Standard fanfiction disclaimers: I don't own the characters much to my dismay. I have not intentionally tried to steal anyone's idea, but I did just finish 'Chatting' by Scarlet Deva and Ozmandayus and Kim's new career for both my fic and their fic are startling similar. How the heck did that happen? This story centers on Jason, Kim and Tommy (though Tommy doesn't show up until chapter 5). I will have some original characters show up at some point, but please don't use them without asking first.

Back in the System

A Power Rangers Story

Part Two: Rocky's Observations

By PaperKat

Rocky couldn't take his eyes off of her, or more accurately Kim's tattoo. After arriving at Jason's apartment, with a quick detour to the gym both he and Jason taught classes, to pick up Rocky's ancient truck, Kimberly had immediately excused herself to change. In place of the beautiful, professional woman that had greeted them at Jason's SUV was a stunning knockout co-ed that would have had Rocky on his knees drooling if she hadn't have been such a close friend. Of course her being a friend and teammate hadn't stopped him from looking before. He had just been more cautious about it because of Tommy.

Kim's outfit was one he knew well because he had been the one to purchase it for her. Last Christmas, as a joke to all of Rocky's female ex-teammates, he had sent them an "Official Angel Grove University Co-ed Weekend Lounge Outfit" that consisted of impossibly short shorts that cut up the sides like running shorts and a miniscule sleeveless crop top. All the girls had sent him a gag gift in return. Kat had sent him a set of male ballet tights, Aisha gave him something that looked suspiciously like a real loincloth, Tanya sent him a male co-ed calendar from Boston University and Kim sent him the tinniest thong underwear that he had ever seen.

Rocky had never dreamed that any of the girls would actually wear the short and shirt set, it had only been a joke, but here was Kimberly Anne Hart sitting on the island between Jason's living/dining room and kitchen modeling the sexy outfit. Her mussed up waved hair was pulled back away from her make-up free face by two clips on either side of her temples, a mostly devoured pizza slice in one hand and a half-empty beer in the other.

She had long since shown off her tattoo. As soon as Adam had seen it his surprised gape had caught Kim's attention. The ex-pink ranger had proudly displayed the artwork of her own design. It covered her left leg in a "S" like fashion from the outside of her hip, across the upper thigh, to about midway down her inner thigh. The whole tattoo was mostly grayscale with hints of color threw out to give each of the animals their signature color.

The base of the entire piece was a red and a green dragon (done in the Asian style) joined at the tails in a friendship knot. The head of the red dragon was at Kim's hip and the green dragon's head was on the inside of her thigh. On the shoulders of the red dragon was a standing black lion that almost seemed to smile at you. On the back of the red dragon was a blue wolf curled up contently gazing up as if looking to the sky. On the hips of the red dragon was a playful yellow sabertooth tiger ready to pounce on the simple unsuspecting pink crane that was nesting on the tail of the dragon. On the other side of the friendship knot formed by the two dragon's tails was a white and pink cat also crouching to jump across the knot to topple the crane. Behind the cat on the green dragon's hips was a sitting yellow bear, it's arms crossed over it's chest as if watching the two cats play. On the back of the green dragon was a rather large regal looking black frog with asymmetrical green spots all over it's body. Finally, on the shoulders of the dragon was a red ape that looked all the world like it was riding the dragon like a horse in a rodeo.

Kim had told them that it was her permanent reminder of her friends and her time as a ranger. From the wistful tone in her voice, Rocky guessed that like him it was both a fond and a painful remembrance. He wouldn't trade a moment of his time as a ranger with a moment of his non-ranger life, but sometimes you just ached for the old days. The inseparable bond you shared as teammates, relying on each other for your very life on a daily basis had a way of making people closer than family. Once you gave up the power, gave up your place on the team you died a little knowing that someone else was taking your roll, becoming another member of the family without you.

"So, when did you get that?" Rocky queried pointing in the general direction of her left leg with his own pizza slice trying to pull away from his melancholy thoughts. "You didn't mention it last time we talked."

"Yeah, I would have thought that would have been front page news in the 'Ranger Newsletter'" Jason teased.

The 'Ranger Newsletter' was what the rest of them affectionately called Kim's almost weekly emails, phone calls and letters. It was almost comical the way she 'reported' events of the other ex-rangers lives to the ones that were 'out of the loop'.

"Oh hush you," Kim playfully snapped back. "Well, it wasn't finished until recently and I didn't want to show it off until it was done. Some of the colors took a little more convincing to stay put than others especially across the scar tissue, but Jerry's been working on it for about three months now."

"Three months?!" Adam exclaimed with a shutter.

"Scar tissue?" Jason asked seriously as he pushed away from his kitchen counter to move closer, a frown marring his face. Kim rolled her eyes at the two of them and grabbed another slice from the box next to her to replace the one she had just finished.

"You remember Jase. The bike accident I had early last year. The one that totaled my bike." She reminded them nonchalantly as she took a huge bite out of her pizza. Jason didn't look the least bit reassured.

