AN: Hey everyone hope you are having a great time with this story. We like your comments and feedback it makes us better writers hazergirl1220 and have worked hard on trying to get everything set up right, so if you spot any grammar or other small problems. As i have said at the beginning this story is totally written so there won't be any major changes, but advise is always taken for the next story. I am rambling now so anyway guest review replies are at the end of the chapter. On with the story.
Leaving the shop, Jason kept heading down the street a ways.
"Alright," he said to Hayley. "I'm outside."
"Good," she snapped. "Now tell me what happened. Tommy's texts weren't exactly coherent and my conversation with him didn't clear anything up. So start from the beginning."
"Just give me a minute to get clear of anymore people," Jason said, glancing around. "No one else needs to hear this conversation."
"I don't care what you do," Hayley said. "Just tell me what happened to my husband."
Finding a secluded alcove off a building, Jason stepped off the sidewalk. He'd be able to see anyone coming from there so he could be careful what he said.
"Alright," he sighed. "What do you want to know?"
"I want to know what happened," she said shortly. "He's obviously drugged right now. Just how much did you give him?"
"Two of the pain pills," Jason answered. "Just like it says on the bottle."
Hayley groaned.
"Jason, he only takes one," she sighed. "Never two—though that explains a lot… Now what did you two get yourselves into?"
"In our defense," Jason said. "We weren't trying to get involved in anything. All we were doing was taking a walk through the park while we waited for the kids to come back from training or studying or whatever they were doing that morning."
"Uh-huh," she said. "I'm sure."
"It's true!" Jason protested.
Hayley sighed.
"The sad thing is I know that's probably true," she muttered. "So what happened in the park?"
"We were walking around and next thing we knew people were running and screaming," he said. "There were monsters running around and people were collapsing. What were we supposed to do? We could just leave people helpless."
"Oh, good," Hayley said. "Please tell me Tommy didn't willingly go running into this fight."
"Well, not exactly," Jason said, shaking his head. "We were just trying to get people out of the park. Any of the fighting was all me. He did later though when he tried to stop their yellow from doing something stupid—that didn't end well…"
"Of course he did," Hayley sighed. "So this is where you get your life-force stolen, then?"
"Ummm… no," Jason admitted. "That comes later too…"
"So you put yourself into this situation more than once?" she exclaimed.
"Yeah…" he muttered. "That first time all that happened was I sprained my ankle…"
"But that was just the first time," Hayley said. "Have you told Trini yet?"
"Yes," Jason said. "I called her that first night—"
"You called Trini but you didn't call me?" she shouted, making Jason wince again.
"I'm sorry," he said. "But that's supposed to be Tommy's job."
"He was unconscious!" she snapped. "How was he supposed to call me? Jason, you need to call me when things like this happen. I have a right to know what's going on with my husband!"
"I'm sorry," Jason repeated. "I forgot, ok?"
"No, it's not ok," Hayley said shortly. "Apparently I'm going to have to start sending a chaperone with the two of you."
"Hayley…" Jason sighed.
"No," she said. "If you can't be responsible enough to call me when something happens to Tommy, then the two of you shouldn't be allowed to go on trips by yourself."
"None of this was our fault!" Jason protested.
Hayley took a deep breath.
"Just—just start from the beginning," she said. "I won't say anything else until you're done explaining. So go ahead."
Sighing, Jason nodded and started over again.
Back inside the shop, the Mystic Force rangers were all gathered by the DJ tables whispering amongst themselves.
"Maddy, V," Nick said quietly. "I thought you said Tommy wouldn't say anything about us. Do you realize just how close he came to spilling our secret?"
The girls exchanged worried glances.
"Yeah, we do," Vida said. "But Tommy usually isn't like this…"
"Sis is right," Madison agreed. "Most of the time you can't get anything out of Tommy unless he wants you to know. I really don't know what's wrong with him…"
"Could it be a side effect of Clare's spell?" Chip asked.
"No idea," said Xander. "Maybe we should ask Udonna. What are the chances of getting Tommy to agree to letting her check him over?"
"Not gonna happen," Vida answered quickly. "Not with the reaction they had last time. Jason and Tommy don't react like that without good reason."
"Even if they won't tell us the whole reason," Madison added. "Which happens all the time…We'll just have to keep an eye on him."
"Then do that," Nick nodded. "We can't risk him spilling something important."
"I'm sure he won't," Vida said. "Though I still don't understand why he's acting like this…"
"Oh, don't worry," Ethan laughed as he walked past. "This is what happens when Dr. O is on drugs."
They all looked at him in surprise, not realizing he'd been so close. Kira, Trent, and Conner weren't far away either and came to join Ethan.
"Ethan is right," Kira agreed. "You know that brain to mouth filter people—well, most people—have?"
She glanced over at Conner as she said that and he glared at her.
"Yeah," Chip said, nodding.
"Well, usually Dr. O's is like a brick wall," Kira continued. "Everything is examined before it's allowed past. But when he's on strong medication—"
"It goes poof," Conner grinned. "Dissolves like nothing was there. It's really entertaining because he'll say just about anything."
"Like this," Ethan said, turning to Tommy. "Hey Dr. O, what did you get me for my birthday this year?"
"That new gaming chip for your computer," Tommy said absently. "Model X10—Hey!"
He glared at Ethan, who grinned back.
"See?" Ethan said to the other five.
"I'm calling Hayley," Tommy muttered, pulling his phone out. "You're not getting a birthday present now."
"Aww…. Come on, Dr. O," Ethan said. "I really wanted that…And besides, Hayley's on the phone with Jason."
"Then I'll text her," Tommy retorted. "She'll get it."
"Great," Ethan muttered, turning back to the others. "Should have just asked about Conner's present."
"Don't even think about it," Conner said. "I don't want him taking mine away, too."
"Anyways," Trent interrupted before they could start arguing. "This is why he doesn't usually take anything stronger than aspirin. He's got a high pain tolerance, but low drug tolerance because he's usually not allowed to take anything. Hasn't been since something happened in college."
Madison and Vida exchanged looks. They knew why Tommy wasn't allowed pain medication most of the time, not that they wanted to discuss it with anyone else. It was something private and, from the sounds of it, his four students had no idea the real reasons.
"Which is why we're pretty sure Jason gave him too much this morning," Kira said, appearing not to have noticed their looks. "So if there are any secrets you don't want spilled—don't bring them up. Because no promises on him keeping them—not that he'd ever tell on purpose."
"Great," Nick muttered. "Just great."
"Oh, relax, rookie," Conner grinned. "What could he possibly have on the five of you after less than a week? You've got nothing to worry about."
Nick glared at him, but Conner laughed as the four turned and walked away again.
