Back to the beginning

Chapter 13 – Giving thanks.

The power rangers went about their business as usual after the recent events. They tried to come to terms with the death of Aisha, and it proved difficult. But they somehow managed to keep afloat.

Thanksgiving was fast approaching, so the rangers knew they needed to get through a few more days of work before they could have the day off to celebrate thanksgiving.

Rocky didn't feel like celebrating.

After his back injury Few years ago, Rocky de Santos fell into deep depression. He was diagnosed with two herniated discs in his lower spine, and a herniated disc in the upper part of the spine.

He was currently living with Adam in their apartment, as they had always done ever since they left home. Tanya moved in with Adam once their relationship became serious, but they ensured Rocky had a place in their lives and in that home. Tanya worked at a radio station, and was also a part time singer, but she always made sure she had time for Rocky.

Rocky had eventually started treatment for both his physical and psychological health and though he had a burning passion for martial arts, he was advised not to practice it apart from a bit of light training now and again. Eventually however, once his rehabilitation had proven successful, Adam secured him a job as a martial arts teacher at the dojo in Stone Canyon that he was part owner of.

But ever since the ordeal with what happened with Aisha, Rocky had been struggling.

At first, the mourning, then it was pure anger. Then, a deep, burning desire for revenge. He had thankfully been kept in check by his best friends Adam and Tanya who kept a close eye on the blue zeo ranger. Unbeknownst to them however, Rocky would morph every day for a couple of minutes. It was working well, and the healing of his spine was taking affect due to the amazingly powerful Zeo powers, but at what price?

Jason and Kimberly were adjusting to life in Angel Grove. Kimberly was contemplating going to college to study to become a teacher. A job she had always been attracted to. Jason naturally, supported her with whatever choice she would take. He told her he would back her in anything she was interested in doing. But, she didn't feel like doing anything at the moment. She wasn't sure if it was her PTSD, depression and anxiety that were triggered again, but she was very emotional right now.

Jason was being very supportive but she was very worried about her fiancé. He was quiet. A bit too quiet. Reserved was the best way she could describe him and she knew him well. More than anyone save perhaps Zack, but in most situations, there was absolutely nobody that understood the original red ranger better than Kimberly. She tried to stay calm and keep it together because she knew Jason was hiding his emotions. She looked into his eyes every night and she saw pain, a pain that he was hiding very well, but oh no, not to this lady, Kimberly knew him too well. And today, today she was determined to speak to him. To gently press him to let out whatever he was hiding.

He had an evening class today, so they went out for lunch during his free time and he then returned to the dojo. Kimberly finished work and had been at home now for a few hours. She prepared for him, his favorite dish, homemade cheeseburgers. She wanted to see a twinkle return in his eyes today, so to help him let his guard down, she knew a nice big, juicy burger may help him relax and open up. If things went bad, she knew a nice little, bit of fun in the bedroom would definitely cheer him up. Well, not nice and little, but crazy bedroom fun. She was sure the handcuffs she bought after work would entice him and put a big smile on his face.

Kimberly was in the kitchen. Burger patties made and, in the fridge, side salad washed, cut and sat next the burgers inside the fridge. She even prepped some home fries to go with the burger instead of French fries. He was a sensei after all, so maybe over indulging wasn't a great idea. Now all that was needed to do, was to cook the food fresh and hot when Jason wanted it

"Honey, I'm home."

The apartment door flew open and at long last, Jason was home.

"Kim, Where are you?"

Kimberly quickly washed her hands and dried them. "I'm in the kitchen baby."

"Oooh, what's my lovely wife-to-be, cooking?" Jason asked, putting down his gear and walking into the kitchen.

"Your favorite." Kim said, running to meet him before he barely entered the kitchen and wrapping her arms around his neck.

"What, you on a silver platter? Covered in whipped cream, waiting for me to lick it all off?" Jason teased her, giving her a kiss on the lips.

"No, well yeah. But that's for dessert." Kimberly giggled, walking over and opening the fridge door, showing him the burger patties. "Voilà."

"Oh no way babe. Homemade burgers?"

"Yes way. Aren't I going to make the best wife?"

Jason moved forward and placed his hands around Kimberly's waist. "I'm the luckiest bastard in the whole world."

"Why?" Kimberly asked, placing her hands on top of his.

"You're the most beautiful girl in the world. You cook amazing food, you're great in bed and damn." Jason moved his hands and gave Kim's buttocks a squeeze. "You have the best ass a man could ask for. You really are perfect."

Kimberly leaned in further and gently caressed his lips with hers. "I'm not perfect, but thank you baby."

