WISHING FOR A GOOD CHRISTMAS

DISCLAIMERAUTHOR'S NOTE

A little heavier holiday fic. Not quite a sequel to "It's Christmas", though it does deal with Tommy's comment about past foster homes. Takes place in the Zeo season. Still slight AU in that Kimberly never broke up with Tommy. Everything belongs to Haim Saban and Fox Kids. And I think "Deck The Halls" is traditional.

CHAPTER ONE: DECK THE HALLS WITH...WHO CARES?

"Deck the halls with boughs of holly, fa-la-la-la-la-la-la-la-la-la," a group of kids sang. "Tis the season to be jolly, fa-la-la-la-la-la-la-la-la-la," they continued. Kimberly Hart laughed as she saw the smiling faces. Katherine Hillard placed a hand on Tommy Oliver's arm.

"I just love the holidays. Don't you?" she queried.

"Yeah, I sure do," Tommy answered. "Of course, it's even better since Kim came home for the holidays," he continued. Katherine laughed. As the group continued to sing, Tommy looked around the youth center. Almost everyone of his friends was here: Ernie, Kat, Kim, Billy Cranston, Adam Park, Tanya Sloan, and Rocky DeSantos. Even Bulk and Skull were getting into the spirit. Suddenly, Tommy noticed that one of the older boys---fourteen-year old Michael Williams---was slouched against a wall, scowling. The Red Ranger walked up to him.

"Hey, what's up, buddy? Why aren't you singing?" he asked.

"Singing's for dorks!" Michael snapped. At this, everyone stopped and stared.

"What's the matter, Michael?" Katherine queried.

"Yeah, why aren't you celebrating?" added Kimberly.

"You got me be kidding. Holidays? Love, joy, peace, cheer, good-will. What a joke," Michael sneered. Then, he ran off.

"What's up with him?" Tanya wondered.

"I don't know," Adam responded.

"I think I do," Tommy told them. "I'll be right back, guys," he continued. Then, he headed off in the direction the boy had gone in.

"Michael, what's up?" he asked. The boy merely punched a locker. Tommy ran his fingers through his long hair.

"Okay, um, Michael---" he stopped, wondering how to pose his question.

"Look, I---I'm sorry, okay? I---I didn't mean---" the boy trailed off.

"You wanna talk about it?" Tommy offered.

"I hate holidays! It's just another reason to---"

"Get the heck beat out of you?" Tommy interrupted.

"N---what?" Michael asked. "What are you talking about?" he continued moodily.

"Who is it?" Tommy prodded. Michael ducked his head.

"He'll kill me," he muttered.

"Michael, I won't let anything happen to you," the Ranger promised.

"I just...I just want one good holiday," Michael said, looking back up.

"I know how you feel," Tommy said.

"The guy's all sorts of crazy," Michael worried.

"Just give me a name and I'll look the guy up," Tommy stated.

"Really?" Michael questioned.

"Yeah," Tommy promised. "Now, what's his name?" he asked.

"Andrew Garret ," Michael replied. Tommy's mouth dropped open.

"Wha---" he asked. He stared into space. Garret? No! his mind screamed.

"Tommy?" Michael questioned. But Tommy didn't hear him. His mind was in the past.

"Brat! You little good-for-nothing---"

"Tommy!" Michael exclaimed, breaking into the older boy's reverie.

AUTHOR'S NOTE 2

Hey, I created my C2 community a couple of days ago, but it hasn't shown up. Could someone give me the steps so I could see if I did something wrong? Or am I just being impatient?