Rocky remembered well Kat's frantic midnight phone call to inform him of Kimberly's accident. Kim had been coming home from her studio to the apartment loft that they had shared for two year when of all things a vegetable truck had overturned in front of her. Kimberly had been forced to ditch the bike in order not to run full on into the side of the vehicle. Rocky remembered staying up the rest of the night, making calls and waiting by the phone to see if Kimberly had been all right.

"I thought you said that you didn't get seriously hurt?" Rocky asked gruffly, his own scowl matching that of Adam and Jason.

"Oh come on you guys!" Kim all but groaned as she tossed her empty beer bottle over her shoulder into the trash were it clanked loudly against the others that were there.

"Kim." Jason said threateningly in a leader voice far more commanding than Tommy's had ever been. Having never had Jason as his leader, the tone in his voice was almost alien to Rocky. He had only known him as a friend and teammate. The tone seemed to strike a cord in Kimberly because she immediately straightened and the teasing left her voice.

"Look it wasn't that serious. I got a mild concussion and my left leg and lower back got a little banged up, that's all."

Kim plopped her slice back in the pizza box and leaned forward. She hooked her thumb in the waistband of her shorts in the back and pulled them down enough so that they could see the beginnings of her scars across her lower back. Rocky swallowed hard. He wasn't sure if it was the thought of the pain Kim must of felt at receiving those pink/white scars that crisscrossed her otherwise perfect skin or the fact that Kim had exposed more of her backside for them to see.

"I didn't break anything and the hospital didn't even hold me overnight. Besides don't you think that Kat would have told you guys if it was anything really bad?"

All three of them conceded the point and backed off. It was still hard to picture tiny Kimberly as a hog riding, motorcycle momma, even with the pictures she had sent of her all decked out in her riding leathers beside her bike. Of course it was kind of hard thinking of Kimberly as the real person behind the famous, but completely reclusive, science fiction fantasy artist known as 'Joseph St. John' with her own studio in London.

Adam, having already finished his own dinner, attempted to help Jason clean up. As he started to pull the half-empty pizza box away, Kim flattened her hand in the lid and growled. Adam quickly snatched his hands back and held them up in surrender mumbling 'Rocky Jr.' under his breath. Kim just stuck her tongue out at him and proceeded to, in classic Rocky fashion, fold her slice in hand in half and shove it as far into her mouth as possible without choking. Jason busted out laughing watching Kimberly's cheeks balloon out as she tried to contain it contents while she chewed. Adam silently reprimanded her with the same look he would have given Rocky for the same stunt.

"So what exactly is this contract for?" Rocky asked, trying to save his female friend from the lecture that Adam was bound to give her when she finished.

"Moobe dihind," she stated around a mouthful that made Adam narrow his eyes and Jason laugh harder.

"Cool." Rocky stated knowing exactly what she had said. At his ex-teammates puzzled looks, he shrugged his shoulders and repeated for them. "Movie Design."

Kim nodded her head that Rocky was correct and took another large bite. She eagerly pantomimed for Jason to get her another drink completely ignoring Adam's slack-jawed disbelief. Even Jason seemed a little taken back by her request, but complied anyway. Rocky couldn't understand either of the other two young men's reactions. All Kimberly had asked for was a second beer. She wasn't a little girl anymore, and if Kat could be believed the two of them had torn up the London nightlife a time or two while they had lived there. But if he thought about it, none of them had seen Kim in person since she was twenty-one. Jason had known the ex-pink ranger since she was five so it might be hard for him to see her as all grown up, and Adam had a hard time seeing any female as anything but sweet and demure, excluding when they were kicking putty butt. Given all that, the tattoo, and the reminder of her motorcycling hobby maybe he could see why Kim's behavior was startling compared to the girl they use to know that said 'Eeww' to every other monster they had to fight.

"So what does a Movie Designer do?" Rocky asked, once again trying to get focus off of Kim's actions.

"Think of it like this. I am to the movie studio what Finster was to Rita."

"You create monsters for them?" Adam asked.

"Exactly. Here I'll show you." Kim looked over her shoulder at Jason. "Where'd you put my portfolio Jase?"

"It's on the table." Jason replied, indicating the kitchen table in the dining room/living room combo that none of them had sat at while they ate.

Kim hopped from her perch and motioned for them to follow. "A month ago the studio contacted Joseph St. John's publicists to see if he recommended anyone with a good eye for unusual creature designs." Kim stopped her story long enough to lock-in the combinations on her portfolio case and flip it open. "Well, him being me recommended me! They give me a basic storyline and a guideline on what they wanted and I came up with this."

As soon as Kim flipped to the first sketch Jason's phone rang. Excusing himself he went to retrieve his cordless on the coffee table. Kim began showing Adam and Rocky her designs that were complete with backgrounds, weapons and in some cases vehicles. Rocky gaped openly at his friend's skill. Every sketch was so lifelike despite being creatures that could only possibly exist by magic, which all of them being ex-ranger were far too familiar with. She was in the middle of explaining a particular creature's attributes when Jason thrust the phone in her face.

"You better take this. I think you're in trouble." Jason didn't answer Kim's questioning frown, but the clearly audible Australian accented voice on the line did.

"Bloody yes she's in trouble. Little Ratbag."