"So, once the whole general fiasco was over, the kids came and found us again," Jason said, starting to wrap up his explanation. "Not that we were hiding from them or anything. Oh. And Tommy's disappearance from that mountaintop confused them to no end. I keep having to change the subject any time it comes up. Not really a good way to explain that away…"
"But none of this explains why Tommy was unconscious for over twenty-four hours," Hayley pointed out. "And why he's acting so out of it this morning."
Jason grimaced, hesitating. He was trying to avoid the inevitable explosion when Hayley found out about the magic, but he wasn't going to be able to hold it off much longer.
"Well," he said slowly. "I did drug him when he woke up."
"That's does not explain it away," Hayley said shortly. "He's never this bad with just drugs. And, on top of that, the doctors usually call the wife when something like this happens."
"We didn't go to the doctors…" Jason mumbled.
"Jason!" she exclaimed. "You know about his history with comas. Why on earth wouldn't you take him to the doctor?"
"Because they wouldn't have been able to help," he snapped.
"Why?" Hayley growled.
"Something happened at the rangers' base," Jason said slowly.
"Jason!" Hayley snapped. "What happened to Tommy? Tell me now."
"Alright," Jason sighed. "But you aren't going to like this…"
"If you don't tell me right now," Hayley growled. "I'm going hack in and destroy your credit to the point that you won't be able to get anything without Trini's help for the rest of your life!"
"Fine!" Jason exclaimed. "The kids and their teachers may or may not be using—magic…"
"What?" Hayley cried.
"And one of them cast a spell on Tommy," Jason muttered.
"They did what?" Hayley sputtered.
"It was apparently supposed to be some kind of healing spell," Jason sighed. "Supposedly the girl who cast it was just a little over exuberant in her casting—it knocked Tommy out cold. I guess she's some student training with their head witch—"
"You let some amateur—witch—cast a spell on Tommy?" Hayley shouted. "What were you thinking? You know how he is with magic!"
"I didn't let anyone do anything!" Jason snapped back. "No one had permission to use magic of any kind on Tommy."
"So you just stood there and let it happen?" she demanded.
"Hayley!" Jason exclaimed. "It wasn't like I was expecting it to happen. And on top of that, I was still in shock over the fact that my sisters are using magic!"
"Are there any side effects of that spell?" Hayley asked sharply.
"I don't know," Jason sighed. "I didn't exactly stick around long enough to ask—and I'm not letting him go anywhere near that place again."
"Good," she snapped. "Now bring him home."
"Hayley, we'll be home next week," Jason frowned.
"No, bring him home now," she growled. "I need to run tests and make sure he's alright. If he's lost control again—"
"Hayley, he's fine," Jason said. "I haven't let him out of my sight since it happened—at least not until the kids got here. They're with him now and they won't let anything happen to him. They know how to handle it."
"Fine, if you won't bring him home, send him with them," she ordered. "At least he'll be away from there."
"He's not leaving," Jason argued. "If there are side effects there's a good chance only they'll be able to fix them."
"Then I will come out there and take it out of their hides," she snarled. "I want Tommy out of there. Don't make me come get him."
"Hayley, please," Jason pleaded. "Let it go. We're fine now."
"Oh, are you?" she asked. "Does Trini know about any of this?"
"Yeah, she knows," Jason muttered.
"And she didn't call me?" Hayley exclaimed.
"No," Jason said. "She probably thought I'd be calling you."
"Because you should have!" she snarled. "You of all people should know what magic does to Tommy!"
"Yeah, I know," Jason snapped. "I'm the one he tried to kill, remember? I remember what it was like when he was under someone else's control and I'm not about to let that happen again. Not to mention what happened freshman year in college… Magic and Tommy don't mix."
"Then bring him home," Hayley snapped back.
"When our trip is over," Jason retorted. "I made a promise to my sisters and I'm not breaking it unless I have to—even if they are practicing magic. I made it very clear to them how I felt and the consequences of them using magic around us again."
"Fine," Hayley said. "You know what? I'm calling Trini. By the time I'm done you'll be sleeping in a tent in the backyard."
"Hayley…" Jason groaned.
"And, even better," she continued. "I'm sending a message to Kim and Kat."
Jason grimaced.
"Please don't do that," he said. "I really don't want to—"
"Sent," Hayley interrupted smugly. "Now I want to talk to my husband."
"You just had to do it, didn't you?" Jason muttered as he started heading back into the store. "Just had to get them involved. They're going to kill me!"
"Too bad for you," Hayley said, clearly not happy with him. "You're the one insisting on staying there, so deal with the consequences."
Rolling his eyes, Jason walked back inside. Mystic Force was still grouped by the DJ tables while Tommy's four were over by him.
"Here," Jason said shortly, holding out the phone. "It's your wife."
"Hi Hayley," Tommy said, taking the phone back.
Jason stalked away, grumbling under his breath. The teens snickered.
"I saw a really cool tree the last time I was awake," Tommy said. "It looked like a dragon…Can I start working with the trees at our house? I can start trimming things and make some topiaries…Why not?...So? How about out in the woods over the—entrance?…Well it's not like anyone goes out there… What? Oh, I sent that because—well, for revenge…No, just my reds list…Oh, that was TJ…Oh. Sure."
Tommy looked over at Jason.
"Hayley says I'm not allowed to take anymore medication without her express permission," he said.
Jason rolled his eyes, but nodded as Tommy paused.
"And also that someone needs to film me acting like this so she has blackmail," Tommy continued. "Wait a minute! Hayley! Why did you tell me to say that?"
The teens had started laughing harder. Ethan had immediately whipped his phone out, camera on.
"That's not fair…" Tommy muttered. "I'm not giving you your birthday present now…You won't find it before I get back…No, I hid it in the attic—hey! Hayley, this is cheating…"
"Dr. O is pouting," Conner snorted. "Please tell me you're still filming."
Ethan nodded, laughing too hard to respond as he tried to hold his phone steady.
"Alright," Tommy sighed. "Yes, I'll call you later tonight…Ok. I love you too. Bye."
As he hung up, Trent held out his hand expectantly. Tommy frowned for a moment and then actually looked at the phone in his hand.
"And that's not my phone," he said. "Sorry about that, Trent."
Trent shrugged, putting his phone away.
"Not a problem," he said. "I just don't want to leave without it. Dad wouldn't be happy if he tried to call and couldn't get a hold of me."
Tommy chuckled.
"Probably not," he said, leaning back in his chair.
He yawned, his eyes starting to droop again.
"Hey Jason," Conner said. "Dr. O needs more coffee."
"But he already had a huge cup," Chip said.
The teens laughed.
"What's so funny?" Xander asked.
"One cup of coffee isn't going to do anything," Ethan said, shaking his head.
"Why not?" Madison asked. "He's been more awake."
"Because he's been talking," Kira pointed out.
Jason shook his head.
"He's had more than one cup," he said. "He had some this morning."
