A/N: Before you start reading-- I know I said this chapter was going to focus on the date, but I started writing it and I realized I didn't have to. I think you can all assume the date would go well to begin with. So I've decided to just have them recap a few of the events to the others. Not the whole thing mind you, but just a few events in passing. I apologize if some of you were looking forward to reading about the date.

P.S. I'm changing some little tiny details in the episode resurection. Not actions really, but little things that you would probably only notice if you watched the episode and read the chapter at the same time.

The Return

Chapter 13: Renewed Hope

by angellwings

"Jack!" Tammi called after him as she followed him down the hallway, "Come on Jack talk to me. You can't avoid me forever."

He ignored her and continued walking, She sighed and jogged to catch up with him.

"Jack, what are you doing? I mean, we're friends aren't we?"

He sighed, "Tammi, of course we're friends. I just need a little time. I mean first things don't work out for you and me, and then things do work out for you and Sky. Despite what you feel, I still have feelings for you, and it's hard to accept. I need some time away from you to figure things out, that's all."

"All right, if that is what you need, then I'll give you that. I'll leave you alone until you say." She said reluctantly with a nod.

"Thank you." He said quietly as he continued on his way. She sighed and walked back toward the common room. As she headed down the corridor she heard Syd ask Jack where he was going.

"I'm bored out of my mind, I'm getting off the base for a while."

Syd shrugged and continued on obliviously.

Tammi quickened her pace and sat down Indian style on the floor in front of Sky.

"Did you find him?" He whispered to her discretely.

"Yeah, He wants me to back off for a while. He said he needs time to think."

He squeezed her shoulder and smiled sadly down at her, "He'll bounce back. He is Jack after all."

"I know, it just took us so long to form a friendship the first time . . ."

"Everything will be okay." He told her with assurance. She sighed and rested her head on Sky's knee as he went back to reading his book. She was surprised to see that it was an actual book, and not the SPD handbook. She squinted her eyes and focused on the title. "Weaponless Battle Tactics" By: Rockwell DeSantos. She stifled a laugh. Well, he was still Sky after all. She wondered why, of all the strategy books he could have read, he chose her father's.

"Does anyone want any toast?" Bridge asked as he made his way to the couch, "It's really buttery, extra buttery."

Z rose an eyebrow at the way his fingers moved when the word buttery left his lips, "Bridge, why do you always wiggle your fingers when you say buttery?"

"He can't help himself it's ingrained in his cellular make up." Sky said with a serious expression, but an amused glimmer in his eyes. Tammi grinned at him and rolled her eyes. It was times like these when she preferred to sit back and observe.

As they continued to pick on Bridge she couldn't help but marvel at how far they had all come as a team. She had stopped secluding herself from everyone, people now for the most part understood Bridge, Sky was relaxing even if only a little, Syd was no longer just the spoiled little princess of the group, Z had come to rely on people other than Jack, and Jack had proved himself as a capable leader instead of the rip off Robin Hood he had started out as. But they had achieved something more important than all those things. A bond. They were a real team now. They had accepted each other for who they were and let that work to their advantage. It was something she had hardly ever experienced on her other squads. The former B-squad had come close to this, but never achieved it. There had still been some conflicts amongst them when they went into battle the day they were captured.

It made some part of her feel guilty. As if she were betraying her team, but she knew she wasn't. She had simply adapted to her environment. And she wouldn't have traded this environment for anything else in the world. These people healed her, they were her saviors. She would be forever grateful to them for that.

Suddenly Crugar could be heard clearing his throat. The five of them immediately stood at attention.

"At ease," He said as he took his place in front of them.

They all relaxed, and stood comfortably.

"Rangers these last few days have been uneventful," He continued, "But I caution you do not let your guard down. Something is brewing, I can feel it. Be at the ready."

"Yes sir" They chorused.

"Where's Jack?" The commander asked after taking a visual sweep of the room. Tammi gulped at looked down at the floor.

"He's in the city. He got bored, and decided to go out." Syd answered. Tammi was grateful she didn't have to.

"Very well. Carry on." He announced. They resumed their positions in the common room, except this time Sky put his book down, and leaned into Tammi's ear.

