Author's Note: Two chapters in two days - what on Earth is going on? Will there be a third? Hmm...

This chapter takes a look at what Kim was up to after the Siege of Washington, D.C. ended. Thought it'd be nice to take a look at things from her POV.

Thanks again to my beta, Bellarose20, for the help in editing this one. Hope y'all like it, and as always, feedback is greatly appreciated!


Angel Grove Desert

Command Center

Angel Grove, CA

Tuesday, 09:13 PM

"AND YOU'RE SURE ABOUT THIS, KIMBERLY?"

The pink ranger looked up tearfully at the person she considered a second father.

"Yes, Zordon. I don't want to leave my friends and family, especially at a time like this… but I can't stay here anymore."

The past few days had been a whirlwind for Kimberly. From learning the truth about Jason abandoning Tommy to the green ranger putting one of her best friends into a coma, she had taken just about all she thought she could handle.

And then Tommy visited her a few days after the Siege of Washington D.C., and she'd finally snapped.

The Eltarian gave a rare smile, albeit sad. "VERY WELL. YOUR MORPHER WILL NEED TO REMAIN HERE IN THE EVENT THAT WE NEED TO USE THE PINK RANGER POWERS."

"I understand."

"GOOD LUCK, KIMBERLY, AND MAY THE POWER PROTECT YOU."

She sniffed and wiped at her face.

"Ay yi yi yi yi," Alpha 5 cried, rocking back and forth. "I hate goodbyes. They always overload my circuits."

She chuckled and wrapped her arms around the robot as best she could with her swollen belly. "I'll miss you, too, Alpha."

Kimberly turned around to face the crowd of people watching her. Her team minus Zack, the Time Force rangers, several dozen Time Force officers, the Aquitian rangers, the S.P.D. A-Squad rangers, Galaxy rangers, and the Lightspeed Rescue rangers all stood together as she prepared to say her goodbyes.

She addressed those not on her team first. "I just want to thank you all for stepping in to support us during this war. I know you all have other responsibilities and your own families that need you… It means a lot that you're here."

Jen stepped forward and rest a hand on her predecessor's shoulder. "Where else would we be? Your future is our future. We wouldn't let you take this on by yourselves when we're more than capable of helping."

She lowered her voice. "You leave the rest to us and focus on taking care of that beautiful baby."

Kimberly gave a watery smile. "Thank you."

Jen nodded and squeezed her shoulder. The others moved forward, each giving her a hug and murmuring words of encouragement for her and the baby. Trip gave her a particularly boisterous hug, causing Kimberly to laugh and break the somber mood.

"I'm really gonna miss you, Trip," she told the Xybrian. He grinned and wiped his eyes, releasing her to stand back with his teammates.

Kim turned next to her team, a lump in her throat.

Billy approached first with a bag in hand. "Everything you'll need on KO-35 should be in here."

She grabbed the bag and looked inside. "What is all this?"

"I made some devices you'll find useful. Alpha 5 and Circuit assisted, of course." He pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose and reached inside the bag, pulling out a pretty silver necklace with a blue pendant.

"A translator necklace that should be able to interpret the most prevalent languages spoken on KO-35 into English. It will also translate your words into the language it has detected to allow you to communicate with others." He grabbed another device that looked like a pair of earrings. "Psionic transmission blockers to prevent those gifted with telepathy from reading your thoughts." He retrieved her wrist communicator next. "I've also taken the liberty of modifying your communicator. Unfortunately, the distance is too far to maintain a stable link to the morphing grid to allow teleportation without your morpher, but you should still be able to send and receive transmissions should you desire to communicate with us." He pointed at a bulky item in the bag. "And of course, a Polaroid camera – for pictures of the baby when he arrives."

Kimberly held the bag to her chest and smiled gratefully at her friend. "Thank you, Billy."

He nodded and pulled her into a tight hug. "I will miss you dearly, Kimberly," he whispered.

She pulled back and faced Trini next. The two immediately burst into tears and hugged fiercely.

"We're being ridiculous," Trini said softly. "It's not like we'll never see you again."

Kim clutched her friend tighter. "I know." She sniffled. "I'm scared, Tri. I know I need to do this, but…"

The yellow ranger released her friend and cupped her face. "Do you think this is the best thing for you and the baby?"

Kim nodded.

Trini smiled. "Then there's nothing to be scared of." She grabbed Kim's hands. "You're going somewhere that will allow you to focus on what's most important – raising your son. Andros and Zhane said their friends are more than happy to help you once you get there – you just have to trust that everything will be okay."

Kimberly's face crumpled up, and she hugged the yellow ranger again. "I'm gonna call you every week, so you better be ready to talk."

Trini chuckled and ran a hand down the back of Kimberly's head. "Of course."

The two parted, leaving Jason as the last person for her to say goodbye to. The red ranger approached her slowly.

"You don't have to leave," he said, voice low.

"I think it might be the best thing for everyone if I do."

Jason clenched his jaw, finding it difficult to argue with her. He still cared a great deal for Kimberly, but he couldn't deny the relief he felt when he learned she was planning to leave. He'd been tired of the tension that lingered since they'd broken up, and he was looking forward to being able to work without that looming over him.

For her part, Kimberly was looking forward to not being anywhere near the red ranger. Their last conversation had gone quite poorly, and distance was probably the best way to salvage what they had left between them.

Kim sat quietly by Zack's side, tears streaming down her face. His larger hand rest between hers as he lay comatose on the medical bed. The rise and fall of his chest provided little in the way of comfort, but it helped to at least know he was still alive.

She turned when she heard footsteps, crestfallen to see Andros and Jason headed her way. Andros' hair was loose and sticking to his face, and he walked with a slight limp as if hurt. Jason's shirt was ripped to pieces, and he had smudges of dirt all over his body along with several bruises.

If they were back then that meant that the battle in Washington D.C. was over.

They'd lost.

The space ranger placed a hand on her shoulder and squeezed gently. "Has there been any change?"

She exhaled shakily. "No."

Jason sat down on the other side of the bed at Zack's side, head in his hands.

The soft beeps from the ECG filled the room in the silence that followed.

Jason stared at his bedridden friend with hard eyes, nostrils flared. "I'm going to kill him."

"What are you talking about, Jason?" Andros asked tiredly.

The red Earth ranger glared at him. "If you believe for one second that I'm letting that son of a bitch get away with this, then you're either stupid or delusional. He needs to pay for what he's done."

"Then we capture him. Bring him in to the Eltarian Council." Andros shook his head. "You're not a killer, Jason."