"I'm right here…" Tommy mumbled. "Stop talking like I'm not here…"
"Then wake up," Jason said.
"Get me more coffee," Tommy retorted, stifling another yawn.
"I think you probably should, big brother," Vida said. "Cause Tommy looks like he's about to fall asleep again…"
Tommy yawned and Jason sighed.
"Come on, bro," Jason said, reaching over to shake Tommy's shoulder. "Wake up. Haven't you had enough coffee yet?"
"No," Conner snorted.
"Dr. O practically ran on coffee our senior year," Kira said. "How do you think he got everything done between school and—well, everything else?"
Jason shrugged. Tommy's phone went off and he pulled it out.
"Umm… Jason?" he asked, frowning as he looked at the text he'd just received. "Why do I have a text from Kim saying that if I don't respond she's going to kill my best friend?"
Jason groaned and the teens snickered.
"Because Hayley told her you got hurt," he muttered.
"So why would she hurt Adam?" Tommy asked.
Conner, Ethan, Trent, and Kira lost it, laughing so hard they were almost crying.
"Hey!" Jason exclaimed. "What do you mean, Adam? And she shouldn't be threatening me like that. Kim is supposed to respect me!"
Tommy just laughed, texting Kim back. The other five were snickering, though they still weren't entirely sure what was going on. And they still weren't sure what Jason had told Hayley.
"Dr. O made a joke!" Conner sputtered, literally on the floor laughing.
"Yeah, yeah, yeah," Jason grumbled. "You're probably going to be hearing from Kat, shortly."
"Oh, good," Tommy said. "So you're really in trouble. Oh—text from Kat. She's heading to the airport…Where is she?"
Jason frowned.
"Supposed to be on tour with her dance company," he said. "And I'm pretty sure they have a show tonight or tomorrow."
"Well, she's not going to be there," Tommy said, shaking his head.
"She's not coming here, is she?" Jason exclaimed.
"I don't know," Tommy shrugged. "She says she'll call when the plane lands…Either way you're dead."
"Great," Jason muttered. "Just what I need…I didn't do this!"
"And I don't think she cares," Tommy smirked.
"Jason," Vida interrupted. "What exactly did you tell Hayley?"
He glanced over at the Mystic Force group, all of whom were looking extremely concerned.
"I told her what happened," Jason said. "Tommy and I got caught in a monster attack, we both got hurt, and the power rangers—rescued—us. I also might have mentioned Tommy was unconscious for over twenty-four hours. That's what really set her off. She started yelling at me about not taking him to the doctor with his history of comas..."
"And that was all you told her?" Nick asked, scowling at Jason.
"Yes, rookie," Jason snapped. "Why—got something else you want me to throw in?"
Several phones going off at the same time drew everyone's attention. Jason, Tommy, Kira, Trent, Ethan, and Conner all pulled out their phones. The teens immediately burst into laughter, doubling over as they tried to stay upright.
"Great pic, Dr. O!" Ethan laughed. "Maybe better than the first one."
"That was not me," Tommy said, chuckling as he looked at the picture on his phone. "I didn't have that picture. Nice look, Jase. I don't think Kim is too happy with you."
"I can see that," Jason growled.
"What picture?" Vida asked. "Let me see."
She went around the back of Tommy's chair, leaning over to see. He hit a button on his phone so just the picture was showing. It showed Jason as a little boy. There was make-up on his face and short ponytails sticking off of his head in tufts. A smiling Kim was standing proudly in the picture with him. Vida burst out laughing.
"You have to send that to me," she said. "Please?"
"You got it," Tommy smirked as Jason sputtered in protest.
"Tommy!" he exclaimed. "You can't give things like that to my sisters!"
"Why not?" Tommy asked. "There, V. Sent."
"Because they'll try using it against me," Jason protested.
"And that's a problem because?" he said.
"You know what?" Jason muttered. "I'm going to start telling them embarrassing things about you."
Tommy raised an eyebrow.
"Like what?" he asked.
"Like…" Jason paused, frowning. "There was the time we were—no…Hmm…"
He was struggling to come up with something not ranger related that he could say in front of Mystic Force.
"Ha!" Jason exclaimed. "How about the time we all crashed at Zach's house after a long day and played truth or dare? You had to go out in the yard and sing 'I'm a Little Teapot' as loud as you could."
Tommy chuckled, shaking his head.
"Bro, that was you," he said.
"Wait, what?" Jason frowned. "No it wasn't!"
"Yes it was," Tommy said. "Just ask one of the others. They'll say the same thing. Everyone made a big deal out of it because it was Billy's idea, remember?"
Jason grimaced.
"How is it that you can remember all those things?" he muttered. "But you can't keep track of your cell phone?"
"You had to sing 'I'm a Little Teapot?" Conner snorted. "This is great! Keep telling us things—cause either way we win. Doesn't matter if it's about you or Dr. O."
Tommy shot Conner a look.
"Actually, on second thought," Conner said. "Let's just stick to you, Jason."
"How on earth do you do that?" Jason asked, looking at Tommy. "I glare at them and they keep doing what they want, you glare at them and all of a sudden they're the most well behaved kids you've met."
Tommy shrugged, smirking.
"You've never been in charge of their grades," he yawned. "Works wonders when you can hold those over their heads."
His phone went off again and Tommy picked it up to see who was messaging him now.
"No kidding," Ethan muttered. "Pretty sure he still has some kind of control over them even though we're not in high school anymore. I swear he knows all of my professors…"
"Hey, Jase?" Tommy said, looking over at him. "Tanya just sent me a message…"
Jason frowned.
"Is everything alright?" he asked. "Because I thought Adam was going to call or text if they needed something at the dojo."
"Oh, there's nothing wrong at the dojo," Tommy smirked. "She said you're under strict orders to report to the dojo for a sparring session the first morning we're back. Rocky and Adam want to—well, they want to take out their irritation on you. Aisha and Tanya are all for it."
Jason groaned.
"They do realize I have a sprained ankle, right?" he asked.
"I don't think they do," Tommy said, shaking his head. "But I don't think they'd care at this point. Apparently Kim and Kat are spreading the word…Oh. Wait. There's something in here about fixing the ankle issue first."
The girls and their friends gave Tommy a weird look, but he ignored it. Taking a deep breath, Jason rubbed a hand over his face.
"Why is it always my fault?" he muttered. "Doesn't matter what I do—it's always my fault."
Kira suddenly shot her head around to look at Tommy.
"Oh!" she said. "Dr. O, can you tell Tanya I left that recording on top of the filing cabinet in the office? The guys yanked me out of the studio before I could leave her a note and I forgot to text her."
He nodded and started texting.
"Tanya?" Vida said. "As in Tanya Park?"
"Mmm hmm," Tommy said. "You did get her CD's, right? Jason said he gave them to you."
