I think the title is self explanatory. I've had a lot of requests for my version of 'The Mission to the Moon' and 'Fighting Spirit'. So I've found a way to work them both into this series. When I was writing this chapter, I didn't and still don't have access to the episodes as I cancelled my subscription to Netflix. So, I only had the clips on YouTube to go on along with my memory of watching the episodes.

All of my long-time readers know about the alternate timeline, but for my new readers, I'm going to state here and now that I added 4 years between the end of Power Rangers in Space and Lost Galaxy, so my timeline reflects that.

There's no warnings for this chapter as it's pretty much just the two sets of parents putting all their cards on the table and burying the past.

That's about it, so feel free to read on and see me at the bottom!

Cupid's Cove Luxury Resort

San Francisco, CA

Early 2005 (Tommy and Kimberly's 7th wedding anniversary)

Kimberly Oliver walked in the door of their suite with her shopping bags in hand. This was going to be the most epic anniversary ever! She'd spent a whole week preparing for this weekend. Tommy had just earned his doctorate degree a month before and in a couple more months, he'd be starting his internship Dr. Anton Mercer.

That made this the perfect opportunity to celebrate and she was over the moon to find out that this break happened just in time for their seventh wedding anniversary. Everything was already set up for them. The candles were set up around the room, red silk sheets were on the bed and small but decadent chocolate cake was in the fridge along with a couple bottles of whipped cream.

She'd gone to Victoria's Secret to buy a very sexy corset and thong set that left barely anything to the imagination and as soon as she took a shower and rubbed some very sensuous lotion into her skin, she'd call him up to their room and…

Kimberly felt a sudden weakness in her limbs and her breath was coming in short gasps. She literally felt as if her mate had been ripped from her side.

Kimberly fell to the floor with a cry. "Tommy!"

Thankfully, Cassie and Ashley, whom had shown up with their husbands, had found her minutes after and were able to render care. The mission had been kind of sudden and they were on their way to brief Kim on their mission.

Ashley ran her space tech scanner over the prone woman.

"She's alive, just passed out."

"I'll make sure this room is secure while you take her up to the med bay." Cassie answered.

By the time Cassie returned to the ship, Ashley had already put Kimberly into the sleep chamber and had set up the unit to keep track of her vitals.

"Is she okay?" Cassie asked.

Ashley nodded. "Yeah, but she'll be even better when Tommy gets back."

(Continued from Chapter 11 of 9 Months)

Present time

Ariel bit her lip. "What did Connor mean earlier? About what happened to you guys when you were separated?"

Tommy grimaced. "It was the biggest mistake I've ever made. Around the time of the Wild Force team, the remnants of the machine empire had discovered the dormant Serpentera on the moon. It's a giant mechanical robot that used to belong to Lord Zedd; it had enough power to cripple us and would have led to the earth being enslaved."

"Naturally, we knew it had to be destroyed. Andros called all of the red rangers that could make it in to form a task force to take the mech out. It was a last minute mission and I didn't even have time to tell Kimberly about the mission. Up until that time, Kim and I had never been that far apart. Sure, we spent time apart with our friends, but we'd always stayed within the city.

"The moment I left Earth; Kimberly collapsed. I could have lost my mate that day had Ashley not come to check on her. Sure, I felt some weakness too, but I had the great power flowing through me, so it compensated my levels enough for me to complete the mission."

"When I came back, I realized how badly I'd messed up."

~Flashback~

Tommy was in high spirits as he, Andros and Jason watched the other rangers departing. Being on Earth again had made any lingering weakness go away, but there was something in the back of his mind…or rather the bond that really bothered him.

They were broken out of their revelry when Andros' communicator beeped at him.

"Ashley to Andros. Can you hear me? I know you're back on Earth, but I need you to get Tommy to my ship right away."

"What happened? Is everything alright?" Tommy asked worriedly.

"No, not at all. Kimberly's collapsed. I found her in your hotel room passed out. I've got her in the stasis chamber, but you need to come wake her up."

"The bond." Tommy hissed as the pain roared to life. "I need to reconnect the bond."

Andros nodded. "Okay, let's get back to the ship. I'll have you there in a few moments."

~End Flashback~

What happened when she woke up?" Ariel asked.

She woke up the moment I was within arm's reach…and then Jason drop kicked my ass to the deck for endangering his little sister. Only Kim begging him to stop, saved me. After we went home and mended our bond, mainly through make up sex, she kicked me out of the treehouse and thus began my weeklong banishment from Kimberly's side. It was a very long lonely week and once she let me back into 'The Nest', I did everything humanly possible to make it up to her."