"LOOK AT ZACK!" the Earth ranger roared, tears in his eyes. "Look at what that bastard did to him!"

"I know what he did!" Andros shouted, eyes blazing. "But you and I both know that killing Tommy won't change anything!"

"It'll stop him for good." Jason stood up and paced. "It'll make me feel better."

"No, it won't, because this has nothing to do with Tommy – not really. This is about you and the fact that you can't handle your part in all of this."

Kim turned watery eyes on Jason. Her sadness over Zack's condition was quickly becoming overshadowed by her rising anger towards her ex-boyfriend in light of his confession earlier that evening.

"This isn't about me," Jason hissed. "Something has to be done – he's gone too far this time."

"And what exactly measures as too far to you?" the pink ranger spoke up, heat behind her words. "When it doesn't get you what you want? Because it wasn't too far when you left him with Rita and Goldar."

"Kim, I wish I hadn't done it. If I could take it back…" He grit his teeth. "By the time I realized my mistake, it was already too late. Rita took back her offer – there was nothing I could do." Jason closed his eyes and sighed, a wave of guilt rolling over him. "I had no idea what they would do to him, and if I'd known…" He licked his lips. "I didn't think it'd actually be so bad that it'd push him to try and – "

"What did you think he was going to do?" she yelled, eyes bloodshot. "They tortured him day after day until they broke him, Jason…and then they set him loose." She stood up. "It didn't occur to you to go to the worst-case scenario? Because that's what always happens with Tommy, and that's exactly what happened with Zack."

Jason turned from her angrily but said nothing.

Andros narrowed his eyes as he watched the red Earth ranger. "You're a disgrace."

Kim could see the muscles in Jason's back tense up from the comment.

"Not only did you abandon a defenseless civilian because of your jealousy, you endangered the lives of countless others by failing to do your duty as a ranger." Andros shook his head. "I watched the footage of your fights with the green ranger – you could've stopped him time and time again, Jason."

The red Earth ranger looked down in shame.

"I thought your hesitation was because you didn't want to hurt someone you once considered a friend, but it was your guilt, wasn't it?"

Andros grew impatient when Jason remained quiet. "Wasn't it?!" he yelled.

Jason turned to Andros with wet eyes. "Yes, all right?! You're right – I could've stopped him, and I didn't because I knew on some level, I-I deserved it… but not anymore. You see what he's done – this has to stop." He clenched his fists. "I'm taking him out – it's what Zack would want."

"What Zack would want is to protect the people of this planet, not to be the reason you decided to become a murderer," Andros said tightly. "Don't dishonor his sacrifice."

He moved so that he was standing directly in front of Jason. "You let your emotions cloud your judgment, you put a civilian's life in jeopardy, and you threatened the safety of this planet by refusing to contain a threat when the opportunity presented itself. We. Don't. Do. That."

He glared at the black-haired teen. "You don't deserve to be a ranger."

Kim and Jason watched Andros leave the medical bay, his parting words leaving the two of them in tense silence.

Jason swallowed thickly, tears running down his face. "Kim…"

"He's right," she whispered. "God, none of us could ever figure out why Tommy hated you so much, but you knew all along, didn't you?"

The guilt on his face made the answer to her question clear.

Kim's nostrils flared as she tried to keep herself from slapping him. She knew this wasn't all Jason's fault – Tommy made his own choices in all of this – but it felt damn good to yell at the red ranger. Ever since it came out that she cheated on him, he'd been making her feel like shit. It felt good to be able to rail on him for once.

"Well, I hope it was worth it." She glared at him. "Because that's why Zack's hurt. That's why he's in a coma. Tommy did this to him because of you." She wiped her eyes. "So, you know what? You don't get to do this, Jason, all right? It's too late for you to cry and act like you've seen the light and get angry about some imaginary line you've decided Tommy can't cross just because you're afraid you're the reason Zack's going to die."

Jason's eyes fluttered in pain, and Kim immediately regretted her harsh words.

But she wouldn't apologize.

"I-I have to go," he mumbled and headed for the exit.

She stopped herself from going after him and turned her attention back to the motionless black ranger. She cupped his hand in hers once more, pushing back thoughts of Jason and Tommy and the mess the three of them made in order to focus on her fallen friend.

Jason moved forward and pulled her into a loose hug. She wrapped her arms around his waist.

He pressed a light kiss to her cheek. "Take care of yourself," he whispered.

She pulled back and nodded, giving his hand a small squeeze before heading out of the Power Chamber. Andros and Zhane stood waiting in the hallway for her.

"You ready?" Zhane asked.

She shook her head. "I have one more thing I need to take care of. I'll meet you guys at the ship."

Kim headed down the hall, making the now familiar trek to the medical bay. She walked over to Zack, heart breaking at the sight of her friend hooked up to so many machines.

After the black ranger had passed out on the battlefield following Tommy's attempt to save his life, Trini had teleported him back to the Power Chamber, where she and the others attempted to revive him. His heartbeat had been erratic, and the readings on the ECG indicated he was going into cardiac arrest. Despite attempts to restart his heart with the defibrillator, nothing appeared to work, and the black ranger eventually flatlined.

In the minutes that followed, countless tears had been shed by those surrounding the fallen teen. Billy, who lay on the bed beside him with a badly damaged leg, had to be restrained by several Time Force officers from trying to get to Zack. Chad, the blue Lightspeed Rescue ranger, held Trini as she cried into his chest.

It was only when they heard the steady, slow beeping on the ECG did everyone realize that Zack was, in fact, still alive.

They later learned that he hadn't actually flatlined – his heart rate had been so fast that the machine couldn't keep up. Tommy's green energy in combination with the black ranger's own powers had caused an overload that he hadn't been able to handle. His body had been working feverishly to manage the energy spike and had finally reached a point where his heartbeat could slow down enough so that it was detectable.

They also learned, when Cestro came to heal him, that the worst of his wound had already been healed. The green ranger had used his powers to re-stitch the damaged organs and muscles, but it caused too much stress on Zack's injured body, and he'd passed out before Tommy was able to fully heal him. Unfortunately, his body was still fighting with the green energy he'd been infused with, so any further attempts to heal him by the rangers were stopped in fear of causing further damage to their friend.

That was four days ago, and Zack was still unconscious.

He was declared comatose when all known methods to wake him up had been attempted with no result. As far as they could tell, there was no reason for him to be in his coma. He was completely capable of waking up at any time – he just wouldn't.

"Hey," Kim said softly as she stood over her friend. If it weren't for the machines beeping around him, she could've imagined he was sleeping.

"I have to go away for a little while," she told him, taking his limp hand in hers. "Things have gotten too complicated for me here, and I just need time to get my head right. For me and the baby."