"I got them," Vida said, turning to look at Kira. "You're working with Tanya Park?"
Kira turned, smiling as she nodded.
"Yep," she said. "We're actually working on something together right now. Can't say anything about it yet because it's still in the works, but I'm sure we can get you a preview once it's done."
"That would be great!" Vida exclaimed.
Jason's phone ringing interrupted the conversation again. Sighing, he pulled it out.
"Oh, good," he grumbled. "It's Zach."
Tommy started laughing.
"All but one down," he snorted. "And the last one will call tonight I'm sure after word finally reaches him."
"Yeah, yeah, yeah," Jason muttered, walking toward the door as he answered the phone. "Hey Zach. What's up?"
He opened the door and stepped outside.
"It wasn't a coma!" they heard him yell before the door closed.
"Rockin' sis," Madison laughed. "Smile for the camera."
Vida laughed, waving from the DJ tables. Kira waved, too, smiling as she danced with Vida. Everyone was relaxing after an enjoyable afternoon. When Jason had finally gotten people to stop calling and texting him earlier, they'd all settled in at the Rock Porium, laughing and goofing around between actual customers. Toby had popped in once or twice, voicing his surprise to see his employees actually still in the store. Madison had eventually pulled out her camera and now she was bouncing around the room, filming all of them spending time together.
"I love this," Kira grinned. "I'm gonna have to convince Hayley to install some of these in the café. Think you could teach me?"
"Of course," Vida grinned. "Anytime."
"Great," Kira said. "And how would you feel about coming to one of my concerts? You can play my music for me."
Vida looked at her in surprise. Beaming from behind her camera, Madison kept filming.
"You mean it?" Vida exclaimed.
"Completely serious," Kira said. "You're amazing. Give me your phone number before I leave and I'll make it happen."
Nodding excitedly, Vida couldn't stop smiling as she gave Kira her phone number and Kira wrote down hers.
"Speaking of leaving," Trent said, glancing at his watch. "We'd better get going. Shane and company are expecting us there for dinner—and I'm guessing it's going to have to be late."
"Oh good," Jason said. "Peace and quiet."
"What is that supposed to mean?" Conner asked, frowning.
"It means you can't annoy me anymore," Jason retorted. "Or encourage Tommy to share anymore embarrassing pictures."
Ethan snorted.
"He doesn't need any encouragement to embarrass you," he said. "Besides, I don't think he's too worried about that right now."
Jason frowned.
"What?" he said.
"Dr. O is asleep," Conner smirked. "And has been for like the past half hour—some guardian you are, Jason."
Jason turned to look at Tommy in his chair. He was asleep just like Conner said.
"Tommy!" Jason exclaimed. "Wake up!"
He shook Tommy by the shoulder. Tommy swatted at his hand, not opening his eyes.
"Five more minutes Hayley," Tommy grumbled.
Jason glared at Tommy as all of the kids snickered.
"I'm not Hayley," Jason growled. "And if you don't wake up I'm going to get a bucket of ice."
"Not allowed to," Tommy mumbled. "Not since high school…Zach dumped too much ice and shocked Jason 'wake out of a dead sleep…wet the bed…his mom was really mad…"
Jason stared at Tommy in shock, his face turning red as the kids all burst out in laughter again. Tommy jerked up at the sudden roar of laughter, wincing and looking around in confusion.
"Your face is as red as your su—shirt, Jason" Conner sputtered.
Growling, Jason rounded on Conner. He darted away, still laughing.
"And on that note," Ethan snickered. "We should run now."
Kira rolled her eyes, nodding as she tried not to laugh too hard. Tommy was looking around, trying to figure out what was so funny. Ethan, Conner, Kira, and Trent started heading for the door.
"See you later, Dr. O," Trent grinned. "We'll be back in Reefside in a week or so."
"Have fun guys!" Conner smirked, waving at the other five kids. "Good luck, rookie."
Nick, who'd been getting more and more irritated by Conner calling him rookie as the afternoon wore on, finally snapped.
"Would you stop that?" he snapped, stalking over to Conner. "Why do you keep calling me rookie?"
Conner looked at him in surprise.
"What would you rather me call you, kid?" he asked. "Rube?"
"No!" Nick shouted, now getting in Conner's face. "My name is Nick. And don't call me kid, either. I'm older than you by at least a year—you've got no right to be so disrespectful."
Conner didn't back down, crossing his arms as he glared back at Nick.
"Back off," he snapped. "All your attitude does is prove just how much a rookie you are—cause you've got no idea what you're saying."
"You don't scare me," Nick growled. "You want to call me rookie? Prove you've got a right to."
Chip and Xander had moved to stand next to Nick, ready to back him up if things went too far. Madison and Vida hovered just behind them. Ethan, Kira, and Trent were all standing behind Conner, glaring at Nick. Jason and Tommy were watching to make sure nothing happened that shouldn't.
"Prove my right?" Conner snorted. "I've already done that."
"I don't see any proof," Nick scoffed. "All I've gotten is a lot of meaningless words. Can't back up what you say?"
"No need to," Conner said, not rising to the bait. "Again—I've already proven myself. Now it's your turn."
"You've proven nothing!" Nick snapped.
Tommy, deciding enough was enough, pushed himself up out of the chair and placed himself between Nick and Conner.
"Enough," he said. "You four—go. You're going to be late visiting with your psychos. And you five—learn to be less sensitive."
He glared at Nick as he said that. Conner had immediately backed down, all four of them relaxing and taking a step back.
"It's just a name," Tommy continued. "He didn't actually hurt you, so get over it."
Nick glowered at him, but didn't argue back. Tommy looked at the four expectantly. Smirking, they turned to grab their things and head for the door. Yawning, Tommy returned to his chair.
"Oh, wait," he said, catching their attention before they got outside. "Ethan—delete that video."
He settled back into his seat, watching them.
"Why?" Ethan asked, making no move to pull out his phone.
Tommy smirked and pulled his own out.
"Because," he said, pulling something up on his phone. "If you don't, I'll send this to everyone. And I mean everyone."
The four frowned in confusion. But a moment later all four of their phones went off. They pulled them out, their eyes widening in surprise.
"Delete it!" they exclaimed, looking at Ethan.
"Hurry!" Kira snapped.
"I'm deleting!" Ethan cried.
Tommy smirked as everyone else looked at them in surprise.
"Ok, what did you just send them, bro?" Jason asked, looking at Tommy.
He leaned over and Tommy showed him the picture on his phone. Jason started laughing. It was a picture of Conner, Ethan, Kira, and Trent. They were all passed out down in the Dino lab, clearly exhausted. But what made Jason laugh was the positions they were sleeping in. They'd all fallen asleep on a blow-up mattress Tommy had stored down there for emergencies. Conner was sprawled out on his back, taking up a good portion of the small mattress as his mouth hung open. Next to him, Ethan was sleeping on his stomach, one arm thrown over Conner. Their legs were draped over Kira who, sleeping at the end of the mattress, was hugging the only pillow, her head on Trent's chest. Facing the opposite direction of the other two boys, his feet were up by Conner's face.
