Here on After ch 2
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Sunday morning. The birds are singing, the sun is shining, and the whether is gorgeous.
Kira always finds herself getting up earlier on Sunday morning's rather than her usual sleep past twelve. Normally she went to the park and spent her morning exercising, trying to ease off the frustration of her parents but now that she lived with Tommy she found herself training in his basement.
So that's where she was, in his basement, running on the treadmill, drenched in sweat, but still going none the less.
She loved exercise for some reason. It was like a way to get her mind of things, make her feel better and get in shape. She just loved working out and being a ranger gave her a couple perks too.
Deciding that an hour was enough on the treadmill, she turned the machine off and hopped off, grabbing a pair of gloves near by and stretching out a little ready to take a match with the punching bag hanging from the roof.
When she started her series of punches and kicks, Tommy came trotting down the lab with a smile on his face.
It was nice to see they had some things in common. He loved training and martial arts and she just loved being active in general. It was an ice breaker when conversations dropped between them and it was good to know they weren't so different.
"Hey there" he said taking his place on the floor mats and beginning his stretching.
"Hi" she said simply, continuing her punching.
"Care for a match?" he asked.
"………No………way" she said between punches.
"Why not?"
"Because your like what, an 8th degree black belt?"
"6th"
"What ever………..I'll……….loose and I know it." She said giving the punching back a roundhouse kick.
Tommy only chuckled. "Whatever" he said before starting a kata.
…………………
After a good hour and a half of training, Kira walked up the basement stairs followed close behind by her father.
"Oh man, I'm so beat" she said flopping herself on the couch but Tommy pushed her off. "Hey!"
"You're going to make the couch smelly like sweat" he said and she rolled her eyes before hoping back on.
"So what do you want for breakfast?" she asked looking up at the ceiling.
"Nothing if you're cooking" he said then laughed at his own joke which caused Kira to toss a pillow his way.
"Alright, alright, no need to get violent, I was only joking." He said tossing the pillow back on the couch. "What do you say we go for some bagels?"
"mmm, sounds yummy"
"Good, then bagels it is. I'll go pick them up and you……..take a shower" he said playfully pushing her off the couch again.
"Hey! Stop that!" she whined and Tommy chuckled grabbing his key to fetch the food.
………………
After goofing off a little while putting the topping on their bagels, Tommy and Kira finally settled down to eat.
Breaking off a piece of her cinnamon raisin flavored bread, when she thought he wasn't looking, Kira snuck the piece down to the fat cat waiting under the table for one of them to drop a scrap of food.
"Kira stop doing that" he said not bothering to put down the paper he was reading.
"I thought you didn't see me"
"These eyes catch everything" he said putting down the paper now.
"I was just giving him a little snack"
"You're always just giving him a little snack, and a little snack turns into a big meal and he winds up getting fatter then he already is. Do you want him to die of a stoke?"
"Honestly Dr. O it was just a piece of bagel"
"Kira, he's fat enough already, you know we should consider putting him on the treadmill"
Kira gasped picking up snowball and cuddling him in her arms. "He's not fat! He's just big boned"
"There's no such thing"
"Don't listen to him snowball, you're the cutest thing ever!" she cooed ignoring Tommy who picked back up his paper.
After a moment of silence dropped between the two, it was interrupted by the doorbell ringing.
"I'll get it!" Kira said jumping to her feet as Tommy sighed looking at her half finished food. He always wondered why it took her so long to finish eating. She found everything in the world a distraction while she was eating and it used to take her an hour just to finish breakfast. He would have got the door himself but she already beat him to it but springing to the door.
"I swear Tommy you're either getting old, or lazy" he thought to himself taking a sip of his coffee.
Expecting it to be one of her fellow teammates, Kira swung the door open, full of smiles until she was met with 3 unfamiliar faces.
Her smile faded into a confused expression when it suddenly dawned upon her that these faces weren't so unfamiliar, she's seen them before but………where?
"Uhh, hi can I help you?"
One of the men, dressed in red, gave off the same kind of confused expression. "Maybe we've got the wrong house, who is this chick? I don't remember Tommy ever mentioning a girlfriend before. A rather…….young girlfriend" he thought to himself.