She smiled. "I dream sometimes about what it's going to be like once this baby is born… and in every one of those dreams, you're there. I need you to be there." She squeezed his hand. "Please wake up."

Kim sighed when he didn't respond and brushed her thumb over his eyebrow. She bent down, pressing a soft kiss against his forehead.

"I'm so sorry," she whispered into his skin.

The pink ranger wiped her eyes and headed out of the medical bay to the elevators, her gifts from Billy in hand. She gave the Power Chamber one last tearful look before pressing the button to head up to the surface.

The Astro Megaship sat outside of the ruins of the Command Center. The bridge was down, Zhane seated there waiting for her. He stood when he saw her.

"I'm ready."

Fifteen minutes later, Kim stared out the window of the ship, the Earth growing smaller and smaller as they headed further into space. Tears streamed down her face as she watched the only home she'd ever known slowly fade into darkness.

A hand on her shoulder jolted her, and she turned to see Andros standing there. "Everything will be okay, Kimberly."

She nodded, turning back to look out the window.

She hoped he was right.


Eastern Grasslands Home of Stevros and Jenanthia

Living Room

KO-35

Five days later, Local time, Morning

"Andros… there's no way I can stay here."

The red space ranger turned to her, sweating slightly in his sleeveless undershirt and gray slacks. "This is one of many homes that once belonged to my parents. I assure you, it is no problem for you to stay here with your son."

Kim shook her head in disbelief. It was a modest home with four bedrooms and two-and-a-half bathrooms and was already fully-furnished.

"But I can't afford to live here."

Andros raised an eyebrow. "Why are you expecting to pay? As I said before, you are my guest."

"Andros…"

He held up a hand. "You're living here. That's final." He looked around. "Now, which room do you want this chair in?"

Andros and Zhane were helping her get everything situated in the new house. Luckily, she didn't have much – most of what she brought was for the baby – so it didn't take more than a few hours to unpack everything.

"This is the last thing," a shirtless Zhane said, holding the package for the baby's crib under his arm. "Leave it in the nursery?"

Kimberly stared at him, eyes trailing over his torso. He was almost as defined as Tommy, though the biggest difference was the trail of blond hair on his stomach that disappeared beneath the waistband of his pants.

"Kim?"

She blinked and flushed slightly.

"Uh y-yes." She cleared her throat. "The nursery should be fine."

The pink ranger shook her head. Those pregnancy hormones always seemed to kick in at the wrong damn time.

Zhane came back into the living room, and Kim pointedly look away from him.

"So, what now?" he asked, now standing behind the petite pink ranger.

Andros stood, putting his jacket back on. "We need to stop by the market. The house doesn't have any food, so you'll need to stock up."

Zhane smiled. "Maybe we can show you around town, too?" he suggested looking down at her. "Show you where things are in the city?"

Kim nodded, ears red. "That would be great."

Andros looked between them and rolled his eyes. He grabbed Zhane's shirt and jacket and tossed it to his friend with more force than was necessary, hitting him in the chest. The blond shot him a confused look.

"Get dressed. We're leaving now."

The first place they stopped looked like an ordinary home – well, ordinary for KO-35. An old woman opened the door, blue eyes watching curiously as they approached.

"It's quite warm out," she said. "You all should be careful to protect yourselves."

Andros stepped to her. "Protection is only needed for those who fear the sun."

Kim furrowed her brow. 'What the fuck kinda response is that?'

"You do not fear the sun?"

"No," he said. "There is no reason to fear the light when you choose to walk in it freely."

The old woman chuckled and opened the door further. "You may come inside."

The pink ranger followed behind Andros and Zhane, completely confused as to what the hell that was all about. They led her further into the house to a door with a keypad next to it. Andros punched in a series of numbers and then the door opened, revealing a staircase. He headed downstairs, Zhane and Kimberly on his heels.

The pink ranger's eyes widened when they reached the bottom.

Andros turned back to look at her. "Welcome to the rebel base, Kimberly."

The room looked like something straight out of Star Trek. The layout was similar to that of the Power Chamber, and she figured this place must have been the basis for the design. The biggest difference was the amount of tech in the room – large floating TVs, holographic projectors, some weird spinning thing that seemed to generate its own electricity.

'Billy would be in heaven here,' she thought as she took in the various gadgets in the room.

"Andros! You're back!"

A young woman with strawberry blonde hair approached the trio and hugged Andros tightly. She was slightly older than all of them and quite tall, over six feet if Kim had to guess. The carefully ironed slacks and fitted black shirt she wore gave her an air of authority.

"Hey, Klasiah."

"No hug for me?" Zhane pouted.

"Do you deserve one?" she asked. She laughed when he rolled his eyes and gave him a quick hug. The woman then turned hazel eyes on Kimberly.

Andros reached out and wrapped a comforting arm around the pink ranger's shoulders. "Klasiah, meet Kimberly, the pink ranger of Earth. Kimberly, this is Klasiah, fellow graduate of the Eltarian Academy and one of the main reasons behind the success of the rebel army."

"Nice to meet you, Kimberly," the woman said kindly as she shook her hand, revealing twin tattoos on her forearms. "Never met anyone from the Earth team before."

"Glad I could be the first," the pink ranger said, feeding off of the older woman's relaxed energy. "You trained to be a ranger, too?"

"Top of the class," Zhane said. "But then she turned it down."

"Only because I felt my skills were better suited to take care of our home than gallivanting across the universe."

"Yeah, yeah," the blond space ranger said mockingly.

"Zhane and Klasiah are cousins," Andros explained. "You'll get used to their bickering."

"I have an older brother," Kim said wryly. "Trust me, I get it."

"Be careful with it," a loud, gruff voice said from behind them on the staircase. "You damage anything in there and you're paying for it, you hear me?"

A handsome, portly man with a buzz cut stood wearing a dark blue shirt and gray slacks, a frown on his face as he glared up the stairs. His eyes were a vibrant shade of green that Kim had never seen before.

"Boys giving you trouble again, Jax?" Klasiah asked.

"When aren't they?" he asked irritably. "One of these days they're going to regret not listening to me." His eyes landed on Kimberly. "Oh, hello there… and who might you be?"

"Kimberly," she said, slightly nervous. She relaxed at the friendly grin on his face and took the offered hand.

"Jax," he said. "Are you new here?"

"Kimberly is the pink ranger from Earth," Zhane supplied.

Jax's eyes widened in surprise. "Well how about that?" He grinned. "What brings you to KO-35?"

"I'll be living here for the foreseeable future," she said while rubbing a hand over her stomach.

