Here's the new chapter! Thank you for the reviews!
"Might as well move this out to the living room, then," said Rocky, gesturing.
Trini and Aisha nodded and headed out toward the living room as Kim took another step into the kitchen. She was looking at Adam, who nodded her over. Jason and Rocky followed Aisha and Trini. Jason gave Tommy a long look, silently prodding him to follow him. He waited a bit for Tommy to leave the kitchen. Tommy nodded at Jason and looked curiously at Kim, who didn't look his way since she initially walked into the kitchen.
"What's...what's he doing here?" Kim asked Adam softly.
Adam shrugged. "I don't know. He hasn't said yet. Only that it's something that we all need to hear, so..."
"Have you said anything? About us?" Kim crossed her arms.
Adam shook his head. "No. Haven't had a chance to."
"Maybe I should be the one to say something."
"You sure?" Adam rubbed her arm. "You don't have to, you know."
Kim nodded. "Yeah...I mean...we did date for a long time."
"Yeah. You guys did. But he was my best friend for a long time, too, you know."
Kim nodded. "Yeah. I guess..."
"Stick to the plan?" Adam smirked.
"What plan?" Kim looked confused.
"I don't know. Jason's plan."
Kim laughed out loud before quickly covering her mouth. "So much for that working out, right?"
"Hey, I wasn't for it to begin with."
Kim shrugged. "I guess we have to find out what he's here for, right?"
Adam nodded slowly, pulling Kim in for a hug. He kissed the top of her head. "Yeah. He mentioned Andros and them."
"Are they okay?" Kim looked at Adam, worried.
"Not sure. Guess we'll find out."
Kim nodded, walking out of the kitchen with Adam close behind. She took a seat between Aisha and Trini, who both looked at her with questioning eyes. She shrugged her shoulders at them. Adam sat down on the edge of the couch, next to Trini. He saw Tommy sitting by himself one the chair while Rocky and Jason were on the smaller couch.
"You've got our attention," Jason said, gesturing around. "What's going on?"
"Well..." Tommy looked at Trini, Kim, and Aisha. "I'm going to assume that these guys told you about the space rangers."
The three of them nodded. "Yeah, I met them." Kim looked at Adam and Jason. "We were there...what was it...a few months ago or so? I don't know, it was actually awhile ago, I think."
Tommy looked between her, Adam, and Jason in surprise. He wasn't expecting to hear that. "Oh...you went, too?" Kim nodded. "I thought it was just..." He looked at Adam and Jason. "Oh...well, the space rangers...well, actually, it really involves Astronema. She was their 'evil being,' I guess you'd say. Anyway, she turned out to be Andros' sister and...well, supreme evil of the universe. She was leading the United Alliance of Evil and...everywhere, Triforia, Aquitar, Eltar, the evil forces were taking over." He looked around and saw that his old friends were listening to his every word. "The space rangers went down to Angel Grove and from what I heard, everyone-the people of Angel Grove and TJ, Cassie, Carlos, Ashley, and Zhane, too, I think, were in the middle of it."
"Wait," said Jason. "They were down in Angel Grove? Only TJ, Cassie, Carlos, Ashley, and Zhane? Where was Andros?"
"Andros was looking for his sister. He snuck onboard Astronema's ship and found Zordon. And...well, in Angel Grove, Astronema sent down a bunch of...I don't know what they are...quantrons?"
Adam nodded. "Yeah, they were called quantrons."
"Well, Astronema sent down a bunch of quantrons to Angel Grove and told them to attack the civilians of Angel Grove. Not just the rangers. All of them. Unless they gave up the Power Rangers. And since nobody knew exactly who the Power Rangers are...Astronema...well, she got mad. So the citizens of Angel Grove, led by...believe it or not, Bulk and Skull, apparently, all of them said they were rangers so that Astronema had no choice but to try and destroy them all."
"So she unleashed the quantrons on all of Angel Grove?" said Aisha. A look of horror passed on her face. "That's horrible!"
Tommy nodded. "She did. But the rangers...they revealed themselves to the public. They morphed in front of everyone and fought off the quantrons. But there were too many."
"And then what happened?" asked Trini. "Where was Andros? Did he come down and help out?"
Tommy shook his head and looked down. He hesitated a bit before speaking. "Andros was still on Astronema's ship. After Astronema unleashed the quantrons, she tried to fight Andros. But Andros said that he refused to fight his sister. She kept throwing lightning strikes at him and he kept trying to avoid it. And Zordon was there."
"Is Zordon back on Eltar?" asked Adam.
"Zordon..." Everyone was silent, hearing Tommy's voice begin to break. "Zordon...Andros had no choice. The only way to stop the fighting and defeat the evil was to...destroy Zordon's energy tube."
