ORDINARY WORLD - PART TEN: SNOWY PARADISE (PG-13)
SEQUEL TO: THE REASON
SUMMARY: The team heads up to the local ski resort to partake in a little snow-packed fun.
DISCLAIMER: Power Rangers is not mine. I just like the characters on the show and making them bend to my whim to create a new series of my own. Enjoy!
A/N: I believe it is explanatory enough. This whole series is just of the team's last few adventures before the new year. And I know, I'm behind. Sorry. Stupid computer. In the next part of the series, I'll make things better. I'll get the DT Rangers back into fighting action, just deal with this for now. Later. And please, I need more reviews, I can't work with what I got. But I wanna thank all of you who have left me a review or a comment on my stories. It's really appreciated.
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"To close off the year and celebrate the victory of our biggest battle, I think a little snow wouldn't hurt." -Eclyptyk Neo
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Tommy wasn't kidding when he told the teens they would have to leave by the night to get a chance to explore the slopes. But than again, it would be hard to get anywhere with a thrill if the team could not even snowboard, except for two.
They had went to the Bear Valley Lodge in Lake Tahoe. One of the best resorts in the state. And if time would permit in the next few months, they might check out the slopes in Colorado. They were among the best in the country.
They had arrived at the lodge and caught a few zzz's before hitting the slopes in the morning. It was clear that Conner had not been around cold weather much and they all warned him to wear warmer clothes or he'd be freezing the whole time.
"Dude, that's why they call it snow," Ethan patted his friend on the shoulder. "Why do you think you were able to see your breath the moment you stepped out of the car?"
Conner wrapped his arms tightly around him. He had worn a red hoodie with a light jacket, but it wasn't enough. And with it being night, the temperature had dropped quickly. "I figured I could handle it."
"I warned you," Trent said shaking his head.
Tommy turned to the teens as he was finished checking in at the front desk. "Look, it's nice and warm in the rooms. We're bunked in three rooms. You guys can figure out how to split. We'll see you guys in the morning."
Conner shuddered again. "Man, is this what cold is?"
Trent tossed him his coat. "Look, by tomorrow we'll hit the rental area and we can pick you up a nice, warm outfit. But in case you haven't noticed, we are inside. And it is warm in here."
"He doesn't seem to notice," Kira said. "But I'm beat. I'm heading up to the room."
The guys wished her good-night as she headed up the stairs. Minutes later, the guys made their way up the stairs.
"Are you sure you really want to learn how to snowboard if you keep complaining about this cold weather?" Trent asked as he patted Conner on the shoulder.
"I'll be fine. It beats hitting the water," Conner said. "You guys are not gonna get me into the ocean."
"Dude, you do realize if you don't know how to swim, you'll be the laughing stock of senior year," Ethan said. "I mean, think about it, most athletes tend to do a whole lot of things."
"Well, not everything," Conner admitted. "Besides, I hear you get a thrill out of snowboarding."
"Let's just hope you don't take any nasty falls."
"But for now, we need to get some sleep. I mean, if we're really gonna enjoy ourselves, we'd better get to bed," Trent said.
"Hey, you don't have to tell me twice," Ethan nodded.
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Next day. Early morning.
Tommy was already up bright and early, squared away for the slopes as he returned to the room. He walked into the room and saw Kim fast asleep in bed. He didn't mean to leave her, but he was too excited. He hadn't hit the slopes in a good long time, and he missed the thrill that came with it.
He had caught a quick slope to see if he could still ride, and he still could. It was a matter of getting the others on the slopes.
He tossed the jacket onto a chair, removed the sunglasses, and gloves as he sat along side the bed beside the quiet, sleeping figure. He brushed aside a line of hair that blocked his wife's face and leaned over and laid a kiss on her lips.
It seems she was already up as she wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him closer. The kiss slowly deepened and when it broke, Kim's eyes opened and a light smile passed her face. Tommy couldn't help but smile either.
"You left me alone," she said as means of greeting. "And you're a little cold."
Tommy nodded slowly. "Yeah, I know. Sorry, Beautiful. I thought I'd catch a slope or two to see if I still got it in me to snowboard. It's been awhile."
She sat up and laid another kiss on his lips. "Well, we'd better put those teaching skills to the test. I wanna get out on the slopes, too."
Tommy smiled. "Then get ready. I'll go get the teens."
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Another hour had passed, by the time the team had gotten their gear and headed up on the lift that would take them to the first drop off of the hill. Boards were strapped in place, and the first skill was to get off the lift. It wasn't that hard to get onto the lift.
Trent, Ethan and Conner were in one lift, in the front of the others. Kira, Kim and Tommy were in another. They watched as other skiers and snowboarders raced down the side of the mountain at high speeds.
"Oh, I can't wait," Ethan breathed as he rubbed his hands together in excitement.
"Now, we're gonna have to start off slow. You do realize that? Me and Dr. O gotta show you guys the basics," Trent said as he slipped on his goggles and gloves.
