A while later the three siblings collapsed in the grass, staring up at the sky as they caught their breath. Jason had chased his sisters around the yard for a while before Vida had finally gotten free and the girls turned on him. Now, tired and out of breath from running and laughing, they were ready to stop for a while. For a while they just lay in the grass enjoying each other's company.
"Jason?" Vida asked a little while later, breaking the silence.
"Yeah?" he said, turning his head to look at her.
"We really are sorry for everything we did…" she said quietly. "And we do want to be a part of the rangers…"
He smiled, nodding.
"I know," he said. "And I want you to be a part of this—well, as much as I can, anyways."
The girls frowned, looking at each other.
"What does that mean?" Madison asked.
He sighed, sitting up and leaning forward on his knees. They followed his lead, curling their legs underneath them.
"I never wanted you to be rangers," he admitted, glancing over at them. "It's not exactly a safe thing. And then I found out about the magic and, well—let's just say this hasn't been easy for any of us. It's been hard for me to stand back and let you purposefully put yourselves in harm's way—"
"Because that's what you've always done for us," Madison finished softly.
Jason nodded.
"Exactly," he said.
"We can handle it, big brother," Vida said. "And if we do need help, we'll tell you. Promise."
"Yeah, I know," he sighed. "And I suppose you're going to keep using magic, aren't you?"
"Umm…yeah," Vida said. "We're all still in training and—well, it's what we want to do. That magic is a part of us now and we don't just want to lock it away again. We want to use it to help people."
"I guess I can't argue against that," he muttered. "But the instant one of you starts using it for other things I'm getting you out of there."
"But Jason," Madison started to protest.
The look he gave her didn't leave any room for argument. She sighed, relenting.
"So when do we get to meet the rest of the rangers?" Vida asked, changing the subject.
"Eventually," Jason shrugged. "But you have already met most of the reds."
"We have?" Madison frowned. "When?"
"Back when you were in high school," Jason said. "We got back to my house to find you two waiting and had to scramble for a quick cover. Good thing Eric thought fast or we'd have been caught…"
His sisters frowned, trying to remember the incident he was talking about. Then it dawned on them.
"Wait—all of those guys are rangers?" Vida exclaimed.
"Every one of them," Jason grinned. "And every one of them a red. So the only reds you haven't met are the ninjas—Shane and Hunter."
"Which they are not happy about," someone interrupted.
Jason, Vida, and Madison turned to see Trent and Kira standing behind them, each holding one of the twins.
"Not in the slightest," Kira agreed. "Not only have they not met any of you, but you didn't even send them a letter when you attempted to contact the rest of us."
The girls frowned.
"Yes we did," Vida said. "But it just kept reappearing on the table… We couldn't figure out what was blocking it so we gave up…"
Kira and Trent exchanged surprise looks.
"Well, Cam and Hunter will be happy to know the shields on their academies are still strong," Trent commented. "Though I'm surprised it didn't go to Blake when it couldn't reach the others. He doesn't live at the academies—normally, anyways."
Kira nodded and then paused.
"Wait," she said. "It couldn't have. If it came around the same time ours did, that was right after Hunter grounded him."
Jason frowned.
"Grounded?" he said, raising an eyebrow. "What did Blake do this time?"
Kira sighed, shaking her head.
"Remember that accident he had just before Christmas?" she said. "The one that had all of the ninjas in an uproar because some idiot ran him off the track?"
Jason nodded.
"Well, it turns out he didn't just sprain his knee like they initially thought," Kira continued. "He actually tore his ACL up pretty badly…"
Wincing, Jason nodded sympathetically. All of the rangers had experienced similar injuries at one point or another—though usually while they were actually active rangers and had the benefit of the healing effects of the morphing grid.
"And you know how Hunter is," Trent smirked.
"Oh, I know," Jason said drily. "Overprotective of his little brother to the extreme."
"Exactly," Kira said. "Between Hunter and the rest of the ninjas they've managed to confine Blake to one or the other of the academies for the duration of his recovery. They don't let him go anywhere without someone keeping eyes on him—whether it's one of them, Sensei, or even some of the students."
Jason laughed, shaking his head.