Skull smirked, not needing an explanation. "I see."

Kimberly rolled her eyes at the men and then looked at Ariel. "The bond allows me to feel everything that Tommy feels as if I feel it myself and vice versa. It has its upside but also a downside."

"The whole passing out thing?" Ariel asked with a concerned look on her face.

Kimberly nodded. "Yeah, but we learned a few years later that it doesn't have to just be space that separates us. If one of us passes out, the other does too. Tommy was operating with the Great Power flowing in his veins the first time. From that day forward, we were more careful with the bond and never went further than the city limits without the other nearby."

"We really thought we had the hang of the bond, and then several years later, we learned we were wrong."

~Flashback~

Reefside California 2008

The Dino Lair

"Shut that thing down!" Kimberly yelled as her mate spasmed on the gurney. "He's getting the full current!" She clutched her chest as if feeling the same pain her mate was.

Before anyone could move, the machine exploded, shattering the Black Dino gem. Immediately Tommy was visible and unconscious.

Kimberly gasped her mate's name before collapsing on the floor. Billy looked down at Tommy in disbelief as Adam rushed into the room with his medic kit. Though he was a ninja first, he'd also completed medical training and had his basic nursing degree.

With practiced hands, he did a basic exam and listened to Tommy's heart. When he stepped back from the table and removed the earpieces he looked at the others. "Physically, he's fine. The power protected him, but his mind is locked away. It'll be up to him to come back to us."

Adam looked over at Kimberly. "They're mates, we should lay her next to him. It might help."

Meanwhile, in the spirit world that Kimberly had only been to a couple of times, she opened her eyes to find herself on the floor. The Crane stood over her with concern. "Wake up, Kim. Your mate needs you!"

Kimberly got up from the floor and faced her Ninjetti Spirit. "Is he okay?"

"I don't know. Our bond is torn! My falcon is gone from my side!"

Kimberly felt a stab of panic. "It hurts! I have to get to him!"

The Crane closed her eyes again and searched the bond when she opened them again she looked concerned. "There isn't much we can do. It looks like he's battling different versions of himself." The pink warrior gently touched two of her fingertips to Kim's forehead. "See him."

Through the link, Kim saw her mate, facing off against the red Zeo ranger. And he was wearing down fast.

"He's not going to make it!" Kim cried when The Crane took her fingers away. "Please, there's got to be some way we can help him!"

Crane closed her eyes and searched the bond. "He needs all of the tribe's support. Go back to your world and tell the other Ninjetti what I've said. The Frog will know what you're talking about."

"To those who are Ninjetti, anything's possible," Kimberly said, repeating what had become a mantra for all of them.

"Yes, now get back to your team. They're trying to wake you up."

When Kim woke up, she heard the terrified screams of her daughter. "Mommy, Daddy! You gotta wake up!"

Kim sat up, seeing that she was lying next to her mate. A scared little girl was squirming in Kira's arms.

"Mommy! Why is Daddy sleeping like that? He's not waking up!"

Kimberly looked down at her husband and then at Kayla who was sobbing in fear. She really wanted to go to her daughter, but knew her mate needed her more.

"I don't have time to explain. I need you to be a good girl and go with Kira so I can wake your daddy up." Kim commanded using her mommy voice. Kayla knew better than to continue arguing. She stopped squirming as Kira took her out of the Dino lair.

"Save him, Mommy!"

"I will. Just go in the other room."

Kim carefully shifted and then jumped down from the gurney. Rocky, Adam, Aisha and Billy all looked at her. "What do we need to do?"

Kim told them what was going on, and Adam nodded. "Okay, Tommy needs us to call on our powers and infuse him with energy; do exactly what we did with Zordon in the old Command Center

Kimberly didn't know how long they stood around the table, but she could sense that the power boost was helping him. By the time he woke up, Kimberly felt extremely exhausted.

"Kim? Are you okay?" He asked looking concerned.

"Yeah, it's not easy to stand still for so long. I just need a nap and I'll be fine."

Tommy looked around at all of them. "Thanks guys, I would have been lost without your help."

Rocky nodded. "What was happening in there?"

"I had to face off against myself. Different versions of myself. The Green, White, and Red rangers. I won thanks to you guys and now my dino gem is back in one piece.

Billy looked at Tommy in confusion and then went over to the container holding the shards and indeed, they were in one piece.

~End Flashback~

"It was a traumatizing thing for a child to witness and we tried to explain to her in kiddie's terms what happened, and she seemed to accept it. We took every precaution possible every time I had to go into battle, and it worked. We all made it unscathed and then retired as soon as Mesogog was destroyed."

