Here we go again! Here's the new chapter for your reading enjoyment!

This is one of the longer chapters for this story, so you might want to grab a snack and a beverage of your choice!

There's only a brief warning for profanity but that's about it.

As a person on the spectrum, this chapter is import to me. Before you go on, I want to address the stuff you'll read about below.

For people on The Spectrum (such as me) environments can be really chaotic. A lot of time when things get overwhelming autistic children might begin to STEM which could include rocking back and forth and flapping their arms. Stemming is their way of self soothing and dealing with their anxiety. It's why a lot of them might be seen wearing noise canceling headphones to block out the noise. Having those headphones is a really big help for them.

Anyway, I just wanted to get that out of the way so you'll understand what Gabrielle is talking about during her dinner with Kimberly. I'll just let you get to it and see you at the bottom.

Excerpt from Miscreants: Chapter 33

This whole time, a storm of emotion had been stewing in Trent's heart and mind. He never wanted to leave a place so bad. From the moment he'd seen the woman of his fantasies walking towards him, he'd been looking for an excuse to leave. The only thing holding him back from leaving is that his son needed him. Now here was his chance to leave without looking like he was eager to be gone.

He schooled his features and spoke up. "I may have a few ideas. Give me an hour and I can be ready to drive down there. When his mentor gave him a look of scrutiny, he met it unflinchingly. "I'm the only one here that's not actually needed for anything other than my bank card. Gabriella can take my seat on the train and by the time you guys arrive, I'll have that party you want all set up and ready to go. Not to mention that if that pig is looking for me, then he'll think I'm in San Diego. It's the perfect misdirect."

Doctor O looked thoughtfully at him and then shrugged. "If that's what you want to do, then I'll go let the concierge know that you'll need a car. Any preference?"

Trent shrugged. Automatic, mid size and dependable. I'll need it for at least a week. While you do that, I'll go pack."

Trent walked out of the elevator, pulling his roller suitcase behind him. He was in a hurry to leave…and if he was honest with himself, to get away from the lovely councilor. Her very presence was intoxicating and half the time she was talking, he wanted to kiss her and make love to her…

That's why he had to get away from her. It was becoming a challenge to keep his head when she was around.

When he got to the hotel lobby, he saw Tommy sitting on one of the armchairs, just waiting for him.

"Hey, Dr O. did you come to see me off?"

Dr. Oliver nodded and got to his feet. "Your car is almost here. I just thought I'd wait here with you."

Trent gave him a skeptical look. "That's not completely true, is it? I hardly need a grown up to supervise me."

His mentor gave him a raised eyebrow. "What about a friend?"

Trent gave him a long look. "Please, don't BS me. You came down here to lecture me about running away."

Dr. O narrowed his gaze. "No lectures needed. You're a grown man and if you wanna run away, that's your prerogative."

"I never said I was running away." Trent snapped defensively. "I'm hardly needed here when you and Kim and the guardians are looking after the teens. It's hard to arrange a party of any kind when you're a state away and a is something that should be arranged in person. That's all."

Dr. O huffed softly. "I'm not so old that I can't sense a cop out. Please, give me more credit than that."

Trent deflated just a little bit. "Can we not go there? I don't have time for a relationship. Not when I have a son that's still in danger."

Tommy was silent for a moment. "I'm glad that you're taking this fatherhood thing seriously, but as you've said, we've got things under control here. If I were you, I'd take some time to think about you and what your next move is going to be."

Trent gave him a startled look. "Huh?"

"When there is a good and beautiful woman that is interested in you, don't let her slip away."

When Trent still had a confused look on his face, Tommy rolled his eyes. "I've been married a while…I think I'd be able to read women by now. Being soul fused to my mate has granted me insight into the moods of a woman that a lot of men would kill for. I'd bet the Dragon Zord that'd she'd jump at the chance for some quality time with you."

Trent felt his heart soar at the confirmation, but a second later, he shook his head. "I'm not ready for a relationship. As gorgeous as she is and as much as I'd love to indulge, she's a single mom and she deserves better than to be used for a rebound relationship."