Kim and Trini brought their hands to their mouth. Aisha gasped and Rocky, Jason, and Adam looked at each other, not knowing exactly how to react.
Nobody said anything for a long time.
Kim, Trini, and Aisha all somehow managed to put their arms around one another, letting the tears flow freely down their faces. Adam stood and looked out the window. He felt tears gather in his eyes, but blinked them away. Jason also stood and paced up and down in the living room. His heart was beating in his chest and he was sure that it was going to rip apart. Rocky continued to sit, letting Tommy's words sink into him.
"So...that's it?" he asked. "Just like that? He's gone?" Rocky looked at Tommy with questioning eyes.
Everyone turned to Tommy for the answer. He nodded slowly. "Yes. He's gone, Rocky."
Rocky, seeming to comprehend the words, bit his lip and let the tears flow down his cheeks. "He always seemed so...so strong."
"The one person...or being, I guess, that we could always count on," added Aisha.
"He's taught us so much," replied Trini. She used her sleeve to wipe her tears.
"He helped me be comfortable with myself," Adam said, softly. "Helped me grow out of that shy teenager that never talked much."
"He helped me learn to be a leader," said Jason. "And a better friend. And son. If it weren't for him...I would've just been some dumb jock in high school."
"He was the rock that we always leaned on," said Rocky. "I never thought...never expected him to...not be there anymore."
"He helped me be a better person," said Tommy. He looked down at his hands and fumbled with them.
"He was like a father," Kim said, sadly. Her tears ran down her face and she didn't bother wiping them. "I don't know what...I always thought he'd always be there, you know. Even after I left..."
Trini nodded, standing up. "I know," she said through her tears. "Even though I left, I always knew that he would still be there." She wiped her face with her hands and then went into the bathroom and turned on the sink to wash her face. Jason followed her, putting his hands on her shoulders and rubbing them gently.
Adam took Trini's vacated seat next to Kim. He put an arm around her, making her lean against him. He used his hand to rub Aisha's shoulder on the other side of Kim. "Even when he left to go back to Eltar...he always made us feel like...like no matter where he was he would always be there for us."
"He was always there for us," said Rocky. "Probably the only stable thing in life was him."
Everyone nodded in response. Again, nobody said anything for a long time. They were each thinking about Zordon and how much he meant to them. Jason and Trini came back to the living room and stood behind the couch. They, too, were silent and thinking about Zordon.
"So...who else knows?" asked Adam, breaking the silence. Kim was still leaning against him, crying softly into his shirt.
Tommy looked at him and noticed Kim leaning against him, crying. He furrowed his brow at the sight, not sure what he should think about it, but answered Adam's question. "Um...I think only you guys and the space rangers. I wanted Jason to be the first to know since...you know, first red ranger and all."
"Thanks, Bro," Jason said, smiling slightly.
Tommy nodded. "And then I was gonna search for the rest of the first team...but..." he gestured at Kim and Trini. "At least I found the majority of you guys here. Less work, right?"
"I'm gonna call Zack," said Jason. He disappeared into the kitchen, taking the cordless phone with him. Trini followed him in the kitchen, holding his hand.
"Andros said he was going to try and get in touch with Billy. He's still on Aquitar," replied Tommy. "And then there's...Kat and Tanya," he finished, somewhat uncomfortably.
"I think I have Tanya's number," said Aisha, standing up. She headed for Kim's room. "I'll try and give her a call next, too. And maybe she could get in touch with Kat."
"I feel like we should do something," Kim said, sitting up and looking at Adam. "I want to do something."
Adam nodded. He held her tight and rubbed her shoulder. "Yeah, I think we should."
"But what?" asked Rocky. "What could we do?"
Kim shrugged. "I don't know...I just...I wish I could've said goodbye."
"Me too," Tommy, Adam, and Rocky said in unison.
Again, they were silent again.
Kim pulled herself out of Adam's grasp and wiped her face with her shirt. She pulled her hair up and remembered the first time she ever saw Zordon. Kim inwardly cringed at her lack of manners and respect for him.
"Well, Zack said he's going to try and come out here," Jason said, putting the phone back on its charger. He walked out of the kitchen and stood behind the couch again.
"We told him not to, at least not yet, until we figure something out," said Trini.
"He said he wants to be with us, though. So he's on the way, I think."
Tommy nodded. "Yeah. Probably best to be together, right? Especially at this time."
Jason and Adam exchanged a glance. Jason was feeling a little obligated to invite Tommy to stay and Adam knew it.