"If I'm being honest, I'm not surprised that she freaked out." Kimberly said. "She's aware as much as a child can be that she's fused with Jude. In her mind, if they're separated, then something bad will happen…like it did to us."

Everyone was quiet for a moment as they digested what they had been said.

"I'm ready to bury the past." Skull said in a determined voice. "We can't let the kids think that we hate each other; not now that we're going to be spending so much time together." He paused and looked at his wife. "Since we're telling stories, then it's time to shed light on something."

Kimberly nodded. "Go on."

"It was all an act." Skull said shortly. "The first time I saw Bulk, in first grade, I had no way of knowing what I was getting into.

"That's one hell of a Segway." Tommy commented.

Skull nodded. "The only reason I'm telling you this, is because I know as rangers you can be trusted to keep this secret…and to prove to you beyond any doubt that my kids and Jude in particular are well behaved and will be nothing like I was in high school."

Kimberly nodded. "It won't leave this room."

"When I first met Bulk in first grade, he was the new kid and a loner. He's always been a little chubby and at the time, he had yet to lose his baby fat. At least that's what the teachers assumed."

"The first day, I saw him being bullied by a bigger kid and he was helpless. Mom always told me growing up to never be afraid to do the right thing. So, I took that literally and beat the bully up and got in major trouble with the teacher and got my first detention."

"Everyone knows that 'if the teacher doesn't see it, it didn't happen.' And the bully never got caught which meant that I did. It didn't take long for me to get labeled a troublemaker. My reputation followed me all through my high school career. By then, my reputation proceeded me and I guess I just let people keep thinking that…and it helped keep the real bullies away." Skull paused again. "I know I've got that bad boy reputation, but really, I prefer making love to making war."

"And it shows." Kim said with grin. "You're not even forty and you've got 4 kids."

Ariel laughed. "I regret nothing!"

Skull grinned at his wife and then looked at the couple. "Our kids make us so proud…especially Jude. We brought our kids up with a clear understanding of when to fight and when to walk away. That's why I wasn't surprised to get the call from the school. My son saw someone being bullied so he stepped in did what needed to be done."

"I think we were on the other side of that." Tommy stated. "We were surprised that she didn't defend herself. The last time she had a bully problem, she had no problem stopping him."

"When I asked her what happened, she gushed about Jude saving her. Turns out she was worried that if she got in trouble for fighting, then the possible trip to Sea World would go away. We'd planned to take her anyway when Connor and Kira went."

"Which brings us back to the issue at hand." Skull prompted. "What do we want to do about this trip you're taking? After what happened tonight, I'm ready to take the time off work and get the whole family to San Diego."

"We can help with part of that," Kimberly offered. "We have an RV that we use for long distance trips. There's room in there for Jude to ride along with Kayla and the other kids. It would make things less hectic for you guys and would allow the two of you to take the trip at your own pace."

Skull was nodding. "I like the sound of that. It's been a very long time since we took our bikes out for a road trip."

Tommy nodded. "We have a private gas tank in the garage. If you want, you can top off the tanks."

Skull gave them an incredulous look. "Really? You have a private gas reserve?"

Tommy nodded. "In the garage as well as the basic car supplies. When we're not busy being heroes and parents, the guys and I like to tinker with the cars and it's like our own Man Cave. Consider this an invitation to use it."

Skull immediately realized that he was being handed an olive branch and he accepted it graciously. That's when he knew that the past had been settled; now it was time to offer his own sort of olive branch.

"I know we need to go let the kids know that all is well, but there is something else I need to tell you."

Kim had suspected that he was holding something back and part of her was gratified that she'd been correct. Still she nodded calmly. "What would that be?"

Skull looked at Ariel. "I know you guys were hit pretty hard after the whole battle with Ivan Ooze so you wouldn't have known this, but just after the battle ended, I started feeling a change in myself. It's not one of those sudden changes of heart after experiencing a tragedy, it's a visceral awakening of something inside me. I didn't say anything to anyone but I started meditating and went looking for answers. When the time came for me to pack up my family and move to San Francisco to attend a trade school, I met another person who had an animal spirit…who was able to explain at least partially what was going on. He was a Kung Fu master from the order of the Pai Zhug. He helped me unlock my animal spirit, but he told me that what I had was something on a whole other level."

"I didn't pursue it much further, but I started to feel a second awakening tonight, when my son started freaking out."

Tommy looked at Kimberly. "Well, that does explain a lot."

Skull looked between them. "Would you guys mind sharing with the class?"

