Hi everyone! You get another chapter! A lot of people have been asking for Kayla's origin and I decided that before this story catches up to Miscreants, that I'd go for it and tell how Tommy and Kim became parents. It's a little heavy and for those that have lost a baby or had trouble conceiving, this is your trigger warning. Although there is some fluff at the end, there is a lot of emotion in it so be ready for it.

Towards the end of the chapter, Kimberly has a conversation with her spirit animal. During that conversation, when Kimberly speaks, I used the (:) colon to indicate thought speech.

I guess that's about it warning wise. I'll just let ya'll get to it. See you guys at the bottom!

The Manor

Present day- Second day of Kayla's grounding

Kimberly tossed the last of the socks into the pink basket. Kayla would be home from school soon and after her homework was done, she would start putting her clothes away.

It had only been a day since the attempted kidnapping of 'the little ninja'; part of her was still reeling from how easy she almost lost her daughter. That fact alone fired up her resolved to make her baby girl go through the entire week of punishment. This was the first time ever that she'd had to be the bad guy.

She hated it.

Kayla had been their little miracle and they'd rejoiced when they'd first found out that she was pregnant. For years, ever since Tommy graduated from College and they'd moved to Reefside, they'd been trying. Tommy had put away his condoms and Kimberly had flushed her pills down the toilet.

Within the first few months, they'd had a couple of false positives and it had broken her heart. Then around their six month of trying, they'd gotten a positive result and she'd miscarried. Neither one of them were willing to give up. After a few months more of trying, they'd miscarried again.

It was a heart-breaking process and Kimberly began to sink into the deep hole of depression…

~Flashback~

Reef Side CA

Kimberly sat alone in their bedroom with her knees pulled up to her chest. This morning, her period had started again, and she had spent the morning crying in the bathroom. She knew Tommy could feel her heart breaking, but there was nothing he could say to make things better.

It was just after 2 now and any second Tommy would be home from his job at the local museum and then she'd have to find a way to perk up and act happy.

In the years since they'd left Angel Grove, they'd experienced many good times. They'd lived that traditional college life as a married couple and had eaten their share of fast food and attended their share of college parties. They'd taken each summer off and had gone on a cruise, made their way back back to Disney Land and had taken more than one road trips.

She'd shed her tears when Tommy had chopped off his pony tail and start wearing button down shirts and Khakis, but she'd rejoiced for him when graduation came and the infamous Anton Mercer had taken him on as an intern at his island laboratory.

Then had come the lowest point when she'd seen the breaking news report with footage of the island blowing up and then sinking to the bottom of the Pacific Ocean.

Thankfully, Tommy had called up their friends after suspecting that Anton was up to no good and they'd been nearby when the lab had blown up. Andros had brought Rocky and Adam out to the island in his ship and they'd been able to teleport her mate to safety.

She'd been beside herself with fear the whole time until the moment came that she rushed through the doors of the ER to find him sitting up with a tired look on his face…

"Beautiful, are you okay?" Tommy asked as he broke into her thoughts.

Kimberly did her best to smile…but Tommy wasn't fooled. He put down his messenger bag and sat on their bed across from her. "I can feel your depression. Please don't act like none of this is affecting you."

"I think I'm the reason we can't get pregnant…ever since we lost our first baby…I think something's wrong with The Crane."

Tommy narrowed is eyes. "You really think so? For all we know there could be something defective in me…I was the one caught under Rita's spell."

Kimberly shook her head. "It has to be me…if it was you, I'd never gotten pregnant the first time."

Tommy frowned and held out his arms and Kimberly climbed onto his lap and for several moments she clung to him in silence.

"There has to be some way to find out for sure."

"We can't exactly go to Phados and ask Dulcea can we?" Kimberly said softly.

Tommy deflated and carded Kimberly's hair as he held her against him. Maybe we could contact Dad, he's a shaman, maybe he can shed some light on this situation…"

Present Time

Kira and Conner's Cottage

"Woah, did I walk into a party in here?" Kim asked as she walked into the nursery. She'd knocked on the door after seeing the light on and had been invited in. Looking around the room, she saw that Melanie sat on an ottoman pulled in from the living room and Kira was sitting in the rocking chair that was part of the driftwood nursery set. Tris was on the floor at her master's feet and her tail thumped happily seeing another friend had arrived in the room. Kim couldn't resist reaching down to pet her.

Kira smiled at the interaction. "It is now. We were just putting away the last of the baby's clothing and going through this catalog from Babies 'r' Us." She hesitated an added. "I've heard that baby showers can sneak up on the unsuspecting mommy to be, so I thought I'd start putting the Wishlist together now."

Kim nodded. "That's a good idea. What have you come up with?"

