Author: BashfulC
Story: La Familia
Disclaimer: Don't own anyone except Olivia and the two studios.
Time Frame: um….Cam has his powers but it's going to be kinda AU.
Pairings: Wouldn't you like to know….
Summary: What if Kelly, owner of Storm Chargers, was Kim's cousin who was kidnapped by Zedd all those years ago?
Notes: Hey everyone. I was a bit surprised I didn't get any reviews talking about Cam's interrogation. Was it that bad? Well, hope you like this new chapter!
Chapter Three
The next day, Cam woke up to the smell of eggs, bacon, and pancakes. Remembering the last time Blake and Hunter had attempted making breakfast, he flew out of bed. He was hopping to the door, attempting to get his pants on, grab his glasses, comb his hair and grab a shirt when someone knocked on the door.
"Cam?" Tori's voice floated from the other side of the bed. He stopped. Or rather, he tripped on the hem of his pants, landing sideways next to his desk. He looked up as the door opened a crack. Tori poked her head in.
"Um, Cam, are you okay?" she asked attempting to disguise a laugh. He bit his tongue to keep from making a sarcastic remark.
"I'm fine." he said as he managed to sit up. Thankful for the button on his boxers, he looked over her. She was wearing a pair of Blake's sweatpants and one of Hunter's tank tops tied at the navel. She bent down to pick up his glasses in, what he guessed, was an attempt to hide her blush. It didn't work. He ignored her embarrassment (and his own for that matter) and stood up. She handed him his glasses and he took them gratefully. She bit her lip.
"I made breakfast, with Shane's help. Blake, Hunter, and Dustin tried helping but just spilled lots of flour so we sent them to set the table. Dustin is on his third plate and both Hunter and Blake are on there second. Shane is finishing what he says is one plate but looks more like two plates piled into a mountain." She informed him. He sagged against the desk, relieved. Realizing he had been worried about his precious kitchen, she grinned slightly.
"By the way, thanks." She told his softly. He raised an eyebrow. "Sensei said you called our parents and arranged us in bed and stuff. So thanks."
"You're welcome." He replied. She bit her lip.
"I'll let you shower and get dressed." she softly closed the door shut. With a half smile in place, he headed to his bathroom.
After taking a shower and changing into fresh clothes, Cam headed out of his room and into the kitchen which, to his slight surprise, was clean. Hearing Tori's voice, he walked into the Dining room. There, on the table, was what he could only call a breakfast feast. Four platters held a dozen pancakes, a pile of bacon, a pile of sausages, and the last had about five pieces of toast. A small plate held butter, another held strawberry jelly, and a third held slices of cantaloupe and melons. A pitcher of orange juice, a pitcher of milk, and a coffee jug were in the center of the table as were a bottle of strawberry syrup, regular syrup, and one of blueberry syrup. He cocked his head as he studied the people gathered around the table.
His father was sitting at the head of the table, munching on some very small slices of cantaloupe and talking with Shane, who, sitting on his father's right, was finishing off the last of his sausage. On the other side of Shane was Dustin, who was pouring another glass of orange juice and talking with Hunter who was sitting next to him. Hunter himself was listening to Dustin and munching on some bacon. Across from Dustin was Tori, who was talking with Blake and eating her pancakes. Blake, listening to his fellow blue ranger, was cleaning the syrup off his plate using a piece of pancake. The only two seats available were directly across from his father (the place his mother had sat while she was alive), and on the corner next to Tori and across from Shane. He smiled slightly. Each of the chairs was color coded.
"Hey everyone." He said as he walked in and sat down. Tori handed him a plate and he grabbed a few pancakes, a few sausages, and accepted a glass of orange juice from Shane. He grabbed a fork and knife and began to eat his pancake, listening to the three different conversations. Shane and his father were discussing aerial fighting techniques, Tori and Blake were comparing the last movie they'd seen (Catwoman), and Dustin and Hunter were discussing, what else? Motocross. He looked over at Dustin during a lull and remembered his conversation the night before.
"Dustin? What does your mother do for a living?" Dustin frowned.
"She's an investigative reporter for the Harbor Gazette. Why?" he asked, puzzled. Cam shook his head. It made sense.
"That explains the interrogation I got last night when I called to let your mom know you were staying over." He told him. Tori and Shane started laughing.
"She got to you too, huh?" Tori managed between laughs. Shane was shaking his head and Dustin was, surprisingly, blushing.
"My mom's a bit….over the top when it comes to any of my friends." he admitted sheepishly. Shane snorted.
