Disclaimer: Power Rangers belongs to Saban. I own nothing other than Phoenix and the concept of her powers.


"So, what were the results of Nix's tests?" Trini asked to Billy as they sat at a table in the juice bar watching Jason and Zack spar. Billy had finished up at the command center and met with his friends at Kim's house to help in clearing out the attic, and with his organized mind, they had finished up earlier than they'd planned.

"Her body is in the process of adjusting to her now conscious state, which is what has been causing the sporadic discharge of her powers." He answered, turning his attention from the duo on the mats to his table companion.

"Will she be okay?" Trini asked in response.

"Affirmative." He answered. "Zordon and Alpha are developing simulation exercises to facilitate her regaining full control of her powers. She should have full ascendency within a few days."

"That sounds great, but didn't you want to help out in developing the simulations?" Trini inquired, finding it rather odd that Billy had decided to forgo aiding Alpha and Zordon in developing the simulation.

"Well, I promised my assistance to you guys with clearing out Kim's attic. I didn't want to withdraw my commitment." He replied before taking a sip of his banana smoothie. "Also, I don't have a thorough comprehension of how Phoenix's power works or its full capability to devise a program that would adequately test them."

"I'm sure you could figure that out relatively easily, Billy." Trini replied. She was more than familiar with her friend's clever mind and his ability to comprehend complicated tasks that would leave most utterly lost.

"I have a print out of the test results locked in the safe back in my lab." Billy stated, confirming Trini's suspicion of him being interested in their new member's abilities. "I intend on reviewing them later. It would be beneficial to have a general idea of how Phoenix's powers in the event something were to happen to her or Alpha and Zordon are indisposed."

"Not to mention, she's pretty." Trini added, nudging her friend in his side. Billy nervously laughed in return, dropping his eyes to the cup in his hands.

"There is something rather…enchanting about her." He answered bashfully. "But we've only just met her. It would be preferable that she had a chance to become accustomed to her new surroundings and give her time to get to know us."

Trini shook her head in understanding. "Jason suggested that we should show her around Angel Grove."

"It would provide a good opportunity for her to get acquainted with all of us." Billy agreed assessing their mutual friend's idea.

"What would be a good opportunity?" asked Kim setting down two smoothies for Trini and herself as she took the seat next to Billy.

"Thanks Kim." Said Trini as she accepted the beverage. "We were talking about what Jase suggested with showing Phoenix around Angel Grove."

"I think it's a great idea." Kim responded. "She looked so confused when we met her, and it will be a major adjustment for her to get use to everything."

"Having friends would help in easing the possible shock she may experience from observing how the world has changed since she last saw it." Billy agreed.

"Why don't we make a day of it?" Trini suggested leaning forward in her seat, an excited smile on her face. "We can take her to see downtown, the beach, the school, then go over to the park and have a picnic by the lake."


Zack ducked a high kick from Jason, then shot back up to catch his other leg as Jason swung around to attempt a round kick. He released him, both men giving each other a grin of respect then dropped back into fighting stances. Zack moved first, throwing a punch which Jason dodged by side-stepping. He returned the blow by throwing a side kick that Zack blocked then followed up by spinning and throwing a back hand strike. Jason blocked it as they maneuvered around each other, both chuckling at each other as they moved. Jason threw a front kick, which Zack caught in his hand. Using his strength and Zack's hold as leverage, Jason propelled him other leg up in a crescent kick, which Zack evaded by releasing his hold on his friend and backing away. Jason landed on his feet and straightened up, both relaxing their stances and clasping hands in a sign of appreciation and friendship.

"You're getting better, bro." Jason remarked to his best friend, walking over to a bench to grab his towel.

"Hey, I have an awesome teacher, dude." Zack replied, patting Jason on the back before reaching down for his own towel.

Jason smiled at the compliment, turning his eyes to the juice bar and landing on their friends sitting at a table. The three were all smiles as they enthusiastically discussed something. His eyes came to rest on Kimberly who had burst into laughter at something Billy just said. Zack came to stand beside him, following his line of sight.

"How's she been doing?" Zack asked as he watched their mutual friend in pink.

"Hurt." Jason answered, not moving his gaze from her. "Wouldn't think that to look at her now though." Kim bent her head down to take a sip of her smoothie, and as if she felt his eyes on her, she turned her attention to glance over at him. Bringing her head up, Kim's smile widened as she waved at the two men from her seat.

"No word from Tommy yet?" Zack questioned as they both gave a gesture of their heads in response to her wave.

"None." Jason answered as he turned away to his gym bag, putting his towel away and picking up his water bottle. His eyes landed on the decorated wooden box he had stashed in his bag earlier. Quickly, he pulled his top of gi over it before Zack could notice.

"Have you heard anything from him?" Jason asked closing up his bag before turning to face Zack.

