Author's Note:  I'm sorry this has taken so long to update.  My life is in chaos right now.  I'm in the middle of a health crisis, I'm having to move when I really don't want to, and I'm losing my best friend.  I hope everyone will bear with me.  I hope to have Dragonkin updated soon. I'm putting the Second Chances Sequel on the backburner for a while- at least until I finish up these two.

Thanks for your patience.

Danny

~*~

        "Yo, Bro," Zack yelled.  He and Adam caught up with Tommy as the former Ranger leader was leaving the dojo.

        Turning to see his friends, Tommy smiled, "Hey guys.  What's up?"

        Zack and Adam smiled at him as they caught up.  Adam said, "We've come to take you lunch."

        Tommy gave them both a confused look as he raised an eyebrow.  "Uh, I was planning on going home for lunch."

        "Well, now you're going to Casa De'Angelo's with us," Zack said.  "And we're not taking "no" for an answer."

        "Uh, okay," Tommy knew better than to protest.  Besides it had been a while since he'd spent any time with Zack and Adam.  The distance that was growing between him and Jason was starting to take its toll on his relationship with the other former Rangers.  It was even starting to affect his marriage.  Looking at their faces, he realized that this might be why they wanted to have lunch.  "Why do I get the feeling that I'm about to get my chops busted?" he chuckled to take the sting out of his question.

        Zack smiled, "Don't worry Tommy, I'll leave the tire iron in the trunk."  Tommy remembered the time Zack had threatened to beat him to death with a tire iron if he ever tried to treat Trini like he'd treated Billy right after it became clear that the former Blue and Red Rangers had become lovers.

        Tommy laughed as Adam gave both men a strange look.  He said, "Good."

        Ten minutes later the three friends were sitting in a corner booth at Angel Grove's best Mexican restaurant.  It wasn't the finest, but it did have the best food.  After giving the waiter their orders, Zack and Adam looked at each other.  Tommy smiled, realizing that they had something they wanted to discuss and leaned back in his booth.  "Spit it out guys.  Something's bothering both of you."

        Both men had the good graces to look sheepish.  Finally Adam cleared his throat and said, "Tommy, you know you're a good friend.  We've been team mates and saved each other's lives countless times."

        Tommy nodded, "Go on Bro."

        Adam looked back at Zack and then to Tommy, "We wanted to talk to you about what's going on with you and Jase."

        "Nothing's going on with me and Jase," Tommy protested, knowing it was a lie.

        "Yeah, right," Zack said sarcastically.  "Tommy, Adam's right.  You're one of the finest men I've ever known, and you're a good friend.  But you've got a serious blind spot when it comes to certain aspects of Jason's life.  Aspects that it's time you dealt with."

        "You mean the fact that Jason is gay?" Tommy asked.

        Adam shook his head, "No, we mean the fact that you're fine with Jason being gay as long as he doesn't date anyone."

        "It's not that Jason is dating," Tommy said, "It's who he's dating."  He leaned back in his seat, "For some reason I just don't trust Dr. Carstonn."

        "Because he reminds you of Billy?" Adam asked.  "Don't think we haven't noticed it too, Tommy."  He sighed, "The question is: Is your discomfort coming from any real threat you might perceive; or your own guilty conscience over the way you acted toward Billy in the end?"

        The words stung Tommy deeply.  His first reaction was to lash out, to hurt Adam back, but he checked it before it got out of hand.  It was a valid question- especially since his and Jason's distance was starting to affect the rest of their friends.  Tommy shook his head, "I honestly don't know.  Something is familiar about him- familiar in a non-Billy sort of way."  He sighed.  "Look, I know I treated Billy poorly.  He didn't deserve that.  I guess part of my original anger was over the idea that Billy could share something with Jason I couldn't.  Later it grew into blaming him for Jason being gay."

        "Is the idea that Jason is gay what's bothering you?" Zack asked.

        Tommy shook his head.  By now it was too far into the discussion to hold back.  This had been bothering him for nearly fifteen years.  It was time he talked to SOMEBODY about it.  Ironically, the one person who could probably help him deal with it, explain it to him was dead, "No…, yes…, I don't know.  I just know that when I see him with Dr. Carstonn it seems like he saying that there's at least thing in my life you can't share."

        Zack and Adam exchanged glances.  Zack started to say something, but Adam cut him off.  "So this is about your friendship with Jason?"  He sighed and leaned back.

        Zack leaned forward, "Has anyone ever said anything to you about your relationship with Kimberly coming between us?  Do you think you should share that with us?"