"That's a bit of an understatement. She asked me nearly a dozen questions before I was able to distract her." he tattled. Tori nodded.
"She wanted to know exactly why I wanted to be her sons' friend when we didn't seem to have a lot in common and I was a girl while he was a guy." She told the group. They laughed.
"Well, she wanted to know what college I went to, about my brothers, what I majored in, and if I had a girlfriend not to mention if I drink, do drugs or have had sex. That was were I cut the conversation off." He divulged, waiting for there reactions. He smirked to himself as Hunter, Blake, Shane, and Tori all started choking on their food and drink while Dustin, looking mortified, buried his face in his hands. Glancing at his father, he saw his amused expression as he watched his students sputter. He chuckled.
"By the way, all of you have to be home by noon." He pointed to the three wind ninjas with his fork. They nodded. Shane looked up.
"What did my mom have to say?" he asked curiously. Cam shrugged.
"I didn't talk to your mom; I talked to your dad. He didn't seem concerned after I told him you met Hunter and Blake through Dustin. He said to come home at noon once he realized you were with the 'motocross' riders." He told him. Shane nodded. He took a sip of juice before turning to Tori.
"Your mom wasn't concerned either. She said she trusted you, Dustin, Shane and that you had her permission to stay over." He told her, deciding to ask about her speaking highly of him at her house in private. She nodded. Out of the corner of his eye, Cam noticed Shane frown into his plate. He looked down and began eating again. Halfway through his second pancake, Dustin reached over and began filling his own plate again. Tori frowned at him.
"Save some for the rest of us, Dustin." She admonished. Dustin looked up.
"What do you mean?" he asked as he speared another piece of sausage. She rolled her eyes.
"That's your fourth plate!" Dustin bit the sausage.
"Is not." Tori shot him a disgusted look.
"Is too." Dustin swallowed.
"No it isn't" Tori sighed, exasperated.
Cam smiled wryly. "Ladies and gentlemen, the defenders of the galaxy." This time, instead of being said sarcastically, it was said in an affectionate murmur. From his perch on the table, Sensei smiled.
"Dustin, it is too your fourth plate!" Dustin shook his head.
"No its, not. It's my fifth!" he argued. Tori opened her mouth to scold him and laughed instead. Cam, Blake, Shane, Hunter, and even Sensei joined her as Dustin frowned.
"What'd I say?"
Hart Residence
Kimberly, dressed in a pair of short shorts, a tank top, and sneakers, was arguing with Olivia.
"But I want to wear my dress!" she whined as Kim grabbed her kiddies jeans and a top. She helped her into her jeans and then stared at the shirt.
"Where'd you get this?" she asked puzzled. The shirt had images of Kim as Pink Morphin and Pink Ninjette (she could tell it was her in the Ninjette because she was shorter than Kat), Kat as Pink Zeo, Cassie as Pink Astro, Kendrix as Pink Galaxy (again, she knew it was Kendrix because of the height), Dana as Pink Lightspeed Rescue, Jen as Pink Time Force, and Alyssa in her mostly white-but-with-pink-lining Wild Force armor. Splashed across the top were the words "Pink Ranger Power."
"Uncle David gave it to me." Olivia's voice brought her to her senses.
"Uncle David? Tommy's brother?" she asked. Olivia nodded. Kim snorted in amusement.
"Figures. Okay, put this on, we're going to be driving around town like chickens with our heads cut off. We don't want you go get your pretty white dress dirty." Kim pulled the shirt over her head.
"So we're going to get my pretty white t-shirt dirty instead?" Olivia asked innocently.
"Yes. I mean, no! Olivia, do you twist my words around on purpose? Do you try to make mommy get all flustered? Huh? Do ya?!" Kim tickled Olivia who broke down into giggles. Kelly's laughter caught Kim's attention.
"Kim, I need to get to the store. I left some money on the kitchen table for the little monster to get a doll and for you to get some new leotards or whatever it is you'll need." she told them. Kim pursed her lips but didn't say anything, knowing she'd get yelled at. Kelly bent down, gave Olivia a hug, kissed her cheek then gave Kim herself a small hug.
"Smile, big cousin. You're safe here and I know you'll find a job. I mean, you swept the Pan Global games! No gym in the world would be stupid enough not to accept you as a coach." She told her comfortingly. Kim nodded. As Kelly went to the door, she stopped.
"By the way, Olivia, I like your shirt." she smirked at Kim and walked out. Kim rolled her eyes.
"Alright monster, let's head out. Wait, where'd your shoes go? You just had them on a minute ago…"
Above Earth: Lothor's Ship
"Zurgane! Where are those confounded nieces of mine?!" Lothor bellowed. Before Zurgane could answer, Marah and Kapri pushed him aside.
