Hi guys, I was very excited to see that I recieved the most reviews so far on this storyfor the last chapter, thanks! And I truly mean that. It makes me happy to see all of your predictions and what not and I'm so glad that you are all liking the story. Also, a few of you have made the comment that some of the chapters seem rushed and I have to admit I do agree. I apologize for that but honestly I just can't wait to get to the really good stuff and I know that's bad but I am trying.So, hopefully this one will tide you over because the next chapter is the begging of the good stuff, promise. Enjoy and review!

Tommy woke up from a good night's sleep fully clothed and feeling like quite the idiot. Last night he had been given and rejected a golden opportunity that he hoped he would be presented with again. But that wasn't the part that bothered him so much, instead he was nervous about how Heather would respond to his sudden stomach bug. He hoped that she wouldn't blame herself for his unexpected "up-chuck" especially since she had been the one who actually cooked the dinner. It really was a delicious meal of steak and vegetables and Tommy never would have dreamed of throwing it up under normal circumstances. More importantly, he hoped that she hadn't caught on to the fact that he really wasn't sick and had actually made the whole thing up.

Tommy quietly rose from the soft bed, attempting to arrange himself so as to look somewhat presentable. He wasn't one bit surprised to find that he was in Heather's guestroom because all night long his dreams were plagued with the events of the night before. Some versions of the dream were true to life while in others he had opted to make the other decision and therefore the dreams were much more enjoyable in his unconscious state. But for now Tommy was concerned with how in the hell he was going to get out of this ridiculous mansion without having to face Heather. He knew it was terribly rude to sneak out at the crack of dawn when she had been so kind as to let him stay the night, but he also knew that he just was not in the mood to discus his behavior night before. Tommy figured he'd stop by later and lay the whole thing out on the table so that Heather would finally understand his true intentions.

Tommy quietly crept down the large staircase, slowly and strategically, expecting at least one stair to creek and rat him out but surprisingly there wasn't a peep. Once he reached the bottom of the staircase the front door was in sight and he knew that he was pretty much home free. He crossed the living room almost carelessly as he was sure that Heather was probably still asleep way up on the third floor, she would never hear him from up there. But when he finally eased the large wooden front door open he found that his theory couldn't have been any more incorrect.

"Morning," said Heather dryly as Tommy realized his cover was blown, he straightened up immediately trying to look as guiltless as possible.

Heather had just returned from her morning run and was now in the process of completing her cool down stretches on the front lawn. Even though Tommy knew he was in trouble he still took the time to notice just how good Heather looked in her itty bitty navy blue running shorts and gray sports bra. Once again she exhibited characteristics of the perfect girl for Tommy. He loved going on morning runs himself and it had been years since he had had company on his excursions. Kimberly would often times accompany him on his runs years ago. There he went again comparing Heather to Kimberly when it was all totally irrelevant.

Tommy nodded in recognition of Heather's greeting but had absolutely no idea what to say, so he remained silent.

"Leaving so soon," Heather said in a monotone drawl, which suggested that she had been hip to his scheme the night before. She was obviously pissed and didn't even bother to look in Tommy's direction.

"Oh, uh," began Tommy, caught off guard, "I didn't know you were up. I didn't want to wake you but I really should be going. You know, stupid me, I left all of the windows open at the cabin and I-"

Heather cut him off instantly, "You don't have to make excuses for my benefit Tommy," she began, "I'm just glad that you decided to display your true colors last night before I made a mistake that I most definitely would be regretting at this very moment." She continued to stretch her hamstring nonchalantly, acting almost as if Tommy had already left.

Tommy was struck speechless, he had tried to do the right thing the night before and now he was being punished for it. Man, he really needed to just let his pride go, why was it so difficult for him to be honest with Heather? Come to think of it he hadn't really been honest with anyone in years, at least not anyone who wasn't a ranger. He was so used to a life of secrecy that the truth was just completely foreign to him now.

"Heather listen," he started as he stepped off the sidewalk and onto the grass, "we really need to talk."

Heather stopped what she was doing and straitened up, appearing interested in what Tommy had to say but sarcastically shot him down, "Talk about what, hmm? Tommy, you don't know how to talk about anything unless it's on the topic of lame excuses," and she really made it a point to emphasize the phrase 'lame excuses.' "Now I think it would just be best if you left and please don't come back."

