange?" Rocky finished for him, frowning in the direction that Kimberly had fled as he set the baby carrier down.
"What happened?" Trini asked her husband, concern on her face as she made eye contact with Tanya and then each of the guys. Zack and Rocky both shrugged, because in reality they had absolutely no idea how to describe the incident. Adam sighed and shook his head, cradling it in his hand. Jason frowned.
"I asked if she was ok, and next thing we know, she's practically sobbing and racing toward her room," Jason replied. Trini frowned and bit her lip, thinking for a moment. She looked at Aisha, who raised her eyebrow in response, a silent exchange taking place between the two women.
"You think?" Trini asked her successor. Aisha sighed and nodded, a frown on her features. "We'll be back," Trini told Jason, standing on her tippy toes and giving him a light kiss on the lips, before patting his chest. "Trust us," she told him. "She'll be ok," she added, realizing that Jason was really concerned about their pink ranger. Jason set his expression into a grim line, as Aisha gave Rocky a quick kiss as well. He nodded, watching as the two women retreated back down the hall, leaving Tanya as the only woman in the room.
Trini reached Kim's closed bedroom door first and knocked lightly. When there was no answer, she turned the handle, almost surprised to find that it wasn't locked. She pushed the door open and let herself and Aisha in, closing the door with a click behind her. "Guys," Kimberly's voice stated, although it sounded shaky and it was clear she'd been crying, her sobs having started the moment she'd take refuge in her room. "I just need a few minutes," she stated, not looking at who was in the room.
Trini and Aisha both ignored her, and walked over to the King sized bed where Kim was curled up in the fetal position in the center, her head propped up on a few pillows. Her back was to the door, while she faced the windows that looked out on the back of the house. Kim had something wrapped tightly in her grasp as she cried, tears running down her face. Trini walked around the bed and sat down where Kim could see her, realizing her friend held an off white teddy bear with a green nose. Clearly a St. Patrick's Day bear, but Trini knew why it would have been comforting at that moment. Aisha crawled onto the bed from the other direction, stretching out behind her friend and throwing her arm around her, while Trini laid down facing her, placing one hand under her head and the other on top of Aisha's hand. Kim released the bear with one hand and grabbed their joined hands, breaking down into hysterics, her two former teammates letting her cry it out for several minutes.
None of them spoke as Kim cried. Instead, Aisha and Trini were just there. They'd sensed that Kim was on the verge of a breakdown all day, and at seemed that she'd finally reached her breaking point when she'd sent Tommy off with the other dino thunder rangers. At that point, they knew words weren't what were needed; just their presence as the former pink ranger cried herself out.
When her sobbing finally died away, leaving a few hiccups in their place, the three women sat up. Kim crossed her legs underneath her, seating the teddy bear in her lap, so that she could rest her chin on top of its head. Aisha put her knees together, and turned slightly on her side, wrapping her arm protectively around Kim's shoulders, while Trini folded one leg underneath her, and let the other dangle off the end of the bed, placing one hand on Kim's knee. For a few more moments the only sounds in the room were their breathing and Kim's quieting hiccups. Finally, Trini sighed. "So," she stated, calmly and gently. "Are you ready to tell us yet?"
"Tell you what?" Kimberly asked, frowning and shaking her head. Aisha gave her a slight comforting smile, but shook her head, realizing Kim was going to be stubborn as ever. She could deny it all she wanted.
"Don't give us that. We know," Aisha stated, with a bit of humor in her voice. She glanced up to make sure that the door to the bedroom was closed.
"Know what?" Kimberly asked them, still frowning. Now it was Trini's turn to smile, although hers was more of a smirk. She rolled her eyes slightly, thinking about how obstinate Kimberly was being.
"Stop trying to hide it," Trini stated, shifting so she could hug Kim around the other shoulder like Aisha was. "Jason told me you wouldn't touch a cup of coffee," she added, letting the pink clad former ranger in on what she and Aisha had pieced together.
"Or alcohol; You said you were too tired to go in the ocean all day," Aisha added on, her smile gentle "And let's face it girl," she laughed lightly, squeezing Kim's shoulders. "You've been an emotional wreck."
"I have not," Kimberly tried to defend herself, although the argument was weak. She glared at the two women surrounding her halfheartedly. She didn't like where the conversation was going.
"Yes you have," Trini laughed. "You almost broke down sobbing yesterday when you thought Tommy thought you were old. I know you weren't acting," she added when Kim opened her mouth to defend herself. The guys may have been fooled; and maybe Aisha hadn't caught that one; and Tanya didn't know her well enough, but Trini had known Kim's tears were real from the get go. "And you just spent the last fifteen minutes locked in your bedroom sobbing over the fact that he's off with Kira, Connor, Ethan, and Trent, instead of here with you."
"Girl," Aisha stated, "you nearly broke into hysterics over a cooler falling. You are an emotional disaster zone," she laughed gently.
"So what?" Kimberly growled, shaking her head, and clutching her bear tighter. "I'm entitled. My boyfriend has been turned into a damn child for crying out loud!" she stated, her voice elevating slightly.
"Don't you mean the father of your child?" Trini asked her, eyebrow raised. "Kim," she stated. "You're pregnant, aren't you?"
Ok, so pretty sure some of you saw it coming. I have been hinting at it since chapter 5, but yeah, you all know the answer to Trini's question, I hope. LOL.
Really hope you enjoyed. And yeah, as usual, support The Order (and if you don't know what The Order is, shame. Shame on you - use google).
Thanks in advance for all any and all reviews. I really poured a lot into this chapter, and the chaos that's going to follow.
And a quick reminder, tomorrow, while you're all BBQing, etc, remember to take a moment for our troops. Memorial Day is not national BBQ day.
Fateless