"Poor kid," he laughed. "That's got to be driving him nuts."
Kira and Trent nodded.
"Yeah, he's got like three months left of his grounding," Trent said. "Or longer if the doctor doesn't clear him for driving."
Vida and Madison, who had been listening in interest, exchanged glances. Both of them were thinking about offering to talk to Udonna about healing spells, but something told them it probably wouldn't be a good idea. So they kept quiet. More of the rangers were crowding out into the yard now as they finished up their work. The volume grew, though they did their best to keep everything as quiet as possible. They didn't want to wake up Tommy and Hayley.
"Hey, Trent," Ethan said. "Your dad called. Wanted to know if you were coming home for dinner."
Trent, sitting on the ground with some of the other rangers, glanced up and shook his head.
"Not tonight," he said. "Think I'll stick around until everyone else goes home."
Ethan grinned, nodding.
"That's what I said," he said. "I told him we had some ranger stuff going on and that you'd be home late—or end up sleeping here."
Nodding, Trent started to go back to his conversation with Zach and Billy. Madison and Vida exchanged shocked looks.
"You told your dad?" they said in surprise, looking at Trent.
He sighed, glancing over at them. They'd drawn the attention of the rest of the group, too. The only ones not outside now were Hayley and Tommy. Everyone else was relaxing in the sunshine.
"Yeah," he said. "Dad knows everything anyways."
"He was our villain," Kira clarified.
"What?" Vida exclaimed.
"Don't worry," Trent said quickly. "He's not anymore. We saved him."
"Uh-huh…" Madison said, not really sure what to think.
"Long story," Kira smiled. "Having fun with them?"
The girls smiled and nodded, looking down at the babies cradled in their arms. Trent and Kira had been perfectly alright with letting the twins hold the twins for a while after they came outside. Vida smiled, cooing down at the tiny baby with the little shock of red hair in her arms. The twins were delighted to hold the tiny twins.
"I still can't believe we didn't even know Hayley was pregnant," Vida murmured, looking down at Kimberly.
Jason sighed as the rest of the rangers exchanged knowing glances.
"Tommy tried to come tell you…" he said patiently. "Right after Christmas. But you wouldn't even see him—or call him when he left you a message."
Madison and Vida both flinched. They remembered that day.
"I guess we don't really have any excuse…" Madison sighed. "It's our own fault."
"And we won't argue with that," Kira said, leaning back on her hands.
The twins exchanged guilty looks and Kira sighed.
"But we're moving past it," Kira continued. "And Vida, I'll unblock your number now if you want to give me a real call. I really do think you have talent—I just didn't want anything to do with you after what you did to Dr. O."
"I can understand that," Vida nodded. "And I'll do that."
"Great," Kira smiled.
Shaking his head, Jason fell backward in the grass again as the rangers continued to relax.
Moving to Briarwood
"Just a little more to the left," Jason said, watching closely as they maneuvered the couch through the doorway. "Little more—careful!"
Adam and Tommy both glared at him. Rocky also shot a glare from behind them where he was trying to carry an armchair up the stairs by himself.
"Hey Jase?" Tommy said, panting from the effort of carrying the couch up the stairs. "Got a question."
"Yeah?" Jason asked.
"How come we're carrying all of the heavy stuff while you supervise?" he said. "They're your sisters—we're just being nice by helping you out."
Tommy, Adam, and Rocky were with Jason in Briarwood helping move Vida and Madison into their new apartment. They were starting their first year of college in a couple of weeks and wanted to get settled in before classes started. Xander and Chip were moving in, too—same complex, different apartment. All four of them were also starting a new job later that week at a local record store.
"Because," Jason said. "I'm making sure nothing gets knocked over or broken."
Tommy snorted.
"Yeah, like none of us could take a turn at that," he said.
"Just hold on a second and you can put it down," Jason retorted.
They'd gotten it inside the apartment now. Inside, boxes were piled to either side of the door. The rest of the furniture was already in place, the couch being the last thing in the truck. Madison and Vida were darting around the apartment trying to decide where to put everything. Seeing the guys carry in the couch, they hurried over.
"You can put that right over there against the wall," Vida said. "And Rocky, the chair can go—in that corner."