Heather continued to lunge, working her calf muscle, and then calmly walked back towards the house. But Tommy, realizing that it was now or never and stepped in front of her, obstructing her path.

"No, I'm not going anywhere. At least not until you hear what I have to say," he declared with as much force as he had used to taunt Goldar with years ago.

"Please move out of my way," asked Heather politely.

But Tommy stood his ground and after a short dual, Heather gave up.

"Fine, but make it quick. I have a lot of errands to run today," she said with just a hint of irritation in her voice as she crossed her arms over her chest.

Tommy was silent for a moment as he strategized an effective speech in his head. "It's true, I wasn't sick last night and I most certainly didn't throw up." He admitted the truth quickly and honestly.

Heather made an attempt to interrupt him but he raised his hand in defiance.

"Just listen Heather. I faked an upset stomach because I didn't want to sleep with you last night," realizing how heartless that sounded Tommy finished his thought, "At least not yet."

"And this is supposed to make me feel better?" asked Heather, about ready to kick Tommy Oliver off her property and out of her life once and for all.

"Wait a minute Heather, I didn't want to sleep with you last night because I thought it was too soon," Tommy sighed uncomfortably. "Heather, I reeeally like you and there's nothing I want more than for things to work out between you and me. But I knew that if we took things to the next level so soon then it would just complicate things and ruin any chance we ever had. However, being that I am Tommy Oliver, my clever little solution managed to just complicate things even more," Tommy rolled his eyes at himself and was taken aback when Heather began to giggle.

"That is the sweetest thing that any guy has ever done for me," she managed to say in between her laughter. "Usually they're telling me that we need to sleep together to make the relationship work!" Heather couldn't believe how incredibly honorable Tommy was, the complete opposite of any other guy she had ever dated. "But seriously Tommy, don't you think you're playing it a little too by the book?"

Tommy stopped for a moment pondering Heather's question, "Well, no," he finally answered. "I don't think you quite understand just how difficult it has been for me to get a girl and now that I have one, the most incredible one, I don't want to do anything to spoil it," he gazed at Heather intensely expecting nothing from her in return.

Heather bit her lower lip in embarrassment; Tommy had a way of making her feel so uncomfortable and yet so flattered at the same time. She finally walked up to Tommy and gave him a quick peck on the lips.

"Pick me up at five hot stuff," she said teasingly before strutting confidently into the house.

That night Tommy did pick Heather up at five and for once he was actually on time. The two spent the evening on a short mountain hike and finished it with a moonlit swim in the lake; everything was perfect. Actually, the next few days to fallow were just as perfect if not better. Heather and Tommy connected more and more with each moment they spent together, and they had spent a lot of time together. Around town the locals envied their new romance because they had that look in their eyes, that look like nothing else mattered but the person beside them. Tommy was finally ready to give his heart away and although it all happened so quickly his doubts were soon forgotten, that was until Thursday afternoon.

Katherine Hillard kicked the front door shut with all her might as she carefully struggled to hang on to her grocery bags long enough to make it to the kitchen table. It had been an exhausting day and although she had spent the last few years living out her dream and dancing for the London Ballet Company she began to wonder if it was all worth it. Since college, Katherine had pretty much been on her own without a familiar friend in the world it seemed like. She was so shocked when she was actually accepted into the LBC that she never even stopped to think about the sacrifices she was making.

It had been a while since Katherine had seen any of her friends, at least a year. Two years ago when she was touring Swan Lake she had made the rounds in America. In November she saw Tonya in Philadelphia, in December it was Jason, Adam and Rocky in Los Angeles, and in January it was Tommy in Denver. Then in Europe, Kimberly was sweet enough to see her best performance in Paris. Sure it was a glamorous life but behind the scenes it was terribly lonely. The other dancers were in constant competition and there was so much drama that there wasn't even enough left for the performance. Katherine hated all of the pettiness and had often found herself daydreaming about returning to Angel Grove. She knew that there weren't many of her friends left there, just Jason and Adam, but Aisha was nearby and so was Rocky and well at least Tommy still lived in the same state.

Katherine felt as if she was really missing out on something, a normal life. Slowly, she put away the groceries in her London flat not really putting anything in its proper place but it really didn't matter. For the past couple of months she had been killing herself in the studio preparing for the next ballet production. Katherine's hard work and determination had finally paid off because she was awarded the lead, but what good was it when she didn't have anyone to share the excitement with?

