In His Eyes

by Be A Warrior Casseau

Nightmares are plaguing Jason when he receives news of a near-tragedy. Can he reveal his true feelings after nearly losing the one he loves? Will his 'bro' be the same after the accident and could he ever return Jason's feelings? SLASH-Long, but worth it

34. Unwelcome Guests

In His Eyes

Disclaimers: See Chapter 1.

Author's Notes: Major thanks to my best friend and co-authoress, prophet144!! You're the best, girl! You keep me sane. Again guys, sorry for such a long delay—I wish I could get paid to stay at home and write fan fiction, then it wouldn't take so long to get these chapters out!

Chapter 34--Unwelcome Guests

Rolling over first one way and then the other, Tommy tried his level best to stay asleep, but he just couldn't manage it.

"Damn," he sighed and stared at the ceiling. He'd been having a pretty nice dream about his significant other and wanted to continue it, but the winter sun streaming through the blinds and hitting him directly in the eyes had other ideas.

"What time is it anyway?" he mumbled and craned his neck to see his alarm clock. "Whoa, it's almost eleven--surprised Mom hasn't been up here yelling for me to get my lazy ass out of the bed." He thought about that for a minute and then grinned. "Maybe she's out shopping," he hoped.

As he laid there enjoying the peace and quiet and the softness of his bed, Tommy's mind starting wandering back to the weekend that he'd just spent with Jason. He absentmindedly twisted his new ring around on his finger, thinking about the beautiful young man that he now called his boyfriend.

After a few false starts, they had at last succeeded in making love to each other—the final consummation of their relationship. It had been a bit scary and clumsy at first, but they had quickly gotten the hang of it.

'Wonder what he's doing right now? Mama Scott probably has him up and helping her with the party prep,' he thought. 'I should get over there and help out too,' he decided and rolled out of bed to get showered and dressed.

While he gathered his clothes and shoved an extra outfit in a bag, he recalled a bit more of the weekend. After their little tryst in the back of the Suburban that was interrupted by a cop, they recovered from their near-heart failure and made their way on back to Angel Grove. Jason had realized that they couldn't very well give each other a proper goodbye in Tommy's driveway, so he'd pulled over into one of their favourite parking areas so that they could steal a few goodnight kisses. Several minutes passed while the boys explored each other's mouths and bodies.

"Really wish this weekend didn't have to end," Jason said, nuzzling Tommy's neck.

"Yeah, me too. My bed's gonna seem awfully empty tonight."

"Mmm-hmmm," Jason agreed. "But you're staying over after the party, so it's just one night."

"True," Tommy responded and got lost in thought, even as his boyfriend was working on his collarbone. "It sure will be nice when we get our own place," he finally said.

Jason pulled back and looked him in the eyes. "Distracted much?"

"Sorry, I just don't wanna go home, ya know?" A thought suddenly occurred to him. "You didn't put any visible marks on me, did ya?" he asked, pulling down the sun visor and opening the mirror, examining his neck and jaw.

"Not unless she sees your hipbones, inner thighs, or stomach," Jason responded. "Relax, will ya?"

"I can't, Jase—you know that. She already suspects," Tommy said, a worried look crossing his face.

"Here, let me look," Jason said, taking his best friend's face in his hand and turning it toward him. He carefully looked over every inch of Tommy's face and neck to make sure there weren't any 'passion marks' visible. "You're clean. Now, check me out," he said, requesting that his friend reciprocate.

"All clear," Tommy said, once he'd given his boyfriend the once-over.

Arriving at the Olivers' house, both young men noticed the curtains move in the living room. "She's watching, better make this quick," Tommy said, leaning over to give Jason a nice, friendly, platonic hug.

"I'll call you in a few hours when we're both in bed, 'k?" Jason said.

A grin crossed Tom's face. "Sounds like a plan. See you tomorrow, bro."

With that, he pulled his duffle bag from the back seat and headed toward the door, turning to give his lover a wave. Jason had watched him go into the house and then carefully backed out of the driveway.

As Tommy was getting into the shower next morning, he recalled how things had gone when he'd gotten into the house.

Mrs. Oliver had looked up from her chair in the living room as soon as he had closed the front door. "Tommy? That you?"

'Who the fuck else would it be?' he thought but said, "Yeah Mom, it's me."

"Well come in here, let me see you."

'You mean inspect and interrogate me, don'tcha?' Tommy obliged her and slowly shuffled into the living room, taking care to stick his right hand deep into his pocket to hide his ring. "Hey."

"Hey yourself. Have a good time?" she asked, looking him over from stem to stern.

"Oh yeah, it was a blast. Took a hike, got some snow saucers and rode down the hill behind the house, built a snowman...stuff like that."

"Anyone else show up or was it just you and Jason all weekend?"

"Just us," he said simply and stopped but the look on her face made him continue. "What? It was fine, Mom. Mama Scott made us plenty of food and you know that little town that's nearby? We went there to get any groceries we needed. We just enjoyed the snow, the fireplace, and the hot tub," he answered, sounding casual.

Tilting her head and lowering her eyebrows, Mrs. Oliver asked, "Mama Scott?"

"Yeah...that's what we call her. The whole gang calls her that—don't take it personally."

She nodded, looking unconvinced.

Tommy cleared his throat and changed the subject. "Where's Dad?"

"He was out in the garage last time I checked. A bit cold for tinkering, don't you think?"

Michael Oliver often spent time in their garage that doubled as a workshop of sorts. More often than not, if he was out there, he was drinking.

"Oh...great. I think I'll get upstairs before he comes in, if you don't mind," Tommy stated, turning to go.

"Alright. Well, I'm sure you're tired. Throw your dirty clothes into the hamper—not on your bedroom floor, okay?"

"Okay. I am tired, so I'm probably gonna just go ahead and go to bed. See you tomorrow, 'k?" he said, leaning over and kissing her lightly on the cheek.

Climbing out of the shower the next morning, he grabbed a towel and wrapped his hair up before haphazardly drying off his body. Looking down, he noticed a few small dark spots on his lower abdomen—"passion marks" courtesy of Jason.

'Wonder how many of those I have on me,' he wondered with a grin, walking back into his room to check things out in his full-length mirror. In the space between his waist and knees, he counted seven small to medium-sized bruises with a few more showing up on his back.

'Damn Jase...freakin' vampire,' he laughed and then turned to start dressing himself. Just as he dropped the towel on the floor, there was a knock on his door.

"Tommy?" his mother's voice called.

"Yeah? What is it?" he responded. 'Shit, I thought she was out.'

"I need your dirty clothes—can you open the door?"

"Ummm, I just got out of the shower. Gimme a minute," he said, picking up the towel and covering himself again.

"I need them now—I don't have all day to get the laundry done. I still have Christmas stuff to do," she answered, sounding irritated.

"Okay, but I'm sorta naked right now. Can you give me two minutes?"

She sighed loudly enough for Tommy to hear her through the door. "It's not like I've never seen you naked before, son."

"Not lately you haven't!"

"Something changed?" she asked, chuckling.

"Mom!"

"Okay, okay. Just bring 'em downstairs in the next ten minutes. Ten minutes! I've got a lot to do!"

"Fine," he answered, tossing the towel aside and pulling on his boxers. He quickly finished dressing and got his dirty laundry together to take downstairs, making sure there was no incriminating evidence in the pile.

Braiding his wet hair and adding that towel to the stack, he picked the whole load up and walked downstairs with it.

"Here ya go—where you want it?" he asked his mom when he practically ran her over in the kitchen.

"On the washer will be fine—separate the lights and darks, please," she answered, heading into the dining room with the table linens she was carrying.

"You got it." He dropped the load on top of the washing machine and starting sorting, getting lost in thought about the party.

A minute or so later, he felt his braid being lifted from behind. "Don't you think it's about time you got a haircut? I mean, really . . ."

"What's wrong with my hair?"

"It's gonna be down to your ass in six more months," Mrs. Oliver quipped.

"So I'll cut it then," he answered nonchalantly. "Besides, it's my right as a Native American to have long hair if I choose. The school can't make me cut it."

She stopped just short of rolling her eyes at him. "You're not full-blooded, ya know."

"Three quarters is close enough," he huffed.

"Yeah, okay. And that goatee . . . Halloween's over, Tommy."

"Hey! I happen to like my facial hair—and my friends like it too. I'm guessing you don't, huh?" he asked, still sorting and trying not to get into anything with her.

"Well . . . I just don't think it's appropriate for a high school kid. You sorta look like you oughta be on the back of a motorcycle," she answered.

"Cool—I'll borrow Jase's," he said, giving her a half-hearted grin.

Just when he thought that she was going to go away and leave him alone, Mrs. Oliver noticed a glint of light reflecting off of something on her son's hand.

"What's this?" she asked, reaching out and grabbing Tommy's right hand.

'Fuck! I forgot about the ring!' "It's a ring," he answered, not looking her in the eyes.

"I can see that. Where did it come from?" she asked sternly.

The young man sighed and turned to face her. "It was a Christmas present . . . from Jase."

"He gave you a ring for Christmas? A band ring at that?"

Tommy decided to play it cool—not act like it was any big deal. "Yeah, it's really cool. Look at it—it has a falcon on it--he had it made out at the reservation."

"Did he? I see." She paused, looking like she was trying to think of what to say next. "This kind of ring mean anything or is it just jewellery? I don't know much about Native traditions, ya know."

"Nope, just a ring. I guess you could say it symbolizes our friendship, but really it's just a nice piece of jewellery.

He wasn't sure if that explanation really satisfied her or if she was just giving up for the moment, but either way, she went about her business and left him to finish sorting his dirty clothes. Once he was finished, he went back upstairs and made a call to Jason.

"Good morning," Tommy said to his boyfriend when he answered.

"Morning? Just barely. You just now gettin' up?" Jason chuckled.

"Well no, I've been up for about an hour—took a shower, packed a bag for tonight, sorted my dirty clothes, got interrogated by Mom . . . you know, the usual."

"Interrogated? About what?"

"The ring—I forgot to take it off and she spotted it."

"It's just a ring. Why should you have to hide it?" Jason asked, shaking his head.

"I shouldn't have to—that's the point. Think 'Mama' would mind if I go ahead and come over? Maybe I can help out or something," he pleaded.

"You know you don't even have to ask. I've told you and my folks have told you—come over whenever you want. As for the party, yeah, I could use some help," Jason grinned.

"Cool. I'll be over in about twenty minutes then." He paused and when he spoke again his voice had taken on a warm, sultry quality. "Missed you last night. I had gotten used to sharing my bed with you."

Jason smiled and chuckled softly. "Yeah, same here. We'll get reacquainted tonight, though."

"Looking forward to it. See you in a few."

Hanging up, Tommy stuck his cell phone into his jeans pocket and picked up the duffle bag that he'd packed earlier. He descended the steps and headed into the kitchen to let his mom know where he was off to.

"Well, I'm going over to Jase's now. See you later," he said, still walking toward the door that opened into the garage.

"Whoa, hang on. You're going over there now?" she asked, looking up from a list she'd been making.

"Yeah. The party's tonight, remember? They need some help getting everything ready so I said I'd come lend a hand."

"Well you know, Tommy, I could use some help around here too."

'Don't do this now. Please.' "Mom, I have to go help. Mama Scott," he started, but paused when she got a disgusted look on her face. ". . . Mrs. Scott is throwing this party for me and Jase and all of our friends. I have to help out—I told her I would a couple of weeks ago when she planned it."

Margaret Oliver let out a deep sigh and rolled her eyes. "Fine. Don't be out late," she said, looking back down at her list and shaking her head.

"Ummm . . . I'm spending the night. I told you about that already," he said, knowing that that little piece of information was just going to make it worse.

"You just got home last night from being with him for a whole weekend. You barely spoke to us when you got home and now you're going over there again for the night? Why do you bother to come home, Thomas? Just go," she said, refusing to look at him. She only gave a dismissive wave of her hand.

"Fine," Tommy said simply and headed outside, thankful that his dad was nowhere in sight.

Starting up his truck, he sat there for a minute to let it warm up. 'Man . . . five more months. I honestly don't know if I can make it,' he thought, sighing deeply.