"You called, Uncle?" Marah smiled. Lothor sneered.
"Look at this!" he yelled, pointing to his screen of earth, where the rangers were in the mall, laughing and joking around, "What should they by doing by now?"
"Um…buying lots of cute clothes?" Marah asked. Lothor glared at her.
"NO! They should be either standing on bended knee before me, or dead! And what are you going to do about this?" he questioned.
"Um…send a monster?" Marah asked hesitantly.
"How can they stand if there on bended knee? I don't get it." Kapri asked at the same time, not realizing her uncle's mood wouldn't tolerate her question. Lothor jumped to his feet, causing Marah and Kapri to step back. Before he could say a word however, Choobo spoke up.
"Look at this. The rangers have made some new friends!" Lothor turned to the screen. There, the rangers were talking with a small petite woman and a small child.
"Hmm….maybe we can use this to our advantage. Marah, Kapri, go down there and find out who they are! And don't mess up!" he ordered. Marah and Kapri quickly nodded and left.
Earth: Blue Bay Harbor Mall
"Kim!" Blake called out. Hunter, Shane, Dustin, Tori, and Cam, who had been dragged from Ninja Ops an hour after the wind ninjas had went home, turned around. They were in the sports equipment store. Shane was looking at some track pants, Dustin, Blake, and Hunter were checking out the new motocross magazines, and Tori was looking at a book that described surfing maneuvers. Cam, not interested in the contents of the store, was reading a book he'd just bought.
"Uncle Hunter!" Olivia cried, running up to him. He dropped the magazine he was looking at and picked her up for a hug. Kim sighed.
"Olivia, how many times have I told you, not everyone you meet is going to instantly become your aunt or uncle?" Olivia frowned.
"But all your boyfriends tell me to call them Uncle something." Olivia said confused. Tori choked on a laugh at Kimberly's expression.
"Olivia, they are not my boyfriends. They are my best male friends. They're more or less my older brothers." She told the little girl. Olivia gave her a megawatt grin.
"Yeah, and Auntie Kat said that my uncles are my parents brothers and sisters. If they're your big brothers, then they're my uncles." She concluded logically. Kim frowned down at her.
"Olivia, have you been emailing Uncle Leo again?" She asked suspiciously. Olivia shook her head.
"No, I talked to Auntie Kendrix last week though. And I talked with Uncle Zhane last night on the Message." She told her. Kim raised an eyebrow.
"That would explain it." she murmured. Olivia gave her a puzzled look. Kim gave her a small smile.
"Your logic sounded suspiciously like Zhane attempting to sound logical. Just remember this; Zhane's logic does not resemble our Earth logic." She told her half jokingly. The boys all recognized the line from Buffy and grinned. Cam, seeing Olivia was about to ask another question, distracted her.
"I'm Cam." He introduced himself. Kim, flustered, set her parcels on the counter.
"I'm so sorry. I'm Kim, Kim Hart. This is my daughter Olivia." She bumped hips with the little girl who gave a big grin.
"I'm four years old, how old are you?" she asked. Cam's lips twitched as he bent down.
"I'm 27." He told her. She bit her lip.
"You're only a year older than my mommy!" She exclaimed. Kim sighed.
"Olivia do you have to tell everyone you meet how old I am?" she asked. Olivia smiled and nodded. Kim snorted as Hunter broke in.
"We already knew. Storm Chargers, remember?" he reminded her. She smiled softly.
"Of course, Hunter, right?" She asked. At his surprised nod, she smiled.
"Kelly's my cousin. She mentioned you guys last night." She told them. She turned to the group, specifically Tori.
"Let's see if I have this right. You're Tori Hanson. You love surfing, the color blue, and are sponsored by Kelly." Tori nodded, smiling. Next was Dustin.
"You're Dustin Brooks, you love motocross and the color yellow and you are also sponsored by Kelly." She ticked off. He nodded. Shane's turn.
"You're Shane Clarke, you love skateboarding, the color red, and are sponsored by Kelly." He nodded. Hunter.
"Hunter Bradley, you love motocross, dark red, you're fiercely overprotective of your brother Blake, just recently moved here, and are sponsored by Kelly." She marked off. He frowned.
"I am not over protective of Blake!" He exclaimed. She gave him a once over.
"Mmm-hmm. Sure you're not." She said, patting the top of his head. Hunter sputtered as she went on to Blake.