"Uhh, does Tommy Oliver live here?" he asked.
"Um…..yes, let me guess, you want to see him?" she asked.
"That would be about right"
"Well come in, come in." she said ushering the three boys in and to the sofa in the living room while they looked around.
"Whoa, nice place, you live here too?" an African-American boy dressed in black said, speaking up for the first time.
"Yep, hold on one minute, I'll get him" she said heading into the kitchen.
That's when the three boys exchanged glances at each other.
"Jase, you remember Tommy mentioning anything about a girlfriend?" Zack asked.
"No, do you Billy?" Jason asked turning to his friend in blue.
"Well the last I talked to Tommy was about a year ago over the telephone, I don't quite precisely remember all the details of the conversation but I think not." He said.
"Billy why can't you just say no?" Zack asked.
"Well all I'm saying guys is that all lot of thing could have happened in the passed year, I mean they could even be engaged."
"Did you see a rock on her finger?" Zack asked.
"I don't recall seeing an engagement ring but then again I wasn't looking."
"Wait, wait, hold on a minute guys, that girl looks to be about what, 16 years old, now have we ever known Tommy to rob the cradle?" Jason asked.
But before the two could reply, Kira retuned with her hands over Tommy's eyes leading him to the living room.
"Now don't try to peak, it's a surprise ok?" she said giggling while she led the helpless Tommy in the room.
"Kira if it's Conner wearing that dress again, I really don't want to……….." he stopped when Kira uncovered his eyes, revealing his three best friends before his eyes.
"Whoa! No way! Guys, it's really you!" he exclaimed as all three got up with smiles and exchanged their manly hugs.
"Hey Tommy, long time no see, how've ya been man?" Zack asked.
"Ya, it's phenomenal seeing you again" Billy said.
"Isn't the same in Angel Grove without you bro" Jason said as they all sat down.
"Whoa, I still don't believe it. I can't believe you guys are here, how'd you get here?" he asked.
"By car man, and let me tell you Tommy, we used to think from Angel Grove to San Francisco was a long drive now this was a long drive" Zack said.
"Well we just decided to surprise you bro, it's been forever since we last saw you and we wanted to see how you were doing" Jason said and Tommy smiled.
"Really appreciate guys" he said.
"No problem, so how are things here in Reef side? I heard you received your PhD and in turn was granted the opportunity to become a paleontologist." Billy said.
"Billy, bro, how many times do I have to tell you, use smaller words" he said and Tommy chuckled.
"Zack's been trying to do that the whole ride here, it's not working" Jason said.
"Anyway Billy" he began letting off the last of his chuckles. "I'm sort of a paleontologist part time. I work as a science teacher at Reef side high" he said.
The three sent Tommy a wave of confused looks.
"Paleontology, teaching, Paleontology, teaching……." Zack said balancing the two jobs on his hands. "Bro, I don't see how it comes into play"
"To make a long story short, I needed something quite, something that would give me sort of a peaceful life"
"And you chose teaching? What are you nuts?" Jason asked and the four men burst out laughing. "I'm sorry bro but I just teach martial arts and that already gives me a headache." He added and they laughed again.
Watching as the three men, began discussing about their lives and taking a trip down memory lane, Kira grew rather bored and decided to leave to finish her breakfast.
"I guess they really were close friends" she thought sitting at the table to finish eating.
But as soon as she left, Zack had to burst out with a question.
"And then there was this whole thing with Emily and………."
"Bro who's she?" Zack asking interrupting Jason.
"Who?" Tommy asked.
"Don't play dumb with us Oliver, that girl? Is she your girlfriend you never told us about?" Zack asked.
Tommy almost chocked breathing his own air at the question.
"I presume that's a negative" Billy said.
"No you guys, she's not my girlfriend, she's my daughter" he corrected.
"Daughter? How come you never mentioned a daughter to me!" Jason said.
"Didn't know it deemed much importance, I mean not to say that she's not important, she is but I didn't think I could start up a conversation with "Hey Jase, I have a kid and you?" he corrected himself as the others gave him dry looks. "What?"
"You mean to tell me you've had a daughter all these years and you never told me? Tommy dude, I thought I was your best bro" Jason pouted.
