Disclaimer: Is not mine. Is Saban-no, wait. Hasbro, now? I'm confused. So if I'm confused, it must mean they're not mine. 'Cause I would know if they belonged to me, right?

Chapter 5:

"Let's go again!" Rocky stood in front of the class. He'd offered to take Adam's class on Monday so Adam could finish up some registration forms for a tournament that was coming up. He walked inbetween the rows, watching their students carefully. "And-one! Two! Three!" Each number was a different movement, a sharp punch here, a kick here. He placed his hands behind his back and continued counting off the kata.

Adam glanced up from the window in the office, his eyes tired of staring at the black and white paperwork. It was nice to have Rocky back to share his half of the work. And he was grateful his friend was willing to take this class so he could finish it all up.

He heard a loud count of "One!" from Rocky, and glanced up. Jenna was standing in her usual place, and he watched as Rocky walked past her, counting out the kata. He studied her for a few moments. Her form looked fantastic, and her face was intent on the rhythm.

Rocky led them through a cool down, and then dismissed them. Adam watched as Jenna scooped up her backpack and changed into her shoes. He watched her head toward the door. She hadn't said goodbye to Rocky, hadn't spoken to anyone. In fact, she'd hardly made eye contact.

Rocky waited until the last student had left, and then joined Adam in the office, throwing a towel around his neck and shrugging out of the top half of his karate gi, tying the sleeves around his waist. "Hey. How's it goin' in here?" he asked Adam, collapsing in one of the chairs in front of the desk.

"Almost finished," Adam said. He grinned. "You're a little out of shape there Rocko."

Rocky sighed. "All that hiking, and you'd think I'd be in better shape. Instead, I'm sucking wind." He shrugged. "I blame jet lag."

"Yeah, okay." Adam paused. "Man, speaking of wind, your feet smell." He pushed them off the desk's corner. "Go shower!"

"Aye aye, Black Ranger!" Rocky teased with a mock salute.

Adam rolled his eyes. "I can't wait 'til the day you get called back to action," he groaned. "I hope you're next. I'm too old for this stuff, it's someone else's turn next time."

Rocky paused in the doorway. "I had to sit out my turn," he said quietly, under his breath so that Adam almost didn't hear it. Then, he was gone, heading for the small bathroom.

Adam swore and dropped his head to the desk. How many times this month am I gonna stick my foot in my mouth? he wondered.

He hung around until Rocky was finished, then caught him as he was coming out. "Rocky, I'm sorry, man," he apologized. "I've been feeling sorry for myself a lot lately, and it's coming out in really unreasonable places."

Rocky ran his hand over his wet hair. "It's all good, bro," he said. "Really. Amber and I kinda talked about stuff while we were on vacation, and it was kinda in the back of my mind too." He perched on one of the rolled up floor mats. "I'd be lying if I said I wasn't just a little jealous of you," he admitted. "You got to go back out and save the world."

"Again," Adam kidded, and Rocky laughed.

"Yeah, again. And look, man, I'm right there with you. Not a day goes by that something doesn't come up in the news or whatever that doesn't remind me of the Ranger days. When you all went off to the Amazon or whatever and I was stuck in that hospital bed…"

"That's not the same thing," Adam argued. "You had no choice. I gave up the Power willingly. And then to get it back, only to put it away again…it's like getting a hit of cocaine or something and then quitting cold turkey. And then I think, like, why me? Why couldn't someone else have gone instead of me? You know, what makes me worthy of a shot to get back in the action over everybody else?"

"Well, let's face it, the Power is probably getting sick of Tommy 'Four Different Colors' Oliver, and I'm pretty sure the Power lost my number," Rocky joked. "That's the second time I've been passed over for the re-up." He clapped Adam on the shoulder. "Seriously, man. What's really been bothering you? You've been off since we got back."

"So….was it just me, or was Jenna Connors really into the lesson today?" Adam asked. He started to pace the floor.

"She was really into the lesson," Rocky confirmed. "I've never seen her so focused."

"Me either," Adam said. "I mean she's usually a good student and a great listener, but…"

"Tommy told me about the thing at Ernie's," Rocky said. "What do you think's up?"

Adam leaned forward and leaned forward on his elbows. "Rocky, I can't prove it, but I think someone at home is hurting Jenna."

Rocky frowned. "Pretty serious, man...What do you mean?"

Adam relayed the story of his encounter with Jenna at the juice bar. "I didn't tell Tommy and Billy this, but I'm pretty sure what I saw on her arm was bruising. Like, someone grabbed her arm-" here he grabbed Rocky's forearm- "and twisted." He rotated his hand hard to the left before letting go. "Like, remember when we were kids and giving each other 'snakebites' was a thing?"

"You know, she is a teenager, and an active one at that," Rocky said, turning his arm thoughtfully. "It could've come from something else."

Adam nodded. "Yeah, it could've. But when I saw it, she was scared that I'd seen it. And she couldn't leave fast enough. It was like she didn't want me to ask what happened. If it was an accident in gym class or our class, it should've been no big deal."

He put his hands down on the table. "And then there's the whole phone call…"

"Wait, what phone call?"Rocky asked.

"I didn't tell you this story?" Adam replied. When his best friend shook his head, Adam nodded. "That's right, you didn't show up at Ernie's 'til afterwards." He told Rocky about the phone call from Jenna's mother.