Rocky saw Kimberly cringe as she gingerly took the phone and placed it cautiously to her ear. He felt a wave of pity for the girl, Kat could have quite a temper when she put her mind to it. Kim barely got out a 'Hey Kat' before she was pulling the receiver from her ear and a flood of heavily accented terminology poured out. Once the tirade was over Kimberly tried once again to pacify her friend.

"I tried Kat. Really I did. That's why I messaged you." There was another pause as Kat said her peace and then Kim replied. "But they blackmailed me!" Rocky exchanged worried glances with his cohorts in crime. "They weren't going to let me eat unless I told." Kim gave them all an evil grin as she handed Jason the phone back and told him smugly. "She wants to talk to you."

'Uh, Kat…' was all he got out before they could hear the muffled telling out he was getting from London.

"But I…We didn't… No, but I… Adam and Rocky…" Jason stammered as he uselessly gestured in the two mentioned ex-rangers. "But we did feed her as soon as we got back. We got her exactly what she wanted."

Rocky looked from Jason's amused face as he grinned wickedly to Kim's panic-stricken look. The petite female tried desperately to get the phone away from her dark haired friend as he skillfully avoided her attempts. Up until that moment Rocky had forgotten that Kimberly was clad in that provocative outfit he sent her for Christmas. As she pounced around Jason trying to get the phone, her oh-so perfectly trim and curved body peeked out of behind the minimal confines. The generous curve of her behind, the gentle swell of the underside her breast, and when she jumped Jason pushing him to the couch straddling his hips, Rocky just about lost it.

Man! How could Jason seem so… unaffected as one of the more attractive women he had ever known in person was wiggling on top of him? Again Rocky wondered that perhaps Jason and Kimberly knowing each other since kindergarten quelled all remotely sexually thoughts about each other from their minds. Jason just smiled on as Kim fought with him for the phone. When the original red ranger tried to speak to Kat again Kimberly pounced from Jason's hips to his solar plexus using all of her petite weight to force the air from his lungs. Jason grunted harshly then quickly grabbed both of Kim's small wrists in one massive hand to control her movements.

"As soon as we were able we got Kim the biggest, deep dish pizza we could find." Jason continued over the phone to the ex-pink ranger in England when he had Kimberly under control.

Kim groaned in defeat as she dropped her head to Jason's chest, trapping their hands between them. Rocky silently wished that he had been the one to answer the phone. The unquestionably amused dark haired man beneath the ex-gymnast chuckled silently as he listened to the other end of the conversation on the cordless. It was with great amusement that Jason forced Kim up into an upright position and gave her back the phone.

"She wants to talk to you again."

Kim snatched the phone from her ex-leader and fixed him with a glare before responding. "You are pure, unadulterated, sadistic evil."

Jason sat up, causing Kim to slide down into his lap as he bent forward. "Takes one to know one."

In an instant everything changed. A sudden spark of something passed between the two friends. Rocky looked over at Adam and realized that the ex-green ranger had seen it too, but was as clueless as he was as to what had just happened. Turning his attention back to the two on the couch, Rocky saw that the light hearted mood between the two had completely vanished and in it's place was a strange sort of anxiety. Jason looked like he was about to say something when Kimberly practically leapt from the couch and began speaking into the phone.

"Don't worry Kat it was a pizza with everything. Vegetables and all, plus I had two beers so all that fat was dissolved instantly."

Kimberly laughed at what was obviously a shared joke with her former replacement. Turning her back on the three males in the room, Kim made her way to the kitchen area to continue her conversation. Rocky looked back at Adam to see if his long time friend thought that Kimberly's behavior seemed strange to him as well. The young Asian man shrugged and turned his attention to Jason.

"What was that about?" Adam asked, not bothering to clarify exactly what it was he was asking.

"I don't know." Jason told them seeming dazed from the lighting quick change in mood in the room. "But I have a feeling that I better find out sooner rather than later."

Rocky had to agree with that. Whatever had just happened to Kim had distressed her greatly, scared her even. Jason didn't look that much better, but at least he was willing to find out what was wrong. Kim it seemed was ready to bolt. Like she had at the competition, Rocky thought as he helped Jason and Adam clean up the forgotten pizza.

He remembered Kim's ashen face filled with panic as she had fled from the stadium that day. She had seemed fine the night before when she had visited him at home, giving him her get well wishes. Even during the competition itself she had been excited and had cheered as loud as anybody else there. Everything had seemed fine then she had just fallen apart.

They had been all up there next to the ring congratulating their friends, and suddenly she had stumbled into him her eyes wide and frightened, her face covered in sweat. She had mumbled something about having to get away then bolted for the door. If it hadn't of been for his damn back hurting him so much he would have gone after her. He had thought at the time that it had been too much excitement and the crowd of people too crushing for Kim's small frame that had caused her to become uncomfortable. Then she had never come back.

Rocky watched Kim pace back and forth in the kitchen as she talked to Kat. She seemed to be calming somewhat, not as agitated as before, but she still studiously kept her back to them, blocking them out. Well, she got away from us once without explanation, but this time she's not getting away that easily, Rocky vowed to himself.