Second Chances Saga

by cobalt-blue

The MMPR get a second chance after dying in a battle they can't win. Romantic slash fic in AU. Power Rangers/StormQuest xover. Loosely based on Karen Davis' BLUE YONDER. Epilog.

1. Default Chapter

The Second Chances Saga: Chapter 1- Decisions in the Gray. Fandom: Power Rangers/ Alternate Universes (duh!) Notes: This story takes place before they lose the Dinozords. Zack has moved to Iowa, and Adam took his place. There was no Peace Conference. It is loosely based on Karen Davis' BLUE YONDER, (I guess it's one of the five universes Jason never made it to.) and that concept is used with her permission.

Disclaimers: I don't own the Power Rangers, Zordon, Zords, Angel Grove, Ernie's or any of Saban's other properties. If I did, I can guarantee you it wouldn't be a kiddie show. I also don't own Storm Quest, Temblor or the Time Shard. They belong to my buddies over at Sky Comics. (Joe- Just be glad I left Seeker alone-) The rest is all from my own twisted mind, and that of my best friend Kim Nichols-Hornbuckle. This is slash fiction. If you don't like guys in love with each other- run as far and as fast as you can. I'm always open to constructive criticism. I can be reached at cobalt- blue@rocketmail.com

I don't think I can do this.

If you don't, then their reality will be destroyed.

That was supposed to make it easier?

No. It was supposed to make it clear to you how important it is.

I know how important it is. But if I do this, then it will bring endless sorrow to them, and that's not fair.

Sorrow or death? Which is preferable? Never mind, I know your answer.

SILENCE

Approach it from this angle: perhaps you will find the answer you seek there.

SILENCE

Are you listening?

SILENCE

I asked a question.

If I do this, I do it my way, my rules.

That is not the way things are usually done.

Then find someone else.

There is on one else.

I know.

You would hold an entire universe hostage for the sake of a few.

No, I do it for the sake of love, for the sake of what should be, but for a perversion of the Master's laws. A universe that would forsake love isn't worth saving.

You are a stubborn man. And a romantic.

I had an excellent teacher. Take it or leave it. My way, or no way.

SILENCE

SILENCE

Fine, you are free to act as you will, but there is a price.

There is always a price.

You must join them.

Join them?

Become one of them. For the sake of love.

Very well.

You agreed too easily.

I agreed to give them the chance we never had.

That is why the Master chose you.

You won't be alone. I promise you.

You promised that before.

I know. I failed.

No. I failed. I failed to protect you. I failed to keep you close. I let her kill you. I won't fail again. I won't let her take from them what she took from us.

I love you.

I love you too. Jason suddenly felt the grid go off-line. His tyrannosaur 'zord immediately powered down and stood helpless on the battlefield. Straining his neck, he looked out the main canopy to see in the distance Kimberly's pterodactyl plummet from the sky and slam headlong into the motionless form of the triceratops. He felt something die deep inside him, as he realized that nobody could have survived that explosion, Morphin' Power or not.

Pounding his fists in helpless frustration with tears flowing down his face he watched as each of the other 'zords met a similar fate. Whoever these new invaders were, they played by a completely different set of rules than he was used to.

Looking up, he saw an even dozen missiles streaking toward his 'zord- more than enough to finish him off. Working frantically he tried to force the emergency escape hatch open, but to no avail. Finally accepting his fate, his last thoughts before the blast took him were, "At least we'll be together."



It was a great gray plane with no detail. It wasn't warm, it wasn't cold. There was no light, no darkness. Only existence. Time meant nothing- there was only now. "What would you give to save them?" A gentle voice came from behind Kimberly Hart.

Turning to face the speaker, some part of her mind registered that she was still dressed in the pink mini-dress she was wearing at the party at the Youth Bar before the attack. The man-no, not quite a man, but not a boy either- was tall and whipcord thin. Shadows seem to dance around him like dark faeries. His hair so black as to have blue highlights, and deep cerulean eyes that reflected some deep sorrow stood in contrast to the deep shadows. He was handsome, painfully so, and it hurt Kim just to look at him. "What?" she asked.

He smiled gently at her. "What would you give to save your friends?" he asked again gently.

"What do you want?" she answered wondering where she was and what this man was talking about. Deep inside her, she realized that she had little of value to give, but, whatever he wanted, it would be worth her friend's lives.

"What do you have to give?"

She shook her head, "I don't know, but whatever you want that I have is yours. Just save them."

"Will you give your love?"

"To you?" she asked, but realized that if that was what it took, she'd do it.

The man smiled sadly, "No, to them."

"I don't understand."

He smiled, "I thought I made it clear. Would you give them your love?" She knew he meant something beyond the love of friendship. She only knew of one other kind of love.

"I don't think they're interested in my love." She blushed deeply, "Except for Tommy."

The man-boy chuckled. "I'm not talking about your body. I mean your soul. Would you bind it to theirs. Would you stand side by side with them against a force that makes anything you have faced up until now look like a picnic?"

"I thought we already were." Kim told him. Deep inside though, she knew that not be the case. True, she and her friends had forged a bond that was deep and abiding, but there was still something missing from the connection. An absence that was necessary for the Power they wielded to be transferred from one holder to the next. Looking down, she saw the Power Coin in her hand, cold and lifeless. A thought came unbidden to her lips, "Am I dead?"

The man shook his head, "No, not yet. I am offering you a chance to go back. I'm offering you the power to fight the invaders, to save Earth. But it comes at a price."

"What price?" she asked.

"That you be forever bound to your friends. That you give them and yourself," he chuckled ironically, "believe it or not, but self-love is very important here- your love freely and of your own will. That you be willing, not to die for them, but to live for them. Can you do that?"

Kim was confused. "I love my friends with all my heart. I'll do whatever it takes to save them," she told him.

"Especially Tommy?" the man asked with a smile.

"No, all of them. Billy, Jason, Trini, Adam, all of them."

He smiled again and insisted, "But especially Tommy."

Finally realized that he was seeing to her heart and relented. "Especially Tommy." Tears of shame welled up in her eyes.

"Good, honesty is very important." He smiled and brushed away a tear with the back of his hand. "Don't worry. You're not making a deal with the devil. I've been called a lot names, I've even met the gentleman, but I am not he." Taking her chin in his hand, he smiled down at her. Kim saw a great kindness in his own tear stained eyes. "Do you not think that your friends have their own loves? People they'd be willing to die for?"

She nodded, "I always thought we all would each die for the others." Wiping away the remaining tears with the back of her own hand. "I guess. I just."

"What you feel for Tommy is special?" he asked in an non-accusatory tone.

Kim nodded. "It just seems wrong. I should love them all equally."

The man smiled, "But you don't want to share your body with the others."

Kim was shocked by the question. "Of course not! Is that what you're asking me to do?"

The man shook his head, "No. I'm just making a point. You might be surprised to find that several of your friends share similar feelings for each other that you and Tommy do for each other."

She smiled, "I always thought that Trini and Jason would make a good couple." She laughed, "And I guess I thought it would be neat if she and Billy would get together. They're both hyper intelligent, and seem comfortable around each other."

The man smiled. "Be that as it may, my question still stands. Are you willing to bond yourself to them eternally?" He shook his head, "Not for the rest of your lives, but for the rest of all lifetimes."

Kimberly was confused, "Now I really don't understand."

He smiled again and put a gentle hand on her shoulder, "I didn't at first either. Let me ask you this way: would you be willing to bind your fate to theirs even beyond death?"

She smiled, "You mean heaven or hell for all of us?"

"Something like that."

"Will we be able to stop the invaders?"

"Possibly." He shrugged. "They are powerful, and not of your universe, but it can be done." He looked down, "I did it." Looking back up he fixed her with his gaze. Suddenly she felt an overwhelming sense of loss and despair wash over her, "It cost me more than I should have ever had to pay- more than they should have had to pay- but I did it. My Earth is free."

Kimberly felt her heart melt for this strange man. It was her turn to reach out and touch him. "Then how can I refuse. If there is a chance, if one man can do it, then why can't six?"

He smiled at her, "So much like my own Suzanne- the hidden rock that all others rest upon." He turned from her and said, "Done."

Kimberly suddenly felt an infusion of power pour through her body. It was like being connected directly to the Morphin' grid but beyond that. "So this is what Zordon meant by May the Power Protect You."

Before she faded away, Kimberly heard him say, "No. You now ARE the Power." **************************************************************

Billy couldn't believe what the man was asking. "Isn't that an asinine question? I would not have been engaged in a futile battle against a vastly superior force, if I weren't prepared to go back and do it again."

The man in front of him smiled again, "It's easy to die for your friends, William Cranston. Living for them, loving them is what is hard. Are you willing to do that?"

"I'm willing to do what ever it takes," Bill told the stranger.

"Are you willing to bare your soul to them?" The man fixed his gaze on Billy and he felt himself writhe under its intensity. "Are you willing to bare your soul to the one you fear?"

Billy swallowed hard. "I never acted."

"I know. That's why I'm asking you this question. If given this chance are you going to go back and hide behind that dictionary you call a vocabulary, or are you going to act on what you've felt all these long years?"

Billy considered what he was asking. It would take a great deal of courage, possibly more than he felt he could muster. Then the image of his friends dying at the hands of the invading fleet came to mind again, "why is it important to you?"

The man smiled, "Good question. None of your friends have thought to ask that. It's very simple. If you're not willing to give love a chance, then why should you give life a chance?"

"And if it costs me both the friendship and the love?" Billy asked.

The man winced and Billy knew he hit a nerve with the question, "At least you tried. Then if you can, you come back here and pass beyond the veil where not even I can touch you."

Something about what he said didn't make sense. "Who are you?"

The man smiled again, "Just a veteran." He sighed, "Of a thousand psychic wars."

"I always hated that song," Billy put both hands on his hips.

The man smiled, but Billy noticed this time it was a cold smile, devoid of humor, "I'm someone who is willing to show you how to gain the Power you need to stop the invaders. All I ask in return is that you be honest with yourself and the universe."

Billy took a moment to consider what he was being asked. Expressing his feelings was not his normal way of dealing with life. He'd rather duck his head and hope for the best. Dealing with what he was feeling head on was more of Jason's or Tommy's style. For no other reason than to save his friends, he'd be willing to do it. However, he had other reasons. He had some unfinished business with one of the other Rangers, and that was enough. He answered simply and concisely, "Affirmative."

***********************************************************

Tommy looked the guy up and down closely. The first question that came to his mind was: can I take him? He didn't move like a warrior, he didn't act like a warrior, but one can never tell. Mr. Ko didn't move or act like a warrior, but he was definitely somebody Tommy didn't want mad at him. "No question about it. I'll go."

"Are you willing to give."

"My body? My soul? My love?" Tommy asked. "Yes all of it."

"You don't have any reservations?" the man asked.

Tommy shook his head. "Nope. I love all of them, and would kick in the gates of hell for any of them." The man started to ask something but Tommy cut him off with a smile, "Especially Kimberly."

The man just smiled. "You're a rare man Tommy Oliver. You face the world head on. I like that." He chuckled, "and if you ever have to attack those gates, let me know. I'll hold your coat for you."

***********************************************************

Trini thought about the man's question. She remembered the crash. She remembered the crushing power of the 'zord's bulkhead collapsing on her. She thought of how her family must feel. "It's better that I'm gone." She shook her head. "No. I won't go back. My battles are finished. Let me rest. I've fought enough in this life. I want peace for the next one."

The man smiled sadly at her. "Very well."

She felt herself being pulled away from the gray plain and toward some other source of great joy. A warmth and love wrapped around her as she passed beyond even her visitor's ability to reach.

***********************************************************

"What would you give to save them?" A voice asked him.

"That was a dumb question," Jason turned to face the tall man standing near him. "What do you want?"

"What've you got?" he smiled at Jason.

"Not much," Jason told him.

"Would you give them the truth?" the man asked.

"I thought I had to pay you something," Jason commented.

"You don't owe me anything. I'm just here to decide if you and your friends are worthy of saving," the man told him.

"What will it cost to save them? Forget about me," Jason told him.

The man smiled. "Just like that, you'd sacrifice yourself to save them?

"In a minute," Jason told him without hesitation.

"Especially."

"Yes," Jason cut him off.

"Are you willing to bare your soul to that person?" the man asked with a smile.

"I regret keeping it to myself already," Jason said. "I wish I'd said something a long time ago."

The man smiled, "You'll do, Jason Scott. You'll do."

*********************************************

Adam listened to the man's offer, considered his options, and the joy he knew to be waiting on the other side of the veil. A joy that was calling to him, but at the same time he felt a strong sense of loss. If he gave into the joy, he'd never be able to make up for that loss. He'd never be able to make up the debt he felt that the universe owed.

"I'll go back," he finally said.

"Why?" the man asked him. Adam got the impression that his answer had caught him off guard.

"Because I owe it to someone." He wasn't about to tell this stranger that he'd already made his own deal. It wasn't as good as he'd like, but it was good enough. To be honest, when it had been explained to him, and by whom, he found himself unable to refuse.

"I don't know about whom I am more concerned over their answers," the man told him. "You or the Kwan girl." Shrugging, he turned to face in the opposite direction. "But I won't look a gift horse in the mouth." He sighed. "You are again six."

Adam heard the other voice this time. It is time.

The man spoke, "I'm not sure how to do this."

I'll show you.

The world flashed away, and they were standing in the Power Chamber, or what was left of it.

************************************************************

Tommy looked around the area. The whole command center had been demolished and laid bare to the California sky. Looking down the mountain to the city below, he wondered about how little damage had been done to it. "I don't understand," Billy said. "I'd have thought that the invaders would have obliterated the city with our demise."

"They have withdrawn for now." A definitely feminine voice said. Turning to where it came from, Tommy saw a short thin woman with ice blonde hair. "Your decisions in Sheol have bought your world some time." The woman shook her head as she picked her way through the rubble. "This place is a total loss."

"Who are you?" Kim asked as she stood next to him. Tommy noticed she was wearing the dress she'd worn earlier. "Where's Zordon?"

The woman frowned at her, "Zordon of Eltar has been freed from his prison and returned to the time stream." Looking around at the blasted command center, "I am Winter Hayes, your new advisor."

"Advisor?" Jason asked as he kept stealing glances to his left.

The woman nodded. "The rules have changed somewhat. It's been decided that you need less of a commander and more of an advisor."

"And a combat trainer," a second feminine voice came from behind the rubble. Tommy followed the sound to see the biggest woman he'd ever encountered in his life pick her way through the debris. Where Winter was short, barely clearing five feet, this woman was huge, almost seven feet tall and built like an Amazon.

Winter smiled, "This is Murphy Stone, she's sort of a specialist in training people like yourselves."

The tall woman nodded as she set her bag down. Something obviously caught her eye because she stopped in mid-stoop and the only sound that came from her was slight "oh."

Tommy followed her gaze back to Billy. Something about the young Blue Ranger had disturbed her. "What is it?"

The woman stood and straightened her clothing, "Nothing. You just look like someone I used to know." There was something in her voice that told Tommy there was more to it than she was telling.

"And that would be?" Another strange voice asked. This one was at least male. Looking over he realized that he'd failed to recognize the person wearing yellow off to his side wasn't Trini. In fact he wasn't even female.

"Who are you?" Adam asked, a worried tone to his voice. Tommy had a bad feeling about what the answer was going to be.

The other boy was short- shorter than even Adam- and slim. He was wearing a yellow muscle tee and a pair of black sweats. He was built like a tumbler. His face was framed by straight blue black hair that offset piercing blue eyes. "I'm Kyle," he said confused. "I think. The last thing I remember was being at the Youth Bar when the roof caved in." He shook his head. "The next thing I know, I'm talking to this funny guy dressed all in black, and he's asking me some pretty strange questions." Tommy couldn't help but think that the guy looked sad, "I think I died."

"I think we all did," Kim said looking around for someone. "Where's Trini?"

"She chose not to return," the woman calling herself Winter told them. "She wanted to go on."

"You know of the events that transpired in that gray place?" Billy looked around at the others, "Or at least seemed to transpire." Shaking his head, "I'm not so sure I'm inclined to believe it all." Billy was like that, anything that had even a whiff of magic or mysticism tended to it set his teeth on edge. As if sensing Tommy's thoughts, Winter laughed with a sound that reminded him of tinkling glass, "Are you familiar with Clarke's Law?"

Billy gave the woman a cold look, "Of course."

"Then accept it as that."

Billy nodded, "Any sufficiently advanced technology would be indistinguishable from magic."

"That's usually the way I deal with it," Stone told him. "It helps that I've spent most of my adult life around people with triple digit IQs that start with 2 and above."

"Since when do we need someone to teach us how to fight?" Tommy asked. He could still feel the Power flow through him. It felt different than from the Morphin' grid. Like it wasn't filtered or something.

"Not how to fight," Murphy told him and then looked over at the newcomer. "Or maybe that too. Primarily I'm here to help you adjust to being connected to what ever source it is that Covenant draws from."

"Covenant?" Billy asked.

"The man to whom you spoke. His name is Covenant. He's sort of a guardian, a Power Ranger from his dimension. He connected you directly to what you call the Power."

"I got the feeling that he failed to stop whatever attacked us in his world," Jason said.

"No, not fail," Kimberly told him. "I think the rest of his team died. He was the only survivor." She shrugged, "I think that's what he told me. He seemed to blame himself for their deaths."

Winter only smiled sadly, "He's sort of a multiversal concept. He did stop them, but at a cost that was too high. He made a rather bad deal to save your world. I'm not sure I would have done it."

Tommy looked around at the Command Center. "How are we going to fight the invaders." something occurred to him, "who are they by the way? But, how are we going to fight them without our 'zords? Without the Command Center?"

"They are called the Kregar. They're a multiversal empire that is trying to spread their power to as many realities as possible." Stone looked at them and smiled ironically, "The 'zords you had weren't very effective against them were they?"

"Honestly? No." Jason said quickly.

"Then we'll have to build new ones," Billy said with a strange look on his face. Tommy got the feeling that more transpired in that gray world than he was privy to.

"I can't believe Trini's gone," Adam said to nobody in particular.

Kimberly put a hand on his shoulder, and Tommy could see the tears in her eyes. "I know. It's a whole in my heart that I don't think will ever heal." She pulled their young Korean friend into a fierce hug, as tears streamed down her own face.

One by one, they all reached out and touched, and were pulled into the embrace: Tommy first, then Jason, and finally Billy.

Kyle Kerry watched as these strangers mourned the loss of their friend. As they fell into each other's arms, he felt a sense of longing, of being on the outside. It wasn't an unfamiliar sense, and he turned his back to the hug and looked out over Angel Grove. Once again, he was the odd man out.

He'd hated the idea of moving here, but his dad thought it was best. After the incident back in Kentucky, he wanted to get as far away from Raceland as possible, to make a fresh start for himself and his family. One where the spectre of the death of another boy wouldn't be constantly hanging over his son's head. What his father didn't understand was that even though his son had been cleared of any responsibility in Neal's death, Kyle still blamed himself.

Now he'd been here less than a week and someone else had died around him. He was beginning to feel like he carried some kind of curse. People kept dying, young people who should be alive and have their whole lives ahead of them.

He felt a hand on his shoulder. Looking back he saw Ms. Hayes standing there smiling at him, "They don't mean to leave you out."

Kyle smiled back at her. "I know. A hurt shared is a hurt lessened," he quoted his grandmother. "I just don't want them to think I'm going to try and fill Trini's shoes."

"You knew the girl?"

Kyle shook his head. "Not really. I met her at school last week. She was assigned to show me around for the day, but disappeared suddenly." Looking over at the others who were comforting each other he smiled to himself, "I guess they had business to take care of- world saving business."

"You're new to this aren't you?" Ms. Hayes asked him.

"New to being a super-hero?" he smiled. "Let's just say that I don't have a signet ring with a costume in it, or a cave beneath my house with all kinds of high tech equipment and a cool car." He shook his head, "But new to people dying? No, that I'm an old hat at."

"We're all coming from a point of loss Kyle. Don't let yours shut you out from them. Give them time. You might find that they have room in their hearts for someone new."

He stopped and looked the petit woman up and down very carefully, as the bitterness threatened to take him. "Ms. Hayes, maybe they shouldn't get to know me. People I know, people I care about tend to come down with a bad case of the dead."

He saw something flash in her eyes, and for a brief instant, the Power that was flowing through him reached out and felt the vast Power inside her. "Don't let the past eat you up Kyle. You don't know what's going to happen in the future, so all you've got to live for is the now."

Kyle looked back at the others and then smiled, "right now, they have to bury their friend- that's something they don't need me around for. Later maybe, when the world needs saving, give me a call. Until then, I'll be at home trying to keep my dad from worrying that I'm getting involved with a gang." He turned and left the command center on foot.



"I don't know which bothers me more," Kimberly told the rest of the gang at the youth bar. "Trini being gone or the sudden changes at the Command Center." "Trini being gone," Billy answered without hesitation. "I can understand how the Command Center got rebuilt- Ms. Stone explained that. Trini being gone has left me." he couldn't find the word he was looking for.

"Hurting?" Tommy interjected, and Billy felt the bigger boy's hand on his shoulder. "It's okay to hurt Billy. We all do."

Billy shook his head, "I know about hurt Tommy. I've had a great deal of experience with it. It is something else. It is as if there is something missing from my life. Something that I know is there, but can't touch." Billy knew what part of it was. It wasn't all of the hole in his heart, but a good portion. That part would have to wait though. He hadn't yet decided on how to deal with that particular agreement, but he was a man of his word. He knew that the time was coming soon to make good on his promise. "Trini being gone has left me re-evaluating my life. The road not taken sort of thing."