"Your Uncle told me something very interesting the other day," He whispered while Bridge and the commander seemed to be talking about toast.

"And what was that?" She asked him with a grin.

"That you have a birthday coming up. Is that true?"

"Which uncle was this?" She asked mock threateningly.

"Does it matter? And you still haven't answered my question."

"Yes, it's true, but I don't want it to be a big deal, okay?" She told him sternly.

"Okay, but you are at least going to let me take you out to dinner, right?"

"That depends, are you going to take me somewhere where they embarrass me in front of the entire restaurant?" She asked him suspiciously.

"Not if you don't want me to." He told her with a wide grin.

"Then I would have to say, yes you can take me out to dinner."

"Cadet DeSantos, can I speak with you in the command center for a moment?" Crugar asked as he moved to exit the room.

"Of course sir." She answered dutifully as she stood up and followed him out of the room.

"Hey Z?" Sky asked as he leaned in her direction.

"What's up Sky?"

"I have a favor to ask you, want to take a walk with me?"

"Um, yeah, sure." She said with a baffled expression.

"Is something wrong sir?" Tammi asked Crugar once they entered the command center.

"No, Tammi, nothing is wrong, but Kat and I wish to inform you of something . . ." Crugar trailed off as Kat appeared.

"For months now, we've been receiving mysterious transmissions. The static has scrambled all of them too much to make out any words or phrases, but the computer can differentiate voices." Kat told her with a hopeful gleam in her eye as she played one of the transmissions. Kat was right the static was the overwhelming sound, but underneath it all you could make out clear vocal tones.

Tammi gasped, "Brandon."

"Yes, we believe A-squad has been trying to contact us." Crugar told her.

"The tones we've been able to make out sound weary and even on occasion to be in pain." Kat informed the young cadet.

"How could they be sending transmissions? Grumm barely takes his eyes off of you long enough to dig a tiny hole let alone find away to send a radio transmission." Tammi asked in confusion.

"We aren't quite sure, just like we aren't quite sure how you escaped him." Crugar said calmly.

"I lowered myself to his level that's how." Tammi told them darkly, "I killed anything and everything in my path until I reached my jet."

"Did your ranger genes . . ." Kat began.

"You mean psycho ranger genes. And yes they switched on, and I lost it." She answered with shame.

"It's nothing to be ashamed of. You were merely keeping yourself alive." Crugar reassured her as he placed a hand on her shoulder.

"You planned Syd's surprise party, right?" Sky asked Z as they left in their civilian clothes.

"Yes, why?" Z asked with intrigue.

"Well, Tammi has a birthday coming up, and I figure since you got away with it before that you're probably the best person to ask for help."

"It is still hard for me to believe that you and her are like a 'thing' now. I mean I could have sworn that she and Jack . . ."

"So could I." Sky answered with half of a grin.

Z smiled at him. She was happy for him. Despite the hurt she felt for her "brother" it was clear that Tammi and Sky cared about each other deeply. She found it strange that two people so obsessed with their work could relax each other as well as Tammi and Sky did, but the more time they spent with each other the more they both relaxed around everyone else.

"What exactly did the two of you do on your date anyway?" Z said as she finally got to ask the question that had been bugging her for days.

"I took her to Angel Grove, and let her show me around." Sky said with a smile.

"Angel Grove? What's so special about Angel Grove?" Z asked with a furrowed brow.

"It's were her parents and a lot of her 'extended' family became rangers for the first time." He said as they continues walking, "It's like her second home next to New Tech City. Her father and her mother spent most of their high school years there."

"Wow, that is surprisingly sweet, Sky." Z said approvingly.

"This may come as quite a shock to you, but I can, on occasion, be very charming." He told her mock defensively.

She grinned at him. Since she had come to SPD she had started to think of Bridge and Sky like brothers. More recently they began to reach the same level as Jack. All of Sky's stubborn and annoying qualities had started to become endearing to her.

"You know I think Jack had the right idea about getting away from the academy." He said as he shoved a hand in his pocket.

She looked at him with amazement, "The way you're loosening up Sky, you're almost becoming human."

"Damn," Z mumbled to herself as screams could be heard in front of them. They immediately took off in the direction of the commotion.

"I knew this was too good to last." Sky said as they pulled out their morphers.

