Disclaimer: I own nothing you recognize.
Author's Notes: Sorry it's short but it's been so long since I posted something for this story! The next chapter will be longer and come sooner, I promise!
Chapter 3
Trini was patiently waiting outside of Stone Canyon mall. Kim was nearly ten minutes late but that did not really surprise her. Trini knew her friend and her habits. When Kim was a half an hour late, she would begin to worry but not before.
"Trini!" A perky voice called.
Trini smiled as she spotted Kimberly yelling at her from her car. "Just let me find a place to park and we can get started!"
It was all Trini could do not to laugh out loud. 'Really, if Kim could find a job where she could just shop all day she would be in heaven.' Trini thought. Kim had jumped at the chance to help Trini shop for her new home. They had planned to do so after they found her an apartment but since Jason needed to find a place too, they had pushed back their house hunting plans to allow him some time to settle.
A few minutes later, Trini found herself being almost bowled over by her energetic friend. Though they had talked frequently on the phone, it had been months since they had last seen each other. Kim could not resist giving her oldest and best friend a big hug.
"It's so good to see you!" Kim gushed. "I can't believe you're coming home for good! I won't have to wait months to see you anymore!"
Trini laughed. It was still the same old Kim. "I can't believe it either! I hadn't even thought about coming back here until I got that job offer. I mean, yeah, it's kind of home, but my parents and brother live in Colorado now so I'm not as attached as I could be."
"Well, I'm certainly glad you're home!" Kim smiled and grabbed Trini's hand as she pulled her towards the mall entrance. "Come on! We've got some power shopping to do!"
Trini smiled as Kim marched determinedly into the mall. It was definitely good to be home.
*****
"So how's life at Angel Grove elementary?" Trini asked as she and Kim browsed through Reitman's. Trini wanted a new suit for her first day on the job.
"It's great. I love my kids and the staff! Don't even get me started. Honestly, some of the guys' beat Rocky and Zack on their worst days. You would not believe how many prank wars go on in that school. If only the students knew what their teachers got up to in the staff room." Kim shook her head. "What about you? What made you decide to switch from that big office in San Francisco to the one in Angel Grove?"
"Money. I'm the head of the legal department here. There I was just another lawyer." Trini told her.
"And living in the same city as most of your friends had nothing to do with it, right? Or..." Kim asked, her eyebrows rising.
"I did have friends there you know. Not like you guys but it's not like I wasn't happy." Trini interrupted before she could finish.
"Or getting away from Brad?" Kim questioned.
Trini sighed. "Well, the opportunity was there so why not take it. I mean, more money, no psycho ex boyfriend..."
"It's not like he was going to bug you anytime soon. You did break his arm. Didn't he think you had to be a skinny guy with implants in disguise after that?" Kim reminded her.
"Yeah." Trini giggled at the memory. "But...I don't know. Haven't you ever just wanted to get a fresh start somewhere? Or maybe not a completely fresh start since I have so much history here but a..." Trini paused for a moment , searching for the right word. "a rebooted one?"
"Hmmm, a certain place called Florida and one horrible letter that was the biggest mistake of my life come to mind." Kim replied.
"That's different and you know it." Trini said as she pulled a muted orange blouse off a rack and held it up. "What do you think?"
"Orange is not you. Try the yellow." Kim tried to look innocent as Trini shot her an annoyed look. Pink still made up a lot of her wardrobe but Trini had very little yellow in hers. "And of course it was different. As you said, you had an opportunity. Me? I was just being stupid and homesick."
"Breaking up with Tommy in a 'Dear John' letter was a little callous but you and Shawn had fun while you were together, didn't you?" Trini reminded her. "Besides, I think it's good that you two had some experience with other people before you got together for good."
"It's not like I never had a boyfriend before Tommy came along." Kim mentioned.
Trini shot her an amused glance. "Kim, week long relationships where you held hands at recess is not really having a boyfriend. And in high school, well, Jason scared a lot of jerks away before they had a chance to ask you out. Unfortunately it also scared some of the possibly nice catches away as well."
