Jason looked over at Tommy, and asked, "Tom, would you excuse us please?" He didn't know what had gotten Billy upset, but it took a lot to get the usually calm scientist angry enough to let it show in his voice.

Tommy smiled at him, "Sure Jase." Looking over Billy he said, "I'll see you later Billy." He left the room in silence.

Billy stood quietly waiting for Jason to acknowledge him. Jason sighed and leaned back in his chair. "What can I do for you, Major?", the gold oak leaf on his Billy's collar reminding him that this was another officer addressing him.

"Permission to speak freely, sir," Billy seemed to suddenly himself remember that he was addressing his team's commanding officer.

Jason sighed realizing that Billy was going to play this by the book, "Permission granted."

Billy took a deep breath and began. His voice had the quality of someone who'd rehearsed his lines carefully. "I was under the impression, that this project granted everyone involved in it a clean slate. I was unaware that our past personal involvement, as brief and non-existent as it might have been held against me, or become the source materials for our teammates to badger me about whatever animosity you and I might feel toward each other. If you still hold any such animosities, please make me aware of them, and I'll endeavor not trouble you." All of that came out in one breath. Before Jason could reply, he took another and continued, "As I know you wish to have no personal dealings with me, I'll endeavor to keep our relationship on a professional level, Commander Scott." His use of Jason's rank again, seemed to be a reminder that although Jason was team leader, he didn't rank Billy.

Jason looked at his old childhood friend in surprised, "What?"

Billy was on tear. Ignoring the question he continued, "And while we are discussing a professional relationship Commander Scott: Are you under the impression that I need protecting? Because if you are, Jason," Jason noted that the calm exterior Billy was trying to project was starting to crack with the use of his first name, "You lost the right to mother hen me the night you walked out of my front door and my life until yesterday."

Jason blinked his eyes and shook his head in confusion. "Wait a minute, Billy. What the hell are you talking about?"

Billy locked eyes with him, and Jason could see how much he was fighting to keep his emotions under control. It seemed that even after all these years; Billy was still unused to dealing with other people on a personal level. "I'm referring to the fact, that since you have arrived, I have been accosted by no less than four of our former teammates desirous to know why you and I aren't getting along, and what can be done to rectify the situation." He refused to drop Jason gaze, as he clenched his fists at his sides, "And the fact that you dove into a fight, almost got your 'Tech destroyed and yourself killed, without any warning, just because I had gone on the offensive. In case you haven't noticed Commander, you're not the only military trained professional on this team. I am quite capable of taking care of myself. I've been doing rather well at for the past few years."

Jason shook his head and let his voice go into command mode, "Sit down Major. You and I have a lot to discuss." Getting up, he went to his door, opened it and looked outside. He wasn't surprised to see Tommy, Trini, Kim, and Zack all standing down the hall trying to look nonchalant. Closing the door and smiling to himself, he threw the lock and returned to his seat. He had no desire to be interrupted. He and Billy were finally going to have this out.

Billy sat, and started to speak, but Jase cut him, "No. You've had your say, now I get mine." Sighing he began by ticking a finger, "First, up until this evening, I haven't spoken to anyone about you. I've been ramrodded by several of those SAME friends about this issue myself. Second," he ticked off another finger, "I have NO and understand this, I mean NO animosity toward you. You are my oldest friend, and this silence that seems to have fallen between us, is not something I enjoy or want."

Again, Billy started to interrupt him, but Jason cut off by holding up his other hand, "I'm not finished yet. Lastly, I dove into that fight, because one of my team members was in a dangerous situation. I would have done it for Kim, Rocky, Tommy, Kat, Zack, Adam, Aisha or Trini." He sighed, "Yes, in the past, I've always looked out for you. You were my little Bro, and come hell or high water, I wasn't going to let anybody hurt you. Now, you're my teammate again. I'm still going to look out for you, so just get used to it." Smiling he added, "I expect the same from you and every other member of this team. That's why we were so successful at what we did- we looked out for each other." Jason was unsure of how to tell Billy that he meant more to him that.

"Are you finished?" Billy asked still sullen.

Jason shook his head, "No, I'm not. I fully recognize that you're a fellow officer and your accomplishments as such haven't gone unnoticed. I respect that, more than you can ever know. As for what happened at your house the last time we were together," he locked eyes with his old friend, "We need to talk about that."

"I was unaware there was anything else left to say, Commander," the pain he'd seen in Billy's eyes that night long ago was still there.

Jason asked, "Are you going to talk to me about it, or are going to continue hiding behind those oak leafs?"

"You made your feelings that evening quite clear. You left, you never called, and you never came back," Billy told him.

"You never called either Billy," Jason reminded him.

"I tried several times." Billy told him. "I was told you were unavailable and the messages would be given to you."

Jason shook his head, and realized what the situation might be. "Did you call me from your father's home?"

Billy shook his head, "No, I called you from my apartment. I left my name, my number and message that I would like to speak to you at your earliest convenience."

"Billy, all I can tell you is that all I ever got was a phone number and that was usually three to six months after the call." He shook his head, "I left that night for the Kitty Hawk. I was deployed for up to six months at time." He smiled, "Did you at least try to contact my parents?"

Billy shook his head, "No. This was between you and me."

"Billy you're being stubborn," Jason told him.

"Okay, so you never go my messages, but YOU still never called. You told me you needed to think about, and then disappeared. Even if you'd called my dad, he'd have given me the message."

"I didn't call your dad, because I was didn't want him to know that we'd been…" Jason started to say fighting, but realized that wasn't it, "…that we'd had an argument. I did however, try to call you, but have this tendency to disappear sometimes." He smiled, "At least twice you left the damn planet. That makes it a little hard to call you. I figured you'd headed back to Aquitar."

"I too have been deployed several times in my career- on many occasions with little notice, or with orders not reveal my location."

Jason raised an eyebrow and noticed the Ranger insignia on his uniform. "You really went to Ranger school?"

Billy nodded, and Jason could see a genuine smile creep into his eyes. "I wanted to be ranger again. This was the best alternative."

Jason smiled, "See much action?" Then he quickly added, "That you can tell me about?"

This time the smile spread across Billy's face, "Let me put it this way. I was in Baghdad the night you flyboys started bombing it."

"Rough assignment," Jason commented. He'd heard about the special forces sent into the Iraqi capital before the bombings started whose job it was to look for WMDs before the war started.

"It wasn't fun," Billy said. Jason was beginning to feel the old camaraderie he'd shared with Billy start to resurface. Billy was at least reacting to him in a more normal- or at least normal for Billy- fashion.

"Billy," Jason said quietly. When the other man looked up, he continued, "About that night…"

"Jason, you said friends, I can deal with that." He locked eyes with Jason again, "I won't lie to you. What happened hurt. It hurt a lot, but to borrow an expression from a friend: I'll drink water and drive on."

"Billy," Jason said, "I need to tell you something, and I don't know how."

"Try the truth," Billy said. "I got a stomach-full of lying about our secret identities back when we were Power Rangers."

Jason smiled, "Okay. I lied."