Sirens went off in the command center.

"Doggie, we've got Trouble." Kat said as she observed the fight involving the yellow and blue rangers.

He nodded, "Cadet DeSantos, you go ahead, we'll send the others after you."

"Yes Sir." She said with a salute as she began to morph.

"Hi-yah!" Tammi yelled as she launched her self at the monochromatic goon. He instantly fell backwards.

"Are you guys okay?" Tammi asked as she backed toward them.

"We're fine." Sky answered with a nod.

"I'm tired of this game." The creep announced as he hit with them with some kind of beam. The three of them fell to the ground groaning in pain.

"Back off!" They heard Jack yell while he shot his blasters.

He let out a maniacal laugh, and shot his beams at them again. The rangers shielded themselves, but when they looked for him again he was gone.

When they reached the command center Jack was already gone. It made Tammi wonder what was going on with him. He knew they would be briefed on who this creep was. They always were.

Crugar split them up into three teams, and had them patrol the city for Delex and Jack.

Sky and Z were the first to arrive when the alien criminal reappeared, followed by Syd and Bridge, then by Sam and herself.

They were forced to engage in battle with out him, that is until he arrived to the battle late.

From then on out the fight followed the same predictable pattern. The minute they got the upperhand Delex decided to grow several hundred stories. Eventually the rangers contained him, and headed back to the base.

Crugar debriefed them and dismissed them. They all began to exit the command center when he called Jack back. She heard Sky mumble something to him tauntingly as she made her way out.

"Why do you do that?" She asked Sky as he caught up with her.

"To be honest I have no idea. I guess old habits die hard." He said with a shrug.

"You should try to give him a break sometimes." She told him cautiously.

"I know, It's just sometimes I can't resist."

She grinned, "Believe me I know how that goes."

"So, what did the Commander want to talk to you about?" He asked as Jack came storming out of the command center from behind them.

Tammi and Sky's line of vision followed him down the hallway until he reached the common room.

"I wonder what . . ." Tammi started before Kat came over the loudspeakers calling for the rangers to come to the command center.

"Kat?" Tammi asked as she and Sky skidded to a stop, "What's going on?"

"We just received SOS on the restricted SPD channel." She said throwing Tammi a meaningful glance.

"You don't think . . . ?" Tammi asked with a gulp.

"It could be." Crugar answered from behind her as Jack and the others entered the command center.

"Rangers, you are to load a space craft and take it to Gamma Orion. We received a distress call on a restricted channel, and we need all of you to investigate." Crugar commanded, "Go rangers."

They nodded and headed down to the loading bay.

"Tammi, what were they talking about?" Sky asked her as they loaded the space ship.

"I can't tell you. I was commanded not too, Sky, I'm sorry." She told him apologetically.

They morphed when they were fifteen minutes with in Gamma Orion, and called on their S.W.A.T. Modes. The ship transformed into a rover and trekked along the unfamiliar planet.

They exited and observed their surroundings. There was a another space craft that looked as if it had crashed recently, and nasty little flunkies running around in the woods. The majority of them were Troobians which confirmed her suspicion that her brother could be inside the ship they were guarding. Sky had already confirmed that there were life signs inside of it. Please don't let this be a bust. I don't know if I could take it if it wasn't them. She thought to herself as she attacked more Troobians.

"Get out of my way, you little jerks!" She yelled as she fought her way toward the ship.

An orange head began to charge, and she swiftly dodged him.

"You really do not want to mess with me right now. I'm anxious, angry, armed, and ready to kick some ass. Besides you're wearing my color, I hate people who rip off my outfits." Tammi said with a glare as she kicked him in the gut.

Finally the troobian's were defeated, and they could finally find out what the heck was inside that ship.

Jack and Sky blasted the doors, and smoke came billowing out. Tammi held her breath as five shadowy figures stumbled their way out of the smoke.

"A-squad," Tammi said in a gasp from the back of the group. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath, please don't let this be a dream.

Jack stepped forward to help support the red ranger as she demorphed.

Tammi watched with anticipation as Charlie appeared before her eyes.

"You're a girl." She heard Jack say in surprise.