He nodded in understanding and turned to the space rangers. "And just which one of you is responsible for doing this to her?"

Klasiah barked out a laugh at Zhane and Andros' horrified faces.

"Neither of them," Kim said sharply. "I – this – "

Jax held up a hand. "I'm just teasing, Kimberly," he said softly. "It's none of my business, and frankly, I prefer to keep it that way." He shook his head. "My sons keep me in the loop about more than I care to know – no need to pile more on."

"Funny," a younger male voice said.

Kim looked around Jax to see a young man standing there next to a large crate. He was very tall, about 6' 8", and had a lean frame. He had the same vibrant green eyes as Jax and shaggy, dirty blond hair. He wore the same clothes as Jax but his slacks hang low around his hips and his sleeves were rolled up.

A chuckle from the other side of the crate revealed another man, this one older but with similar features. His eyes were amber and his dark brown hair was shaved on the sides and spiked on top. He wore a short boxed beard, and he was stockier and a little shorter, coming in at around 6' 4". He was also wearing the same outfit as Jax, but his shirt was tied around his waist, leaving him in a white undershirt.

"Where do you want these, dad?"

"In the back with the rest, but come here first. Be nice and greet our new guest."

The two walked over and stood beside their father. Jax turned to Kimberly. "These are my sons – Drex and Lukor. Boys, this is Kimberly."

They smiled at her, and Kim couldn't help but notice how attractive they both were.

'Ugh… these goddamn hormones,' she thought irritably.

"Never seen you around before," the older one, Lukor, said. "Are you new to the army?"

"Something like that. I come from Earth."

"Really?" Drex asked, eyes lighting up with interest. "I've always wanted to visit Earth."

Kim smiled, though it didn't quite reach her eyes. She didn't even know how to begin to him explain why that might never happen.

"And you will one day," Andros said, giving Kim a knowing glance. She smiled gratefully.

"You're a long way from home," Lukor pointed out. "What brings you to KO-35?"

"Are you visiting or moving here permanently? Where's the rest of your team? When did you arrive?" Drex asked, rattling off his questions one after the other.

Jax clapped a hand on both of his sons' shoulders. "Now, now… I just wanted you to introduce yourselves, not interrogate her. She just got in town – don't scare her off by asking so many questions. She'll be around for a while, so you'll have time." He looked behind them. "Now get moving with that package. You're blocking the staircase."

Drex and Lukor said their goodbyes and went back to moving the large crate into a room in the far back.

"What'd you bring us this time?" Klasiah asked.

He grinned. "Let's just say I think you'll find some things a certain someone has been asking me to bring for quite a while."

Her eyes lit up. "Really?"

Jax shrugged knowingly. "Only one way to find out..."

The pink ranger watched in amusement as Klasiah dragged the older man behind her excitedly in the same direction his sons ventured off.

"Interesting group of people here," she said softly.

"That's a word for them," Zhane said. "It might take some time for you to get used to everyone, but…"

"No, no, I didn't mean it in a bad way," she said quickly. "I'm actually looking forward to meeting everyone."

"I'm glad," Andros said. "There are quite a few people we still need to introduce you to before we head out. Come on."

The rest of their time at the rebel base went by in a blur for the pink ranger. Andros and Zhane introduced her to another seventeen members of the rebel army before they had to leave. Many of them were in awe of her, excited to have the opportunity to meet a power ranger from a different team. Others had never met an earthling before and had dozens of questions about her home planet. All of them were very personable and intrigued by the pink ranger.

And Kimberly discovered she was just as interested in them.

Despite some of the obvious differences – a good number of them didn't speak the same language or weren't even humanoid – she found many of them reminded her of the people she left back home. Not exactly the same, but enough to put her at ease. One of her biggest concerns about leaving Earth was not being able to connect with anyone while she started her new life on KO-35.

It was comforting to realize she had little to be worried about.

"Already headed out?" Kim heard Jax ask as they started to ascend the stairs. He and Klasiah had made their way back over to them to see them off.

"Yes," the silver space ranger said. "We need to gather some supplies for Kimberly and show her around the city before we head back to Earth."

Klasiah nodded. "Right. Well… make sure you stop by again before you leave." She turned to the pink ranger. "And you stop by, too, Kimberly. We need to make sure we get your information so we can check up on you while you're here. From the looks of it, you're due any day now, so we'll need to get you setup with a doctor soon."

"O-Of course." Kimberly smiled gratefully. "Thank you."

Klasiah smiled. "Think nothing of it."

Andros frowned as he gazed at his watch. "We really must get going."

"Right." The pink ranger waved. "I'll see you all again soon."

"Safe travels!" she heard Jax call out behind them.

Kim followed behind Andros and Zhane to the hovercar quietly, a soft smile on her face.

"Maybe this won't be so bad after all," she murmured to her unborn child, hands rubbing her stomach gently. "What do you think?"

Kimberly wasn't expecting a response from her son, so she couldn't help but grin when she felt the baby kick against her palm.

"Yeah, me too."


Western Hills Hospital

Operating Room 29

KO-35

Weeks later, Local time, Mid-Afternoon

"Okay, Kimberly, how are you feeling?"

The pink ranger looked nervously at the doctor. "I-I'm okay."

Kim felt incredibly nervous. She was scheduled to deliver the baby in two days, but her water broke unexpectedly today, and she was rushed to the hospital.

"You're doing great, Kim. This is a standard procedure and will all be over with soon."

One of the first things Kimberly did upon moving to KO-35 was find a doctor to help with her pregnancy. Several women she met at the rebel base had given her recommendations to see Dr. Prenjak. Kim was immediately reassured by the doctor's kind demeanor and felt very at ease with her from the very beginning.

"Just remember to breathe, okay?"

About two weeks before her due date, Dr. Prenjak had discovered that the baby was breeched. His body was oriented feet first, and as a result, a C-section would most likely be needed. They had hoped the baby might turn around by the due date, but upon checking today, they saw that he was still in the wrong position.

"Now tell me, do you feel any pain?"

Kim shook her head. They had injected her with something that made her stomach feel numb and all the pain go away.

It felt pretty amazing.

"All right. We're going to start the procedure soon. You might feel some discomfort while we're working."

"Okay."

"Do you know if the father will be here?"

The pink ranger lay her head back on the bed. "Just… just start without him."

Mercifully, Kimberly felt very little pain throughout the procedure – some pulling and pushing here and there, but no real pain.

Her anxiety, however, was through the roof.

It was surreal for her to think that after all these months with this life growing inside of her, he was finally here.