"Blake Bradley, loves motocross, dark blue, protective of your brother, recently moved to Blue Bay, and you are also sponsored by Kelly." Before Blake could respond she turned to Cam.
"Finally, Cameron Watanabe, loves green, coding, and lots of technological stuff." She recounted. He nodded, frowning. The mention of their favorite colors hadn't passed over him. He shrugged it off for the moment.
"That'd be correct." He told her.
Shane too had noticed the colors and frowned. The cashier was ringing up her purchases and he glanced at them from the corner of his eye. There were two pairs of black tights, a purple bodysuit, a pink bodysuit, two pairs of gymnastic slippers, a small black and purple gym bag, and a package of ten hair ties. He looked over at Kim who was talking with Blake, Hunter, Tori, and Dustin. Cam was watching them, listening.
"Interesting purchases." He commented. She looked down and smiled. Cam raised an eyebrow.
"Are you into gymnastics?" Shane asked. Before Kim could even open her mouth, Olivia popped up.
"Yup! She's famous!" Shane raised an eyebrow and watched as Kim slowly blushed. She bent down to Olivia's level as the rangers exchanged looks.
"Olivia. What did we discuss about telling tall tales about mommy?" she asked. Olivia frowned.
"But you are! I mean, you were in all those magazines and everyone at the gym in Florida always whispered about you, and you get asked for your autograph all the time, and-mmmmph!" Kim smiled sheepishly as she clamped a hand over Olivia's mouth.
"Sorry. Her imagination tends to run away with her." she apologized. Shane didn't respond. A shriek made them all turn around as a little girl about seven dragged her mother over to the group.
"Are you Kimberly Hart? The gymnast from the Pan Globels?" she demanded. Kim went a bit pale but nodded. Dustin, Hunter, Blake, Tori, Shane, and Cam all looked on in surprise. The little girl squealed.
"I knew it! What are you doing in California? Did you come back to visit your family and friends? I read in Sports Illustrated that you were born and raised in Angel Grove. Mommy said that's about an hour away. Are you still coaching? I go to Johnson's Dance and Gymnastics Studio but they don't have an intermediate or advanced gymnastics instructor anymore so I might have to leave. Can I have your autograph?" she asked in one breath. Kim smiled warmly; this little girl reminded her way too much like Rocky on Jolt. Rummaging into her bag, she found a pen, but no paper. Olivia grinned up at her mom and handed her a picture of Kim on the beam at the Pan Globels. Kim looked down at her in surprise.
"Why on earth do you have this in your backpack?" Olivia smiled but didn't say anything. Kim shook her head.
"What you're name, hun?" she asked the little girl.
"Lynora. I'm seven. None of my friends are going to believe I met you!" she told her. Kim smiled and obediently bent down and signed the picture. She handed the picture to Lynora who studied it.
"Lynora, never give up, always reach for the stars, and remember, nothing is impossible. Love, Kim Hart. That's so cool!" she cried. Kim got a thought.
"You said your gym is looking for an intermediate and advanced gymnastics instructor?" she asked the little girl who was admiring the picture. She nodded.
"Hmm. Do you have an address? I just moved back to the west coast and I need a job." She explained to Lynora's mother. The woman nodded and wrote down the address of the gym.
"You might teach at my gym?" the girl asked exitedly. Kim smiled down at her.
"Well, I do need a job and your gym needs a coach. So, we'll see." She patted Lynora's head. The girl grinned. They said goodbye and as the duo walked away, Kim heard Lynora ask her mother if she could get a purple body suit. Laughing, she turned back to the group who were all staring at her in shock.
"What?" Tori finally spoke up.
"Olivia is right. You are famous. Why?" she asked, puzzled. Kim scrunched up her nose.
"I won a few medals at the PG's." Kim replied as vaguely as possible. The cashier caught her attention.
"Ma'am? That comes up to $123.32." Kim nodded and pulled out some money. After paying for her purchases the group walked out of the store. Kim looked down at the slip of paper.
"Listen, I need to get to this gym before they close. I'll see you around." She said goodbye and left with Olivia in tow. Before they disappeared from sight, Shane saw Kim's drawn expression. He frowned. Turning to his teammates, he found them happily arguing over where to go next. He sighed. For some reason, he just didn't trust Kimberly. True, she seemed nice and her daughter was adorable but he couldn't shake the feeling that she was hiding something from them, something important.
As leader of the team, he knew he had to keep track of their welfare, even if it meant investigating someone they seemed to like a lot.