"You are perfect. I can't believe I'm engaged to you. Me, out of all people."

"Well you better start believing it cuz it's a fact." Kimberly placed her forehead onto Jason's and closed her eyes. "I love you more than anything. And there's no way in hell that you're ever going to be without me. So you best start believing that this is it. I am yours and you are mine."

Jason didn't know what to say. Hearing these words made him happier than he ever thought possible. They stayed like that for a good while. Heads pressed together, their arms and bodies entwined, holding on to each other until their desire began to boil over.

Jason swept her up in his arms even though Kimberly had just showered, they ended up taking a shower together. Kimberly wanted to make him comfortable and happy and hopefully allow him to open up but right now, she didn't care about anything, she was just basking in the moment, as was Jason. They shared a soft and tender moment together, forgetting about everything as the water dripped down their interlocked bodies.

They eventually got dressed and Kimberly cooked the meal she had prepared, which they ate on the couch opposite the TV. They finally got the cable on and were enjoying watching one of their favourite shows.

"Where did you get the recipe from?" Jason asked, taking a big gulp of soda after finishing the last of the home fries on his plate.

"What's to say that it didn't come from my mind?" Kimberly teased him.

"Touché, you definitely know how to cook Kim."

"I hope so. My mother in law is the best cook I know, so I have to step up my game."

"Well, don't tell her that I think your burgers are the best ones I've tasted."

"Wow really?" Kimberly said, giving Jason a little hug.

"Yeah definitely. But don't say a word to her."

"I won't baby."

They lowered the television volume once their show started rolling the end credits. "You know, we're going to have to find a new show. Both X – Files and Buffy are finishing next year." Jason said.

"I know. And the rumors are that friends will wrap up after the 10th season." Kimberly pointed out.

"Oh man. What are we going to watch?"

"I dunno, we'll find something." Kimberly said whilst Jason picked up the plates. "No, I'm doing them."

Jason furrowed his brow as Kimberly dragged him back into the couch. "Why. One of us cooks, the other cleans."

"I know but, it's my treat to you."

"Oh, like the handcuffs?" Jason probed, a sneaky smile giving away his feigning innocence.

"Oh shit, you saw them?"

Jason nodded his head.

"Dammit."

"So why all the extra niceness Kimmy?" Jason asked once Kim returned from the kitchen.

Kimberly pouted her lips and shrugged her shoulders. "No reason. You've just looked a bit stressed recently and I wanted to cheer you up."

Jason sighed and shook his head. "No baby. Forget about me. You're more important."

"I'm not Jase. It should be equal." Kimberly sat next to Jason and placed her hand on to his. "I want you to be comfortable in talking to me.".

"I am baby." Jason replied, trying his best to look assured.

Kimberly pursed her lips and smiled. "You can't bullshit me Jase. I can read your mind like I read my bedtime books. You can't get away with it."

"I know. I, I just don't want to stress you out even more." Jason said, squeezing Kim's had which was in his now.

"You will stress me out if you continue being pigheaded and closed off like always. I need to know how you are and if I can do anything for you."

Jason took a big, deep breath and slowly exhaled, looking at Kimberly who was watching him expectantly. "I'm doing okay Kim. Obviously with what happened, I feel like shit."

"Don't say what I think you're going to say." Kimberly warned him.

"You did tell me to open up." He replied.

"Okay, sorry. Go ahead baby."

"If only I didn't stop us and we kept going. Rocky would've got to them glider things and Aisha would be alive right now." Jason confessed, looking down at their hands as he spoke.

"No, don't you dare put the blame on yourself." Kimberly argued. "I watched you do that for the two plus years we were rangers. You have always taken the blame."

"But I'm right. We slowed down because of me."

"From what you and the others told me. That Gasket dude came from out of nowhere anyway. You couldn't have stopped that." Kimberly placed a hand on Jason's chin and pulled his face up is that their eyes were level. "You did the right thing. It couldn't have been avoided. Nobody knew Gasket would do that and nobody knew how Goldar's brother had such a deadly aim. Do not blame yourself. You have nothing to feel guilty about."

"But."

"No buts. Stop taking the blame. From what I heard, Rocky and Tommy were the ones who decided to break the cage Aisha was in with their swords and wake up every alien in the galaxy."

"No Kim. That was the only way we could have got her out. They didn't do anything wrong."

Kimberly shot him a smile. "There you go. You see how silly it sounds? It was nobodies fault but the bad guys. They are the ones who did this and they're to blame."