"Maybe it was a pocket dial," Rocky suggested. "Your name is 'Adam'-that would put you at the top of her contact list, or pretty close."

Adam shrugged. "Yeah maybe, I just don't know. It's really strange. How else did Jenna seem in class?"

Rocky propped a bare foot on the edge of the desk. "Focused," he said. "Almost too focused," he added as an afterthought. "And she sorta left without talking to anybody or saying anything. Same when she came in, she just sort of got into her gear and jumped into class." He looked at Adam. "Which is a little unusual," he said. "Jenna's usually pretty friendly."

"Rachel asked if I'd give Jenna a ride home Wednesday after class," Adam said. "Maybe I'll ask her about it."

"Might be a good idea. Maybe just ask how everything's going at home, see what she says." Rocky chuckled quietly.

"What?" Adam demanded.

Rocky was still chuckling, like it was his own private joke. "Maybe your hero days aren't quite over," was all he said.

Billy Cranston's Home
Angel Grove

"She's not bad," Adam set his beer down on the table as Tommy set his phone down in the middle of Billy's kitchen table. Kira Ford's voice belted over the small speaker.

Say goodbye, I'll be OK
I will wait for you 'cause
True love will never fade
When it's real, you can feel it
And I know that you know that I will keep on waiting
Faithfully, patiently
For you.

"This is the one she's releasing as her first single," Tommy explained. "Ethan helped her mix the track." He reached into his bag and rummaged around. "Trent did her cover art." He handed a CD case to Adam. Kira sat with her guitar, a fedora dipped over one eye. Colored pencil sketching and hatching gave the slightest hints of color while bold black letters proclaimed PATIENTLY across the bottom.

"You've got some talented students," Billy said, dropping a pizza onto the table. "This one's for Rocky," he teased, and the former Red Ranger slugged him in the arm as he returned to put the second one in.

"They're pretty amazing," Tommy agreed. "Oh, Adam, I was gonna ask you and Rocko, would you guys mind putting these up in the dojo?" He dug into his black bag again and pulled out a flyer.

"McKnight Soccer Camp," Adam read. "Conner?"

Tommy nodded. "Yeah. For this summer. I know it's early, but never too soon to get people thinking, especially since Conner's willing to make the drive down here to set it up."

"This can go up in the window," Rocky decided. "Do we get a commission if we send kids your way?"

"I don't know what you guys have heard," Tommy teased, "but teaching doesn't really pay a whole lot, you know."

"We'll take it from you when you come in to show off with us," Adam replied. "Billy, you want in on this beatdown?"

"Beatdown?" Tommy exclaimed over Rocky's laughter and Billy's emphatic, "Not a chance in hell."

Billy sat down in a chair across from Adam. "Is this sort of abject humiliation something you encourage in your classes?" he asked Adam.

"Hey, I'm sitting right here!" Tommy protested.

Adam twirled his beer bottle in his fingers. "I think it's more of the classic, 'what not to do' scenario," he replied. "We want the kids making good choices- you know, proper form, stuff like that," he added, the remark earning him a backhanded whack from Tommy on the arm as he tried not to laugh.

"That's it, I'm never coming to Angel Grove again," Tommy told his friends. "Not if I'm gonna suffer this kind of verbal abuse."

"Whatever, man," Rocky said inbetween bites of pizza, "you miss us."

Tommy shrugged. "Maybe."

Billy turned to Adam, who'd gone suddenly quiet. "Everything okay, Adam?" he asked him. The laughter died down as Rocky and Tommy realized that Adam had gotten quiet during the last exchange of banter.

"You thinkin' about Rachel and Jenna again?" Rocky asked.

Adam nodded. "Sorry. Not trying to be a downer," he apologized. "Just…worried."

"Well, I've got an idea," Tommy said. "Billy, go grab your computer." The Blue Ranger looked at him curiously, but pushed his chair back and disappeared into his office. When he returned, Rocky went to retrieve the second pizza from the oven (since he really had demolished most of the first on his own), and Billy waited.

"What are you doing?" Adam asked, glancing between Billy and Tommy.

"Billy, let's do a search. Can you still get into police records?"

"What?" Adam's jaw dropped. "That's like, seriously illegal."

Tommy raised an eyebrow. "Moreso than hacking the phone company?" he countered.

"You're crazy," Adam declared. "Billy, come on, man," he protested, turning to Billy.

"I have to admit, your concern for the Connors women is catching," Billy replied carefully. "And it so happens, I know that the Angel Grove Police Department hasn't updated their computer software in awhile."

"How-?" Rocky began, then shook his head. "Never mind, the less I know, the less I have to testify to later," he decided.

"It's not what you think," Billy rolled his eyes. "I freelance IT there on occasion."

"All it takes is one search," Tommy replied. "Well, maybe two. Here and wherever they lived beforehand," he said. "Did Rachel say where they lived before they moved here?"

Adam was silent. Two of his best friends were planning on hacking the AGPD, and over what? Maybe an accidental call and an alleged bruise? It was insane. And yet…he remembered the exhausted look on Rachel's face, the fear in Jenna's eyes. How fast she'd pulled away. What if something really is going on at home, Adam?

"Jenna wears a Mariner Bay Dolphins sweatshirt sometimes to class," Rocky put in helpfully, and Adam groaned. He pinched the bridge of his nose and let out a breath.

"Fine. Check it out."