"Not a word, bro. Sorry." Zack replied zipping up his own bag.

Jason let out a frustrated groan. "It's been well over a month, man." He dropped his bag on to the floor near his feet, sitting down on the end of the bench it had occupied.

"He's probably still processing everything." Zack reasoned as he observed the look of frustration on Jason's face, sitting down next to him.

"I know…" Jason started, running a hand through his damp hair. "That's what I've been saying to Kim. I can't imagine what any of us would do if we lost our powers."

"But…" Zack interjected nudging him, hearing the subtle tone in his voice indicating that he was restraining himself from saying something.

"I don't know…" he responded trying to side step Zack's friendly prodding.

"C'mon, bro. Spill it." Zack urged.

Jason let out a long breath, leaning forward to rest his elbows on his knees. "He made it no secret he was interested in Kim." Jason replied. Zack shook his head in the affirmative to the statement, well aware that Tommy had it bad for Kim since the second he laid eyes on her. Zack even encouraged him to ask her to the dance, which he had and earned himself a kiss in return for it.

"He went ahead to start something with her, and then just…" Jason paused. He was starting to sound bitter, which was something he honestly didn't want to be. As much as Tommy's actions, or lack-there-of, was bothering him, he still saw him as a friend. The last thing he wanted to do was speak poorly of a teammate, especially with what Tommy was currently dealing with.

"Bailed?" Zack said completing Jason's thought.

"Yeah…" Jason confirmed on a sigh. "With no word to us or Kim in over a month." Jason looked back over to her. Kim was currently all smiles in the company of her best friends, but underneath Jason knew there were silent questions she was asking herself about where Tommy was, how he was doing, and when would they hear from him.

"She doesn't deserve that, bro." Jason said, sitting up and pressing his back against the wall behind the bench they sat on.

Zack stole a glance at Kim, then dropped his gaze to the person sitting beside him. "Hey, why not ask Zordon to see if he can find Tommy?"

Jason stared straight ahead, considering Zack's proposal. Finally, he shook his head in the negative. "Nah, bro."

"Why not?" Zack asked, curious to why Jason would at least not try to ask their leader for help in locating their estranged teammate.

"Because, if Tommy's feelings for Kim are the real thing, he'll make the effort himself." Jason answered with resolve. "That's how it should be if you care about someone. Not because someone told you to."

Zack nodded, understanding his friend's point of view. He watched as Jason moved to stand, picking up his gym bag up off the floor. He caught Zack starring at him as if he was trying to read something about him.

"What?" Jason said with a laugh in his voice.

"You love Kim, don't you?" Zack bluntly stated. Jason furrowed his brow in confusion.

"Yeah, but you know that already. She's one of my best friends." Jason replied.

"Bro…come on." Zack said giving him a look as he stood up to stand beside him. Jason continued to stare at him in confusion before his eyebrows shot up and his eyes went wide understanding Zack's meaning.

"Um…I'm not sure." He replied, genuinely caught off-guard about what his feelings for the pink ranger might be. "Why do you ask?"

"Hey, I told you. Matters of the heart is the Zackman's specialty." Zack replied, giving Jason a playful smack on his stomach with the back of his hand, throwing his bag over his shoulder. Jason smirked, rolling his eyes at his friend.

"Seriously, bro." Zack began. "There's this look in your eyes whenever you look at Kim now. I've noticed it. Don't know if the others have."

Jason raised his brow at Zack, thinking over his words. He brought his gaze over to Kim, that odd feeling of his heart skipping a beat as he looked at her. When her eyes once again found him, he felt his pulse race as she signaled for them to come over.

"I don't know, man." He said after a bit of silence. "Maybe, I am."

Zack nodded. "I knew you had a thing for her back in junior high. Didn't know it lasted this long."

Jason turned to look at Zack. "You knew?"

"Hey, besides Kim, who else knows you as well?" Zack replied. "Plus, I'd never seen you get so worked up around a girl until then. We all thought it was weird since you and Kim have been friends since Kindergarten."

Jason shrugged, laughing at the memory. "We were, what? Ten-years-old? Up until then she was just Kim."

"She's still just Kim now, bro." Zack stated.

"Yeah…she is." He replied, once more looking over to her. "And at the same time, she's not."

Zack let out a low whistle realizing just how bad his best bud had it for their little pterodactyl. "Well…you're here. Would you…"

"No." Jason immediately answered knowing exactly where Zack was going with his inquiry. "For two reasons: I have no idea if she even sees me the same way, and I would never do that to Tommy."

"Tommy hasn't called." Zack pointed out.

"He will." Jason stated. "Besides, he makes her happy. That's all that matters to me." Jason placed a hand on Zack's shoulder. "If you guys are happy, I'm good."

Zack gave him a friendly slap on the back. "We know, Jase, but the same goes for us when it comes to you."