"Nothing much except for diapers and baby tubs and other strange things… that look really uncomfortable." Kira hesitated and then showed the page to Kimberly who grinned at her."

"Yeah, that breast pump looks pretty freaky at first, doesn't it?"

"Do I really need to get one of those? I thought natural breastfeeding was the best way to do it?"

Kim nodded. "It is at first…but those first few nights out of the women's delivery center can be long and sleepless. It took Tommy and I at least a month to get into a routine. Having the pump made it easier because Tommy could just feed Kayla a bottle and I got to have a little more sleep to prepare for the days that Tommy was working."

Not to mention that seeing Ethan feeding our daughter her bottle was a sight to see." Melanie said with a happy smile on her face. "There's just something about seeing your handsome man feeding his daughter that gives me all kinds of goosebumps."

Kira smiled at her lovesick friend and then turned to Kim.

"Can you tell us more of your love story? What was it like when you found out you were pregnant? How did Dr. O react?"

"You really want to know that?"

Kira nodded and Melanie was looking at her in concern. "Is that another painful part of your story?"

"It was a mixed bag." Kimberly replied simply. "You remember how I lost our first baby back in high school, right?"

Melanie nodded. "Yeah, you got hazed and it made you miscarry."

"Right. Well, we didn't realize later how much that affected me." Kim started again. She looked at Melanie. "Here's a bit of ranger lore for you. Tommy, me, Aisha, Rocky, Billy and Adam are Ninjetti warriors. Our powers are born of spirit, and when they were woken up, they took on animal forms. Mine was the Crane and she became a visceral part of me. We all knew early on that it was the same for the rest of the team."

When Melanie nodded her understanding, Kim looked at Kira again. "Later, when Tommy and I were trying to conceive we were met with frustration, depression and fear that we would never become parents. We miscarried a couple times and other times the pregnancy tests turned out to be false positives. Finally, we sought out the medicine woman from Tommy's tribe. She's different from the Shaman and was very old and experienced."

"A week later, Diesel and Annabeth drove down with the Medicine Woman in tow and did a ceremonial cleansing of the apartment and Meadow Spring did a full examination of Tommy and I. "

Kimberly sighed heavily. "As I feared, I was the reason we couldn't get pregnant and it was a direct result of my hazing incident."

~Flashback~

Kimberly lay on their bed as the Medicine Woman sang softly in a chant while hovering her wrinkled hands over Kim's body. Her eyes were open, yet she stared off into space as if seeing something that wasn't of the physical world.

Though she couldn't understand the words, Kim felt strangely at peace and she was half asleep when the chanting stopped. She opened her eyes as the wise woman sat on the chair next to her bed.

"You can sit up now, young crane. We must talk." She waited while Kimberly slowly sat up and crisscrossed her legs in front of her. What's wrong with me?"

"You are a strong and healthy warrior, but your spirit is wounded. Crane tells me of an event that took place years ago. Though you've moved on, she hasn't. it's like when the body is severely injured and loses blood, it becomes shocky from the sudden loss."

"But we did move on. We built a shrine to our baby and buried a remembrance box to symbolize her."

Meadow Song nodded. "Yes, you've recovered from losing your baby, but not the trauma from the attack. Tell me what happened that day."

Kim told her everything in stark detail as the woman held her hand comfortingly.

I'm so sorry that you went through that kind of agony…and it does explain a lot. The Crane inside you is apart of you. And though you want to be a mother, she is worried about a second loss. It as if she's willing the babies to pass away. Until you bring her into alignment with the rest of you, there will be no child; it won't matter how many times your lover mates with you."

"What can I do?" Kimberly asked softly.

"Speak with her in a calm state. We'll do a smudge ceremony to help you relax, but the rest is up to you, my dear."

"Thanks Meadow."

"It's what I love doing, now I want you to speak to that falcon of yours, he's pacing a hole in your floor. Then we'll start the ceremony."

~End Flashback~

"That sounds a lot like PTSD." Melanie commented.

Kimberly nodded. "It was, in a sense, but this more than just my mind and body freaking out; this was on a whole different level. It was as if the whole time, my spirt woman was rejecting the idea of motherhood and stopping my body from carrying a child to term."

"What did you do?" Kira asked.

"Well, we went to that campsite that night out in the woods. It was the same one we camped at before, back when you and Connor first started dating.

The mention of the camping trip brought a smile to her lips and Melanie noticed.

"Something happened that night, didn't it?" Melanie implied slyly. "I know that look."

"Not the time girls." Kim added, though she'd also suspected that her protégé was fooling around that night. "I need to get this out before my little miracle comes home from school."

Kira chuckled and then nodded for Kim to continue.

