Amends

Chapter 4- One of Those Days

A.N: Oh this chapter will be a tricky one! This is the hard part kids, where I try and mesh the DT episode storylines into this storyline. I'll be using some of Wave Goodbye (which I don't own so there's the disclaimer) and I'll be taking liberties with the timeline, as the episode takes place over a period of several days in one part (as instanced by Hayley's invitation for Kira's band to play 'this Friday' and then the gig being shown in the ep.) so we're just gonna assume that it all takes place on this one day, the day after Tommy and Kim's meeting and the subsequent calls with Jason. Have I lost you yet? Well I hope you'll pick it up if I have, it is 2.30 am so you'll have to excuse me if I'm slightly incoherent. Anyway, I'll let you know when the time jumps occur, if it's really hard to comprehend I'll redo the chap! You can also expect in this chap some reminiscing and probably heaps more angst!

Enjoy!

*

Kim had been up since 6.30 AM firstly giving her body a good workout at the hotel's gym and pool area before most of the other inhabitants were up, then she planned to have a full day giving her credit cards a good workout at the local Reefside Mall.

Surprisingly perhaps for her, Kim had packed very little and her clothing was all in the way of jeans and sweaters as the weather forecast had predicted rain. She decided a restocking of the wardrobe for her lengthened stay would be a productive idea.

After emerging from the shower at around 9.45, considering herself worked-out enough to start the day she saw a message bleeping on the room phone's answering machine. She hit the red button hesitantly, never remembering having a message on a hotel's phone for her before.

There was silence for a moment and then an awkward clearing of the throat.

"Uh, Kim, this is Tommy. Seems when I finally managed to track you down you're not in. And no Jason didn't give you away," he added lightly, seemingly pre-empting her thought about how he found where she was staying before she could properly wonder it.

"Look I, uh, I guess we need to talk…about yesterday y'know? I know a place owned by a friend in Downtown Reefside, called Hayley's Cyberspace, it's off Harbour View Avenue. So I thought maybe we could meet there, let's say sevenish? If you still wanna talk, I'll see you there, if not, that's fine too. So…I'll see you. Or y'know, not…whatever. Um, bye."

Kim found his inability to speak to her even indirectly with any degree of competency hilarious, but his Jason comment made her suspect the two had talked last night when she had specifically told Jason he was forbidden to call Tommy. She narrowed her eyes and decided to have words with him later, but nevertheless jotted down the address Tommy had provided, wondering what had made him change his mind. Maybe he did just need cooling off time, or perhaps it was a little Red interference. She shrugged and grabbed her handbag and keys from the desk. If Tommy wanted to have it out that was fine, but that didn't change the crisis going on in her wardrobe. If she was meeting Tommy at seven she had approximately nine hours to shop. Not much time! She slipped on her shoes and headed for the door, and the mall!

*

Tommy was starting to think that Raptor Riders had not been such a bright idea.

"Whoah!" He cried as he was flung once more against the wall on the other side of the room.

"Yeah, good luck selling these to the military Anton." He muttered sardonically as he recalled what his research partner planned to use half of their work for.

*Enemies would never see these babies coming.* He thought with sarcasm and irritation as the hulking figures of red, blue and yellow charged him once more. Perhaps it hadn't been a good idea to hatch these monsters all at once he realised too late.

Despite his preoccupation with the Riders, he couldn't get his call to Kim from earlier off his mind. He hadn't known where to begin in finding her, but knowing what Kim's tastes used to be at least, he knew she wouldn't be extravagant with her accommodation but wouldn't want the bottom of the range either. He investigated a couple of the cosier motels first but when he'd found a Holiday Inn with sea views listed in the directory he knew in his gut that would be the place. Kim had always loved water, even though she was borne of the air in many ways. Water had represented many good times for them. Their first kiss by the lake, to their last farewell on the beach, and the lazy days and dates by the river in between. They were fond memories, but ones which he did not care to dwell on anymore. He found it ironic that his profession was all about knowledge of the past and digging up old artefacts when his own past was something he had tried so hard to keep buried and out of mind.