"I guess you're right." Jason mumbled, Kimberly still searching his eyes to see if he was speaking with conviction.

Ring ring

Jason grabbed his cell phone from the table and saw who was calling them.

"It's Zack." He said, giving Kim a puzzled expression, seeing that it was quite late now.

"Yeah Zack. You ok bro?" Jason asked, putting the phone on loud.

"I'm good bro. Don't you two check your text messages?"

Kimberly grabbed her phone from the table and they read a message from Billy.

I have an early Thanksgiving present for you all. Meet me at my house tonight at 10 if you can.

"Oh fuck, it's past 10." Jason said.

" No shit. Get your butts here pronto guys. Everyone is here, even lazy ass Tommy got here in time."

"Hey."

They heard Tommy's voice in the background.

"Okay. Give us 10 minutes. We're not far. What even is it?" Jason asked.

"Billy won't tell us until we're all here. He did say we're going to love it."

"Okay that's fine Zack. We'll see you soon." Jason said, ending the call and flipping down the screen.

"Okay. This is interesting." Kimberly said, standing up to get out of the pajamas she was in. "I'll clean up after we come back." She snapped, catching Jason picking up the rest of the cutlery and rubbish from dinner.

They both quickly got dressed into some day clothes and went to Billy's house as fast as they could.

"Hey guys. Come in." Billy said, opening his front door and letting the couple inside his home. He led them down the short hallway and into the decently sized living room which was bursting with the rest of the eight power rangers.

"Hey guys. Nice of you to join us." Zack said with a smile, greeting his friends with a hug each.

"I guess we're still getting used to having this technology in our pockets." Jason replied, sitting down on a couch that Billy led them to.

"Well, hopefully I can change that a little bit." Billy said, standing in front of the sofas where the rangers were sat.

"What do you mean?" Tommy asked.

"I think you're all ready for the little thanksgiving surprise." Billy smiled broadly and waved towards the far right of the room which led to Billy's lab and garage. "Come in."

As Billy said the words, Alpha 7 strolled into the room. "Hi rangers."

"Hi Alpha." The rangers replied in unison, smiles plastered on their faces seeing their old friend.

"I persuaded Andros to let me borrow alpha for a while. With everything going on, I think we need to keep our ears and eyes open." Billy addressed the rangers.

"Billy told me his plan and I couldn't wait to help him." Alpha said.

"We went to the power chamber and tried to salvage any parts but were unable to find much. But we did manage to find these." Billy nodded at Alpha who pressed a button on a remote he was holding.

The sound of a siren rang throughout the house with the source of the noise coming from the lab.

"Whoah. You got the alarms back?" Jason asked.

"Yes. We programmed them to alert us in any cases of emergency. And don't worry. We have soundproofed the lab and fortified it, rendering it effectively inaccessible to anybody from the outside." Billy said.

Alpha pressed another button and the door that led to Billy's lab became encased by a solid steel wall. "The only way for anyone to get in, will be from the inside, once we take away the protective wall. The front and back doors have also been secured. "

"We thought, maybe we can use my lab as a temporary base, Alpha here will stay with us until the danger is no longer a problem."

"I will keep watch and alert you if any danger is detected. The viewing globe was damaged from when the command center was destroyed, I did however, manage to use its parts and create a new one."

"Wow. That's awesome." Tommy said.

"That's not all." Billy said, moving behind him and lifting up a box from the cabinet against the back wall. He faced it to the rangers and opened it.

"Oh shit." Rocky shouted.

"New communicators?" Jason asked.

"Affirmative. I used the old ones as a base model and forged new communicators. With the technology at my disposal and the parts we managed to recover from the power chamber. We managed to strengthen the power grid and make teleportation possible." Billy explained.

"No way. That's morphinominal Billy." Kimberly screamed with delight.

"Way to go Billy." Trini said, beaming at her friend.

"That's awesome bro. Well done." Tommy added.

Billy with a huge smile on his face, gave each ranger their new communicators. They looked very similar to the old ones, with each communicator surrounded by a strip of each ranger's suit color.

"Thank god. Now I won't have to hold my old in place. Damn thing was broken." Jason told his friends.

"Come on. Let me show you what we have done with my lab."

Billy led the jubilant team into his lab. Billy had always owned a lab, even at his mom's house, but this one was twice the size and had many more pieces of technology scattered around. From little inventions to a small control grid that Billy and Alpha engineered to help with teleportation and powering the morphing grid.

"Now we'll know if they try to attack again." Jason said, looking around the lab in awe.