She pointed to the respective places.
"Thanks!" Madison added, beaming at them.
Moving carefully, Adam and Tommy moved the couch to where the girls directed them and set it down. Rocky set down the chair, too. Sighing in relief, all three relaxed for a moment as they caught their breath. The girls frowned as they looked at the couch. They spoke quietly for a moment, gesturing as they glanced around.
"Umm…So, we think the couch might look better over there…" Madison said after a moment, pointing to another spot partway across the room.
Both Tommy and Adam groaned, but reached down to pick up the couch again. They moved it to where the girls asked them to and set it down again. But Vida and Madison immediately started shaking their heads.
"It looks better back in the first spot…" Vida said sheepishly.
Now the two men glared at her.
"Sorry…" Madison said, giving them a pleading look.
"Alright," Tommy sighed. "But you're sure that's where you want it? Because we're only moving it one more time."
"Yes," they said together, nodding.
Reaching down, Adam and Tommy picked up the couch again. Vida was watching them hesitantly.
"Well, maybe it is—" Vida started to say.
But Madison elbowed her and she let it go. The two men moved the couch back to the original spot and put it down. They then plopped down on it, sighing as they leaned back and stretched out their legs. Rocky was already sitting in the armchair he'd brought up. Jason, still standing, crossed his arms as he frowned at his friends.
"Hey, don't get comfortable," he said. "There are still boxes of stuff by the door to move into the kitchen and their bedrooms."
"Nope," Tommy said, shaking his head. "I'm done. Your turn, Rex."
"Come on," Jason insisted. "There's not that much more."
"Sorry, can't," he said, leaning his head back against the back of the couch. "I'm under strict orders to relax the moment I start to feel faint or lightheaded."
Jason frowned.
"Whose orders?" he said. "And since when do you feel faint or lightheaded? You're fine."
"Doctor's orders," he said. "And besides, how do you know if I do or not? For all you know, I could pass out any second. They never did explain that coma last year."
Jason snorted.
"Unexplained?" he said, shaking his head. "Tommy, you shocked yourself into a coma."
"But that shouldn't have put me in a coma," Tommy countered, smirking at Jason and crossing his arms. "So, therefore, it is medically unexplained."
Jason glared at him as Rocky and Adam exchanged knowing looks.
"You did something stupid and landed yourself in the hospital," Jason growled, crossing his arms. "Doesn't mean you can't help now. You're fine."
"That's not what my medical records say," Tommy grinned, not making a move to stand. "And that's what we have to go by. Don't make me call my mother—she'll be happy to explain exactly why I should be relaxing."
Jason rolled his eyes.
"Well, if that's the case," he said. "Then we should be rushing you to the hospital right now."
Madison and Vida exchanged concerned glances as Tommy shook his head.
"Tommy, are you ok?" Madison asked, moving to sit on the couch next to him.
He smiled, slinging and arm around her shoulders and giving her a quick one-armed hug.
"Oh, I'm fine," he said. "Well, I'm fine as long as I don't have to pick anything else up—can't do anything too strenuous."
Tommy smirked at Jason as Madison and Vida nodded.
"That's ok," Vida said. "You've helped enough for today. Jason can do something now."
Jason frowned.
"I have done something," he said.
"Sure you have," Adam grumbled.
"Jason, you really haven't done much," Madison said, looking at her brother. "Tommy, Adam, and Rocky carried all of the furniture up—and most of the heavier boxes…"
"I have too," he argued. "I helped unload the truck and the other vehicles."
"Yeah," Rocky retorted. "Because yelling 'don't drop that' at us is so helpful."
"Yeah, yeah," Jason muttered. "But I did help load everything."
"No you didn't," Vida countered. "You were too busy making sure Mark didn't hide in a box or behind a piece of furniture in any of the cars."
Adam, Tommy, and Rocky were smirking at him, enjoying watching their friend called out by his little sisters.
"I—fine," Jason grumbled. "Remind me—why I am I helping you again instead of dad?"
"Because dad had to work," Madison said. "Besides, you volunteered."
Jason frowned.
"When exactly did I do that?" he asked. "I don't remember volunteering to do this."
"Dad said you did," Vida answered. "So take it up with him."