"I have you guys. I'm good." Jason replied, a genuine smile on his face.

"Alright, bro." Zack replied, the two clasping hands.

"Hey, Zack?" said Jason

"What's up?" Zack responded.

"Don't say anything to Kim, okay?" he asked.

"Yeah, you got it." Zack answered as the familiar beeping of Jason's communicator went off.


Kim turned her eyes up to the ceiling of her room as the loud buzz of a saw rang through. Jason's father had taken up the job of renovating the Hart's attic, and Kim's mom had happily accepted. It now had been several days into the construction and the constant noise from morning to early evening was starting to get to her.

"Jase?" Kim said to her study companion, who looked up from his homework as he was seated at her desk. "They are working on the attic, right? Not trying to make the ceiling of my bedroom cave in on me?"

"Oh, that reminds me, you might want to move about three feet to your right." Jason teased, giving her a playful smirk.

Kim rolled her eyes. "Ha, ha. Very funny."

"Knock, knock." Said Mr. Scott as he knocked on the open door to Kim's room. "Hi, Kim.."

"Hi, Mr. Scott." Kim replied giving Jason's father a smile.

"Sorry to interrupt your studies, but I need to borrow my son for a little bit." He said turning his attention from the girl sitting on her bed, surrounded by papers and textbooks to his son. "Mind giving us old-timers a hand with a few tasks?"

"You're not that old, dad." Jason replied, laughing at his father. "Sure thing, I'll be right up." His father nodded, then with a wave to Kim, disappeared into the hallway.

"Be right back, Kim." Jason said as he set his notebook down on Kim's desk.

"Okay." She replied, smiling at him as he exited the room. She stood up and stretched out, deciding to take a break herself. She walked out of her room and down into the kitchen.

"Hi, honey." Ms. Hart greeted her daughter.

"Hey, mom." Kim replied, walking over to her and giving the older woman a kiss on her cheek before going over to the refrigerator, opening it, and grabbing a bottle of water.

"Sorry about all of the noise, sweetie." Said Ms. Hart as she opened a cabinet and started pulling cups out. "You know, you can go to a friend's house or to the library to study instead of keeping me company. It must be pretty distracting with all the activity upstairs."

Kim shrugged as she watched her mom move about the kitchen. "It's a little distracting, but I can deal. Plus, Jason has been here during all of it to keep me company."

Ms. Hart smiled at her daughter. "Well, if you change your mind, let me know."

"Speaking of friends, mom. Can I ask you something?" Kim asked, a thought crossing her mind.

"Anything, sweetie." Ms. Hart replied.

"Well…there is this new girl at school who just moved here on a…study abroad program." Kim fibbed. "But her host family fell through, and I really would like to help her out."

"Kimberly, are you suggesting we host her stay?" Ms. Hart asked incredulously.

"I know it's sudden, but she doesn't have anywhere else to stay." Kim replied, clasping her hands together over her chest.

"Honey, we hardly have room for her here." Ms. Hart responded to her daughter's plea.

"Well…I thought the timing was perfect seeing as we're fixing up the attic into a spare bedroom." Kim rebutted hoping her mother would yield.

"Kimberly Ann…" Ms. Hart replied.

"Please, mom?" Kim pleaded, biting her lower lip in anticipation of her mother's response.

The older woman let out a sign of resignation. "I want to meet her first. Then I'll decide." Kim squealed in response as she bounced across to her mother to hug her.


"Anyone home?" Kim called out from the bottom of the steps leading up to the attic.

"Up here, Kim." Jason's voice floated down to her. As she reached the top, she didn't see any of the other workers.

"Where is everyone?" Kim asked, setting down a tray of drinks she'd brought up on a sawhorse., her back towards Jason.

"Dad and a few of the guys had to run out to the hardware store to get a few parts. The others went out to get some air." Jason replied.

"Oh, well, mom wanted me to bring up something for you guys to drink…" Kim was stunned into silence as she spun around to see a shirtless Jason standing at the opposite end of the attic hanging a piece of drywall. He'd shed his shirt in an attempt to offset the absurd heat that currently settled in the attic.

"Thank,s Kim." Jason replied, turning his head to smile at her over is shoulder.

"Sure." Was all she got out suddenly feeling really embarrassed. "I've seen him without a shirt hundreds of times! What's with me all of a sudden?"

"Kim? You feel okay?" Jason asked as he walked over to her, seeing her face flushed.

"Uh huh." Kim replied oddly. "Okay, stop it! This is Jason. My Jason. The same one I've known since we were five-years-old." She snapped out of her thoughts feeling Jason's hand on her forehead, his proximity feeling much too close for her current comfort level.

"You don't seem to have a fever, but your face is flushed." He commented.

"It's just the heat." Kim managed to answer, using the state of the attic as her excuse.