Before Tommy could respond, the double doors of the entrance of the lobby opened and a man from the rental car company approached the concierge desk. "Car for Trent Fernandez?"

Trent sighed in relief and stood up. When Tommy copied him, Trent sighed. "Thanks for the pep talk, but I really have things under control." He paused and reached into his jacket pocket. "Here's my train ticket, I've already arranged for Gabrielle to have my state room. She may have a big expense account from her job, but I've already checked, and the train you'll be taking is already booked up. At least she won't be stuck sitting in the main car with a complete stranger."

Tommy took the ticket and put it in his back pocket.

"I'll see you in San Diego, Dr. O."

When Dr, O put a hand on his shoulder, Trent looked his mentor in the eyes.

"Don't forget what I told you before. If I find out that you're running away from your chance for happiness, I will kick your ass."

"Great." Trent said with a sigh. "Anything else?"

"Yeah, be careful on the road; if you start getting sleepy, find a room for the night. If you need anything, call the direct line to the Manor or you have my cell number. When you get to the hotel, call us and let us know that you're safe."

"I will, Dr. O."

"Good, see you in a couple of days."

Tommy and Kimberly's room

Tommy walked into the room after Trent had left. He hoped his little pep talk had at least given his former student something to think about. Taking a moment to clear his head, he turned his attention to his gorgeous wife. She was just about done with another feeding and he could also feel her fatigue. No, it wasn't a physical weariness, but one that he'd only felt one time before. Just before she decided it was time to switch Kayla over to Infant formula and if he calculated correctly Kayla had been just around 6 months too. Any minute, she'd tell him she was ready to switch Mav over to the Infamile.

He gave her a radiant smile as he sat on the bed. "Hey Beautiful."

Kimberly kissed the forehead of her milk drunk infant and then handed him over to his father. Tommy smiled at her and enjoyed the sight of her bare chest before she adjusted her shirt. He chuckled lustfully and settled Maverick onto his shoulder and began to burp him.

"Your ready to switch to formula yet?"

Kimberly sighed as she stretched her arms. "Yeah, I think it's time. My boobs could use a break."

"Next time I go out, I'll pick up supplies."

"He's got your appetite, Handsome."

Tommy gave her a look. "Please, Kimberly don't bring up my appetite again. That monster wasn't my fault."

"I wasn't even going there, My Lord Falcon."

The use of his mystical title made her mate stop and look at her. He loved it when she called him that. She could feel the subtle surge of pride rise up within him. Tommy opened his mouth to respond when their son let out a loud burp. After wiping his mouth with the burping cloth, he laid Maverick in his lap and then looked at up her.

"So, what is on your mind, my lady warrior?"

"I think it's time I had some one on one time with Gabriella, mother to mother."

"You're going to play match maker." It wasn't a question.

Kimberly shook her head. "Not yet. I want to get to know her better, I want to know what she's like when she's not an FBI person."

"You're thinking dinner plans would work?"

Kim nodded. "I'm going to call her phone and invite her out. Are you okay with that?"

Tommy nodded as Maverick kicked his legs out and started babbling at him. Tommy chuckled as he lifted his son so they were face to face. "It looks like it's you and me tonight son."

Maverick gurgled at him and Tommy broke into a wide smile. After settling his son into the little bouncy chair he turned to see Kimberly sitting cross-legged on the bed with her cellphone to her ear.

"Hey, Gabrilla, how would you like to go out to dinner?"

She paused and nodded. "Yeah, just you and me…Mom to mom and it's my treat."

"Appleby's...yeah, that works…. great. Yeah, that's perfect. I'll see you down in the lobby."

It didn't take long for Kimberly to change clothes and refresh her hair and makeup. When she came out of the bathroom, Tommy gave her a smile.

"How do I look?"

"Absolutely stunning. He got up and handed her the keys. "I think I'm going to take this time to check in with our daughter. I'm missing her right now."

Kimberly kissed his cheek. "Don't be surprised if she gushes about her huge shopping trip today. She was really looking forward to getting pampered."

"I've had time to adjust. I'm good, even if she brings up her boy..f.. her friend. Go have fun! If you need me, I'm only a phone call away."