Jason opened his mouth to protest and then decided against it. Tommy laughed and stood up, stretching.
"Well, this was fun, girls," he said, giving each of them a hug. "But I'm out of here. Hayley's making dinner tonight so I need to get home."
The twins exchanged looks and then looked back at Tommy.
"So you're going to rush all the way home for dinner instead of just eating with us in a little while?" Vida asked.
He grinned, shrugging.
"Hey," he said. "You'll probably understand this better later, but I'm technically still a newlywed. Add that to the fact that I only had about a month with Hayley before I left on a four month dig out of the country. Oh, and school starts in three weeks. I'm spending as much time with her as I can before we're both too busy to see each other for more than passing remarks."
Jason, Rocky, and Adam were now exchanging amused looks as the girls just shrugged.
"Come back and visit soon," Madison said.
"Of course," he said. "Help each other with school and don't get yourselves in trouble. And remember—you can always call me if you need me."
Hugging them again, he headed out the door. Jason was shaking his head.
"Well, guess we're down one for dinner," Vida sighed, looking around. "Why is he in such a hurry to get home?"
Jason exchanged amused looks with Rocky and Adam.
"He's going to go home and make out with his wife like a teenager," Jason grinned.
Both of the girls groaned, shaking their heads.
"What?" Jason asked, raising an eyebrow.
"We didn't need to know that," Vida said.
"You asked," Jason said. "And you're old enough now. Besides, Trini and I do it all the time."
"Eww!" the girls cried, grimacing.
"That is not something we want to think about," Madison said.
"No kidding, big brother," Vida added. "Unnecessary information. Tommy is one thing, but you? That's just—ugh."
Jason rolled his eyes.
"Stop being babies," he said. "How else do you think we ended up with Mark? A stork?"
"Stop it!" they exclaimed.
Adam and Rocky were laughing so hard by this point that they could barely breathe. Rocky had slid out of the chair and was now shaking in laughter on the floor at the absolute horror on the girls' faces. Adam had just fallen over on the couch, shaking his head.
"Jason, no more," Madison said. "Please—we don't need that in our heads."
"Alright, alright," Jason said, laughing. "I'm done."
They sighed in relief, both still trying to get the conversation out of their heads.
"Now," Jason said, looking around the room. "Let's finish moving everything before dinner."
Adam and Rocky sobered up, looking at the large stack of boxes just inside the front door.
"Umm… I forgot I promised Tanya I'd be home for dinner," Adam said quickly, getting up off the couch. "Sorry girls, gotta bail. Have a good school year."
Rocky was up, too, following Adam.
"And he's my ride," Rocky said. "Bye!"
They were both gone before Jason could protest. Sighing, he shook his head and turned back to his sisters.
"Well, I guess you're really helping now," Vida said. "Cause we packed those boxes expecting help."
"What does that mean?" Jason frowned.
"It means that a couple of them are too heavy for us to lift alone," Madison clarified. "We aren't strong enough to lift them—which is why we were counting on you…"
Groaning, Jason rubbed and hand over his face as he turned to look at the pile. He regarded it for a moment and then took a deep breath.
"Alright," he said. "Let's get stuff moved and get dinner—you two can unpack the boxes later."
Nodding, the girls followed him to the pile and they all started moving boxes to the correct rooms.
A while later Jason turned his head to look at his sisters. They had surrendered the babies to Trini and Kim, letting someone else hold the infant twins for a while.
"So, there's something I'm still not sure I understand," he said, looking at them.
Madison and Vida frowned, exchanging glances.
"What is it?" Madison asked.
"How is it possible?" he asked, turning back to look up at the sky again. "That the evil space witch who, on countless occasions, tried to kill me—not to mention everyone else on earth—is the source of all of your good magic?"
His sisters sighed and exchanged glances again. Madison started to answer.
"Source of their what?" a shocked voice interrupted.
Jason shot upright, spinning around to see Tommy staring down at him. No one had heard him come out of the house. The look on the other ranger's face was one of shock and disbelief.
"Uh, Tommy," Jason said in surprise. "When did you get out here?"
"Just now," Tommy said slowly. "Want to repeat what I think I just heard you say?"