Johnson's Dance and Gymnastics Studio
"Well, Ms. Hart I'm happy to say everything is in order. You have your paperwork all filed, you've produced your coaching license, and to tell you the truth, having you on our staff would greatly help us. Yost Studio on the other side of town has been causing us a lot of trouble and we've lost a lot of students because of it. Maybe you can help us reclaim our old respect for traditional and excellent gymnastics. Can you start on Monday?" The head coach and co-owner, Marietta Johnson, asked Kimberly. Kimberly nodded happily.
"Sure. I can get my daughter in day care in the morning and be here by twelve." She offered. Marietta smiled.
"Actually, your first class won't start until 4:30 so get here by four and you'll be fine. Here's your basic schedule and you'll have studio three as your main classroom. Also in the folder is a list of the students, their current level, and what the other coaches believed they needed work on. Your classes will run from 4:30 till 6:30 and for the first hour you'll need to try and stay in your room. Small breaks every now and then are okay. At 5:30, you'll switch with the beginners class and have the equipment in the main gym to yourself. Since you'll be teaching both the advanced and intermediate students you may want to attempt to find an assistant." She instructed. Kim nodded.
"We'll discuss money on Monday. I can tell you that since you are our main intermediate and advanced coach, your wages will be a bit higher than say, Brenda, one of the beginners coaches. I'd say about $14.50 or 15 dollars even will be it but I have to discuss this with my sister." Kim nodded, smiling.
"That's actually more than I was expecting." She admitted. Marietta smiled and patted her back.
"You have many credidentials, the Pan Globels notwithstanding. We'll see you on Monday." she told her. Kim smiled and thanking her walked out of the office. At the edge of the secretary's desk, Kim stopped. Olivia was watching the beginning class with a sense of longing. She smiled and turned around.
"I'd like to enroll my daughter in beginning classes. Where do I do that?" she asked Marietta who had followed her out. Marietta smiled and the secretary handed her a packet. Kim looked it over and nodded.
"Just bring this in on Monday with your daughter and the training clothes specified. Children of instructors have automatic acceptance." Marietta told her. Again, Kim nodded.
"Could you please not tell anyone besides the basic staff? I'd like to keep this a secret from the students until Monday. Don't want them getting so excited they don't sleep." she requested. Marietta nodded, looking pleased.
"That would work perfectly. Lauren Yost is expected to come by to discuss some competition stuff. I really would like to see her face when she finds out who we got to replace Audrey, who, coincidently, went to work for her." Marietta smiled mischievously. Kim, use to the competitiveness between gyms, only nodded politely. Kim, with the papers and her class folders in hand, said goodbye to Marietta and walked out of the gym with Olivia.
"Well Mommy? Did you get the job?" she asked. Kim smiled down at her.
"Yup! Starting Monday, you and I will be coming to Johnson's for classes." Olivia's eyes lit up.
"You mean it?!" she squealed. Kim nodded, laughing.
"Uh huh. I think you're old enough to learn and this is an excellent place for you to begin the basics." She told her. Olivia had wanted to do gymnastics since the moment she could walk but Kim, who disliked Gunther's treatment of the beginning students, refused to let her learn besides some private training at home. She couldn't send her to a smaller gym because of her position as coach but she didn't want her daughter to believe she had to be small, petite, and a size zero in order to win and that winning was what gymnastics was all about. Just from watching the classes through the glass, she could see Johnson's was just what she wanted for Olivia; a place to learn and be happy while doing something she enjoyed.
"Come one, honeybunch. Let's head home. We'll stop by Hunan's on the way there and get some Chinese food for dinner, how's that sound?" Olivia smiled up at her.
"That sounds great mommy." She replied adoringly. Kim squeezed her hand and they headed for the car.
Reviewing the Reviews
Chapter One Reviews
Ghostwriter: LOL, okay maybe my sister won't tease me so much anymore since everyone seems to be over twenty!
AlanaXavier1: Where do you live? And you haven't seen DT yet?!? Oh man, you'r missing Tommy with short hair!
Funky In Fishnet: Thank you! Hope you like this new chapter!
Chapter Two Reviews
Silver Rider: Good guess...wait and see if you were right!
CamFanForever: Thank you! I won't be doing too much romance in this fic, mostly just mentions of relationships and some lovey-dovey scenes with current couples. Kim won't find romance in this fic, maybe the sequel!
STAR2567: Like I told CamFan, Kim will not find romance in this fic. More or less. ;)
rembrandt: I'm right there with ya on the faves!
loraocean: Glad to see SilverRider wasn't the only guesser. Gonna have to wait and see!
Thanks go out to everyone who reviewed and read the first two chapters!
Always me,
BashfulC