"When did you take that?" Jason grinned.
"Mmm…" Tommy said, frowning. "I think that was during the first week after Trent joined us. Right guys?"
He smirked at them as they glared back.
"In our defense," Kira said. "It had been a really long day…"
"Yeah, still funny," Jason laughed. "You need to send that to me, bro."
He took another look at the picture before handing the phone back to Tommy.
"Nope," Tommy said, shaking his head as Jason grumbled in disappointment.
Chip, who wanted to see what had gotten that reaction out of all four of Tommy's students, scooted around behind Tommy's chair to take a look. Hearing him, Tommy quickly locked his screen effectively hiding the picture.
"Aww… Why can't I see the picture?" Chip asked.
Kira, Conner, Ethan, and Trent exchanged looks. They knew why—Chip couldn't see the picture because it was in the lab. And that would raise a lot of questions that Jason and Tommy didn't want the Mystic Force team knowing the answers to yet.
"Because," Tommy answered. "If I show it to you I can't use it for blackmail later."
Chip frowned.
"But you showed it to Jason," he said.
"Yeah, but I've got enough on him that he won't tell anyone," Tommy smirked. "Right, Jase?"
Jason just shot a glare at him. Ethan walked over to Tommy.
"Here, Dr. O," he said. "I deleted it. Happy?"
"Yep," Tommy said, getting comfortable again. "Remember though—if that shows up anywhere, so does the picture."
"Yeah, yeah, yeah," Ethan muttered, heading back toward the door. "No promises if Hayley decided to steal it off my phone before I deleted it."
Tommy shook his head.
"Nah," he said. "I don't think she's expecting to get that video. Besides, if she really wanted any she would have just hacked the building's security system. There are cameras in here."
The four laughed, nodding in agreement.
"Bye, Dr.O," they called, heading toward the door again.
"We're still telling the nin—everyone in Blue Bay that you called them psychos again," Conner grinned.
Tommy just shrugged.
"Oh, but make sure you tell Cam he's the exception," he said.
"Oh, that's going to go well," Kira snorted, pulling the door opened. "We are not responsible for the consequences of that."
They piled out the door and Jason turned to look at Tommy.
"And now the psychos are going to blow up Blue Bay Harbor," he said, shaking his head. "Great job."
Tommy yawned again, shaking his head.
"They won't blow up the city," he muttered. "The academy? Maybe. But they city will be fine. They spend too much time in the woods to have to worry about that. Not that 'blow up' is really the correct term…"
Jason rolled his eyes as Tommy chuckled.
"Get up, Falcon," Jason said, getting to his own feet. "Time to go."
"Go where?" Tommy frowned.
"Dinner," Jason said, reaching down to help him up. "I need to get you food before Hayley realizes you haven't eaten anything since Sunday morning."
Tommy started laughing, as he realized just how ticked Hayley was going to be at Jason once she found out.
"Nick, what were you thinking?" Vida asked, shooting him a look. "And after everything Daggeron and Udonna just told us about not escalating things. You two were practically ready to exchange blows."
They five Mystic Force rangers were on their way back to Rootcore. As soon as Jason and Tommy were gone, they'd excused themselves and headed into the forest. Nick was still fuming about Conner and their blow-up.
"He was out of line," Nick fumed. "That kid should show way more respect."
"He doesn't know," Madison said soothingly, walking next to him. "And that's the way it has to be. Tommy's right. We just need to let these things go."
"Besides," Xander said. "We can't just go around fighting with civilians. You could have really hurt him in a fight."
Nick scoffed.
"It barely would have been a fight," he said. "I doubt he'd last a minute—even if I wasn't a power ranger."
Vida rolled her eyes.
"Still wish I could have seen that picture," Chip muttered. "Tommy had all four of them flipping out over it."
"He did hide it awfully fast," Vida agreed. "Must have been something really good for him to want to keep it that secret."
The others shrugged, falling silent as they kept walking.
"Did anyone else think Tommy's students were a little weird?" Chip asked a moment later.
"Weird how?" Xander said.
"Sometimes it seemed like they were about to say something, but said something else instead," Chip answered. "Or like they were talking in code. Like what's a 'reds list'?"
"No clue," Nick muttered.
"They did seem to know Tommy awfully well for just being his students," Xander said. "Do you know anything about them?"
He looked at Madison and Vida. They shook their heads.
"We've never met them before," Vida said as they approached the entrance to Rootcore. "And Tommy's never really said anything about them on the phone or anything."
"Oh!" Madison exclaimed. "I just remembered. It was a couple of years ago, so it would have fallen during their senior year. Remember Tommy saying he had a couple of research assistants over when we called and heard arguing in the background. It could have been them."
"And that would explain why they know so much about him," Vida said. "And they were probably the ones he had to rush back to Reefside for, too. That visit after his hospital stay?"
Madison nodded in agreement.
"I still don't like them," Nick muttered as they walked into the main room.
"Well, that's because Conner kept calling you rookie," Chip laughed.
"Guys, we have something more important to worry about now," Madison interrupted. "I want to ask Udonna about Tommy. I don't think he's supposed to be so tired still…"
The other four nodded in agreement. They found Udonna working with Clare on a potion.
"Udonna, do you have a minute?" Madison asked.
"What is it, Madison?" said Udonna, glancing up.
"It's about Tommy," Vida said.
Udonna frowned.
"Is something wrong?" she asked.
The five exchanged looks.
"We don't know," Madison admitted. "He's awake now, but he's still really sleepy. Jason was having trouble keeping him from passing back out all day today… Is that supposed to happen?"
Shaking her head, Udonna turned to Clare.
"Clare, what spell did you attempt to cast on Tommy?" she said. "I need to know every detail of what you did."
As the rangers listened, Clare explained to Udonna, earnestly trying to explain that nothing she had done should have been harmful. Udonna nodded, frowning as she listened.
"There is nothing in that spell that should be affecting Tommy like this," she finally said, turning back to the rangers. "Madison, Vida—is there a chance Tommy could have been exposed to magic before?"
They both shrugged.
"If he was, they didn't tell us," Vida said.
"Though there's always a chance," Madison said softly. "A lot of things happened in Angel Grove. Maybe Tommy and Jason got caught in one of the attacks and didn't tell anyone…"
"Maybe…" Vida said slowly. "I mean, they did end up in the E.R. for fighting those machine things that one time…"
"It would help if I could examine Tommy myself," Udonna said. "Do you think the five of you could bring him back here?"
They all started shaking their heads.