All the way over to the Scotts' house, he mulled over his options. 'Well let's see . . . there are three places that I can go—the res, Jason's house, and the Power Chamber. Every one of them has drawbacks, but it might be better than staying at home. If I go to the res and stay with Sam and David, I'll have to change schools—don't wanna do that during my senior year. I know the Scotts would welcome me, but I really don't wanna impose on them. And the Power Chamber, well . . . it'd get awfully lonely but I guess it's doable.'

Before he knew it, he was turning onto Jason's street. 'I gotta cheer myself up some—this is a party,' he thought, plastering a pleasant smile on his face to hide the turmoil inside. 'If Mama Scott catches me being broody it'll mean a sit down talk.'

Jason had finished getting dressed when he heard a car outside. Looking out the window, he recognized Tommy's truck and grinned. Heading down the stairs, he walked over to the door and went outside, meeting his boyfriend in the driveway. His grin slipped slightly when he noticed that the former Green Ranger's smile didn't reach his eyes.

Sighing deeply, Tommy tried to will himself to be in a better mood. "Hey Jase. How's the party prep going?"

"Not bad. Mom's been cooking up a storm." He walked over to him and put a hand on his shoulder. To anyone on the street, it'd look like he was comforting a friend. "So you want to tell me what's got you down?"

Tommy looked him right in the eyes. "I'll give you three guesses...first two don't count."

Sighing heavily, Jason ran the hand that had been on Tom's shoulder through his own hair. "What'd your mom say or do this time? Was it the 'interrogation' you told me about?"

"Well let's see...she doesn't like my hair, she doesn't like my goatee, she's mad that I'm staying the night over here because we just got back from our trip, and she looked like she was going to have a fit when she saw my ring. That enough? I could probably think of a few other things if I tried."

For a moment, the Original Red Ranger did nothing but breathe. He wanted to rip out what passed for Mrs. Oliver's heart and stomp on it a few times, but then again, he might get frostbite if he touched her. After a moment, he gently turned Tommy around and looked at the long braid hanging down his friend's back. "I think your hair looks fine." He moved to stand in front of Tommy. "And the goatee makes you look more mature." He grinned. "Less baby-faced."

With a half-hearted grin, Tommy looked into Jason's face. "Thanks...I think she's the only one that has a problem with how I look." He stopped for a moment. "Your mom hasn't said anything has she?" Oddly enough, he was more concerned with what his friend's mother thought than what his own did.

"About what? It 'ending up' being only us at the cabin all weekend long? The ring?" He shook his head. "She hasn't said anything about any of it, least not to me."

"No, I mean about my hair or my goatee. Mom said it wasn't appropriate for a high school kid. That I looked like I should be in a motorcycle gang or something. I don't want your mom to think I'm some kind of bum."

"She hasn't said anything about that to me, but if you want her opinion on it, ask her." He returned his hand to Tommy's shoulder. "She doesn't think like your mom, bro."

"Maybe I will sometime." He took a deep breath, trying to settle himself. "You're not ashamed of me, are you? Cause if you want me to shave or something, I will." With that, he looked down at the ground, his insecurities getting the best of him all of a sudden.

Frowning, Jason reached out a hand and gently lifted his lover's chin until he could look into the chocolate pools. "I am not ashamed of you. In all the years that we've known each other, I've never been ashamed of you. Not even when you were evil and trying to kill me. Then, I wanted to help free you from Rita's control and hopefully be your friend." He stepped closer to the other teen, wanting nothing more than to put his arms around him and hold him. "I love you, Tom." Not caring about the possibility of being seen, Jason wrapped his arms around his partner, offering him the comfort he so obviously needed.

Needing the hug, but feeling very vulnerable out in the open, Tommy whispered in Jason's ear. "I love you too...maybe we should go up to your room or something though. I don't want you to get in trouble." They pulled back from each other and, after grabbing Tom's duffle bag, headed inside and up to Jason's room.

Once inside his room, the Gold Ranger shut and locked his door, then went over to his boyfriend. Again, he wrapped his arms around the teen and pulled him in close. "I'm here for you."

Returning the embrace, Tommy said softly, "I know--and you always have been. Wish I could return the favour someday."

"You loving me back is good enough." He turned his head, slightly nuzzling the neck in front of him for a moment. "I can talk to you about things, especially those that are ranger-related, and you understand. And if something happens to me, which given some of our activities it could, I know that you'll return the favour."

"Definitely, but I don't wanna think about anything happening to you. I can't stand the thought. But you're right that it's nice to have someone to talk to that understands everything you're dealing with...even the weird ranger stuff." He paused, thinking about that for a moment. "Won't it be strange when neither of us has powers anymore?"

"We've already been there once, remember? I just went without for a bit longer than you did. It sucks for a few weeks, but gradually you get used to being 'normal' again."

Tom chuckled. "Our normal and other people's normal are two completely different things, I think. But it will be nice to be able to plan something without really having to worry about it being interrupted--by giant monsters, anyway."

"True." He leaned in and kissed his boyfriend. "You feeling better now?"

"Yeah, I am. Thanks, bro," Tommy said and gave his boyfriend a soft kiss on the cheek. "Why don't we go ahead and help your mom? I'm sure she could use a hand."

"Yeah, she can." He chuckled softly. "Just watch where you put your fingers."

"Unless I want to get them smacked, right?"

"Or stabbed. Dad has a scar on the back of his hand from where she forked him once."

"Damn...Mama plays hardball, don't she?! Okay, I'll be careful--let's go," Tommy said, smiling and heading toward the door.

()()()()()()()

Theresa Scott pulled the pan of lasagne from the oven and set it on a hot pad to cool, then deftly reached out a hand and swatted her son before he could snag some of the bubbling cheese. "Don't you dare, Jason Lee."

"Hehe...but Mom! It's tradition!" he said with a grin. "You cook, I taste."

Tommy watched them with a smile. 'Some things never change,' he thought.

"You'll be tasting from your bedroom if you try that again, mister." She put her hands on her hips and looked at both of the boys. "If you're hungry, you can go grab two of the pigs-in-a-blanket, each." She then shook a finger at her son. "But if I catch you poking fingers into that cake again mister, I'm gonna make you sit and watch while the others all get a piece before you."

Jason felt like he was five years old again, but he didn't mind. His mom was so cute when she got worked up. "Yes ma'am, we'll behave. Won't we?" he asked, looking at his best friend.

"Oh absolutely. Far be it from me to incur the wrath of an Italian mom in her own kitchen," he said and leaned in, giving her a kiss on the cheek.

'Brown noser,' Jason mouthed at Tommy and then laughed.

She blushed slightly. "Thank you, Tommy." Swatting at her son, she looked at both teens. "Go get a snack, boys, and then we need to talk."

"Uh oh, that doesn't sound good," the Gold Ranger said and moved over to the counter to grab something to stuff into his mouth. Once they'd both gotten a snack, they came back over to where Mrs. Scott was preparing to pop another dish into the oven.

After setting the pan of three-cheese mac n'cheese into the oven, Theresa turned and looked at the two boys. "I saw someone at the mall the other day when I was picking up a few last minute presents."

"Oh? Who was that?" Jason mumbled, still chewing.

She took a deep breath and let it out slowly. "Kimberly. And before I knew it, I had invited her to the party."

Tommy's eyes flew open wide, as did Jason's. "Mom! Why did you do that? You know that's gonna be real awkward," Jason replied.

"I realized that after she was walking away. We got to talking and she asked if I was going to have the party like I do every year and told her 'yes'. It just came out automatically." She put a hand on a shoulder of each of the boys. "I am sorry, but I figured that you should know before she shows up--that's if she does. She might not knowing how things turned out with your group at the hospital." A soft laugh escaped her at the look on the teens' faces. "I might be an adult, but I'm not blind. Especially not when I see someone that's been a part of your group of friends suddenly on the outside after so many years."

Jason sighed and shot a look at Tommy. The Ranger Commander looked kind of apprehensive about it, but they both knew there was nothing to be done but deal with it now. "Alright. Well, maybe she won't show up."

"Oh, she'll show up--you know she will. We'll just have to avoid being left alone with her."

"I am sorry, boys." She reached into her apron and pulled out two wrapped packages. "You two go open these and get ready for the party. I can finish up in here."

"Thanks, Mom," Tommy said and took the gift box from her hand. Jason took the other one.

"We'll be in my room if you need us, okay?"

"All right." Leaning over, she gave both boys a kiss on the cheek. "Go on now, scoot."

Climbing the stairs to Jason's bedroom, Tommy looked over at his boyfriend. "Whatcha think these are?" he asked, giving the box a shake.

"Don't know. There's no telling knowing her," he answered.

Once they got into the bedroom, they sat on the edge of the bed and tore into the paper.

"Oh man...this is nice," Tommy said, holding up a leather cord with a sterling silver pendant at the end of it.

Opening his own box, Jason pulled out an identical pendant. "Wow... these are great." He pulled the silver kanji closer. "I've seen this before, but don't remember what it means."

"Oh hey, there's a little card inside my box," Tommy said, pulling it out and opening it. "It means 'Family', according to this. Awww, how sweet. Your mom's the best," he said with a warm smile.

Nodding, Jason grinned. "I'll put yours on you if you do the same for me."

"Sure, I can do that," Tom replied. Since the two necklaces were identical, he took the one he already had in his hands and carefully put it around Jason's neck. After placing a kiss on his lover's lips, Tommy leaned back and admired the silver pendant. "Very nice--looks good."

Leaning forward, Jason put the one he held around the other teen's neck, then carefully pulled the long, soft braid free of the cord. He nipped lightly at the base of his boyfriend's throat where the pendant rested, then moved up and returned the kiss. After a couple of moments, he leaned back and nodded. "It really does." Winking at Tommy, he grinned. "Guess I get my good taste in jewellery from her."

Tom returned the grin. "Guess so. Speaking of which, did she ask you anything specific about your ring yet?"

"Yeah, yesterday. I didn't tell her about the engraving in it. Just told her that you knew I had been exploring some of my heritage and that you'd caught me looking at some rings like it while we were shopping."

"Probably a good idea. They know I was going to do an engraving in Gaelic, but I didn't tell them what it was going to say." Tommy suddenly had a thought. "Can your mom read Gaelic?"

"No, but my dad can." He rested his head on his lover's shoulder. "I don't plan on leaving this laying around where it can be found. Only time I'd really have to take it off is when I get a shower or we're sparring."

"Okay, just be careful. Don't want to tip our hand just yet," Tom responded. "So how much time do we have before the gang starts arriving? We need to get dressed."

He looked over at the clock. "About an hour." Jason sighed, then grinned. "Maybe you should wear something other than red. Like that dark green button up with your black pants."

"Why? You planning on wearing red, Santa?" Tommy grinned.

"I was thinking about it." The former Red Ranger chuckled softly. "After all, I do have a new Santa hat to show off." He leaned down and kissed him. "Besides, green looks really good with your eyes."

"Planning on showing off your new boxers too? Okay, I'll wear green for old time's sake."

"You are the only person that gets to see me in those boxers." Getting up, Jason sighed softly. "You want to take a shower or wait until after the party?"

"Let's wait--I had a shower this morning. Wanna make out while we've got a few minutes?" he asked, a bright smile on his face.

Tilting his head to the side, Jason pretended to think about it. "Hmm, make out with you or get a shower now." Chuckling softly, he moved closer and leaned in, nuzzling the newly adorned neck. "Think I'd pick making out with you any day."

Chuckling, Tommy grasped the back of his boyfriend's head. "Better make sure the door is locked, hot stuff," he said with a leer.

"Yeah, yeah." With a last nip at an earlobe, Jason released his lover to go and check the door. After doing that, he started towards the bed, removing his shirt as he did. "Now, where were we?"

Pulling off his own shirt, Tommy lay back on the bed and propped himself up on an elbow. With his free hand, he ran his fingers down his chest, following his 'happy trail' to the button on his jeans. "Right about...here," he said in a sultry voice, biting his lip afterwards.

Kneeling on the bed, Jason crept upwards then leaned in, forcing his boyfriend back against the pillows. "True, but do we have time for a snack like that before the party?" He closed his lips over the other teen's, kissing him softly for a moment before deepening it.

Once the kiss had ended, Tommy whispered in Jason's ear. "No, we don't have time right now, but later...you're mine," he said, running his big hands up and down his boyfriend's warm skin.