        "No!" Tommy protested half rising out of his seat.  "How could you suggest such a thing?"

        Zack just shook his head, "If you can ask that of Jason, it's a fair question, Bro."

        Adam chuckled, "I think what Zack is trying to say, albeit clumsily, is do you WANT to share that aspect of Jason's life with him?"

        "What do you mean?" Tommy asked afraid of what he was hearing.

        "Do you want to have that kind of relationship with Jason?"

        "No!" Again Tommy protested. 

        "Then what's wrong with him sharing it with someone else?  It's who he is."

        "But why does he have to be that way?"  Tommy asked.

        Zack shrugged, "Because that's who he is.  He wouldn't be Jason otherwise."

        "It separates us," Tommy said.  "It's put a wall between us."

        Adam shook his head, "No, Tommy. You've put a wall between you.  It's up to you to tear it down."

        "Why can't things have just gone on like they were before?" Tommy asked.

        "What?" Zack asked. "With Jason lonely in that old house of his?  Do you really want to put him through that?  I can't believe that you're that selfish Bro."

        "I don't want him to be alone.  I WANT him to be happy," Tommy said.

        "Kevin makes him happy," Adam replied. 

        "Why can't it be someone else?" Tommy said.

        "Because it's not," Zack said.  He leaned forward, "What is it about Kevin that bothers you?  You keep saying that something is setting off bells in your head. What kind of bells?"

        Tommy shrugged, "I don't know. Some instinct keeps telling me that he's not what he seems to be."

        "Tommy," Adam said quietly.  "None of us are what we seem to be.  It's part of being human."

        Tommy shrugged and joked, "Maybe he's not human."

        "Yeah, right," Adam repeated Zack's sarcastic reply from earlier.

        Zack's voice suddenly became serious, "Look Tommy.  You do know that this Saturday is our annual picnic don't you?" Tommy just nodded.  "Well, do you also know that Jason told Trini that he doesn't think he's going to come?"

        "Because of Kevin?" Tommy asked.

        Adam shook his head, "No. Because of you."

        "Why me?"

        "Because you've made it pretty clear that you don't like Kevin, and Jason's about reached the point where you're making him choose between you and Kevin," Adam told him.

        "I can't believe he'd do that," Tommy said.

        "Do what?" Adam asked in a quiet voice that demanded an answer.

        "Choose Kevin over me," Tommy said.

        "Are you really that arrogant, Tommy?" Zack asked. "Do you really believe that you are SO important that your best friend should give up a shot of happiness just because you don't like the person that comes with that happiness?"  Zack shook his head, "I can't believe you're that shallow Tommy."

        "I'm not!" Tommy protested.  Before he could say more, the waiter arrived with their food.

        For long moments they ate in quiet.  Finally, Adam spoke up again, "How would you feel if Jason told you that you would have to choose between his friendship and Kimberly."

        "Jason would never do that."

        Adam smiled, "You're right.  He wouldn't, but YOU are."

        That hit Tommy like a load of bricks.  Am I really telling Jason that he has to choose between Dr. Carstonn and me?  Have I pushed him that far?  Some part of him realized that deep down he was.  That he wasn't being fair to Jason, and he'd been a whole lot less than fair to Dr. Carstonn.  "What should I do?" he asked simply.

        "Call Jason, tell him that you want him AND KEVIN to come to the picnic," Zack said.

        "And you think that would patch things up?" Tommy asked.

        Zack simply told him, "It would be a good start."  He smiled, "Look, I'm not saying you HAVE to like Kevin.  You DO have to accept that he's part of Jason's life- a very important part.  If you don't, you're going to lose your best friend."

        "I'll think about it Zack," Tommy told him.

        Zack smiled and said, "Just don't take too long."

~*~

        Trini Anne had been excited all day long.  The news she'd overheard last night had shocked her.  The more she thought about it, the more it made sense.  She'd once kidded her Aunt Kim that when her father and his friends started talking about certain colors the only thing that made sense scared her.  Now, she realized why it made sense. Of course overhearing her father asking Kevin to marry him and for the other man to accept was just as exciting. Smiling, she came into the house to find her father and Dr. Carstonn sitting in the living room quietly talking.  There were several magazines lying on the coffee table.  Noting that the magazines were vacation brochures, she smiled to herself.  "Hiya Dad," she bent down and kissed her father on the cheek.  Then turning to the Doctor, she repeated the gesture and said, "Hiya Doc."