"Jason was adamant about not letting Tommy come back here," Chip said. "And I have a feeling Tommy is going to agree with him."
"Yeah," Vida said. "They aren't coming back…"
Udonna sighed.
"Then you will just have to keep an eye on him," she said. "If things become dire, inform me at once."
"We will," Madison assured her.
Udonna nodded.
"And I assume you spoke with both Tommy and Jason about keeping your secret, correct?" she asked.
"Well, sort of…" Xander answered. "We talked to Jason—"
"But we haven't had the chance to talk to Tommy," Nick said. "We never got a chance to be alone with them today."
"But we will, don't worry," Chip said quickly.
"Besides," Vida said. "Tommy would never out us like that."
"We'll still talk to him," Madison said when Udonna raised an eyebrow.
Satisfied by their word, she went back to instructing Clare. The rangers headed out to the balcony to relax for a while, grabbing a few spell books on the way.
"So, question," Nick said after a little while.
The other four looked up at him.
"What is with your brother's friends?" he asked.
"What about them?" Vida asked, frowning.
"All of them freaking out so much about Tommy getting hurt," Nick said. "It's not like that stuff doesn't happen almost every day here. People get hurt."
The girls sighed.
"Jason and his friends have always been close," Madison said. "For as long as we can remember…They were always in and out of the house in high school. We were still little then, so we didn't know them very well, but they were always together."
"And they got even closer after Billy died," Vida sighed, sharing a sad look with her sister.
Madison nodded. Chip and Xander frowned.
"Remember Billy?" Vida asked. "He was super smart and always making fun things for us to play with?"
"Oh!" Chip exclaimed. "I remember him…he disappeared when we were ten, right?"
The girls nodded.
"He did," Madison said softly. "And they never found him…It hit Jason and his friends hard. They don't even talk about him anymore."
"Guess that explains why they're so protective of each other," Nick said slowly. "Or at least it makes more sense."
"Yeah," Vida said. "And the worst part is that there really wasn't much to go on for looking for him…I think they eventually blamed it on one of the monsters attacking the city. Wasn't uncommon at the time…Just like now…"
The room fell silent for a little while.
"Alright, time to call it a night," Nick said some time later as he stood and stretched. "I can't concentrate anymore anyways."
As the others chorused agreements, the rangers put their books away and headed out for the night.
"I'm fine, Billy, really," Tommy yawned. "Everyone is just being paranoid. I'm just tired…"
Jason and Tommy were back in their hotel room. Tommy was stretched out in his bed, his eyes closed as he talked to Billy on the phone. Jason was sitting on his own bed, his ankle propped up again. He'd worn a brace on it all day, but it was still killing him.
"Tommy, why don't you go to sleep?" Billy asked. "It is clear even from here that you are struggling to stay awake. Perhaps it is best that you allow yourself to rest."
"Cause Jase won't let me," he mumbled. "He's been keeping me up all day. Even gave me an energy drink at dinner. Worked for about an hour…"
Billy sighed.
"Let me talk to Jason," Billy said. "Maybe I can persuade him. I really do think it will be best for you to sleep…"
"K…" Tommy sighed. "Bye, Billy."
Yawning again, he rolled over and tossed the phone to Jason.
"Billy wants to talk to you," he said.
Jason caught the phone, shaking his head.
"Hey, Billy," he said. "What's up?"
"Jason, why haven't you allowed Tommy to sleep?" Billy asked.
"Billy, he slept for over twenty-four hours!" Jason exclaimed. "If I let him go back to sleep he might not wake up."
"Jason, I too am concerned," he said. "But most likely he simply needs to get it out of his system. You probably should have let him sleep most of the day today as well."
"Why didn't you tell me that earlier?" Jason grumbled, glancing over at Tommy.
"Because you didn't call me earlier," Billy said patiently.
"Yeah, well, I was trying to avoid everyone having a meltdown about the magic," Jason muttered. "Did Tommy tell you Kat is missing a performance tonight to fly back to Angel Grove? And she's says she's not going back until she gets to see Tommy in person. I'm pretty sure they're all planning on killing me when we get back…"
Billy chuckled.
"I do not believe they'll carry that threat through," he said. "They are simply concerned about Tommy's welfare. This incident is a reminder to all of us of how things were in high school…None of us want to experience that again, or even what occurred during your college years. Tommy's struggle with magic is something to be concerned about."
"Tell me about it," Jason sighed, running a hand over his head. "I'd fight him if I had to, but I don't want to have to hurt him…It was hard enough to deal with the last time. I don't know how I'd do it again—and, thanks to that stupid promise, I won't have a choice this time…"
"He'll be fine, Jason," Billy said. "Let him sleep it off and he'll be back to normal."
"Yeah, you're probably right," Jason said. "You usually are. Anyways, I'll talk to you later. Gotta make sure he calls Hayley before he falls asleep or I really will be dead."
Billy laughed again.
"Good luck," he said. "And I will speak with you again soon."
"Bye," Jason said.
Hanging up, he got out of bed and walked back over to Tommy.
"Come on, Falcon," he said. "Can't sleep yet."
"But Billy said I could," Tommy groaned.
"Not until you call Hayley," Jason insisted, holding out Tommy's phone. "Once you talk to her you can go to sleep."
Sighing, Tommy forced his eyes open and took the phone. Jason went back to his bed. Hitting the speed dial for Hayley, Tommy put the phone back to his ear. She answered on the second ring.
"Hi, Hayley," Tommy mumbled.
"Hi, sweetheart," Hayley said. "How are you feeling?"
"Tired…" he sighed. "Billy told Jason to let me sleep…"
"Well, Billy is right," Hayley said. "You sound like you need it. Did you eat something?"
"Mmm hmm…" Tommy yawned. "Jason made me… really not hungry today…"
"Good," said Hayley, gently scolding him. "You need to eat."
"Yeah, I know…" said Tommy, yawning again.
Hayley sighed.
"Tommy, go to sleep," she said softly.
"K…" he mumbled. "Love you…"
"I love you, too," she said.
Jason glanced back over the see the phone slip out of Tommy's hand as he passed out again. Sighing, he stood up. Limping over to Tommy's bed again, Jason reached over and grabbed the phone. Hayley had already hung up, so he set it on the bedside table. He took Tommy's glasses off, setting them in the same place before heading back to his own bed.
The next morning Jason let Tommy sleep. He finally woke up mid-morning, grimacing and putting a hand to his head as he sat up.
"Morning, sleeping beauty," Jason grinned. "How are you feeling this morning?"
"Like I stuck my head in a blender," Tommy muttered, leaning forward with his head in his hands. "Think I'd rather go back to being half-asleep—or unconscious."
Jason frowned.
"You ok, bro?" he asked.