The lab was bursting with amazing pieces of technology and Billy's inventions. The control grid looked sleek and brand new, the alarms were placed in each corner of the room and there was plenty of space for the rangers to stand in comfortably.

"I will be stationed here for the time being rangers. If you need anything, you can just teleport right into this lab." Alpha told them.

"But is it safe like the old command center? Like can anyone just teleport here or just rangers?" Tommy asked.

"It's just like the old command center. You need a power coin to be able to access this lab." Alpha answered.

"This is really amazing." Kat said, checking out the control grid.

"Where's the viewing globe?" Zack asked.

Billy smiled and pressed a button on the control grid. A flat screen popped out of a wall towards the lab entrance.

"I kinda borrowed the idea from Andros's megaship and applied it here on earth." Alpha explained.

"Man, this is unbelievable." Adam said with a grin, checking out the new sleek design of the viewing globe.

"Now we can try and enjoy thanksgiving with a bit of comfort and a clear mind." Billy said as his friends gathered around him and showed their appreciation with hugs and high fives.

The rangers had a little celebration back inside Billy's house. Billy had prepared some champagne as this was a monumental moment in ensuring Angel Grove's safety. After a bit of a celebration with their friends, the rangers bid each other farewell and left to get home and rest for thanksgiving the following day.

Thanksgiving

Kimberly awoke the next day to turn around and find Jason not in the bed. She was relieved when she heard the shower being turned on.

Mr. and Mrs. Scott had invited Kimberly and Jason over to their house for thanksgiving, so it was a pretty big day.

This wasn't the first time that Kimberly had celebrated thanksgiving over at Jason's House, but it was the first thanksgiving after their engagement. If the dinner at the Scotts House after their engagement was anything to go by, thanksgiving wouldn't be too difficult. Still though, Kimberly made sure she took her Xanax pill to keep a lid on her anxiety.

They got ready for around midday and wore some comfortable, casual clothing. Kimberly went for a beige sweater dress that kept her cozy in the mild November weather in California. She wore black boots and a matching beige handbag to complete her attire. Kimberly straightened her golden-brown hair with her fringe coming just short of her eyes.

Jason was dressed at least half an hour before Kimberly. He wore beige trousers at Kimberly's request, and a black shirt to go over it.

"Kimberly. Baby, you look amazing." Jason said as Kimberly applied a light coat of makeup at the dressing table in their bedroom. "But you certainly don't need any makeup."

"Get out of here! Of course, I do." She replied, putting on a natural shade of lipstick.

"No, you don't."

"I do. But you know me though. I don't go overboard." Kimberly said, checking out her reflection to see if she was happy with it.

"That's true. And I love that about you, you don't cake your face with makeup. You are just so naturally beautiful; you don't need to." Jason moved to stand behind her at the dressing table.

"Okay. What do u want mister?" Kimberly, happy with her appearance, stood up and purposely bumped into her partner, their faces close together.

"Nothing." Jason played with a strand of Kimberly's hair in front of her eyes. "I'm just falling in love with you more and more everyday."

Kimberly stared into Jason's eyes. She knew that he meant what he was saying. She could tell by the look of vulnerability in his eyes. "Oh baby. I know exactly how you feel. Trust me."

They stood there and stared into each others eyes until they were distracted by a notification from a phone. Jason hastily checked the message from his dad telling him that they were ready.

"Dad's saying they're ready for us." Jason told Kimberly, looking into her eyes again.

"Okay." Kimberly took a sharp inhale when Jason glanced at her lips. "You'll rub off my lipstick."

"I'll be gentle." Jason leaned in and very carefully and very gently brushed his lips on to Kimberly's. Kim closed her eyes but then shuddered when Jason placed a kiss on her neck. She felt as though cool, yet thick and heavy smoke went gliding up her spine, forcing her to let out a little moan of pleasure.

"Baby. Not now." She managed to mumble.

"I'm not doing anything." Jason responded innocently, slowly moving away, but was stopped by Kimberly dragging him back by the wrist.

"I love you, Jason."

"I love you too Kim."

After a cuddle they somehow let go of each other and picked up the gifts they had bought for thanksgiving. A nice bottle of Lillet blanc and a chardonnay and Kimberly had prepared a nice centerpiece of flowers too.

The got into a cab and made their way to the Scotts and their old street where they had many thanksgivings and Christmases in their youth.

"You shouldn't even knock." Mr. Scott said, opening the front door to his son and future daughter-in-law. "This is literally your own house."

"I know dad, but you know." Jason said shyly.

