Misery Loves Company

by A Warrior's Prophet

Two former rangers are currently miserable in their lives. For Adam, love has betrayed him. In Tommy's case, physical pain has become a constant companion. Can they help each other overcome their misery? AU, Slash

8. Letting the Grownups Play

Misery Loves Company

Disclaimers: See Chapter 1.

Author's Notes: Sorry for the long delay in continuing this story. There is much more to come, so be patient with us. You'll be glad you did!

Chapter 8—Letting the Grown-ups "Play"

As the party was beginning to wind down, Rocky moved over to where Wes and Eric were standing talking to Aisha and Trini. When there was a break in the conversation, he spoke in a low voice to Eric. "Hey, can you and Wes hang around for a bit after the party? I could really use some help with something."

The Quantum Ranger's eyebrow rose. "Yeah, we were planning on grabbing a hotel for the night."

"Good. We might just have to extend this party a bit then. Just us guys," he said, cutting his eyes toward the girls with a grin.

"What are you planning on doing, Ape Man?" He turned to face the younger man. "Because if it's something a bit evil," he paused and grinned. "We're all for it."

"Somehow I knew you would be. Let me get a few others on board and then I'll let you guys in on it," Rocky said with a mischievous grin and headed over toward Blake and Hunter. Once he had gotten them to agree to stay behind, the former Blue Zeo Ranger decided to start the clean up.

"Here man, let us help," Blake said, motioning for his brother to lend a hand. Together they moved a couple of the tables back and brought the big trash can in from the locker room.

Jason noticed what they were up to and he started to help out without being asked. 'Can't let Rocko do everything,' he thought.

Adam walked over to start helping as well, when several people began to glare at him. "What?"

"This is your party-you don't work at your own party!" Tommy told him, shooing him away to go talk to the remainder of the guests.

Rolling his eyes, he shook his head and walked over to Aisha. "I've been banned from helping out."

"Awww, of course you have!" she said with a smile, wrapping an arm around his waist. "How're you feeling, by the way? Getting tired?" she asked, having been told by Rocky how their friend had been feeling lately.

He shrugged. "Not so bad right now. Of course, I slept a bit later today than I have been so that could have a little to do with it."

"Well, I'm sure that you'll be back to your old self real soon. You just need to give it a bit of time and take better care of yourself, honey," the former Yellow Ranger said, giving her old friend a big, warm hug.

Adam rested his head on her shoulder. "Thanks, 'Sha." He sighed softly. If he was honest, he was halfway expecting her to lecture him on scaring her.

With everyone helping, it took no time at all to get everything cleaned up and put away. When it was just Adam, Tommy, Jason, Eric, Wes, Blake, and Hunter left, Rocky stepped out in front of everyone and clapped his hands together a couple of times. "Now then..." he said, an evil smile taking up residence on his face. "You guys up for a bit of fun?" The tone of his voice and the low, mischievous laugh coming from him made several eyebrows go up.

"Just what are you up to, Ape boy?" Tommy asked.

"Yeah...you've got something up your sleeve," Jason added.

Adam stood next to Tommy and the Bradley brothers. "Spill it Rocko, what's going on?"

"Well, it's like this," he began, walking back and forth a bit in front of them. "I've arranged for a little 'private class' tonight." He made quote marks in the air as he spoke and continued to grin wildly. "Several of our black belt candidates are in need of some...ahem...instruction and I thought a few of you might like to help me oil a couple of squeaky wheels, so to speak."

One of Jason's eyebrows rose slightly. "Are you talking about the Trouble Trio?"

"Oh yeah, you know it, man."

"You must be talking about the troublemakers I've heard so much about." An evil grin crossed Tommy's face. "This is gonna be fun," he added, rubbing his hands together like he was formulating a plan.

Eric laughed softly. "Is it wrong that the ones who are looking forward to doing this the most all wore Red at some point?"

"Not at all. I think that analysis is absolutely spot on, as a matter of fact," Adam replied. "But they are my students, so you can't hurt them...too much," he added with a grin.

Wes rolled his eyes. "So are we picking who we want or do you have specific ones in mind for each of us?"

"There are a couple of them that I have a pretty good idea of who they should be paired with. For instance, Jason you know who Wyatt is, right?" When the Original Red Ranger nodded, Rocky explained to the rest of them. "Wyatt is a big, powerful kid who either can't control his own strength or chooses not to. Jason will be the perfect bull to teach that one a lesson or two. The others...I think I'll let you guys pick." He finished off that sentence with another sly grin. He was definitely enjoying this.

Eric gently nudged Tommy. "Why does he look like he's getting some sort of perverse glee from this?"

"Cause he is!" Tommy answered with a laugh. "I've heard about how mouthy and nervy some of these kids are. I can't wait to take them down a peg or two."

"Yeah well, there's always that," the Guardian commander chuckled softly. "I get the feeling that these kids are gonna wish they'd never agreed to come to this."

"Awww, it'll be good for 'em," he replied, giving Eric a wink. "Can I borrow a gi, Jase? I didn't think to bring one to a birthday party," Tommy said with a grin.

The other man nodded. "Yeah, I have one you should be able to wear." He looked around at the others. "We all might want to get changed and stretched out. I know that Tommy needs a gi, anyone else?"

Hunter and Blake both shook their heads. "We actually have workout clothes in the truck, so we're good."

Wes laughed. "Same here. I guess it's habit, but Eric and I always have something with us."

Adam nodded. "So everyone go get your stuff. There are locker rooms and bathrooms you can change in before they get here."

Rocky looked at his watch. "Yeah, they should be getting here in about 15-20 minutes. That should give us all plenty of time."