"Probably. Go ahead and head back down, I'll follow in a bit." He replied picking up one of the cups and downing the liquid inside.

"No, it's fine. I'm fine." Kim insisted as she glanced around the attic.

"Okay, if you're sure." Jason answered, setting the cup down as he watched her wander about the space. "What do you think so far?"

"You work fast." She replied, remembering the space being nothing more than bare wooden beams and a floor not too long ago.

"It didn't need that much done to it. Made everything go a lot faster." He replied observing the space. "I think your mom will be happy with it when everything is done."

"Speaking of mom, I was just talking to her in the kitchen." Kim replied turning to face Jason, her nervousness temporarily forgotten as enthusiasm took its place.

"About what?" he asked.

"Well, I told her about Phoenix." She answered. "Not everything." She quickly interjected when Jason gave her a look that asked if she'd left out certain details.

"What did you tell her?" he probed further, curious to what Kim had come up with to tell her mother.

"That she's here studying abroad and needs a family to host her." Kim replied. "She's been at the command center for several days. I just really want to help her out."

"Totally like her." Jason couldn't help the smile that made its way on to his face at both Kim's fib and her caring nature. "That's great of you, Kim. Where is she going to stay?"

"Right here." Kim answered as she held her arms out indicating the room they were standing in.

Jason chuckled looking around the room. "Good thing your mom wanted this space turned into a spare room." He nodded his head in the direction of the wall he'd been working on. "Want to give it a shot?"

He well aware that Kim knew her way around tools from all the projects that they'd volunteered for at school and in their community, it didn't stop him from occasionally teasing her. She glanced over to the piece of drywall and the drill sitting nearby that he'd put down. She bit her lip, looking over to him.

"Sure." Kim replied smiling at him then picked up the drill and a screw as Jason measured and marked where it was supposed to go in before placing the slab up against the wooden studs as Kim moved to stand between him at the wall.

"Now, remember, the drill goes into the wall, not my hand." He teased from his spot behind her.

"I make no promises, Scott." Kim quipped back, gently elbowing him in his stomach. She reached up and placed the drill tip against the mark he'd made, driving it in to make a guiding hole before driving the screw in place next.

Jason dropped his hands and stepped back observing her work. "Eh…not bad." He teased.

"Ha, ha." Kim replied stepping back, her back brushing against his chest. She turned to face him and a second wave of nerves crashed over her as they both noticed their close proximity to each other.

"U-um…" Kim stuttered taking a small step back only for Jason to counter her movement with a step towards her. "I should probably go back down…homework."

"Yeah…" Jason said in a low, husky voice that made a shiver run down Kim spine. He placed a hand on the drill she was holding, gently forcing her hand down and out of the way, unaware that both of them were moving their heads closer to each other.

"Jase…" Kim said, her voice barely a whisper as they both looked down at each other's lips, their breath mingling together as the space between them narrowed.

"Hmm?" he replied, tilting his head towards her as Kim began to raise herself up on the tips of her toes. The sudden pound of something hitting the floor just outside of door leading up to the attic startled the two teens out of the haze they'd fallen in to and jumped away from each other, both turning as red as Jason's ranger suit as they realized what almost happened.

"Oh, hey kids." Mr. Scott said as he reached the top of the steps. Jason was faced away from Kim, picking up another screw as Kim suddenly found the drywall in front of her incredibly fascinating.

"Hey, dad." Jason replied, glancing over to his father before moving back over to the wall he'd been working on.

"You're still hanging that up?" Mr. Scott asked as he entered the space and walked over towards the two teens.

"It's my fault, Mr. Scott." Kim said as she moved away from the wall for Jason to work on. "I came up to see what was taking him so long to come back down and distracted him."

"I was just about to put her to work." Jason joked, stealing a glance at Kim. She immediately looked away as he saw the blush on her face deepen as their eyes met. Guilt crashed over him as he reflected on what almost transpired between them. "She's your best friend, you idiot! So is Tommy. Don't you dare even go there with her."

Mr. Scott laughed at the two, unaware of the events that had happened a mere few seconds ago. "Well, why don't you both head down? You two still have homework to do and looks like the heat up here is getting to the both of you. You're both flushed."

"You have no idea." Kim thought. "Yeah, it is pretty warm up here. So, um…I'm going to head back down." She waved to the two men, then made her way over to the steps and headed down.

"Be right there, Kim." Jason said to her retreating back as he reached for his shirt and tugged it back on. "I should get back to my homework."

"Go on, Jase." Mr. Scott replied, patting him on the back. "I'll come get you in an hour and we'll head home."

Jason nodded his head. "Sure, dad." He made his way down the stairs, heading towards Kim's room as he heard the Hart's phone ring.

"Hello?" He heard Kim's voice ring out as he approached her room.

"Hi, Tommy." She said into the phone, her eyes meeting Jason's as he appeared in the doorway.