"So, first question. We got on the lift fine. How do we get off?" Conner looked over at the guy in white.
To make sure that Conner wouldn't freeze to death, the others nearly threw every line of warm winter clothes toward him. He had a cap and some sunglasses to finish it off.
"It's similar to dropping into a half-pipe. Turn the board so its sideways and lift your dominant leg. When the bar comes up, jump off the seat and push all your weight to the front. We'll meet in the center," Trent instructed.
The three boys had no problem getting off the lift as they made it to the middle of the top of the hill. These slopes were divided by skill level. The north side had been meant for the experts and the south side were for beginners. And the level in between was distributed throughout the hill.
Kira had joined the boys some time later and then Kim. Tommy had been showing off just a little when he had continued up the hill onto the other drop off.
"Where's Dr. O?" Ethan asked when he realized their teacher wasn't around.
"Showing-off like always," Kim sighed.
Trent shifted his board in front of the team. "Well, then it may be awhile for him." The others fell in line in front of him, waiting for the instructions he would give them. "The basic concept to snowboarding is knowing which leg will lead you, which we all figured out at the rental shop. Always remember that your lead leg will guide you best down the hill. It's also about distributing weight especially when it comes to turns. And always keep your knees bent or you'll be subject to worser injury. Since, there are no jumps on this run, you guys won't have to worry. To stop, the easiest way is to work against the slope and turn toward the top of the hill to form a 'C' or crescent moon. Or pull your lead leg back to slow down your speed so you're going down face forward And if all else fails, just fall back on your butt. It might hurt a few times at first, but it's better than causing yourself an injury. Is there any questions?"
"Actually, I got one," Ethan raised his hand. "You never said why your dad didn't want to come aside from not really liking cold weather?"
Trent sighed. "Well, the last time we were up here, which was last Christmas, he got into an accident. He can ski and snowboard. He really likes to snowboard, but he miscalculated a jump and took a hard hit. He broke his leg in the process. Now, he tries to avoid the slopes just so he won't have to hurt himself again."
"Man, that's got to suck," Conner shook his head.
Trent had saw the familiar figure of their teacher racing down the hill, coming toward them. And at that speed, he knew he would have to make an abrupt stop, sending snow everywhere. "So, you guys ready to do this?"
"I don't know. Are you sure it's as easy as you say it is?" Kira asked.
"You'll catch on. When you get used to it, it feels like you're literally flying down the hill," Trent nodded.
"Hey, guys!" a voice called out.
"No, wait," Trent warned the others.
But they had already turned to see who had called out to them, and saw a figure racing toward them. It was Tommy. And as he inched closer, he pulled back and sent snow onto the onlookers. For a moment, no one moved. Tommy and Trent couldn't help but laugh as the teens slowly brushed off the snow.
Kim glared at her husband. "Thomas!"
Tommy couldn't help but laugh as he jumped back to avoid her fling the snow as he got his board moving again. "Come get me, Kimberly."
He pushed the board passed her and zoomed onto the bunny slope. Kim didn't hesitate to go after him. The teens watched as the couple raced down the slope after each other.
"What was that for anyway?" Kira asked as she brushed off the rest of the snow on her jacket.
"Dr. O is just trying to get you guys out on the slopes quicker. He thinks he could get all of us onto the expert slopes by the time the day is done," Trent concluded.
"Well, I don't know about you guys, but I wanna see how this turns out," Ethan said as he eased to the small incline.
"Just remember to keep your knees bent," Trent instructed. "I'll meet you at the bottom."
Conner took a breath as he was the first to ease into the slope. He slowly rolled forward and slowly began to shift his weight, testing the turning. He looked back up the hill at the others, throwing up his hands in victory. But it threw him off-balance as the front of his board hit a groove in the snow. He flipped and hit the ground.
"Ooh," the others groaned.
Ethan jumped onto the hill as he rolled forward to his friend's aid. Then Kira as she zoomed down the hill. Trent brought up the back, just to make sure the other two wouldn't suffer the same fate as Conner.
Conner slowly rolled onto his back as he sat up. He looked around slightly confused.
"Conner!" Ethan called out as he came to a stop by the red DT ranger. "You okay?"
Trent and Kira met them some time later as Ethan and Trent rushed to pull Conner to his feet.
Conner groaned. "I'll be fine. That first step can be rough."
"Well, you had it. Just to be safe, keep your eyes forward," Trent instructed.
"Got it," Conner nodded.
"So, enough talk. Anyone up for a race?" Kira challenged.
"Hey, I'm down. But one thing bothers me," Ethan said as they asked what it was. He looked over at Conner. "Shouldn't you be catching on the quickest? This is all about speed and you do got those powers."
Conner shrugged. "I guess I got another chance to prove it right or wrong."
"Um...guys," Trent said slowly as they turned to look at him. Trent pointed downhill as they watched the yellow DT ranger zoom down it.
