"So, you ready for the big picnic in the park on Saturday yet?" Trini
asked Jason. As had become their habit over the past few years, they were
having their usual Tuesday afternoon lunch at Casa de Angelo's to keep up
with each other's lives.
"That's this weekend isn't it?" Jason asked distracted as if he was surprised to find the event had snuck up on him. Trini smiled, lately his mind had seemed to be somewhere else, and she had a good idea where it was. He and Dr. Carstonn had been dating now for almost two years, and lately she'd noticed Jason checking out the real estate section of the Angel Grove Herald. She wondered just how long it was going to take the two men to finally decide to make their relationship official.
Forcing the thoughts to the back of her mind she chuckled and said, "Yes, it's this weekend. Everybody's going to be there."
He smiled at her and she thought for a moment he was going to say something, but at the last moment seemed to change his mind. "I'll see what I can do," he told her.
"Jason Lee Scott! This is NOT optional. You are going to be there," she scolded him.
Jason just smiled, "I'll try."
Sensing something on her old friend's mind, she reached out and put a hand on his, "What's wrong Jase?"
Jase shook his head, "Nothing."
"Jase, don't give me that- nothing doesn't make you consider missing our annual picnic. Now tell me what's bothering you."
He smiled "I'm just not sure that it would be a good idea." He looked off across the restaurant and said, "Tommy and I aren't getting along right now, and I don't want to put any more strain on our friendship than necessary." Trini had noticed a distance growing between the two friends over the past two years, but hadn't realized it had gotten to the point of avoiding each other.
"This is about Kevin isn't it?" she asked. She remembered the big blow up the two had over Jason's coming out of the closet a few months before Billy died.
Jason gave her a hurt look and nodded. "Tommy is always questioning me about him, as if he didn't approve of him." He shrugged, "Even Kevin has noticed that he's cold toward him."
"And what does Kevin think about that?" Trini asked. She genuinely liked the doctor, but there were sometimes when he would look at her, she was hit with a sense of de jevu that unnerved her. She got the feeling there was more to the good doctor, than just a physical resemblance to Billy.
"He doesn't want to cause any rift between me and Tommy so he usually stays home when there's something that I need to do that involves Tommy," Jason said.
"And that's not fair to him or you?" Trini said.
Jason sighed and sat up straight in his chair, "Look Trini. I just don't want there to be any hard words between me and Tommy, and I don't want to hurt Kevin any more with going places without him."
"Has he said that it hurts him?" Trini asked.
Jason shook his head, "No. Not in so many words, but I can see it in his eyes. He's been hurt in the past. He's been through a lot, and I don't want to see him have to go through more."
Trini patted his hand and smiled, "Jase, I can't make you come. I can just ask that you do." She grinned at him, "And as far as Zack and I are concerned, bring Kevin with you." She shrugged, "I'm sure Adam and Kat wouldn't have a problem with it, and I know Kim wouldn't. If Tommy wants to be an ass, then we'll just have to team up and kick his white Ranger butt."
Jason smiled, "I'll think about it." Trini got the feeling that she wasn't going to see him at the picnic though.
"Look Jase, if not for yourself, at least bring Trini Anne. I know she's looking forward to it."
Jason smiled at her. "You're hitting below the belt now, Trini. Using Trini Anne against me isn't fair."
She grinned at him, "I know." Winking at him, she added, "But who said I had to play fair?"
~*~
Kim was putting away groceries when she saw Jay head out the door tucking in a blue tee-shirt. "I'm going over to the twin's house, Mom. I'll see you later."
"Don't forget about supper! Six o'clock."
"I won't!" he called back as he climbed into Trini Anne's red jeep- a present from her father on her sixteenth birthday.
Seeing her from the front seat of the Wrangler, the young blonde straightened the red vest she was wearing and waved at her. Kim waved back as the duo sped off toward Adam and Kat's house. The last she'd heard, the whole gang was meeting over at the Park's house to get some kind of big surprise ready for the picnic on Saturday.
She held a small hope in her heart that Tommy wouldn't be an ass about the picnic. Lately, he'd been getting more and more difficult to deal with about Jason. It seemed like as soon as Jason finally, had someone to share his life with, Tommy had become almost dead set against it. She knew for a fact that Tommy called Fred Gillman and had an FBI check done on Dr. Carstonn. Tommy had become almost obsessed with the man. Shaking her head, she finished putting the perishables in the fridge and was about to turn to the rest of the groceries when the door bell rang.