"No buts. Come on in kids." Mr Scott said. His sweet, friendly demeanor deceiving his large, muscular frame that almost blocked the doorway before he stepped aside.

Jason and Kimberly glanced at each other, Kimberly smiling nervously, and made their way inside.

"You both look beautiful." Mr. Scott said with a warm smile, turning to look at Kimberly. "Thank you for the gifts, I have a little surprise for you too Kim."

"Oh, what is it?" Kimberly said, slightly taken aback.

"Go into the living room and you'll see." Mason Scott said, taking the wine and flowers and walking into the kitchen from where wonderful aromas were just bursting out.

"Okay. That's weird." Jason said, taking Kimberly's hand.

"Come on. Let's get this over with." Kimberly said, a mix of excitement and nervousness creeping into her mind.

They walked forward and into the main room and couldn't believe what they saw. Especially Kimberly.

"Dad!" Kimberly screamed, running over and getting caught in a hug from her father.

"Kimberly, my baby." Mr. Hart let out a few tears as he embraced his daughter.

"I'm so glad to see you dad." Kimberly said, her father stepping back and taking in seeing his daughter for the first time in over half a decade.

"Me too my darling and congratulations." David Hart walked over to Jason and pulled him into a hug. "I couldn't have wished for a better man for my daughter."

"Thank you sir." Jason replied, shaking David's hand.

They sat down on the sofas. Kimberly sitting next to her father, leaning her head onto his shoulder, Jason sat opposite them.

"I'm so sorry Kimberly. I've been in my own world these last few years, but don't ever, for a second believe that I haven't thought about you or missed you." David hard planted a kiss on the top of his daughters head. "Work has been so hectic, I'm a community nurse now so I cover Angel Grove and its surrounding counties. Mason told me you guys were engaged and moving back home and I tried to be free as soon as I could."

"It's okay dad. You're here now." Kimberly said, clinging onto him as though he would disappear in a flash.

"I am. "Mr. Hart placed a hand over his daughters' hand. "With everything that went on with your mom, and my stupid, foolish addiction-"

"Look dad. I haven't seen you in like a decade." Kimberly looked up at her father with a somber expression. "It's thanksgiving. We can talk about it later."

"That's fine with me darling. Whatever is best for you." David Hart smiled at his daughter and then turned to Jason. "So, so tell me. How did this happen?"

Jason smiled shyly and tried to stay calm, being put on the spot. "I, we, just."

"Fell in love." Kimberly finished for him.

"When?" Mr. Hart said with a smile.

"Ummm."

"I'm just messing with you both. When I heard about it, I have to say, I wasn't surprised at all." Mr. Hart explained.

"Everyone keeps saying that." Kimberly laughed.

"Then it must have some weight to it." David motioned for Jason to join him and Kimberly on the sofa and placed an arm around them both. "I haven't been the best father to my daughter. But I need to thank you Jason and your family, for being there for my little girl when I wasn't."

"No need to thank us sir. Kimberly has always been my best friend so I was only fulfilling my duties." Jason said.

"I know, but I do need to thank you." David tilted his head towards his daughter. "I made a lot of mistakes baby girl. I hope you can one day forgive me."

Kimberly quickly wiped away a tear from her eye and smiled up at her dad. "I already have forgiven you dad. I'm just glad you're here now."

David Hart smiled at his daughter. "I'm so proud of you for fulfilling your dream and winning a gold medal. And being able to live your life so independently."

"Thanks dad. It wasn't easy, but I got through it. Jason has helped me so much too. He came to Florida to support me you know. That's where we kinda realized how we felt about each other." Kimberly stated, giddiness now beginning to take over.

"Oh really? I would've thought it was much earlier than that." Mr. Hart said, grinning at them both.

"I know. The timing was always off. I think we both knew, but didn't understand." Kimberly explained.

"Don't worry. Teenage years are confusing for all of us."

"Definitely. But the main thing is, we realized it eventually, and we're here now." Jason said.

"Totally agree. Congratulations kids."

The door opened and Mr. Scott entered the room. "I hope I'm not disturbing anything…"

"No, no, you're not Mason." David replied.

"Great. Who's hungry?"

Mrs. Scott had prepared a fabulous thanksgiving feast. Roast turkey, mashed potatoes, green beans, corn, gravy, stuffing, some dinner rolls and cranberry sauce. And to top it all off, a decadent pumpkin pie. Mrs. Scott didn't pull any punches and the diners agreed.

The food was eagerly consumed, many laughs being shared and for that brief moment, Jason and Kimberly forgot about their recent hard times.

It didn't end there with Kimberly and Jason however.