"All right, I have his feet." She felt more pulling and then shrill cries. "And there's the head."

Dr. Prenjak looked up at her. "Congratulations, Kimberly. You have a healthy, baby boy."

The pink ranger cried when she saw her son in the doctor's arms, squirming and crying his little heart out. Dr. Prenjak cut the umbilical cord and handed the baby over to another doctor who quickly left the room.

"Where are they taking him?" the pink ranger asked, trying to sit up in her panic.

Dr. Prenjak shook her head. "Kimberly, please don't try to move. We have to remove the placenta and stitch you back up. Dr. Krevla took your son to dry off and remove the fluid in his mouth and nose. He'll be brought back to you as soon as we're done – I promise."

Kimberly tried to relax as they finished up the surgery, willing them to hurry up so she could get to her baby. Several minutes passed before they finally finished stitching her up, and she was moved to her recovery room.

Her eyes lit up when the door to her room opened shortly after, a nurse walking in with a bundle in her arms.

"Kimberly… say hello to your son."

The tears started up again as the baby boy was put in her arms, squirming in the blanket he was wrapped in. He had been cleaned off and wore a purple hat on his head. He stared up at her sleepily.

"Hello there," she whispered, a smile on her face. "My little Ryan Christopher Hart."

The infant yawned, tongue sticking out slightly as if he was trying to eat the finger brushing his cheek.

"I'm so happy you're finally here."

The nurse explained to Kimberly how to hold and care for the infant, all the while patiently answering any questions the pink ranger had.

"Do I have to breastfeed him?"

The nurse smiled. "It is recommended but not necessary. He will probably be hungry very soon – if you would like to try, you can do it then."

The child began crying at that moment, his face turning an angry shade of red.

"Or now," the nurse said, voice laced with amusement.

"What do I do?"

"Turn him towards your breast and move him so his mouth is near the nipple." Kim followed the woman's instructions. "Once his mouth is open, just turn him into your chest."

She did as instructed, and it took a few tries before he finally latched on. It pinched a bit in the beginning but then gradually felt better. It was an odd sensation that Kim wasn't really sure she liked, but her son seemed to be much calmer now. That was all that mattered to her.

The nurse excused herself from the room, leaving Kim to feed her son. She burped him when he was finished, already familiar with the action from babysitting her younger cousins for her uncle.

"There you go," she whispered at the now content newborn, shifting her gown around to cover herself back up. "Someone's in a better mood."

A knock at the door caught her attention. "Come in."

The door opened, revealing a nervous Jason carrying a gray backpack. He was dressed in a red and blue plaid shirt and dark jeans. "Hey."

"Hi," she said softly. He cleared his throat awkwardly at the silence.

"Is that…?" He pointed at the bundle in her arms.

She nodded, grinning down at her son. "Meet Ryan. Ryan Christopher Hart."

The red ranger leaned down and traced his thumb over the boy's forehead. "Hey, there. I'm Jason."

The little boy paid him little mind, content from his meal and well on his way to sleep.

"Oh… this is for you," Jason said, reaching into the backpack and handing her two envelopes.

The first was a card that had the signature of everyone back home wishing her good luck with the baby. The second card was just from her teammates, and she gasped when recognized the shaky scrawl that was Zack's handwriting.

"He's up," Jason confirmed. "Nearly passed out trying to sign the damn thing, but he refused to let me give it to you without his signature."

She choked out a laugh at her friend's stubbornness, overwhelmed and overjoyed to learn he was really okay. She put the cards down on the nearby table.

"Thank you."

He nodded and reached into the bag again, pulling out something that appeared to be quite large.

"What's that?"

"A camera I got from Trini. I promised everyone a picture of the two of you." He lifted it up to his face. "Say cheese."

Kimberly turned to look at her son, whose little fist was now pressed up against his mouth. Her heart melted at the sight, and a soft smile stretched across her face.

"Cheese."


Western Hills Hospital

Room 407

KO-35

Next day, Local time, Mid-Afternoon

Fate's a fickle bitch.

The words of his father never rang truer to the red ranger than when he looked down at the newborn baby in his arms. The infant's movements were sluggish as he squirmed in Jason's hold.

Ryan Christopher Hart.

By law, he was Jason's son.

By blood, Tommy was his father.

'What the hell did you get yourself into, Jason?' he thought to himself.

Ryan looked up at Jason sleepily, his steely gray eyes closing periodically. The doctor had informed them that his eyes would change colors after a few months, and Jason was curious what the final color would be.

'Probably brown,' he thought. Kim's dad had blue eyes and Tommy's father's eyes were green, but both of their mothers had brown eyes.

The infant yawned widely, and his arm found its way to his curious mouth. The red ranger chuckled as he watched the child attempt to eat the blanket his arm was wrapped in. He gently smoothed out the boy's hair, which proved surprisingly difficult as it simply refused to be tamed. The brown curls stuck out comically from the baby's head, pointing in every direction.

Just like Tommy's hair would do when they would wake him up from his naps in the back of English class junior year.

Jason closed his eyes, pushing back the flood of anger he felt at the thought of that piece of shit green ranger. The rage had admittedly faded somewhat since Zack had woken up and from working together to take down Zedd. Tommy had proven himself to be a resourceful ally in their fight to take down the power-hungry emperor, which softened some of Jason's more volatile feelings towards his former friend.

He still wanted to kick him in his fucking teeth, though.

Jason looked down at Ryan, taking his small hand in his own. It was weird holding the little boy in his arms. Up until yesterday, the baby was this abstract concept that everyone talked about. He wasn't a person that Jason could hold or feed or talk to, so it was a little easier to deal with his feelings about him.

Now that he was really here, the red ranger couldn't ignore the mixed emotions he felt about the child.

Ryan was a beautiful baby – from the curls at the top of his head down to his feet that kicked beneath the blanket. Jason had always had a fondness for kids, and the moment the newborn had been placed in his arms, the protective side of him kicked into full gear. He knew he would do everything in his power to keep this child safe.

But then there were the darker emotions he felt brewing just below the surface.

It wasn't that he hated Ryan – he could never have enough hate in his heart to feel that way towards a child. The baby was the only innocent one in all of this, and he didn't deserve anything except the love and care of the people around him.

Jason just wasn't sure he could be one of those people.

As protective as he was over the newborn, he couldn't mask the hurt and jealousy he still felt with regards to the circumstances surrounding the child's conception. The emotional pain had slowly begun to ebb with time, but with the birth of Kim's son, Jason now had a permanent, physical reminder of all his failures.

His failed relationship with Kimberly.

His broken friendship with Tommy.