Jason groaned, rubbing a hand over his face as he climbed to his feet. The rest of the rangers were watching in silence now, waiting to see how Tommy would take the news.
"Rita is the source of their magic," Jason muttered reluctantly after a moment when Tommy kept waiting for an answer.
Tommy took a deep breath, nodding as he ran a hand nervously through his hair.
"Oh, good," he said, sounding a little nervous now. "So I did hear you say that. I'm not imagining things…"
"I was going to tell you, Falcon," Jason said quickly. "I was just hoping to have that conversation a little more—well, privately."
He glanced behind him at everyone watching. Most of the rangers were on their feet now, not really sure whether to leave and Jason and Tommy a chance to talk or to wait.
"Uh-huh," Tommy said, eying the Mystic Force rangers. "So, they draw their magic directly from Rita? And I was the one you were concerned about?"
Jason sighed.
"Well, I know how dangerous you can be," Jason finally said. "And I figured the only reason they're dangerous is because they have wands—which can easily be taken away."
"Or not so easily," Xander muttered.
Vida elbowed him and he fell silent with a grunt. Tommy was looking at Madison and Vida now.
"And Jason is letting you two go back?" he asked.
They frowned.
"Well, yeah," Vida said. "Why not?"
Tommy snorted.
"Because you draw your magical abilities directly from the 'you're-giving-me-a-headache queen' who tried to kill us all," he said. "Including using me to try and kill them."
He gestured at his friends.
"Well, he did make us sit for scans after you went to bed," Madison said slowly.
Tommy raised an eyebrow, crossing his arms as he glanced at Jason and then back at the girls.
"He hasn't let you out of his sight, has he?" he asked drily.
"No…" Vida admitted, shooting a look at her brother.
Tommy smirked.
"Going to take them home with you, Jase?" he asked, still not moving any closer. "And maybe finally let them meet their niece?"
"Can we?" Madison and Vida exclaimed, whipping around to look at their brother.
"Sure," he said, shrugging. "You have clothes at mom and dad's, right?"
They nodded a confirmation.
"Then we'd be happy to have the two of you," he said. "After I manage to get you away from mom…"
The girls exchanged sheepish glances. They hadn't been home since their visit at Christmas time. Their phone call record hadn't been the best, either.
"Yeah… maybe we should go there first…" Madison said.
"Good idea," Tommy said, turning back toward the house.
"Tommy, where are you going?" Jason frowned.
"To get my tiger coin," he said. "I think I'm going to carry it for a while."
Jason rolled his eyes.
"Don't you already have it?" he asked.
Tommy paused, turning back to look at Jason as he shook his head.
"Nope," he answered. "I put them all away after I got home. But now I want the coin."
He continued toward the house and Jason sighed. Then something occurred to him and he leaned over to Trini and Billy.
"Remind me to get the dragon coin from him," he muttered. "Before we leave tonight."
The two exchanged looks, nodding quickly. Madison and Vida heard him, too, both of them looking guilty again for a brief moment. Before Tommy disappeared into the house, however, he paused. He turned back around, running a hand through his hair.
"So, I actually did come out here for a reason," he said sheepishly. "Are you guys staying for dinner?"
The rangers exchanged amused looks, all of them answering 'yes' to Tommy's question.
"Good," he said. "Hayley is ordering dinner. Pizza, I think. It was the easiest. And you guys can come inside now if you want."
He smiled.
"Thanks for the help around the house," he added.
His friends smiled back as most of them immediately started making their way inside, led by Kat and Kim with the babies. Tommy pulled the door open, holding it as people started making their way inside. The Mystic Force team was the last group to move, still trying to keep close together.
"So who's paying for dinner?" Rocky grinned as he walked past Tommy.
"Depends on how much you plan to eat," Tommy said drily. "I only plan extra for Conner, not everyone else. If that's not enough then you're on your own."
Rocky laughed, disappearing inside.
"Well, if you were planning for Conner there should be plenty, then," Zach laughed, scooting inside after Rocky.