Kimberly chuckled. "I love you, Handsome. I'll call you on my way back."

With one more kiss, she walked over to the crib to smiled down at her son. "Bye baby. I love you too."

Applebee's

Gabrielle had barely said a word as they were led to the table. Kimberly could see how nervous she was, and she understood though part of her felt some satisfaction that she could command respect. She'd need her skills to handle business when all this was over.

But for now, she needed to bring things to a more comfortable level.

"You can relax now, you know. The interrogations over and it's just the two of us having dinner."

When she only nodded, Kimberly tried a different tactic. She picked up the menu and began to look it over.

"You know what, I've been craving Mozzarella Sticks and this time, I can have all of them without having to share them with my daughter."

When Gabriella cracked a smile, Kimberly knew she had a way in. "She gets those puppy dog eyes from Tommy and she knows how to use them to get her way. I seem to be the only one who's immune to them."

"I wish Quin was more like that, but he likes to keep to himself when we're out in public. A lot of times he can't handle busy places like this. It would cause him a huge meltdown and then we get dirty looks if he starts…stemming."

Kimberly nodded as she finished, looking at her nervously.

"You don't have to hold back around me." Kimberly prompted her. None of that bothers me, I took a course in college on intellectual disabilities and child psychology. Not to mention that I spent a couple semesters shadowing a special education teacher and really got immersed in the atmosphere."

Gabrielle gave her a long look. "You're a councilor too?"

Kimberly shook her head. "No. When my friends and I took ownership of the old dojo, we spent a lot of time brainstorming on ways to grow our business base. All the guys in our 'family' especially Adam were really interested in adapting what martial arts we already know for students with special challenges. The guys were busy running the dojo, but Tommy and I were heading to college. So I decided to explore the area of special needs. A friend I had growing up was deaf, so I learned ASL and I was able to teach her using sign language.

When we graduated, we planned to come back to Angel Grove for the summer to share what we'd learned with the others, but we got word that our nephews in Reefside needed us to intervene, so we never really got to settle back into our home town, until now."

"So are you going to try it again?" Gabrielle asked. "The adaptive martial arts forms?"

Kimberly saw the hope in her eyes and nodded. "Were you thinking of enrolling your son?"

"Love for the martial arts runs through both my veins and his father's. We're both seasoned fighters, though I had to step out of the ring when I got knocked up, but Quin's father, Reid Dawson did everything in his power to support me. He continued his MMA fighting and was just recruited for some new MMA competition. He was pretty hush hush about it, but he said the producers offered him a nice signing bonus and good pay along with health benefits. So really, it wasn't a shock when my son asked me when he could sign up for Karate Classes. I all but danced my way to the store to get him his first GI. My biggest mistake was not shopping around for the right dojo."

Kimberly quirked a smile at her and nodded. "What happened next?"

"Well things were okay during the free lesson, and he was really engaged in the class and I thought things were doing great, but then one of the Sensei's started flirting with me. I knew from that first moment that he was going to be trouble, he talked down to me like I was just going to fall at his feet."

"I was an idiot for not taking Quin out of there the moment I sensed there would be trouble, but I'd already paid for a month of lessons, so I decided to try and stick it out. Things were going okay, but then after his last lesson ended, I was at the desk signing a receipt when I heard my son screaming for me."

"He'd been cornered by some of the bigger students and he was stemming big time. I pushed my way through the crowd, and it pissed off some of the other moms, but I had to get to Quin. That's when that idiot made the mistake of calling my son a 'retard.'"

"The mama bear in me came out and I went off on him. We talked down to me and called me a few unsavory words and then I drop kicked him to the mat."

"From that look on your face, there's more to the story." Kimberly prompted.

Gabrielle snorted. "I think he was shocked that a 'nice piece of ass' like me could fight. He got up and we fought for real. I bloodied up his face really good before I picked my son up and walked out of there."

"Did he retaliate?"