"Looking forward to it." He leaned in again and began gently nipping at his Falcon's neck, laving each area as he moved down. He moved over to one of the dusky nipples and flicked it with his tongue before blowing on it. Jason moved a hand up to continue playing with it as he kissed his way back up to those warm, wet lips.

After several more deep, wet, warm kisses, the boys decided that they'd better start getting dressed.

'Even though I don't necessarily want to see Kim, if I have to come face to face with her I want to look my best. Make her see what she gave up sorta thing,' Tommy thought.

As Jason started buttoning up a deep red dress shirt, he looked over at his boyfriend. "You gonna be okay seeing her?"

"Seeing her won't be the problem. Her cornering me and wanting to know why I'm 'suddenly gay' is where the problem will be," Tommy said, combing his goatee.

"How about if me and the guys try to not let that happen? Or if we see it happening, to come over to you." He finished buttoning his shirt and tucked it into his black pants. He made sure that the pendant sat in the hollow of his throat before walking up behind Tommy.

"Yeah, that would probably help. You planning on speaking to her? From what you've said, your last conversation didn't go very well."

The burly teen shook his head. "I'll be civil to her if she speaks to me first, but I'm not going to initiate any conversations with her. Actually, I'm pretty sure that Adam and Rocky will react the same way."

Tommy turned, looking into Jason's face. "You know, they never mention her to me. I guess they don't want to bring up anything that would piss me off, but...are they resentful towards her like you are?"

"It's not something that we really talk about, but I do know that Adam was really ticked with her for how she broke things off with you. Although, that might have to do with him having actually read the letter to you. And Rocky, he's got a big heart and hates to see people get hurt." He slipped his arms around Tommy's waist. "And she hurt you, Tom. That's not something any of them took lightly."

He nodded. "Well, that's good to know--that all of you guys are on my side, I mean." He rolled his eyes. "Her and Kat together should be a real treat," he said sarcastically.

"Hey, don't do that baby." Bringing a hand up, Jason gently stroked his cheek. "If/and/or when they show up, we'll handle it. I get the feeling that if they come, neither will stay very long. So instead of concentrating on them, think about being able to see David again." He leaned in and kissed him softly. "Okay?"

The Ranger Commander sighed and nodded. "You're right. I shouldn't invent problems where none exist. And it will be good to see David again," Tommy smiled.

"Exactly. Maybe we'll go out there one weekend and visit with him again. Let you talk some more with Sam."

"I'd like that," Tom said, tucking his deep green shirt into his jeans. "I guess we'd better get downstairs, huh? Do I look okay?"

"Considering I just want to strip you here and now, yeah, I'd say you look great." Jason stated, reaching out to adjust the pendant. "Least we can honestly say that mom gave us the pendants as an early Christmas present." He sighed. "Guess we'd better get going before I decide to act on my impulses."

Chuckling, Tommy placed a light kiss on Jason's full lips. "Come on, Tiger...you can stalk me later." With that, they both went downstairs to help Mrs. Scott finish up with any last minute preparations.

()()()()()()()()()

Jason walked toward the front door when he heard the bell. "I got it!" he yelled and opened the door, finding Zack on the doorstep.

He grinned at the former Black Ranger. "Hey man, glad you could make." He stepped back to let the other teen in.

"Wouldn't miss it, bro! I'm only gonna be here for another couple of weeks--gotta see you guys as much as possible!" he responded, shaking hands with his old friend. "So, is everybody coming?"

"In that case, I'm glad you're here first—and no, I'm afraid Tanya's not gonna be able to make it—had family stuff out of town that she couldn't get out of. She promised to make it to the New Year's Eve party at Adam's place though."

He relaxed a bit as they made their way over to Tommy, who was trying to appear casual as he checked out the spread. "Hey bro, guess who's here."

"Zack! Hey Man! Merry Christmas!" Tommy said brightly, giving his friend a hug.

"Merry Christmas to you guys too! Wow, this food looks good! When do we eat?" he asked, rubbing his hands together.

Theresa came out of the kitchen with a plate of brownies and put them on the table. "When more people get here." She grinned at him. "Merry Christmas, Zachary."

"Mrs. Scott, Merry Christmas to you too! Everything sure smells good...as usual."

"Thank you." She looked over the trio, then sighed. "One brownie, boys." Walking up to her son, she fingered the pendant. "Do you like it?"

"Oh yeah, absolutely! You have very good taste," he answered with a grin.

"I agree! Thank you so much, Mom," Tommy added with a big smile.

She pulled Tommy into a hug. "You're welcome. As close as you and Jason are, I figured giving you one that said 'family' as well was only appropriate."

"You're so sweet," Tom said, lowering his eyes a little. "You guys are like family to me."

Theresa put a hand under his chin and raised it so that she could look into his eyes again. "Thomas, I'm only telling you the truth. Just like you know that you can go to Jason for anything, you can also come to me."

"I know...and thanks. I mean it," he responded, blushing slightly.

Zack stood back and watched with a smile. He only knew a little about Tommy's home life, but he knew enough to decide that this was a good thing.

Just then, the doorbell rang again. "I'll get it," Jason said quietly and headed for the door.

She hugged Tommy again, then kissed his cheek. "Go on, have fun." She went back into the kitchen to finish the last of the trays.

Outside on the porch, Carlos and Adam balanced wrapped gifts in their arms with the sodas they had brought to help out.

Opening the door, Jason reached out and grabbed a couple of the gifts before they could fall. "Hey guys." He grinned. "Come on in."

"Thanks. That one almost bit the dust and that would be a tragedy," Adam said with a smile, stepping through the doorway.

"No kiddin'! I spent a long time on those!" Carlos added. "Hey Jason! Thanks for inviting me!"

"Breakable, huh?" He shook his head. "It wasn't a problem, Carlos. You're a friend and that's what this party is for." He almost said something in regards to at least the ones he and Tommy had invited being friends, but bit it back.

"Yeah, they're breakable. I think you're gonna like 'em, though!" Carlos said with a grin, indicating the two flat, wrapped packages.

"Something we can open now? Or should we wait a bit?" He looked towards the kitchen where his mom was still working.

"Umm well...they're for you and Tommy, but I think we might oughta wait until the parents aren't around," the dark haired artist whispered.

Jason raised an eyebrow, but nodded. "Thanks Carlos." He looked at Adam. "There's a cooler over by the table that you can put the sodas in. Think that's one of the few things Mom hasn't started doing yet."

"Alright. Where's Tommy, by the way?" Adam asked.

"Mom was talking to him a minute ago by the food table."

Tommy had actually crept up behind the green Zeo ranger, signalling for Carlos and Jason to be quiet. "Right behind you, Mr. Park," Tom said in a menacing voice, nearly making his friend jump out of his skin.

"Ahh! Damn it, Tom!" Adam squealed.

Chuckling softly, Jason watched as Zack made his approach as well. "Miss me, Adam?"

"Zack! Hey man! Glad you could make it before you take off for Switzerland," Adam said, giving his predecessor a hug.

Hearing the bell again, Jason took up his duty. "Wonder who it is this time...any bets?"

He returned the hug. "Well, I've only got a couple of weeks. So I figured I'd spend all the time I could with you guys."

Tommy shook his head. "I'm hoping it's Rocky. Or even David. Anyone but them."

"Them who?" Zack asked innocently.

Jason reached a hand up and ran it through his hair. "Kim and Kat. Mom saw Kim at the mall and sorta invited her."

"Hmmm...that should be awkward," Adam responded, glancing over at his boyfriend.

Carlos had a questioning look on his face. "Tommy's ex-girlfriend," the Green Zeo ranger whispered.

When the doorbell rang again, Jason looked at the others. "You guys want to go on towards the food table and I'll get the door? That way I can at least give you guys a warning."

"Think you'll be alright seeing her?" Adam asked Tommy. He was pretty concerned about his friend--he knew what a good shock to his system could do.

"Yeah, I think so. As long as I don't get cornered by her," the Ranger Commander answered.

Zack shook his head. "Maybe they'll both have the good sense to not show up."

Tommy turned and gave Zack a look. "When have you ever known Kim to turn down a chance to be the center of attention?"

He shrugged and grinned. "Okay, man. You've definitely got me there, but we'll all help out in making sure she doesn't corner you." He looked over at Adam. "Right?"

"Right. Don't worry about it, Tommy," Adam responded. He wasn't about to let them get to him--not if he could help it.

Tommy sighed. "Thanks guys, that means a lot to me."

Standing on the porch, Rocky and Anna shared a quick kiss. "Alright Jase, open the door," the blue Zeo ranger said, staring at the closed door.

"Give him time, Rocky. He might be helping get some things ready." Anna stated, standing a bit closer to him.

Finally opening the door, Jason had gotten himself set just in case the two people he had been dreading were on the other side. "Oh...it's you, Rocky. Hey guys! Come on in," he said, visibly relieved.

Rocky frowned at him. "Who were you expecting? Because I got to tell you, it looks like you're really relieved we weren't someone else."

Jason shook his head slightly. "Don't ask, dude. I'm sure you'll hear all about it. Anna, good to see you again! Merry Christmas!" he said sweetly, giving Rocky's girlfriend a big, warm hug.

She grinned. "Merry Christmas to you too, Jason." She stepped in after Rocky and looked around. "Wow, who did the decorating?"

"My mom...she's a Christmas freak just like me. She's pretty good at it, though," he said, admiring her work.

"I see nothing wrong with being a Christmas freak." Looking around again, she raised an eyebrow. "So where is everyone else?"

"Follow your nose. You'll find the boys and the food at the same time," Jason laughed.

Rocky grinned. "Speaking of food." He held out the dish he was carrying. "The tamales my mom said she'd make. Think there's enough for everyone."

Jason's eyes lit up. "Ahh...Mama DeSantos' homemade tamales!! That's what I'm talkin' about!"

Anna giggled and went on in to find the others. Tommy was passing by the hallway when he saw Rocky and Jason standing in the doorway talking. He decided to walk over and say "Hello".

"Rocky! Glad you made it!" he said, giving him a one-armed hug.

The blue Zeo ranger returned the hug. "Hey man, wouldn't miss it." He grinned. "Even brought some of mom's tamales for the festivities."

"Ooooh, nice! Those are always welcome!" he said with a smile. "So how's it going with Anna? You two seem happy."

"It's going pretty good." He watched as she made her way further in, looking around as she walked, then dropped his voice to a whisper. "Sometimes wonder if we should ever tell her, you know?"

"Yeah, I know. Maybe after the fact we can tell some of the people that we've been wanting to tell for years. Don't wanna endanger anybody, though," Tommy answered. Just as he was finishing his thought, he saw a familiar car pull up. 'Oh goody...look who's here,' he thought, not wanting to pull Rocky into the middle of things. "Anyway, go on in--Jase and I will join you in a minute." He shot a look over at his boyfriend.

Jason had also seen the car and nodded. "Yeah, make sure mom gets the tamales so that she can find a place to put them. Don't want to miss out on those."

Rocky nodded. "All right. See you guys in a few minutes." He went into the kitchen and gave the dish to Mrs. Scott before joining the others at the food table.

Tommy took a deep breath, trying to calm himself. He looked over at Jason, locking eyes with him. The look spoke volumes.

Jason closed the gap between them and pulled Tommy into his arms. "Just relax, babe." He spoke with his mouth close to his boyfriend's ear. "Getting uptight right now isn't going to help things. Nothing says that after you say hello you have to talk to her again."

"Yeah, you're right. Let's get this over with," he said, watching the car doors open.

Stepping back, Jason straightened his shirt and took a deep breath, letting it out slowly. "Just remember that we're all here for you, bro."

As Kim and Kat exited the car, they talked and laughed excitedly. Kim was particularly nervous as they got closer to the door. Lifting her eyes, she saw Tommy and Jason standing in the door, but she immediately focused on her ex-boyfriend. Standing there in a deep green shirt and blue jeans, his hair, which had grown considerably since she saw him last, hung loose around his shoulders--he looked amazing. She approached slowly and looked up into his familiar chocolate brown eyes. "Umm...hi there."

Tommy swallowed hard and then forced a smile. "Hi. Jason's mom said that she had invited you. Come in," Tommy said, standing aside to let her pass.

Jason had let his gaze rest on the gymnast for only a few moments before nodding at the pink Zeo ranger. "Kat." He stepped aside as well, letting her into the house.

