"Why the long face?" Tommy asked as he crawled into bed that night and wrapped his arms around his wife. He had thought that she would be happy that they had managed to get Grace back without having to do anything too drastic. That, however, didn't seem to be the case.
"Everything is about to change, Tommy," Kim said as he looked over at her and nodded that that was indeed the case, but from how he saw it, this was not a bad change. It was a change that needed to take place, the two of them were growing too old to handle all of this stuff anymore. They should be able to enjoy when their children had children and not worry about having to field another team of rangers then as well. "And you're all right with this?"
"I don't have much of a choice about it Kimberly, we knew the day would come and we might as well make the best of it. Think of all the things that we can do once we don't have to worry about being rangers anymore," Tommy whispered as he pulled her close and she looked back at him. "What's that look for?"
"I'm scared of how much everything will change. I've never known you without some sort of ranger connection, what if we can't stand each other after this? What if we suddenly hate each other?" Kim asked as his face softened and he gave her a kiss and she looked back at him.
"We'll be fine, sure we'll have to learn some things, but it's nothing that we can't take. Look at all the things we've already been through in the past," Tommy said as Kim smiled and then snuggled closer to him. "Plus, I think our kids would kill us if we decided not to love each other anymore."
"Our kids? I think that the other originals would kill us before they even had a chance," Kim said as Tommy nodded his head that he agreed and then ran his hand gently down her side. "That reminds me, what exactly are we going to do about Josh meeting everyone else?"
"I'm not sure yet, he'll have to meet them eventually, but right now…I'm still getting used to the idea that they're dating," Tommy said as Kim gave him a stern gaze. "I know that I've known for awhile, but it's still hard, especially since they've admitted it to me."
"It's only because she's your little girl. You aren't having any trouble with Aiden dating," Kim pointed out as Tommy just shook his head. "You think this will be who she marries?"
"You want my honest answer?" Tommy asked as Kim nodded her head yes and he let out a sigh. "If I know anything about the two of them, they wouldn't be risking this if they didn't think it was worth it. He hasn't said anything to me about things becoming more serious, but that doesn't mean he won't. I wouldn't doubt them getting married, someday."
"So you're hoping they'll wait a couple of years?" Kim asked as Tommy nodded his head yes. "You don't want them to be like us?"
"I never want anyone to have to deal with what we went through at the beginning. I was worried that I'd come home and you would be passed out from an infection; I worried about losing you, I don't want the same thing for them," Tommy said as she nodded and then yawned. "We better try to get some sleep, I've actually got to be at school tomorrow, unlike Grace."
"You're letting her stay at home?" Kim asked as Tommy nodded. "Why?"
"Partially to recover from Fillian, but mostly because she's still too weak from the virus," Tommy said as Kim nodded. She had never thought that Tommy, of all people, would allow them to stay out of school. She could think of days when the both of them had barely been able to move, but they still went. However, this was different. Grace had been attacked when she was already weak and now they just had to make sure it didn't happen again anytime soon.
"Grace feeling better?" Josh asked the following afternoon as he and Tommy walked back to their classrooms.
"Yeah, she was this morning, can I get her work from you?" Tommy asked as Josh nodded that he would bring it to him. He understood why Tommy was not letting him show up at their house two days in a row, but it still bothered him. For the last several months, he had seen her nearly every day, even when they weren't supposed to see each other. He knew what he felt and he knew that timing was the only thing that kept him from moving this relationship forward or at least into the public.
"Well hello," Fillian said as Josh entered his classroom and looked up to see the being standing in front of him. "My oh my, you were a ranger weren't you?"
"Don't know what you're talking about," Josh said as he positioned himself in the open doorway, in order to have an easy exit. He knew that he could fight his way out of it, but he wanted to avoid that at all costs. If he did this here, he was sure to be revealed.
"You were a ranger, it's that simple," Fillian said as he took a step towards Josh. He looked extremely familiar to him, but he didn't know why. "And you love her, you know that love does odd things to a ranger."
"I really don't know what you're talking about," Josh said as he looked him dead in the eyes. "Now would you please leave."
"It's not that simple and we both know it. Gracie Oliver is about to become the single most powerful ranger that has ever existed and I ask, what will we do to stop it?" Fillian asked as Josh gave him a confused look and then crossed his arms across his chest.
"I'll do nothing to stop it, I can't speak for you," Josh said as he took a step back and out into the open hallway. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I have work to do."
"Work? That's what you call being a mentor nowadays?" Fillian asked as Josh just shook his head and watched the being disintegrate in front of his eyes. The moment that he was sure Fillian was gone, he grabbed his things and bolted for Dr. Oliver's room. He honestly did not want to stay there any longer than he could help, especially after that encounter. If Fillian knew who he was, then they were in trouble. He was supposed to be kept secret at all costs.
"I wasn't in a real hurry to get the work, it's Friday, I don't have any classes at the dojo until seven," Tommy said as Josh skidded to a halt in front of his door and he laughed, until he saw the look on his face. "What's wrong?"
"He knows who I am," Josh said as Tommy placed the papers he was grading to the side and then stood up, walked over to the door, and shut it. "And I have no clue how that could have happened."
"Fillian seems familiar to me, I just can't place where he's from," Tommy said as Josh gave him a confused look. "I want to say he worked with Nesthan, the evil that concentrated on the team before yours or maybe a low level guy that worked with Andron... I'm not sure. If he's been in hiding all these years, there is a very good chance that he could have gathered information and waited until the time was right."
"Why would he choose now?" Josh asked as Tommy shook his head that he didn't know. "Do you at least have any guesses?"
"I can only guess that it's because of the transition that is about to occur in the mentorship role. That has got to be the reason why it's happened. Grace has to make it through this team, that's it. Sure the whole baby thing might come into perspective, but I don't think it will. She just has to make it to the changing of the guard," Tommy said as Josh let out a shaky breath. "It's okay to be scared."
"Thanks," Josh said with a sarcastic smile and Tommy shook his head. "You don't have to deal with it anymore after this."
"But I do, even when it's handed over to her I'll still be involved, even if it's just the person to bitch at kind of involvement. You'll be different," Tommy said with a smile as Josh glared over at him. "It's the price you pay."
"And she didn't come with a warning label," Josh said with a smile as Tommy just shook his head. He was sure that Gracie would have socked him right now, but he understood. Josh had thought that he was walking away from the ranger world forever when he had finished his term as a red. Most rangers did walk away from it when the battle was won and the ultimate evil defeated, a select few became like the originals. If you had asked him, he would have said that was it, but little did he know that the ranger world would never fully leave him, like so many other rangers of the past.