"And Kim didn't even bother to tell us either, can't believe they were hiding it this long!" Zack added.
"What?" Tommy asked.
"What do you mean what? It's Kim's daughter isn't it? She looks just like her. Short, brown hair, brown eyes………"
"No! It's not Kim's daughter" Tommy interrupted Zack.
"So it's…….."
"No not Kat's either" he said before they could come up with it.
"Oh my God, Tommy you had a fling!" Jason asked.
"No! guys, stop guessing!" he said.
"Well if it's neither of those options the only probable solution is she would be adopted. Am I correct Tommy?" Billy asked.
Tommy sighed. "Yes Billy. Guys she's adopted. I took her in about 7 months ago when her parents were arrested." He explained.
"Her parents were arrested? What happened?" Zack asked.
"I'll go into detail about it later" he said looking behind him to make sure Kira wasn't around.
"Oh, well that's real decent of you Tommy, don't think I could handle a teenager around the house." Zack said.
"Try four" he grumbled.
"You adopted 4 teenagers?" Jason asked.
"No, her friends, my protégés, they're always around here and don't really like to go home." He said and the men laughed.
"Wait protégés? So you're a…………"Billy began.
"Yep, still kickn' it" he answered.
"Whoa! All hale the great Tommy, bro you're like a legend by now." Jason said.
"That's what my students say but, I don't really take much into it."
"Stop being so modest T, you know that none of us could keep up with that stuff anymore, we're too old. But look at you, still a ranger and teaching other rangers as well." Zack said.
"Well after this I'm done" he said.
"Ya it's about time you get started on that family" Jason said.
"What are you talking about? I have a family, me and Kira"
"Bro, you don't see anything wrong with that picture?" Zack asked.
"No"
"Tommy, I think their implying to a wife" Billy said.
"Guys" Tommy groaned.
"What? C'mon Tommy, it's been how long since you had a girlfriend?" Jason asked.
Tommy sat in silence to think about it in a moment before replying. "Um…college I think" he said.
"Exactly and how long ago was college?" Zack asked.
"Does it really matter? How you guys ever stopped to think that maybe I don't want a girlfriend?"
"T, it's been like forever since you had one, you have to be suffering." Jason said.
"We're not making to big of an assumption here are we?" Zack asked.
"No, I'm not gay I just……….don't have a lot of luck with women."
"That's why you adopted a girl?" Jason asked.
"Jase that's different. Besides I don't recall hearing about any of you three in a relationship."
"Married with a kid on the way" Jason replied.
"Currently I'm married" Billy replied
"I've been with Angela for 3 years now" Zack said.
"Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, when did all of this happen!" Tommy asked.
"When you were out living in the dessert where nobody could find you! You're lucky Billy ran into your mom at the gas station and asked about you, or else we never would have found you." Zack replied.
"Sorry guys, I was on this whole paleontology thing which required me to move from place to place" he apologized.
"It's alright bro, the important thing is, we're here now" Jason said.
"So you're married huh Jason?" Tommy asked.
"Uh-huh"
"Let me guys…..Trini right?"
"Yep"
"And she's pregnant?"
"5 months"
"And you left her?"
"I told him the same thing" Zack said making a shame on you symbol with his fingers.
"Oh trust me, you would have too, she's going bonkers! Something always smells bad or something needs to be rearranged, she's always crying over tv commercials, how pretty the cereal box is, our bed sheets. Then I always do something wrong, she's constantly yelling at me and I can't say a thing because if I do, she cries" he said causing them to laugh.
"Jason, it's just the hormones that are tampering with her emotions, we all know Trini is a calm person"
"I know but, for know I need to get away for awhile. I need time to recuperate"
"And your married too Billy?" Tommy asked.
"Affirmative"
"Well sorry bro I can't guess, your romance completely baffles me"
Billy chuckled. "It's this girl I met in college, her name is Samantha and she's so beautiful, and talented and sweet, I just love her." He said.
"Ya they both talk the same" Zack said and they chuckled.
"Well that's great Billy, I'm really happy for you."
"And now my friend, it's time for us to be happy for you, let operation, get Tommy a girl, commence" Zack said.
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Reivew