Once the girls were in the house, Jason and Tommy turned and started to close the door when they heard a truck pull up. "David!" Tommy said, his face suddenly lighting up. "I didn't know if he was gonna make it or not."

Chuckling softly, his boyfriend shook his head. "I told you that he said he was going to be here. When has he not done what he said he was going to without giving us a call?"

"I know. I guess I just wanted so badly for him to be here that I got a little worried. Being with David will help things go better--I know it will."

"I'm glad he's here and that you can spend some time with him." He turned and grinned at David as he came up the walk with Alicia. "Merry Christmas, David, Alicia. I'm glad you two could make it."

Tommy gave David a broad, warm smile. "Hey bro...good to see you," he said and wrapped his arms around his brother's shoulders, holding on for an extended hug.

David held his brother close, running a hand up and down his back for a few moments. "Good to see you too, little brother." He sighed and leaned back a bit. "So what's got you so tense?"

His big eyes met his brother's. "Kim's here--she just walked into the house."

Sighing softly, David drew his brother close once again. "You don't have to talk to her, Falcon. Or if you decide you want to, you know that Jason and I will be right there for you."

Alicia looked at Jason and then rubbed Tommy's arm. "It'll be okay, Tommy."

Walking over to the small group, Jason put his hand on Tommy's other arm. "David's right, Tom. We're all here for you. The choice is yours with what you want to do."

Adam nudged Rocky and nodded towards Kat and Kim, but didn't say anything.

Rocky looked in their direction, but made no move toward going over to talk to them. The girls were being occupied by Mrs. Scott, so the boys stayed in the background. Adam looked around to see what had become of Jason and Tommy--they hadn't come back after letting the girls in.

"I'll be okay guys--I'm not that fragile. It's just gonna be kinda awkward with her around, that's all," Tommy said. "Let's go back inside."

David snorted. "I know you're not fragile, but you're my little brother and I care about you." He stepped back, letting the younger man go. "You're right though, let's go inside."

Smiling, all four of them re-entered the house, heading into the kitchen. As soon as Tommy saw Mama Scott, he smiled and pulled David forward. "Mom, look who's here!"

Theresa turned, grinning at her other 'son'. She chuckled softly. "I think he's a little excited. Glad you could make it, David!" She held her hand out to him.

"Thank you for inviting me," David said, taking Mrs. Scott's hand. He leaned in a little closer. "And thank you for everything that you and your family has done for my little brother."

She gave him a soft smile. "I wish that we could do more, but at times you know that your brother can be a little stubborn."

"A little stubborn? You have a gift for understatement, my dear lady," David said with a smile. That earned him a punch on the arm from said little brother.

Jason tried to hide a laugh by turning it into a cough, but when Alicia started giggling as well, he stopped trying and just shook his head.

Shaking her head at them all, Theresa sighed. "All right, enough you bunch of hooligans. Go on and catch up with your friends."

"Come on guys, let's get outta Mom's kitchen before she bodily throws us out!" Jason suggested and led the way towards the living room. He knew the two who were "persona non gratis" would be in there, but it couldn't be avoided all night.

David followed them out with Alicia. "So have you two been behaving yourselves?"

Tommy turned and flashed him a guilty smile. "Relatively."

He raised an eyebrow, then grabbed the teen by the neck in a playful manner and pulled him close. "Better be glad no one goes up there often, huh?"

"Up where? What are you talking about?" Tommy asked with a grin. Jason turned back with an equally innocent face. "Yeah...up where?"

He reached out and ruffled Jason's hair. "So let me see, Falcon. Considering I helped design it."

Tommy lifted his hand. "I assume you mean this," he said, showing his new ring to his brother. He reached over and grabbed Jason's hand, saying, "And this is the one I got him."

Alicia giggled and leaned in, looking at the rings. "So does this mean you're engaged?" she asked in a low voice.

David examined each of the rings and nodded. "They look good on you two." He looked at Tommy. "Be careful, please?" He then turned and looking at his girlfriend, chuckled softly at Alicia's question. "Well, you gonna answer the lady?"

"No, nothing like that. Not yet, anyway," Jason whispered and winked at her.

Tommy wondered what David seemed so concerned about. Was he worried about him being caught by the Olivers or was it just the relationship he was concerned about. He decided he'd have to ask him later.

Nodding, David looked at them both and lowered his voice. "They might not be engagement rings, but you could definitely use them as promise rings, if you chose to."

"That's an excellent idea," Tommy said, looking at Jason. "We'll have to talk about that."

Afterwards, they finally made it the rest of the way into the living room where most of the guests had congregated. "Hey guys, look who's here!" Tommy announced, putting his arm around his brother's shoulders.

David rolled his eyes. "Okay, who let him at the sweets before the rest of us got here?"

Jason chuckled and looked at the elder brother. "I think it's cute that he's so excited to see you. Nobody else has that effect on him, ya know."

"No, I didn't know that." He reached over and drew his brother closer. "I'm glad you're happy to see me, Falcon." He looked around and noticed several of the guys grinning, while the two young ladies off by themselves seemed to actually be frowning slightly. Deciding to ignore them, David greeted the rest. "Merry Christmas everybody."

"Merry Christmas" came from just about everyone in the room as the guys walked over to talk to the new arrivals. Kim stood looking at this man that she'd never met, thinking how incredible the similarity was to her ex-boyfriend. "Wow...he's nice-looking, don't you think?" she asked Kat.

Kat sighed softly. "Yes he is, but that's Tommy's brother, David Trueheart."

"Oh, I know that--it's blatantly obvious who he is. But he sure is handsome--like Tommy with a few more years on him. But ya know what? As much as it pains me to say, Tommy looks really good too. I thought you said he was still skinny and a bit sickly from the accident. I don't know where you get that!" Kim said, unable to take her eyes from the two brothers.

"I've told you before, Kim. Jason, Adam, even Rocky and the others are really protective of him now. They don't let him overdo things and he's only recently started to really get back into sparring with Jason. He's doing good, but not like he was before the accident."

"He'll get there--Tommy's a strong person. So the other guys like to play mother hen, huh? I'll bet he hates that."

"Sometimes, but they've gotten really good at doing it in such a way that he just goes along with it." Kat sighed. "I've been on the outside of things a bit lately, so I can see it happening."

As Kim studied him, she began to look concerned. "So he's still weak after the accident, huh? He hasn't had any more seizures, has he?"

"No, but there's always the chance. At least that's what Jason has told everyone." She snorted. "Although, that could just be a ploy of his to keep Tommy under his thumb."

"Jase wouldn't do that--I know him that well. He does seem to hover though, doesn't he?"

"Hmmph. If you believe Jason, then getting Tommy too upset could trigger another seizure." The blonde shrugged. "Not sure how much of that I believe though." She looked over at her friend. "Besides, you're never going to be able to have your little talk with Tommy if you keep standing here. And you're not going to be able to get a truthful answer from him with Jason by his side."

"Well, I'm not gonna make a move to try to talk to him until after dinner. Maybe he'll relax around me some by then. I do need to try to at least be civil though. Wanna go with me to try and make some conversation?" Kim asked.

Kat was quiet for a moment. "You might have a better shot at it alone, Kim, but if you want me to, I'll go with you."

Kim thought about all the tension that was apparently present between her friend and the rest of the team--particularly Jason and Tommy. She decided to go it alone. "Well...let me see what I can do by myself. Be back in a few minutes," she said. Swallowing hard and trying to work up some courage, she started across the room toward the man that she used to adore.

Jason spotted Kim as she broke off from talking to Kat and started walking towards them. He stepped closer to Tommy, who was talking with Alicia, David and Adam. "Kim's heading this way."

Tommy glanced up but then went right back to his conversation. 'She is not gonna get to me--I refuse to give her the satisfaction,' he thought. Out of the corner of his eye though, he watched her approach.

Taking a deep breath, Kim let it out slowly as she reached the small group. "Hey Tommy, Merry Christmas."

Turning his eyes on her, he tried to be pleasant. "Merry Christmas, Kim. I don't think you've met my brother. David, this is Kim. Kim, David," he said by way of introductions. "And this is his girlfriend, Alicia."

David extended his hand to the petite brunette, smiling down at her. "Nice to meet you," he said.

Alicia spoke up. "Yeah, we met at the Youth Center a couple of days ago. Nice to see you again."

Kim returned the smile to Alicia and then shook David's hand. 'Damn, just had to have a girlfriend, didn't you?' "It's nice to meet you as well."

The one member of the group who was conspicuously quiet was Jason. 'I refuse to speak to her first--she'll have to make the first move,' he thought.

Tommy wasn't making it easy on her either. He didn't go out of his way to make conversation--he let her lead.

Kim turned to Jason. "And Merry Christmas to you too, Jason. I'll have to thank your mom again for inviting me."

"Yeah, you know Mom--she's nice like that," he said and left it at that.

"So Kim...what have you been up to since you got back to exciting old Angel Grove?" Alicia asked, seeing that the men weren't in a hurry to talk.

She shrugged. "Not much. I did some Christmas shopping and I've been just hanging around. It's nice to have the break from training, but I go back right after New Year's."

Adam watched quietly, then slipped off to go over to the others. He grinned as Carlos watched Zack do some sort of weird spin on his feet. "Don't let him give you any kind of dating advice, Carlos."

"Hey now, who's been running their mouths about me?" Zack asked with a grin.

Snorting, the green Zeo ranger put a hand on Carlos' shoulder. "Who hasn't? Jason's told us all about your attempts at wooing Angela. Tommy did as well."

"Yeah well...can't win 'em all, right," he said, giving them one of his patented Zack grins. "I'm doin' alright with the European hotties."

Rocky almost choked on the soda he was drinking. "That's not what Trini told us. She said that you'd been shot down over there more in a month than you had back here in a year."

"Trini's got a big mouth and I'll tell her so as soon as I see her," Zack said, taking a drink of his soda. "Man, is dinner almost ready? It sure does smell good," he observed, trying to change the subject.

"Yeah, know what you mean. Just looking at all this food is making me hungrier," Rocky offered.

Adam laughed softly. "Glad you two don't always hang out together." He looked at both Rocky and Zack. "The rest of us would never get any food otherwise."

"Are they working you hard down there in Florida?" Tom asked.

"Just like always. At least Coach Schmidt isn't into morning weigh-ins like some of the coaches," Kim said, rolling her eyes.

Jason stayed right up against his boyfriend's body--Tommy's shoulder in Jason's chest sort of arrangement. He did this to lend support without having to say anything, but with the contact, he could also judge how tense his partner was.

"That's good. He's pretty tough, from what I remember. My memory's worse than it used to be though," Tommy said with an odd look on his face.

"Oh, I don't think it could have gotten much worse from what it used to be." She grinned, reaching out a hand and laying it on his arm. "Besides, isn't that what having friends is for? Helping you to remember stuff you've forgotten."

Tommy tensed immediately with the touch. "Yeah...I guess so. Jason's good about helping me out in that regard," he said, turning his head and locking eyes with his boyfriend.

Nodding, Jason used the hand that was hidden by his boyfriend's back to gently rub the toned body in small circles. "Yeah, I'll help him remember what he needs to."

'And I'm assuming that doesn't include anything about her,' David thought, a small grin appearing on his face.

"Well, I'm glad that you and Jason are still close like that. I'd have thought him running off to Geneva like he did would have changed that a bit." She squeezed his arm. "So, any ideas about where you're going to go to college?"

Alicia looked up into her boyfriend's face and noticed the slightly devilish look there. 'Oh boy...I'm gonna have to ask him about that.'

"Actually, it brought us closer because we missed each other so much," he said, understanding her connotation. "As for college, Jason and I are looking at two or three different schools--upstate."

"I'd have thought you'd both want to stay close to home so you could avoid having to live in the dorms." Kim grinned. "And keep on getting that good home-cooking."

"Oh no, we're looking forward to having our own place, aren't we?" Tommy asked Jason with a look that was full of meaning.

"Oh yeah...and as for the food...I can cook," Jason added.

David grinned. "Well, I'm sure with a mom like yours, she's made you learn how to cook some things." He reached out and pinched Jason's cheek, like an aunt would. "Can't have her little boy going hungry." He let the teen go, laughing softly.