His moment of weakness where he allowed jealousy to overshadow his duty to protect his friend.

He saw it all every time he looked into the little boy's eyes, and it still hurt like hell.

It was the reason he wasn't in the operating room while Kim gave birth. He'd left for the hospital only minutes after receiving her message that she was going into labor. He was there from the moment they gave her the epidural, but he couldn't get himself to walk through the door.

And now that he was finally here, the red ranger was at a loss.

He made the decision to tell everyone that Ryan was his child. He volunteered to take responsibility and support Kim with this baby. There was no taking that back now.

if he was going to play the role, he'd have to find a way to move past this and forge a relationship with the child.

He just couldn't figure out how to do it.

It occurred to him that a good person would have already put aside his personal feelings for the sake of the baby and fulfill the responsibility he signed up for. A good person would have fallen in love with the baby the moment he held him in his arms no matter his paternity.

It also occurred to Jason that he might not be that good of a person.

Could he really go through with raising another man's child – Tommy's child – without resenting the boy in the process? Spend day after day playing House with Kimberly as if she hadn't cruelly broken his heart? Could he look past the fact that Ryan was the result of a huge betrayal and love him as his own anyway?

A few months ago, Jason wouldn't have hesitated and said absolutely.

Now that the time had come… he wasn't so sure.

The real kick in the pants was knowing that at one point in time, there was a chance Ryan actually could have been his. It was a moment of recklessness that could've changed his life forever had things turned out differently.

When Jason Scott woke up this morning, he hadn't anticipated his eighteenth birthday to go down as one of the single greatest and most terrifying days of his young life.

On the plus side, at least it was memorable.

His day started with his parents telling him he didn't have to go to school that day and instead taking him out for brunch at his favorite diner. Jason hadn't expected his uncle and grandparents to be there, and the surprise nearly made him cry. His grandparents' health wasn't the best these days – one had Alzheimer's, the other lung cancer – so to have them both there, lucid and in such good spirits, meant a great deal to the teen.

Afterwards, he met up with Zack and some of the other football players at the arcade when school got out. They'd gone upstairs to play a couple rounds of laser tag before heading to the movies to catch the latest Jean-Claude Van Damme flick, "Maximum Risk". Truthfully, he couldn't even remember what the plot was – only that there was a lot of explosions and tons of ass-kicking involved.

Two pick-up games of basketball at Angel Grove Park later, and Jason was ready to call it a day. He waved goodbye to his friends and headed home, mindful of the note on the refrigerator from his parents that they would be back late tonight. The red ranger took a quick shower and threw on a red tank top and some black basketball shorts, snacking on some puffed Cheetos as he watched reruns of COPS.

An hour later, he was in the process of adding the new CDs he received for his birthday to his collection when the doorbell rang. Jason headed downstairs and opened the door, surprised to see Kim standing there in a white sundress and gladiator sandals, her toes a pretty shade of red. She had a large brown bag that smelled like Chinese food, a large bottle of ginger ale, and two VHS tapes tucked under her arm.

"Can I come in?"

He nodded and stepped aside, allowing her entry into his home before closing and locking the door behind her.

"I thought you were spending the weekend at your dad's place?"

She rolled her eyes, setting the food down on the coffee table. "I am, but then I figured – why rush to get there today…" She walked over and wrapped her arms around his neck. "…when I could be spending tonight with you instead?"

He smiled and leaned down, pressing a soft kiss to her lips. He figured Kim's reason for staying had a little more to do with not wanting to spend more time with her dad and stepmother than was legally agreed upon in the custody battle, but he appreciated her being here nonetheless.

"Thank you."

Honestly, Jason was surprised that she even stopped by. Things had been a little awkward between them lately, and he wondered if he had done something to offend her. She had barely addressed the message he left on her answering machine earlier that week, clamming up anytime he mentioned it. He didn't know what the hell was wrong with her, but she was here now, so he took that to mean that it had finally resolved itself.

"So…" He nudged her arm. "What'd you get me for my birthday?"

The pink ranger winced. "Nothing?"

Jason raised an eyebrow. "The self-proclaimed Queen of Gifts? Funny." When he saw she wasn't joking, his eyes widened. "Seriously?"

She sighed. "I was going to get you a couple of new CDs, but I had to put the kibosh on that idea once Zack told me what he and the guys were doing." She bit her bottom lip. "And then I thought well, maybe I could get you that videogame you were so excited about. The one with the guy who chases pigs – "

"Duke Nukem 3D," he supplied helpfully.

" – but the price is still too high."

"No worries." He pointed to his room upstairs. "My uncle got it for me. Haven't opened it yet, but it's pretty much gonna be my whole weekend now."

"Oh." She pouted.

"Hey." He pinched her side. "You know you don't have to get me anything, Kim. Just having you here today is more than enough."

She scowled. "That's lame, Jason."

He laughed loudly. "Sorry? I thought it was romantic."

"Look, Zack is not beating me this year. I've won six years in a row at giving you the best birthday gift. My streak must remain intact."

The red ranger sighed and walked around to sit on the couch. "You two… I don't know how many times I have to tell you guys how stupid this whole competition is – "

Kim narrowed her eyes and grinned, joining him on the couch. She squeezed his knee. "So, you still think it's stupid even if my gift now is a night of fooling around?"

" – but I definitely think you should go for seven years straight. Don't let Zack break your streak."

The pink ranger laughed hard.

"Fooling around, huh?" His face lit up, and he scooted closer to her. "Well that's certainly a gift that can't be topped. What did you have in mind?"

"You're the birthday boy." She reached for the Chinese food and grabbed the egg rolls. "What do you want?"

He pondered this. "It can be anything I want?"

She paused at the way he stressed anything before taking a bite of the appetizer. "We're not doing anal."

He sighed, disheartened to learn it was still firmly off the table.

Jason had become intrigued by the idea of anal sex thanks to the porn collection he'd received from Zack's older brother before the start of junior year. Derek had split the massive collection into three parts – the largest for him to take to college, and the rest split evenly between his little brother and Jason for helping him clean the house after an unauthorized house party.

Truth be told, anal sex was never something that really appealed to Jason, and he suspected it must hurt like hell, but he couldn't help but be curious about trying it one day.

He brought up the idea of trying it once to Kim at the end of junior year. She told him point blank he'd lost his damn mind if he thought that day would ever come with her.

"Okay…then how about this. Either anal or – " He held up a finger when she glared at him. " – or something else that I wanna try."

Kim furrowed her brow. "Like?"

The red ranger leaned forward and whispered in her ear. He sat back and studied her face to see her reaction.

