Author's Notes – Two Tommy chapters in a row, I know I made a mistake, sorry.

Summary – Setting up a camp site sucks.

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Wrong or Right Words

Tommy

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(Saturday 3:03 p.m.)

"Here hold this." Handing me a plastic stake, Jason ties the third end of the tent to the similar stake he's just pounded into the ground. He's pretty good at this for someone who hasn't been camping since he was ten.

Looking over at my aunt and uncle putting up their tent, then to Alan already finished with his, I'm suddenly really glad Jase agreed to come, and not just for obvious reasons. I think I'd be sleeping on the ground under the stars if he wasn't here to help with this stupid project.

"Tommy? Wehoo, Tom? Hey bro, I need the stake." Slapping my leg with the back of his hand, he brings me out of my daydream. "Stake please?" Oh, right.

Handing over the last stake and watching him pound it in and tie off the last side of the tent, I suddenly feel sort of bad he had to do it mostly by himself. "Sorry I'm not more help. I just never really had the need to put up a tent before."

"S'okay, I sorta figured you hadn't done this before when you asked me if we were going to use the stakes for vampire bat attacks." Well how was I supposed to know there aren't any bats in this area. Besides it seemed like a logical use for them. Standing and brushing his hands off on his jeans he looks over his work. "Well there you go city boy, that is how to pitch a tent."

"I'm enthralled, really." Letting the sarcasm roll off my tongue, I don't even bother to hide a smile as he growls at me.

"Watch it buddy or you'll find yourself taking an unexpected swim when we go fishing." Grabbing our sleeping bags and the pile of blankets, he begins laying them all out inside our new home for the next two days.

"Ew big talk, I'm shaking really. Hey do you think there are any wild animals around here?" Crouching down when he doesn't answer or reappear, I cock my head as it's suddenly completely quiet. "Jase? Hey Jase you alright?" Getting no response I reach for the flap to see what's up when I'm suddenly grabbed and pulled inside.

Pinning me down to the floor of blankets and sleeping bags, the Red Ranger grins from his position over me. "Whatcha think?"

That you are very hot holding me down like this. "That you're an idiot." Grinning despite, okay so more like because of the fact I'm currently pinned down by the leader of the Power Rangers, I make no effort to move. "This is nice."

Smiling, he gives me a curious look. "Is it? You like me holding you down?"

"Yes. I mean no. I mean, um, this set up, the tent and blankets, it's nice not this here is nice, not that it isn't nice, just that uh, I think I hear Uncle John calling." Quickly distangling myself, I dash back outside leaving him now laying on his back where I'd thrown him in my mad escape.

"Hey Tommy." Damn what now. Heading up to me, John hands me an ax. "Do me a favor and go find some wood for a fire alright? Alan already went off for some, but if you can bring some back too it'll save us from hunting for more tomorrow." Great, just what I wanted to do, go kill trees. This is why I should have stayed home.

"Sounds good, I'll go help too." Looking behind me to see Jason standing in front of the tent pulling his jacket back on, I bite back a curse.

"Great. Jen and I will finish up here. Be back soon okay and we'll start up lunch." Turning and moving back to Jen before I can offer a protest, John leaves me and Jason to go scavenge for wood and avoid talking about what I said in the tent. Not that I really said anything, mind you. At least nothing I can't easily weasel out of.

"Come on." Taking the ax from me, he moves towards the tree line.

Following behind him, I try to calm down. Nothing happened. I slipped up, but it wasn't a big slip, what'd I say, it was nice to have him holding me down. That could be interrupted in a million ways. "You don't have to do this. If you wanna just hang out or fish or something it's okay."

Glancing at me, he shakes his head. "Naw, I don't mind. Besides I want to talk to you about something." Crud.

"Oh, about what?" Trailing further and further behind him, I wonder if he'll notice if I just suddenly disappear. "You know about what I said, I really didn't mea- ow!" Stepping on a branch at a bad angle I trip myself up and fall hard to my knees.

"Tommy." Hurrying back toward me, he crouches down trying to asses the damage, in what I've come to consider his 'leader mode'. "Are you alright? Here let me see your leg." It be funny if my knee wasn't killing me. Letting him help me up on a rock, I cringe as I see the rip in my jeans and the blood and dirt covering my left knee. Hardly anything to get too worked up over, and with my powers it'll be healed in a day or two. Still though does smart a bit.

"See, this is why us city kids shouldn't go camping." Cringing as he pushes my pant leg up to see the wound better, I silently thank my clumsiness as now his mind is on something other then asking what my deal was in the tent.

"No kidding. Come on, let's get you back so we can clean that out just to be safe." Taking the ax in one hand and wrapping his other arm round my waist, he starts back to the camp site we'd just left. "Hurt very much?" Smiling suddenly he slows down. "Want me to carry you?" Oh yeah can't walk now.

Recalling just how nerve wracking it was when he carried me back to the med bay after a particularly bad battle last week and how I had practically melted into his arms when he tucked me into his bed at the Command Center since I don't have my room set up there yet – what was I thinking about before this?

"Tom? Okay obviously you do need to be carried if you can't even focus on a question." What? No, no I'm fine, besides in case you didn't notice you're not morphed so doubt you could actually pick me up right now. Walking the short way back into the clearing, he leads me to one of the folding chairs as John and Jen hurry over to us.

"What happened? He didn't get bit by a snake did he?" Snakes? There are snakes here?

"No, just fell and skinned his knee. I can fix it in a minute, just need some bandages and fresh water." Pushing my pant leg up again, he waits patiently as John quickly retrieves the first aid kit along with a washcloth and bottle of water. "Thanks."

Hissing and letting a small curse escape as he disinfects the wound, I really hate the wilderness.

"Sorry, I know that burns. I'll make it fast, promise." Doing his best to keep his promise, I still flinch in spite of his best efforts and in the end it may have been fast, but it definitely feels like he spent a good hour peeling off my skin.

Looking at my freshly bandaged knee as he cleans up and puts the stuff back in the white box, I can't help but feel a little lame about the whole thing.

"What's wrong?" Looking concerned when I only shrug in response he takes a seat next to me. "Hey, about what I was saying before you fell, perhaps even purposely to avoid hearing it, I was just-"

Cut off as a crash of thunder makes us both jump. We only turn our faces to the sky before the dark clouds let loose and we're being pelted with ice-cold rain.

Watching as John and Jen dash for their tent and Alan comes sprinting out of the woods and sliding into the mud in pure glee, I lay my head in my hands. How many problems does this make so far? "Fabulous."

"S'one word for it."

To be continued…