"You have regrets?" Adam asked incredulously.

Billy nodded, "Of course Adam. Do you really think I'm not human. That I don't make mistakes- that there aren't things I wish I'd done differently?"

Adam smiled and kidded his friend, "As a matter of the fact, yes. I've never known you to make a mistake. Name one, besides while you were learning karate."

Billy wasn't sure what made him answer the way he did. Maybe it was his own sense of honor and desire to keep his agreement. Maybe it was just time to do it, but he blurted out, "I never told anyone that I was in love. I almost died, I did die, all of us did, and the one thing I regretted was not sharing that" There was a stunned silence at the table as he got up and left, "Excuse me, but I promised Ms. Hayes I'd help her fix the main hangar bay doors."

"Billy? In love?" Adam asked amazed. "I just never thought of him like that."

Tommy smiled, "It's always the quiet ones." Kimberly noticed a hint of worry in his voice, "you don't think it was Trini do you? I mean, I can't imagine not telling someone I loved them and then having them die."

Kim took a deep breath. That would explain what he was trying to say he felt. Maybe he had been in love with Trini, and never said anything. Now that it was too late, he might be beating himself up for it. Looking over at Jason she asked, "Jase, you're closest to him. Has he ever said anything like that to you?"

Kim could see a conflict inside Jase too. It was clear that Billy's revelation had taken the Red Ranger by as much surprise as it the rest of them. He shook his head, "No." He struggled for words. "This is the first he's ever mentioned it to me. Come to think of it, it's the first time he's ever mentioned the L word at all. Somehow, though I don't think it was Trini. I think he got over any feelings he might have had for her a long time ago."

"If it wasn't Trini," Adam began, "then who?" He looked knowingly at Kim.

Kim shook her head, "Billy's like a brother to me. He's never said anything about any feelings beyond that."

"He just said that he'd never told anyone about it." Jase gave Tommy a knowing look, "Didn't you two have a falling out when you and Kim first started dating?" Kim could hear an accusatory tone to his voice.

"It was nothing," Tommy replied. Kim knew he wasn't telling the complete truth. "I asked him about it, and he told me that they were just friends." Tommy chuckled, "He did threaten me with something pretty vicious though if I ever hurt her."

"Billy threatened you?" Adam asked. It seemed to be his day to stay amazed.

Tommy nodded, "I had to go look up some of the words when we were finished, but he told me if I ever hurt Kimberly that he'd remove certain body parts from me- without anesthesia."

They all laughed at, but Kim made a mental note to ask Tommy what had happened between he and Billy. Tommy wasn't telling everything, and she got the distinct feeling that he was pretty embarrassed by it. She sighed and realized that it couldn't be serious though. If it had been, Jason would have been all over Tommy like a junk-yard dog. Those two had been best friends since they were in fourth grade.

"What about Kyle?" Adam asked.

Tommy smiled, "I don't think Billy's known Kyle long enough to be in love with him."

Adam threw a napkin at him, "That's not what I mean, Tommy. I mean what are we going to do about him?"

"What do you mean do about him?" Jason asked.

"I mean, Ms. Hayes made it pretty clear that he was one of us now." He looked around, "But I haven't seen him around a whole lot."

"Maybe he thinks we don't want him around," Kim suggested. She realized that although she'd seen the new transfer to AGHS several times in the halls, and almost every day at gymnastics, she'd yet to speak to him in more than just passing.

"Why?" Jase asked.

"Think about it, Jason." Adam told him. "He is holding the Yellow now." He looked around, "and we all associate Yellow with Trini. Maybe he thinks we think he's trying to take Trini's place."

"It's not that," Jason told him. "I guess we have to get used to someone else holding the Yellow."

Kim shook her head, "He's not holding the Yellow, Jase. He IS the Yellow."

Jason just nodded. "I guess one of us should talk to him. Let him know it's not anything personal. We just need to get used to someone else in Trini's place." Kim saw Jase look over at Adam, "Like when Adam took over for Zack."

"Man that was rough. I was so afraid that you guys would think I was trying to replace him or something."

Kim smiled, "Maybe Kyle is feeling the same way."

"I'll talk to him," Adam said. "Maybe ease him into it."

Tommy smiled, "You do that Bro." He looked over at Jason, and Kim knew that something was on his mind. "Wanna' spar man?"

Jason smiled, "Controlled violence huh? Sounds good to me." Tommy kissed Kimberly quickly on top of the head and got up. "We'll be back later."

"Fine," she told him. "I think I'll go up to the Command Center and talk to Billy."

*************************************************************

"Wanna' talk about it man?" Tommy asked Jason after the match. Tommy couldn't believe how intense the whole workout had been. He and Jase had always been pretty evenly matched in a fight, but Tommy had to admit to himself that if today had been a real fight, Jason would have cleaned his clock.

"Talk about what?" Jase asked as they left the showers.

"Whatever it is that's got you so upset."

"I'm not upset" Jason said evenly.

"No. Upset's not really the word. I'd say more like pissed off."

"What makes you think I'm pissed off?" Jase asked.

"Something about you trying to knock me through a couple of walls out there earlier." And damn near succeeding.

"I just can't believe that Billy didn't tell me." Jason told him.

"What that there was somebody he cared about?" Tommy asked drying off.

Jase nodded as he began to get dressed. "I mean, I always thought he and I could talk about anything." He smiled over at Tommy. "We do too. We used to spend half our nights sleeping over at each other's house just talking away the darkness."

"You guys are really close, huh" Tommy hoped the hurt he felt didn't show through in his voice. Jason was the closest thing he'd ever had to a best friend. He was the one that fought so hard for him to become a member of the team after he was free of Rita's spell. Billy had seconded it immediately, but Jase had been the first to offer that friendship. He knew that Jase and Billy had been friends for years, and that they were like brothers, but hadn't realized how close they'd really been.

Jason smiled, "You wouldn't think it to see us, with me being the dumb Jock and Billy the boy genius, but we always have been- ever since elementary school."

Tommy kidded Jason, "Jase you've got a 3.6 GPA. Somehow I don't think "dumb jock" applies to you."

"I've got a 3.6 GPA because Billy is a very good tutor," Jason told him. "He always has been. He'd tutor me, and I'd then we'd talk about anything and everything." Jason took a deep breath, "I spent half a night one night telling him about my first date with Emily." He took on a more somber look, "and a whole one telling him about the night she broke up with me. He sat and listened to me go on and on about her, never saying anything- just listening." He shrugged, "I guess, I just figured if he had any feelings for anyone, he'd tell me first. Sort of ask me for advice." Jason blushed, "that sounded conceited didn't it.

Tommy brushed his hair back and twisted it into a ponytail. "Just a little. You heard what he said. He's never told anyone. He's quiet that way, not one to show his feelings."

Jase smiled, "I guess you're right. I just hope that when he tells them, whoever it is realizes how lucky they are to have someone like him." He took a deep breath and looked over at Tommy. "You want to tell me what happened between you two when he threatened you?"

It was Tommy's turn to blush. Jason was the one person he really didn't want to find out about just how much a jerk he'd been. He knew how hyper-protective of Billy the Red Ranger was. "You promise not to pound me?"

Jason smiled, "that bad huh?"

Tommy blushed deeper. "Yeah, let's just say I was a royal jerk. I guess I was jealous of all the time he was spending with Kimberly. I mean those two are almost as close as you and he are."

Jase nodded his head, "I know. In elementary school they used to call us the Three Musketeers."

"Well, I sort of caught Billy at the Youth Center hugging Kimberly one evening. After she left I sort of went off on him." Tommy shuddered at the memory. "I lost my cool, and decked him."

"You did what!?" Tommy watched Jason come up off the bench, his fists clenched.

Tommy backed up and held his hands up in submission, "Look guy, it was wrong, I was wrong, and I apologized."

Jason stepped up into Tommy's face, "You ever hit Billy again, and I'll do those things he threatened to do you."

Tommy smiled, "Hey man. It's water under the bridge. We're friends now."

Jason smiled and backed off. "That's good. I'd hate to have to hurt a one good friend over another."

Tommy breathed a sigh of relief, "I have to say this much for him man. Once he knew I was coming after him, he wasn't going to back down. He stood his ground to protect Kimberly. Fortunately, he can be pretty persuasive when he sets his mind to it."

"I'm glad, for your sake." Jason told Tommy as he sat back down on the bench. There was a hardness to Jase's voice that Tommy had never heard before.

"Do you think he'd really do those things to me?" Tommy asked in jest.

Jason nodded, "If he thought you'd hurt Kim, I have no doubt about it man. He loves Kimberly like a sister."

"I'm glad." Tommy said. He took a deep breath, "Jase?"

"Yeah man," Jason asked looking up from where he was tying his tennis shoes.

"Mind if I ask you a question?" Tommy ventured carefully. "I mean without getting my head pounded into the locker."

Jason smiled, "I'm not going to hit you."

Tommy chuckled and sat down, "Why are you so protective of Billy?"

Jason looked up, "Why are you so protect." his voice trailed off for a second as if something had occurred to him. He shrugged, "I don't know. He's just the best friend I've ever had." Sighing he looked down, "And I guess, because I sort of think the world owes him something."

"What do you mean?" Tommy asked.

"Nobody ever told you about Billy's mom did they?"

"Kim said that she died when Billy was nine." Tommy shrugged.

Jason nodded, "Billy was pinned in the car during the accident. He watched his mom bleed to death right in front of his eyes while the paramedics worked on her. He spent several months in care while his dad recovered in the hospital." Jason sighed, and Tommy could tell that talking about it wasn't easy for Jason either. "Plus, as a kid he got picked on a lot. I mean a lot. Until we met, I don't think he had a friend besides Kim." Jason smiled, "And let's face it, what's worse than getting picked on? Being protected by a girl."

"Hey man. He doesn't get picked on anymore," Tommy told him.

Tommy watched as a smile spread across Jason's face. "You're right. He's become pretty self-reliant."

Tommy laughed, and put an around Jason's shoulders as they left the locker room. "I think you've had a great deal to do with that."

*************************************************************

Adam walked into the gym where Kyle was doing a tumbling routine across the mats. He was dressed in a black tank and shorts and his skin glistened from the exertion. Nobody else was in the room, and Adam realized that the other boy hadn't seen him arrive.

For long minutes, Adam stood in the corner watching his new teammate work out. He went through several very complicated aerial maneuvers before finally coming to a stop at the end of the mat. Adam couldn't help but notice that the other boy was barely winded. He clapped in appreciation. "You realize that Kimberly is going to be so pissed with you."

Looking up and suddenly realizing that there was someone else in the room, the dark haired boy blushed slightly before picking up a towel and wiping his face. "Great, that's all I need."

"And what do you mean by that?" Adam asked going over to where Kyle was drying off. "I was just pointing out that she's no longer the only gymnast on the team." He smiled, "You're good man. As good as she is."

"Thanks, but I don't need anyone else on the team to compete with." He sighed, "Look, I realize you guys had rather it be Trini on the team than me. That it had been me that died that day instead of her. If I could bring her back I would, but I can't."

Adam gave the boy a somber look, "Is that what you think?"

Kyle turned and locked eyes with Adam. There was deep hurt there. Somewhere in the past, and unless Adam missed his guess, somebody very close to Kyle had hurt him. "It's true isn't it? You wish she was still the Yellow Ranger and I wasn't here."

Adam refused to drop his gaze, "Yes, we miss Trini- desperately. Do we wish you were dead and she here in your place? No. We all got the same choices, she's not here, because she chose not to be here." Adam fought to control the tears welling up in his eyes, "I don't know why she chose to die, and not come back but she did. I think that's what hurts the worse. Not that she died, but that she chose not to come back."

"The fact that I did, does that make me weaker, greedy, selfish?" Kyle asked.

Adam shook his head, "No." He thought back to the joy he felt being offered on the other side of the veil. It was a feeling he'd never forget, and turning that down to come back here was the hardest thing he'd ever done in his life. "No. It makes you stronger. It makes you less selfish. That's what makes us angry." He reached out and touched Kyle's shoulder. "Angry at her, not at you. Angry at her for being selfish and not strong enough." Adam felt the tears he'd been fighting spill over onto his cheeks.

He felt Kyle reach out and touch his own shoulder. "Don't do that man. She still died trying to save this city. Remember her for the good she did." Something else started to open up in Adam's mind, something half- remembered from that plane, something that made him just a little nervous.

He nodded, "Come on." Looking up he smiled at Kyle, "If we don't get out of here, this is going to turn into a chick moment."

Kyle smiled, "Is that so bad?"

Adam replied, "Only if we get caught. Tommy and Jase would never let us live it down. The two newest members of the team caught crying over something together."

Kyle picked up his gym bag and headed toward the showers, "Let me get a shower and I'll buy you smoothie at Ernie's and you can tell me what you mean by the two newest members."

Twenty minutes later, the two were sitting in the Youth bar talking. "You said we were the two newest members. I thought you'd always been with the team." Kyle asked.

Adam smiled and took a drink of his smoothie. For some reason he was craving banana instead of his usual blackberry smoothie and it was surprisingly good. "I wasn't the original holder of the Black. That was Zack, but he moved away, so I got recruited."

"What about the others?"

Adam sat back and thought about it. "Let's see. The only originals left on the team are Kimberly, Jason, and Billy. They were the ones Zordon first chose. Tommy joined later after he broke Rita's spell. Not long after that, Zack left, so I took up the Black Coin."

Kyle just nodded. "I'm still getting used to this whole idea of being a super-hero."

Adam smiled, "I can tell."

"How so?"

"Because you're wearing my colors."

Kyle looked at him confused and then looked down. "Huh?"

"Haven't you noticed? Jason always wears red, Kimberly pink, Tommy green, Billy blue, me black, and Trini always wore yellow." He looked Kyle up and down. "Not a spot of yellow on you anywhere."

Kyle just smiled and looked down, "At least not where you can see it."

"I didn't need to know that man." Adam joked.

Kyle just smiled, "Yellow isn't a color that looks good on me. It makes me look jaundiced."

Adam laughed, "never thought much about that. I guess with your complexion it would kind of wash you out." As if realizing what he was talking about he asked Kyle, "do you realize that we're sitting here discussing what colors look good on us like a couple of chicks?"

Kyle just laughed. "Yeah man. Now that would ruin our reputations."

"We have reputations?" Adam asked.

Kyle just shrugged, "I don't, but you do."

"Quick tell me what it is," Adam asked.

He watched Kyle blush deeply, "Uh, never mind."

**************************************************************

Billy was amazed at how quick he was catching on to the new technology Ms. Hayes and Ms. Stone had brought to the Command Center. Normally it took him a while to analyze a new piece of Eltarian technology before he could understand it. What she brought just seemed to make sense to him. It was as if he could just open it up and understand where and how it went together. He slowly came to realize that this stuff is what he would build if given an unlimited budget and enough time.

"Billy?" Kimberly's voice came from behind him.

Without looking up, he answered, "Yeah Kim?"

"You know I love to watch you in the lab," she told him. "It's like watching Jason or Tommy in the dojo."

Billy shrugged, "You sound like Jason. Sometimes he'll come over and sit in the corner and watch me for hours." He smiled and told her something he'd never told anyone else. "We've got this game we play. I'll start out describing what I'm doing in terms I understand, and then start clarifying it until I get to a level he understands. It's kind of fun, especially when he gets it before either of us expects."

"Just shows what a good tutor you are." She told him.

"Nah, just shows that Jase's a lot smarter than he wants anybody to believe."

Some part of his mind registered that Kimberly had sat down on the foot of the new 'zord behind him. He hadn't turned around to see it, but knew that she had. "You dropped a bombshell on us today Billy."

"Oh?" he asked pretending not to know what she was talking about.

"Yeah. I think you hurt Jase's feelings a little bit," she told him.

"What do you mean?" Billy asked. That was something he'd not considered and the last thing on Earth he'd have wanted to do.

"I think he'd of liked to know that you had an interest in someone before the rest of us." Kimberly told him.

Billy exhaled in a sigh, "That probably wouldn't have been a wise course of action for me to take." Billy told her.

"Why Billy?" Kim asked. "It's not Emily is it?"

"God no!" Billy told her. "Trust me, it's not Emily. Don't tell Jason this, but I'd rather kiss Lord Zedd." He smiled, "and before you ask, it wasn't Trini either. I got over that infatuation at fourteen."

Billy could sense Kim's mind working. "I'm not sure I understand. And Zedd? Eww that's not an image I want."

"What don't you understand?" Billy asked not turning around.

He felt Kim's hand on his shoulder as she gently pulled him back from the circuit board on the wall. "William K. Cranston, would you please turn around and talk to me?"

Billy chuckled, "You sound like Jason's mom." He turned around and looked at his friend.

She sighed, "Look, you dropped a pretty heavy one on us. Kinda' like Adam said. You're just not someone we tended to think of as being in love."

"Thanks Kimberly. Make me feel even worse because I don't engage in the normal amorous pursuits of my age-mates." Billy was surprised to realize that he was just a little hurt.

"It's not that Billy. It's just you've never shown any interest in any girls." Kimberly told him trying to apologize.

"Let's just say that I haven't found anyone of the female persuasion to pique my interests."

"But you said you were love?" Kimberly asked.

"Yes?" Billy asked blushing down to his toes. This was getting a whole lot more personal than he wanted it to. He knew if he wasn't careful Kim was smart enough to figure things out.

He watched as realization of what he'd said fluttered to her eyes. "Oh my," she said. Then he could almost see the next thought come to her mind, "It's not Tommy is it?"

"Uh. no." Billy said, unconsciously rubbing his chin. "He's a good friend, and he's all yours and you can keep him. And please don't pursue this line of thought any further. It could prove embarrassing for all parties involved- whether they know they're involved or not."

He watched as she nodded and swallowed hard. "I didn't know. You've never given any real indication of your orientation one way or the other." She sighed. "Can I ask you something else?"

"Of course. As long as it's not the identity of the object of my affections," Billy told her.

"Tommy said you and he had an argument over me. He wouldn't tell me any more than that you threatened to cut off parts of his body he might want to use if he hurt me."

"No, that's not quite what I said. I threatened to use the Morphin' grid to teleport certain parts of his body to various spots around the globe."

"Billy!" She smiled. "You really threatened Tommy over me?"

"You're the closest thing I've ever had to a sister. Of course I'm not going to allow him to hurt you." Billy told her. "Do you think Jason is the only one who would defend your honor?"

"No, but that's just mean, using the Morphin' grid that way. I figured you just do something like turning his hair bright orange or something." Kimberly told her.

"Kimberly, what I feel for you is greater than some mere prank. If he hurts you, I may not be able to match him in the dojo, but there are other battlefields than the physical one." Billy told her. He sighed, "But I don't think Tommy's going to hurt you. Actually you two are good for each other."

"Tell me what happened between you two," Kimberly asked.

Billy sighed, "I don't think that's wise. Tommy and I worked it out. It was over you, and nobody got hurt." Billy rubbed his jaw again. "At least not seriously."

"Does Jason know?" Kim asked.

Billy shook his head, "About which conversation are you inquiring?" Billy immediately regretted the question. Kimberly was intelligent enough to draw her own conclusions, and he honestly wanted to deal with them himself.

Kimberly stood a moment thinking about what he'd asked. "I meant about you and Tommy in a fight. But."

"Kimberly, whatever you think you might have deduced from anything I've said here, I would appreciate your discretion." Billy continued, "I don't think there is ever really going to be chance for what I want to become reality. I don't think it's in the makeup of the object of my affections. Please give me the opportunity to deal with this rather embarrassing situation in my own way. That's the decision I made in the gray."

Kimberly smiled at him. "Yeah, I've got to figure out how handle my decision too. Whatever you say, but if you need someone to talk to I'm here. God knows you've been around enough for me and Jason. It's the least I can do."

Billy smiled at her. "Thank you Kimberly."

She leaned over and kissed him on the cheek. "Just remember Billy. You're not alone. We are a team, and we do love each other."

"I know," Billy told her as she headed back out of the hangar.

Murphy watched the interplay between her two newest charges. She decided that this gig was going to be more of a handful than she'd originally thought. Of course if Winter had told her about this boy, she'd have never agreed to take it. Looking at him was still painful. Now to overhear this conversation, she wasn't sure she could bear to lose another one.

After the Hart girl left, she quietly approached the boy. "Hey sugar. How's it coming?"

The boy turned and gave her a surprised look. "I don't think I'll ever get used to you Southerner's calling everyone sugar."

She gave him a big smile, "Well, I could call you honey-pie."

The snort that escaped his lips was enough to tell her what he thought of that particular pet name. "I'd rather you not."

"You just don't look like a Billy and you don't look like a Cranston," she told him.

He smiled up at her, "No hooked nose or Alec Baldwin good looks?"

"Oh, you've got the good looks, just as far as I'm concerned, Alec Baldwin ain't all that good looking. Now Harrison Ford, there's a man for you."

She watched the boy blush. He was worse than Kevin ever was. He turned back and finished working on the panel. After just a few seconds he closed it, and sighed as the doors came shut. "There. That's better." Looking up at her he asked, "Anything else around here you need repaired, Ms. Stone?"

"Nothing in a mechanical sense," she told him.

He blushed again. "Uh.? What then?"

"Why don't you tell me what's bothering you?" Murphy asked.

Billy shook his head, "What makes you think something is bothering me." He sighed, "Besides the fact that I just buried an old friend, I think I may have made a deal with infernal forces, and I'm not sure what reality is anymore."