"As I was saying, we went that night out to the campsite for the sake of privacy and because we didn't want the neighbors thinking that we were doing drugs in our apartment."

~Flashback~

Kim sat before the bonfire with Tommy sitting behind joining the chant his father had taught him. Meadow Song had already smudged everyone and now sat across from Kimberly as she entered a calm meditative state.

: Crane, please talk to me.:

: I am here, what do you want?:

Before Kim's eyes, a warrior woman that looked a lot like the Pink Death Warrior appeared before her in a costume like the one Dulcea wore on Phados. Her hair was braided back and draped over the pink headband with a crane symbol in the middle. She looked at Kim with guarded eyes and her bow was at her side.

: We need to resolve the trauma done to us. I want to be a mother and you're preventing it. We need to come into alignment.:

: No, it's not safe. I cannot experience that kind of trauma again. You don't know the agony that child's spirit felt as she died in our womb.:

: The bitches who did that are dealt with. If anyone else dares to harm us, the Pink Death Warrior will utterly destroy them. I will protect my children until they are able to do so themselves. Please, allow the conception to take place. I want to be a mother.:

She watched with her inner sight as the warrior walked in circles as if trying to convince herself to agree. Finally, she stopped and walked back over to Kim.

:Very well, I trust in our strength. The next time you try, I won't intervene.:

Kimberly smiled to herself and then held out her hand to the spirit. : Be at peace Crane.: I know my children will make me proud.:

When Kim opened her eyes, she felt tears pouring down her face. Tommy stopped chanting and walked over to his mate, kneeling before her.

"Are you okay?"

Kimberly nodded. "Now I am. When my cycle is over, we're trying again."

And Tommy kissed her ardently.

~End Flashback~

"That sounded intense." Melanie commented. I didn't realize how much spirit mattered."

"It matters a lot to someone such as me. According to the OBGYN, we conceived sometime in November and Kayla was born in the late hours of August ninth of 2003.

Tommy was over the moon about us finally succeeding in making a baby and was very much involved in the preparation of the baby's room and was doing everything he could to ensure that I carried the baby to term. He made me drink healthier smoothies and made sure I took my prenatal vitamins every day, he made time for us to go for walks in the nearby park. For the first time in his life, he was on time for something, like our appointments with the obstetrician and when he found out we were having a girl…damn, he bought so many things in pinks and purples. By the time my water broke, I was sure that if it was possible, he'd have this baby for me."

Kira let out a laugh. "Well that explains a lot, even before she was born, she was a daddy's girl."

Kira smiled and then went back to the catalog. So, did you find it strange to use the pump? How did you adjust?"

"We're back to that, are we?" Kim snorted. "Damn that thing was daunting the first time I took it out of the box and read the instructions. The thing is, that I wanted to sleep in, as selfish as it seems, and Tommy kept asking for ways to help me. Finally, I caved and started using it. After the first few times you get used to it and I got to sleep through the night a little more often."

"It's that simple?" Kira asked looking a little skeptical.

"Yeah, and then when Mav was born, it wasn't as scary to get back into the routine. Though I can't wait for him to move onto baby food."

Kira looked a little more at ease and then looked back down at the catalog. "So, what about diapers? Cloth or plastic?"

August 10, 2003

Reef Side Women's Birthing Center.

Late Morning

"Hey guys. Good morning!" Tommy said as he opened the door for his parents. Because his daughter had been born during the night, the grandparents were showing up today. David, his wife and newborn would be showing up later in the day along with Little Sparrow. For now, the grandparents were there to meet their granddaughter.

Tommy gently took his swaddled daughter out of the small crib and handed her to her grandfather who cradled her with loving hands. "There's my pretty granddaughter. Spirits be thanked."

Kimberly was sitting up in bed with a pair of her comfy Pajama Sets on. She held up her digital camera and snapped a picture of the moment. There would be many pictures taken that day.

"What's her name?"

"Kayla Annabeth Oliver."

And the new grandmother shed happy tears.

Present Day

About an hour later

Kimberly looked up as the door opened and Kayla ran through the door. At the sound of her human coming home, Bella bayed loudly and raced for the door. Kimberly took a deep breath and walked over to the doorway and observed the reunion. Just behind her came Tommy who smiled at the sight.

"Mommy! I missed you!" Kayla said as she rushed into her mom's arms.

Kimberly hugged her little miracle to her and then stepped back, looking her daughter over. That's when saw the ripped jeans, her mother's instincts roared to life. Looking at her hands, and her messy braid, she asked, "Kayla, did you get into a fight today?"

"No, Momma. The mean girls at school tripped me up and tried to pull my hair. I didn't fight back, but then Jude saved me and made them leave me alone! He was so brave!"