Jason nodded. "All right then, let's get to it." He looked at Tommy. "Come on, my spare gi is in my locker."

Everyone dispersed to get into their workout clothes and then met back up on the mats. Jason's black gi fit Tommy well and with the addition of a red bandana as a headband, he was ready to go. "Still surprises me that I can wear your clothes now," the former Ranger Commander said to his best friend.

The paramedic snorted. "Yeah, a few years ago it would have swallowed you whole." He grinned. "Could have put you and Wes in there together with some room to spare."

"Hey!" A hand pad came across the room and nailed Jason in the head. "I resemble that remark," Wes stated, grinning at the other pair.

Picking the pad up, Jason tossed it back over to the blonde who ducked and let it hit Blake. "Sorry Blake, Blondie there ducked."

Tommy watched and laughed as he began stretching. It was fun to be around a big bunch of his friends again. His existence in Reefside was becoming more and more lonely. He briefly wondered if he could manage a transfer.

In a low voice, Jason whispered to his old friend. "Don't overdo it now, okay? We don't want you to end up in bed for a couple of days after this."

"Yes, Mom...I'll be careful," Tom said, barely able to stop himself from rolling his eyes.

"Sorry, I just worry about you, bro."

"I know. I do appreciate it, Rex-I really do. It's good to know that somebody cares," Tom responded, continuing to stretch.

"A lot of us care, Tom," the former Gold Ranger stated, wincing a bit himself as he stretched lower. "Damn man, been a while since I've done a lot of stretching."

Blake took that opportunity to peg Jason in the head with the hand target. "Gotcha, old man."

"I'll show you an old man, Navy bean. Just you wait," Jason said with a grin.

The younger man held his hands up and pretended to shiver in terror. "Ohhh, I'm shakin' in my gi."

"Alright girls, shut it up and get stretched out. They'll be here any minute," Rocky said, shaking his head at his friends. No sooner had he said that, then the door opened and in walked two of the students he was expecting. "Hey Jack, hey Michael-go ahead and get changed and meet us back out here."

Michael nodded. "Yes, Sensei." He headed off with the other teen to the locker rooms. Once inside, he raised an eyebrow. "Is it just me or do you think something's up?"

"Why do you say that?" Jack asked, taking a seat on the bench so that he could take his shoes off.

"Did you not notice how many guys there were out there in a gi? Besides Master Park, Sensei DeSantos and Sensei Scott, there were at least five other people."

"Yeah, I saw that. Maybe they're just gonna help out or something. Don't get your boxers in a bunch."

"True and maybe they'll be able to show us something that can make this test coming up easier."

"Yeah, that'd be great. I'm already nervous about it," Jack responded, starting to pull on his gi top. "Glad to see Master Park back though."

Michael stood up as he pulled his own top into place. "I know what you mean. I was really starting to wonder if he was going to make it back before the testing." He grabbed his belt out of the locker. "Don't get me wrong, Sensei DeSantos is cool and Sensei Scott is always willing to help, but Master Park just seems to make it all more understandable."

Jack nodded in agreement as they finished getting dressed and headed back out to the main area to start stretching.

The front door opened once more and three other students walked in, all big, strong-looking kids that would look right at home on a football field. Jason cut his eyes over at Tommy and said in a low voice, "There's our targets."

Looking up, Tom sized them up and then huffed. "I'm gonna enjoy this. I'll bet they think they're big stuff."

"Pretty much." He nodded towards the last one in line. "That's Wyatt. He's the one that Rocky wants me to deal with."

"He is quite a horse to be so young. Reminds me of someone..." he quipped, looking skyward as he grinned.

Blushing a bit, Jason gently shoved the other man. "Watch it, wise guy."

"Punish me later," Tom said with a wink and straightened up, moving into another stretch.

Zeke ran from the car and waved at his mom before rushing through the door of the dojo. He slowed when he came into the room and then his eyes widened slowly as the three older boys came out of the locker. The teen pointed at Blake and Hunter, his eyes wide. "Oh my God! It's the Bradleys!"

Wyatt, Alan, and Will looked over at him like he had two heads. "Who? What are you talking about, runt?" Alan asked in an annoyed tone.

Shaking his head, the boy pointed towards the two brothers. "Dude, how do you not know about Blake and Hunter Bradley? They like totally own the motocross circuit right now!"

"Motocross, huh? Well that's pretty cool, but you need to stop acting like such a fan boy. Grow up, will ya?" the bigger boy said, giving Zeke a push in the middle of his chest. The three of them walked away to go start stretching.

"So, who're all your friends, Sensei DeSantos?" Will asked, finding himself close to one of their instructors.

Zeke rubbed his chest as he walked away quietly. He really hated those three sometimes, especially at school where he'd been shoved into a locker by them more than once.

Rocky watched Zeke walk towards the locker room before looking at Will. "I'll introduce everyone once Zeke gets out here. Until then, I'd start stretching out if I were you."

No one had to tell Eric and Wes which ones were the troublemakers. Many years of dealing with Guardian recruits had taught them how to spot jerks like that a mile away. They had silently watched as Zeke had gotten pushed around and Eric had decided that some payback was in order. "I'm with Tommy-this is gonna be fun," he said quietly to Wes, giving him an evil look.

Wes chuckled softly. "Just remember these aren't our recruits. They have parents that might actually be concerned about them."

Adam had overheard Wyatt making some comment to his two friends about all these 'old guys' on the mats. Figuring he needed to put those boys in the right frame of mind, he got up and went behind the counter where the belts were kept.

