Disclaimer: Um, yeah, I don't own Power Rangers, and I only have twenty bucks to my name...don't sue?

A/N: Another installment. Guess I just need Christmas to inspire me, right?

"TJ?" Ashley called as she hurried through the park.

The tall African-American teen turned, "Hey, Ashley, what's up?"

"Just wanted to say hi," Ashley said as she reached her friend's side. "Carlos was saying you were over your label fetish."

TJ rolled his eyes, "Something like that. How are you?"

"Good," Ashley said, she tucked her hair behind her ear and realized that she hadn't talked much with TJ one on one. It had been easy with Cassie, being the only girls on the team had bonded them, and Justin was still helping her with math. Carlos was Carlos, her best friend slash big brother.

"How is it that we've been teammates for over two months and we've never talked alone?" TJ asked; breaking what was becoming a difficult silence.

"I don't know," Ashley replied, "I was just thinking the same thing."

"Why don't we do that now? I haven't anywhere to be, and I'd like to get to know my second," TJ said, he gestured, "we can have ice cream and sit at the table over there."

"All right," Ashley said. The duo collected their ice cream and settled on a half shaded table, "I'm not, though."

"What?" TJ asked.

"I'm not your second," Ashley insisted. "That's Carlos."

"From the way everyone talks to you, I would have said you were," TJ replied as he toyed with his cone.

"No, I'm just the healer and counselor. I don't need to be in charge, Carlos is better at it anyway." Ashley insisted.

"If you say so," TJ replied.

"You do know that that is the universal code for 'I don't believe you, but I'll pretend to just to make you happy', right?" Ashley pointed out.

"I know," TJ replied with a slight smirk. His entire attitude conveyed 'and what are you going to do about it?'

"So," Ashley said, "why Angel Grove?"

"What?"

"I want to know why you moved to Angel Grove," Ashley said.

"For baseball," TJ said, "I'm good, but Sanbourn just wasn't a place to showcase my talents. Angel Grove has one of the best teams in the state. Last year, two players were drafted from here. If I want to be something more than a flash in the pan, I need to be here to prove it."

Ashley nodded, "I can see that, but why here, why Angel Grove and not somewhere else?"

"My uncle lives here," TJ replied, "he's taken guardianship of me so that I can have my shot."

"That's nice of him," Ashley said, "What does he do?"

"Uncle Max? Well, he's a restaurant manager, works for the Olive Garden." TJ said. "What about you? What do your parents do?"

"Mom's a trauma nurse, she works in the ER, and my dad is a pharmaceutical representative supervisor. I have two younger brothers who are annoying, and occasionally sweet."

TJ smiled, "Brothers, lots of them; all older and all basketball players. None of them went pro, although Andre could have if he'd wanted to, but they certainly got into college with athletic scholarships."

"So, do you play basketball?" Ashley asked.

"I'm not bad," TJ replied with a shrug, "I just love baseball more."

About to speak, Ashley was cut off by the all too familiar summons of their communicators. They tossed their ice cream and headed to a secluded spot to see what Dimitria wanted.