THE REASON - Part Seventy-Five: Giving Up the Power

Summary: Trent has given up his powers as a Ranger and so has Tommy. Kim tries to convince Tommy otherwise, but is it enough? The other teens are caught in a web of betrayal and confusion.

Disclaimer: Power Rangers is not mine.

A/N: So, now that Trent and Tommy are no longer apart of the team, could the rangers be divided for good? Read on. Only a few more chapters left to go.

"It has to be done. I can't afford to stay on a team if I continue to hurt you in ways that will leave scars. Please, understand." -Eclyptyk Neo

Hours later.

Tommy walked into the house holding a heavy heart. He had gone out to clear his mind of what had just happened, but he still could not believe it did happen. He had freely handed over his dino gem to retire as a Ranger, and it was even harder on Trent. They didn't or couldn't talk of the matter. It was too painful to discuss. Tommy could only drop off his scarred student—to leave him alone—and try and find his own peace and privacy away from it. He knew though, he would have to be facing a huge confrontation from Kim.

He came back with a bag of Chinese food as he closed the door quietly behind him. When he looked up, he was met by the concerned and worried look of his fiancée. He didn't say anything as he moved into the living room toward the kitchen. Kim wasn't too far behind, never taking her eyes off of him. She had to discuss this, and if she had to fight to get the truth out of him, she would.

"The teens left." She said to break the silence between them. "They're concerned and worried."

"Like that is anything new. I'm merely just their science teacher now, so if it's help on homework, I'm up to it. If it's about what happened hours ago, it's passed. Let it go." He held up the bag as an offer of truce and a drop of the subject. "You hungry? I got some Chinese food."

It was clear he didn't want to discuss the matter, but she wouldn't give up on him. She followed him into the kitchen as he absently placed the bag on the counter pulling out two plates from the cupboard. Before he could do anymore, she wrapped her arms around him and forced him to turn around to look at her.

"Why'd you do it?" she asked quietly.

He laid a kiss on her head, looking away. "I stated it clear, Kim. We've lost trust. We had to go. And I think that was the best thing any of us could have done in such a situation as that. The hardest thing for me to do is to be apart of a team I failed to speak the truth to. I can't risk any of this."

"But you're making a mistake. They need you." She pleaded for him to see it her way. "They cling to you like static, Tommy. You're their mentor. Their coach and lead ranger."

He forced out a painful breath, but the rage peaked up. "I am not the lead ranger! Conner is! There were originally only three rangers, Kim. Three! Trent and I were merely the carry on luggage. They'd be fine without us."

Kim took a step back as her fiancé turned away to catch his breath. She forced out a breath and walked over to him. "How could you say that about them, Tommy? After all that's happened, you're just gonna leave them out there to rot?"

"They have you." He breathed trying to keep his composure.

"I wasn't there in the beginning." She protested as she slammed something on the counter beside him.

Tommy peered over at the object and cringed in pain. It was his dino morpher. "Don't do this, Kim."

"Tommy, you've been their beginning you will be their end." She grabbed the morpher and shoved it into his chest. "Be the dragon you are, Tommy! You hold the ends, but you start the beginnings. Do you really want to leave the team?!"

"It's all one trust factor. Give it time, Kim." He said simply.

"Time is something we don't have anymore, Tommy. Mesogog will strike and we will need to, too. You can do this to me, but don't do this to them. They need you, Thomas. So don't give me anymore of your lame ass excuses. I know you're making a mistake, and so is Trent. Come back to the team. We can work things out."

"Impossible." Tommy shook his head.

"Anything is possible when you're a ranger, Thomas." She matched his anger and more, not wanting to take his excuses for nothing.

She turned away before he could say anymore. Tommy forced out an angered breath as he heard the footsteps echo through the house and finally a door shut with fury. What was worse, he was stuck in the middle. He didn't know where to go from there. Re-join the team or leave. But the other bad thing was he had put Kim right in the middle of it. That was the last thing he wanted to do, but it was too late.

Tommy looked at the dino morpher he had called his own in his hand and let out a breath. But the rage surged with guilt and he found his hand tighten around the morpher. He couldn't control it and launched the cuff toward the distant wall. Lucky for him it didn't shatter. It had been specially modified to take bad beatings.

Tommy grabbed his jacket and headed out the door.

---

Hours later.

Tommy had returned home yet again after he cleared his mind of the argument he had shared with his fiancée. That wasn't supposed to happen, and it ached to have gone through it. He didn't want that to happen. He didn't mean to hurt her. Even words can scar just as much as physical abuse.

He walked into the living room to find Kim sleeping soundly on the couch. The blank screen of the TV lit her face in a blue silhouette of beauty. He took a seat on the couch and bent over to lay a kiss on her lips.

Kim stirred under the gesture bringing her hands up to frame his face as her eyes opened slowly.

"I'm sorry, Beautiful." He said quietly and he leaned forward to lay another kiss on her lips.

"I know you are, Handsome." She smiled lightly, sitting up to lay a kiss on his forehead.

He pulled her into his protective embrace as they laid down on the couch in each other's arms. He pulled her close to her feeling the guilt run through his body again. "It's just hard, baby. Too hard to cope with right now. I need some time to think through this."

She ran her hands along his leather jacket as she snuggled as close as she could to him. "Go back, Tommy. They need you."

"What about Trent?" he asked quietly feeling the sleepiness fall over him.

"Both of you. You're a team. Prove to them you're loyal and trust goes to them. Both of you."

Tommy let out a breath and nodded. He knew she was right, but he figured he would need to sleep on the matter. And so did she when she yawned quietly. She loosened her hold and sat up with him following with a slight confusion.

"C'mon, Handsome. It's late. We need to get some rest. We can talk about this more in the morning." She pulled him to his feet.

He nodded, following her out of the room. "Okay, Beautiful."

They headed upstairs and into their bedroom. By the time they got settled in, they held each other close and fell asleep.

to be continued…

A/N: So, Tommy is having doubts about leaving the team. But can the teens really accept him and Trent back? Find out next chapter. And May the Powers Protect You Always.