"Oh, don't be such an old woman. I'm not gonna put 'em in the hospital or anything," Eric said. "Just gonna scare 'em a bit."

Emerging a few minutes later, Master Park walked over to Tommy and handed him a brand new black belt complete with all five red stripes that a person of Tommy Oliver's rank deserved. "I know you didn't have your belt with you, so here ya go. Hope it fits."

Looking at the size tag, Tommy grinned. "Yep, that'll work. Thanks, Adam." He quickly tied on his new belt and snapped the ends to tighten it. "That's better. I feel weird without a belt."

Blake grinned. "Know the feeling. It's kind of like being on the track and not wearing gloves. You can't get into the groove until you've got a pair on."

Alan glanced over at Will after watching Tommy put on his belt. He held up five fingers and mouthed the words, 'Fifth degree? Daaamn.'

Zeke came back out and walked over to the mats. He hesitated before going over and stopping out of the reach of the other teens. He glanced over at them as he started to stretch, making sure he stayed out of their way.

Michael shook his head as he watched Zeke. "Kid's still scared to death of those creeps."

"You would be too if you were in his place," Jack commented. "I wish someone would teach those three assholes a lesson."

"Well, maybe Wyatt will finally push Sensei Scott too far and get what's coming to him." He shrugged. "We can hope anyway."

"I don't know how the guy has the nerve. Sensei Scott is a horse and he's a fourth degree black belt. You gotta be some kinda nut to mess with a guy like that," Jack responded, finishing his stretch.

"Yeah, but has anyone ever accused Wyatt of being all there?" He finished stretching and got to his feet as Sensei DeSantos called them all to order.

As Rocky moved to the front of the dojo, the others stood as well showing the various black belts that everyone wore. Like Jason, Eric and Hunter were officially fourth degrees. Wes and Blake were both third degrees like he was and then you had Adam and Tommy. His best friend was a Master in kung fu, which was equal to Tommy's fifth degree. He grinned. 'Oh yeah, this is going to be fun.'

Facing the students, Rocky called them to order and after everyone had bowed, he grinned before motioning the other men forward. "Today, we're going to work a little on getting you guys ready for your black belt test. I've asked a few guest instructors to come in and help identify any weak areas that you might have so we can get to work on them." He walked over to Wes, who was standing next to Blake and put a hand on both of their shoulders. "This is Commander Wes Collins from the Silver Guardians. He's a third degree black belt in Tae Kwan Do." After Wes had bowed slightly, the former Ape moved on to Blake. "Some of you already know this young man. He is Blake Bradley and like Wes, he's a third degree black belt." He motioned towards Hunter. "Hunter Bradley is a fourth degree black belt and both of their belts are in Shorin Ryu." After the brothers had bowed, Rocky moved back up the line to Eric. "This is the other person in charge of the Silver Guardians, Commander Eric Myers. He's a fourth degree black belt in Tae Kwan Do and a second degree in Aikido." He paused for a moment to let that sink in as Eric bowed slightly.

As light began to dawn in a couple of eyes, Rocky moved over to Tommy. "And this is Dr. Tommy Oliver. He is a fifth degree black belt in Toso Kune Do, a blue belt in BJJ, and has been studying Muay Thai for a bit." After Tommy bowed, the former Blue Zeo Ranger grinned. "Now, we're going to see how you guys do with a bit of warm-up before we get down to business. Ten laps around the floor."

Adam watched as the students began to jog around the room. 'I really should film this,' he thought as he disappeared into his office for a few minutes.

Even though he was faster than Wyatt, Will and Alan, Zeke stayed behind them. The teen was content to keep as much distance between them and himself as possible. Usually, he ran behind Michael and Jack, but today he was actually between the two sets of teens.

Blake moved closer to Hunter and nodded. "Our fan might need some confidence building."

"Could be. I think he's having problems with those three in the front, myself. Did you see him get pushed before?" Hunter answered.

"Yeah, I did. Hopefully after today things will get better for him."

After the teens were finished running, Rocky set them to finishing out their warm ups with push-ups, crunches and jumping jacks. Once everyone had finished, he spread the teens out. "Alright, we're going to work on basic stuff. I want to see your stances, punches, and blocks at their best starting with the horse stance. Ready? Move!"

While the class was running through the basics, Adam re-emerged from his office carrying his video camera. So as not to be too obvious, he set up behind the main counter and zoomed in on the action.

Jason noticed him and nudged Tommy. "Looks like we're on Candid Camera," he said, motioning towards Adam.

Once the class had moved from the basics and through several katas, Rocky stopped them and allowed them a couple of moments to catch their breath. "You have ten minutes to get something to drink and get your gear on. Go!"

After the teens were off the floor, he made his way over to the others. "So, besides Wyatt, does anyone have someone 'special' they'd like to work with? Or do you want to see them spar each other a bit first?"

"I'll take the nervous kid-I think you said his name was Jack. He reminds me of myself when I was his age," Wes replied.

"I think I'd like to work with Zeke," Blake said, looking over at Hunter who just nodded.

Jason grinned. "I've got Wyatt and I'm thinking that Tom should take Will. See how the kid likes being on the end of a Muay Thai kick for a change."

Tommy chuckled. "It'll be my pleasure. I haven't taught anyone that sort of lesson in quite a while," the science teacher laughed.

Eric grinned. "I guess that means I get the other one. Alan, right?" When Rocky nodded, the Quantum Ranger chuckled softly. "This is definitely gonna be fun."