Wondering who it could be, she went to front door to find a nervous looking Kat standing there. "Hi Kim. Can I come in?" She looked like she'd been shaken by something.
"What's wrong, Kat?" Kim asked.
Kat smiled, "I was doing laundry today." She turned to the fireplace and looked at the pictures there. There were several group portraits showing each of the Ranger Teams to which she and Tommy had belonged- all in civilian identities and lounging about in the park. Kat picked up the Zeo teams portrait and traced her finger along each of the members of the team with a brief smile before putting it back on the mantle.
"And?" Kim asked.
"I got to noticing something." She smiled, "You know how even now it's hard to tell the boys apart?" Kim nodded but said nothing waiting for Kat to continue. The running joke was that Aidan and Alex were more like two halves of each other than individuals. "Well, I started to realize that lately I haven't been having that much trouble."
"It just means they're growing up. Growing into individual persons," Kim said.
Kat shook her head, "No. They still look so much alike it's frightening, and they still finish each other's sentences. It's something else. Something I noticed in the laundry."
"What did you find, Kat?" Kim wondered if Kat had found something in one of the twin's pockets that had upset her so.
Kat shook her head, "Can I ask you to do me a favor?"
Kim gave the other woman a puzzled look. "Sure."
"It's going to sound strange," Kat pointed out.
"With this group, nothing sounds strange Kat," Kim told her.
Kat just smiled, "Can you and I go take a peek in Jay's closet. I'm not talking about rummaging around, I just want to see something." Now that was a strange request. Kim knew that Kat and Adam were both pretty big on protecting their twin's privacy- much the same Kim and Tommy were about Jay's- so the request was a little strange.
"Why?" Kim asked.
"I just want to see something," Kat told her. "Before I say anything else."
Kim shrugged, "I guess so." She got up and headed upstairs, Kat following her.
Opening the door to Jay's room, Kim was immediately embarrassed by her son's house-keeping skills- or lack thereof. The room was a mess, the bed barely made. Technical journals were lying around everywhere, and the guts to Tommy's old computer were spread out on a work bench, along with a half dozen other technical projects. She was very much reminded of the bedroom of another old young man a long time ago. Kim shuddered as they picked their way past a hamper of dirty laundry set out for the washer, and opened the closet. "Uh sorry about the mess. I guess I need to get Jay to clean his room again."
"Don't worry about it," Kat said. You should see the twins' rooms. Kim noticed her staring at the pile of blue jeans and other clothes.
Kat just looked at the closet for a moment before all the color drained out of her face. "What is it Kat?" Kim asked.
"Notice anything?" Kat gestured toward the closet.
Kim just shook her head. She really hadn't paid that much attention to what Jay was wearing, except to make sure whether or not it was clean, and appropriate for a young man to wear. She remembered her surprise about month ago to find several pair of underwear in his laundry that she knew she hadn't purchased. They were the skimpy colored sort. Not something she'd ever have bought him. Looking back at the closet, shrugged and said, "No. Not really."
"Look at the colors. Notice anything?" Kat asked.
Kim turned back and it hit her. "Where in the world did all this blue come from?"
Kat smiled at her. "Exactly. I noticed almost all of Alex's stuff had yellow running through it, and if Aidan dresses much more in black he's going to start to look like a Goth kid."
The two women turned from the room and headed back downstairs. "And Trini was wearing red when she picked Jay up." She turned and looked at Kat. "You don't think?..."
Kat shrugged, "I don't know. There IS a new Ranger team, and all of them have started to wear those funny rings." Kat pointed out the rings each of their kids tended to wear- they said it sort of "family" thing, and left it at that.
Returning to the kitchen, Kim bade Kat to sit down. "Should we tell the guys?"
"Tell them what?" Kat asked. "We don't know anything for sure."
Kim nodded. "Let's keep an eye on them for a while. If they start acting strange, maybe we should start asking some questions on our own. Maybe we should call Trini and ask her if Mina has started to wear a lot of pink lately."
Kat chuckled, "Already did. Trini said that the girl's closet looks like something out of an old Reese Witherspoon movie." She chuckled, "Or our old closets."