"And for the second thing, I promise to pull out." He bit his lip. "I just wanna know what it feels like."

She took a bite of her eggroll, purposefully ignoring his hopeful expression. "The first thing? No. The second one… okay."

He blinked. "Wait seriously?"

He thought she would have said no to everything. Now that it looked like it was actually going to happen, he began to get excited.

"Well, I'm certainly not doing the other thing."

His other request was to go down on her. It was something Kim had consistently declined in the past, adamant that she just wasn't ready for that step yet. He had accepted her answer, but once she had started giving him oral sex, he couldn't help feeling it was unfair that he couldn't return the favor.

Fortunately for him, he didn't know that she was very well-acquainted with the pleasure of oral sex thanks to a certain green ranger. Her refusal now had less to do with being ready and everything to do with her feeling that that particular level of intimacy should be reserved for Tommy alone.

"So, when do we…?"

She shook her head. "Eat first and then…" She held up the movies in her hand. "Goldeneye and Top Gun."

"And then…?"

She laughed at his eager expression. "Yes, Jason."

For Kim, this was her first real test since starting this whole affair with Tommy. She had been adamant that she wanted to remain with Jason while engaging in a sexual relationship with the green ranger – it hadn't occurred to her at the time that this potentially involved having sex with both of them.

The thought alone made her stomach twist in discomfort.

The obvious way to avoid that was to choose one of them and not even entertain the thought of cheating, but it was too difficult for her to go through with it. Her history with the red ranger made it impossible for her to break things off with him, and the heat between her and Tommy was already too hot to ignore.

Kim forced a smile on her face as she watched her boyfriend – she'd just have to push thoughts of the green ranger out of her head. Tonight was about Jason.

They finished off their dinner while watching Goldeneye, rinsing off the plates and utensils before leaving them in the kitchen sink. Jason suggested they go upstairs to watch Top Gun, preferring the intimacy of his bedroom to the living room.

They lay cuddled up in his bed as they watched the movie, Kim tucked into his side. Cuddling turned into making out as the movie played in the background, which eventually evolved into heavy petting. By the time the credits rolled around, Kim's panties were on the floor and Jason's shorts and boxers were hanging around his thighs as they writhed against each other.

Jason wheezed into the pink ranger's chest, his grip on her ass tight. He grit his teeth, hips thrusting frantically as she ground against him hard.

"O-Ohmygod," he stuttered, taking a bouncing nipple into his mouth and sucking hungrily. "Uhn! Uhn!"

Jason flipped them over, lifting her legs up higher along his sides. He rubbed his cock against her sex, stimulating her clit with the ridge along the underside of his shaft. He groaned when her thighs tightened around his waist.

"I'mgonnacum…" he moaned in her ear, cock already pulsing.

He lifted up and grabbed a tissue off the nightstand, ejaculating into it with a grunt when he reached his peak. He stroked himself and groaned, waiting until he was completely done before falling over onto his back. He closed his eyes and exhaled deeply.

Zack had told him before that the best way to last longer during sex was to get one off beforehand. The orgasm he just had should definitely do the trick – hell, his thighs were still twitching.

When the tremors finally stopped, Jason leaned forward and kissed the spot above her right breast, lazily stroking himself back to full hardness. He grabbed the remote and turned off the VCR, switching the TV back to basic cable where an episode of Walker Texas Ranger was playing.

He put the remote on the floor and turned to the pink ranger, wiggling his eyebrows playfully. "Can I have my present now?"

Kim snorted and removed her dress, tossing it and her bra across the room. "Yeah. Come on."

The red ranger kissed her enthusiastically. She rolled her eyes when they broke apart, a slight smile on her face. "You're such a dork."

Kim laid out across the bed, her hair spilling across the pillows. She spread her legs to make room for him, and the red ranger bit his lip at the sight.

"Fuck," he said under his breath.

He gave himself a few rough strokes before climbing over her. Grabbing her legs, he pulled her towards him and placed the backs of her knees over the bend in his arms, pressing his cock against her entrance. He exhaled once the head was in and gave slow, shallow thrusts to work himself into her. She gripped his forearms tightly, arching her back with a groan once he was fully inside. Jason held still and took deep breaths as he took in all of the sensations around his cock that the condom masked.

"Oh god," he whispered aloud. "Holy shit."

The guys were definitely right about this one – nothing compared to going bareback. He could feel how hot and moist she was around him, gripping him all along his length. The only feeling he could compare it to was the first time he morphed into the red ranger, and even that seemed to pale in comparison.

Jason pulled out slowly, leaving only the tip in before he pushed in all the way. Kim gasped and clenched the sheets.

"You all right?" he asked, concerned that he'd hurt her.

She nodded, eyes closed. "K-Keep going."

Jason took slow breaths and gave a few more measured thrusts, noticing it was getting easier to slide into her. He tried his best to be mindful of how hard he was going. Kimberly seemed to be in a lot of pain the first time they were together, so he had taken special care to move slowly and refrained from going too deep in order to keep from hurting her. This time, though, she seemed much more at ease, which was good since he didn't seem to be able to exhibit the same level of control.

"Fuck," he moaned, head tilted back. He shifted so that he was on his hands and knees over her, pushing her thighs up and back so that her legs were wrapped around his upper arms.

Jason buried his head into her neck with a hoarse moan, using his grip on the mattress to drive hard into her snug depths.

"Uhn! Uhn!" he panted in her ear, eyes closed. "Ohh… you feel so…UNH!"

He'd never felt anything half as good, and it only took a matter of minutes before he was right on the edge.

"Nngh! Fuckit'ssogood…"

His eyes shut tight, his frantic pace stuttering out as his cock began to swell. He kept thrusting, wanting it to last just a little bit longer.

Somewhere in the back of his mind, Jason could hear the small, responsible voice telling him he needed to stop before things went too far. It was unfortunate that the voice was drowned out by his body screaming at him not to because it felt so damn good.

And then…

"Oh… Oh… HNNG!"

Kim's walls were tightening rhythmically around his cock, sucking him harder and deeper into her until all of the tension in his body disappeared, gradually replaced by a soothing, white-hot pleasure that touched every nerve in his body. It grew stronger and stronger until all the red ranger could do was shiver and moan, eyes fluttering closed as the pleasure washed over him in waves.

He ground against her, gently thrusting his hips until the pleasure began to ebb. It was only when he opened his eyes and felt that all-too-familiar 'jelly legs' sensation that came after a hard climax that everything clicked.

Jason immediately pulled out of her and grabbed a pillow, holding it over his crotch.

"Shit!" He ran his hand through his hair. "I'm sorry. I'm so, so sorry. Oh my god!"