Grinning Rocky nodded. "Oh yeah, but let's get them warmed up again with some open sparring." He looked around at the former Rangers. "Blake, why don't you take Wyatt to start things off with. Hunter can take Alan. Jase why don't you start out with Zeke. I think Wyatt shook him a little earlier and he's gonna need some re-assurance. The rest of you can pick who you want."

"I'll take Jack to start with," Eric stated, rolling his shoulders a bit.

Once the students had returned to the mats, the adults lined up with them. Master Park had left his camcorder running on the counter, attached to a tripod. He walked around the students, making sure they looked ready to go. He had just passed by Blake and Wyatt when he overheard the kid talking to Rocky.

"What on earth do you think this little guy is gonna teach me? He's half my size!" Wyatt remarked.

Rocky raised an eyebrow. "You'd do well to learn that size isn't everything, Wyatt."

"Well maybe not, but this is ridiculous. I could break him in half."

Adam struck without warning. He shot a kick to the teen's calf, deadening his leg enough to drop him a bit. As the teen started going down, Adam stepped around and drove an elbow into the unprotected solar plexus. With Wyatt now bent over, he grabbed the kid by the arm and tossed him over his shoulder. As the teen started falling towards the mat, Adam twisted a bit, forcing him downward more and slamming into the padded floor on his back.

Everyone in the room turned and stared. No one had expected that-especially the ones that knew how sick Adam had been. Slowly though, grins-most of them of the evil variety-began to appear on all of the adults' faces. Even Zeke, Jack, and Michael began to smile.

'That was awesome,' Tommy thought to himself, winking at Jason who was nearby.

Adam moved into Wyatt's line of vision and glared down at him. "The next time someone tells you that it might be smart not to judge someone based on size, you might want to remember this."

Rocky chuckled softly and leaned closer to Jason. "Big boy got his butt kicked by the Frog."

"Ribbit ribbit," Jason answered in a low voice.

Wes snorted from his spot beside them and then started laughing.

Looking down at Wyatt, Adam took a step back. "Get up and prepare to spar with Sensei Bradley."

Tom heard Jason's response and couldn't help but snicker.

"Yes sir. I'm sorry, sir," Wyatt said, picking himself up from the mats. He bowed to Master Park and then turned and did the same to Blake.

Blake returned the bow and then stepped back into a fighting stance, waiting for the teen to make the first move.

As Adam walked over to where Rocky was standing, the former Ape grinned and put a hand on his friend's shoulder. "Way to go, Froggy."

"My students don't act like that. If he ever wants to earn a black belt from my school, he'd better adjust his attitude," Adam responded, obviously still perturbed.

"I know and personally I agree with you." He gave the other man's shoulder a squeeze. "How did it feel though? Because I've got to tell you, it looked sweet!"

In spite of his annoyance, Adam cracked a smile. "Yeah...it was pretty sweet. Looks like the others enjoyed it too."

"Oh they did, and just think, it's all on tape." Rocky gave his friend's shoulder another squeeze. "Seriously though, are you okay? It's been a while since you've done something like that and I know Jase said your back was sore."

"No, I'm fine-at least for now. I might feel that later, though," Adam said with a grin.

"I imagine you will." The former Ape groaned as he watched Blake send Wyatt to the ground with a wicked round kick to the head. "Oh, that's gonna leave a mark."

"Bet he won't talk crap about us little guys anymore after this," Adam said with a laugh.

"Don't know about that." The other man replied, watching as the teen slapped away Blake's hand before getting to his feet alone. "I can't wait to see Jase give him a go."

"Oh yeah, that's gonna be entertaining. Personally, the match-up I'm anxious to see is Tommy and Will. That boy thinks he knows some Muay Thai..." He paused and rubbed his thigh. "I'm here to tell you that he's in for it."

"You know, the way everyone keeps talking about his kicks now, I don't think I want to spar with our Falcon anymore."

"Your best bet would be to take him to the ground, but you gotta be careful of his back." Adam stopped and watched a bit of the action. Times like these it was difficult to recall how bad Tommy's pain could get at times. He was moving very well today-almost like he did before the injury.

"You mean get him with some BJJ instead of trying to take him on standing up?" He watched as Tom sparred with Michael, occasionally pointing things out to the teen.

"Yeah cause he's a striker and always has been, but bro...all that muscle he's put on...he'll break you in half with those kicks. You know how accurate he is."

"Oh, I definitely remember that. Between him and Jason with the aerials and you with all your sneaky-sneaky crap, I think I spent more time on the mats than the three of you combined."

The former Black Ranger had to chuckle. "Yeah you did, didn't ya? But ya know, you've done a lot of training since then."

"I'd done a lot before then, but sparring against people aside from you and 'Sha was something new for me. We got lots of practice though and the training that I got into after I hurt my back has helped a lot." He winced when he saw Jack land a badly-timed kick to Eric's groin. "Aw, damn... that's gotta hurt."

Eric waved the kid off as he straightened slowly. Normally, when he sparred with the cadets, he didn't wear a cup. Today was different and something had told him that the little piece of plastic might be needed. "Just remember that a misplaced or badly-timed kick can be distracting for both you and your opponent."

"Yes, Sensei. Sorry," Jack said, backing off a bit from the Guardian Commander.

"Don't worry about it. Just make sure that all your kicks and punches count."

Jason stopped Zeke after the boy made a few more half-hearted attempts to kick him. "Zeke, take a break and sit down with me." He took a seat on the edge of the mats away from the others. "Talk to me kiddo, what's going on?"

"I don't know, Sir. I guess I'm just a bit...intimidated," the teenager said in a low voice, diverting his eyes from Jason's gaze.

"You know that any time someone's giving you problems that you can come to any of us, right?"