I guess that settles it then," Kim said.
"I think you might be right." Kat replied.
"That's this weekend isn't it?" Jason asked distracted as if he was surprised to find the event had snuck up on him. Trini smiled, lately his mind had seemed to be somewhere else, and she had a good idea where it was. He and Dr. Carstonn had been dating now for almost two years, and lately she'd noticed Jason checking out the real estate section of the Angel Grove Herald. She wondered just how long it was going to take the two men to finally decide to make their relationship official.
Forcing the thoughts to the back of her mind she chuckled and said, "Yes, it's this weekend. Everybody's going to be there."
He smiled at her and she thought for a moment he was going to say something, but at the last moment seemed to change his mind. "I'll see what I can do," he told her.
"Jason Lee Scott! This is NOT optional. You are going to be there," she scolded him.
Jason just smiled, "I'll try."
Sensing something on her old friend's mind, she reached out and put a hand on his, "What's wrong Jase?"
Jase shook his head, "Nothing."
"Jase, don't give me that- nothing doesn't make you consider missing our annual picnic. Now tell me what's bothering you."
He smiled "I'm just not sure that it would be a good idea." He looked off across the restaurant and said, "Tommy and I aren't getting along right now, and I don't want to put any more strain on our friendship than necessary." Trini had noticed a distance growing between the two friends over the past two years, but hadn't realized it had gotten to the point of avoiding each other.
"This is about Kevin isn't it?" she asked. She remembered the big blow up the two had over Jason's coming out of the closet a few months before Billy died.
Jason gave her a hurt look and nodded. "Tommy is always questioning me about him, as if he didn't approve of him." He shrugged, "Even Kevin has noticed that he's cold toward him."
"And what does Kevin think about that?" Trini asked. She genuinely liked the doctor, but there were sometimes when he would look at her, she was hit with a sense of de jevu that unnerved her. She got the feeling there was more to the good doctor, than just a physical resemblance to Billy.
"He doesn't want to cause any rift between me and Tommy so he usually stays home when there's something that I need to do that involves Tommy," Jason said.
"And that's not fair to him or you?" Trini said.
Jason sighed and sat up straight in his chair, "Look Trini. I just don't want there to be any hard words between me and Tommy, and I don't want to hurt Kevin any more with going places without him."
"Has he said that it hurts him?" Trini asked.
Jason shook his head, "No. Not in so many words, but I can see it in his eyes. He's been hurt in the past. He's been through a lot, and I don't want to see him have to go through more."
Trini patted his hand and smiled, "Jase, I can't make you come. I can just ask that you do." She grinned at him, "And as far as Zack and I are concerned, bring Kevin with you." She shrugged, "I'm sure Adam and Kat wouldn't have a problem with it, and I know Kim wouldn't. If Tommy wants to be an ass, then we'll just have to team up and kick his white Ranger butt."
Jason smiled, "I'll think about it." Trini got the feeling that she wasn't going to see him at the picnic though.
"Look Jase, if not for yourself, at least bring Trini Anne. I know she's looking forward to it."
Jason smiled at her. "You're hitting below the belt now, Trini. Using Trini Anne against me isn't fair."
She grinned at him, "I know." Winking at him, she added, "But who said I had to play fair?"
~*~
Kim was putting away groceries when she saw Jay head out the door tucking in a blue tee-shirt. "I'm going over to the twin's house, Mom. I'll see you later."
"Don't forget about supper! Six o'clock."
"I won't!" he called back as he climbed into Trini Anne's red jeep- a present from her father on her sixteenth birthday.
Seeing her from the front seat of the Wrangler, the young blonde straightened the red vest she was wearing and waved at her. Kim waved back as the duo sped off toward Adam and Kat's house. The last she'd heard, the whole gang was meeting over at the Park's house to get some kind of big surprise ready for the picnic on Saturday.
She held a small hope in her heart that Tommy wouldn't be an ass about the picnic. Lately, he'd been getting more and more difficult to deal with about Jason. It seemed like as soon as Jason finally, had someone to share his life with, Tommy had become almost dead set against it. She knew for a fact that Tommy called Fred Gillman and had an FBI check done on Dr. Carstonn. Tommy had become almost obsessed with the man. Shaking her head, she finished putting the perishables in the fridge and was about to turn to the rest of the groceries when the door bell rang.