Zack and Trini were having thanksgiving with both their parents, at their place. Trini had a wonderful time preparing dinner with her mom and mother-in-law whilst Zack spent time with his dad and father-in-law. They weren't allowed in the kitchen by the way, the women thinking the men would ruin the thanksgiving dinner.

Tommy and Kat were at Tommy's parents house celebrating this holiday, Rocky, Tanya and Adam celebrated a little thanksgiving at their apartment. Rocky didn't feel like doing anything but after the turkey that Tanya made, it seemed to cheer him up. Billy Cranston spent his first holiday with Dan. Dan's parents knew about Daniels life and his sexuality, so naturally, Billy felt very comfortable when Daniel introduced him. They weren't officially an item yet, Billy didn't want to disrespect his former fiancé who had actually messaged Billy a happy thanksgiving, which he happily returned.

All in all, the day passed without any negativity, anything going wrong or even a sniff of trouble from Gasket and his minions.

This certainly surprised the rangers who all wore their new communicators in case anything happened. They had always dealt with the bad guys on holidays and important events. That's when they were at their weakest. So naturally, the evil powers attacked. But gasket had other Ideas.

Moon Palace

"But my lord, as you can see with your brilliant eyes, the rangers are very relaxed right now. That's why holidays are the best times to attack them. Their guards are down and they are weaker to our attacks." Scorpina explained to Prince Gasket and Princess Archerina.

"You are not wrong my dear Scorpina. Yet, how many times did Zedd and Rita attack the rangers and still come out on the losing side?" Gasket asked his warrior who could've give a response. "There you have it. I watched my father use the same tactics and still be defeated." Gasket stood up from the excruciatingly uncomfortable looking throne and walked over towards the platform from where the earth could be seen, spinning on its axis.

"The rangers have become used to attacks on these days. We need to change it up." Princess Archerina added.

"Yes, the rangers would certainly expect it to happen now. We must do this differently." Gasket turned to face Scorpina, who was stood a couple of uncomfortable metres away from Silverback. "Have you managed to procure the clay?"

"Yes sir." Scorpina replied.

"Did you manage to find Finster's book?"

Scorpina nodded her head.

"Then let's go ahead with the plan. Those pesky power punks will never expect it."

Angel Grove

"That was seriously an amazing dinner. Thank you." Kimberly said, washing up the last of the dishes. There was no way she would not help out her future mother-in-law today, after she wouldn't let her touch a single dish last time.

"Thank you, Kimberly, dear." Mrs. Scott replied. Drying the dishes with a dishcloth. "You are invited over here for Christmas you know. If you would like to come of course."

Kimberly's face lit up as she heard Mrs. Scott say those words. Apart from the Christmas she spent with Jason in 1997, this would be her first Christmas that she wouldn't have to spend alone. "I would love to."

Mrs. Scott smiled at her future daughter-in-law. "Excellent. And umm, it wouldn't be cheeky of me would it, if I asked you to come and give me a hand with the cooking?"

"No of course it isn't cheeky. To come and help the best cook I know, on Christmas too, it would be my pleasure." Kimberly replied, washing the last plate and handing it over to Jean.

"Perfect. I know you have always loved cooking, but now that you're family, I can't wait to share my recipes with you." Mrs. Scott replied, smiling brightly when Kimberly hugged her.

"I can't wait. Thank you, Mrs. Scott. I mean, mom." Kimberly quickly corrected herself, totally aware that the Scotts had always treated her like family.

"Aww, you called me mom." Jean said, smiling at Kimberly and walking back into the living room with her once the cleaning was complete.

The guys were all sat on the three separate couches, laid back watching the end of a thanksgiving football game. The Dallas cowboys had just beaten the Washington redskins 27-20.

Kimberly quickly moved to sit next to Jason, now realising just how much she was missing him.

"Hey." Jason said, smiling at his fiancé.

"Hey." Kimberly beamed back.

"How has your evening been?"

Kimberly's smile broadened even more. "The best."

Jason's heart purred seeing the smile embedded on his woman's beautiful face. A smile that would only get bigger.

"Kimberly, Jason." Mr. Hart stood up and addressed the couple. "I need to get to bed, I have a morning shift coming up, but I got you both a gift for your engagement."

"Sir, you didn't have to-"

Jason's protest was cut short by David Hart. "No I certainly did. Would you do a foolish father the favor of following him so he can give you both the gift?"

Kimberly nodded her head so Jason smiled and nodded his head also. The parents led them out of the house and towards number 173 Beech Grove, Kimberly's old house, still owned by her father.