"Red's a girl?" Sky asked in shock. How did he not know that? Did I never tell him?She smiled wryly as Syd and Z high fived each other.

"You got a problem with that?" Charlie asked Jack as she held on to her wounded arm.

"No." He said with a slight chuckle, "I'm cool."

"Power down." Tammi said as she pushed her way to the front of the rangers. She smiled brightly at them as she felt a weight lift from her shoulders. They were alive.

"Power down." The other four rangers chorused.

Tammi joyfully charged the man in yellow, "Brandon!"

"Tammi," He said as he tearfully embraced her, "I thought for sure you were . . ."

"You're one to talk. I break out of that dungeon only to find out that you and dad were captured as well. The past few months haven't exactly been fun for me either, bro." She whispered in his ear.

"Guys," She yelled joyfully as Brandon released her, "You have no idea how happy I am to see all of you."

Tammi observed the weary people who surrounded her when her eyes fell upon one familiar but misplaced face.

"Kai?" She asked as she approached the pink ranger.

"Tammi . . ." She breathed.

"What are you doing here? Where's Lilly?" She asked the group.

"We lost Lilly in battle just before we lost contact with SPD," Sean Taylor the green ranger announced quietly.

"And I was seperated from the rest of B-squad, I don't exactly know what happened. All I know is that your brother and Charlie found me."

"She was unconscious and beaten pretty badly. We gave her the pink morpher before our last battle." Charlie said as she leaned on Jack a little more.

Tammi nodded, and tried to process what they were saying. Lilly was dead. Uncle Billy and Aunt Kat will be crushed. She thought sadly.

"Let's get you guys back to the base," She said in a voice that was barely above a whispered. There was so much more she wanted to ask them, but now was not the time.

She went to Brandon and helped Z walk him through the woods to their ship.

"We'll answer all of your questions on the way back, sis, I promise." He told her compassionately as they all boarded.

She sat toward the back with A-squad, "Hang on, one second guys."

She walked up front to talk to Sky and the others.

"I'm gonna sit with them on the return ride home. They've got answers and, well, I've got plenty of questions." She told them with a gesture in the A-squad's direction.

They all nodded. Sky took her hand, "Just keep in mind that their answers may not be what you want to hear," He told her in warning.

She gave him a tight hug, "I know, Sky, and thank you."

She walked to the back of the ship and retook her seat in between Brandon and Kai.

"I don't trust them." Jack said as he watched Tammi interact with them.

"Something about them is definitely off." Z said suspiciously.

"Do you know what happened to the rest of our squad?" Tammi asked Kai.

"The last time I saw them we were being starved in Grumm's dungeons. He tried to convince us to join his side and tried to get us to give him inside information. He told us we would eat whenever we decided to talk. That's all I remember before waking up on a battlefield with these guys." She said sadly.

Tammi nodded, and turned to her brother, "Have you heard anything about dad? Did you see him? Do you know anything?"

"I'm sorry, Tammi, no. But he's dad. He'll make it through. He's too strong not too." Brandon told her with a weak smile.

"How did all of you escape?" She asked curiously.

"The switch flipped," Sean told her grimly.

"You mean psycho ranger mode?" She asked them.

"Yeah, they knocked Tabail, here," Charlie said motioning to the alien blue ranger, "unconscious, and we snapped. We ransacked the place looking for our morphers, and once we found them getting out was a piece of cake."

"We stole a ship and headed home," Tabail said as he spoke for the first time, "Only Grumm sent his Troobian's after us, and we crash landed in Gamma Orion."

"How did you escape? I mean I remember hearing the gaurds scrambling around to find you. I just never found out what happened." Kai asked as she placed a hand on her wounded ribs.

"Basically the same way you guys escaped, I flipped out." She told them as she leaned back in her seat.

They all sat in silence as they contemplated everything their flawed genes caused them to do. A sense of sorrow washed over all of them.

"I don't see what the problem is," Tabail said after a few minutes, "That psycho ranger mode all of you have is the only thing that's kept you alive all these years. None of you could have survived Grumm's abuse with out it."

"If only you knew, Tabail." Brandon said as he placed a hand on his friends shoulder.

"It doesn't just affect your actions, it lowers your standards of thinking to a beastlike level. You rely on instinct and nothing else." Sean answered as he focused his gaze on the floor.