Conner moved first as he jumped back in line with the hill. Ethan followed and Trent brought up the rear.
Some time later, at the bottom, Kira had been waiting for them. It was clear that they could not catch her, even if Conner really wanted to use his powers, he didn't. There were far too many spectators.
Conner laughed happily. "Whoo! That was great!"
"Yeah, even though I did beat you, bro," Ethan said as he patted the guy in red on the shoulder.
"Hey, it beats taking another nasty fall."
"So, where's Dr. O and Kim?" Ethan asked.
"Over there," Kira pointed over at the lodge.
The couple had stripped off their snowboards, throwing snowballs at each other. But Kim didn't have a good shot as Tommy dodged all of them, circling her. They were both laughing, but it was clear that Kim was still pissed off for what he had done earlier.
"Well, they're gonna be at that for awhile. We can join them, or head back up," Trent said.
Ethan and Conner looked at each other and raced over to the lift. Trent and Kira exchanged a look as they followed them.
By the lodge, Tommy had lost his footing and slipped as Kim threw a huge pile of snow on his face. He wiped it away catching his breath as he pulled her down. She collapsed beside him and threw more snow at him.
"You're an ass, I hope you know that," she said.
"I love you, too, Beautiful," Tommy laughed as he wrapped his arms around her and pushed a kiss to her head.
She grabbed another pile of snow and threw it back, but he dodged it as he laid another kiss on her. "Where's the others?"
"Heading back up," Tommy pointed out as he looked over at the ski lift. "Wanna go?"
"Just as long as you don't decide to throw all that snow on me again," she slowly got to her feet.
Tommy followed. They raced over to where they had left their snowboards, strapped up and headed for the lift.
Hours passed. By lunch time, they had moved onto intermediate level. After snagging something to eat they had hit the slopes again. The teens were determined to catch a few expert slopes. But both Tommy and Trent were slightly skeptic to let them go. They had gotten better, and they caught on quick. But to move onto the expert slopes in one day could be too hard to judge.
By nightfall, they were all snuggled warm with hot cocoa by the fire. Most of the other guests had gone to bed. Kim sat in Tommy's embrace. Trent and Kira were sitting close, but nowhere near holding hands or anything. Conner and Ethan hung on the main couch overlooking the fireplace.
"Well, I think we had fun," Tommy said with a nod.
"No doubt. This was probably one of the best Christmas presents I got," Kira said.
"As surprising as it sounds, this beats a day in front of the computer any day," Ethan nodded.
"Yeah, thanks, Dr. O and Kim," Conner said with a smile as he snagged a drink from his mug.
"No problem. We figured you guys would like it," Kim said.
"It's a shame we have to head back tomorrow," Trent sighed sadly.
"Yeah, well, they say there is a winter advisory for the area by tomorrow night. If we're lucky, we can catch a few more slopes before we leave," Tommy said.
"Yeah, but they say California we'll be experiencing lots of precipitation in the next few days," Ethan said.
"You don't think it's anything out of the ordinary, do you Dr. O?" Kira asked with some concern.
Tommy shrugged. "Just keep your eyes open. It's too early to assume anything."
The teens nodded slowly.
"Now, are you sure we can't hit the big slopes?" Ethan asked.
"I don't want to be responsible for any injuries you guys might get. I don't think your parents will like it too much if you came back with a cast. They probably wouldn't want you to hang around a teacher who decides to take you on a thrill ride every chance he gets," Tommy stated with clarity.
"Well, you already have," Conner said.
"You know what I mean," Tommy said.
"Man, I just can't believe that it's nearly the end of 2004," Ethan sighed shaking his head.
"Yeah, this year went by so fast," Kira agreed.
"That's what the years tend to do to you," Kim sighed.
"I'm kinda glad it's going just 'cuz of all the hardship we had to go through," Trent said.
"Oh man, you can say that again," Ethan nodded.
"Yeah, one evil ranger was bad enough, but-" Conner held his tongue when he realized he had gotten a little loud.
Some of the other guests had turned their heads, but said nothing. They turned away, and went back to their own activities.
"I think that's our cue to head to bed," Tommy indicated as the teens yawned in turn.
They had exchanged good nights and retired to their rooms.
The next day the clouds had rolled in, and sprinkles of snow covered the land with more beauty. The teams thrill on the slopes was run short, and they knew if they didn't leave they'd get snowed in. As much as they wanted to stay, they couldn't. They had things to do back in Reefside.
One would include setting up for a New Year's Eve Celebration at the cyber cafe.
to be continued...
A/N: Sorry, I'm not much for knowing my slopes, even here in Colorado. The only real snowboarding I've done was down a small hill by my house. It wasn't too bad. It was fun actually. But anyway, I tried to make it short, but simple. I hope you guys liked it. Either way, I'll see you next chapter. There's two more left in Part Two of my series. So, I hope you guys are ready for the action in the next part. See you when I do. May the Powers Always Protect You.