Tommy snorted in response, turning back to watch the rest of the group as they moved inside. The Mystic Force rangers were still bringing up the rear, waiting patiently for their chance to move inside. Tommy stared in surprise as Nick reached out to take Madison's hand, leaning over to say something Tommy couldn't catch from the door. She smiled, nodding as she leaned against him. Neither one noticed Tommy's gaze and, as he continued watching, Nick leaned down to give Madison a quick kiss.
"Uh, Jase?" Tommy said, sticking out an arm to stop Jason from walking inside.
The few rangers still outside halted, looking at Tommy in surprise. He still hadn't take his eyes off the young couple, both of whom were regarding him nervously now.
"What?" Jason said, frowning. "Am I not allowed back in the house now?"
Tommy shook his head.
"Not, that's not what I'm talking about," he said. "I want to know when you were planning on telling me that Maddy and Nick are dating."
Jason froze—as did the Mystic Force team. As he slowly turned around to see what Tommy was talking about, Madison's eyes widened and Nick looked at her in surprise.
"You didn't tell him, did you?" he asked.
"No…" she said, shaking her head. "Haven't had a chance…"
"Oh, good," Nick muttered. "I'm dead."
Jason stared at them for a moment, his gaze going from his sister, to Nick, to their hands, and back.
"Jason?" Tommy said again, watching his friend now.
Shaking himself out of his initial shock, Jason started stalking through the remaining rangers toward Nick. Some of the group inside poked heads back out to see what was going on.
"Because I didn't know," Jason growled, answering Tommy's question though his gaze was fixed on Nick. "I need to have a word with you, rookie."
Nick watched him nervously, backing up a step or two without letting go of Madison's hand.
"Jason, don't," she said, trying to put herself between Nick and her brother.
"I'd run, rookie," Zach laughed from the doorway, poking his head back outside.
"As fast as you can," Rocky added with a grin, leaning around Zach.
As Jason tried to lunge around Madison and grab Nick, the younger ranger bolted. Jason didn't hesitate to take off after him across the yard.
"Jason!" Madison cried. "You can't hurt him!"
Tommy, letting go of the door, walked over to stand next to her.
"Tommy, you have to stop him!" she pleaded, turning to him.
"Not a chance," he said, shaking his head.
"But I though you said we weren't allowed to hurt the newbies," Ethan commented, watching Jason chasing Nick. "Ranger rules."
Tommy snorted.
"He's not chasing Nick as a ranger," he said. "Right now he's just the overprotective big brother."
"And that is why I don't have a boyfriend," Vida smirked, earning a glare from her twin.
The rangers were all watching in amusement now as Jason continued to chase Nick. The younger red ranger had a head start, but Jason was catching up. He knew the layout of Tommy's backyard and Nick didn't, giving Jason the advantage and the ability to avoid things like hidden tree roots. It wouldn't be long before he cornered the young man.
"So why are you still standing here?" Adam asked, looking at Tommy. "I would have thought you'd be right with Jason—or ahead of him."
Tommy shrugged.
"I have newborn twins," he said. "So I've got to conserve what energy I can. I'll let Jason do the catching—then I'll help."
"Tommy!" Madison exclaimed in protest.
"Oh, don't worry," Tommy grinned, slinging an arm around her shoulders. "We won't hurt him. He'll still be in one piece at the end of the night. I just might not buy him dinner."
She just groaned in response, watching nervously as Jason nearly caught Nick.
"Tommy, why is Jason chasing Nick?" Hayley asked from the doorway.
She had shooed Zach and Rocky out of the way so she could see what the fuss was. Tommy glanced over his shoulder to look at her. Madison did, too, hoping Hayley would help her.
"Nick is dating Maddy," Tommy answered.
Hayley raised an eyebrow.
"Oh, well, alright then," she said. "Dinner is ordered and should be here in about an hour. Try not to get him or yourselves too muddy. The house looks beautiful right now thanks to everyone here and I want it to stay that way. I'll make sure to let you know when the food arrives."
Madison sighed in defeat as her last hope for an intervention disappeared. No one was going to step in to stop Jason from having a 'word' with Nick about dating his sister.
"Look at it this way sweety," Trini said as she walked over to put an arm around Madison's shoulders. "At least you know, any guy who stays after this is a keeper."
Madison just groaned, as everyone started laughing.