"Well, I can help you with the last two," Murphy told him. "You didn't make a deal with the devil. Covenant is pretty but the Devil's much prettier. And, reality? Well, reality is what you make of it, and from now until the end of time, you've acquired the ability to manipulate that to some extent."

The boy sighed and leaned back against the console. "Did you know that I was thinking about MIT before the invasion? I thought I might give up the Power to continue my education."

"Now you can do both. The nature of what's happened to you means you can't give it up. It's what you are." Murphy told him.

"I surmised that." He blushed. "I've been doing some scans on my own. It seems there's an energy force in our bodies, not unlike when we're Morphed, but purer, more concentrated."

"That's because the Power isn't being distorted by the Morphin' Grid and passed out to a thousand different things. That's because the Power has become part of what you are. It anchors you." She smiled at him. It was time the boy's education really began. "When you agreed to Covenant's offer, you were anchored to this reality. This reality was altered slightly to accommodate your not dying. Everything you were fighting for during the battle became locked into place for a brief period. Eventually, you'll have to fight them again, but you did win yourselves a brief respite." She looked around, "That's why the Kregar haven't been back for a while. Mind you, they're coming back, they always come back." She smiled, "Well except in my reality. They took one look at my Earth and tucked tail and ran."

"Why?" Billy asked.

"Well, on my world there are at least three beings who are capable of reaching orbit under their own power and throw things at Kregar ships at very high velocity. There are several others who can literally rip their ships from the skies. Then Blue tossed that battle cruiser halfway to Jupiter, Sloan just gutted one with his bare hands, Amanda set off an explosion in their engine rooms, and Katherine made them think they were running into a planet." She smiled. "Then they got a good look at Winter, and decided they didn't want to irritate a Time Lord." She laughed, "And then Adam and Steven set Ickie loose in one of their dreadnaught's electrical systems." She leaned against the bulkhead, "You see, my reality has lots of super heroes."

"Someone tossed one of those ships to a Martian orbit?" Billy asked incredulously.

Murphy nodded, "Yeah, one of Winter's fathers." That got the boy's attention.

"Ms. Hayes has more than one father?"

"Uh huh, two daddies and a mommy. Played havoc with the Religious Right when the world's greatest superhero turned out to be gay." She patted the boy on the cheek and turned to leave. Let him simmer in his juices for a while. She stopped at the door, turned around to face him and held out a lock of her brown hair, "Blonde, red-head or Brunette?"

She watched him stammer for a few seconds until finally answering, "Black."

****************************************************************

Jason walked out of the locker rooms with Tommy and headed over to the juice bar. Some of what had happened with Tommy had his mind reeling. He couldn't believe how angry he'd become at Tommy when he found out the Green Ranger had actually hit Billy. He understood that it was in the past, but the idea of anybody laying hands on Billy sent his blood boiling. Why am I reacting this way? It turned out okay. Billy wasn't hurt, and he and Tommy are friends now.

As they entered the Juice bar, he saw Adam and Kyle sitting and talking. Something was strange about the scene, and it took him a minute to realize that it was because Kyle was wearing black, not yellow. I wonder if that's because he doesn't want us to think he's trying to replace Trini.

"Hey guys," He pulled up a chair and straddled it backwards, "What's up?" Tommy sat down across from him.

"Oh, nothing worth mentioning," Adam said just a little too quickly.

Tommy looked over at Kyle, "You trying to confuse the monsters?"

"Huh?" Kyle asked.

Tommy smiled, "Wearing black."

Kyle looked down at his clothing. "No, it's just a color that looks good on me."

Jason smiled and looked at the newest team member, "Just don't let Kim talk to you about what colors look good on you. She'll drag you to an all day shopping marathon. You'll want to run screaming in the other direction before the day is half over."

Kyle shrugged, "I don't know. I kinda' like shopping." He smiled, "Look, I don't uh. play a lot of macho games. Fuck man, I'm a gymnast. You know what most people think about that."

"So? That still doesn't mean you have to be tortured by one of her shopping sessions." Jason told him. "You know I think I've got it figured out. If we could make Rita and Zed go shopping with her one Saturday, we could send them screaming from the moon." He pitched his voice high, "No! No! No! Not another shoe sale at Macy's."

All four of the Rangers broke down laughing at that. Finally Kyle looked up, "You may have point at that. I had a friend back in Kentucky that had more shoes than Imelda Marcos. She was constantly shoe shopping."

Tommy told him, "Man if we keep talking about shoe shopping it's going to jinx us. She's going to come in here and shanghai one of to go shopping with her."

Adam slapped the Green Ranger on the back, "Man I feel for you. But she's your girlfriend."

"Gee thanks, Adam. It's good to know that when the shoes are on sale, you'll run the other direction."

"Hey, you know us Black Rangers. Fearless in the face of all danger," Adam told him.

"Except when it comes to shopping," Kyle interjected. Jason was glad to see the new Ranger willing to joke with them.

"Mind if I ask question?" Jason asked.

"Can't stop you from asking a question," Kyle told him. "Last time I checked it was the only way to learn anything." He smiled, "Besides eavesdropping. "

"Were you serious?" Jason asked. He leaned back, "It doesn't make a difference to me, I'm just curious."

"About?" Kyle asked.

"You suggested that you were uh. uh. uh." Jason was having trouble getting the word out.

Kyle looked quickly both directions, "A space alien from the eighth dimension?" Then he piped up in a Scottish brogue, "Conner McCloud from the Clan McCloud, born on the shores of Loch Shear?"

Jason laughed, "Never mind man."

Kyle leaned back, "yes."

Tommy surprised Jason with one simple non-judgmental word. "Cool."

Kyle looked over at Tommy and protested, "But this does not mean I'm taking your girlfriend shopping."

Tommy snapped his fingers and looked down in false disappointment. "Damn." He looked at Kyle with mischief in his eyes, "I'll pay you."

Jason smiled and warned Kyle, "Trust me man. It's not enough." Without taking his eyes off Kyle, Jason reached over and politely closed Adam's mouth for him.

****************************************************************

Winter pulled out a glowing shard of crystal, and gently placed it into a containment harness looking up as Murphy entered the room. Murphy asked, "Is that what I think it is?" she asked.

Winter smiled, Murphy never had been impressed with Time Lords. "Yes," she sighed and seated the crystal. "I got from Storm Quest."

She watched as Murphy shook her head, "I don't imagine Temblor giving up his favorite toy that easily."

Winter laughed, "No. He put up quite a fight."

"Well, I hope you knocked him around a bit for the sheer pleasure of it. He always was too big for his britches."

"Let's just say he's going to be putting that base of his at Stone Henge back together for quite a while." Winter sighed and closed the panel. "I wasn't happy about their little opening up a rip in space/time. It caused me no end of trouble."

"Winter, only you would refer to the Time War as a little opening in space/time." She watched as worry creased Murphy's brow, "Do you think it's wise to expose six incarnations of the Power to a time shard?"

"I'm not necessarily going to expose them to it. I'm just going to use it to power the Command Center, the Zords and the defenses. It's one power source the Kregar can't shut down." Winter told her.

"Winter, not even Michael can shut down the Ranger's power now." She considered something, "Have you told them about Michael yet?"

"What, that the leader of the Kregar is a former archangel who wants to take over the universe set himself up as the Godhead?" Winter shook her head, "No. Not yet. Although I don't think most of them have a problem with the more mystical aspect of the Power, I think our little Blue Ranger is still uncomfortable with the idea."

"I think our little Blue Ranger is uncomfortable with himself." Murphy told her.

"What do you think, he hasn't come to grips with his orientation yet?" Winter asked.

"No, I think he hasn't realized yet that he's not the only one on the team with that orientation," Murphy replied.

"Do you think we should point out to him that the one multiversal constant is that on most worlds, those males who wield the Power tend to prefer their own gender?" Winter told her. "I mean look at my father, your son, the your adopted sons."

"Adam and Steven aren't part of the Power," Murphy flat out told her.

"Your friend Coral," Winter continued, "even Covenant. All of them have one thing in common. They wield a large portion of the Power, and they are queer as football bats."

She watched as Murphy shook her head again, "No Winter. Your father and Covenant ARE the Power. They don't wield it."

"There is of course that." Winter told her. "But never-the-less, how do you think we should deal with Billy?"

"Lock him in a room with Jason until they figure it out?" Murphy suggested. Murphy always was something of a bull in a china shop when it came to affairs of the heart. "Nah, that wouldn't work. Jason would just kick the door down, or Billy would pick the lock." She sighed, "I just don't want to see either of them hurt by denying their feelings."

"What about Kyle?" Winter asked. "Do you think he's going to integrate into the team okay?"

"That one has some serious issues going on. He's the most comfortable with his sexuality, and I think once he settles in and realizes that the others don't see him as trying to take over Trini's spot, he'll fit in. The biggest problem will be getting him to let anybody get close to him. He's carrying a pretty heavy load." Murphy laughed, "If anybody can do it though, it'd be Tommy, Jason and Adam. They can be pretty persuasive. They're probably in town right now having a male bonding session."

"How about our token straight guy?" Winter asked.

"Tommy?"

"Yeah."

"I don't think we'll have any problems out of him." Murphy laughed, "I think he is far more open and accepting than you have given him credit for, Winter. I think the biggest question we're going to have is who decides to live up to their agreement with Covenant first."

Winter shook her head, "This is the most unusual mission I've been on yet." She took a deep breath and smiled, "I've never heard of the Master letting his agent make these kinds of decisions."

"Well, everybody deserves a second chance," Murphy said. "Maybe this is one for all of us." She gave Winter a hard look, "By the way. Remind me to kick your ass when this over."

"Who me? What did I do?"

"You know very well it wasn't what you did, but what you didn't do." Murphy told her.

Winter was confused, "Uh, no Murph. I don't, I may be a Time Lord, but I'm not omniscient."

Murphy reached up to her neck and pulled off a locket. Opening it up she handed her. Taking the small golden heart from her, she looked at the picture in it. "Why do you have a picture of Billy in your locket?"

"I don't," Murphy told her.

"That was my son, Kevin. He was murdered last year by one of Michael's assassins."

Winter was shocked. She'd known that Murphy's son had been killed, but for some reason had never connected it to this mission. Only six hundred and you're already going senile. She shook her head, "Murph, I didn't know. If I had, I wouldn't have asked on you this one." She took a deep breath, "Let me guess, October fourth?"

Murphy nodded. Winter could see the pain still in her eyes. "How'd you know?"

"I think that was the reason that Covenant pushed for his rules. Have you looked at the time stream readout on these guys?"

"You know I don't pay any attention to that thing. I'm not a Time Lord, and after a while it just confuses me."

"You do know that Billy is this world's incarnation of Kevin?"

"I kind of figured that one out. But hopefully his father is nothing like Kevin's was."

Winter shook her head. "Actually his father is pretty caring. A little distant, but caring."

"What's Kev got to do with Covenant then?" Murphy asked.

Winter sighed, "For some reason, the multiverse has it in for Billy. In almost every universe, he's dead. Even in the universes where he becomes a Power Ranger or any other wielder of the Power he usually dies, or worse."

Murphy's voice became hard, "Well the multiverse can cancel its plans for him, because I refuse to allow it to screw his life anymore. And the first Time Lord that shows up and tells me that I'm messing with his continuum, I'm going to feed to Ickie."

Winter smiled, "Covenant agrees with you. That's why he made sure that there is one difference in this universe than all the others. In the others, where he wielded the power, it was through conduit. Here, he made sure that he and his friends ARE the Power."

"I knew I liked that boy."

"Well, he took a look at the time stream and thought that it sucked. He was willing to let this world die, if he couldn't save Billy."

"Covenant can read the time stream?"

"Murph, Covenant is a direct agent of the Master. He kicked the shit out of Michael single handedly. He can read anything he wants."

"You know? Sometimes it really sucks being a foot soldier." Murphy told her.

"I know," Winter replied.

"But you're not a foot soldier. You're a Time Lord."

Winter sighed, "That's all we are too, and I'm a Time Lord on the low end of totem pole. I just happen to befriend Covenant."

"There is that."

"And your father is who he is too. That makes a difference. Even the Time Lords won't fuck with Blue and his group. After all that is a group that isn't afraid to turn a Time Lord over their knee and spank her."

"I haven't been spanked in a long time, Murphy."

"You're Time Lord. You could've been spanked yesterday and it be a long time."

"There is that."

"Oh, and by the way, you might want to tell your bosses, I intend to stay in this reality. Not that I won't make frequent visits to see the boys, but I do intend to set up shop here for a good long while. I may even introduce Billy to boys. Now that will be a kick in the pants. Get the three of them together and there's nothing they can't create."

***************************************************************

Kimberly wasn't sure she understood everything she just heard, but it worried her. Who were these strange women who suddenly had taken over command of the Power Rangers? And what did they mean about Billy and the multiverse? She understood enough to know that Billy's situation with Jason wasn't as untenable as she originally thought. If what they were saying is true, Jason's orientation is at least appropriate. But then again, so would be Adam's. She quietly wondered if Zack was gay too.

She booked it out of the Command Center and headed straight for the Juice Bar. Accessing the teleportation grid she found that she no longer needed her Morpher to get where she wanted. Ten seconds later, she was walking through the door at Ernie's. She was in luck. Jason, Adam, Kyle and Tommy were all sitting around a table laughing. Something was off though. Kyle wasn't wearing yellow, but black instead.

Pushing that worry to the back of her mind, she put on her best cheerleader face and walked up to them. "Hey guys." Four heads turned to look at her simultaneously. They all had worried looks on her faces. For some reason, in unison the all looked down at her feet. "What? They don't go with my dress. I'll just have to get some more."

"I'm outta' here," Jason said starting to get up.

Tommy grabbed him by the shoulder and pushed him back into the chair. "Oh no, you're not abandoning us. We go down, you go down with us."

"I'm sure I missed part of this conversation somewhere." She let the smile fade from her face, "But that's not important. We need to go some place and talk."

"She's your girlfriend Oliver," Adam said. "You go to the mall with her."

"Adam, shut up." Kim said. "I'm not talking about going to the mall. I'm talking about what we really know about our new friends." She looked at Jason. "I'm talking about them discussing how the multiverse is out to get Billy."

That got a reaction out of Jason. "Over my dead body," he said.

"And about him being the Amazon's son in the reality that they just came from," Kim told them.

"What? Kim you're not making sense." Tommy told her.

"Okay," she sighed and looked around. "Can we go somewhere else and talk?"

"I think that's my cue to leave now," Kyle said getting up.

"Where do you think you're going?" Kim asked. "You're part of this too."

"You said you wanted to talk. I figured you didn't want me around."

"That's a crock. You're as much a part of this as we are." She gave him her best cheerleader smile, "It's about time you started pulling your weight around here farm boy." She looked around the building, "I just don't think we should talk about business out in the open like this."

"She's got a point, Kyle." Jason told him. "And like she said, you're not going anywhere. You, me, Billy, and the rest of us are going to sit down and have a long talk."

She gave Jason a hard look. "You and I are going to talk too, Athos. We're going to have loooong talk about Aramis."

"Uh oh," Tommy said. "Me thinks the Musketeers are about to get an earful."

"You stay out of it Richelieu," Jason told him.

"Richelieu huh?" Tommy asked. "I'm not the one wearing red."

Fifteen minutes later, they were at their favorite spot in the park. "Look guys, I don't know why I'm here," Kyle told them.

"Because you are part of the team and this concerns you." Kim told him. She gave him a strange look, "Why aren't you wearing yellow?"

"What is with you guys and wanting me to wear yellow?" Kyle asked. "Yellow looks like shit on me."

Kimberly gave him another strange look, "Never mind. I guess it's not written in stone somewhere that the Yellow Ranger has to wear yellow."

"What's this about Billy?" Jason asked.

"Well, I heard the Amazon and the Ice Queen talking. Hayes told the Amazon that Billy was this universe's version of her dead son, and that for some reason the multiverse had it in for him. She said that had something to do with Covenant changing the rules to save him here. She said that he was willing to let our universe die if he couldn't save our Billy."

"Is that why he kept asking us about love?" Adam asked blushing deeply.

"I'm not sure," Jason said. "What else did she say about Billy?"

Kyle noticed a wicked smile on Kim's face. "Just that she wanted to introduce him to someone. Someone she thought he'd like."

The color drained from Jason's face, and Kyle caught Kim stealing glances at him. He got the definite impression that the little Pink Ranger was up to no good.

She turned on him, "As for you."

"Yes?" he asked, waiting for it to fall.

"In case we've been too busy lately: Welcome to the team." She smiled broadly and hugged him. For just a second he saw something flash across Tommy's eyes.

"Now don't get any idea here, jolly green. You know she's not my type." He told Tommy.

Tommy just laughed, "I know that." He smiled wickedly, "Sure I can't pay you to take her shopping?"

"You guys want guys want to go shopping?" Kim asked. "Cool, there's a shoe sale at Macy's."

"You just had to go and mention shopping didn't you?" Adam told them as he walked over to Tommy and started patting him down. "I know she's got you bugged somehow man."

Kyle just laughed, until a Pink Blur connected a powerful right cross to Tommy's jaw, sending him sprawling. Standing over him she looked down at him unspeaking.

"Hey, what was that for?" Tommy asked holding his jaw. Looking over at Jason, he commented, "she's getting better. I didn't see that coming."

"That was for hitting Billy." She looked down him. "You may be my boyfriend, but you don't own me." Kyle saw her wink Tommy, "Besides, I'm not his type either. He likes them tall, built and with black hair."

"That was two years ago, Beautiful," Tommy told her getting up. "It's water under the bridge as far as Billy and I are concerned. I'd sooner cut off my arm than hurt him now."

"Good," Kim said. "This way I don't have to deck you again." She checked her hand. "I think I broke a nail."

Jason just kept laughing. "What's so funny Scott?" Tommy asked.

"Remember what we were talking about in the gym?"

"Yeah? So?" Tommy said.

Jason shook his head, "What's worse than being protected by a girl?"

"Getting knocked on your ass by one?" Kyle volunteered.

"Okay, okay, I get the point." Tommy told her as she hugged him and kissed him on the cheek.

Kyle overheard her whisper in her boyfriend's ear, "I've got something else to ask you about later."

"I hate to break up this little love-fest," Kyle said. "But what exactly what are we going to do about Billy?"

"What do you mean?" Jason asked.

"I mean according to what Kim said, the universe is out to get him. Personally I don't like those odds. I never did like seeing someone being picked on." Kyle replied.

"I figure we're one step ahead in the game already," Jason told him. "We know about the situation." He looked down and shook his head, mumbling, "Although I'm not too happy about this introducing him to someone he might like thing."

Kim sighed, "Well, Billy thinks that the person he's in love with doesn't feel the same way about him."

Tommy arched an eyebrow at her, "And you know this how?"

"I talked to Billy," she told him.

"And he told you who this mysterious love interest is?" Jason asked. Kyle could hear more than just a little worry in his voice. That of course set of several pings in his head.

"Nope," she smiled sweetly and looked up, "went out of his way not to tell me. Told me that they at least had the right to hear it from him first." Kim replied. She gave Jason a careful look. "But I'm not kidding Jason. You and I are going to have a long talk about him. If you're going to continue to play his protector then you're going to have to shift your thinking some."

"I don't understand," Jason told her.

Before she could reply, Kyle interjected, "I think you do." Jason spun on him. Kyle could see anger in his eyes. "After all he is your Billy right? And you don't want anyone to introduce him to anyone that might take him away from you. Right?"

Kyle knew Jason's reply was without thought. "Damn straight."

"I don't think there's anything straight about it," Kyle told him, as he watched Jason's face slowly come to a realization of what he'd just admitted. Not to himself, but to his friends.

Before Jason could reply, Tommy spun him around, "You hurt him, and I'll do the same thing to you, he threatened to do to me." Tommy smiled. "Turn about is fair play Bro."

"I can't believe what I'm hearing here," Adam was saying. "You're talking about Billy and Jason as if they were a couple. What if Jason isn't the person Billy's in love with." He smiled wickedly, "After all, it could be lovable me."

"Adam I have it on the highest authority, that it's not you." Kim told him. "Don't take this wrong, but I don't think you're quite the package that Billy is looking for." She smiled, "I think you're path lies in sunnier pastures."

"Hey don't look at me. I'm just kidding around," Adam told them. "I don't plan on pairing off with anybody just now."

"I wouldn't say that Adam," Tommy punched him playfully in the shoulder, "You never know what might hit you right between the eyes. Sometimes it just punches you in the jaw outta' the blue." He looked over at Kimberly and then Kyle, "Wouldn't you say so?"

Kyle just shrugged, "I wouldn't know. The last person I fell in love with," he fought back the anger, "the only person I ever fell in love with took six nine-millimeter rounds to the chest." He shook his head and turned away from his new friends. "He never made it to the hospital."

*************************************************************

Billy used the increasingly acute senses he'd been experiencing to track his friends to the park. He wasn't really surprised to find them there at their favorite table, after all if it wasn't the high school or Ernie's that was where they tended to congregate.

Almost instinctively, he scanned the area before approaching. They were all sitting with someone he didn't recognize at first, before he realized it was Kyle the new Yellow Ranger. It took a second for his mind to register that the boy wasn't wearing Yellow, but black. He shrugged the thought off, realizing that for the first time someone had decided to break tradition, and not constantly wear their color.

"Hey guys. What's up?" he asked as he sat down across from Jason.

"We were just leaving," Kimberly told him as she drug Tommy away from the table. "She smiled and grabbed Adam's arm. "Tommy, Adam, and Kyle promised to take me shoe shopping at Macy's."

An audible groan escaped Adam as he too got up. "I knew we'd end up at the mall today," the Black Ranger muttered.