He grabbed the tissue box off the nightstand and handed it to her, panic settling in.

This was bad – this was so fucking bad. If she got pregnant, their parents would kill them. They'd have to get married, quit school, get jobs to support the baby and pay for diapers and pacifiers and daycare…

"Jason, calm down," she said gently, wiping up the mess between her legs.

He stared at her wide-eyed. "How are you so calm about this? You could be pregnant!" he whispered fiercely.

"My period should start in the next few days. If it does, we're good and there's no problem. If not…" She took a deep breath, willing herself to remain calm at the thought of having a baby. "We'll figure it out."

The red ranger nodded absently, not exactly sharing the same level of confidence his girlfriend seemed to have.

Honestly, Kim was pretty sure that she wasn't. If Tommy hadn't already accomplished that, one time with Jason certainly wouldn't.

She blanched at the sudden thought of the green ranger. Thinking of him so soon after being with Jason made her feel slightly nauseous.

"I'm gonna go," she said softly, gathering up her clothes. "Try not to freak out, okay?"

Jason nodded and watched her get dressed. He pressed his hands against the sides of his head once the bedroom door closed behind her.

"Shit!"

Three days later, Kim informed him that she'd had her period as expected. Jason had never felt such relief in his young life, and he swore to never be so irresponsible again.

In retrospect, he should have asked Kimberly to do the same.

He stared down at the now sleeping newborn. If things had gone just a little differently, this could've been his son. He and Kimberly would have been forced to work through their problems for the good of their child, possibly saving their relationship in the process.

Everything would be different.

The red ranger frowned when Zack's words from long ago suddenly echoed in his head.

'Do you even want to be a dad?'

Jason knew in spite of his feelings of being cheated out of a future with Kimberly, the answer to that question was still a definite no. When he was honest with himself and pushed all the bitterness and jealousy and hurt aside, that simple fact had never changed.

He just wasn't ready for that level of responsibility, and he could honestly say he didn't want it anytime soon. Hell, he was still trying to figure out how to lead his team to save the world – adding being a dad on top of that would be a total nightmare.

'So, what the hell am I doing here now?'

"You don't have to do that."

The red ranger snapped from his reverie to see a now-awake Kimberly watching him.

"Sorry?"

"Ryan." She gave a sad smile. "You don't have to hold him, Jason. I know this has to be difficult for you."

'You have no idea how difficult this is,' he thought crossly. He looked down at the baby again, anger slowly melting.

"How are you doing?" he asked, changing the subject. The pink ranger had been asleep for the last three hours.

Kim sighed. "Like I want to kiss the person who invented painkillers."

Jason snorted. "That bad?"

She nodded, wincing slightly as she tried to sit up. The red ranger stood up, gently placing Ryan in his bassinet first before moving over to the pink ranger's side.

"Hey now, be careful," he whispered. He grabbed the controller on the side of the bed and pushed the button so that she was sitting up.

"Thanks," she breathed, still a little groggy.

Jason grabbed the pitcher of water off the table and poured her a drink. She took It gratefully.

The red ranger sat back down in his seat, his gaze falling on Ryan.

"How's he been?" she asked.

"Great," Jason said. "He takes little naps throughout the day – doctor said that's to be expected. He doesn't cry too much, and he seems to find his blanket super tasty." His nose scrunched up. "He goes to the bathroom a lot though… I mean a lot. That part hasn't been so great."

Kimberly grinned at the red ranger changing Ryan's diaper. "I wish I'd been awake to see that."

"The first time was the worst." He gave a half-smile and shrugged cockily. "Now I'm a pro."

He expected her to laugh at his comment, so he was alarmed when she appeared to be holding back tears.

"Kim?" He leaned forward, laying a hand on her arm. She turned her hand around to lace her fingers with his.

"It means a lot to me that you're here," she said with a sniffle. "The last time we spoke… and after everything that happened, I just…" Her voice hitched. "Thank you."

His mouth felt dry at her confession, and he swallowed the lump in his throat.

What was he supposed to say in response to that? You're welcome? I don't want to be here, but that's not really an option anymore?

Jason ran his thumb across the back of her hand and licked his lips. "Kim, I – "

Soft little cries from the bassinet broke the moment, and the two turned to see a now fussy Ryan wailing. His face was scrunched up and red, tears welling up in his eyes. The red ranger released her hand and went to pick up the crying infant.

"I just changed him not too long ago." He checked the baby's diaper. "I guess he's hungry."

He rocked Ryan in his arms. "How about we take you to your mom, huh?"

He placed Ryan in the pink ranger's arms, watching silently as she cooed at him. She undid the top of her gown, taking out her right breast. Jason flushed at the sight and turned around.

"I'll give you some privacy," he said once he could hear the sound of Ryan feeding.

Jason left the room, exhaling deeply once he was outside of the door. He braced his forearm against the wall and leaned against it, closing his eyes.

He hadn't realized he'd felt claustrophobic until now.

"…gonna be so happy to see you." Jason's eyes opened when he Kimberly's voice drifted to his ears. "There's your aunt Trini, your uncle Billy…" There was a pause and her voice became tearful but happy. "…your uncle Zack." She cleared her throat. "One day you'll meet your grandparents and your uncle Kenny." Another pause. "And your daddy. I know he can't wait to – "

She cut herself off then, and Jason could hear the hitch in her voice.

"I guess… I guess you've already met him, huh?" she whispered tearfully.

The red ranger grit his teeth and pushed off the wall, a swell of emotions building in his chest. He sat down in one of the hallway chairs and put his head in his hands, forcing himself to take deep breaths.

The weight of it all was getting to him, and he wasn't sure how to handle it.

God, he wished Zack was here – the black ranger was the one person he could always talk to about anything.

Thinking of his friend was the final straw for Jason, and he broke, letting the hot tears fall.

He cried for himself, for Kimberly… for Ryan and Zack – hell, he even shed a few tears for Tommy.

Jason couldn't even remember the last time he'd allowed himself to cry, but once he started, he found he wasn't able to stop. He'd tried his best to keep his feelings in check these last few months in an effort to hold the team together and inspire confidence in his teammates – without that weight on his shoulders, it was a relief to just let go. Crying didn't solve any of the problems he'd been trying to avoid, but he at least felt better now that the tight control he tried to keep on his emotions had loosened a bit, if only temporarily.

The red ranger wiped his eyes and sniffed. Kim would be done feeding Ryan in a few minutes. By then, he would need to become the Jason that everyone depended on.

For now, though, he was content to be a kid who just needed a moment alone to cry.