Kim held back the chuckle and then looked up at Tommy.

"Jude? As in Jude Skullovitch?"

Tommy nodded and but didn't look as thrilled as their daughter who was gushing about the youngest son of Skull.

"Yeah! He shoved them back and then helped me back up. he called them something…kitties…I think, but it started with a p instead of a k."

Kim had to work really hard to not laugh as she worked out what Kayla was trying to say.

"And then he kissed my hand and blew on it to make the sting go away, Mom. He was just like a knight from the stories!"

Kim was losing the battle as she examined her daughter's hand. It was just a little skinned but with some warm soapy water, she'd be just fine.

Her husband on the other hand…. Kim looked up at Tommy and felt his annoyance. They'd need to have a moment after she'd dealt with the current issue.

"That's wonderful sweetheart. But why didn't you fight back?"

"Because I really want to go to Sea World and Santa's watching me too. I gotta behave!"

Kimberly nodded and glanced up at Tommy again. They really needed to have a talk with their little girl about when it's okay to fight…like in self-defense. But first things first.

"Well, those are both valid reasons, so before you get down to your homework, I'm going to wash those hands again with some warm soapy water and put some lotion on them."

Bella bayed again, not happy with being ignored. Kimberly looked down at the puppy and then added. "You too, little girl. It's time for you to go outside."

"I'll take care of it this time." Tommy said as he scooped the puppy up in his arms and walked out the back door.

When he was gone, Kayla looked at her momma. "Why is Daddy mad at me?"

Kimberly lost her battle and laughed in amusement. "He's not mad Sweetie; not about the fight or Mr. Skullovitch saving you. It's a daddy thing that you'll understand later. Come on little Ninja, let's get these hands and knees taken care of."

When at last their little Ninja was busy doing her homework, Kim walked out of the house and found her husband sitting the newest extension of the garden. The precious little beagle was sitting at his feet and enjoyed the scratch behind her ears. When Kim approached, Bella got to her feet and ran to greet her Alpha.

Kimberly couldn't help but grin at the puppy with the wagging tail. She knelt down and immediately, Bella flipped over on her back, offering up her belly. After rubbing the soft skin, she got up and approached her husband.

"You okay there Handsome?"

Tommy only grunted.

"You know you can't hide your feelings from me."

Tommy sighed. "It's like fate planned it this way. Like it was just waiting to stab me in the chest and just laugh over my dead body."

Kim shook her head and climbed into her mate's lap. He kissed her neck and then inhaled her scent.

It's not as bad as you think, my Lord Falcon. Skull has really grown up and matured, especially after the war with Dark Specter. His wife is a friend of ours and his kids are very respectful. You even said so when we talked about your first day of teaching."

Tommy sighed and held her tightly. "I know, it just seems like such a cliché. I always hated Romeo and Juliet…and this is freaking the same scenario. Two households, both alike in dignity, in fair Angel Grove where we lay our scene."

Kimberly gave him an impressed look. "That's a little over dramatic, Handsome. Did you just come up with that on the fly?"

Tommy gave her a look and she smiled. "Breathe, my love. This doesn't need to be that way. Yes, we're both alike in dignity, but our houses aren't at war. We're friends, remember?"

"I know, but…"

"But nothing, Tommy. If they are meant to be, it won't happen till much later. We have loads of time before anything escalates. For now, they're just two little cuties that are going to be great friends. Would it really be that bad, if Kayla wants to have a play date with him?"

"Not here…there are too many secrets to keep."

"There are many other places to hold play dates. The park has that brand new and improved playground and picnic area. The lake is another place and there's Poseidon's cove…"

Tommy huffed softly and then looked at his mate. "I'm a father Kim and she's my baby girl. It's my prerogative."

Kim kissed his lips softly. "It's going to be fine, my love. We've been through worse than this."

Tommy looked at her steadily. "You're right…we have. But can we put this issue on the back burner for now?"

Kim laughed softly. "Yeah, why don't you go take a shower. I need to make sure our little Ninja stays on task."

"Actually, I need to call my parents…plan a small reunion. It's been too long since we talked."

"Ok. Babe. I'll be in the house."

You guys still with me? I know there was a lot in this chapter and I promise it was worth it. I'd love to hear your thoughts on this? There's a reason that Kayla is so cherished and she is my favorite character in this series. I also realized that I never gave her a date of birth and never gave her a birthday chapter. It's a good bet that I'll be fixing that at some point in the future or at least making mention of it.

Last thing, in the next chapter this story will be caught up with the happenings of The Miscreants. So if you haven't been reading that story, you might end up being a little lost.

I guess that's it for this chapters. See you all next time!