They all burst out laughing. "Hey, that little boy is quite the chef. Plus, Mom keeps us stocked up with food--can't see that changing! She'll probably be up in our apartment every weekend, insisting that she needs to cook and clean," Tommy laughed, looking to his lover to see if he agreed.

"Please, let's not give her any ideas. I can see twice a month already at the least."

"Oh yeah, no doubt. But would it really be that bad? Think about it?" Tommy said with a smile.

"True. At least she'd bring things either pre-made that we can just throw in the oven or buy the stuff and cook it at our place," he grinned, looking at his boyfriend. He was so tempted to just lean forward and kiss him, but he held back.

"Tommy, you really should learn to cook at least a few things. Between me and Jason, surely we can teach you how to get around a kitchen," David said, shooting a grin over at his brother's boyfriend.

"He's getting better with scrambled eggs and he can do grilled cheese," Jason stated, playing with a few strands of hair behind his lover's back. He grinned and then added, "But he's great at doing laundry."

Tommy blushed slightly, shaking his head. "Alright, stop talking about me like I ain't here," he said, smiling and looking into Jason's face. He wanted so badly to steal a kiss, but now was definitely not the time.

David reached out and put a hand on his shoulder. "Ah, we just pick on you because we love you. Even with a Swiss cheese memory." He winked then put an arm around Alicia's waist.

Kim watched them all. She used to be a part of this. The inner circle that could make jokes with and about each other and it not be taken the wrong way. Now, like Kat, she found herself on the fringes and it was not something that she enjoyed. "Well, I think either way getting a place of your own would be kind of expensive. I mean, how are you going to work and go to school at the same time?"

"College funds will do us until we can find part time jobs. If we have to, we can live in the dorms for a semester or two, but we really don't want to do that--no privacy," Jason answered.

She laughed softly. "Can just see you two working at some place like McDonald's or a pizza place."

Tommy grinned. "We were thinking more like a dojo or gym, but...whatever it takes. We're just anxious to get our post-high school lives started...together," Tommy said, leaving no doubt as to what he meant.

She snorted softly and took a drink of her soda. 'Kat's right. I'm gonna have to get Tommy alone if I really want to talk to him. With Jason right there, I'm sure that Tommy's only saying what Jason wants to hear.'

"Alright everyone! Dinner's ready! Come on in the dining room," Mama Scott announced and quickly got out of the way before she was trampled by the boys.

Adam rolled his eyes as Rocky and Zack almost crashed into each other.

Tommy and Jason laughed and headed toward the wonderful smells coming from the next room. "David, I hope you're hungry! This is going to be epic," his brother informed him.

"I had a late breakfast and skipped lunch, so yeah, I'm definitely hungry." He followed his brother and Jason. "Glad I can try Mama Scott's lasagne and Mrs. DeSantos' tamales at the same time."

As everyone made it into the dining room, Mrs. Scott had an announcement to make. "Each place setting has a name on it, so please find your name and take your seat." The teens milled around until everyone was seated in their assigned places. A second table had been brought into the dining room to accommodate everyone and Mom did at least have the good grace to seat Kim and Kat at one table and Jason and Tommy at the other. After grace was said, the feast began with Mr. Scott leading the way.

David groaned as he chewed on a bite of lasagne. He'd been seated next to Tommy with Jason on the other side of his brother. "Mmmm, really good." He looked towards Mrs. Scott. "This is excellent. Sam tries every once in a while, but it's nothing like this."

"I'm glad you like it, David. It's a recipe that my grandmother brought over from the old country," Mrs. Scott responded.

"Doesn't get more authentic than that," Jason added.

He nodded. "Kind of like some of the fry bread we make back home. There's just something about making it yourself and eating it."

Carlos looked over at Rocky. "Hey Rocky, do you know what your mom uses in her tamales? I know it's a type of masa, but it's got a different flavour."

Grinning, he looked at Carlos. "It's nothing special. She just adds a bit of cayenne pepper to the mix. It gives it a slightly spicier taste, but without a lot of extra heat. The rest of it is pretty much the same."

Several minutes later, Adam brought up the subject of their absent teammate. "Too bad Tanya is missing this. She really wanted to come."

"Jason said that she had to go out of town, is that right?" asked Mrs. Scott.

"Yes ma'am. She has family in Silver Hills and they planned a get-together for today as well."

"Well, Christmas is a time for family. I'm sure she'll be at the next party," Mr. Scott offered.

Jason spoke up. "She promised to make it to the New Year's party that Adam is throwing."

"Everyone enjoying everything?" Theresa Scott asked, looking at all of the young faces around her.

"Oh yes ma'am.""It's wonderful." "Absolutely delicious," came the answers.

"It's amazing as usual, Mama Scott," Kim answered, smiling over at the lady she'd known since kindergarten.

"Well thank you all—I'm glad you're enjoying yourselves," Jason's mom answered, being sure to smile over at the four teenagers seated at the smaller table.

Along with Kim and Kat, Rocky and Anna had been placed there. The original plan was to have Adam and Zack sit with the girls, but Jason had stealthily changed the place cards around. "Mama" didn't know about the bad blood between Adam and the girls and she was also unaware of his relationship with Carlos, so a little shuffling was in order.

Once everyone had eaten their fill of dinner and dessert, the kids pitched in and helped Mr. and Mrs. Scott put the food away and clear the table. Refusing to let the teens help wash up, she shooed them out of the kitchen. "It'll wait—you younguns just go and have fun," she'd told them. A half hour later, Jason's parents excused themselves upstairs to leave the lower floor to the kids.

()()()()()()()()()

Adam nudged Carlos from his place beside him on the couch. When the young man turned and looked at him, the green Zeo ranger, with his eyes, indicated the wrapped gifts that they had brought in and were now resting under the Christmas tree. Nodding, Carlos got the attention of the recipients. "Ummm, Tommy...Jason...would you like to see what's in those packages now?" he asked with a knowing grin.

Jason chuckled softly. "Think that's kind of a silly question." He reached out and brushed a strand of hair out of his boyfriend's face. "Considering he keeps eyeing them."

Tommy grinned. "So I'm curious...I can't help it. Can we open them now?"

"Yeah, I think now would be a good time. Take a seat on the couch and I'll bring them to you," Carlos answered, getting up from his seat and pulling Adam with him. "Sit in our places," he said. At the moment, every available chair, ottoman, and place on the couches was filled.

Nodding, Jason went over to the couch with Tommy and took the seats that the pair vacated.

Adam picked up one of the gifts as Carlos got the other. Bringing them back over to the couch, they handed them to the boys. "I hope you like them," Carlos said.

"I'm sure we will, but you didn't have to do this," Tommy responded, holding the wrapped present on his lap.

Jason carefully started opening his package. Something told him that it might be a bad idea to just dig in and rip the paper off. As he pulled back the wrapping, he was glad that he was going slowly. Turning the frame over, he smiled at the group shot that was taken during their camping trip. As he fingered the edge, he realized that picture was just kind of resting there. Pulling it up, his mouth dropped open at the image that rested beneath it. "Oh wow! This is amazing Carlos." The drawing was beautifully done and showed off his lover almost better than the actual picture did.

As Tommy was working on the wrapping paper on his own gift, he heard Jason's response and had to look over. "Oh my gosh...that's me!" he said with a surprised look on his face. He went back to carefully removing the paper and found the same group photo that Jason had. Upon lifting it though, he beheld the drawing of Jason that Adam's boyfriend had worked so hard on. "Carlos...this is...awesome!" he exclaimed when he finally found his voice.

Adam slipped an arm around Carlos' waist. "Told you that they'd like 'em."

"Definitely like," Jason stated. Just looking at the drawing of his lover in the ratty jeans, sitting bare-chested on the Harley... hair hanging loose around his shoulders was a turn on and he knew that the group photo was a good thing to have on the front. Otherwise, their parents would be learning more than either teen wanted them to. He looked over at Carlos. "Thank you, Carlos. This is a really well-done drawing."

Carlos nodded appreciatively.

"Sure is. I knew you were talented, but...wow...this looks just like the picture!" Tommy remarked, still studying the framed sketch in his hands.

Most of the group knew about the pictures, if not the drawings themselves. Kim, however, was out of the loop. She craned her neck trying to see the images in the frames, but was unsuccessful. "Can we see?" she asked.

Leaning over, the Gold Ranger looked at the picture his best friend held. "Damn, it really does."

Tommy looked over at Jason and shrugged. 'Why not? Show her what she lost when she dumped me like a bad habit,' he thought. "Sure, come over here," he offered.

Nodding, Jason looked over at her. "Yeah, don't want to drop the frames and it'll be easier to hold the other photo up that way."

Getting up from her place next to Kat, Kim made her way over to the couch where they were sitting. She leaned in between Tommy and David, turning her back on her ex's brother and purposefully leaning into Tommy as she looked at the photo. "So he gave you drawings done of each other?"

"Yeah, I'm assuming that's what he meant to do. Right, Carlos?" he asked, looking up at the dark-haired artist.

"Uh huh, I wanted you guys to have sketches of each other," he answered.

'Hmmm, Jason looks okay I guess. It's almost like he's trying to be a biker with the leather pants.' She put a hand on Tommy's arm as if to steady herself and leaned over a bit, looking at the picture that Jason had turned towards her. 'Damn Tommy looks good like that. Wish he would have let me see what little those jeans are hiding. Maybe then I wouldn't have been so quick to give him up for someone else.' She nodded. "Nice Tommy." Grinning, she looked down at him. "Can see you're definitely looking well."

"He's lookin' damn good, if you ask me," Jason responded, placing a large hand on Tommy's thigh.

He had seen how close Kim was getting to his boyfriend and how she insisted on touching him. He felt it was time to reclaim his territory.

David rolled his eyes and tapped her on the shoulder. "I know that it's a bit crowded, but think you could sit up a bit? I'd like to not have your butt in my face."

Kim jumped. "Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't realize..." She adjusted her position. "So these drawings were done from pictures?"

Adam grinned. "Yeah, Jason forgot to take them out of the pictures he had developed from the Halloween Party. Brought the whole stack to school and Carlos spotted those amongst the lot of them."

"Yeah. Oh, that reminds me," Carlos started but broke off. He went over to his coat that was hanging in the hallway and retrieved something from the pocket. Coming back in, he said, "Here ya go--the original pictures," he said, handing them to Jason. "I still want you guys to pose for me--I've got lots of ideas."

Chuckling softly, Jason took the pictures from him. "I bet you do. Let us talk it over some and we'll get back to you."

Tommy reached over and relieved Jason of the photos. "Here ya go--the originals," he said, handing them to Kim.

She took them and stood up. The picture of Jason was instantly put to the back as she stared at the one of Tommy. "Definitely looking up in the build department, Tommy." She grinned at him. "Might even rival Jason there one day."

Turning, she looked over at Kat and raised an eyebrow. "Thought you said he was still all weak and sickly?"

All eyes turned on the current Pink Ranger. No one wanted to be the first to say anything, especially since Jason and Tommy were right there.

The Ranger Commander shook his head. "Do you really think I'm still sickly? Seriously?" He gave her an inquisitive look--he wanted an answer.

Rolling her eyes, the blonde sighed. "Honestly? Yes, I do. If you're not, then why does everyone seem to care so much about you getting really upset or pushing too hard? I mean, if you're really better, then that kind of stuff shouldn't be an issue."

Tommy's body tensed up and the look on his face reflected that. "It's an issue because after that awful head injury that I got, I'm prone to seizures. Seizures cause brain damage. How hard is that to understand?"

Jason's hand automatically went to his lover's back and started rubbing it lightly, but he didn't say anything. He did, however, begin to glare daggers at Kat.

"See, that stuff right there. Jason's always hovering around you. Adam does the same thing along with Rocky. It's almost like they expect you to keel over at any moment."

"We care about him, Kat. You did too at one time, if I remember correctly," Rocky said, having been quiet up until now.

"Pay her no mind, Tommy. Don't worry about what she thinks," Adam added.

Kat snorted. "I cared about him until I realized what side he was really rooting for in the dating game. And that he'd lied about some things in the process."

Tommy's hand, which had been sitting casually on Jason's leg, suddenly clenched. "So because you now know for a fact that I'm not interested in you in that way you no longer care about me as a person, is that right? That's pretty shallow, Katherine--even for you."

Even Kim, who was looking at Kat along with most everyone else, thought that her comments had been uncalled for. 'She seems so bitter. Maybe I shouldn't take everything she says as true--definitely some issues there.'