Tommy looked back at Skull and then Ariel. "When we got our Ninjetti Powers, we found out that the master warrior, Dulcea and her mate were the only warriors left. When Ooze attacked their temple, all the warriors were slaughtered…but that doesn't mean that descendants and non-warriors couldn't leave."

Rocky walked into the room and caught the tail end of the conversation. "That's the ongoing theory. If they had enough warning, the children and caretakers and possibly a few mates could have been evacuated. You may be a descendant, a few millennia removed."

"A complete soul fusion, like yours can only happen if both mates are Ninjetti. If your spirit was awakened all those years ago and then reawakened tonight, it would prove the theory."

"I feel better knowing all that, but where do we go from there?"

"We have time to help you with that and to see if your other kids have this trait, but first, the kids in the ship need to know that all is well, so they'll go to sleep."

Adam took the moment to make his presence known. "It wouldn't be a good idea to separate them tonight. "We have a pull-out coach in the living room for you guys to bed down in and we can put the kids to sleep in the bunk room."

Ariel nodded. "That sounds good, but first, I need to see my son."

The Ship

The found the kids much the same state, though they looked calmer.

When they entered the medical bay, both kids sat up and looked at Skull and Ariel expectantly. A moment later, Ashley pushed a button on the council and Tommy and Kim were smiling down at their daughter.

"Hey, Little Ninja." Tommy addressed his daughter. "I heard you had a little trouble falling asleep tonight."

"I'm sorry daddy. I just…" She trailed off looking nervously at her daddy.

"Connor told me everything. I'm not mad that you have these new feelings for Jude; only sad that you felt you couldn't come to me with these things. You never have to be afraid to tell me what's going on."

"I was scared that you'd be upset that I wanna be with Jude."

Tommy nodded solemnly. "Everything is fine with Jude's dad. We've already talked about next week's trip, and made plans so that Jude and his family can come with us. I've also let them know that Jude is welcome to spend time at the manor anytime he wants and I'm more than open to any playdates you guys want to go on."

"The same goes for us." Skull added. "I think you're a pretty awesome kid and I have no problem with Jude hanging out at your house whenever he wants to, and you're welcome to hang out at our house too. As soon as we get done here, I'll be working on

Kayla and Jude looked at each other and then hugged tightly.

Kimberly wiped away a tear and then grinned at her daughter. "Kayla, don't forget your promise to help Kailen at the pumpkin patch." A moment later she looked at Skull. "Kailen has never celebrated Halloween before so he's new to all those spooky traditions."

"I'll help him too." Jude piped in. "I'm good at carving pumpkins!"

"That's even better!" Kimberly answered. "Make sure he's not left out of the fun."

"We'll make it the best Halloween ever!"

Tommy grinned at the very cute pair. "I'm happy to hear that, but now it's time for little ninja's to be in bed. Do you think you'll be able to sleep now?"

"Yeah, Daddy. I can go sleep now."

"Great, but there is one more thing we need to discuss."

Kayla looked up at the screen worriedly. "What is it?"

"We need to talk about this…small tear in our relationship. I'm really sad that you feel like you couldn't talk to me. I think it's time we had a Daddy Daughter date. Next week, once you've had your fun at SeaWorld, you and I are going to spend some time together. Dress up however you want, and you get to pick the place and activity…within reason, and I'll make it happen."

"Ok, daddy."

"Good, now go to bed, Little ninja. We can talk more later."

"I guess we'll see you in a few days." Tommy said as he prepared to end the call.

"Thanks for everything." Skull answered. "And thanks for the hotel coupons; it'll make finding a hotel on short notice easier. Do you have any idea which one you'll be staying at?"

Tommy snorted. "We do, but that could change if Trent finds something better. He's in San Diego by now and looking around for a venue for the party, which means that you'll need to bring some party clothes, nothing formal, but Halloween themed."

"Got it. We'll have a shopping trip tomorrow and then see you guys next week."

Kim grinned at him. "Welcome to the family."

"Same to you guys!"

Tommy cocked his head to the side. "I have just one question before we sign off."

Skull nodded, "What would that be?"

"What's your spirit animal?"

Skull grinned. "Black Fox."

Tommy looked stunned. "Wow, I didn't expect that."

"Don't freak out and think I'm a shifty character. There's more to foxes than you think. You should read up on that!"

Tommy chuckled and nodded. "I'll get right on it."

And there you have it. The past is buried and it won't be disrupting anything anymore. I did my best to do justice to both landmark episodes. (I'm really thinking I'll have to reactivate my account with Netflix if I keep doing chapters like this.)

Anyway, what do you guys think of this chapter? Let me know in your review!

See you guys next chapter!