*After tonight though, there'll be nothing left to fear from the past, and I can put it behind me and move on at last.* He had decided that while the doubts and questions about he and Kim still remained, he could never find true peace inside himself. He had always been someone who obsessed over defeat and failure, and he constantly found himself analysing past mistakes which annoyingly seemed to be the one thing his memory could recall with crystal clarity.

*Seems like my three students have about as much faith in me as I do.* He thought with a bitter smile. He chuckled as he remembered Ethan's expression when the Palaeontologist had told him the Rangers would be riding the contents of those eggs. But now, viewing the beasts for himself, Ethan's disbelief may have been well founded.

While he had been daydreaming the three Raptors had started a vicious game of tug-o-war between them over Tommy's new black jacket that he had foolishly left tossed on some crates while he worked on the eggs.

"Hey! It's supposed to keep the rain out not let it in!" He scolded the beasts, who ignored him and continued growling and tugging on three sides of the jacket. Tommy ran over and grabbed the left sleeve which was still dangling unclaimed in the fight, and proceeded to yank it himself to try and wrench it off the creatures. Of course now he had given them a common enemy, and he knew himself that Raptors had been of the more intelligent breeds of dinosaurs. He soon had proof of this fact. The three came to stand side by side with each other with their respective jacket areas still firmly in mouths, and proceeded to jerk their heads to the side to knock him off balance with the weight of their pull, and then whipped their heads back around so he was flung most ungracefully through the air and crashed into a pile of empty boxes which then collapsed under his weight.

"Y'know what? You keep it." Tommy said defeatedly to the three, who then dropped the jacket carelessly now that they'd had their fun.

"Well, at least they're learning the value of teamwork." Tommy muttered pushing himself up tiredly, then he heard voices outside the lab just as the Raptors rushed him again.

His students really didn't pick the best times for social calls.

"Man! Don't come in here, it's not safe!" He called as the Red one tail whipped him across the room. A pile of boxes and rods followed him in rolling across the floor.

After a few more minutes of 'toss the teacher' while trying to hold up a conversation with Kira, Ethan and Conner, and as Conner seemed to have something of monumental importance to say, Tommy called off the torture.

"I guess I can take a break, what's up?"

~

God Tommy had understood what Conner was going through, except unlike him, Conner had a choice. And he had made the right one, eventually. There were times when the far younger Tommy had wished for a different fate, for them all not just himself. Days he saw his best friends and the love of his life in danger, especially after he had lost his powers and he had been unable to help, relegated to watch from the sidelines. Days when he wanted a normal date when he didn't have to worry about Zedd and Rita or the Machine Empire ruining the moment, and days when he saw Kimberly weaken and crumble as her own powers drained from her after the theft of her coin. Days when he thought Jason would go through the same thing, and possibly die from it, and days when he saw Billy wither like an old man until he had to flee to an alien planet for help. Days when he was targeted to be turned evil again, and days when he actually did, having to fight and harm his friends and mentor against his will.

And Conner had it all coming, more likely than not, but he, like every other Ranger before him had made the right choice, for the greater good, above his own wishes. It was true that the Rangers didn't choose the Power, the Power chose them, and it had never been wrong.

Tommy was proud of his three students today, now all at the cyber café preparing for Kira's performance. They had been given the choice to leave, even Kira and Ethan who could have followed Conner's lead. But they had resisted, and Tommy knew that he had made the right choice in them, however inadvertently it was. Now he just had to clean up and head down to the café to watch Kira perform, then he had told Hayley he would lock up for her which would give him and Kim the perfect opportunity for the dreaded talk. Now he was actually expecting her presence perhaps he would actually be able to behave accordingly in front of her rather than making a complete jackass out of himself. Somehow he doubted he could pull that off.

He pulled his slightly less damaged grey jacket off a chair and grabbed his car keys. Kira had been very enthusiastic about her first proper gig so Tommy had given his word that he would be there. Not that the presence of a teacher would really be missed, he thought, but it was nice to support his young protégés in their activities. It kept them out of prying into his personal life that was for sure, which he was very pleased about. His history of being a Ranger was part of a long complicated backstory that really didn't need explaining, though he thought it was a lucky miss that their encounter with Kim was taken quite lightly. As long as they all cleared out of Cyberspace before Kim arrived, everything would be perfect. His two worlds could remain separate at least.