Kat blushed. "I didn't say that I no longer cared about you as a person." She started to say something else, but stopped when she realized that there wasn't much she could say at the moment to dig herself out of the hole she was in.

Shaking his head, Jason looked at her, then turned to the others. "How about some games or something gang?"

Tommy turned his gaze from her, shaking his head once again. "Okay, whatever," he mumbled and tried to turn everyone's attention to something else. "You guys wanna watch a movie...or play a game?" he asked, prompting Jason to go along with him.

Zack grinned, which had some of the originals groaning. "Let's play Twister!"

"Yeah! That'd be great!" Rocky exclaimed, looking to Anna and Alicia who were next to him.

David groaned, then looked over at his little brother. "This is your fault."

"What?! It'll be fun! And you're gonna play!" Tommy said, standing and grabbing his brother's arm after handing the sketch in his hands to his boyfriend.

Rolling his eyes, he let his little brother pull him to his feet. "If I fall on someone, it's your fault." He gently pushed Tommy, grinning.

Chuckling softly, Jason flipped the cover photos back down on both pictures before setting them on the table. Then he got to his feet to join the others.

()()()()()()()()()

Tommy got up from his seat beside Jason and headed out of the room. Once he'd come out of the bathroom, he walked into the kitchen to freshen up his drink. Just as he was pouring himself more soda, Kim came into the room with a look in her eye. "Hey, need something to drink?" he asked, trying to be civil.

"Sure." She held out her glass, but was biting her bottom lip. After he was done pouring, she sighed. "Tommy? Can we talk?"

'God, I knew this was coming. Why did she have to show up here?' "Depends. What did you want to talk about?"

"I think you know what I want to talk about." She took a drink of her soda then set it down. "I'm sorry about the letter."

Tommy snorted. "Sorry? Yeah well...what else can you say, right? Okay, you're sorry," he said in a low voice. He didn't want anyone else to overhear this.

Kim sighed. "I'm not sorry that I broke up with you. I just shouldn't have done it in a letter. You deserved better than that."

He just looked at her for a minute. What he wanted to say was something like 'Yeah and I deserved better than to be told that you thought of me as a brother too', but what he ended up saying was, "Yeah Kim...I did. You could have at least called. But no worries...we're both happy now, right?" With that, he tried to walk away from her, not wanting to get into this any deeper.

She stepped in front of him and laid a hand on his arm. "Tommy, is this..." She paused for a moment, not really knowing how to say what she wanted to, then decided that there was no easy way to say it. "Is this my fault? Did I make you turn to guys?"

A laugh burst forth from Tommy before he could stop it. He looked down at her with the most incredulous look on his face. "You've got to be kidding me. You really think..." he trailed off, worried that the others might overhear. "I don't want to talk about this," he said and tried yet again to get past her and back into the living room.

Again, she stepped in front of him, blocking his path. "Why not? I want to know, Tommy, because I've known Jason for alotta years and never knew that he was gay. And I dated you, kissed you, and we had some pretty heavy make out sessions. Were those fake? Were you just playing with me?"

He just stared at her. 'I guess this was inevitable--oh well, can't avoid it any longer.' He sighed deeply and then made a suggestion. "Look, if we've gotta talk about this, and it seems we do, can we at least go somewhere more private? I don't want everyone to overhear this."

"I doubt there's anyone in the garage, we can talk there." She nodded her head at the door behind him that led into the attached 2-car garage.

"Fine. After you," he said and let her walk out before him. 'Maybe I can get this over with fast and not have to deal with it anymore,' he thought. Once they'd walked into the garage and shut the door, Tommy turned and faced her. "Let's get this over with."

"So? Were you playing with me? Was what we had so bad that you turned to guys? Or did I crush your self-confidence with women so bad that you thought men were your only option?" She threw her arms up. "And Jason? You had to go after someone I grew up with?"

Tommy held his hands up in a defensive manner. "Whoa whoa...slow down. First off, I wasn't playing with you. I really did love you, Kim. And no, what we had wasn't bad--I thought it was great. I'm not the one who broke up with you for someone else, was I? No."

"And I did love you, Tommy. In a way, I always will, but I've found someone else. I'm just sorry that I broke up with you through a letter." She paused for a moment then sighed. "If you weren't playing with me, then how come you're suddenly gay?"

"I'm not gay, alright? And neither is Jase. We're bi. And what you said before, about me going after someone you grew up with... I didn't 'go after' Jase. He was the one who told me how he felt before I said anything to him. And why does it matter if it's someone you grew up with? Why should that matter to me?"

"Because I feel like you've been lying to me the whole time we were together! The same thing with Jason." She folded her arms across her chest. "Why now? Why did you two suddenly get together?"

"Because I nearly died, Kim! I know you couldn't be bothered to hang around, but are you aware of how close I came to actually dying?!" He was raising his voice now and didn't really care. "That's why now. Both of us have had feelings for the other for a long time now. We just decided that we'd waited long enough."

"So what? You were settling for me? Is that what you're saying? That because you didn't think you had a chance with Jason, you chose me?" She shook her head. "Really know how to make a girl feel wanted. And yes, I do know how close you came to dying. I'm sorry I didn't stick around, but Jason made it pretty clear that I wasn't welcome. Kat was keeping me informed." Tommy had to roll his eyes at that. She was quiet for a moment and then continued, but now she had a nasty look on her face. "If it had been Adam that approached you instead of Jason, would you still have considered it? Or is it just Jason that seems to make you want to drop your pants and bend over?"

The Ranger Commander couldn't believe his ears. Was this really sweet little Kim who was getting all up in his face and saying that? He decided that it didn't matter. She had no right. "You little bitch...how dare you talk to me that way after what you did?!" he growled. "I'm trying to give you an honest explanation of how Jase and I got together and that's what you come up with?!" He paused, trying to gather his thoughts. "Just so you know, no, I wasn't settling for you--I told you that I loved you and I did. I only started admitting to myself that I was having these feelings for guys about six months ago. Yes, we were still together then, but I didn't really understand what I was feeling." He stopped for a minute before continuing. "Look, I love Jason--deeply and truly--and I will not have you make something dirty out of it! Can't you tell how happy we are together?"

For a moment she was quiet. If she was honest, she had seen how happy they seemed together, but a part of her was also still trying to come to terms with the fact that her ex-boyfriend was in love with another guy. Kim wasn't ready to throw in the towel just yet. "Are you telling me it's not dirty? I mean, when you two start having sex, if you do, you're going to give it to each other up the ass, Tommy. Are you saying that's not dirty? And it's not like you can go walking down the street holding hands with him."

Back in the house, Jason was beginning to wonder what had become of his boyfriend. "Have you seen Tommy come back through?" he asked Rocky who was seated closer to the doorway into the kitchen.

"No, haven't seen him since he went to the bathroom," the blue Zeo ranger replied.

'I hope he's not sick,' the Gold Ranger thought as he got up to go investigate. Walking through the kitchen and not seeing him, he went toward the downstairs bathroom. Passing the door that led into the garage, he happened to glimpse them out of the corner of his eye. "What the fuck is going on out there?" he mumbled when he saw Tommy and Kim having an apparently heated discussion. Question was, should he go out there or should he stay out of it? He knew his temper would get the best of him if he tried to talk things out with Kim, but he wasn't about to let her lay into Tommy. He stood there at the door trying to decide what to do.

The Ranger Commander shook his head slowly and chuckled. "What a mouth you've got on you now . . . your new boyfriend teach you that? And what do you know about all male sex? Are you some kind of authority on the subject?" he asked, hands on hips. "It isn't dirty, okay?" He paused for a moment. He wasn't sure if he wanted to let her know everything or not--it really wasn't her business. "We realize that this relationship will have its challenges. No, we can't show affection to each other in public--in most places. But that's just a small inconvenience. We have plenty of time in private for that."

She caught his hesitation when talking about the sex and frowned. "Have you had sex with him? Huh? You haven't even been going out that long and you're already going to give yourself to him like that?" She took a step forward. "Have you? Have you let Jason take you like that? Or did he let his ego go long enough for you to screw him?"

Having opened the door just a bit so that he could hear what was being said, Jason suddenly saw red. 'How dare she even ask him that?! That's none of her damn business!' He couldn't stand it any longer, he had to get into this one. Coming through the door suddenly, he walked straight over to the bickering twosome. "Hang on just a damn minute! What makes you think our sex lives are any of your business?!" he said angrily, purposely looming over her.

She took an involuntary step back. Having grown up with Jason, she'd seen him lose his temper a couple of times. Kim could feel her face turning red and that made her mad. "I was just curious how long it was going to take him to give it up to you. Or if you had turned into such a pansy that you let him claim your ass first." She swallowed hard just after the words left her mouth.

"My goodness Kim—what a little pottymouth you've turned into," he said, mocking her. "You know what? I knew this was going to happen as soon as Mom told me that she'd invited you. I knew it was a mistake." He looked at Tommy who appeared to be just as pissed as he himself was. Turning back on her suddenly, he let her have it. "Well if you must know, we spent this entire past weekend screwing each other's brains out. Happy now?! Want us to prove it to you? Want to see us kiss? How 'bout watching us make out?" He punctuated that by wrapping his arm around Tommy's waist and pulling him into his side. "Does this disgust you, Kim?"

Kim could feel the tears welling up in her eyes. She knew it had been a mistake to come here, but she had hoped to try and get the truth out of Tommy. Well, it looked like she had it, but how dare Jason talk to her like that. She stepped forward quickly and slapped Jason hard in the face. "How dare you talk to me like that?! What would your parents say, huh? Bet they don't know that you're seeing a guy. Or that you like taking it up the ass. Maybe I should just go tell Mama Scott what her 'little boy' really did this weekend."

Tommy's eyes widened even as Jason started to lunge toward her. The ranger commander quickly grabbed him, restraining him from doing something that would just cause more trouble.

"Don't you fuckin' dare!" Jason growled, sticking his finger in her face.

"Kim...you better not. This is none of your business!" Tommy said in a stern, barely controlled voice.

"Why? Thought you weren't ashamed of what you were doing? If you're not ashamed, then telling them shouldn't matter."

"We're not ashamed, but if our parents found out right now they could make our lives hell. Especially Tommy's parents," Jason said angrily. "And if our lives turn into a living hell because of you, then I guarantee that yours will be that way too!"

Kat had followed Jason, but kept out of sight until he went into the garage. Her hand flew to her mouth when she realized that it was Kim that was talking to Tommy and Jason. When she heard Jason threaten Kim, she stepped into the garage and walked over to the trio. "Back off Jason! She's right. Your parents have the right know."

Kim stepped closer to the other Pink Ranger. "And what could you do to make my life hell, huh Jason? You're not as big and bad as you think you are."

"Might know you'd show up!" Jason said to Kat, ignoring the petite brunette. "Our parents have the right to know when we decide to tell them. It's not your place to tell them anything!"

"That's right--we'll tell them when we get ready. It's none of your business--either one of you!" Tommy added.

Kat shook her head. "Neither one of you plan on telling them and you know it. And why is it you doing all the talking again, Jason? Tommy doesn't know his own mind on the subject? I'd say it's obvious who's the dom and who's the submissive," she said, giving them both a disapproving look.

"I am perfectly capable of speaking for myself, thank you. We both plan on telling our parents sometime in the future, but at the moment, if I want to have a place to live, I can't let them find out, okay? My home life is shit, in case you two 'ladies' didn't know. I'm just treading water until I can graduate and get the hell outta there. If they found out now..." He paused for a moment. "It would be bad."

"What are you talking about Tommy? Every time I was over there with you, your parents seemed fine, especially compared to mine before the divorce."

"They put up a good front, Kim. You have no idea what it's really like," Tommy answered.

Jason wrapped his arm around his lover's waist again in support. "Tom, it's none of their business. You don't have to tell them anything," he said in a gentle, soft voice.

Kat frowned. "What's so bad about your parents, Tommy? They worried about you when you were in the hospital and they've tried to help you since you came home. So what's so bad about them?"

He snorted. "Well, let's see--my mom is verbally and mentally abusive--not to mention a controlling bitch. My dad is a mean drunk who has put me in the hospital and used to beat me when I was smaller. Why do you think I've been seeing a counsellor for so many weeks now? And did you really think that all the scars on my body are from ranger battles?! They're not."

