Author's Notes: Hi, readers. Here's chapter twenty-six of "Not Here II: The Journey Continues." I didn't mean to take almost three weeks to get it out. I had a bad case of writer's block. Kinwon and Tykwa's trip to the beach with their friends will occur in the next few chapters. Stay tuned for chapter twenty-seven.

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Chapter 26: Such a Tender Moment

The midevening moon beamed its light on the Blocks residence. A gentle breeze moved through the trees in which it made their leaves rustle. A great-horned owl sat on a branch near the top of a tree in the front yard. Another branch hit it in the back. It hooted annoyingly and spread its wings. It flew around back.

The owl came to the tree outside Tykwa's window. It landed on a branch near the top of the tree. It looked inside, seeing Tykwa read a book called The Wildlife of KO-35 while sitting on her bed. She finished reading one page and flipped to the next one. She slipped a lock of hair behind her ear before letting out a small yawn.

Tykwa looked down at the red unicorn t-shirt. She couldn't help but smile warmly. She thought it was very cute when she first looked at it. She decided she would wear it not long after Andros, Ashley, Zhane, Karone, TJ, Cassie, Carlos, Justin, Leo, and Kendrix left. She was flattered when Kinwon told her she looked very pretty. She returned the gesturing by telling him he looked handsome in his black horse t-shirt.

Her thoughts shifted to tomorrow. She was looking forward to going to the beach. She wished she and Kinwon could stay with their friends there all day, but they understood Andros had to work that afternoon. They couldn't wait to see him in action at the Surf Spot. They were thinking about trying some of Adelle and Ernie's smoothies. They believed they would like them.

She started thinking about the two drinks she and Kinwon drank right after they got into the kitchen. They tried iced tea first and thought it was sweet. They found it tasted even better when lemon was added to it. They tried diet sprite next. They considered the taste as weird as that of diet coke. They decided they would try coffee tomorrow morning.

Tykwa closed the book while emitting a contented sigh. She stood up and approached the window. She spotted the owl in the tree. It turned its head completely around. It flicked its tongue before moving its head back to its regular position. She seemed to be fascinated by it. She considered it a beautiful bird. Knocking caught her attention, and she looked toward the door.

"Come in," she called.

The door opened in which Kinwon walked in. Tykwa smiled at him as he closed it behind him.

"Hey, Kinwon," she greeted.

"Hey, Tykwa," he responded and went to her. He traced his right ear with his finger. He did the same to the other one. "How are you doing tonight?"

"I am fine, though I am tired. Riding in a spaceship, waiting in a traffic jam, and hanging out with friends tend to take a lot out of an offworlder like me," Tykwa explained.

"I know the feeling," Kinwon said and cleared his throat. "So, what have you been up to?"

Tykwa turned back to the window. "I've been looking at this owl."

"Let me see," Kinwon said, coming to her side. He could see the owl very clearly. "Wow. What a beautiful owl."

"It is a great-horned owl. It looks a lot like the owls that live on KO-35, except they are smaller and don't have those feathers resembling horns," Tykwa pointed out.

"I remember when Andros told us about the great-horned owl," Kinwon said, putting his hands behind his back. "He said it was sluggish and passive during the day, but it was aware of its surroundings."

"Some humans prefer being out and about at night. Among the jobs that provide such an opportunity are police officers and graveyard workers," Tykwa commented with a small chuckle.

Kinwon furrowed his brow and rubbed his nose. "We know a few graveyard workers ourselves."

Kinwon and Tykwa watched the owl spread its wings and take off into the sky. They listened to its hooting until it faded into nothing. They looked at each other, sighing contently.

"I feel so fortunate to be able to watch birds sit in that tree from this window," Tykwa said with much warmth.

"I feel the same way in regards to my bedroom window," Kinwon responded and stroked his beard. "The trees remind me of the ones back on KO-35. They are just as tall."

"Andros said the redwood was the tallest tree on Earth," Tykwa commented thoughtfully. "Some redwoods grow up to three hundred fifty feet tall!"

"That is amazing," Kinwon exclaimed. "Our world's trees don't get that tall, but they come rather close."

"You can't just climb such a tall tree with your feet and hands. You need special equipment for that," Tykwa murmured and smacked her lips.

"We have such climbing equipment for our world's tall trees," Kinwon said, a warm smile forming on his face. "Several people have climbed to the treetops with it."

"They have marvelous views of the landscape around them," Tykwa replied with a laugh.

"That they do," Kinwon agreed.

"When people tell you not to look down from a great height, you should do what they say," Tykwa said matter-of-factly.

"Oh, yes," Kinwon whispered while nodding in a slow manner. "A person looking down from a great height can make them panic."

"When you panic, you tend to make irrational decisions," Tykwa said, shuddering badly.

"All the Power Ranger teams have done that at one time or another," Kinwon said, blowing softly.

"Had Andros not shattered Zordon's energy tube, we wouldn't be here for his high school graduation," Tykwa whispered in fear.

"Nor would we be celebrating the upcoming births of his children with Ashley," Kinwon added.