        Her father cleared his throat.  "Trini, I…, uh… we wanted to talk to you."

        She smiled impishly at her father.  Sitting down in the recliner next to the sofa, she smiled.  Noticing the nervous looks on her father's and Kevin's face she masked her own behind a look of seriousness.  "About what?"

        Her father looked back at Kevin and then to her.  He began, "Well, you know that Kevin and I have been dating now for about two years."  She only nodded in affirmation.  "We've grown really close," he stumbled for words, "really close."

        "I see," was all she could say as she struggled to hide her mirth.

        Her father locked eyes with her momentarily and then said, "What I'm trying to tell you is that we want to have a commitment ceremony, and were wondering how you felt about that idea."

        She leaned back in her chair, forcing her face to stay neutral.  After studying her father and the man who was about to become a part of her family for long moments before she said, "I think it's about time."

        Both men looked at each other in surprise and then back at her.  "You're fine with this?" Kevin asked.

        "Of course I am," she said.  "Even if I didn't like you Doc- which I do immensely- I would never try to make my dad choose between me and being happy.  I love him.  I WANT him to be happy, and if you're the person to do that, then that's just a bonus."  She grinned wickedly, "So when's the wedding?"

        "We were thinking about going down to the courthouse this Saturday and just doing a civil ceremony," her father said.

        "You do that, and if Aunt Kim doesn't skin you alive, I will," she told both men calmly.

        "We don't want a big fuss," Kevin said.

        She gave him her best smile, "Too bad.  You're going to get one."  Looking back over at her father, "I think this Saturday wouldn't be a good idea.  It's the annual picnic and I don't think scheduling it to conflict with that would be a good idea.  I think you need to find another date.  Maybe the weekend after next."  She smiled, "I need time to find a new dress, we need to hire caterers, and you two need get fitted for new tuxedos, plus I'm sure Uncle Zack and Uncle Adam will need to be refitted as well."  Her voice became implacable, "I went to all the trouble of getting you two together.  You OWE me a wedding."

        Jason looked over at his lover, "When did this get out of hand?"

        Kevin smiled back, "I think the second we told her we were getting married."

        "Do you mind delaying it for two weeks?"  Jason asked.

        Kevin smiled back at him, "I told you name the date.  Two weeks is fine by me."

        Jason nodded to his future spouse and then turned on his daughter eyes flashing.  "Okay Trini Anne Cranston-Scott, you get your way about the wedding.  However, you will say nothing to anyone about this- and that includes Jay."  Looking over at Kevin and then back to her he told her, "We want to break the news in our own way."

        Trini gave her father her best Daddy's Girl smile, "Yes sir."

        Before Jason could say anything else, the phone rang.  Jason stood, kissed his daughter on the forehead and said quietly, "Good girl."  Then he turned and picked up the phone.  "Scott-Cranston Residence."

        "Jase," Tommy's voice said, "it's me Tommy."

        Jason felt stomach drop.  He and Tommy hadn't been getting along lately.  He realized what the cause was, but really had no idea of how to handle it.  "What's up Tom?"

        "Look," Tommy said.  "I've been acting like an ass.  Zack says that you are thinking about not coming to the picnic on Saturday because of the way I've been treating Dr. Carstonn.  I'm sorry.  I would really like to see you there."  There was a pause before Tommy added, "Both of you."

        "We need to talk about this Bro," Jason said.  "This can't keep up."  Looking over at Trini and remembering what he'd discovered last night, "If for no other reason than for the kids."

        "I agree.  Maybe we can talk after the picnic?" Tommy asked.

        Jason smiled, "Sure."

        "Then you'll, both be there?" Tommy asked.

        "I'd say with bells on, but you'd probably reach through the phone and strangle me, so I'll just say we'll be there."

        Jase could hear the tone of relief in his friend's voice, "I'm glad."

        "I'll see you at the park Saturday then," Jason told him.

        "Good, I'll talk to you then," Tommy said.

        Jason hung up the phone and looked over at Kevin, "Looks like you're getting your wish."  Kevin gave him a questioning look.  He looked over at his daughter.  He knew that it hadn't escaped her notice that Jay's father and he had been arguing.  Fortunately, his daughter had the good sense to stay out of it.  Turning back to Kevin he said, "That was Tommy.  He wanted to make sure that we BOTH would be at he picnic on Saturday.  He wants to talk."

        Kevin simply nodded his head and turned back to the brochures on the table.  In a tone that for just a moment blurred the line between him and Billy he said, "That's good."