"Is it okay if I use the phone?" Aisha asked, looking through her cell phone. "I don't have service in the States." Jason nodded and tossed her the phone. "I found Tanya's number," she said, pressing the buttons on the phone. She went into the kitchen to have a more private conversation.
Jason nodded to his bedroom and walked over to it. Adam stood up and followed him, pulling Kim along, too. Trini took a seat on the couch that Adam and Kim left and put her head in her hands.
"What?" asked Kim.
"Zack's coming here," said Jason.
Kim nodded. "Yeah, that's what you said."
"Did you hear what Tommy said? I think he wants an invite to stay, too."
Kim glanced at Adam, who nodded. "You heard what he said, right?" asked Adam. "Saying that it was best to stay together at this time. And...I think he's right. We all need each other right now."
"So...what are you guys saying? Asking me if it's okay if he stays?"
Jason nodded. "If you're uncomfortable with it at all..." He glanced at Adam. "Or if you're uncomfortable with Tommy staying here..."
Adam shrugged and shook his head. "Kim?"
"Yeah, it's fine," she said.
"You sure?" asked Jason.
She nodded. "Yeah, it's fine. It's okay." Adam and Jason looked at each other. "I'm fine! I promise."
"All right," said Jason, unconvinced. "But if either of you feel uncomfortable with him being here...just let me know and I'll make sure he's out of here."
"Jason, he's your best friend," said Adam. "You can't just kick him out."
"Yeah...but...you're like my brother." He looked at Kim. "Since you're like...dating my sister." Jason chuckled a bit. "Actually, Adam's like my brother. And Kim's like my sister. So it's like my brother and my sister are dating each other. How gross is that?"
Kim and Adam made a disgusted face. She hit him on the arm. "Ew, Jason, that's gross!"
Jason shrugged. "No, but seriously, guys. If Tommy being makes you guys uncomfortable...just let me know."
"Thanks, Jason," Adam said. Kim nodded, putting her arm around him.
"No problem. But hey, have you guys figured out how you're going to tell him?"
Adam and Kim shook their heads. "We were gonna go by your plan."
Jason smiled. He sat down on his bed. "So...what do you think about..." Jason waved his hand toward the closed door. "Zordon?"
Adam shrugged. "Like a dream. Like it's not true." He shook his head. "I don't know...maybe it just hasn't sunk in yet."
"It definitely hasn't sunk in for me, yet," said Kim. "I mean, I know what Tommy said to us and all, but...it's still kind of hard to believe, you know?"
Jason and Adam nodded. "Maybe we should do something," replied Jason. "Something that'll help all of us to say goodbye to him."
"Yeah, I'd really like that," said Kim.
"Hey, we better get back out there," Adam said, gesturing towards the door. Kim nodded, following him out of Jason's room.
Aisha raised her eyebrows at Adam, Kim, and Jason exiting the bedroom. "Everything okay?" she mouthed.
Kim nodded, taking a seat on the couch next to Trini. "We were talking about wanting to do something for Zordon," she said. "Something for us to say goodbye."
Trini nodded. "That's what we were talking about, too. Aisha and I are trying to work out staying longer, if it's okay with you guys."
Kim nodded. "Yeah, of course. You're welcome to stay as long as you want."
Rocky raised his hand. "Me too?" He looked around. "Not that it matters if you say yes or anything, I'm staying. I'll suffer on the floor again."
"Yeah, you're all welcome to stay longer," Jason said. "I think it is important for us to all be together. Be with each other. Especially since it's been awhile, right?" He looked at Tommy and noticed how uncomfortable he seemed. "You too, Tommy. You want to stay a bit, too? I know it'll be kinda tight, but..."
Rocky waved his finger at Adam. "Hey, it's better than when we all stayed at Adam's when Kim was in the hospital. Stupid one-bedroom apartment. I think I'm still sore from sleeping on that floor. At least this one's carpeted."
"Oh yeah," said Aisha. "That was bad."
"Hey, we're here now," said Adam. "No one-bedroom apartment needed or whatever."
"I had forgotten that you were in the hospital, Kim," said Tommy. "How you feeling, now?"
"Um...I'm good, Tommy. I'm doing a lot better now than I was before the accident, even."
Tommy gave her a small smile. "That's good to hear." He looked at Jason and Adam and gestured to Kim, Trini, Aisha, and Rocky. "Look...it kind of looks like you've got a full house...I don't want to impose, especially since you were all having a nice Thanksgiving and...with the news that I brought..."
Jason shook her head. "You're not imposing, we're inviting you to stay." He glanced at Adam and Kim, who nodded in agreement.
Tommy looked at him and stood up. "Oh, um...well, then, thanks, man. I really appreciate it."
There's that chapter! I hope you all enjoyed reading it!