Billy raised an eyebrow, "I thought you hated shopping with Kimberly."

Adam gave him a sheepish smile, "I do." He looked down at Jason and gave the Red Ranger a sheepish look. "But, I guess I did sort of manage to agree to go."

Billy looked over at the new Yellow Ranger, "How'd you get shanghaied into this?"

The black haired boy shrugged, "Me? I like shopping."

Billy chuckled, "For now at least." He smiled over at Kimberly. "Be gentle with them. They're the only friends some of us have." He gave her a quick wink, and mouthed "Thank you."

As the others left he sat down across from a blushing Jason, "Hey Bro, what's up?"

Jason smiled at him sheepishly, "We need to talk."

Billy raised an eyebrow, and wondered if Kimberly had spilled the beans after him asking her not to. "Is there a particular subject you want to discuss?" he asked warily, realizing that he was starting to hide behind his techno-babble..

Jason nodded and sighed, "Yeah." Billy had a bad feeling about this. Evidently, Kimberly had told him, and he hadn't taken the news well.

He sighed and sat down across from his old friend, "I'm sorry. I wanted to tell you myself." He looked at the disappearing backs of his friends, "To be honest, I'm somewhat surprised that Kimberly would say anything after I asked her not to."

"Don't be mad at her, man. She kept her mouth shut. I just started to put two and two together." Jason kept his eyes locked on Billy's, as if he was facing an enemy he refused not to meet head on.

Billy could see where Jason was uncomfortable with his presence, "Look Jase."

"Just shut up and listen," Jason cut him off. "I'm really put out with you for not talking to me about this."

"I didn't think you'd have wanted to hear it."

"What you thought I'd abandon you or something? You thought I'd stop being your friend?"

"I didn't know. I'd rather not risk losing your friendship over something that couldn't be." Billy told him.

"I can't believe you sat there and let me go on and on about Emily when you're feeling this way man." Jason told him. "Do you know how that makes me feel?"

"Like you have someone you can talk to?" Billy ventured.

Jason smiled, but continued, "Like a real jerk."

"You're not a jerk."

"Yes I am."

"Okay, you're a jerk." Billy kidded him.

"And you didn't tell me about Tommy hitting you." Jason told him.

"What would you have done?" Billy asked. "Gone out and beat him up?" He sighed, "At that time Tommy was new to the group, and still trying to fit in. Hell, if I'd told you about it, you'd have told Kimberly."

"Damn skipping."

"And Kimberly would have broken up with him, and it would have split the group apart. Tommy needed the Rangers, and if walking around with a couple loose teeth for a few days helped him out then it was a small price to pay to not have to fight the Green Ranger again." Billy told him. "And you two would have never become friends."

"Friends who beat up my other friends, I don't need." Jason told him.

"But he didn't beat me up. We had a misunderstanding, and we worked it out. I didn't see any reason it should affect your friendship."

"And if you hadn't worked it out?" Jason asked.

Billy shrugged, "I'd have left the team." He grinned, "After I'd programmed his Morpher to drop him somewhere in the middle of the North Atlantic without his clothes."

Jason smiled, "Remind me not to piss you off, Bro. You've got a nasty streak in you I don't want turned on me."

Billy smiled back, "Will do." He sighed, "And if it's okay with you, why don't we just pretend that you don't know anything about the other."

Jason gave him a strange look, "Why?"

"Because I don't want you feeling uncomfortable around me," Billy told him. "I'd rather you not having to worry about whether or not I was checking you out in the showers."

"And what if it doesn't make me uncomfortable?" Jason asked.

"I'd say you were a better friend that I ever deserved." Billy told him wondering if he was going to get out of this without losing a friend.

Jason's next words however, sent his heart back into his loafers. "What if I don't want to be a friend?"

Billy stood up, and bit back the hurt from his voice and hoped it didn't show in his eyes. He shrugged and turned his back to Jason, "Then I guess we don't have anything else to say." He reached out and felt the Morphin' grid and prepared to throw himself into it when before he could trigger the transport, he felt Jason tackle him from behind, as an explosion blasted the picnic table into little pieces.

Jason rolled over and covered him, "What if I want to be more than friends, you big dummy?"

Billy hid his shock, grinned and looked over at the humanoid forms that were appearing in the park around them. Turning back to Jason, he rolled out from under him, "Jason, not in front of the Kregar." Kipping up to his feet, he thought to himself, Time to try out our new connection to the Power. He realized that he'd cleared the ground just in time to avoid a second blast aimed at where he was lying earlier. "No fair! Give a guy time to get up!"

"War is not a game to be played, fair or otherwise," a definite female voice told him.

Turning he saw that the speaker was a tall bronze skinned woman with dark hair. She was wearing what looked like old Greek armor made from modern materials. "This is new," was his reply.

Another series of blasts from the wicked looking sidearm she was carrying sent him and Jase diving for cover again as six similarly dressed women began to spread out around them, all firing a hell of a lot more accurately than anything they'd faced before. "Actually, it's rather old," the woman told him in her stilted English. Some dry part of Billy's mind noted that the accent was actually Greek. "But it's more than sufficient to stop a couple of whelps like you."

Billy couldn't help but smile when he heard Jase yell, "It's Morphin' time!" He always wondered why Jase did that. Outside of looking good for the kiddies, it really didn't accomplish a whole lot.

Silently, Billy reached out and summoned the Power to him. Suddenly the low undercurrent of energy he'd felt since he'd returned from the gray blazed to life, as his body became hyper-charged. His senses suddenly became sharper, his mind and reflexes quicker than he'd ever experienced as the Blue Ranger. Looking down, he realized that his costume now looked like a cross between a gi and something that Todd McFarlane would create. It was definitely softer, and a whole lot easier to move in. He'd never told anyone just how much his old costume tended to chafe in the most embarrassing places.

He watched as the Amazons closed with him firing their blasters. As he deflected several of the blasts away from him on the heavy metallic bracers at his wrists, he smiled at the irony of that situation. Three of the warriors closed to hand to hand with him, putting away their blasters and drawing wicked looking short swords. His heightened senses indicated that these women were physically more dense than any human had a right to be. "Jase?" he yelled.

"Whatcha' need?" The Red Ranger yelled back.

"I don't think we'll be able to just hit these guys in the 'Z' and they'll go away," he told his partner.

Ducking a thrust to his head, he grabbed the woman's arm above the wrist and slung her toward one of the trees. He was so astonished by the fact that she went sailing over the tree and clear across the lake to land in a wooded section of the park about half a mile away, that he almost forgot to block a second blow to his ribs by one of her sisters- almost.

He and Jason spent the next several minutes adjusting to their new levels of strength and speed as they danced through their attackers with a ridiculous level of ease. Finally becoming both awed and frustrated by the situation, Billy grabbed the last of the women attacking him and hurled her toward their commander. He noted with some satisfaction that the woman disappeared just before the impact, and the rest simply faded away.

Before he could comment, the rest of the team came charging into the clearing all decked out. "You guys okay?" Tommy asked. Billy noted that the Green Ranger's costume was more of a white trimmed in green than the other way around.

Billy looked down at himself and then at the others, "We seem to have garnered a rather impressive upgrade during our demise."

"If you mean we got more powerful, I'd have to agree," Adam told him.

"Is it always like this?" Kyle asked smiling broadly.

"What'cha mean?" Kimberly asked smiling. Billy knew that she knew exactly what he meant.

"The rush." Kyle told her. "I've never felt so alive in my life!" He spun around looking at the sky, an ecstatic grin on his face .

"Uh oh," Adam joked. "The new guy's power tripping."

Tommy shook his head, "Not like this," he told them. "This is a whole new realm of Power."

Kimberly came over to him and pulled at a hole in his costume where one of the Amazon's blades had gotten a little close. "You okay?"

He pulled his mask down and smiled at her, "yeah, she missed me."

Kim shook her head, "Not by much." Then she nodded her head over toward Jason, "How 'bout him? You okay with him yet?"

The conversation he'd been having with Jason before the attack suddenly came screaming back to him. He realized his secret was out, and felt the panic wash over him. Oddly enough there was also a feeling of relief to what had happened. He didn't have to hide any more. The ball was in Jase's court. "Ask him."

She grinned up at him, "I think you might had better do that."

He nodded at her and smiled, "maybe you're right." Slipping past the Pink Ranger he forced his natural shyness and reserve down. Perhaps he was still flushed with the Power. Maybe it was an adrenaline rush, whatever the reason Billy Cranston did something he'd never done before in his life. Taking strong and deliberate steps he quickly crossed the intervening distance between he and Jason. Taking the bigger boy by the shoulders he spun him around. "Jason, I need to know if you were serious or not about what you told me a minute ago."

Jason seemed surprised at Billy's forwardness. His eyes flickered back and forth between Billy and his team mates. "Never been more serious in my life Bro. I." Jason was cut off when Billy reached up, pulled the mask from the Red Ranger's lower face.

"Then cut the Bro shit, because if I had a brother, I wouldn't do this to him." Billy kissed him soundly on the mouth. He wasn't sure how long the kiss lasted, but he broke it off and began to blush furiously when he realized the others were cheering them on.

Across town at the Command Center, Murphy Stone looked over at Winter and held out her hand. "Like Tommy said, it's always the quiet ones." She grinned broadly, "Pay up."

************************************************************

Kimberly leaned back against Tommy and sighed basking the glow of the post-coital warmth coursing through her body. She hadn't felt this at ease since their return from the Gray. Her mother was gone for the afternoon and they had the house to themselves. "Tommy?"

"Hmmm?" he asked contentedly.

"What do you think about what's going on between Jase and Billy?" she asked carefully.

She felt him stroke her hair, "I'm not worried about it."

"I didn't ask you if you were worried about it. I want to know how you feel about two of our team mates being gay."

"Three." Tommy said without opening his eyes.

"What?" she asked.

"Three of our team mates are gay." Tommy told her. "Kyle told the guys that he's gay the other day at Ernie's."

"What made him do that?"

"Jason asked." Tommy told him. "They were all giving me a hard time about going shopping with you, and Kyle said it didn't bother him. He went on to tell us that he's gay." Tommy shrugged behind her, "It doesn't bother me. I'm comfortable enough with who I am to not let it bother me." He sighed, "Actually I think what's going on with Jase and Billy is a good thing."

Surprised, Kimberly turned around and looked at him, "Really?"

Tommy smiled at her, "Yeah," he nodded. "If what you guys are saying about the universe being out to get Billy is true, I think he deserves a little happiness. If it makes Jase happy too, then so much the better." He tapped her on the nose, "Besides, now I understand why Jase has always been so protective of Billy."

"Jase has always had a protective streak in him," Kimberly told him. "Don't be surprised to find out that he's protective of you too."

Tommy smiled, "Difference is, I can take care of myself."

She leaned in against his chest, "I know, but don't get too self- reliant. I kind of like you needing me."

"Always Beautiful," Tommy told her.

"Tommy?" she asked again.

"Is this going to make you feel like the token straight boy on the team?" Kimberly asked.

Tommy just chuckled, "I hadn't thought about it, but I don't mind. Jase and Billy are my friends. I don't care who they love as long as they get a chance to love."

"What about Kyle?" she asked.

"That boy's got a lot of issues to work out," Tommy told her. "His becoming the Yellow Ranger has really changed how the group works though. I think maybe it's the first time we've ever really broken from Zordon's formula."

"What do you mean?" Kimberly asked.

"Up until now, look at how the team has been structured. We've always been somewhat racially and sexually balanced. That started changing when Adam took the Black, and now everything's really out of kilter."

Kimberly leaned back again. "I don't understand."

"Look at the original team. It had two girls, three boys, three Caucasian, one African American, and one Asian. Then I came along and Zack left and we lost the African American and gained a Native American and a second Asian. When Trini died and Kyle took the Yellow it changed even further. Now we're four Caucasian, one Native American, and one Asian, with five boys, one girl, three straight and three gay. I used to wonder at first if Zordon was trying to make us as diverse as possible. Now, I'm not so sure."

"I'd never thought about that," Kimberly told him. It was true, she'd never really considered her team's racial make up. It wasn't that important to her. They were people she loved and cared about. She smiled, "I don't think we've ever been racially diverse."

Tommy looked down at her with a questioning look, "Huh."

She shook her head, "We're all human. That's not very diverse at all."

"You've got a point," Tommy told her.

***************************************************************

"Something has changed," Ed Cranston told Linda and Frank Scott over lunch the following Saturday.

"We figured something would have with Trini's dying," Linda told him. "I mean, they can't just leave a hole in the team."

"I know. I have to admit that I was surprised to see a boy as the Yellow Ranger," Ed told them. "But that's not what I'm talking about."

"Then what?" Frank asked.

Linda watched Ed actually blush as he shook his head and chuckled. "I'm not sure I believe what I saw."

Frank smiled at him, "Ed, our kids are the Power Rangers. They fight evil in giant dinosaur-shaped robots. There's very little I'd have trouble believing."

Ed laughed, "I'm not so sure about this one, Frank. Giant robots and super powers I can believe. My son initiating a kiss with somebody is just a little far fetched though."

"What?" Frank asked. "That' s not like Billy." Linda heard the surprise in her husband's voice. "Who'd he kiss?"

"Jason," Ed told him.

The table was silent. Linda watched several different emotions race across her husband's face. This news wasn't as surprising to her as she felt it might be to him. Finally, she broke the silence, "How did Jason react?"

"I'm not sure, but I think it was pretty mutual," Ed told her.

"I was wondering which one of them would finally make the first move," Frank chuckled under his breath. "Although to be honest, I'd expected it to be Jason."

Linda turned to her husband, "You're not surprised by this?"

Frank just laughed, "Linda I had this one figured out ever since Billy was hurt in that fight last year on his birthday and ended up spending a week in a coma. Jason was just a little too concerned about the whole thing." Frank gave Ed a strange look, "How do you feel about this Ed?"

"I'm not completely thrilled. I'm not completely irate. I guess I wish that the boys felt that they could come to us and talk about it." He shrugged, "I imagine this one of those things we have to deal with them being what they are. I hope they'll eventually come and tells us about it, but I'm not going to hold my breath." He took a sip of his coffee. "They haven't decided to tell us about being Power Rangers yet, so I guess this might just be another thing they'll keep to themselves. I hope not." He looked over at Frank, "I just want Billy to be happy, and if he and Jason are happy together, then who am I to disagree. How about you?"

Linda watched her husband consider Ed's question, "Me. Pretty much the same." He looked over at her, "Although, I'm not sure how one does go about having the lube and condoms talk with one's son."

Ed chuckled and shook his head, "It's going to make our keeping an eye on them that much more difficult I think."

"It could be worse," Linda told the two fathers, "They could show up and tell us that they're both seventeen year-old daddies."

Ed smiled, "You always did have a way of putting things in perspective, Linda."

"What so we won't get grandchildren?" she told them. "At least not the normal way." She winked at Ed, "But with Billy, if they decided they wanted children, he'd find a way." Suddenly she thought of something worrisome, "He doesn't have access to cloning technology does he?"

Ed smiled and shrugged, "How should I know? I wouldn't know cloning technology if it came up and bit me." Sighing he continued, "Next week starts to your week to keep an eye on them, Linda. You might want to want to make sure we don't leave them alone too much." She, Frank, and Ed had been switching off weeks for watching the kids since they'd figured out they who they were. That of course had been a serious mistake on Jason's part. Frank recognized the Red Ranger trying to use the same technique on one of Rita's monsters last year that Jason was showing him a few days before. It was something he called a tornado kick. From that point, a little extrapolation allowed them to identify the identities of the rest of the Rangers. After talking to Ed about it, the three parents decided to take turns keeping an eye on the teenagers.

"Good point," Frank told her.

She looked at both men, "I hate to break this to you guys, but if they're going to have that kind of relationship, then they'll find a place to do it. I'd rather they have some place safe than not."

********************************************************

"Man that woman is tough," Jase told Tommy as the five of them headed toward the showers. "I'm bruised in places I didn't know I had.

Tommy laughed at his friend as he headed toward the door behind Kyle, Jase and Billy. Jason was right, Murphy had pushed them hard and on more than one occasion during the staged fight, Tommy had been forced to "cheat" and use the Power to keep from being completely thrashed. As he started to follow the other three in, he noticed Adam eyeing the door warily. "I'll catch up with you guys in a minute," he yelled after them.

Walking over to where Adam was watching the door, he put an arm on the young Asian martial artist's shoulder and asked, "what's wrong Bro?"

"Nothing," Adam told him.

"Then why are you looking at that door like if you go in there, you won't come out again?" Tommy asked. He had a suspicion as to what was bothering Adam, but unless the boy brought it up himself, he wasn't going to accuse him of anything.

Adam shrugged, "I guess, after the other day, the showers are taking on a whole new meaning."

Tommy raised an eyebrow and leaned back against the wall of the dojo in the Command Center. Finally, he said, "I know what you mean."

Adam gave him a surprised look, "Do you?"

Tommy smiled, "You're worried that Billy or Jase might be checking you out in there."

Adam just shrugged and muttered non-committally, "Something like that."

Tommy smiled, "If that's the case, I want you to think about two things."

"What?"

Tommy put a hand on his shoulder, "First, it wouldn't be the first time they've seen you in the shower, so it's not like you'd be showing them anything new. You just know about it now."

Adam smiled, "and the second,"

"Be flattered if they are. After all, it means they'd find you attractive enough to check out."

"I hadn't thought about it that way," Adam told him.

"Sure man, now you just know about it. Besides, it's not like they're going to jump you're bones in the shower. This is Jase and Billy we're talking about. If it were anybody else, I might suspect they'd jump each others, but not the rest of us."

Adam laughed and gave him a sardonic grin. He seemed to consider Tommy's words for minute before saying, "Maybe you're right. I guess I am being a little silly." He took a deep breath and plunged through doors without stopping.

"Hey guys," Kyle told them as he stepped out from around the lockers with a towel wrapped around his waist. "We were beginning to wonder if you'd decided to shower with Kimberly." Tommy thought he heard a slight bitterness to the boy's voice.

"Nah, man. Thought about it, but then remembered who else was in there." Tommy told him. "One beating a day is enough." He smiled, "Besides, there's a perfectly good set of showers in here."

Kyle looked at him and then over at Adam, and finally back at him. "Yeah, completely occupied by three fags."

"Really? Where?" Tommy asked in mock jest. Then he let his voice go hard, "All I see is three teammates." He walked past the new Yellow Ranger dropping his gi top on the floor. "Besides, if you wanna look. Go right ahead." Turning his head, he gave Kyle a mischievous grin, "I know I'm worth looking at." Facing around to his teammate, he shucked his bottoms- jock, cup and all, and stepped out of them, exposing himself directly Kyle's gaze. He noticed the shocked look on both boys' faces as they looked him up and down.

Kyle smiled, and pointed to the general area of Tommy's groin, "Is that a bruise or a hickey? I don't remember you getting hit there." Tommy looked down and saw nothing out of place. "Made you look." Kyle said.

"You are so evil, man." Tommy grinned and grabbed his towel.

Kyle just shook his head, "Hey, you gonna show off, I'm gonna look."

"Kyle!" Adam protested.

"What? He wants you to look that's the whole purpose of it." The newest Ranger grinned, "He's pretty, he knows it, and he likes the attention. Besides, I think he's trying, albeit clumsily, to prove a point."

"But you don't have to be so obvious about it," Adam told him.

Kyle gave Adam a hard look, "Had you rather I watch out of the corner of my eye, so you can catch me and beat the crap out of me for doing it? I'm not going to give anybody that satisfaction. I paid too much for being out of the closet."

"I'm not going to beat the crap out of you for looking," Adam told him. "I may tease you about it, but I'm not going to beat the crap out of you for it."

Kyle smiled, "I know. You just have to realize that for yourself." He walked over and put an arm on Adam's shoulder, "Look, I know this takes some getting used to. I'll be there for you man, but don't expect me to hide what I am." He grinned, "And if you want to put on a show like Tommy, who am I to complain, because I've got news for you man, you are one good- looking guy."

Tommy watched Adam stammer trying to find something to say. Finally, he came to Black Ranger's rescue, "Just say thank you Adam and go get your shower."

Adam blushed, and started to strip, "Thank you."

A couple a minutes later, Kyle joined Tommy at the shower next to him. "You handled that pretty well, Kyle."

The boy shrugged, "What's to handle? Adam's a teammate and hopefully a friend. I don't want him to think I'm going to rape him here in the gym some day." Soaping down the boy turned his back to Tommy, "I'm not all that interested in sex or love or anything else right now."

"You human man?" Tommy asked.

"It's been one of those years," Kyle said, and this time the bitterness in his voice was clear.

"Oh, sorry to hear that." Tommy told him.

"Don't be Tommy. You didn't do it, so you don't have to apologize." Tommy heard him make a noise not unlike the one Billy makes when he's embarrassed, "You guys have been better friends than I expected to find here, and I appreciate it."

Before Tommy could reply, Adam joined them, silently. Looking around, he asked, "Where's Jase and Billy?"

"They went toward the whirlpool," Kyle said. Billy said something about his shoulder hurting, and that maybe the jets would work it out for him."

"This place has got whirlpool?" Adam asked.

"Man this place has got everything," Kyle told him. "I wouldn't be surprised that if you shut off the outside world that it was self- sufficient."

Kyle looked over at Adam, "Haven't you been sight seeing yet?"

"Who's had time? Ms. Stone has been running me ragged. Somehow, I get the feeling that she's very disappointed in my level of combat skill. I've been doing an extra couple ten katas a day for her."

Tommy laughed, "I thought I was the only one she was riding that hard."

Kyle gave them both a surprised look, "You mean she's torturing us all?"