Let's just say that my son and I are banned from all the dojo's in Stone Canyon. If that's all that happened, I'd have moved on, but then he started smearing my name around town. A few days later, the three of us were having a family day. Reid and I were taking our son to see a new psych doctor who specialized in sensory disorders. Quin always has difficulty when visiting new doctors, so we thought we'd make it a family day. We were in the mall eating at Chuck E Cheese's and playing a few games, it's how he gets out his extra energy. Ever since Reid got him those noise cancelling headphones, he's been more comfortable in busy places like that."

Anyway, we overheard one of the moms talking about the incident and she let us know about that idiot running his mouth. The next day, Reid paid a visit to the dojo and openly challenged him to a fight so he could defend my honor."

And then what happened?

"Reid won, which wasn't surprising. He had one of his buddies record the whole event and he showed it to me afterwards."

"He's sounds like an honorable man." Kimberly commented with a smile.

"We make a good team and even better parents. Long before we ever hooked up, we were rivals in the ring but friends the rest of the time. Even though we're not lovers anymore, we both have massive respect for each other and we both love our son like crazy. When Reid bought his first house, he redesigned everything for Quin's benefit and safety. He also set up the perfect room for our son. He's very comfortable there."

That's why I took this job…so I could do the same thing for my house. Like I said before, the equipment he needs is expensive."

Kimberly's gears were turning and she munched on the mozzarella sticks.

"Taking this job was the right thing to do." Gabriella added. "I'm hoping that you guys can help Quin resume his lessons. I'm not the best teacher, but I've been helping him practice when we have time, but I'd like him to have formal training. When we ran into Trent at the mall and my son saw that he was wearing a shirt for your dojo, he got really excited. "

That made Kim look up at her. "And what did Trent say?"

"He invited us to visit the studio and said that your teachers might be able to come up with some ideas."

"Well, he's right. If you guys don't mind being the guinea pigs; I have a few ideas to try out when this current situation resolves."

"My son asked me about Trent when we got home. I think it's because he's the first karate teacher since that other dojo that didn't treat him like he was stupid. He spoke to him just like he was any other little boy. It's something I appreciated."

Kimberly nodded. "He's a good man and warrior. He was the last one to join our team in Reef Side. He can be a little reserved, but when he's needed, he really steps up to the plate."

"He did seem a little standoffish before and he really left in a hurry."

Kimberly paused for a moment, choosing her words carefully. "He's more like a brooding dark angel. He hides his emotions, but when he finds someone that he really cares about, he can become very passionate."

Gabrielle felt a subtle surge of excitement. Kimberly saw her reaction but let the moment pass.

"When he heard that a young teenager needed rescuing, he volunteered to drive to LA and pick him up. From what Connor said, he led the charge into the hospital room and went toe to toe with the Donut Muncher and made him leave."

"Like I said before, he may have seemed aloof, but it's just his way of strategizing. He was outwardly quiet, but that's because he was internally forming a plan. In our line of work, we have to make decisions very quickly; he's not used to thinking out loud. That's why my husband followed him out, just to confirm what his plans are."

When Gabriella gave her a quizzical look, she added, "He's going ahead of us to set up the reception for the happy bride and groom. It's easier to set up a party when you're in the same city."

They were quiet again as their food arrived. When they'd settled into their meals, Gabriella bit her lip. "He's not used to asking for help, is he?"

Kimberly grimaced and shook her head. "No." But he's not the first of his kind to be like that."

When the young woman gave her a long look, Kimberly knew it was time to deflect questions about their super hero status. "Any more questions like that need to wait for later. But there is something you should know."

When Gabrielle gave her full attention, Kimberly continued. "Before Trent left, he wanted you to know that he's taken care of your accommodations aboard the train and that he didn't want you to have to sleep in the coach car with a stranger. The reservation for his private sleeper car has been transferred over to you."

Gabrielle seemed surprised by this. "Oh my gosh, I didn't even think about getting train tickets."

Kimberly smiled at her. "Then it's a good thing you have an honorable gentleman looking out for you."

Back at The Hotel

"Alright Little Ninja, it's time for bed. You still have school tomorrow and I need to go see to your brother."

"Alright Dad. Give Mommy a kiss for me! I really miss her!"

"And what about me? Don't you miss me too?"