Mr. Hart stopped at the garage, "Now, I do remember that Kimberly's favorite color is pink, but I had to get Mason's help on finding the right color, pink would be a bit too much for this." David Hart opened the garage door and both Jason and Kimberly's Jaws dropped.

"The new Lexus IS300!" David said with an air of showmanship. "Your parents told me that red was your favorite color Jason. And well, red isn't far away from pink is it? So I think you'll both like it right?"

Kimberly ran to her dad and wrapped in him in a tight hug. "Darling, you're stronger than you look." He told her.

"Thanks daddy. I love it. It's beautiful."

"Mr. Hart, this is amazing." Jason shook his head in disbelief. "But, I can't accept this."

"Oh, don't be silly Jason. It's the least I could do." David replied, quickly cutting Jason off. "You will offend me if you don't accept my gift. It's for the both of you."

Jason looked to his parents who just continued smiling, giving him no indication of what to do. He then glanced at Kimberly, who smiled at him and gave a single nod of the head. "Okay Mr. Hart. Thank you, sir, it's an amazing gift. It's gorgeous."

"No problem at all son. Why don't you take it for a test drive?"

"No, I don't think that's a great idea. We've had a little too much too drink haven't we?" Kim said, moving to place an arm around Jason waist and stared at the beautiful car.

"Yes, definitely." Jason agreed, giving everyone a little smile. "I'll come pick up after work. tomorrow, if that's okay with you sir?"

Mr. Hart stepped forward and gave Jason the keys to their new car. "As I said before. I couldn't think of a better person for Kimberly. You're like two peas in a pod." Mr. Hart smiled.

"Thank you, Sir." Jason responded.

"And just call me David now or whatever you're comfortable with. No need to for such formalities." David replied.

"Yes, of course. Thank you, David. I'm lost for words."

"Yeah dad, me too. It truly is an amazing gift." Kimberly beamed

"No problem kids. I have a lot more work to do in order to make amends. To win someone's trust and love again, you have to do more than just buy a little gift." David looked at the floor for a moment before snapping his head back up towards his daughter. "If you will honor me with that privilege of course princess."

"Definitely dad." Kimberly replied, blessing her father with a warm smile.

"Thanks kiddo." David closed the garage door and grabbed a hold of the front door key to his house. "I'll give you a call or send you a message when I'm free next. You can come over for that talk Kimberly, okay?"

"Yes dad. Don't take too long though."

"I won't sweetie, I promise." David smiled at his daughter. "Mason, Jean, thank you for the amazing dinner, and well, everything."

"Don't mention it David." Jason's father replied.

Mr. Hart gave everyone one last smile before going inside.

Jason and Kimberly called a cab and waited inside the Scott's house. They bid farewell to each other and the young couple made way to their apartment.

"Man, I can't believe the car your dad got for us. It wouldn't have been cheap." Jason said, sinking onto the bed.

"I know. I just hope he doesn't think he has to shower us with gifts. I'm happy if he's just in my life again." Kimberly replied, falling onto the bed next to Jason.

"I know baby. I'm sure he knows that."

Kimberly turned her head and gazed into Jason's eyes. "It's so crazy how nobody is surprised about us."

Jason smiled and inched closer to her. "C'mon. Think about it. Are you really that surprised that this is happening? Think about how close we were as kids. That kinda connection is rare, and it doesn't ever just vanish."

Kimberly contemplated Jason's words for a moment. "Yeah, you're right. I just wish we didn't grow apart so much at high school." She curved her lips into a little frown and placed her palm onto Jason's cheek.

"We didn't really drift that much though did we. We still hung out all the time and even saved the world together." Jason replied with a wry smile.

"I know. But, I do regret choosing to hide our friendship." Kimberly said whilst lazily stroking Jason's cheek, her other hand resting on his chest

"Hey. We were teenagers. Our emotions were all over the place. And we had our teenage social norms to adhere to."

"You're starting to sound like Billy. Which teenage social norms?"

"You know. The ones where guys and gals can't be friends. They have to either be boyfriend and girlfriend, or be enemies, or like brother and sister." Jason explained.

"And we ended up going for the latter." Kimberly said, her hand now stationary on Jason's jawline.

"Hey, whatever. That's in the past. We're here in the now. We're engaged and we'll be getting married. It's all worked out for us." Jason replied, placing his arm around Kimberly, pulling her closer to him in the process.

"Yeah. You're right."

"Kim, is everything okay?"

Kimberly watched as Jason searched her eyes with concern and offered him a reassuring smile. "Yeah babe. My period is a bit late so I guess that's just making me a bit emotional."