Jason could tell that Tommy was getting worked up and starting to shake slightly. He was pissed that these two would come into his house and start something like this at his Christmas party. "Tommy...calm down, okay? Don't let it get to you." He pulled him closer to try and comfort his lover, but he could tell that the trembling was getting worse.

Kat rolled her eyes. "Poor, pitiful Tommy. Always has to have someone looking after him. If you're parents are so bad, why don't you go live with your stupid brother on the reservation?"

Kim put a hand on Kat's shoulder. "Come on, let's go." She wasn't sure what to make of what Tommy had said, but even she could tell that he was getting upset.

"We're leaving. Tell your mom thanks, Jason." Turning around, she started walking with Kim towards the house.

Tommy's shaking was still getting worse and it was scaring Jason. "Come on bro, you need to sit down." With that he led Tommy over to his Mustang and made him sit on the hood. Stepping in between his legs, he held his boyfriend's chin in his hand and looked him in the eyes--he seemed okay, but the Gold Ranger was still worried. "See what you've caused? You just had to keep pushing, didn't you?!" Jason growled at the two pink rangers. "Now get out!"

Kim couldn't believe what she was hearing, but one look into those chocolate brown eyes told her that he was telling the truth. She had never had any idea that he had to live with abuse like that--he never told her or even let on. "Tommy...I...I didn't know. I'm sorry."

Jason ignored her and watched Tommy closely to make sure he wasn't getting any worse. "You feel okay, bro?"

Raising a trembling hand to push his hair back, Tommy managed to say, "Yeah, I think I'm alright. Just got too wound up there for a minute."

"They're leaving--just try to breathe and calm down, okay? That was close."

"I know but...I'm okay now...I think," he said, taking a shaky breath.

They gazed into each other's eyes for a minute, each making sure the other was really alright.

Kim let Kat go ahead of her, pausing on the top step. She turned around to watch the pair and realized she didn't have the right to say anything to anyone about them. The way Tommy was looking at Jason made her heart ache because it reminded her of the way he used to look at her: with nothing but love.

As Kim watched, she saw Jason gently take Tommy's face in his hands and place a kiss on the lips. For a few moments, they stayed that way until she could see that it was being deepened by both participants. She could feel her face flushing as both of their hands started to stroke along toned backs and she could only imagine what their tongues were doing. Amazingly, she wasn't disgusted by what she saw. If she had to admit it, she was a little turned on by it. Shaking her head, she finally turned around and exited the garage back into the house.

As the girls came through the door back into the house, they were stopped by David and Adam--neither had a very pleasant look on their face. They had been watching through the door—Adam having to hold Tommy's older brother back at one point. David pushed past them and went out into the garage to make sure his brother was okay. He had seen how upset he had gotten during the argument. Adam, on the other hand, glared at the girls and wasn't afraid to put in his two cents on the matter.

Kat raised an eyebrow at her teammate. "Did you have something you wanted to say Adam?"

"You're damn straight there's something I want to say." He looked into Kim's face. "What was that about, huh?! Why did you have to come in here and start something at the Christmas party?" He turned to Kat, pointing a finger at her face. "And you know better than to get Tommy that upset! Are you trying to give him another seizure?!"

Kat blushed. "I didn't realize he would get that upset over it. Besides, it wasn't until his parents were brought up that things started getting bad." She was almost flippant with her words.

Kim sighed. "I'm sorry, Adam. I didn't mean to get him that upset."

Jason heard someone approaching and pulled Tommy close as he looked over his shoulder, relaxing when he saw it was David. "Hey David."

David walked up and put a hand on his brother' shoulder. "You okay, man? I saw that you were getting pretty upset there for a few minutes."

"Yeah, I think I'm okay. My stomach's just in knots," Tommy replied.

Jason kept running a hand up and down his boyfriend's back. "Think something to drink might help? Maybe some Sprite or something? Don't want you getting sick on us." He kept close to his lover having hated the way the girls had spoken to him.

"Yeah, a drink would be nice," Tommy said to his boyfriend. "Maybe that would help."

"I'll go and get it. Be right back," David told his little brother and started back into the house.

When he entered the kitchen, he heard Adam giving Kat and Kim the business. "Kat, you know better than to upset him like that. He's your commander--don't you think you should show him some respect?"

"He's not my commander here--only when we're out in the field. Out there, I'll listen to what he has to say, but nothing says I have to respect him."

"I don't know why he doesn't just throw you off the team. If I was in his place, I would," Adam responded to Kat.

"As if you could find someone to replace me." She shook her head. "I'm leaving."

As David left, Jason pulled Tom closer to him. "Are you really feeling okay? No one will say anything if you want to go upstairs and lay down." He placed a soft kiss on his partner's temple.

"I think I'm okay for now--the drink will probably help. If I start feeling worse, I'll let you know," Tommy replied.

Kim sighed. She hadn't said anything during Kat and Adam's little tiff. She almost agreed with him about replacing her, but where would they find someone else to take the pink powers. She suppressed a grin. Billy wouldn't look that good in a skirt. Shaking her head, she looked at him. "I'm leaving as well. Take care, Adam." She started walking off.

There was nothing more for Adam to say. He did, however, plan to talk to Tom about replacing Kat—in his official capacity as second-in-command. She had outstayed her welcome and it was time for her to go...for the good of the team. When he caught sight of David, he asked, "How's Tommy?"

"He's okay, I think. I'm just getting him something to drink to help his stomach," David replied.

Resting his head against his lover's, Jason sighed softly. "When David comes back, we'll stay out here a few more minutes, then go back into the party. Feel up to maybe playing a couple of games or do you want to just sit on the couch for a bit?"

"I think I'll just sit on the couch and watch the others play--not quite up to games." He paused and shifted a bit. "I'll tell you one thing though, this hood is really hard on a sore ass!"

Jason started laughing and stood up, then pulled Tommy up and held him close. "Yeah, why do you think I didn't want to sit on the kitchen chairs the other day?" He grinned down at him, then grew slightly serious. "Do you regret what we did?"

Tommy pulled back and gave his partner a questioning look. "Huh? No, why? Do you?"

"No, I don't. I just wanted to make sure you didn't after everything they said." He leaned in and gently nuzzled a spot he knew sent shivers through the Red Ranger. "I never regret loving you or anything we've done."

"Me either, Jase. I have no regrets where you're concerned, you should know that," Tommy answered.

From the kitchen, Adam followed David back out into the garage to see about his friends. Once the door was closed behind him, he headed straight over to them. "Tommy...are you okay?" he asked, seeing that his commander looked a bit pale.

Tommy looked up from Jason's shoulder to see his friend looking at him with concern. "Adam. Yeah, I think I'm okay. Just a little shaky."

Jason kept an arm around his lover's waist. "Wanted to give us both a chance to cool down a bit before we went back in there."

Nodding, David handed the drink to his little brother. "Here, this might help a bit, but if you're still feeling off afterwards maybe you should rest for a bit when we go back inside."

Taking a long drink from the glass, he looked up at David. "Yeah, I will." He paused and then said, "Are they still here?"

Adam shook his head, blushing. "No, they left," he said, and then let out a low growl.

Jason got the feeling that Adam was holding something back. "Froggy, got something else to say?"

Tommy looked into Adam's face, waiting to hear what was on his green ranger's mind.

He squirmed for a couple of moments then sighed. "Okay, so maybe I let them have it when they came out of the garage."

David chuckled softly. "That's putting it politely."

"Did you now?" the Red Ranger asked with a bit of a grin. "What did you say?"

"Kind of told Kat that she knew better than to get you upset like that and if I was in your shoes, I'd find a replacement for her." He blushed again. "Of course, that was after I asked her if she didn't have any more respect for you than that and she said that she didn't have to respect you, only listen to you and that was only in the field."

"That bitch," Jason said with a snarl.

"I wish I could replace her. If I can find someone to take her place, I will. But I don't wanna think about that right now," Tommy said, leaning against Jason again.

Adam nodded. "Pretty much. She even snapped at me that we'd never find anyone that could take her place."

"Hmphf...wanna bet?" Jason responded.

"Yeah, right now you just need to try and relax." David stated, putting a hand on his brother's shoulder. "You feeling any better?"

"A little. I'm not as shaky as I was a few minutes ago. Does everyone inside know what was going on out here?"

"I don't think so. They might have realized what happened after the two of them left, but no one inside is gonna think bad about you for it, Tommy." The green Zeo ranger stated, looking at his commander. "The tension might have even eased up after they left."

"Well, I guess we should have expected something like this when we found out they were coming. I shouldn't've let them get to me like that--I swore I wouldn't, but I did," Tommy responded.

Jason rubbed his back. "You also didn't expect to get cornered and talked to like you did. Nor was half the crap that Kim said to you expected."

Tommy sighed. His head hurt and he just didn't want to think about this stuff anymore. "Let's go inside, huh? I want to rest on the couch for a little while. Then maybe I'll feel like doing something."

Jason turned to his boyfriend, frowning. "You sure you're feeling okay?" The fact that he'd starting trembling like he had still had him worried about the former white ranger.

Adam nudged David then nodded towards the door. Once back in the kitchen, he looked at the older man. "Think we should run interference with the others before they get back in here?"

"Might be a good idea," David said and the two of them started toward the living room to do just that.

"I think so," Tommy said, looking up into his boyfriend's eyes. "I just have a headache now."

"How about you take a couple Tylenol when we get back inside? It should help keep it from getting worse if not make it go away all together." He leaned in and kissed Tommy softly. "And if it doesn't help at all, I want you to tell me, okay?"

"Okay, I'll try that. Let's go in," he said, attempting to get himself off the hood of the Mustang.

Chuckling softly, Jason helped him off the car. "Guess this means me claiming you like that again tonight might not happen?" He held onto his boyfriend's hand as they walked towards the kitchen.

"I'll have to let you know about that," Tommy answered with a slight grin. "I have a headache, remember?" he said, actually managing a laugh.

"Oh, ha ha. Don't think you're always gonna be able to get away with that one." He grinned at him as they walked back into the house. It wasn't hard to see that Adam and David had talked to the others since the music had been turned down a little. Walking over to the cabinet, Jason took down the bottle of Tylenol and shook out two. Handing them to his lover, he grinned. "Let's try to fix that headache of yours."

Tommy swallowed the pills down and then nodded to his boyfriend. "Let's go back in and try to enjoy the party with our real friends, okay?" He leaned over and kissed the other man's cheek and grasped his hand.

Nodding, Jason grinned at him then walked with him back to the living room. "So what are we playing?"

Rocky looked up and quickly checked over the two of them. "Ummm, we were thinking about starting a game of Pictionary. Wanna play?" He looked concerned.

"I think I'll just watch for a little while, if you guys don't mind," Tommy said, slowly lowering himself onto the couch. "My head's hurting a bit." Looking around, he noticed concerned looks from everyone there. "I'll be okay, guys."

"I'll play." Jason stated, trying to distract them. "But I'm not on Zack's team. He cheats."

David chuckled softly and joined his brother on the couch. "I'm gonna sit it out, too."

"Good. It'll give us time to talk a little," Tommy said, showing his brother a weak smile.

Nodding, he looked at his younger brother. "Definitely, like we can talk about when you're going to come back out and visit us again. Maybe take a ride on Eaglefoot."

Adam grinned at Jason. "You can be on my team along with Billy and Rocky."

"How about next week after Christmas? I still have another week's vacation from school," Tommy suggested.

"That'll work." He grinned. "Bring Jason up and we'll introduce him to the joys of horseback riding in the mountains."

"Great. Could we stay over for a couple of days? Think Sam would mind?" the Ranger Commander asked. "Not trying to invite myself or anything, but Jason likes you and Sam and would like to get to know you better. I would too."

"Tommy, you're my little brother. I want nothing more than to get to know you better and those that you care about. Having you stay for a few days, weeks or even months would be fine with me."

He smiled, blushing a little. "Thanks, man. Once I get out of the Olivers' house and on my own, it'll be much easier for me to come hang out with you and Sam. Please never think that I don't want to, it's just..." he started, but broke off, shaking his head in frustration.

"Listen to me, Falcon." David gently turned his brother's face so that he could look into the chocolate eyes. "You never have to apologize to me for stuff that is beyond your control. I know what it's like to be faced with prejudice." He got up and went over to the coat closet, then removed something from his coat pocket before re-joining his brother on the couch. "I made you this--figured you could use it."