"Daddy! I can't kiss you over the phone!"

"Then you owe me a kiss when I see you next week!"

"Ok Daddy. I'll save them just for you and Mommy!"

"Make sure you do! Sleep tight, little Ninja!"

"Night night daddy! Love you!"

"Love you too, Sweetheart!"

Tommy chuckled in amusement as he ended the phone call. Diesel had talked to him briefly and reported on how things at the Manor were. They were all having a blast and every night they had a double feature in the movie room. The next day, the drummers from his tribe were making a trip to the manor to give a private performance and David would be there with his family to help bless the new house.

He'd had to laugh when he was told how excited Kailen was. The little boy had been bouncing around all day and asking questions and the only way to get the little guy to calm down was a trip to Home Depot to get a few things for the Miscreant's set up. The main work on the throne had been completed, but they'd miscalculated how much varnish they needed and couple of lightbulbs they'd bought for the flood lights had been duds. Really, the trip to the store had been the perfectly timed. While Kayla was out with Connor and Kira doing shopping, Diesel, Eric and Kailen had made a boys' only day of it. By the time they'd left the kid's play place, the little boy had been absolutely exhausted.

He'd slept all the way home and not a peep had been heard from him since; the kid was fast asleep.

He looked up when the door opened and Kimberly walked in with a plastic bag.
"Hey handsome. Did you and Mav have fun together?"

"Just a blow out in his diaper and then after a bath, we watched some UFC."

Kimberly nodded as she took the top food container out of the bag and set it on the table. "I've got the steak and potatoes you asked for. You might want to eat it while it's hot."

Tommy walked over to the table, pressed a kiss to her forehead and sat down at the table to eat his dinner.

"So, what did you find out about our new ally?"

Kimberly walked over to her son's crib. "A lot of good stuff. She and her baby daddy are both martial artists. In fact, it looks like Reid Dawson is going to be fighting in the League of Warriors when it premieres next year."

Tommy put down his fork. "For real? That's great! I wonder if he's a heel or a face card."

Kimberly shrugged. "Either way, I'm sure he'll make a statement. He and Gabriella were rivals in the ring but friends on the street. Quin is their son and he's a non verbal autistic and he also has the martial arts in his blood. He just struggles in the studio.

Tommy took a sip from his water bottle. "You think he might be a good fit for the special needs program?"

"That's what I told her and she's willing to try. I already have few ideas for how we can help him feel more comfortable in the dojo.

"So, what about this match making thing? Is she open to him?"

Kimberly paused and then nodded again. "Yeah, there's potential there. I gave her a subtle nudge; there's a good chance for them."

They ate in silence for a few more minutes and then Kimberly's phone dinged, signaling that she had a text message. Seeing that it was from Kira, she touched the screen and smiled seeing a few snapshots of her daughter getting pampered.

Tommy put down his fork and walked over to his wife. "What's the grin for?"

"Our daughter's first time at the spa. She got the basic package and that includes her first time using a foot spa."

The snapshot was of her sitting in an kids upholstered chair with her feet in a footbath. It wasn't as fancy as the one that kira was using, but according to the text, Iris used the same foot scrub and she still got the full treatment. The next picture was of her getting her toes painted a dark green.

Tommy held back a sigh at that picture. "I guess that's it then. I don't know if I'll ever get used to her wearing my color."

Kimberly kissed him softly. And I'm fine with her inheriting your color and that she has the dragon spirit. Even if she ends up piloting the Dragon Zord one day, it's going to be fine. She's our first born and she's inheriting your color. I'd be proud as hell if I were you."

Tommy couldn't deny that he wanted to preen about his baby girl, but he was worried that she'd somehow end up being pressed into a fight.

Kim answered him as if she'd heard his thoughts. "Even if she ends up being a ranger, I'm confident that she'll be as badass as you and courageous as me. She's the daughter of legends, she'll be fine."

Tommy sighed kissed his mate. "Thanks for that, Kim."

"You're welcome Handsome. You go ahead and finish your meal. I need some me time in the shower."

So, thoughts on this chapter? Let me know what you guys think by leaving a review for me!

See you next chapter!