"Anything that causes the military to want to dissect you, should be considered a curse." Kai answered through gritted teeth.

"I can't believe you guys, are actually here. Your families are gonna be thrilled." Tammi said desperately trying to change the subject.

"Oh yeah?" Charlie asked in slight disbelief, "How is everybody back home?"

"They're okay," Tammi said sadly, "They're trying to live their lives as best they can. Considering most of them don't know if their children are alive or not."

"Life shouldn't be this hard," Brandon said observantly.

"It wouldn't be life if it wasn't hard, B." Tammi told him as she slipped her arm through his, and rested her head on his shoulder.

"A joyous day for SPD, Well done B-squad." Crugar said as his voice filled with pride.

"Welcome back A-squad. I need to prepare your post medical. I will see you shortly." Kat addressed A-squad. She turned to B-squad before she left, "Nice job, guys. Thank you."

"Thank you again, cadets, you have filled in nicely, but now I need to speak to the A-squad. B-squad you are dismissed." Crugar said in a tone even Tammi hadn't heard since before she left for that horrible battle with Grumm.

The seven of them glanced back and forth at eachother in confusion. They were dismissed? But they were the ones who rescued A-squad.

"But sir . . ." Jack began.

"I said you are dismissed."

"Yes sir," They chorused half heartedly as they exited to the common room.

"You've got to be kidding me? B-squad! When was the last time Crugar called us B-squad?" Jack exploded at them, "I mean we work our butts off all year, and then we're ordered to leave the command center like we're some D-squad new comer?"

"I don't like any better than you, Jack, none of us do, but we knew that if A-squad returned this was going to happen." Sky said in an attempt to reason with them.

"That doesn't mean we have to like it." Z said in response.

"No, but we do have to deal with it." Tammi said with her back turned toward the group, "I understand why all of you might not like this, but they're A-squad. They have worked their butts off for their position not to mention survived all kinds of torture from Grumm. They deserve whatever attention they are getting from Crugar in there."

Tammi's tone possessed a certain hostility that none of them wished to push any further. Jack held his tongue and bit back his response.

"Bridge, how are you feeling?" Jack asked him as he entered the room. When he received no response Sky called out to him, and broke his trance.

"Sorry, I was just thinking, I have a really bad feeling guys. Kind of like the feeling I had before. And after being gone all that time. Wasn't it just a little to easy the way we just happened to find them?" Bridge said as he shared his epiphany.

Tammi's eyes flashed with anger, is Bridge suggested my brother is a traitor?

"Yeah, well, that's not our problem. Our problem is that we're B-squad, the reserves. Zord clean up detail. We do all the work and they're probably in the command center getting all these medals from Crugar.

That was it. She had had enough. This was her family they were insulting. Did being held captive on an enemy ship not constitute a medal?

"Tell me you're joking." She said angrily as she whipped around to face Jack. "Have you ever been on Grumm's ship? Do you have any idea what they do to you up there? No you don't Jack. If you can live through that you deserve a medal. Trust me. You have never been dragged out of you cell to be beaten or whipped. You've never had someone press a razor blade into your skin until you pass out from the pain. You've never had to sit back and watch while your life and your will to fight left you. YOU HAVE NO IDEA WHAT THEY OR I HAVE BEEN THROUGH, and until you do don't you EVER insult their loyalty or their dedication to SPD. They worked their asses off to get where they are only to be repaid by months of torture!"

"Tammi, I'm sorry I didn't realize . . ."

"It doesn't matter, you don't understand, and you never will. Those people in there are my family. They are not traitors," She said glaring in Bridge's direction, " and they are worthy of all the praise they can get."

"Tammi," Sky said as he reached out to embrace her.

"Don't, Sky." She told him as she shrugged him off, "When my brother comes out, tell him I've gone 'home'. He'll know what it means."

And with that she ran away. Away from the academy. Away from everything.

Her body shook with rage as she started her patrol cycle. She could not stay here while they insulted her family and her past.

Chapter thirteen! Geez this was a whopper of a chapter. I had forgotten that so much happened in 'resurrection'. Well, I hope you guys enjoyed it! Read and Review.

angellwings