Groaning, Katherine plopped herself down on the small tan loveseat in the tiny living room. She considered making some tea but that meant that she would have to stand up. The clock on the VCR read 10:07 and in a mere six hours she would be waking up once again to begin another pointless day. Katherine could feel her muscles aching and she knew that she would be close to useless in rehearsal the next day. There was only so much strain the body could take and she had pretty much maxed it out today.

Eventually, Katherine managed to pull herself off the loveseat and made her way into the bathroom where she took what was supposed to be a short but much needed soak in the tub. She had actually fallen asleep and when she woke up she had absolutely no idea what time it was, but the water around her was freezing cold. Irritated with herself and her exhaustion, Katherine jumped out of the tub and quickly wrapped a towel around her slender body. She shuffled into her tiny bedroom and rummaged through the bottom drawer of her white dresser, finally finding a pair of gray boxer shorts and a pink camisole to wear to bed. She barely finished dressing before collapsing onto the old worn mattress and dozing off to sleep at first contact.

Katherine began to dream intensely about many things, in the beginning the dreams were good but as the moments passed they became more and more misfortunate. At first she had not been present in the dreams but her friends had and they were all in so much despair. Jason, Rocky, Trini, Billy, Aisha, Zack, and Adam appeared to be tortured beyond belief, while Tommy and Kimberly watched blindly almost as if they couldn't see anyone. Later, Katherine could hear her own cries as a rumbling sound overtook everyone and before she could see the source of the distress she was yanked out of the nightmare by an alarming pounding coming from the front door.

Katherine jumped at the sound of the knock and slowly eased herself off the bed and managed to stumble into the living room.

"I told you Rick," she yelled as she dodged the coffee table in the pitch dark, "that was your last chance! It's over!"

Rick was a guy she had been seeing from the company, he was also from America and unfortunately was nothing but scum. The two had dated for about three months and Katherine had actually been happy for a little while at least. But, last week after rehearsal she found him in the dressing room with her understudy and lets just say they weren't dancing! Katherine immediately called it quits not even considering giving the pig a second chance. For some odd reason, though he just wouldn't let her go. He'd been to her flat every night since the whole ordeal happened pleading with her from outside the door. Tonight, Kat just didn't have the energy to put up with his bull.

"Go away!" she yelled again as she forcefully swung the door open, flicking on the overhead light at the same time. But once she opened the door she honestly wished that it had been Rick on the other side.

The creature smelt so fowl as he dripped with green slime and grime. His face was distorted beyond recognition and the only facial feature Katherine could make out was his eyes because they too were glowing green. Katherine immediately lunged to slam the door on the horrible sight but he was too fast and too strong. He fought her back without any effort and once the door swung open Katherine was bombarded by two other creatures who were also extremely ugly but they had nothing on their leader.

"Stop! Help!" screamed the blonde Australian woman as she kicked and fought with all of her strength.

But, one creature pinned down her legs while the other pinned down her arms. Tears streamed down Kat's face as she wondered if this was it but her thought was left incomplete once the monster's hand overtook her mouth and like her friends before her she inhaled the gas and was rendered unconscious.

Adam Park paced nervously back and forth across the empty dojo floor, paying no mind to the lightning and thunder crashing outside the wall of glass windows. He and Jason had been partners, running the dojo located in Angel Grove together for the past few years. They had also pleaded with Rocky to join their endeavor, but he was much too happy making his six-figure income straight out of college. That was okay though because Adam and Jason did make a great team. Adam had always been very reserved and somewhat of an introvert while Jason was outgoing and very much a people person. Adam really was happy and content with his life, in fact if one day never changed from the next then that would have been just fine with him.

But today, Wednesday, the former black ranger was feeling quite ill, not physically but mentally. Monday morning he had arrived at the dojo only to find the most alarming news on the dojo's answering machine. Adam had been gone for a short weekend with his girlfriend, Lina to Catalina Island. He had accidentally dropped his cell phone in the pacific while on the boat ride from Long Beach to the island. Lina thought it was an absolute gut buster but Adam really wasn't humored by the situation. He didn't want to have to pay for a new phone and on top of that all of his numbers were stored on his old phone, which made things all the more difficult on Monday morning.