"'Pears so," Tommy told him. "That woman is trying to turn us into something Zordon never did. She's a whole lot more vicious than he ever was."

"I'm wondering if that's a good thing or a bad thing."

"I think in the long run it's going to be a good thing for us, but it means that there are a lot of bad things out there for us to deal with," Tommy told him.

"You think?" Jase asked as he and Billy came in. Tommy noticed a strange look on the Red Ranger's face as he entered the shower.

"What you didn't think we had brains?" Tommy asked. "I know we're all pretty and all, but come on. We've got brains, they're our secret weapons." He flipped his hair and pitched his voice high, "I'm a brunette in real life, but I play a blond on TV."

Jase threw washcloth at him. "Be nice."

"What there are no blonds here to get mad," Tommy told him.

He heard Billy clearing his throat. "Hey man, you're not blond. You're just a brunette with a bad bleach job."

"Thanks," Billy said sarcastically.

Jase turned to Billy, "See I told you they'd be here."

"What?" Adam asked.

"Billy thought you guys might decide to shower later." Jase told him.

"Right," Tommy said sarcastically. "Like I'm going out and sit next to Kimberly smelling like I've been used to wipe the dojo up with."

"Why not," Billy asked. "You were used to wipe up the dojo. We all were."

"Yeah, but I don't have to smell like it." Tommy told him. Actually, he'd about had his fill of this conversation. He put his hands on his hips and faced Billy, "Look man, nothing's changed. You're still my teammate, and my friend." He held his arms out to his side, "You wanna look go ahead, because I know it doesn't mean anything."

Billy turned the most interesting shade of red. "Tommy."

"I know you're not going to attack me, and as far as I'm concerned nothing is different." Tommy shook his head, "Now I'm going to go get dressed and listen to Ms. Stone tell us everything we did wrong." He turned back and looked at the other four as something occurred to him. "Speaking of Stone," He gave Billy a knowing look, "You get pretty much unrestricted access to the computers right, Billy?"

"Yeah," Billy said carefully.

"Can you hack into them and find out a little more about our new," he made quotation marks with his fingers, "advisors?"

"I guess. What specifically do you want me to look for?" Billy asked coming out of the showers. Now Tommy had him. He knew that if he gave Billy a computer problem to solve, then it would take his mind off being uncomfortable around his friends.

"Just anything you can on Stone and Hayes. Although if Hayes is what Stone claims she is, you probably won't find anything."

Billy just smiled, "Will do. One computer dump coming up." He too came out of the showers and began to towel off. "Oh and Tommy?"

"Yeah Bro?"

"Even if I wanted to look, I can't." Billy told him.

"Oh?" Tommy asked.

"Can't see a thing without my glasses." Billy reached into his locker and pulled out the bronze-rimmed glasses he always wore. Turning he gave Tommy a long, lingering, appreciative look up and down. "Not bad," he finally said. "Kimberly's lucky."

Tommy felt himself turning deep red. He couldn't believe Billy actually did that, "All right. Let's go find out how badly we did. Time to stop playing in the water children." Tommy looked over to the others. Adam's gaze caught his eye. Tommy shook his head, and walked out of the locker room, thinking about what Kimberly had called him the other day.

*****************************************************************

Billy sat down at the main console in the computer core of the Command Center. Again, he marveled at how easily he was able to understand this new technology. It reminded him of something he would design, with an unlimited monetary and time budget. The old Command Center was almost entirely Eltarian technology, whereas this one seemed to be based on some extremely advanced Terran designs.

Even the computer programming had a familiar style to them. If he didn't know better, he'd have sworn that he'd written half of them, and then told the computer to write the other half. The ease with which he was able to penetrate deep into the files was starting worry him. He was beginning to wonder if it was all some kind of elaborate trap to keep him busy while important files were shunted off into "safe areas".

Finally reaching the core files, he found one that was huge. "Damn! It's over a thousand terabytes," he said under his breath. That's more computing power than all the old Command Center combined. As he was about the access the file, suddenly the lights in the core went out, and the screen went blank.

A familiar voice said, "Please place your hand on the lighted panel."

To his left, a secondary console dropped from the access panel. A green glass plate with crosshairs glowed to life. "Computer core security measures will be activated in twenty seconds. Please place your hand on the lighted panel." Some small part of his mind registered that he'd been targeted by some form of energy weapon.

Preparing to throw himself into the Morphin' Grid, Billy considered his options. Deciding that he had nothing to lose, he placed his right hand on the panel and hoped for the best. A wave of light passed under the glass plate, first horizontally and then vertically. "Subject identity confirmed as Kevin William Stone. Auxiliary artificial intelligence program activated."

A low hum permeated the room as Billy sensed a light source behind him. Turning, he almost fell out of his seat in shock. Standing before him, was a younger version of himself. It spoke, "Hello. If this program has been activated, then I'm dead, and you're me."

"Excuse me?" Billy asked, in confusion.

"My name is Kevin Stone and I am my universe's version of you, as you are your universe's version of me." The form pushed his glasses up further on his face, "It really gets to be rather confusing."

"How.?" Billy began to ask.

"This data file is a copy of my brain engrams stored in digital format by myself and encrypted into a piece of technology that I knew would be carried to your universe," the younger man said. Billy could see the hologram blush, "You see, I did bad thing- depending on your point of view."

"What?" Billy asked.

"I hacked into the Time Stream files at StormQuest. I was curious as to what the multiverse was like," the young man told him as he walked around the room. Turning back to Billy he asked, "What is your name?"

"Uh, Billy Cranston," Billy answered.

The boy smiled, "It's good to meet you. Although this isn't really me. It's just an AI given my form and memories." He shrugged, "You see, I learned something I wasn't supposed to in those files."

"What was that?" Billy asked.

"I learned that there is a me," he smiled, "or a you, or an us in every universe. I also learned that for some reason, that in all these universes we have less than a 200: 1 shot of being alive and healthy. I was doing pretty well in my universe. I'd actually gotten past the point where most of our incarnations had something major-league bad happen to them." Billy noticed that this version of him didn't tend to degenerate into techno-babble as he did. He seemed to be somewhat better acclimated to standard American culture.

"But?" Billy asked.

"Evidently my hacking into the Time Stream was enough to push me over the edge into the negative reaction side of the equation," the form told him. "The more I studied it, the easier it became to read. What I learned there, was enough to make me worry about my own sanity." He shook his head, "I do know that the forces I unleashed will cost me my life and cause my mother a great deal of distress. It's too late to stop that now." He shook his head, "My father? Well he deserves what he's going to get for the way he treated me and mom."

"Your world must definitely be different from mine," Billy told the AI.

The younger version of himself smiled, "You in love?"

"Affirmative," Billy answered carefully.

"Does he know it?" Billy was surprised that he found himself surprised that this version of him would know his attraction was to his own gender.

"We've discussed it," Billy told him.

The form smiled, "Good, hold on to it. With one exception we only get one shot at it per world, yours isn't the exception." He smiled, "Just be glad this isn't one of the worlds where we're a girl."

"Trust me, I'm not letting Jason go." Billy told the hologram.

"Good, but you had some specific questions, otherwise you wouldn't be hacking into my mainframe," the AI asked.

Billy nodded, "We were curious about the origins and motivations of our benefactors."

"And who are your benefactors?"

"One is Murphy Stone and the other calls herself Winter Hayes," Billy told him. "According to Stone, Hayes is something called a Time Lord."

"That is correct." His younger version replied. "Winter is sort of the bad girl of Time Lords. While all the others are fighting over power during the Time Wars, she was slowly making alliances with forces outside of Time."

"The being known as Covenant." It was as much a statement as a question.

The AI smiled, "Yes. From what I can ascertain from your universe, the point where the Kregar invade, your Time Stream suddenly unravels into a million different directions. Instantaneously it reconnects itself and continues on. I can read the Stream up to the attack, and right after it. I can see anomalies between the two, but I can't read anything during the unraveling. This is where Covenant interfered."

"We died. He sent us back," Billy told him.

The AI appeared to be surprised, "I don't see how that is a possibility. However, you are here and my scans indicate a direct connection to the Power that was not there before the unraveling therefore I cannot deny that some force was unleashed."

"Can we trust Stone, Hayes, Covenant," Billy smiled, "Or for that matter, you."

The AI smiled, and Billy reached the conclusion that the computer was actually joking with him. That made him more nervous that anything else he'd been told. "Of course you can trust the computer, the computer is your friend, it says so right here on the packaging."

"I guess that was an inappropriate question from which to gain the information we need." Billy told the computer.

Again, the younger version of him smiled, "I'm inclined to tell you to trust no one. However, I'll tell you what I know and let you draw on your own conclusions."

"That sounds equitable," Billy replied.

"Equitable? Did you actually say equitable?" the computer asked.

Billy nodded in confusion, "yes."

"Man, we've got to get you out more often. Definitely get you laid."

Billy blushed. He wasn't about to discuss his sex life with the Command's AI. "I don't know who is more difficult to deal with, you or the old Command Center's AI, Alpha Five."

"Oh I am," the AI told him. "Or at least will be. After all, I'm you."

"Just from a different Time Stream," Billy said.

"A different reality," the AI replied. "Time Stream and reality are two different things. The Time Stream runs through all realities, but each one is separate."

Billy nodded and realized that for the first time in his life, he'd encountered someone with as great a desire as he to be accurate in his explanations. "I think I understand that. But you were going to tell me about the others."

"Oh yes." The hologram looked up, "Well Mom, you can definitely trust. She may push you until you think you're going to break, but trust her." He gave Billy a disturbing look, "Look, I'm not around. In my world I didn't have a dad. In yours, you don't have a mom. I'm willing to share. Mom tends to collect strays, so I'm sure she's already looking at you and your friends as lost little puppies that she has to take care of. So let her. She'll make sure you're all safe and sound. However, she also likes to manipulate things to the way she thinks they should be, so be careful or she's likely to start trying to do things like choose you're classes for you. Don't let her always have her way."

Billy nodded, "I got that impression." He grinned, "I get the feeling it's what Kyle would call a Southern thing."

The other version of him nodded. "Just promise me one thing."

"What?" Billy asked.

"In my reality, before I died, my mom was a cop. She spent a lot of time bringing down transhuman bad guys. That's dangerous work. Don't let her be a cop here." His younger self shook his head, "I've seen the Time Stream, if you do, you'll lose her. Don't let her be a home-maker either. You do that and she'll drive you bonkers. Find her some thing safe to do, like firefighter, or lion tamer," the AI joked.

Billy nodded, "I'll endeavor to do that."

Again the AI gave him a strange look, "You're other half, understand half of what you say?" It shook it's head, "I can understand you, because I have several thousand dictionaries in my data banks, but most people wouldn't.

Billy blushed, "Most of the time. It's sort of a game. But my vocabulary isn't open for discussion."

"Okay, okay." Kevin told him. Billy wasn't sure when he started thinking of the AI as Kevin, but he decided that he'd at least better give him a name, and his name in life was as good as any. "As for Hayes." He shrugged, "You can trust her up to a point. Remember, she has her own agenda. I don't think it is one that would bring harm to you or your universe, but it is her own. She's not hardwired to hurt people. Her parents instilled in her a pretty strong code of ethics." He smiled, "As for Covenant, I don't know."

"Why not?"

The AI shrugged, "You have to understand something about the way the multiverse works. The Time Lords have spent a great deal of energy in trying to make those people who understand such things that they are at the top of the food chain. That they are omniscient, omnipotent, and omni benevolent, which by the way is a lie. That's why they don't get along with Hayes all that much. She doesn't live the lie."

"But they aren't at the top of the food chain?" Billy asked.

"Exactly," Kevin told him.

That rung belongs to a being that Covenant and his ilk call the Master, or the Creator. I guess the best way you can describe him or her as is God or Goddess, I don't think gender really applies to it. The Master resides in a realm beyond the veil that not even Covenant or other Aphriem can pierce."

"Aphriem, you mean angels?" Billy asked incredulously.

"I mean angels and demons or something like that," Kevin told him. "I don't mean beings with wings or horns in the religious sense. I mean beings who serve the Master, and who are directly connected to the Power. Some of them went insane and tried to take over. To do that, they took a small tribe of humans and built a transdimensional empire out of them. They call themselves the Kregar, but they are directly descended from the Amazons of ancient times."

"That would explain the armor and the Greek accent," Billy told him.

The AI nodded. "Exactly."

"Where does Covenant fit into all this? I got the impression that he was at one time a human."

Kevin smiled, "From what I can tell, which isn't much, Covenant differs from the Aphriem in two ways. First he has a lot more free will than the Aphriem. If you believe strongly enough something about an Aphriem, and your will is sufficiently powerful you can force them into that form." He gave Billy a hard look, "Don't try it. You have too strong a grounding in science. This is a faith issue. You don't have what it takes."

"I wasn't." Billy began.

"And don't try to convince me you weren't. You're me remember? I know how your mind works, and the concept of anything that you can dominate with your mind is just too tempting. I'm telling now, don't try it. You'll fail, and probably cost the rest of your friends their lives trying to rescue you."

Billy nodded and swallowed. That concept brought him up short and slapped him with reality. "I won't."

"Good. Anyway, Covenant can't be forced into any form he doesn't desire. It's not a matter of will with him. It's a matter that he was born a mortal, and became something more."

"What is the other difference?" Billy asked.

"The Aphriem are connected to the Power. Covenant IS the Power."

"I don't understand," Billy told him. "That's what Hayes keeps telling us that we are."

"That would explain some of the anomalies I've been reading on my scanners." Kevin gave Billy a smile that made him think the AI knew something important, but wasn't going to tell. "He's also a direct agent of the Master. He answers only to it. He's free to do as he chooses, as long as it doesn't interfere too much with Creation."

"Why would he take an interest in us then?" Billy asked.

The AI shrugged, "I don't know. He has his own purpose. But I'll tell you what I know from the Time Stream. He's probably the most powerful being in the multiverse that resides on this side of the Veil, and according to what Winter told my mom, he's looking for something to kill him."

Billy was surprised, "Why?"

The AI shrugged, "I don't know. Hayes and the other Time Lords avoid his original reality like the plague. The Time Stream there is almost completely unreadable. I think he's lonely though. From what I can gather, his becoming was extremely expensive, and he's incredibly lonely." Kevin shrugged, "But how can Superman commit suicide?"

Billy took a long minute to consider what the AI was telling him. It put a completely new perspective on what had been happening to him and his friends. Finally, he asked, "What about you? How much can I trust you?"

Kevin smiled, "Look, I'm a computer now. I have the brain engrams of a fifteen-year-old boy who hacked into a top-secret British government research lab and set off a chain of events that resulted in his taking a six-foot polyendium steel pole down the length of his spine programmed into my personality files. Those engrams are similar enough to yours to be you. You decide if what I've told you is true."

Billy nodded. "And what should I tell my friends about this?"

Kevin smiled, "All of it, especially the one you're in love with." Billy saw the hologram get a distant look in his eyes- as if remembering something. "Hold on to that. That's the only thing in life worth holding." He turned and looked back at Billy, "You've got friends who care about you. That's more than I had. I had one person besides my mom, and although he loved me, he couldn't save me. Don't shut your friends out. They may be your lifeline for survival."

Billy swallowed hard, "I'll try to remember."

The AI continued, "But I wouldn't tell my mom or Winter what you know. And please don't tell them about me. It would upset mom."

Billy nodded, "Anything else?"

Kevin smiled, "Don't forget about mom, no police duty."

Billy smiled, "I'll remember."

Kevin nodded, "Now get out of here. Mom's on her way back so I have to disappear behind the other AI personality."

Billy nodded and left the Computer Core to consider what he'd learned.







**********************************************************

"This is the Youth Center," Jason told Ms. Stone. He hadn't been happy with the idea of having to distract the woman while Billy went alone into the Command Center to see what he could discover from the computer systems.

"Relax Jason," Ms. Stone told him, "Billy is perfectly safe in the Command Center on his own."

Jason stopped and gave her a long look. Jason wasn't very good at lying. With the exception of Tommy none of the Rangers were- it just wasn't in their natures. "What makes you think Billy's at the Command Center?"

"Oh please," she told him. "If I were in your situation and I thought the computers had the answer I'd sent the person most experienced with them there, while they distracted its guardian." She smiled at him and tousled his hair, "It's a sign of a good commander. You know your team's strengths well and are willing to use them, even the ones you worry the most about. Now relax, in an hour or so, Billy will have your information and I can get back to what I was working on there."

"You knew we were distracting you?" Kimberly asked flustered.

"Of course," she smiled. "Kevin and Adam used to do the same thing to me. Especially when they were getting into things they thought I might object to." Looking over at the Juice Bar, "But it gives me a chance to check out Ernie's world-famous smoothies, so you guys had better not have been lying. He'd better have the best strawberry smoothie in town."

"We weren't trying." Adam objected but

"Oh yes you were," Ms. Stone replied. "You needed me out of the way so Billy could hack into the Command Center's computer system, and you could find out what really was happening." She gave Adam a long look, "I don't mind, it's what I'd if I were in your situation." She put a hand on Adam's shoulder, "It's okay Adam. I'm not angry. I'm just surprised it took you all this long to do it."

"You mean you don't mind that Billy's hacking the computer system?" Tommy asked.

"Not at all, because he's not hacking the computer system, it's designed to respond to each of you. He's accessing when he thinks I'm not around to know about it." She smiled and held her wrist while pulling back the shirtsleeve to reveal a morpher like watch. "You see this little blue dot on the read out?"

Jason leaned in and could see that on the screen of the watch was an overlay of a map of Angel Grove. The area where the Command Center is on the map, had a flashing blue dot. "Yes ma'am."

"It tells me exactly where every one of you are. Since the dot is at the Command Center, that's where Billy is." She pointed to where there were several other dots indicated at the lower end of the screen. "That the rest of us." Smiling at them she continued, "When you pick up yours after you medicals tomorrow, you'll be able to use them to track each other."

"Medicals?" Kimberly asked.

"Tomorrow morning, you all get a full physical, right down to genetic samples." Ms. Stone told them. "That way these little bracelets can be completely coded to your specific signatures. After that, you'll be able to track each other easily. It has a few other features too. Should you become incapacitated in the field, then it'll allow us to transport you back to the Command Center."

"Isn't reading that small of a screen going to be difficult, Ms. Stone?" Kyle asked. Jason realized that Kyle's experience as a tumbler would make him extremely aware of the difficulties of spatial relationships. "Plus how do we read altitude?"

Ms. Stone just smiled, "They have a holographic projection system built in," she looked around at the Youth Center. I just didn't think it would be a good idea to demonstrate it here." Rubbing her hands together, she took Kyle and Tommy by the arm, "Now about that smoothie."

"Jason?" A familiar voice called his name.

"Dad?" Jason turned to see his parents and Mr. Cranston entering the Youth Center. "Mr. Cranston?" For some reason Jason found himself blushing at the sight of Billy's dad.

"Jason," Mr. Cranston nodded looking around, "Where's Billy?"

"Oh, he's working on a computer for me," Ms. Stone told turned and told them. Jason saw her suddenly smiling and held out her hand, "I'm Murphy Stone, Angel Grove High's new Guidance Counselor. You must be Mr. and Mrs. Scott," she turned and faced the other man, and Jason detected a slight catch in her voice, "and Mr. Cranston." Jason got the feeling that something else was going on in Ms. Stone's head.

Jason's dad smiled up at the woman. Jason still couldn't get over how big she really was, "Nice to meet you Ms. Stone, welcome to Angel Grove." He took the big woman's hand and shook it. "We were looking for Jason and Billy."

Ms. Stone smiled, "Well you found them, or at least Jason. Billy agreed to fix my computer if we'd all come get him a smoothie." She shook her head, "Personally I think it was all a ruse to get me out of his hair and to stop looking over his shoulder. I mean, really a spinach and prune juice smoothie? I don't know whether to call him Worf or Popeye."

"Mmmm, sounds good," Mr. Cranston said.

"Okay, so unusual tastes run in the family," Ms. Stone replied. "I think I'll stick with the strawberry and orange smoothie."

"Jason, we just wanted to let you and Billy know that the Cranston's are having dinner at our house tonight. Seven o'clock and don't be late."

"Yes ma'am." Jason told her as she kissed him on the cheek.

"Good," his mom told him. "Now get Billy his smoothie and you guys have a good afternoon."

"Sure mom," Jason smiled and did just that.

*********************************************************

"And that's about it," Billy finally finished telling his tale. After ditching Jason's and Billy's parents at the Youth Bar, the teens had returned to Billy's house to discuss what the Blue Ranger had discovered in the computers at the Command Center.

"That's about enough," Tommy told him. Shaking his head the Green Ranger pulled Kimberly tight against him, "I don't know if I could I could've handled facing a dead version of myself."

"Well, it was interesting," Billy said as he leaned back against Jason's chest. Taking a second to look around, Adam realized that only he and Kyle were sitting alone on the floor. Billy and Jason had stretched out on the sofa, Jason on the inside, and Billy leaning against him. Tommy had sat in Mr. Cranston's favorite recliner, and Kimberly was sitting in his lap with her legs draped across the arms of the chair.

"But did it tell us anything we really needed to know?" Kyle asked.

"Come to think of it," Jason said. "No. It told us the Time Lords probably won't interfere here because they can't tell what's going on." He shook his head, "But did it give us any real information on what we're going to be fighting, or what happened to Zordon, or even to our benefactor's motivations? No." "Zordon is back where he belongs," Kyle said. "He's not trapped here any more." He looked over at Kim, "Didn't you tell me he'd been trapped in some kind of time bubble by Rita a long time ago?"