"Having him as a big brother really put a dent in our love lives didn't it?" Kim grinned. She had appreciated it when Jason had chased off her unwanted admirers, and there had been a few, but knowing you would have to face one of Angel Grove's finest martial artists if you hurt her had driven away other guys as well. Skull was the only person whose efforts had not wavered.
"Richie once told me he had never felt as intimidated as when Jason told him that he'd better---'treat me right', I think it was before that dance we went to together." Trini added with a smile. "And Jason actually liked Richie."
"That doesn't surprise me at all. I think the only person he didn't intimidate was Tommy." Kim smiled. "And that was only because they were best friends. Poor Jase, he must have been so torn, trying to protect his 'little sister' and his best buddy at the same time."
"Yeah, but that's Jason for you." Trini fell serious. "How is he doing?"
Kim sighed. She had told Trini all the details she knew over the phone the day that Jason had told her and the former Yellow Ranger had been as worried as they had been. "I'm not really sure. Tommy talked to him twice on the phone before he came home and he told me that he had sounded a little shaky both times but he didn't want to decide anything until he saw him. Then he was asleep on his feet when we picked him up last night. He seemed fine this morning but I just don't know. It can't be easy for him. I'll know more when I can get the details out of Tommy. He kind of wanted to talk to Jason alone for awhile."
Kim paused for a moment before going on, deciding how much she should reveal. "He walked into the coffee table this morning and he's wearing shades. He says that his eyes are scarred pretty badly."
"Poor Jase!" Trini sighed, looking slightly stricken. She put the jacket she had been looking at back on the rack. "Come on; let's go to the food court. We need to talk about this."
Kim was puzzled but let herself be pulled along by her friend. She knew Trini's concern for Jason ran deeper than anyone else knew. After all, she had been the only one Trini had confided in that she had had a major crush on Jason just before they became Rangers. They had never really talked about it again, but Kim was willing to beat that Trini still had had lingering feeling for the handsome martial artist for a long time.
"So what exactly are we talking about here?" Kim asked when they sat down with smoothies from Cultures. They were not Ernie's smoothies but they were the next best thing.
"I'm just thinking..." Trini paused trying to organize her thoughts properly. "Jason is going to have trouble now, right? And he will for awhile probably."
"Yeah." Kim agreed. "He's basically got to learn how to do everything all over again."
"Well, maybe we should talk about it first. You know, figure out what we can do so he doesn't have to worry about what his limitations are. And also, there are some things we probably shouldn't say around him now." Trini told her.
"I guess so. I haven't really thought about it. I'm just glad he decided to come back so we can help him if he needs it." Kim replied. "But I figure he'll ask for help when he needs it."
Trini looked sceptical. "This is Jason we're talking about. He's the most stubborn person I've ever met. He's not going to ask for help because he'll get it in his head that he can do everything for himself. I'm scared he'll manage to get himself hurt along the way."
"Tommy won't let that happen." Kim assured him. "Believe me, he's gone through one guilt trip because he couldn't be there for Jason right after the accident he's not going to let him get hurt in any way for a very, very long time or until Jason finally gets feed up. You know what Tommy can be like when he's trying to protect someone."
"I pity your children if he becomes an over-protective parent." Trini remarked dryly. "I meant helping Jason in more subtle ways because he'll probably get frustrated with outright protection really fast."
"He is a grown man now, you know. He'll get really mad if he thinks we're babying him." Kim reminded her friend.
"He'll be mad and frustrated if little things keep getting in the way. Think about it Kim, he's not going to be able to read cooking instructions and you know what he cooks tastes like when he does follow the directions. He's not going to be able to see what he's buying at the store. He's not going to be able to drive. There's so much he'll have trouble with and I don't think he should have to worry about it, not until he's settled here." Trini sighed. "I just want to make it easy for him Kim, that's all."
Kim smiled in sympathy at her friend. She knew how much it bothered Trini to see Jason hurt. Hell, if it were Tommy she would be reacting the same way herself. "Well...we are helping him apartment shop. We'll be able to make sure he's close and make sure he doesn't just buy the first place in his price range without looking at how easy he'll have it there."
"And that's just a start." Trini added quickly. She would not let her friend get anymore hurt than he already had been. She would simply not allow it.