The first message Adam received which really upset him was from Emily, Jason's girlfriend and she was quite alarmed. The message had been left on Friday night and she had been worried because Jason never picked her up for their date. At first she sounded mad and hurt, but by the third message left on Saturday afternoon she was absolutely freaked out. Since she wasn't allowed to report Jason missing for twenty-four hours according to the police, Emily was forced to conduct her own investigation which led her to her boyfriend's quiet home on Arbor Street. Initially, she was completely puzzled when she found Jason's wallet on the foyer floor along with some type of dried up flaky substance, which she could not identify, but no Jason. Naturally the woman went crazy without any clues and the police department was convinced that he had simply skipped town for the weekend.

Once Adam received the final message, left shortly before he arrived at the dojo that morning, he cursed himself for not checking his messages at home the night before. He had arrived home so late that the last thing on his mind was his messages. But soon Emily joined Adam at the dojo to fill him in on her findings. She had called Tommy, Rocky, Zack, Trini, and even Jason's mother by the time the weekend was over but she hadn't been able to get a hold of anyone but Jason's mother. Not wanting to alarm the woman, Emily concocted some ridiculous story which allowed her to find out the last time Mrs. Scott had spoke to her son and what was said. But it was a dead end just like everyone else. Emily of course thought nothing of it when she was unable to reach any of the guys but for Adam this was huge.

Immediately Adam jumped into action convincing Emily that her best chance was waiting for Jason to contact her at home while he began his own search. First he called Tommy; reaching nothing but the answering machine. Next he called Rocky who refused to answer his cell, his home phone was just as helpful, and finally his receptionist was able to give Adam something to go on, well sort of. She told Adam that Mr. DeSantos never reported to work that morning and she had not yet been able to get a hold of him but she would relay the message to him that Mr. Park had called.

Frustrated, Adam called the next friend in line, Zack. But just like Tommy and Rocky, his home phone went unanswered and the assistant manager at his dance studio told Adam the same thing that Rocky's receptionist had; he hadn't come in for work that day. Racking his brain Adam realized that Aisha had been dating Zack for the past year and naturally she would be able to clear up this whole misunderstanding. Even if they all went on some secret mission, Zack surely would have told Aisha. But when her office receptionist made an identical claim to the ones before and her home phone wouldn't even ring, Adam was definitely alarmed. Not bothering to further agitate himself, Adam jumped in his truck and headed for Jason's house.

Once at his good friend's home, Adam used a spare key, which he had retrieved from Jason's desk at the karate studio and let himself in the front door. Although Emily had held on to Jason's wallet, the dried up flaky substance she had described was still on the foyer floor. Bending down, Adam touched the foreign material and even brought a small sample up to his nose but soon regretted it; it smelt awful. After a quick overview of the house Adam was on his way to the next stop.

He set foot in Aisha's three-bedroom stucco home in the very familiar city of Stone Canyon. On his way up the walk he had already spotted the also familiar substance on Aisha's driveway. Inside though, there were signs of a struggle, an umbrella was strewn across the living room floor and the brown coil rug was shuffled and folded in the entryway. It gave him chills to think that the former yellow ranger had been kidnapped and possibly hurt. Adam knew that he had to get to the bottom of this mess, but feared that he might be forced to do it alone. Unsure of exactly where Zack lived in San Francisco, Adam decided to forego the trip and instead check on his friends in southern California.

Adam didn't reach Los Angeles until the early morning and although he had been to Rocky's impressive two-story pad at least twice he still had some trouble finding it. By the time he came across it he felt a dire hatred for gated communities. But once on the property, Adam really didn't need to exit his car to discover that Rocky had the same fate as Jason and Aisha because the same dried up substance littered Rocky's driveway like leaves in the fall. However, Adam checked out things anyway but was unable to get into the house because he was keyless and was afraid that he might set off the alarm. All he noticed out of the ordinary was that the coat closet was wide open and proved to be an excellent obstruction of his view.

By now, Adam was starting have a sinking feeling in his stomach because it had become very apparent to him that his friends had not gone on a ranger mission but were instead forced into one. Adam was eager to help them but there was just one problem, he had absolutely no clue how. Realizing that there were still a few rangers whom he hadn't yet contacted Adam forced optimism into his head. Of course Tommy would know what to do, if he would just answer his damn phone! Adam once again returned to his truck and headed in the direction of Reefside.