Tommy looked questioningly at his older brother and then took the object wrapped in white tissue paper from his hand. Carefully, he pulled back the paper to find a new, handmade dream catcher. "You made this?"

He grinned. "Yeah, I did. Figured you needed something that could stand a bit more wear and tear than what Sam gave you. This should be able to do that."

"Yeah, it looks a lot more sturdy. I was afraid that Mom would tear up the other one. I'm gonna hang this one over my bed whether she likes it or not," Tommy said, turning it over in his hand to examine all the details.

"I knew that she didn't like the fact that you were trying to learn more about and honour your heritage. That's why I made this one." He put an arm around his brother's shoulders. "If you need anything else from me, let me know."

"I will. Pretty soon it won't matter what she thinks--just five more months and I'll be somewhat free of her."

"You know that if you ever need a place to stay or even just get away from her for a while, that you're welcome at my place. Jason can come as well."

"I know...and when we come out next week we can plan for the next time. Maybe for just a weekend or even Spring Break," Tommy suggested.

"Just let us know." He was quiet for a few moments. "Try not to let what Kim and Kat might have said get to you, Tom."

Suddenly frowning, the ranger commander shook his head. "I should've expected something like that when I found out they were coming. Honestly, the way I reacted bothers me more than what was said."

"Why does it bother you? Talk to me, Tommy. We might not be that close yet, but I'm here for you."

He gave him a weak smile. "I just shouldn't let what they think get to me that bad. I mean, I was shaking like I was gonna have another seizure...just from getting into an argument with two stupid bitches," he said, shaking his head. "I can't go through life avoiding situations just so I won't have any more seizures. Something's gotta be done."

"Probably need to give yourself some more time, Tom. Your body went through a really bad ordeal. Just because most of it's healed, doesn't mean that everything is back to normal yet."

Tommy thought about that for a moment or two. "Yeah, I suppose you're right--I hope so, anyway. I don't wanna spend the rest of my life worrying about when the next one is gonna hit. So anyway, let's change the subject. How's the herd coming along?"

Chuckling softly, David let the subject be changed. "Eaglefoot's got himself three new ladies and our first foals should start being born around the end of January/ first of February."

The younger of the brothers grinned broadly. "That's my boy!! I knew he was a ladies' man!"

"Yeah well, we'll see how good of a ladies' man he is when this first crop of foals is born" he grinned. "He's got a big legacy to follow."

"Oh, he'll be fine. I can't wait to see him again...and his foals."

"I'm kind of looking forward to seeing them myself. We need some more mares to add to the main herd." The elder Oliver grinned. "It's why all the families contributing to the herd have their own stallions. Keeps the gene pools broad."

"How many do you have now? Seems like the herd was pretty big last time I was there."

"Sam and I have 20 mares in the bunch with the 3 new ones, plus we've got Eaglefoot and then three geldings that we use as well." He took a drink of the soda he had. "The entire herd is about 100 strong."

"Wow...that's alotta horses. I don't know how you take care of them all. I can't even have a dog," Tommy said with a grin.

()()()()()()()()()

Jason tossed a few more empty cups into the trash bag he had, then looked over when he heard his boyfriend make a sound of disgust. "What'd ya find?"

"Oh nothing...just a paper plate of lasagna that looks like it's either been sat on or stepped on...your mother would have a fit."

"Especially if she ended up putting her hand in it or worse, sat on it." He shook his head. "Least you didn't find the plate with Rocky's mix of Cheetos, enchilada sauce and . . ." he frowned, trying to figure out what else was on the plate. "…and I have no clue what else."

"That boy has a cast iron stomach. So anyway, you really want to go out to the res with me after Christmas?" Tommy asked, continuing to pick up cups, plates, forks, used napkins, etc.

"He's got something for a stomach. Personally I think it's a bottomless pit." Pausing, he looked over at his friend. "Yes, I really want to go with you out to the res. It'd be nice to get to know David and Sam a little better, you know?"

"Yeah, I know exactly what you mean. I need to get to know them better myself," Tommy answered.

"True, and I think you'd feel better if you learned more about your heritage." He grinned. "I know it's helped me a bit learning about some of mine."

"I believe I would too, it's just so hard for me to do that while I'm living with that prejudiced bi--...grrrr," he growled, throwing more junk into the trash bag.

Setting his own bag down, Jason walked over to his boyfriend and put his arms around him. "Hey, don't get all worked up over her. You've already had one scare tonight. We both have and I'd really like to avoid another one."

"I'm sorry...you're right, of course. I shouldn't let her get to me like that. Just like I shouldn't've let Kim and Kat get to me earlier," he said, shaking his head.

"Yeah well, with those two it was a bit unexpected. You didn't expect Kim to corner you like that and then for Kat to jump in as well." He let his chin come to rest on Tommy's shoulder, pulling him back in against his chest.

"That's true. But I knew there was gonna be trouble as soon as I saw them drive up, I just didn't think they'd get to me like that. Some of the things they said..." Tommy said and then sighed heavily, leaning more against his partner.

"Come on, let's put the trash in the kitchen and go to my room. We can talk some more there, okay?" He placed a gentle kiss behind his lover's ear.

"Yeah, alright," he replied, sounding a bit dejected. He dragged the bag he'd been filling into the kitchen and put it beside the trash can. "You sure Mama won't get mad for us leaving it like this? She's been so kind to me I don't wanna piss her off."

"She told me earlier that I didn't have to worry about it. We cleaned up most of it plus Adam and Rocky put all the food away." He set his own bag beside the trash can then reached his hand out to Tommy. "Come on, let's go upstairs and we can stretch out on the bed, then talk a bit."

Tom looked up at Jason through his lashes and gave a little smile. "Okay, that sounds good babe. I need to relax," he said, taking Jason's hand.

Giving the hand in his a little squeeze, the Gold Ranger led his best friend up to his room. Once there, he stripped Tommy down to his boxers before undressing himself. Softly, he captured the warm lips in a gentle kiss, before looking into the warm chocolate eyes. "I love you."

The ranger commander smiled warmly at him. "I love you too, Rex. Don't know what I'd do without you."

"Well, you're not gonna be finding out any time soon." He led the other teen over to the bed and laid down, pulling Tommy with him. Wrapping his arms around him, Jason sighed softly. "So what did Kim say that sent you over the edge so quickly? I missed part of what she said because of the blood pounding in my ears."

"She was asking questions that were none of her business. Wanted to know if we'd slept together yet because that was 'just nasty' or something like that."

Sighing softly, Jason pulled Tommy in closer to him. "She's confused Tom. Kim wasn't around me during the Conference, so she has no idea what I went through over there. Or how much I worried that you wouldn't feel the same way. When you made that comment in the hospital, my heart shattered. Kim doesn't know about any of that, but I know that's not the only thing that upset you."

"It's just the things she said...like wanting to know if I'd bent over for you or if you'd let your ego go long enough to let me bend you over--stuff that is none of her business...and she was so crass about it...not like Kim at all."

The other teen sighed. "I'm sorry she cornered you like that, babe. And you're right, it's none of her business. I think she was just shocked to find out you were really over her and had moved on…" he grinned, "…with someone much better looking."

Laying his head back and laughing out loud, Tommy reached up and stroked Jason's hair. "Damn...I needed that," he chuckled. "And you're right, of course...much better looking...and built so much better," he cooed, stroking his other hand down Jason's muscled chest.

"And she's majorly jealous because I get all of you." The Original Red Ranger let his hands trail over his friend's body, coming to rest on the firm butt cheeks and pulling them closer. "Something that she will never, ever know." Leaning in, he covered Tommy's mouth with his own.

When they came up for air, Tommy rested his forehead against Jason's. "Nope, she'll never have me, I'm all yours...for as long as you want me."

"That's good because I can't think of a time when I'd want to let you go." He grinned. "So now that this party is behind us, what all are we gonna do until it's time to visit David?"

"Well, you know the city is putting on the Christmas lights in the park-thingy and on Christmas Eve they're gonna have a live nativity. Wanna go to that? You're such a nut about the holidays I figure you'd like that sorta thing," Tommy smiled, placing a small kiss on the end of Jason's nose.

The midnight eyes widened. "I forgot all about that." He leaned in and kissed Tommy happily. "Definitely something we should do. Maybe we can stop by and visit some of the gang as well." The Gold Ranger was quiet for a few moments. "You know, we're not going to eat until around 6 on Christmas. Want to join us?"

"Turn down a Christmas dinner from Mama Scott? Never," he grinned. "I'd love to come and ya know, we're gonna have our dinner about 1 so conceivably, we could do both. Whatcha think?"

"Works for me." A soft chuckle came from the broad chest. "You know we're gonna have to work out for hours to burn off everything we're gonna eat over the next few days."

"Oh, I know. Especially you," the ranger commander said, giving his boyfriend a playful push.

"Me? You tryin' to say I'm fat?" He raised an eyebrow, fighting back a grin.

"No no...just that you eat a lot more than I do. Guess it takes more fuel for that engine of yours."

"True," a wicked grin spread over his face. "But you gotta admit that you love the body that goes with the engine." He shifted so that he was looking down into his boyfriend's eyes. "Just like I'm really fond of your body."

"Oh yeah, no denying that. And you might be even more fond of my body when I finally get built back up--you know I'm still ten pounds down from what I was before the accident? I don't like being this skinny," he frowned.

"Tom, you're not skinny. A little underweight, yeah, but you've regained almost fifteen pounds. That's a huge deal. And I'm sure all the stress you've been under hasn't helped you regain the weight like you need. We'll work on it. Just means no more skipping meals and maybe you try to work a few snacks in during the day."

"I've been trying to do that, but you know how it is...stuff comes up. But you're right, the stress isn't helping. It's better than it was, but still...the situation isn't good."

"So we start keeping snacks in our backpacks and at the Command Center." He refused to call it the Power Chamber. "That way you have something in case you need it."

"Alright, sounds like a good idea. And thank you for coming over for Christmas dinner. I know you don't like my parents--I don't either--but it keeps me from having to be alone with them. Five more months..." he sighed.

Turning back on his side, Jason pulled Tommy close. "I know and in five months you will never have to have anything else to do with them, bro. Until then, whenever you need to, you're welcome to stay here."

"I know and I was thinking about that very thing on the way over here. It might be okay for a night or two, but not for long term. I couldn't impose like that."

"Well, for right now, just try to relax and get some rest, especially after what happened earlier."

"I don't know if I'm gonna be able to put it out of my mind quite that easily, Jase. They both said some pretty hurtful things...and then I had to tell them about my folks. I knew they wouldn't believe me--most people who know the Olivers won't. So glad you, David, and Dr. James do at least."

"That's because they haven't heard all of the things that have happened, Tom, so they're going by what they've seen and experienced themselves. Makes it hard for them to take as fact what you're telling them." He placed a soft kiss on his partner's lips. "But I believe you because I've heard what they've done and know that being around your parents stresses you out."

Tommy nodded. After a minute or so of silence, he looked over at Jason. "What's my chances of getting some of that wonderful tea that your mom makes to calm me down?" he grinned.

"I think I can manage that." He got up and pulled on a pair of sleep pants. "You want to go down with me?"

"Oh yeah, I'm not letting you out of my sight," he smiled warmly, getting up from the bed. "You know, you told me not too long ago that you were gonna take care of me. I hope I don't need too much looking after," he smiled.

Jason let the other teen put on a pair of pants himself, then wrapped his arms around him. "Even if you were bedridden, I would be there to look after you. It took me too long to get you and now that I have you, I'm not planning on letting you go." He grinned at him. "Besides, I know that if I was the one that needed to be taken care of, you'd be right there doing it."

Tom nodded. "You can count on that."

()()()()()

Author's Notes: Hey guys! I was really anxious to post this after FINALLY getting it finished—if you find any errors, please let me know! I pride myself on spelling, punctuation, and grammar and I wouldn't want to have my story up with typos.

Please don't forget to review!! It would be nice to hear from some of you!! Thank you for your patience! Also, be sure to check out prophet144's work as well as our collaborations under the pen name A Warrior's Prophet. There are currently two—"Misery Loves Company" and "Ranger Retreat"—both of which will be updated very soon!