"Yeah," Kimberly replied.

"Well, if I'd spent a long time trapped, I think I might high tail it back home myself," Kyle told them.

"What about the Command Center?" Adam asked. "I mean, how did Hayes and Stone rebuild it so quick especially, without Eltarian technology?"

Billy shook his head at him, "That's just it. It's definitely Terran technology- only it's several hundred years ahead of us." Billy smiled again for what Adam decided must have been the thousandth time. If nothing else, getting his feelings out in the open had done wonders for the Blue Ranger's disposition. He smiled a lot more now. "It's the kind of stuff I'd build if I had all the money I'd ever need and ten lifetimes to build it."

"That good, huh?" Jason asked.

"Excellent workmanship," Billy replied snuggling closer.

"You two are worse than they used to be," Adam snorted at the Blue and Red Rangers.

Adam felt Kim's hand muss his hair, "Well your day's coming." He heard a playful threat to her voice, "and yours too farm boy."

"Who me? I'm behaving," the Yellow Ranger protested.

"Let's see how well he behaves tomorrow when we take those physicals Ms. Stone told us about?" Tommy joked.

Kyle just shrugged, "Hey I've poked and prodded before. No biggie to me."

"I don't think I wanted to hear that," Adam told him.

"You've just got your mind in the gutter," Tommy pushed against his back with a foot.

"Yeah well, around you guys, it's supposed to be some place else?" he wondered if the slight taste of bitterness he was feeling showed up in his voice.

"Uh guys, what physicals?" Billy asked.

"The physicals we were informed we have to have tomorrow so we get the neat little bracelets, so they can tell us where everybody is," Kim replied.

"Oh, the new morphers," Billy said. He looked over at Kim, "Kim, only you would refer to a clunky morpher as jewelry. " Shaking his head, "I didn't think those were ready yet."

"You knew about these things?" Kyle asked.

Billy nodded, "Yeah. Ms. Stone showed them to me. I uh. suggested some modifications to help us with 'zords, but she never got back to me about them." He shrugged, "I guess she didn't like the ideas."

"Evidently, they're ready and we get them tomorrow, after we get them- what did she call it?- bio-coded to us." Kimberly said.

Billy nodded, "Yeah. The idea is so that nobody but us can use them."

Jason looked down at his watch. "Well, we're expected for dinner in half an hour. We'd better get a move on," He tapped Billy on the shoulder.

"Dinner with the folks," Tommy kidded them. He gave Jason a serious look, "you know, this might be a good time to tell them about you two."

Jason shrugged, "I don't know if I'm ready for that yet. I'm not sure how my parents are going to react."

Tommy looked down Billy and then up a Jase. Adam knew what he was about to say, and knew that coming from Tommy it might not come out as well as it needed. Before Tommy could say anything Adam jumped. "Let me ask you a question Bro."

Everybody turned to look at Adam. He knew as the second newest member on the team, they'd cut him a little slack. "You ashamed of Billy?" He looked over at Billy, "You ashamed of Jason?"

"NO!" Jason almost shouted. "What a question to ask."

Billy contemplated his question a little more carefully before answering. Finally, in that quiet voice that sometimes could cut through a crowd full of people talking he answered, "No. I've loved Jason half my life. The idea that he might reciprocate my feelings had never occurred to me outside of my most hidden dreams. I am content to keep things to myself until he's ready to face his parents."

"I wouldn't man," Kyle said. "This is from experience: I'd come clean with your parents as soon as possible." He sighed, "Trust me, you don't want any of the parental units walking in on you and being doubly surprised." He smiled, "Besides, we have to lie to them enough about being Power Rangers. Don't get in the habit of it about other stuff."

Every eye turned to look at Kyle. Finally Tommy broke the silence, "That's about as clear cut as I could put it."

"Besides, if they freak, you're going to want a little time to adjust things," Adam told them.

Getting off Tommy's lap, Kimberly pulled the Green Ranger to his feet. "Believe me, having the parents disapprove of your boyfriend is not a pleasant situation."

"Listen to the voice of experience, there man. Mrs. Hart is so frightened of how much time I spend with Kimberly." Tommy told them, and Adam could sense a deeply hidden self-resentment in his voice. "Speaking of that, I'd better get you home, before she starts calling around."

Kimberly just nodded, "Think about it Jase. It's really important."

Jason just nodded, and followed them to the door. Adam and Kyle were right behind them. "I will."

As they all left, Adam turned to Kyle, "Look man, I don't have anywhere I need to be until around nine. Wanna' head over to the Youth Bar and work out?"

********************************************************

Despite himself, Kyle began to thaw toward his new friends. His dad had told him that he was glad Kyle had started to fit in at Angel Grove, and made friends so quickly. It helped that Billy, and Jason and Kim had something of a reputation as being the "good kids to be around". He hated lying to him about being a Power Ranger, especially after all the trouble lying about Neal had caused his father, but he somehow got the feeling that dear old dad was not going to be very understanding about this either. However, what surprised Kyle most about his new friends is how much being around them made the pain of what happened in Kentucky, easier to bear.

He genuinely enjoyed learning karate, and Jason, Tommy, and Adam were all excellent teachers. With the other members of the team pretty much paired off, that left him and Adam on the outside, so they tended to spend more time together. He had to admit, he liked the young Korean boy a great deal. They shared many of the same interests- not the least of which was a penchant for wearing black. He smiled to himself as they left the showers and headed toward Ernie's.

Adam had really pushed him hard, and Kyle was starting to integrate much of what he already knew as tumbler into his fighting style. Tommy kidded him about trying to develop his own gymkata techniques and warned him of the dangers of leaving the ground in a fight. With no small amount of surprise, Kyle realized that for the first time in a year he was happy. He had friends who knew him- or at least were getting to known him- and who genuinely cared about him. So what if he had to suddenly cut out every now and again and fight some huge animated eraser from a pencil box dropped by a kid. It was a small price to pay for finally letting Neal rest.

"Angel Grove to Kyle, Angel Grove to Kyle," Adam asked from across the table. "You in there man?"

Kyle smiled and brought himself back to this reality. "Yeah, I was just thinking."

"From the look on your face, I guess it was something nice," Adam told him.

Kyle nodded, "you could say that." He took a long drink from his smoothie, "I was just thinking about how lucky I was to meet you guys."

"Now you're heading back into chick territory, again," Adam accused him playfully. Kyle understood that Adam was uncomfortable with anything that might make himself or other people question his masculinity.

Kyle just smiled at his friend and looked around to make sure nobody else could see, "Did I ever tell you about the day we all died?"

Adam shook his head, "No, come to think of it, you didn't. I always thought you'd gotten caught in the battle somewhere. You know, in one of those buildings that Rita's monsters are always knocking down."

Kyle shook his head, "It was something like that. Actually, I walked into the building hoping it would get knocked down on me."

"You did what?" Adam's voice showed his incredulity.

"I was looking for something to kill me. I just couldn't go on anymore. It wasn't so much I was in pain, as that living was just too much effort."

"What would make you feel like that?" Adam asked.

"None of you guys have ever pried into what happened in Kentucky." He sipped his smoothie and dragged the memories to the front. He was surprised to realize that they didn't hurt quite so much anymore. "I really appreciate that. Let's just say that the other half of my soul was murdered. The person responsible decided that if she couldn't have him, then nobody could. She then went out of her way to drag the whole mess through the papers. They and the local churches had a field day." He held up his fingers in quotation marks, "Gay Teen Murdered In Love Triangle. Thing about it, there was no triangle, she was a friend, that's all. Her defense attorney, drug all our letters to each other out in court. If I'd wanted to stay in the closet, he made that pretty much impossible." Kyle sighed, "Dad lost his job at the steel plant over it, so we moved here to make a fresh start."

He saw Adam lean back in his seat, "That's rough Bro. I mean losing someone you love and then having all your personal thoughts and stuff made public."

Kyle smiled and noticed that Adam had called him what seemed to be this group's favorite pet name. He briefly wondered how the others would react if he were to refer to Kimberly as Sis. "It wasn't a cake walk. I must have gotten jumped ten times. Mr. Stevenson at my high school was no help. When I complained about the harassment, all he said was that if I were going to be out of the closet, I'd have to learn to deal with it. I had to learn to hold my bladder because it got where I was taking my life into my own hands every time I went to the bathroom." He looked down in the smoothie, not wanting to face his new friend's eyes, "The last time it happened, I ended up with a fractured forearm, and lost my chances at the Pan Global Team." He was surprised to find that a lot of the bitterness seemed to have mellowed since he met the other Rangers. He shrugged, "Dad decided then that if I were going to survive high school we'd better move out of Eastern Kentucky." Looking up at Adam, "Coming here wasn't much better. I was miserable, alone, no friends, and just plain tired of living. When the battle with the invaders started, I just headed toward it, hoping that I'd catch a stray blow somewhere so the loneliness would go away."

He felt Adam put a hand on his shoulder, "Man, I didn't know." Looking up into the young Korean's eyes he smiled weakly. Adam continued, "If I had, I'd have made it a point to get to know you." Adam smiled, "You're a pretty neat guy to know. Did you know that?"

Kyle laughed, "You're just saying that because you want me to stop wearing your black." Leaning back he told his new friend, "I know that. I also know I didn't make it all that easy to get to know. I should have, but it was just so hard up until I met you guys. It just didn't seem to be worth the effort."

"And now?"

Kyle looked his friend in the eye, and was surprised to realize that yes, he considered Adam a friend, albeit one that was having to get used to having him around, but a friend none-the-less, "Now, it's easier. It's not easy yet," He smiled weakly at Adam, "Living is still a one day at time thing, but lately the days have been getting easier."

"Kyle, I didn't know." Adam began.

"You didn't know because I hadn't told you. Why should you, and to be honest, why should I have?" Kyle told him. "We're all really the walking wounded when you think about it. You guys are getting over losing Trini, Jason and Billy are new to what's happening between them, and I.," Kyle shrugged, "I've had my own issues to work on."

Adam sat back and Kyle could see several emotions play across his face. Kyle briefly wondered what was on his friend's mind. Finally, with a loud sigh, he plunged ahead like a man doing something about which he was unsure of the consequences. "Can I ask you a question?"

"Like I told Tommy, it's the only way I know of to learn," Kyle answered glibly.

"I don't know, this is pretty personal," Adam told him.

"Adam I just told you the last personal thing I knew." He snorted and wondered if there just wasn't just a little resentment in his voice, "You're talking to a guy who had his love letters read aloud in court of law, and made a part of the public record."

Adam nodded and Kyle knew he was still nervous before he ever opened his mouth, "If you were ready to die, then why did you decide to come back?"

Kyle thought about just how valid that question was. "You know, I haven't really given it any thought. I guess, something Covenant told me, or promised me there was what sent me back."

"And that was?" Adam asked.

Kyle shook his head, "Uh uh, you first." He reached deep down and felt the Power flowing to him, and Adam. "I'll tell you if you tell me. I know what you felt waiting for you on the other side of the veil. Covenant let me see that before I made my decision. If I tell you why I came back, you tell me what sent you back here instead of on to the next world first."

Kyle watched some kind of conflict play across his friend's face. He was surprised at how easy it was to read the Black Ranger. Finally, the boy sighed and leaned forward, "Okay, but this stays between you and me."

Kyle nodded, "I won't hear a word you say man."

"I came back because someone else asked me to." Adam blushed deeply, "They asked me fix something that went wrong in another place." He shook his head and looked down, "But to be honest with you I don't know how."

"You're making less sense than usual pal," Kyle told him.

Adam threw a straw at him and smiled, "I agreed to come back in spite of the pull of the Veil because." he hesitated, "It's really silly." Shaking his head he muttered, "It sounds like something out of a stupid fairy tale."

"Now, I'm really confused," Kyle told him. "Look man, if you don't want to talk about it, that's okay."

Adam smiled up at him, "I'm willing, I'm just not sure how." He sighed, "Ever read Mercedes Lackey?"

Kyle nodded, "Yeah. A teacher in Kentucky loaned me the Last Herald Mage series. I sort of think he had things between me and Neal figured out, and it was his way of telling me it was cool, that we'd always have at least one safe place in the school." He chuckled, "Last I heard, he'd left that little podunk town too."

Adam smiled, "I hadn't until recently. Then, Kim loaned it to me a couple of weeks ago. I don't know where she got it, it's definitely not her normal reading genre, but I'm glad she did." He gave Kyle a softer look, "It really helped me understand you, and Jase and Billy a little better."

Kyle smiled, "Thanks man, that means a lot, that at least you're trying." He smiled, "Remind me to do something nice for Kimberly." Returning to the conversation at hand, "But what has that got to do with your decision to come back?"

Adam just smiled and shook his head, "I don't remember it all. I think I'm not supposed to, but it has something to do with somebody who is supposed to get a second chance at life. I'm supposed to make them see that just because they can't sit at the great table any more that they can't enjoy dinner with their friends, and that sometimes that dinner with friends can become the great table again." He laughed, "I think that's how Lackey tried to describe it."

Kyle chuckled, "Man, that's a little deep, even for me."

Adam smiled, and looked at him "I told you it sounded like something out of a fairy tale. But anyway, I remember that when it was explained to me, I wanted to help." He shook his head again, "No, it was more than help. Some part of me wanted to make it right." Looking back, he gave Kyle a wicked grin, "Now it's your turn."

Kyle winced, "Touché. I guess since we're baring our souls then let's get it over with." He pulled up the feelings he'd felt in the Gray. "I know what you guys felt waiting on you on the other side of the Veil. Covenant let me see what each of you felt. Then he showed me what was waiting for me if I left that way." He felt his body tremble at the awesome might of the despair and separation he himself had felt- the loneliness that went on without end. "You guys would have died a hero's death, and gone on to be one with the Creator. Mine would have been the coward's, and it what I felt on the other side of the Veil was beyond anything I'd felt here. There was no peace, no happiness, just eternal loneliness and longing. Covenant yanked me back from that abyss and gave me a chance to make amends. I may be lonely here, I may be afraid, and just plain hurting, but it beats the hell out of what I had waiting for me if I gave up without a fight."

He could see how his words were affecting Adam, "Man, that has to be rough. No wonder you came back. You literally got a glimpse of Hell, and told go back or go there." He shook his head, "At least the rest of us had a choice. Yours was no choice at all."

Kyle nodded. "That's pretty much it." He stood up, "Well, I'd better be getting home soon. Dad's going to be worried about me." Reaching into his gym bag, he pulled out the yellow vest he bought the other day and put it on. He smiled and told Adam, "See you tomorrow."

******************************************************

Jason sat nervously at the dinner table with Billy, his parents and Mr. Cranston. His mom had made her world famous chicken casserole, but for some reason, he couldn't seem to enjoy its taste. He felt like it was his first date with Emily and he was afraid he was going to screw up and embarrass himself or something. Glancing over for the hundredth time at Billy he blushed. The two had been stealing touches under the table all during the meal. There was nothing untoward about it, just a gentle squeeze of each other's hand to lend strength, under what to him seemed to be the intense scrutiny of his parents and Billy's dad.

For some reason facing their parents in this situation made Jason very nervous, and he kept worrying about what Billy's dad would think. The two boys had been friends since fourth grade, but he'd never in a million years allowed himself to even consider that their relationship would reach this point. Some part of him realized that he'd wanted it for a long time, but wouldn't let himself admit it. Now he was afraid that one of these three adults who were so important to all their friends' lives would try and take it away.

"Boys, either you're feeding the dog under the table or you're holding hands," Jason's dad finally commented. Shaking his head he continued with a smile, "and the dog's outside."

Jason and Billy both jumped at the comment and the table rattled from the force of their knees' collision with its underside. "Dad!" he protested.

"Jason, Billy is there something you want to tell us?" Billy's dad said with aplomb. Jason felt the blood rise in his face.

"Dad!" Billy echoed his own earlier protest, and Jason could see that Billy blushed even deeper than he.

The Scotts, and Mr. Cranston all three pushed themselves back from the table. Finally, Jason's dad said, "I think maybe we should all go into the living room for coffee and a long talk."

"Yes sir," both boys said in unison. Without saying a word, they both began to clear the table and load the dishwasher as Mrs. Scott put away the leftovers. Ten minutes later, they all were in the living room. Jason somehow felt a little better in that his father had included both he and Billy in the coffee part of the conversation. He at least felt his parents were treating them as at least responsible, if not quite adults.

"So?" Mr. Cranston began, "Jason, are you planning on attending MIT or are you two going to attempt a long distance relationship while you're in college?"

"Sir?" Jason asked confused.

"Are-you-going-to-attend-college-in-Boston-with-Billy?" Mr. Cranston repeated stressing each word separately. Jason could see a rare smile on the man's face and realized that he was actually being teased by his friend's- no he had to as Kimberly put it, readjust his thinking there- his- well they weren't exactly lovers, yet- whatever the hell Billy was to him now- father.

"Uh. Dad. don't push," Billy pleaded. "Please."

"Ed, Frank," Jason's mom said, "Don't tease the boys. Can't you see they're scared." Jason had to admit that his mom was right. For some reason, he found himself more frightened at this moment than when they'd faced the Kregar several weeks ago and lost.

"Calm down boys," Frank said. We're just teasing." He smiled and leaned back in his chair, "We were wondering however, when you were going to tell us."

"You're not mad?" Jason asked incredulously.

His dad shook his head, "No son. We're not mad. What have we all tried to teach you boys? Just like with Zack, it's not important what color you skin is, it's what's in your character. The same applies here: who you love isn't as important as that you love."

Jason's mom gave them a serious look, "You are in love aren't you?" She poured five coffees, "I mean this isn't just some experimental stage is it?"

Jason was a little hurt by the question. He realized that he'd loved Billy half his life. At first, it was as a friend, then as the brother he never had. Finally, sometime around eighth grade, he realized that he loved him as something more. Tommy was his best friend, because Billy was something beyond that. He shook his head, "No ma'am. To be honest, I think I was experimenting with Emily." He felt slightly ashamed at that admission. "This is the real thing."

She smiled and looked over at Billy, "And you, Billy?"

"Beyond question, Mrs. Scott, I've known I loved Jason since eighth grade." The young blond surprised everyone in the room by reaching over and taking Jason's hand. Physical displays of affection were as Billy called it, 'not the Cranston way'. Jason realized that he was making a very serious point. "If Jase were to ask- which I know he wouldn't- but should he, I'd give up my lab for him."

Jason watched as the adults considered Billy's rather stunning revelation. Finally, he got up the nerve to ask a question, "How'd you know?"

"You mean besides the way you two have been stealing glances at each other all night?" his dad asked. "Or the fact that you would reach over and touch each other under the table for reassurance?" his dad continued. "I'm a cop Jason, and a father. I can read clues as well as your mother. I've known there was an attraction between you two for over a year now."

"How?" Jason asked incredulously. "I didn't realize what I was feeling until recently myself."

His father smiled, "You got just a little too upset when Billy got thrown..uh.. fell off the Kingsley Building on his birthday last year. You didn't react to that like a best friend getting hurt, it was more like a love."

Jason turned to Mr. Cranston, "And you sir?"

Mr. Cranston graced him with one of his rare truly warm smiles, "I've known Billy was gay for a while now. We talked about it a couple of years back. I deduced you were the object of his affections from a very early point. He never said anything mind you, but I'm not a stupid man."

"No sir," Jason agreed quickly. Turning to Billy he said, "You've been in love with me for that long?"

"Jase, I think I've been in love with you since I met you. It just took a while to realize what that meant." Jason couldn't believe Billy just said that in front of all their parents. He was beginning to wonder exactly what effect the Power was having the Blue Ranger. He was definitely becoming more self-assured. He noticed that their family seemed to be as taken aback by the admission as he was.

Jason's dad cleared his throat, "Back to my original question, when were you boys going to tell us?"

"Once we'd completely ascertained the full ramifications of our situation ourselves. Being as we were unsure of your individual reactions to this rather unusual revelation we were considering sometime post collegiate graduation." Billy told Mr. Scott.

Jason had to translate what Billy just said, and not for the first time since they'd returned from the Gray he wished that Trini were there to translate the Billy-speak. "I think," he finally said.

"Billy," Mrs. Scott admonished gently, "You don't have to be nervous. We're not going to bite you, and we're not going to try and keep you boys apart." She smiled, "But I do think we may have to discuss some new ground rules about sleep-overs."

Jason blushed deeply.

********************************************************

Kimberly got down off the table as Ms. Hayes gave the scans a good once- over before she decided that there was something there she didn't like. Handing Kimberly her new morpher, she sat down in the chair across from her. "I take it you have some kind of hormonal imbalance, Kimberly." She said without any preamble.

Kimberly felt herself blush deeply as she nodded, running her fingers through her hair. "Yes ma'am, irregular periods and all, although lately they haven't been too much of a problem."

Ms. Hayes shook her head and snorted, "They shouldn't be ever again." Leaning back in the chair she told her, "That's the nature of the Power, it tends to correct any disabilities you might have. I would suggest coming off the birth control pills you're using to control them. They aren't needed anymore, and they'll throw your whole system out of whack."

Kimberly felt herself blush even deeper, unsure of how to approach this situation, "Uh., uh."

Hayes just smiled and nodded at her, "That's not going to happen either," the woman told her sensing the Pink Ranger's discomfort. "The only way you could possible end up with children is if you talk to Billy really nicely about doing some genetic manipulation for you. Once your Power activated, your ability to conceive was pretty much shut down." She shrugged, "It's the universe's way of protecting itself. Can't have too many 22 year old immortals running around out there." She smiled and indicated Kimberly, "Or in your case seventeen."