Later that day Adam arrived home by 5pm without a single clue and completely confused by his stop in Reefside. He had found Tommy's modest but suiting home in the outskirts of town with some difficulty, but when he discovered that the place was locked up and secure he was puzzled. There were no signs of a struggle at the house and there weren't any of the weird tracks on the porch or inside from what he could see, but there was also no sign of Tommy. Adam even drove through the streets of Reefside hoping to spot his friend and eventually resorted to asking the locals if they knew Dr. Tommy Oliver. But his effort went unrewarded and with no clue as to what to do next Adam turned around and made the long, upsetting trip back home.

That night Adam was content as ever and continued his search by raiding Jason's desk at the karate studio and his desk at home searching for phone numbers of whoever might be of assistance. He was distraught to discover that Billy wasn't answering his phone and that he had taken a vacation from work for the rest of the week. If there was anyone who could help him it was Billy, that is if he hadn't been abducted yet. Next, Adam phoned Kimberly, who of course didn't answer either, but noticing a second number for France at the bottom of the page Adam took a chance and dialed it.

"Bonjour," said a perky female voice.

"Um, hello," said Adam uncomfortably, pausing to clear his throat, "is Kimberly Hart there."

There was a short silence on the other end, "I'm sorry, no she's not. But, this is her mother, may I ask who's calling."

Adam sighed in relief, at least he'd reached somebody, "Mrs. Hart," began Adam, "Oh I mean, uh," Adam couldn't remember the woman's new last name, "this is Adam Park, I was a friend of Kimberly's back in high school."

"Adam? Oh yes, Adam," said the woman with excitement, "I certainly remember you, how are you doing dear?"

Was that supposed to be a trick question? "I'm well, but it's very important that I speak with Kimberly right away," he hoped he didn't sound too rude but oh well if he did.

"I'm sorry Adam," replied the woman apologetically "but Kimberly left yesterday on a plane to Seattle-"

Adam cut her off immediately, "Here? She's coming here, to the U.S.?"

"Yes," replied Mrs. Hart with some hesitation, "Why Adam, is something wrong? Is everyone okay?" she sounded genuinely concerned.

Adam thought for a moment, unsure of what to say, "Yes, everyone's fine," he lied, "I was just calling to invite Kimberly to a last minute birthday party for Jason this weekend. I thought that she might at least like to know about it even if she couldn't make it."

"Well that's very sweet of you Adam. Why don't I give you her cell phone number, you should probably be able to reach her tonight, she's staying with Trini and I guess Billy is visiting as well."

"Oh thank God!" bursted Adam, not caring how ridiculous he sounded. It was about time that something started to work out for him. "I mean, great! They're all together, maybe they'll be able to make it to the party after all," Adam slapped his hand on his forehead cursing himself for the outburst and the pathetic save.

Mrs. Hart laughed awkwardly wondering in the young man was intoxicated but gave him her daughter's phone number anyway. She had always thought Adam to be a very nice young man when he and her daughter were in high school together, he was always so respectful and from what she could tell he had treated her daughter very well.

"Thank you so much Mrs. Hart," gushed Adam, "you don't know what this will mean to Jason. You take care, okay, it was nice talking to you," Adam didn't mean to sound so rushed but he really was.

"You as well," said Mrs. Hart ready to end the conversation. But suddenly she remembered something and stopped to inquire about it with Adam. "Oh Adam, before you hang up do you know of a man named Val More?"

Adam thought for a moment, "No why?"

"Oh it's silly," began Mrs. Hart with a sigh and then an explanation, "he came here earlier today looking for Kimberly. He said he was an old friend of hers from high school too, but I don't really remember him. Then he became kind of upset when I told him that Kimberly had left for America and he practically demanded that I tell him exactly where she was going."

Adam's eyes grew the size of golf balls, what if this Val More guy had something to do with the mysterious disappearance of his friends? And what if Kimberly was next? "No the name doesn't sound familiar," Adam managed to say without suspicion, "but you didn't tell him where she was going did you?"

"Of course not Adam, I told him she was going to Angel Grove. I'd like to see him find her there," the woman chuckled to herself; she was proud of her deceit.

"That was smart," replied Adam with relief. "I'm sure there's nothing to worry about though," he waited for Mrs. Hart to reply but she never did. "Well once again it was nice talking to you. I think I'll call Kim right now."

"Alright dear, thank you for calling."

"Bye."

"Goodbye."

Adam immediately hung up the phone and fiercely dialed the cell phone number without hesitation, despite his quivering hands. "Come on Kim pick up," he said out loud, holding his breath as he prayed that he would soon hear the young woman's sweet voice on the other end of the phone.