"I know. I just feel like such a pansy doing that. Here I am about to test for my black belt...I should be able to take care of myself, shouldn't I?" The kid shook his head and lowered his eyes again.

Reaching out, Jason lifted the boy's chin a bit. "Hey, just because you're choosing to live by the martial arts creed, doesn't mean you deserve to get picked on."

"The ones that are doing it hassle me at school too. Just because I'm smaller and a little bit younger than them...why do they have to do that? I've never done anything to them," Zeke said in a low voice, afraid that one of the three might overhear.

Jason looked over and made eye contact with Rocky, nodding towards the office and then stood up. "Come on, let's go chat in private, okay?"

Zeke nodded and stood up, following his sensei off the mats and toward the other room. He knew better than to glance back at the source of his unrest lest they catch on that he might be talking about them.

Once in the office, Jason handed the teen a bottle of Gatorade. "Whatever you say in here will be between us, but if I think it warrants it, I will tell the other Senseis."

"And if they find out that I said anything about them or how they treat me, it'll be worse on me." He paused for a moment. "They just push me around a little and make fun of me, that's all."

"They shouldn't be though and they know that." He grinned a little. "Just so you know, they might be getting a taste of their own medicine tonight."

"Really?" Zeke asked, unable to stop the grin that spread across his face. "That's cool."

"Thought you might like that." Jason leaned forward a bit. "And Zeke, if you ever want to talk, even if what they're doing is at school and not here, you can still come to one of us."

"Thanks, Sensei Scott. I appreciate that. I just might take you up on that one of these days."

"You're welcome." He stood up. "Okay, so let's get back out there and try again, okay? Then I think you're going to be working with the Bradleys."

"Seriously? That's awesome," the boy said with more than a little excitement in his voice.

"Then let's get back out there and make sure you're warmed up so you don't hurt yourself."

Together they walked back out to the main area and bowed before stepping onto the mats. When Zeke and Jason began working together again, the teenager seemed to relax more and was definitely having more success at landing his strikes and kicks.

"Seems like Jason was able to get Zeke to relax a bit." Rocky stated, watching the teen before glancing over at the clock. "Couple more minutes and then we'll have them swap." He grinned at Adam. "Time for the fun."

Adam chuckled softly. "Can't wait. This is gonna be good."

"Oh yeah, and they all deserve this as well."

The former Blue Zeo Ranger let them spar for a few more minutes. "Stop! Bow to your partners!" After everyone had complied, he nodded. "Now, I've got some match ups to see how well you really know your stuff." He looked over at Will. "You're going to be with Sensei Oliver. Alan, you and Sensei Myers will be paired up for this round." He grinned at Zeke. "Zeke, you get two in the form of Sensei Bradley."

Wes chuckled softly as the kid flushed a deep red and seemed to bounce in place.

Grinning, Rocky looked over at the blond. "Jack, you will be working with Sensei Collins. Sensei Scott will be working with you today, Wyatt." He nodded at Michael. "You'll be working with me today."

Most everyone nodded and then moved over to their partner for the next round. When Master Park gave the command, everyone bowed to their opponent and hit their fighting stance.

Rocky grinned at Michael. "Just show me what you've been learning, okay? This isn't a test for you today."

Eric raised an eyebrow when the teen in front of him slapped the mat before getting to his feet again. "Don't let your temper control your actions. If you keep a clear head, you'll fair better in the end."

When the teen rushed him, Eric was ready for it and tossed him easily over his shoulder before backing off a bit. He knew that talking to this kid wasn't going to do any good at this point. Once the teen was back on his feet, they traded several blows until Alan grabbed Eric by the belt and jerked him into an elbow. The blow would have struck the Guardian Commander in the face if he hadn't ducked at the last moment and drove both his hands into the kid's stomach.

With a growl, Alan lashed out, grabbing the inside of Eric's thigh and twisting while jerking down.

The former sergeant reacted instinctively and brought his knee up into the teen's chest and drove him backwards onto the mat before putting him into an arm bar and holding it.

For several moments, Alan tried to figure out how to get out of the hold. When his opponent increased the torque on his arm, he tapped out before laying there on the mat. It was the first time anyone had been able to get the best of him and he didn't exactly like how it felt.

Getting to his feet, Eric moved to stand beside the teen and offered him a hand to get up. "Never give into your anger and go against what you've been taught. Once you do, you'll always lose."

Alan took the other man's hand and got to his feet, straightening his gi. He looked at Eric and gave a small bow. "I'll try to remember that, sir."

Returning the bow, Eric moved over to take a seat beside Blake and Hunter, who along with Zeke, were watching Jason against Wyatt and Tommy going against Will. "How's it going?"

"Pretty good. Interested in how these two matches are gonna turn out," Blake said with a grin.

"Oh I'm sure." He winced as Jason swept the teen he was fighting to the floor. "That smarts."

"Like I was saying, I think Jase is the perfect one to teach Wyatt how to, ummm...control his strength," Rocky said in a quiet voice as he and Michael joined them.

Looking down at the teen, Jason reached a hand out to help him up.

Wyatt looked up at the hand and reached for it. Once he had a hold of it, he jerked down and kicked out, catching his Sensei in the thigh with a hard sidekick.

"That's just dirty," Hunter remarked, surprised at the audacity of the kid.

His brother nodded in agreement as they continued to anxiously watch the action.

Grunting, the paramedic allowed himself to fall in the direction that he was pulled. Tucking into a roll, he crossed over the teen before regaining his feet on the other side as Wyatt kipped back up with a smirk on his face.