Author's Notes: Sorry it's short but it's been so long since I posted something for this story! The next chapter will be longer and come sooner, I promise!
Chapter 3
Trini was patiently waiting outside of Stone Canyon mall. Kim was nearly ten minutes late but that did not really surprise her. Trini knew her friend and her habits. When Kim was a half an hour late, she would begin to worry but not before.
"Trini!" A perky voice called.
Trini smiled as she spotted Kimberly yelling at her from her car. "Just let me find a place to park and we can get started!"
It was all Trini could do not to laugh out loud. 'Really, if Kim could find a job where she could just shop all day she would be in heaven.' Trini thought. Kim had jumped at the chance to help Trini shop for her new home. They had planned to do so after they found her an apartment but since Jason needed to find a place too, they had pushed back their house hunting plans to allow him some time to settle.
A few minutes later, Trini found herself being almost bowled over by her energetic friend. Though they had talked frequently on the phone, it had been months since they had last seen each other. Kim could not resist giving her oldest and best friend a big hug.
"It's so good to see you!" Kim gushed. "I can't believe you're coming home for good! I won't have to wait months to see you anymore!"
Trini laughed. It was still the same old Kim. "I can't believe it either! I hadn't even thought about coming back here until I got that job offer. I mean, yeah, it's kind of home, but my parents and brother live in Colorado now so I'm not as attached as I could be."
"Well, I'm certainly glad you're home!" Kim smiled and grabbed Trini's hand as she pulled her towards the mall entrance. "Come on! We've got some power shopping to do!"
Trini smiled as Kim marched determinedly into the mall. It was definitely good to be home.
*****
"So how's life at Angel Grove elementary?" Trini asked as she and Kim browsed through Reitman's. Trini wanted a new suit for her first day on the job.
"It's great. I love my kids and the staff! Don't even get me started. Honestly, some of the guys' beat Rocky and Zack on their worst days. You would not believe how many prank wars go on in that school. If only the students knew what their teachers got up to in the staff room." Kim shook her head. "What about you? What made you decide to switch from that big office in San Francisco to the one in Angel Grove?"
"Money. I'm the head of the legal department here. There I was just another lawyer." Trini told her.
"And living in the same city as most of your friends had nothing to do with it, right? Or..." Kim asked, her eyebrows rising.
"I did have friends there you know. Not like you guys but it's not like I wasn't happy." Trini interrupted before she could finish.
"Or getting away from Brad?" Kim questioned.
Trini sighed. "Well, the opportunity was there so why not take it. I mean, more money, no psycho ex boyfriend..."
"It's not like he was going to bug you anytime soon. You did break his arm. Didn't he think you had to be a skinny guy with implants in disguise after that?" Kim reminded her.
"Yeah." Trini giggled at the memory. "But...I don't know. Haven't you ever just wanted to get a fresh start somewhere? Or maybe not a completely fresh start since I have so much history here but a..." Trini paused for a moment , searching for the right word. "a rebooted one?"
"Hmmm, a certain place called Florida and one horrible letter that was the biggest mistake of my life come to mind." Kim replied.
"That's different and you know it." Trini said as she pulled a muted orange blouse off a rack and held it up. "What do you think?"
"Orange is not you. Try the yellow." Kim tried to look innocent as Trini shot her an annoyed look. Pink still made up a lot of her wardrobe but Trini had very little yellow in hers. "And of course it was different. As you said, you had an opportunity. Me? I was just being stupid and homesick."
"Breaking up with Tommy in a 'Dear John' letter was a little callous but you and Shawn had fun while you were together, didn't you?" Trini reminded her. "Besides, I think it's good that you two had some experience with other people before you got together for good."
"It's not like I never had a boyfriend before Tommy came along." Kim mentioned.
Trini shot her an amused glance. "Kim, week long relationships where you held hands at recess is not really having a boyfriend. And in high school, well, Jason scared a lot of jerks away before they had a chance to ask you out. Unfortunately it also scared some of the possibly nice catches away as well."