He soon found himself in the parking lot behind the café and made his way towards the dull roaring sound that seemed to be apparent everywhere teenagers congregate in crowds. As he got halfway across the lot he found himself with some unwanted company as Zeltrax and a swarm of Tyrannodrones appeared around him.

*And this day was going so well.* He groaned internally as the lot charged towards him. He began kicking and punching but the drones overpowered him by sheer weight of numbers, all of them grabbing at him and clinging to his available body-space none too gently. He growled as he tried to shake them off and snarled at Zeltrax.

"Do you mind Zeltrax, I've got somewhere more important to be!" He grunted as he tried to yank his arm free but the henchmen clung to him like tar.

"Not today you don't Dr Oliver, you've got an urgent appointment with Master Mesogog." Tommy growled angrily -unable to break away as much as he tried- as Zeltrax and the Tyrannodrones transported him away towards Mesogog's island fortress and away from the Rangers… and Kimberly.

*

That was short in comparison to the chapters coming up which are double this length, I hope you can handle it, if you think it'll be too long let me know and I guess I could split em for you! Right, onto the reviews-

Starry Nights- Thanks for review. By other rangers I assume you mean the other Mighty Morphin' Rangers? Well Jason's kinda inadvertently made an appearance, if he or the others are gonna appear in the flesh? Now that would be telling. I might have a few surprises up my sleeve for later, that's all I'm saying! *Zips mouth closed*  I would recommend watching Dino Thunder, as it is fabulous, you can always download episodes off a great site called willpowered.com or check out episode synopses, it might make this easier to understand, especially for chapter 6 when I'll be cutting out lengthy parts of the episode, so you might not understand what's going on. Check out an episode guide for Legacy of Power if you have time (which is a great episode by the way) and that'll make it easier. If you think you can deal, that's fine too, I just don't want you to be at all confused if I can help it lol! Thanks for the support!

ShiroZyu- *Blush* that was a lovely review, made me feel all warm inside! I'm glad you got the depth of Jason and Tommy's friendship I'm glad I didn't suck at writing it as I do find it tricksy to sometimes get Jason's character. Thanks for the great review! XD

Mouse9- Wow, that's a long time of not watching, you missed out on a lotta good T/K action there lol! Nah I definitely don't think they're together in DT but that's what this story's all about, changing that hehe! I think it's doubtful they'll end up with a storyline about the two of them though I do agree that would be fabulous. Thanks for taking the time to review, I hope you enjoyed this update!

Tomgirl27: Gee, I'm sorry I didn't mean to make you embarrassed! I apologise profusely. I am certainly not a boy and I agree that they're weird, two of my closest friends are boys and they do more weird things before lunchtime than most people do all week. Yeah I know about the Letter, and funny enough the first time I actually saw the three episodes around that I saw this week! Though I knew the content of the Letter and that's how I manage to write about it, but it sure adds an extra dimension to it seeing Tommy's sadness on screen rather than in mind. I got your email, mind-blowing at like 3AM I don't think I absorbed much of it! But thanks for the effort, I'll try and check Beyblade out sometime. Thanks for reviewing!

Pink-Ranger-Diva- Aww, that review made me smile, I like people who can really enjoy what I do, it makes the whole thing worth doing in the first place! I hope you enjoyed this chapter as much as the last.

Pinkie- I'm glad someone noticed the Friends reference *laughs* gotta say it's another one of my favourite shows, and I'm glad you actually *got* it not just noticed it! You were starting to miss it? Wow that's flattering, I guess I can't really miss it as its swirling through my head 24/7 but I appreciate that muchly. Thanks for reviewing!

Thanks to everyone who reviewed, your support and comments really help me to write, I only hope I can live up to your standards with these new updates. I tend to be very unconfident when it comes to my writing so your kind words really reassure me. Sorry no Dino Thunder Rangers in this chapter but afterall it is Tommy and Kim's story, and in the next couple of chaps there will be lots of them! I hope this chapter was okay, and I'm looking forward to hearing your comments!

Catch ya on the flipside!

xXx