Shaking his head, Jason sighed. "You keep playing dirty Wyatt, and you'll be answering to Master Park." He moved in again with a series of kicks and caught the teen off guard with his tornado kick, which sent the teen to the floor once again. This time when he landed, Jason kept his distance and rubbed at his thigh.

Adam couldn't help but chuckle softly. "Nobody throws a tornado kick like Rex-it's his signature."

Rocky nodded. "It's like the triple spin kick that Tommy does...or used to do, anyway."

"He doesn't do aerials much anymore, he told me. He just sticks to the Thai kicks that land like a sledgehammer," Adam commented.

Wyatt slammed his hands into the mat and got back to his feet. His anger got the best of him as he managed to get in close to his teacher and started throwing blows that lacked any sort of control.

The Original Red Ranger realized that the kid was beyond pissed and blocked as much as he could, but still caught a few shots. When Jason saw an opening, he took it and dropped the kid to the mat by putting him in a headlock. "You will tap out or you'll pass out. The choice is yours."

Blake shook his head. "Kid had that coming. I hope he taps 'cause Jase ain't playin'."

Growling, the teen tried to break the hold and elbowed the older man hard in the ribs. He grinned wickedly at the grunt he got for his efforts and was about to try again when the hold he was in tightened considerably.

"I said you will tap out or pass out. Try that again and I will make sure you pass out." The words were practically growled as Jason adjusted his position to give himself better leverage, but didn't slacken his hold.

"Your choice, Wyatt, but I've never yet seen anyone get out of Sensei Scott's headlock-and he's taken down much bigger men than you," Rocky advised from where he was standing at the edge of the mat, observing.

Spots were dancing in front of Wyatt's eyes and the edges of his vision were starting to darken when he finally tapped. As he knelt there regaining his breath, he felt a tug at his waist.

Standing up, Jason folded the belt he'd removed from the teen's waist. "You're going to have to re-earn this and exactly what all that entails will be up to Master Park. Once you've caught your breath, you can go get changed." Slowly, Jason walked over to the edge and bowed off the floor before taking a seat next to Adam. "Figured you might want this." He handed Wyatt's belt to the other man.

Taking the offered belt, Adam held onto it and shook his head. "I thought I had taught him better than that. I apologize for his insolence."

"He's still learning, Adam, and this anger of his is something relatively new. Give him a couple of weeks to think about things and then sit down and talk to him. There might be a reason for it." He raised his left arm a bit and ran his right hand over his ribs on the left. "Have to admit that I'm glad he went off on me and not one of the other students."

"No kiddin'. You okay?"

"I'll probably have a few bruises, but I don't think he got me bad enough to break anything."

"Good. And you're right...there may be something fueling that anger. I'll talk to him after he's had time to think things over."

"So, now on to Tommy and his victim," Eric said with a bit of a chuckle.

"Should be entertaining. Apparently, this kid thinks he knows some Muay Thai," Wes remarked.

Jason snorted as he removed his gi top and replaced it with a tank. "Yeah well, first time Tom connects, the kid's gonna know that he was wrong."

Tommy watched Will as the kid moved around the mat before slipping in and landing a Thai kick to the teen's thigh. He was only going about 20 percent, which was appropriate for a teaching sort of sparring session.

Even though the legendary Ranger was taking it easy on the kid, the snap of his gi and the pop of the kick as it landed was enough to raise several eyebrows. "Ouch," Zeke said, speaking for the first time since he'd sat down to watch. "That sounded like it hurt."

Blake chuckled softly. "Yeah, sometimes the sound is worse than the actual blow, but from what I've heard, I'd say they're about equal."

Will winced slightly, but didn't let the blow deter him from attacking. He managed to get in close and landed two quick, hard kicks to the man's thigh. While Sensei Oliver might be pulling his kicks, Will had no intention of doing so. He'd heard the other sparring matches and had no intentions of losing to this old man.

With a slight frown, Tommy kept quiet after the teen's kicks had landed. 'Okay, so he's not wanting to pull. Let's see if it was just a fluke.' With a right reverse punch as a feint, the former Green Ranger was able to get within striking range and once again delivered a quick, controlled strike to the teen's thigh.

"Okay, Tommy's pulling and Will isn't. If he pisses Falcon off enough, he's gonna wish he'd stayed home tonight," Jason remarked, looking at Adam.

Adam snorted and put a hand on his own thigh. "Think I don't know that? The bruise he gave me is almost gone, finally." The former Frog leaned over so that only Jason could hear. "And if he purposely hurts Tommy...he'll never get a black belt from my school."

"Tom'll be alright, Froggy. He's feeling pretty good today-don't worry," the Original Red Ranger replied.

Will flinched as the blow connected, but he continued, determined to prove that he was better than the man in front of him. He threw a couple of aerial kicks before landing close enough to slam home a Thai kick to Tommy's left leg before switching tactics and sweeping the right. The combined actions sent the older man to the ground.

For a moment, the former Ranger Commander laid there, stunned. Then he climbed to his feet once again and looked at the teen. "You know, dojo courtesy demands that you show a senior belt respect. As a senior belt, I'm supposed to fight at your level, but since you refuse to pull your kicks like you're supposed to, I think it's only fair that you understand exactly why such rules are in place."

Shaking his head, the teen practically sneered at him. "Yeah well, you don't have much you can teach me, old man."

With a soft sigh, Tommy shook his head. "If that's what you think." He moved quickly, showing no sign of the pain or weaknesses that sometimes crippled him. A flurry of punches drove the teen back and was quickly followed by two round kicks and a hook kick. As the teen started to regain his balance, he threw a helicopter kick. Once Tommy landed, he gave the kid two hard Thai kicks, one to each leg at about 60 percent.