Tommy shook his head, grimacing again at the movement. That really concerned Jason. It wasn't often that Tommy admitted he didn't feel good. And it would be even worse if it wasn't just his head or ribs bothering him.
"Maybe we should just stay here today," Jason suggested. "The girls will understand."
"No," Tommy said shortly, swinging his feet around to the floor. "I said I needed to talk to Nick and I'm not going to keep putting it off. And I don't want to worry the girls anymore than I have to…"
Jason sighed and nodded, knowing that arguing with Tommy was pointless. Standing up, Tommy winced again but headed toward the bathroom to get dressed.
When they got to the Rock Porium a little while later, the kids were already there.
"Tommy!" Madison exclaimed, smiling. "You're awake—you are really awake, right?"
Smiling faintly, he nodded as she and Vida hurried over to hug him.
"Yeah, I'm up," he said.
"That's great," Vida beamed. "How are you feeling?"
"I'm fine," Tommy said, hugging them back.
"Hey V!" Xander called from the counter. "Can you check for a CD for me?"
"Sure," she said, spinning to help him.
Madison also turned away to help a customer. Tommy glanced around the room. Spotting Nick straightening up some CD's on the far side of the room, he headed in that direction. Jason stayed where he was, leaning against the wall.
"We need to talk," Tommy said, walking up to Nick.
Nick looked up at him in surprise.
"You're right," he said, setting down what he was holding. "We do. Over here."
He jerked his head toward the far corner of the store. There weren't any customers over there to overhear them. Tommy just shrugged and followed him.
"Alright," Nick said, turning to face Tommy and crossing his arms. "We need you to—"
Tommy held up his hand to stop him.
"Not what I want to talk about," he said shortly. "I just want to get a few things straight with you."
Nick frowned.
"First of all, I know about everything that happened the day Maddy got turned into stone," Tommy said quietly. "Jason doesn't—be grateful for that."
"Maddy and I worked it out," Nick said, shaking his head. "There's nothing to talk about."
"Listen, rookie," Tommy said. "I'm giving you a chance—"
"Yeah, whatever," Nick snapped. "All I care about right now is you keeping our sec—"
"Don't interrupt," Tommy interrupted, scowling at Nick. "I'm not done. Right now I'm giving you the benefit of the doubt. I will reserve judgment until I've seen what you can do."
"And just what is that supposed to mean?" Nick scoffed.
"Exactly what I just said," Tommy answered, crossing his arms. "Until you give me a reason otherwise, I will have no problem with you. But believe me when I say this."
Tommy took a step closer to Nick, looking him straight in the eye as he loomed over him.
"If you hurt either of those girls," he said softly. "Not only will I let Jason do whatever he wants to you, you'll have to deal with me."
A green light flashed in Tommy's eyes and Nick took an involuntary step back. This was a Tommy he hadn't seen before—one that looked dangerous enough to carry out the threat. But Tommy stepped back, taking a deep breath and spinning. He stalked away from Nick, who watched him go in shock. Sighing, Tommy dropped down in the chair he'd been in the day before, rubbing a hand across his face.
"Tommy, are you sure you're alright?" Madison asked, perching on the arm of the chair next to him.
"I'll be fine, Maddy," he said, looking up at her. "I promise. It's just a headache."
Madison glanced over at Vida. Catching her sister's look, Vida strolled over to join them. Jason was frowning as he watched Tommy.
"Tommy, you don't look alright," Madison said, shaking her head.
"Maddy's right," Vida agreed. "You look worse than you did yesterday."
"Maybe…" Madison started hesitantly.
Vida nodded encouragingly.
"Maybe you should come back to Rootcore with us," Madison said quietly. "Udonna should make sure nothing went wrong with the spell… she says it shouldn't still be affecting you…"
Tommy shook his head.
"No," he said.
"Tommy, please," Vida pleaded. "I know you say you don't like magic, but—"
"It's not happening," he said, taking a deep breath and closing his eyes for a moment.
"Tommy—" Madison started.
"No!" Tommy snapped, standing abruptly. "Now stop talking about it!"
The girls looked at him in surprise. Grimacing, he ran a hand through his hair.
"Sorry," he muttered. "I—I just need to get some air."
Spinning, he headed toward the door.
"Tommy," Jason said, frowning as he straightened up. "I don't think—"
Tommy shot a glare at him that said arguing would be a bad idea.
"Alright," said Jason. "Just make sure you have your phone and keep an eye on your watch."
"Yeah," Tommy said shortly, stalking out the door.
It closed behind him, leaving the five Mystic Rangers staring after him in surprise. Nick jerked his head at the others and they all gathered around him.
"We need to go back to Rootcore," he said. "I think something is seriously wrong with him."
"What do you mean?" Vida frowned.
Nick shook his head, glancing over at Jason.
"Not here," he said. "I don't want to deal with your brother. If something is wrong, he'll just blame it on Clare. So let's get out of here."
They nodded.
"And what is this?" Toby said sarcastically behind them. "Are my employees actually working?"
"Hey Toby," Xander said, turning around. "Gotta run!"
Waving goodbye to Toby, the five darted out of the shop. Toby shook his head, muttering under his breath as he turned away. The door opened back up and Vida poked her head inside.
"We'll be back, Jason," she said. "Bye big brother!"
With that they were gone. Jason sighed.
"Well, might as well go find something to eat…" he muttered to himself, heading out the door as well. "For me and Tommy…"
The rangers rushed to get to Rootcore. Nick was refusing to say anything until they got there. Udonna looked up in surprise when they came in—she hadn't been expecting to see them until that evening unless an emergency came up.
"Rangers," she said, frowning. "Is something wrong?"
"Nick thinks something is wrong with Tommy," Madison said.
Udonna looked at Nick expectantly.
"I saw something at the shop a little while ago," he said. "Something not normal."
"What?" Vida exclaimed impatiently.
Nick took a deep breath.
"We were talking about—" he started. "Well, the what isn't important. But he threatened me and I saw his eyes flash green. Like bright green."
Udonna frowned as the other rangers exchanged wide-eyed looks.
"How is that possible?" Xander said. "It was just a healing spell."
"Xander is right," Udonna said. "There should be no side-effects."
"I know what I saw," Nick insisted. "His eyes were green."
"Could Koragg have done something to him on the mountain?" Vida asked, looking at Chip. "You and Daggeron did lose him for a while…"
"It is possible," Daggeron said, joining them.
He'd overheard the last part of the conversation.
"Though I cannot see a purpose to Koragg's actions if he is responsible," he continued. "Tommy is no threat to the Master—nor could he serve as a strong opponent should they seek to set him against us."
"But would the rangers be able to harm him should Koragg place him in the way?" Udonna said softly.
Vida and Madison started shaking their heads.
"I don't know," Madison said, biting her lip.