"Uh oh. Shall I sleep on the couch until it comes?" Jason said, fully prepared for the little kick on his shin.

"I'll kick your ass if you do that."

Jason chuckled and kissed Kimberly on the tip of her nose. "Does the pill affect your period?"

Kimberly scrunched up her nose in contemplation. "It affects everyone differently. I guess it does affect mine. Anyway, why are we talking about that. I've not started yet." Kimberly winked, slowly and blatantly.

"Are you tired?" Jason asked her with a mischievous smile.

"A little. But you destroyed me last time." She slid her hand down his chest, grabbed Jason's testicle and gave them a light squeeze .

"Ouch!"

"It's time for payback!" She growled, releasing her grip, moving forward and biting his bottom lip.

"I don't like the sound of that." Jason winced and put his hand down to guard his genitalia." That hurt."

"I'm sorry baby. No more ball grabbing" She said with a smile and a wink. "But I did get those handcuffs for a reason. You won't be able to escape from them tonight."

"Okay. All's fair in love and war I guess." Jason said, obediently laying down on to his back, preparing for whatever was about to come.

Jason awoke the next day to a disturbing noise coming from the en-suite bathroom. He slowly rubbed the sleep from his eyes and stood up. After getting out of bed, he made his way towards the noise and grabbed his foot in pain. He had just stepped on the handcuffs from last night's surprisingly fun adventures.

"Kim?"

He walked forward and placed his hand on the slightly ajar door.

"Jase. Don't come in."

"Kim. You okay?" He asked

"Yes. I've just puked up Jase. Please don't come in."

Jason blinked a few times to get the last of the sleepiness out of his eyes. "Okay. Let me know if you need me."

It was only just past 6am, Jason didn't need to be at work until later in the afternoon. Sensei Taylor would only be opening the dojo for half a day today due to it being the day after thanksgiving. And thank god for that. Jason waited on the bed for at least an hour until Kimberly popped back out from the bathroom wrapped in a towel, water dripping from her hair.

"Hey, you took your time, is everything okay?"

Kimberly winced and walked over to the wardrobe. "I'm sorry baby. I didn't want to come lay with you stinking of puke."

"There will be more situations like this since you're stuck with me for the rest our lives. Don't sweat it." Jason replied, one of his eyes open, the other one closed, a slight smile etched on his sleepy face.

"I know, I just don't want to put you off before we even get married." Kimberly said, taking out a fresh pair of pyjamas from the wardrobe.

"You won't ever put me off."

"That may change."

"It won't. Are you okay though?" he asked once again.

Kimberly put on some pyjama bottoms and sent her worried fiancé a smile. "Yeah. Too much food and way too much wine I think."

"Yeah, and add that to what you did last night. Damn." Jason smiled back.

"You had it coming."

"Don't worry. It's your turn next!" Jason shouted over the hairdryer that Kim was now using.

Kimberly dried her, got dressed into some fresh pyjamas and went back to bed. They had another few hours sleep until they had to wake up to get ready for work.

The rangers went about their usual lives again, nothing changing, no strange occurrences. Some of the rangers went to work whilst the lucky ones who were off work, they stayed around family and friends and had a nice, relaxing day.

It wasn't until the evening when everyone got home when their communicators rang with the voice of Alpha 7.

"Rangers. The alarms are going crazy. Teleport to the lab immediately.

"What's going on Alpha?" Billy asked, quickly joined by the rest of the team teleporting into Billy's lab.

"Observe the viewing globe... Well the viewing screen or whatever you want to call it." Alpha responded, pressing a button causing the screen to pop out from a wall. What they saw on the screen, shocked them all to the core.

"No way. This isn't possible." Jason said, disbelief and panic evident in his voice.

"I thought they were all gone." Tommy said.

"We defeated them!" Zack cried.

The rangers looked on in. Complete horror as a number of monsters marched into Angel Grove Park, the original rangers much more concerned than Adam, Rocky, Tanya and Kat who had not fought the monsters that were destroying Angel Grove Park.

They watched on in horror as they saw five monsters, they thought they had defeated. Eye eye guy, Pineoctopus, Spidertron, King sphinx and Pudgy Pig, all following Scorpina and Silverback, causing havoc in the park.

The rangers looked at each other with trepidation. They had fought these monsters before, and won, but never so many at one time.

"What do we do?" Adam asked nobody in particular.

Jason glanced at his friends, then back to the screen which showed the monsters blowing things up in the park.

"It's Morphin time."