Will's eyes widened in disbelief before he was sent crashing to the mat, both his legs numb and unable to support him any longer.

Both Jason's and Adam's eyes opened a bit wider as the former Gold Ranger covered his mouth with his hand. "Damn...that's my boy!" he said, shaking his head.

"Oh crap, get 'im, Tom," Eric mumbled, glancing at Wes whose eyebrows were up at hairline level.

Tommy looked down at the teen, who was still lying on the mat. "Never judge someone by their age. With age comes wisdom and knowledge, plus more experience. You'd do well to remember that." He reached a hand down to help the teen up.

For a moment, Will thought about refusing the assistance, but then he took a page from Wyatt's book and grabbed the offered hand. As he was being pulled up, Will lunged at Tommy, driving them both to the floor once again.

The teen glared at the man beneath him as he used an elbow strike to give him a bit of distance and started sitting up. "When I want lessons from an old man, I'll talk to my father."

Adam started to get up and go after the kid himself, but Jason pushed him back down. "Tom can handle him-just watch."

Knowing that talking to this kid was useless, Tommy shook his head and moved quickly. He brought his hands up and grabbed the kid behind the head. Pulling him forward and down, Tom bucked his hips upwards and twisted, tossing the kid to the mat before moving quickly and pinning the kid to the mat from the mount position. It was easy from there to swing his legs off to the side and pull the teen into a choke hold. "I'd tap out if I were you, because unlike Sensei Scott, this will be your only chance to do so."

Even as the man spoke, Will could feel the hold tightening and he panicked. After thrashing for a couple of minutes, he repeatedly slapped his hand onto the mat, signaling his surrender.

With a last squeeze, the original Green Ranger let his opponent go and climbed to his feet. Like Jason, he removed the kid's belt and after bowing off the mat, took it over to Adam. He raised his eyebrow at seeing the former Frog already had one. "Jason or Eric?"

Back over with the spectators, Jason nodded appreciatively and grinned. "Told ya. And you were worried..." he said to Adam, patting his leg a couple of times.

"Jason, as a matter of fact," Adam responded to his friend. "Will, go get changed and I want to see you, Wyatt, and Alan before you leave. Understand me?"

Will nodded as he climbed slowly to his feet and bowed towards Adam. He limped towards the edge of the mat and bowed again before making his way to the locker room to change.

Rocky waited until the teen was out of sight and turned to the other three. "Go back to the private dojo and you guys can talk about this back there, okay? Someone will come get you once they've left so you can get changed."

Grinning, Wes stepped closer to the others. "Why don't we let these guys watch as some of us go at each other? Let them see how people besides their teachers fight."

"Yeah, that sounds like a plan. I'm up for it," Eric replied, looking around at the other men. Tommy, Jason, and Rocky all nodded, but Adam held his hand up. "Count me out-I'm not up to it yet. I'll just man the camcorder."

"Alright, that'll work. Who's fighting who?" Rocky asked with a grin.

For a moment no one said anything and then Adam grinned. "How about Eric versus Tommy and Jase goes against Wes?" He looked at his old friend. "Then you can take on the winner of either match."

"Works for me," Rocky said, hoping he didn't end up sparring Tommy. "I don't want to find out for myself what those kicks feel like," he said quietly.

Jason slapped Rocky on the back as he walked out towards the mats. "Don't worry Rocko, it only hurts for a bit." He winked at the other man before stepping onto the floor and gesturing for Wes to join him.

Eric stepped over beside Tommy and motioned for the former commander to go ahead of him. "Age before beauty," he said with a grin, bowing slightly.

"That's true-you're older than me, though. After you, 'old man'," Tommy quipped, still slightly miffed at being called that by a teenager.

Hunter grinned. "I'll take you on Rocky. Be nice to see how much you forgot since you left and joined up with these guys."

The former Thunder Ranger shook his head. "I'd better not push it. The only reason Hunter and I were able to make it is because I'm recovering from a strained knee and sprained ankle from a race last week. I wiped out pretty hard," Blake said.

"Oh, okay. That's cool. You alright?"

"Yeah, but if I get out there and let loose I'm liable to push things too much." He grinned. "As it is, this is the most I've done all week."

"Glad you're alright," Adam responded. "Okay guys, go ahead and beat each other up. Just don't bleed all over my mats, okay?" he said, turning and heading over to where the video camera was set up.

The teenagers looked at each other with wide eyes, not knowing whether their teacher was being serious or not.

"Aw, but where's the fun in that?" Jason asked, winking as Wes joined him on the mats.

"Seriously. If somebody doesn't end up unconscious it hasn't been much of a fight...or party," Eric said with a chuckle.

Tommy raised an eyebrow. "Are you volunteering to be that person?"

"Oh shut up and fight, Oliver. I got a couple of moves I've been wanting to try on you anyway," Eric quipped, quickly falling into his fighting stance.

Rolling his eyes, the former Ranger Commander moved into a stance of his own. Without warning, he gave a loud 'ki-yah' and feigned a back fist to Eric's head only to drive a 50 percent Thai kick into the Guardian Commander's thigh instead.

Blake chuckled softly from where he sat beside Adam. "I'm so glad I'm not out there on the other end of those kicks."

"No kiddin'-my thigh still hurts and it's been a couple weeks since we sparred. It's all in the angle of the kick and the power behind it. And with those tree trunk thighs of his, power is not an issue," Adam stated.