"We're both ready to do what we have to," Vida said. "To sacrifice ourselves if it becomes necessary. But I don't know if I could sacrifice Tommy… He's just as much a brother as Jason is…"
"Then we need to make sure he is not under the control of an evil spell," Udonna said. "You will have to bring him here—whether it is his will or no."
The kids nodded.
"First thing tomorrow," Nick said.
"We'll have to separate him from Jason," Xander said.
"Xander's right," Chip agreed. "Jason will never let us bring Tommy here. So the question is—how do we separate them?"
As the kids sat down to make a plan, Daggeron and Udonna left to see if they could figure out what might have been done to Tommy.
"Well, someone is going to have to distract Jason," Xander said.
"And someone is going to have to get Tommy away from him," Chip added. "Oh wait! I've got an idea!"
The other four looked at him in surprise.
"Ok…" Nick said slowly. "What is it?"
"When they come into the shop tomorrow," Chip said. "Someone crack Jason over the head with something heavy. Then we grab Tommy and run before Jason recovers."
Everyone stared at him in surprise.
"What?" he said. "I said I had a plan. I never said it was a good one…"
Nick shook his head.
"Let's try a real plan now," he said.
"Right," Xander agreed.
"Maddy? V?" Nick said. "Think you two can take the lead on this?"
They exchanged looks and then nodded at Nick.
"What are you thinking?" Madison asked.
"Here's the plan," Nick said. "Tomorrow when they come into the shop to find you, we'll suggest eating lunch at the shop. Maddy, you'll need to convince Tommy to go to get food with you."
"I can do that," she said.
"V," Nick continued. "You and Chip will be in charge of keeping Jason distracted at the shop so Xander and I can slip out after Maddy and Tommy."
"And how is this getting Tommy here?" Xander asked, frowning.
"I know where this is going," Chip grinned. "While V and I distract Jason, you two take off after Maddy and Tommy. Between the three of you it shouldn't be too hard to get Tommy into the woods."
"Umm… I don't know about that," Vida said doubtfully. "I think you're underestimating how strong Tommy is."
"Well, do you have another suggestion?" Nick asked, crossing his arms as he leaned back in his chair.
"No," she muttered.
"We'll use our wands if we have to," Nick said. "But we've got to get him here one way or another."
"But what about us?" Chip asked. "How long are we supposed to distract Jason?"
"Just long enough to let us get away with Tommy," Nick answered. "Then excuse yourselves and meet us back here."
"Can do," Chip grinned.
"So are we all on the same page?" Nick asked, looking around.
All of the rangers nodded.
"Good," he said. "Then let's head home—tomorrow is going to be a long day…"
"Sis, you've got to stop pacing," Madison sighed. "Or they're going to know something is up the minute they walk in here."
All five of the rangers were waiting rather impatiently for Tommy and Jason to show up. They hadn't heard anything from them since the previous afternoon when Tommy had stormed out. While the rest of them had found something to distract themselves, Vida couldn't sit still. She and Madison had been up most of the night, unable to sleep due to nerves over what they were planning on doing.
"I know," Vida sighed, dropping into an empty chair. "But I hate having to do this… Tommy is going to hate us after this…"
"I hope not," Madison said softly.
"I'm sorry," Nick said. "But we've gotta do it. We can't risk Koragg or anyone else using Tommy against us—all of you would hesitate to strike if he was in the way."
"Are you saying you wouldn't?" Vida frowned.
Nick groaned.
"No," he said. "It's not that. It's just—"
The door burst open and Tommy came running inside.
"Maddy! V!" he exclaimed, waving at them to follow. "If you want to say goodbye to Jason you have to come now."
They exchanged confused glances, but stood up.
"What do you mean?" Madison asked.
"Hurry," Tommy urged, holding the door open. "I barely got him to stop and let me out to tell you—and if we take too long he may leave without me."
They rushed after him as he took off back out the door.
"What is going on?" Vida asked as they caught up.
"It's Trini," Tommy said, not pausing. "She's not due for another week and a half, but we got a call about twenty minutes ago—she's in labor."
Both girls gasped, moving faster.
"And you're letting him drive?" Madison exclaimed.
"He has to," Tommy said as they approached the car. "I took my pain meds this morning before we got the call—can't drive on them."
"Oh, good," Vida muttered.
Jason was waiting impatiently in the car, looking at his watch. Tommy gave the girls hugs and climbed into the car. Vida and Madison crowded the driver's side door to give Jason hugs.
"Drive carefully," Madison said. "And call us later with an update."
"I will," Jason said, hugging them both tightly. "Take care of yourselves."
"We will," they chorused.
They stepped and he closed the door. He didn't take off right away, giving them a chance to move back on to the sidewalk.
"If you don't hear from us tonight, call," Tommy said, waving as they pulled out. "We're probably on the side of the road somewhere."
The girls exchanged looks as Jason took off down the road.
"Was he serious?" Vida asked.
"I have no idea," Madison answered, shaking her head.
Nick, Xander, and Chip came running up behind them.
"Where's Tommy?" Nick asked.
"They had to leave," Vida said. "Trini is in labor."
Nick groaned.
"The spell, remember?" he exclaimed. "We were supposed to take him back to Udonna."
"Oh no!" Madison cried. "We completely forgot…"
She and Vida exchanged horrified glances.
"Now what?" Chip asked. "If Tommy is really under a spell…"
"Then we're in serious trouble," Xander muttered.
"What are we going to do?" Madison said, looking at Vida. "If he's under a spell Tommy could really hurt someone."
"We can call Hayley," Vida suggested. "Ask her to keep an eye out for anything unusual."
"And just how do you plan on doing that without giving anything away?" Nick asked, crossing his arms.
"Tell her we think he might have a concussion," Vida said. "And just to keep an eye out and call us if anything does seem wrong."
Madison shook her head.
"She'd just take him to the doctor," she said ruefully.
"Well we have to warn her somehow," Vida protested. "It would kill Tommy if he hurt her—or anyone else for that matter…"
"I know…" Madison sighed.
"You two will just have to call and check up on him," Nick said. "And hope those green eyes were nothing too serious."
Sighing, the girls nodded as the group turned to head back inside
Ice T: Thanks for your opinion I do agree we went out on a limb with Jason's personality, however we will have to agree to disagree on whether of not its to much. Both hazergirl1220 and i felt that as he would act like this is his family was in danger. I am sorry if you don't agree but we will take it into consideration for next time to watch the personalities more. If it really bothers you that much you might want to stop reading because it is going to get worse before it gets better. We don't skip the reaction with Mystic mother, but it isn't till the end and probably not how you expect it to happen (I will tell you now it's good though.) :) I hope you will keep reading and give it a shot but Jason is who he his the story is totally finished and we won't be changing anything major or it will be another year or so before it gets done. I don't think anyone wants to wait that long! :) Thanks again.