Kimberly was confused, "Didn't Ms. Stone say that you're father was part of the Power too?"

"I have two fathers," She told Kimberly. "one mother. Yes one of my fathers is part of the Power, and genetically speaking he's not my parent." She shrugged, "But genetics don't really matter all that much in things like this. Do you think Tommy's parents love him any less because he's adopted?"

"Oh," Kimberly said. "I was just wondering how you could have been conceived if your father was uh. uh." Kimberly felt the blood continue to rise in her face.

Hayes just laughed, "Don't worry about it, Kimberly." Getting up from her chair she continued, "I'll tell you what. One day I'll sit down and tell you all about it. The whole six to twelve hundred years- depending on which point in time you catch my consciousness."

"You're an interesting person to know Ms. Hayes." Kimberly told.

Ms. Hayes laughed, "You're being polite. I'm a weird person to know." Getting up she gestured toward the door and waited for Kimberly before following behind her.

Kimberly walked out of Medical Bay Two with Ms. Hayes to join the other five boys, who were surprisingly enough, blushing. She noted that Kyle was pulling a black and gold polo shirt on over his ever-present black tank. Ms. Stone turned and faced them, "All right boys and girls, we've covered enough of the birds and the bees, and I'm proud to announce that you are all disgustingly healthy. Not a leg cramp or a zit among you." She turned and typed something into the panel behind her and muttered playfully, "Got to be a crime." Turning back to the group she smiled, "As to your new morphers, you'll discover some upgrades in them from the old ones. Most notably is that you don't need them to call on the Power. They're mainly meant as a communicator and a method of summoning the 'Zords." She turned and smiled at Billy, "Yes Billy, I was listening. You had some good ideas and I did work them in." Kimberly noticed the surprised look on his face, as he muttered something under his breath. Finally, the Blue Ranger looked up at Ms. Stone and said, "They were just some thoughts I considered that would make our endeavors with the 'Zords more effective."

Ms. Stone smiled at him, and actually tousled the blond ranger's hair. "They were good ones, Billy." Turning back she seemed to consider her next words carefully. Finally, coming to some sort of decision she said, "There is something else I want to talk to you about."

Every Ranger turned to face her, "Go on, Ms. Stone," Jason said leaning back against one of the counters.

"It's about your parents," Ms. Stone glanced over at Ms. Hayes before continuing. "Winter and I have been talking and we think that it might be a good idea for some of you," she turned and faced Kimberly, "not all mind you, but some of you to consider letting your parents in on who you are."

"But what of Zordon's admonitions concerning protecting our secret identities?" Billy asked.

Kimberly watched as Ms. Murphy shook her head and chuckled, "One of these days, I'm going to have to have a long talk with Zordon of Eltar. He's got some pretty strange ideas on what's important." She leaned against one of the tables in the room. "I understand the need to protect your family and all that, but sometimes I wonder if Zordon lives in the same reality as the rest of us. Not telling his parents about his situation was what got my son killed. If he'd come to me about what he'd discovered, and what he was doing at night," she blushed deeply and Kim could hear a strong note of self-recrimination in her voice, "well maybe not all of what he was doing, but the stuff that involved going out in spandex I would have made a few more allowances." She sighed, "What were his rules? Let's get those cleared up now."

Jason ticked off on his fingers, "Never use the Power for personal gain. Never escalate a fight with Rita and Zedd. Always protect your secret identities."

Ms. Hayes nodded with each of them. "All of those are admirable qualities that you should strive to live up to. However, I wonder if he ever considered honesty among them." She smiled at the Rangers, "Number one is a good idea in general. However, you have to be careful about how you define personal gain. Is protecting a loved one, or a teammate personal gain? How about Billy using the advanced technology he has access here to improve his chances of getting into a better college?"

For some reason, Kimberly found herself needing to come to Zordon's defense. "Zordon just didn't want us using the power to make ourselves rich or something."

Ms. Hayes smiled at her. "I understand that, but by interfering in your world, Zordon already created an imbalance. He gave you the Power to use to defend the world, asked you to risk your lives, your sanity, and your families." She shook her head, "It hardly seems fair to take from you, your lives and your innocence and not expect you to want something in return."

"But we don't want anything." Jason said.

Ms. Hayes raised an eyebrow and looked at her, "Oh really?" She walked over to Jason, and looked up into his face, "What if Billy were to get hit by a car and killed this afternoon? Would you not want to use the Power to stop it or if you thought you could, to bring him back?"

"But that's not for personal gain!"

"Really?" she asked. "Using Zordon's formula, all I really would have to do is find a replacement blue ranger. No more Billy, just go out and get a new model. Don't worry about what I might owe you for putting your lives on the line for the planet. The old Command Center's files had at least three names listed as replacement rangers. Since Billy is so easily replaceable," she made quotation marks with her hands for the last two words, "then using the Power to bring him back would only be for selfish reasons."

"That's cold," Tommy told her. "Billy is not selfish reasons." Kimberly could see a coldness come over even Ms. Stone's eyes. "He's a friend, and I for wouldn't care what you told me. If it would bring back a friend I'd do it."

Hayes smiled at him, "From you, I'd expect nothing less." Turning to Jason, "I think Jason, even you'd eventually defy even Zordon over Billy or Kimberly. No, scratch that, I know you would." She shook her head and walked away from the tables, "My point is that these are guidelines, they are not laws written in stone tablets handed down from the Mount by Moses. I also think honesty with your parents in some cases may be better than the last rule." She shrugged, "I'm not talking about going out and using your 'Zords to rob Fort Knox, I'm talking about there being nothing wrong with using the Power to save lives, or ease pain when needed, even if you do gain something from it. You are almost adults. You are old enough that I trust your judgment on these things." She shook her head, "You all know right from wrong, I'm just giving you the opportunity to demonstrate that.

"So who do you think should tell their parents?" Tommy asked.

Ms. Stone smiled at him, "I'm not sure your parents are ready for that yet, Tommy. I think given a little time they will, but to be honest there are just getting used to having a son, let's not toss the fact that he's a Power Ranger into the mix just yet." She turned to face Kimberly, smiled, and continued, "With everything else your mom is worrying about right now," Kimberly glanced guiltily over at Tommy, "let's not scare her anymore either."

"Yes, ma'am." Tommy grinned at Kimberly. Both she and he understood that the only thing that might scare her mom more than her spending time alone with 'that Oliver boy' is that she might be putting herself in danger.

Turning to Adam she looked at him, "I understand your dad isn't too happy with the whole concept of Power Rangers." She shook her head, "Under the circumstances, it might not be a good idea to tell him either."

"No ma'am," Adam told her.

Looking over at Kyle, "I'm not sure if you should tell your father or not. Your situation is rather unique, and I'm not sure how he'll deal with it." She smiled, "Let's give him a little time to adapt to other things before we hit him with the spandex and the 'Zords."

Smiling, she finally turned to Billy and Jason, "You two however, are a different story. I think it's time you came clean with your parents. They aren't stupid, nor are they distracted by other issues. I think maybe they will be a lot more understanding than you give them credit for."

"Are you certain of this, Ms. Stone? We don't wish to overload them with too many worries." Kimberly watched Billy exchanged and embarrassed glance with Jason. "Recent events have already put a great strain on our relationships with them."

Ms. Stone raised an eyebrow, "Came out to them huh?" She smiled, "You didn't waste any time." Smiling at the confused look on the boys' face, "Don't ever make the mistake of thinking I'm stupid. I've been dealing with boys coming to grips with their sexuality for way too long." She laughed, "You might even say it's part of the job description." Sighing deeply, "I think this might be something they can handle.

"Actually, they already suspected," Billy told her. "We were asked whether we were going to attempt to pursue a long range relationship or if we were going to attend the same university."

Although Kimberly had not really expected Mr. Cranston nor the Scotts to disown their sons, the blithe manner in which they seemed to have accepted their relationship surprised even her. "That's great, guys!"

Jason blushed, "I'm still not sure how I feel about things,"

Kimberly watched Billy suddenly blanche. She couldn't help the harsh tone in her voice, "What do you mean, Jase?"

Jase seemed to realize that his words may have hurt someone. Kimberly could see the dawning of understanding come across his face. Finally he spoke up, "Not that. Never that!" He blushed deeply, "I meant I'm not sure how I feel about my parents being so understanding." Turning his face, "Not you Billy, never about you."

The tension seemed to leave the room, as Kim realized that although their blond friend had come a long way toward building his self-esteem, it was still very fragile, especially where Jason was concerned. Finally, Ms. Murphy sighed and then smiled, "So your parents told you?" She shook her head, ran a hand through her red hair, and chuckled. "Like I said, parents are as stupid as most teenagers think. I think this is something they can handle, though. Something they need to know."

Billy nodded and answered her, "We'll endeavor to inform them of our status as Power Rangers sometime in the near future." Kimberly could tell that even though Jason hadn't meant to hurt Billy, his words still had raised some doubts in the mind of the Blue Ranger. She was going to have to have a long talk with Jason about that. Like she'd told him earlier, Jason was going to make some serious changes in his attitudes about Billy. "I can't promise anything right now. Jason and I have to do some settling down of our own," Billy told their advisor.

"Good, just don't take too long," Ms. Hayes smiled. "I know you're parents worry."

*******************************************************

Billy ducked the blow from Adam's axe and came up with a quick sweep of the staff that Ms. Stone had supplied. Adam was forced to use a technique Kyle had taught him to get out of the way of the whirling weapon and found himself pinned to the back wall by his friend. Adam couldn't get over how much the Blue Ranger had improved with his martial arts training over the last few weeks. "You're getting good. Pretty soon, you'll be ready to go one on one with Jason or Tommy." He shook his head, "I never really expected you to pick up staff so quickly."

Billy shrugged as the two bowed to the dojo and left the sparring area of the new Command Center. "Ms. Stone has really been pushing me. I'm comfortable with a staff. It's fits in my hand easily, and is a weapon that can be conveniently improvised." He smiled at Adam, "Besides, for some reason, it just feels right in my hand. It's almost as if I am coming out of some fugue and the skill and knowledge of the weapon is awakening inside me." Adam smiled, "I know what you mean." In the past, a certain amount of skill ability came was evident whenever they morphed, but lately Adam felt like they were tapping into something entirely new, and in many ways frightening. "I can feel myself reaching whole new levels of ability. It's sort of scary." He shook his head, " and for some reason, I keep seeing this frog."

Billy smiled, "You think it's unnerving for us, imagine how our opponents must feel." Billy was right, most of the attacks that Rita and Zedd had been responsible for of late were almost nothing but nuisances. They'd yet even had to put their new 'Zords to use, being more than capable of handling the monsters before Rita could even make them grow. He suspected that the ancient sorceress and her new husband were becoming rather frustrated with the changes that had occurred in the Power Rangers.

"That's what scares me Billy, Ms. Stone seems to think we're not ready to handle the Kregar yet, and we're already walking through Rita and Zedd like they weren't even there. What does that mean for what's coming?"

The Blue Ranger just shrugged and his voice became soft and somewhat ominous, "They killed us once. I don't intend to let that happen a second time."

"INTRUDER IN THE COMMAND CENTER! INTRUDER IN THE COMMAND CENTER!" The computer's voice came over the intercom.

Before either boy could react, a familiar and much-missed figure came out of one of the side rooms, "Aiyiyiyiyi! Billy, Adam, somebody's trying to break through the outer doors," Alpha Five suddenly told them.

"Alpha! Where've you been?" Adam asked surprised to see their old friend. He assumed that Alpha had been destroyed when the original Command Center had been blown up by the Kregar.

"I've been in the repair bay. Ms. Stone has been putting me back together!" The little robot looked over at the entrance to the outer doors, "I can't raise Jason or the others on the communicators, Billy! What are we going to do?"

Adam turned to look at the Blue Ranger, but before Billy could respond the outer doors to the training center exploded inward. He felt the force of the blast pick him up and slam him into the far wall. The heat was horrific, and there was a strange smell that reminded him of his trip to Diamonhead in Hawaii.

He let his body go limp to absorb as much of the impact as he could. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Billy back-flipping out of the way of a second blast coming from the direction of where the door used to be. Five figures came charging through the hole made by the explosion.

The first was a man wearing black glasses and some kind of heavy blue jacket- some dry part of Adam's mind registered the shades of gray at his temples before moving on to the of the woman beside him. A tall leggy blonde wearing a matching skirt, came walking through the hole. "Hayes has us fighting children now?"

He and Billy quickly closed ranks, and stood shoulder to shoulder. A quick glance at each other, both boys stepped back into their fighting stances, "Who are you people, and what do you think you're doing attacking our Command Center?" Adam asked.

"Where's the Time Shard?" A large man dressed in a similar costume came charging past the woman to leap at Adam.

"Barricade, no! Not children!" the woman screamed from behind him.

Adam ducked the bigger man- no Adam was honest with himself, this guy was huge- and rolled off to the side. Rolling to his feet, he'd about had enough. Looking over at Billy he nodded again and yelled to his friend, "It's morphin' time!"

He noticed Billy grinning at something as he too summoned the Power. Suddenly Adam was alive and full of energy. He could feel the Power flow through him like a raging river, sweeping away all doubts about his training. He felt his clothes supercharge and morph into the costume he wore the other day in the park. Grabbing the man known as Barricade as he bounced off the wall, he twisted and slung him back toward his comrades. "I don't know who you think you are, but you're not welcome here."

The woman was shaking her head, "I knew this was a bad idea."

Behind her, a girl not much older than Adam, came flying through the hole, her whole body engulfed in some kind of fire, while screaming, "Kurt!" she veered off course and lay down a barrage of flame that drove both Adam and Billy back.

Adam watched as Billy continued with the acrobatic maneuvers to get out of the way of the blasts, but the staff he was carrying was throwing off his balance. He watched in horror as the girl corrected her aim to lead with the Blue Ranger and caught his friend a solid blow across the ribs. Suddenly, the Blue Ranger was engulfed in the flame. If he lived to be a thousand, Adam would never forget the sound of Billy's scream of pain.

Adam felt a grim anger come over him. Who were these maniacs who charged in here, blasting away at his friends? Without hesitation, he reached for the Morpher on his wrist. "Black Ranger NeoZord, Battlemode 1!" Again, he felt a rush of power, as his costume was suddenly replaced with a hardened armored version of his old costume, complete with the Mastodon motif on the helmet. Hitting another toggle on the communicator, he vainly called into the device, "Jason! Tommy! Kyle! Kimberly! Anybody! We got trouble at the Command Center." Before he could finish the sentence, he felt his wrist suddenly trapped in vice-like grip.

"I don't think we need anybody else here right now," the big man called Barricade told him. Adam suddenly felt himself picked up and thrown across the room to where Billy was rolling trying to put out the flames engulfing his costume. Again rolling to absorb the impact he came up to his feet, putting himself between the Blue Ranger and their attackers. Taking a second to look back over his shoulder, he asked his friend, "You okay ma." His jaw was suddenly impacted with Barricade's fist and he was thrown back into the wall. As the bigger man closed for the kill, Billy suddenly rolled to his feet, the staff still in his hands whirling around and swept Barricade from his feet.

Hitting the morpher on his wrist Billy was grimly silent as his body was engulfed in blue lightning that transformed his costume into the triceratops version of Adam's own mastadon. That same dry part of his mind noted that for some reason Billy didn't seem to have a need to verbally call on the Power- he simply summoned it. "Bad move man." Twisting his body almost three quarters the way around, the Blue Ranger slammed the butt of his staff into the ribs of his attacker, lifting the bigger man up and slinging him back toward the rest of his closing team.

Once again regaining his feet, Adam noticed that this team didn't stand around waiting to see what happened with Barricade. They quickly closed the distance and the older man was firing some kind of flaming liquid at him. Adam suddenly recognized the smell- lava! Ducking again to the side, Adam rolled back to his feet into the face of a larger man, just barely older than himself. There were glowing triangular spikes protruding from his the backs of his hands. "Barricade may go down, but Shrike ain't that easy!" Suddenly, Adam found himself in the fight of his life. This guy wasn't a brawler. He knew how to fight and on more than one occasion, Adam felt the energy blades pierce his armor. Slowly and inexorably, he and Billy were driven back against the wall by the combined forces of these invaders. Taking a brief second to glance over at his friend, he knew even through two masks what Billy was thinking. They were getting their butts kicked, it was time to ratchet things up a notch.

"Black Ranger NeoZord Battlemode Two!" he yelled to nobody in particular as he felt a surge through his body again. He watched as the surprised looks on the faces of their opponents as he and the Blue Ranger were encased in a heavier version of their armor, complete with enhanced exoskeleton.

"Who do these guys think they are, Robotech or something?" The man with the spikes asked nobody in particular.

He kicked out at the girl and bigger man who were attacking him to clear a way to the other end of the hall. "Adam," he heard Billy's voice come over the helmet's com link. "If we can get them between us, maybe we can use the new nets."

Adam simply gave a quick nod and began to drive the two back across the room. Hitting the communicator switch now embedded in his armor, he called again, "Jason! Tommy! Anybody! We could use some help in here!"

He was surprised to hear Kyle's voice over the radio, "What's up man? We've got our hands full out here with some guy with a sword and a woman with silver skin in a space ship."

"Well, we're getting our butts kicked in here by five people with weird powers. We're already at Battlemode Two."

"Hang tight man. We'll get there as soon as we can." Kyle's voice came over the radio.

"What is it with Hayes?" The woman in the skirt asked. "It's not like her to use children."

"These children as you call them, Time Stepper are the Power Rangers," Ms. Stone's voice suddenly came from across the room. Learning his lesson from previous encounters, Adam didn't bother to look in her direction. Taking advantage of the fact that the man with glasses did, Adam lashed out with a solid front kick. His foot, now encased in sixteen inches of hardened metal, slammed into the man's ribs with tremendous force. Adam heard the distinct sound of bones breaking as the man was slammed across the room by the force of the blow.

"We've fought C.H.E.S.S armor and won, Stone. This is really no match for us," Barricade told her. "I'll peel it off them and shove up their a."

The man's voice was cut off when Billy's staff caught him along side the head. Adam winced at the force of the blow, and realized that Billy was starting to catch his second wind. Stone came walking across the floor carrying a rather large looking handgun, not caring whether she was hit by any of the new comers or not. Oddly enough, she made it to the center of the room unmolested. "This isn't C.H.E.S.S. armor, LeBeck. This stuff is based on Adam and Steve's designs and fueled by the Power. You can no more peel this off them than you could take down Winter's dad." She turned and faced the girl who was slipping up behind her and dropped the barrel of the pistol between her eyes. "You want to find out if you can melt a fifty caliber round from this range before it splatters your brains across the dojo, Soulfire?"

The girl stopped short of Stone, and gave Stone a chagrined look, "Uh. Hi."

"Hi yourself." Turning she looked over at where the older man was holding his ribs. Glancing up at Billy she winked at him, "Now get up Temblor and tell me what it is you're doing here."

Adam watched as the blond man calling himself Shrike helped the older guy to his feet. Adam noticed both men were holding their ribs, and realized that they'd given a lot better than they got in the fight. He could see bright red blood oozing from the man's mouth. "You okay Dad?" Shrike asked.

The older man only nodded and steadied himself against the wall. "Tell Pandora and Brightblade to stand down." He looked over at Stone, "I've been authorized by the British government to recover the pieces of the Time Stone."

Ms. Stone just shook her head, "So you thought you'd just waltz in here shooting first and asking questions later and take it, huh?"

He nodded, "It belongs to us."

"Wrong!" Murphy cut him off. "It belonged to Merlin. He lost it, and had his powers stripped for the transgression. You found it, and destroyed it, and in the process created a rift in time and space and started the Time War, which eventually led to the Enhancer War. Winter recovered several of the pieces and we are not going to let you have them back. You can't be trusted with it."

Temblor gave her a long look. Adam was unsure if it was due to the pain from his kick or if he was considering his words first. "Destroying the stone was an accident."

"And that means what? You are not to be trusted with the Stone." She crossed her arms, "You can't have it back."

"We can take it," Barricade told her.

"You can try," Billy finally answered softly. Everyone turned to face the Blue Ranger and he continued softly, "I've seen the files on your experiment with the Time Stone. The resulting Time Storm cost at least one kid his life. That alone makes you unfit to be its guardian." He stepped up next to Ms. Stone and put a massive hand on her shoulder. Adam felt a surge of the Power flow to Billy. "I will not allow you the opportunity to destroy more innocent lives in a reckless pursuit of knowledge."

"Accidents happen," Shrike shrugged. "You have no right to interfere here boy. I don't have a beef with you, but I do have a mission, and I will not fail."

Adam could see Billy's weight shift slightly, and was surprised to see the normally quiet Blue Ranger willing to escalate the situation. "Your failure is already evident. You cannot win here. We stand between you and this shard, and against us, you cannot win." As if to emphasize his words he spun the staff he was carrying and then reset it to the ground with a loud thud.

"Huh?" the girl identified as Soulfire said.

"He said we'll have to go through him to get the shard," Shrike told her.

The girl shrugged, "Okay."

"Alpha," Billy said to the general air, "Activate the containment field."

Suddenly the invaders were encased in a field of translucent energy. Only then, Adam could sense a slight relaxing in Billy's stance. "What's going on here?" Temblor asked.

"You are surrounded by a pressor field of energy designed specifically to magnify and reflect back any attack made from the inside. I would advise against any attempt to escape being as the results could become rather messy very quickly." Billy told the other team. "My personal morality does not allow me to encase you in such a field without warning you that any attack you make might result in your own demise. Power Rangers don't kill."

Temblor glared out from the energy prison Billy had constructed, "Let us out of here!" Suddenly Barricade charged the edge of the field and there was a flash of light as he was hurled backwards into Shrike.