"Having him as a big brother really put a dent in our love lives didn't it?" Kim grinned. She had appreciated it when Jason had chased off her unwanted admirers, and there had been a few, but knowing you would have to face one of Angel Grove's finest martial artists if you hurt her had driven away other guys as well. Skull was the only person whose efforts had not wavered.
"Richie once told me he had never felt as intimidated as when Jason told him that he'd better---'treat me right', I think it was before that dance we went to together." Trini added with a smile. "And Jason actually liked Richie."
"That doesn't surprise me at all. I think the only person he didn't intimidate was Tommy." Kim smiled. "And that was only because they were best friends. Poor Jase, he must have been so torn, trying to protect his 'little sister' and his best buddy at the same time."
"Yeah, but that's Jason for you." Trini fell serious. "How is he doing?"
Kim sighed. She had told Trini all the details she knew over the phone the day that Jason had told her and the former Yellow Ranger had been as worried as they had been. "I'm not really sure. Tommy talked to him twice on the phone before he came home and he told me that he had sounded a little shaky both times but he didn't want to decide anything until he saw him. Then he was asleep on his feet when we picked him up last night. He seemed fine this morning but I just don't know. It can't be easy for him. I'll know more when I can get the details out of Tommy. He kind of wanted to talk to Jason alone for awhile."
Kim paused for a moment before going on, deciding how much she should reveal. "He walked into the coffee table this morning and he's wearing shades. He says that his eyes are scarred pretty badly."
"Poor Jase!" Trini sighed, looking slightly stricken. She put the jacket she had been looking at back on the rack. "Come on; let's go to the food court. We need to talk about this."
Kim was puzzled but let herself be pulled along by her friend. She knew Trini's concern for Jason ran deeper than anyone else knew. After all, she had been the only one Trini had confided in that she had had a major crush on Jason just before they became Rangers. They had never really talked about it again, but Kim was willing to beat that Trini still had had lingering feeling for the handsome martial artist for a long time.
"So what exactly are we talking about here?" Kim asked when they sat down with smoothies from Cultures. They were not Ernie's smoothies but they were the next best thing.
"I'm just thinking..." Trini paused trying to organize her thoughts properly. "Jason is going to have trouble now, right? And he will for awhile probably."
"Yeah." Kim agreed. "He's basically got to learn how to do everything all over again."
"Well, maybe we should talk about it first. You know, figure out what we can do so he doesn't have to worry about what his limitations are. And also, there are some things we probably shouldn't say around him now." Trini told her.
"I guess so. I haven't really thought about it. I'm just glad he decided to come back so we can help him if he needs it." Kim replied. "But I figure he'll ask for help when he needs it."
Trini looked sceptical. "This is Jason we're talking about. He's the most stubborn person I've ever met. He's not going to ask for help because he'll get it in his head that he can do everything for himself. I'm scared he'll manage to get himself hurt along the way."
"Tommy won't let that happen." Kim assured him. "Believe me, he's gone through one guilt trip because he couldn't be there for Jason right after the accident he's not going to let him get hurt in any way for a very, very long time or until Jason finally gets feed up. You know what Tommy can be like when he's trying to protect someone."
"I pity your children if he becomes an over-protective parent." Trini remarked dryly. "I meant helping Jason in more subtle ways because he'll probably get frustrated with outright protection really fast."
"He is a grown man now, you know. He'll get really mad if he thinks we're babying him." Kim reminded her friend.
"He'll be mad and frustrated if little things keep getting in the way. Think about it Kim, he's not going to be able to read cooking instructions and you know what he cooks tastes like when he does follow the directions. He's not going to be able to see what he's buying at the store. He's not going to be able to drive. There's so much he'll have trouble with and I don't think he should have to worry about it, not until he's settled here." Trini sighed. "I just want to make it easy for him Kim, that's all."
Kim smiled in sympathy at her friend. She knew how much it bothered Trini to see Jason hurt. Hell, if it were Tommy she would be reacting the same way herself. "Well...we are helping him apartment shop. We'll be able to make sure he's close and make sure he doesn't just buy the first place in his price range without looking at how easy he'll have it there."
"And that's just a start." Trini added quickly. She would not let her friend get anymore hurt than he already had been. She would simply not allow it.