Tykwa pressed her lips together. The thought of Astronema and her followers ruling the entire universe unnerved her to no end. She knew the young woman would've done everything in her power to eliminate those who opposed her. She was glad that Karone managed to return to her normal self and put the past behind her.

"When we were walking down the hallway at NASADA, we noticed several people shooting Andros and Ashley dirty looks," she said, her body turning tense. "There is no doubt in my mind they didn't approve of them being teen parents."

"I can't argue with that," he answered, a heavy sigh leaving his mouth. "Our world is so different from Earth. Teen parenthood is very accepted there, as is teen marriage."

"We don't care if the parents have their children in or out of wedlock. We care about them being healthy," Tykwa commented.

"It astounds me that some people think married parents are better at taking care of their children than unmarried parents are," Kinwon muttered while shaking his head in disbelief. "A ring on a finger doesn't mean you are superior to anyone."

She shuddered badly. "What's worse is people will force their belief that having children out of wedlock is wrong down the throats of others."

"That is bound to make people angry," Kinwon said with an irritated scoff.

"They don't care," Tykwa said, her voice showing much bluntness. "They think they have the right to do that."

"They don't, but it doesn't stop them," Kinwon replied, gritting his teeth. "We've had people act that way on KO-35."

"Unfortunately," Tykwa grumbled. "Teen parenthood and teen marriage may not be accepted on Earth, but at least teen parents have resources to turn to."

"Andros mentioned four million American mothers surrendered their newborns for adoption from 1945 to 1973," Kinwon pointed out truthfully. "He said the majority of the mothers claimed they were forced or coerced into giving up their babies."

"Who thought it was a good idea to separate newborns from their mothers?" Tykwa said in much disgust.

He huffed. "It was people who thought children should be raised only in two-parent homes consisting of a mother and a father. They presented themselves as the moral authority for who should and shouldn't raise children. They didn't care what happened to them. They only cared about them being in two-parent homes."

Kinwon and Tykwa shifted their attention back to the window. They watched another great-horned owl fly by it. They could hear it hooting. She suppressed a yawn and smacked her lips. She was unable to suppress the next one.

"It will be nice to observe Andros during his shift at the Surf Spot," Tykwa said in excitement.

"It sure will," Kinwon agreed. "He has never been afraid of doing work that involves getting dirty at all." He smiled. "Maybe he will become a dirt monster while working."

"That is funny," Tykwa said, laughing hysterically and hitting her hand on the windowsill.

"Be careful, Tykwa. You can die from laughter," Kinwon warned in a stern voice.

"I know," Tykwa said and cleared her throat. "Still, it is good to laugh. It relieves stress."

"That it does," Kinwon said, nodding fast. "I remember how stressed we were about leaving KO-35. We didn't know if we would be able to get away unharmed."

She frowned. "After we left, we feared we would never be able to return. We would share memories of our mishaps there and laugh about them. It relieved our stress quite a bit."

"I remember one mishap I had. I was talking a walk through the forest. I was admiring the animals roaming around. I listened to their calls, especially the birds. I tripped over a bump in the ground and landed in a mud puddle. It got my clothes very dirty. I was so embarrassed," Kinwon said and made a weird noise.

"Who could blame you?" Tykwa asked and smirked. "Then again, you looked cute covered in mud. In fact, you could've become a mud monster."

"Ha, ha, ha, ha. That was so funny," Kinwon retorted sarcastically.

Tykwa chuckled. "Nice use of sarcasm."

He gave a shrug before stroking his beard once more. He moved his head from side to side in which he stretched his neck. She scratched her arm, followed by her side. She suppressed a yawn.

"I have a feeling we will see many people giving Andros and Ashley dirty looks during our trip to the beach," she muttered uneasily.

"Me too," he agreed. "We should let those people disapprove of Andros and Ashley's situation all they want. It doesn't affect them, or our friends, or us."

"Let's hope that none of the troublemakers the teens have had to deal with don't make a scene," Tykwa said and swallowed hard.

"That is bound to draw attention," Kinwon commented, becoming a little tense.

"Andros said that women who body-shame mothers that haven't gotten back into tiptop shape soon after giving birth attract a great deal of attention at the beach," Tykwa muttered, rolling her eyes. "Some mothers aren't able to get back into shape quickly. They may be recovering from having C-sections or difficult labor and delivery."

"We've had a few body-shamers here and there on our world," Kinwon said truthfully. "Mothers shouldn't be shamed for not snapping back into shape. They should be able to go at their own pace."

"Unfortunately, the universe expects the mothers to get back into shape quickly," Tykwa mumbled.

"If anyone body-shames Ashley while she is pregnant or after she gives birth, I hope she gives them a piece of her mind. The same goes for Andros in regards to his," Kinwon said in determination.

"Me too," Tykwa agreed and let out a long yawn. "Damn. I am ready to go to bed."

"I am too," Kinwon whispered and yawned. "Good night, Tykwa."

"Good night, Kinwon. I will see you in the morning," Tykwa said, giving him a nod. She watched him head out of the room. She approached her bed, picking up her book and closing it. She laid it on the nightstand and pulled down the covers. She slipped underneath them and pulled them over her body. She turned off her lamp before laying on her back. She closed her eyes, falling into a peaceful sleep.