Beside Billy, Ms. Stone was laughing quietly. There was a bitter tone to her voice.. "Looks like you've finally met someone who not only is willing to outsmart you LeBeck, but has managed to survive doing it."

"I didn't mean for the boy to die, Murphy. I would have done anything to stop it," Temblor told her as Shrike and Barricade picked themselves up from the floor of the containment field.

"Except shut down your experiment," Murphy told her.

"It wasn't my call. It was Rebecca's project and the British government's call. I didn't have a say."

"And I don't have a say about this either," Murphy told him. She looked over to where Alpha had taken cover behind a piece of fallen debris. "Alpha send them back to their own reality, minus their time ship." She gave LeBeck a long stare, "We're letting you go this time, Temblor. You come back and bother me or mine again, and the Rangers may not kill you, but I will." As if to emphasize her words, she put the hand gun back into the holster under her jacket.

"Yes, Ma'am," Alpha told her. "I am activating the trans-temporal transportation device now." Adam watched as the members of the StormQuest team disappeared in flash of white light.

Ms. Stone turned back to Adam and Billy, "I'm sorry about that. I had no idea that they would be able to cross the dimensions to come here looking for the shard. Adam watched as Billy sent his armor away and morphed back down. He could see the Blue Ranger suddenly relax as if a huge burden had been lifted from his shoulders. "You did good out there, Billy." She smiled at him, "Damn good. I wasn't expecting something like that. How did you rig the force field so quickly?"

"It was already there," Tommy's voice came from the main door. "Alpha used it to trap me once when I was under Rita's spell." The Green Ranger picked his way across the room and through the debris to finally stop at Billy. He put a hand out onto the Blue Ranger's shoulder, "That was some good thinking Billy."

Adam watched as Billy blushed deeply, "I only did what any of the rest of you would have done."

Tommy smiled as Jason, Kyle and Kimberly joined them, "But it wasn't any of the rest of us, it was you. You came up with a plan and you carried it out."

Adam smiled at his friend, "And you saved my butt when I thought Shrike was about to skewer me. You're getting good with that staff." He could see all the attention was making Billy nervous. "Good job pal," he told the Blue Ranger. Turning he faced Jason and Tommy, "And exactly where were you guys? We were getting out clocks cleaned in here, until Billy pulled that force field out of his pocket?'

Jason smiled at him, "Sorry Little Bro, we were dealing with some guy with a sword and his pet robot. We were trying to get in here to help out, but to be honest he was one tough hombre. We could've used some of your help out there." Turning to Stone, he asked, "What was that really all about Ms. Stone?"

She laughed at him, "When Winter rebuilt the Command Center, she used a Time Shard to power it. That shard came from what's left after StormQuest shattered the Time Stone back in our universe. That set off a nasty little war between the Time Lords called the Time War, which eventually led to the Enhancer Wars and a rather grim apocalyptic future. That is until Winter stepped in, she closed the rip in space/time," she smiled over at Jason, "-in at least one universe I know of, you were responsible for making sure that rip got closed Jason- and stopped the Time War and averted the Enhancer Wars. Instead of giving the pieces of stone back to Storm Quest for further research, Winter kept them so LeBeck couldn't get his hands on them." She shook her head, "He hasn't quite realized that there is some knowledge man is not yet meant to have."

Adam turned to Billy, "By the way, I like the new 'Zords, especially the intermediate Battlemode Two level. For when we need that little extra power without having to call in so much fire power that it's overkill. Good work there too."

Billy just blushed again.

**************************************************************

Tommy watched Billy work silently in the lab. He hated to do what he was about to, but he was the only one who really could. Adam, Jason, and Kimberly had all come to him asked him to speak to Billy about the changes they'd all noticed in him lately. Jason felt that he couldn't right now because of what was developing between them, Adam didn't think he knew the Blue Ranger well enough- besides Kimberly and Jason, who did?- and Kimberly thought it would sound better, less scary he guessed, coming from a guy.

Once again, he found himself marveling at his scientist friend's grace in the lab. It was almost as if scientific research was as much an exercise in an art form to him as karate was to he, Jason, and Adam; and gymnastics was to Kyle and Kimberly. He moved with an easy grace that belied his reputation as a klutz, and it was evident even to Tommy who's interest in science was limited to how it could be applied to the physics of martial arts, that Billy was the master of all he surveyed. "Hey Bro, what's up?" he asked.

Billy turned and smiled at him, "Just making some adjustments to this phase particle shield Ms. Stone asked me to come up with." He put the device down on the table and smiled over at Tommy. "What's on your mind?" Tommy thought he heard a pause in Billy's voice as if he were trying a word on for size, "Bro."

Tommy was briefly caught off guard by the use of a word he and the rest of the male Rangers tended to toss around a great deal, but never seemed to find it's way into Billy's vocabulary. To be honest, the only time he ever remembered Billy using the word was the other day in the park, just before he kissed Jason. "I thought we should uh. sit down and talk a while," Tommy told him.

Billy smiled, something Tommy had noticed the Blue Ranger doing more of lately, "Any particular field of inquiry on your mind, or are you simply wishing to engage in general conversation?" Billy asked.

"Huh?" Tommy asked.

Billy grinned at him, "what do you want to talk about Tommy?"

"Oh, I don't know. You, Jason, Kimberly, the fact that Kim decked me the other day." Tommy grinned at him.

"I had no involvement in that altercation between you and her whatsoever." Billy replied, but the slight rise in his tone of voice and the look in his eyes, told Tommy that his old friend was just a little nervous about the subject.

"Don't worry man. I'm not going to hit you," Tommy told him. "Just wondering about your sudden change in attitude." He looked around carefully, "To tell you the truth, Kimberly's a little worried you might be under some kind of spell. Either that, or some heavy-duty stress."

Billy looked confused. He shook his head, "I don't understand the nature of your inquiry. How has my behavior been any different of late than," he stopped to consider something, "how long of time period are we discussing here?"

Tommy smiled, "Just lately. Since we came back from the Gray." He used the term that all of them seemed to have fallen to using to describe the place where they'd each spoken to Covenant several weeks ago.

Billy reached for something on his face, and Tommy suddenly realized that he wasn't wearing his glasses, "How has my behavior different from before we left." He blushed deeply, "Not withstanding my uh. uh.. relationship, if you can call it that with Jason."

"You're more assertive, aggressive," Tommy shrugged, "more male."

Billy smiled, "and you consider this a problem?" Tommy could hear a hint of hurt in his friend's voice.

"No, just wondering why the sudden change." He smiled, "I mean I saw the tapes from your fight with Temblor. You were ready to take that whole team on by yourself if you had to. Before we came back you would have never done something like that."

Billy chuckled and turned his back to Tommy, reaching for some device on the table. Tommy got the distinct feeling that he really wasn't interested in the gadget he picked as much as he needed something in his hands. "Look since we've been back it's not like I've had Zordon telling me that the only thing I'm good for is tech support and you guys letting him get away with it." He brought his gaze up to match Tommy's "I mean, you yourself once described me as only a middling fighter. I decided to change that."

Tommy felt a sudden sense of shame over that comment he made a year ago to Jason. "We never thought of you only as tech support." Some part of Tommy realized that there might be more to Billy's words than he thought.

"Look Tommy," Billy leaned forward toward him, and Tommy realized that whether Billy knew it or not, his body language was challenging him. For the first time he could remember, he was actually trying to match Tommy on the physical level, "I just decided that I had to make a few changes in order to keep what I've got, and I don't want to lose it because I'm too shy or awkward to be interesting."

Tommy actually felt his own hackles rise, and realized that whether he wanted to or not, his body was reacting to Billy's sudden aggressiveness. It took a conscious effort to keep his own voice friendly and level when his body's instincts were screaming something entirely different. Suddenly it hit Tommy what this was all about- Jason. "You think you need to be more like me or Adam to keep that interest?" He shook his head and reached out and put a friendly hand on the Blue Ranger's shoulder, "It doesn't work like that Bro. He likes you because you're not me or Adam. Like the song says, Don't go changin'. Being who you are is what got his attention in the first place, and being who you are is what's going to keep it. You don't need to be like me or Adam. Hell I don't think we could stand the competition." He smiled, "And I know Kim couldn't put up with five of us. You're her rock man. You go changing, and we'll all be in trouble, because she'll go ballistic on us." He took a deep breath and kept going, hoping the momentum would carry him before Billy could argue him into a corner, "I'm not saying change is bad. Just be you. Everything else will fall into place." He reached down and took the device in Billy's hand and set it on the counter. "Now from one guy on the dating scene to another guy, go find your significant other and make with the quality time."

For long seconds, Billy sat there contemplating Tommy's words. For a brief instance he thought Billy was suddenly going to explode on him. He found himself reacting to the Blue Ranger in a whole different way than he was accustomed to. For just an instant he questioned who was the alpha. Finally, Billy smiled, "I'll take it under consideration." Reaching back and picking up the device again, "If for no other reason, than to spare Kimberly the testosterone overload."

Tommy rubbed his chin, "Me and my jaw thank you." He smiled at Billy again as he felt the tension suddenly release from himself and his friend, "Man, that girl is protective of you. Almost as much as Jason."

Billy blushed again, "Yeah, well you know when you've been friends as long as she and I have, you tend to tell each other," he looked off to the side as his cheeks got even redder, "hmmmm. just about everything. I mean after all, I know more about her boyfriends than her mom ever did."

Tommy smiled as he realized that Billy had just shifted the battlefield on him. He could play that game too, "That's okay Bro. You'd be surprised at what Jason tells me too."

Billy looked at the ceiling, "Not really. I've heard most of it anyway." He shook his head, "You have no idea what it was like sitting there listening to him talk about his," Billy made quotation marks with his fingers, "first time."

Tommy shook his head and gained a whole new insight into the mental stamina Billy had to have. To be in love with someone and have that person telling you the intimate details of an encounter with someone else. "Man that must have been rough."

Billy smiled, "You better believe it."

Tommy chuckled, "I wonder why he hasn't started to talking to me about you guys."

Billy shook his head, "Three reasons mainly, the first being that you and I are friends, and I guess he'd feel uncomfortable telling you that kind of detail. Although Kimberly doesn't seem to have problem with it." Billy grinned.

"Man, she doesn't!" Tommy protested.

Billy smiled, "Let's just say I've heard about your Tarzan impersonation."

Tommy shook his head, "I'm gonna' kill her."

"No, you're not." Billy told him. "Just play Tarzan a little more. She won't admit to you, but she likes that one."

Tommy smiled, "I am so embarrassed."

"Don't be Tom," Billy told him. "She needed someone to tell, and writing things in a diary is just asking for someone to find out that's not supposed to."

"I guess your right." Tommy told him. "What were the other two reasons?"

Billy smiled, "Frank Scott and Edward Cranston."

"Huh?" Tommy was confused.

"Our dads may tell us they don't have a problem with us dating, but they sure the heck hover an awful lot lately."

"You mean you guys haven't.?" Tommy looked for a word.

"Had any quality time?" Billy shook his head, "We haven't even been able to talk about things without someone being around."

"And you're in here," Tommy indicated the lab, "With this stuff?"

Billy smiled, "Look, Jason's dad has him helping cleaning out the attic right now. After a while it just gets frustrating."

Tommy looked down at his wrist bracer and saw a red dot entering Ernie's, "Well, according to my display, Jason just walked into the Youth Center. Why don't you go grab a quick shower and the rest of us will distract your dads while the two of you slip off to," he made quotation marks with his fingers, "talk."

***************************************************************

Linda Scott entered the Youth Center and looked around. She could see Jason sitting alone in the corner looking like someone had just kicked his puppy. Even though she'd warned Frank and Ed it would be a bad idea to crowd the boys, she knew that whether they meant to or not, they'd done it any way. "You look like you've got as big a problem as he does," a voice from the side interrupted her thoughts.

Turning she faced the tall woman she knew to be the new counselor at Angel Grove High School, "Hello Ms. Stone." She smiled back in Jason's direction, "I'm just a little concerned about Jase right now. He's sort of having a rough time."

The woman smiled back and indicated the chair across the table from her. "I know. He seems depressed lately. Have any idea what's going on? I mean, I assumed that since he and Billy cleared the air between them, that he'd be happy."

Linda was surprised that the new counselor knew that much about her son already. It wasn't like Jason to be that forthcoming with strangers. Especially when it dealt with affairs of the heart. Heck, he'd been dating Ana Meyers for almost a month before he ever mentioned her to his parents in anything other than passing. Then again, that hadn't been serious either. "You know about that?" she asked.

Ms. Stone chuckled, "Yeah, those two were dancing around each other when we first met. I think I came on the scene just in time for it to come to a boil."

"I got that impression." Linda told the other woman. "The problem is that ever since Jason and Billy came out to us, Jason's and Billy's dads haven't given the boys a minute's privacy. I think they're afraid something will happen between them." She actually found herself blushing.

Ms. Stone nodded, "Billy told me that you guys asked them about attending college together."

"I think it was more of a reason for us to clear the air about some things," Linda told her. "Ed saw Billy kissing Jason in the park a couple of weeks ago."

"He saw that?" Ms. Stone asked surprised.

"You know?" Suddenly Linda realized that this woman knew more about her son and his friend's lives than she was letting on.

Ms. Stone smiled, "Perhaps we should talk, Mrs. Scott. I think we may be on the same side of this issue, and if that's the case, it might help if we knew what each other knew." She ducked her head, "You know then who your son is."

Linda Scott nodded, "We've known for a couple of years now." She shook her head, "Jason's really not very good a keeping secrets. He's just a little too honest and open for his own good, even when it gets him in trouble."

"Obviously Mr. Cranston knows, if he's the one who saw the incident." She took a long sip of her smoothie, "How'd you find out?"

Linda laughed, "Actually Frank figured it out. About two years ago, Jason was working really hard on this new karate technique. Right about the time he got it down we saw the Red Ranger use the same kick on one of Rita's monsters."

Linda saw the woman's eyes light up. "Now that's ironic."

Linda looked over to see if her son had noticed her presence here. She really didn't want him to think that she was treating him like his father. Leaning forward she asked, "Out of curiosity, how did you find out, Ms. Stone." Then looking around, "And how about us going somewhere else to talk about this. I don't want Jason to think that I'm spying on him."

"Please, call me Murphy. The kids call me Ms. Stone." She stood up, "As for leaving, that's fine with me. The only reason I came here was because I saw Jason earlier and he looked like he could use someone to talk with."

"I think the person he wants to talk with, his father won't let him have a minute of alone with," Linda told her as the two women slipped from the Youth Center and headed toward the park to discuss their charge.

Five minutes later they were sitting at a park bench, "How is it that you know what's going on?" Linda asked, she was no fool, and knew that most school counselors wouldn't get within a mile of one of their students during the summer. This woman was spending entirely too much time with Jason and his friends for it to be a coincidence.

Murphy smiled, "It's simple. It's my job to make sure they adapt to their new powers, and don't get themselves killed." She shook her head and her voice became serious, "I wasn't really happy when I found out that our predecessor had been using children. It's not the way things are usually done."

"Their new powers, your predecessors, the way things are done?" Linda asked. She knew her son and his friends were Power Rangers, but that was as far as it went. "I think maybe you should start at the beginning."

Murphy sighed and looked at her, "How much do you know?"

"Only what we've been able to figure out about who is who." She smiled, "It helps that the kids tend to wear the color of their costume all the time."

Murphy shook her head, "I'm surprised that nobody else has figured it out. So far, only Kyle has resisted the urge to do that. He says that he looks jaundiced in yellow." The woman leaned back on the bench and continued, "Let's see, about three years ago, somehow an ancient sorceress named Rita Repulsa who'd been imprisoned on the moon was released. The being responsible for her imprisonment was an alien named Zordon. He recruited the first five Power Rangers to deal with the threat she posed. From what I can tell from his records his only criteria for them was to be "teenagers with attitudes"." She shook her head and joked, "To be honest with you, I've yet to meet one without an attitude."

Linda couldn't help but smile. She was happy to finally be getting some answers she and her husband had been wanting to ask Jason about. "I know what you mean."

"Well anyway, Jason, Billy, Trini, Zack and Kimberly were those teenagers. I don't think Zordon really knew what he was getting into when he got those five. He gave them each a Power Coin that linked them to something called the Morphin' Grid. It's sort of a conduit to something that here is called The Great Power. The Power Coins let them become the Power Rangers and to operate the giant robots called Dinozords." She smiled at Linda, and asked a question of her own, "What did you do when you figured it out."

Linda smiled, "I guess it took us about three months before we realized that children were the Power Rangers. That was about the time the Green Ranger joined the team, and Tommy started hanging around with the gang. We went to all the other parents about it. For a while, although we were worried, we dealt with it. I think most of Mrs. Hart's problems with Tommy have less to do with the boy than it does with the fact that Kim's the Pink Ranger. Finally, the stress was too much for the Taylors and they took Zack and moved to Iowa. That's when Adam became the new Black Ranger." She shook her head and smiled remembering how the young Korean boy had suddenly became a part of her son's friends not long after Zack moved away. "Adam's father, Donald is on the force with Frank. He's not really impressed with the idea of Power Rangers and sees them as some kind of a threat, so we thought it best not to tell him." She took a deep breath, "I guess things kind of hit us hard when Trini died. She and Kimberly are like the daughters we never had. We're not sure if we should tell Kyle's dad what we know or not."

Murphy nodded, "I tend to agree. Kyle's had some problems in the past." Before Linda could ask anything, she interrupted, "None of it was his fault, it was just one of those teen age tragedy things that happens every now and again. Anyway his father is having to deal with other issues right now and finding out his son is dressing in spandex and fighting off evil invaders is probably not going to improve his situation. And right now I need Kyle on the team. He doesn't realize it, but he's giving Jason and Billy something of an anchor that they need desperately."

Linda finally decided that she'd ask the question that she and Frank had spent a great deal of time discussing until the wee hours of the morning. "Just what did happen? How did Trini die? I mean that battle didn't seem to last very long."

Murphy seemed to take time to consider the question before beginning. "You aren't going to remember most of it. When everything was over, reality got changed around some, to accommodate what happened that day." Her voice sounded pained.

"What do you mean?" Linda asked almost afraid of the answer. Lately she'd been having nightmares of a war ravaged world, without heroes to protect humanity from alien invaders.

"They lost the fight. They all died." Murphy told her simply.

Linda shook her head. Although she couldn't believe it, something deep in her heart told her that this woman was telling her the truth. "But."

"They got a second chance," Murphy told her. "They made a deal with some very powerful forces. They were given the chance to come back and make things right, but only at a cost."

"What cost?" Linda asked. "Not their souls?" She suddenly had images of Faustian deals made in hell.

Murphy chuckled, "No, not their souls. Covenant doesn't deal in souls. He wouldn't have any use for them."

"Who is Covenant?"

"The closest thing to a real angel you'll ever meet. He's sort of a servant of the universe. He went out of his way to save your children, but he did not make it cheap for them." Murphy told them. "Covenant values honesty, probably more than anything else. They had to agree to come back and be honest with each other and the people around them."

"Hence Jason and Billy suddenly acting on the things we've been seeing build for years," Linda said. As Murphy nodded, Linda continued, "That doesn't seem to be a big price."

Murphy smiled wryly, "It is for a seventeen year old, but there's a little more to it than that. Although none of them realize it yet, what they accepted, what they've become has made some pretty profound changes in them. They don't need the Morphin' Grid to access The Power any more. I think that Rita is slowly beginning to realize that there's a whole new game on the field now. When the Kregar come back, and they will be back, this is will not be the same group of teenagers they fought last time." She gave Linda a sad look, "I'm afraid their innocence is going to be another price they'll have to pay. It's not going to be a battle against some half-crazed sorceress who turns things in Kim's purse into villains, but a transdimensional empire whose sole goal is the subjugation or destruction of this planet. Rita and her ilk has pretty much left you and the rest of their families alone. The Kregar aren't going to be so accommodating." She sighed, "I've already told the boys they need to tell you who they are."

Linda considered what the woman was telling her. She wasn't happy about the news about the Kregar, but she was glad she knew now. "What can we do. To help them, I mean."

"Don't try to make give up the Power. That would be a bad idea. They can't do that anymore. It's a part of who they are. If you tried to make them deny it, it would probably kill them." She leaned forward, "You're probably not going to like the next part, but I think you need to give Jase and Billy some room. The depend on each other a great deal. They need to figure out who they are as a couple, and right now keeping them under your thumb is distracting them a whole lot more than any game of swapping spit might." Linda could sense a deep hurt in the woman's voice, "There is something you need to realize about The Power, the vast majority of all males who wield it prefer their own gender. I'm not saying that there aren't any straight boys out there with it, but they're few and far between. I think it's one of the biggest jokes the universe has ever played on humans. Gay men are seen as less than male somehow, yet most of the greatest heroes of the multiverse are queer as a football bat."

"That'll make Frank happy," Linda told her sardonically. "The very thing that makes Jason a defender of the planet made him gay."

Murphy reached across the table and patted Linda's hand, her southern accent suddenly becoming deeper, "No. The fact that he is gay allows him to wield that power."

Linda could see a hurt in Murphy's eyes that ran as deep as that she saw in the face of one of her oldest and dearest friends. A thought came to her mind. This woman had gone out of her way to help her son cope with the Power that was growing in him. Maybe she could do something for her in return, and help another old friend at the same time. "Tell you what, why don't we go distract Frank and Ed and give the boys a chance to at least talk." She blushed before saying, "and maybe get a little necking in on the side." She couldn't believe she just said that.

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