Wondering who it could be, she went to front door to find a nervous looking Kat standing there. "Hi Kim. Can I come in?" She looked like she'd been shaken by something.
"What's wrong, Kat?" Kim asked.
Kat smiled, "I was doing laundry today." She turned to the fireplace and looked at the pictures there. There were several group portraits showing each of the Ranger Teams to which she and Tommy had belonged- all in civilian identities and lounging about in the park. Kat picked up the Zeo teams portrait and traced her finger along each of the members of the team with a brief smile before putting it back on the mantle.
"And?" Kim asked.
"I got to noticing something." She smiled, "You know how even now it's hard to tell the boys apart?" Kim nodded but said nothing waiting for Kat to continue. The running joke was that Aidan and Alex were more like two halves of each other than individuals. "Well, I started to realize that lately I haven't been having that much trouble."
"It just means they're growing up. Growing into individual persons," Kim said.
Kat shook her head, "No. They still look so much alike it's frightening, and they still finish each other's sentences. It's something else. Something I noticed in the laundry."
"What did you find, Kat?" Kim wondered if Kat had found something in one of the twin's pockets that had upset her so.
Kat shook her head, "Can I ask you to do me a favor?"
Kim gave the other woman a puzzled look. "Sure."
"It's going to sound strange," Kat pointed out.
"With this group, nothing sounds strange Kat," Kim told her.
Kat just smiled, "Can you and I go take a peek in Jay's closet. I'm not talking about rummaging around, I just want to see something." Now that was a strange request. Kim knew that Kat and Adam were both pretty big on protecting their twin's privacy- much the same Kim and Tommy were about Jay's- so the request was a little strange.
"Why?" Kim asked.
"I just want to see something," Kat told her. "Before I say anything else."
Kim shrugged, "I guess so." She got up and headed upstairs, Kat following her.
Opening the door to Jay's room, Kim was immediately embarrassed by her son's house-keeping skills- or lack thereof. The room was a mess, the bed barely made. Technical journals were lying around everywhere, and the guts to Tommy's old computer were spread out on a work bench, along with a half dozen other technical projects. She was very much reminded of the bedroom of another old young man a long time ago. Kim shuddered as they picked their way past a hamper of dirty laundry set out for the washer, and opened the closet. "Uh sorry about the mess. I guess I need to get Jay to clean his room again."
"Don't worry about it," Kat said. You should see the twins' rooms. Kim noticed her staring at the pile of blue jeans and other clothes.
Kat just looked at the closet for a moment before all the color drained out of her face. "What is it Kat?" Kim asked.
"Notice anything?" Kat gestured toward the closet.
Kim just shook her head. She really hadn't paid that much attention to what Jay was wearing, except to make sure whether or not it was clean, and appropriate for a young man to wear. She remembered her surprise about month ago to find several pair of underwear in his laundry that she knew she hadn't purchased. They were the skimpy colored sort. Not something she'd ever have bought him. Looking back at the closet, shrugged and said, "No. Not really."
"Look at the colors. Notice anything?" Kat asked.
Kim turned back and it hit her. "Where in the world did all this blue come from?"
Kat smiled at her. "Exactly. I noticed almost all of Alex's stuff had yellow running through it, and if Aidan dresses much more in black he's going to start to look like a Goth kid."
The two women turned from the room and headed back downstairs. "And Trini was wearing red when she picked Jay up." She turned and looked at Kat. "You don't think?..."
Kat shrugged, "I don't know. There IS a new Ranger team, and all of them have started to wear those funny rings." Kat pointed out the rings each of their kids tended to wear- they said it sort of "family" thing, and left it at that.
Returning to the kitchen, Kim bade Kat to sit down. "Should we tell the guys?"
"Tell them what?" Kat asked. "We don't know anything for sure."
Kim nodded. "Let's keep an eye on them for a while. If they start acting strange, maybe we should start asking some questions on our own. Maybe we should call Trini and ask her if Mina has started to wear a lot of pink lately."
Kat chuckled, "Already did. Trini said that the girl's closet looks like something out of an old Reese Witherspoon movie." She chuckled, "Or our old closets."
I guess that settles it then," Kim said.
"I think you might be right." Kat replied.