Eric raised an eyebrow and nodded. "Not bad." Inside, he was saying something different. 'Holy shit! Jason wasn't kidding when he said there was power there. My thigh's not gonna be the same for a week!' Determined to not be outdone, Eric dropped to one knee and did a spinning sweep only to have Tommy jump over his leg. As the former White Ranger was coming down, however, the Quantum Ranger struck out with an inside-outside crescent kick followed by a back fist to the head, which he pulled slightly before stepping back out of reach.

He grinned at the older man. "Well, the old man has some moves after all." Jumping up, Tommy snapped off a front kick before landing and jumping up again to do a spinning round kick.

"Tell me something, Adam," Blake started, speaking so that only the former Black Ranger could hear. "I've heard a little bit about Tommy being injured during his last stint of 'duty'. I've been told that his condition is getting worse. Is that right?"

With a soft sigh, Adam nodded. "He has his good days and bad days, although it's kind of obvious that today is one of the good ones."

"I'll say. Okay, I was just wondering. He certainly doesn't act like he's in much pain-though Commander Myers there might change that," Blake commented with a grin.

"I wouldn't put Tommy as down for the count just yet." He grinned at the younger man. "He's still playing by the rules."

"Does the great Tommy even know how to fight dirty? I can't imagine it..." he asked with a wink.

"Oh yeah, although he usually only does that with Jason. He'll pull it out if he thinks it's necessary."

"Now Jason strikes me as someone who would be a sneaky fighter-do whatever was necessary to win." He stopped and thought for a second. "Though I have to say, I'll bet all of them would do that, now that I think about it."

"If the situation warrants, any of us can be sneaky fighters," Adam replied with a grin. "Just remember that, Junior."

The Guardian Commander arched an eyebrow at the jump front kick, but had to almost drop all the way to the floor to avoid the second kick. As he started to straighten up, he was nailed with a double punch to the chest and he groaned. "Okay, now I know why people don't want to piss you off."

"You had doubts?" Tommy asked Eric with a grin as they were circling.

"Well, some things can be exaggerated, especially with age you know." He winked at the younger man before launching into a series of spinning kicks that stopped as Tommy caught his leg and delivered a numbing hammerfist to his thigh.

"Is that legal, Master Park?" Jack asked, looking up at his sensei.

"It is, but it's not something that's really taught." He met the teen's eyes. "But it is not something that will be used in this dojo on each other, clear?"

"Yes sir," the boy answered, the other two nodding. Zeke and Michael had been wondering the same thing.

Tommy released Eric's leg and stepped back, watching as the Quantum Ranger limped a bit. "Call it a draw?"

Sighing, the other man nodded. "Yeah, this time." He shook a finger at the original Green Ranger. "But I want a rematch the next chance we get."

"You're just dying for me to make you tap, aren'tcha?" Tommy laughed, wiping sweat from his brow.

"I don't know about that, but I'd like to see what you can do fresh and not having taught some punk a lesson."

Tom grinned and nodded. "Okay, you can have your rematch. Come by my place in Reefside and I'll kick your butt for ya."

"We'll have to see about that." Eric moved closer to the other man. "Now, what's this I hear about you wanting to give me a shot?"

It took Tommy a moment to get Eric's drift. His mind was on sparring. When he realized what the Guardian Commander was referring to, he immediately blushed. "Wes been running his mouth, huh? I didn't mean it that way."

"Oh really? Exactly how did you mean it?" He grinned wickedly. "Because like Wes said, arrangements can be made."

"Sounds like you're the one that's interested, Commander. I gotta warn you though, you might not ever be able to go back to Blondie there," Tom replied in a sultry voice.

Eric looked over at Wes, watching as his lover ducked a kick aimed at his head by Jason and delivered a sweep in return that sent the Original Red Ranger to the floor. "I don't know about that. I'm kind of addicted to him."

Tom chuckled. "That's good. I've always thought you two made a good couple. Now, let's watch my boy kick your boy's ass, alright?" He grinned mischievously at Eric, knowing that Wes was a very capable fighter.

"You do realize that you might be icing down that big beast of yours tonight, right? Because Wes might look to be all nice and polite, but the boy can get dirty when he needs to."

"Well, you'd know..." Tommy said with a chuckle, playfully giving Eric a push. "We'll see, we'll see."

Getting back to his feet, Jason quirked an eyebrow. "Now, that's a move I recognize from your partner. Should I assume that he's taught you more of his 'bad habits'?"

The Red Time Force Ranger grinned. "Well, I guess that depends on how much you like eating mat, huh?"

"So who do ya like in this match-up?" Adam asked Blake.

"Hmmm, that's a good question. Jason is awfully strong but fast for his size. Wes is pretty slippery, though."

Shaking his head, the paramedic chuckled softly. "Man, Eric has really corrupted you over the years." He grinned before launching a series of kicks at the blond.

Ducking the first one, Wes back flipped out of the way of the rest before blocking a punch of Jason's and delivering a hard strike of his own to the man's solar plexus.

Jason grunted, but instead of stepping back, he wrapped his arms around Wes and took the younger man to the floor.

Wes grunted as he hit the floor and had Jason land on top of him. A misplaced elbow drove the rest of the air from the Guardian Commander and he hurriedly tapped the mat.

Hearing the tap, Jason moved off the other man and sat up only to frown as Wes curled up on his side. "You okay?"

The blond nodded and managed to squeak out. "Yeah, I'm okay. Elbow just landed in the wrong place."

Blushing the paramedic looked over at Eric. "Hey man, mind helping me get your partner up?"

Tommy started moving toward them as well. "He okay?"

Jason blushed slightly. "Think I caught him with an elbow in a slightly delicate area."

Wes just nodded from where he lay on the mats.

Adam wanted to go over there as well, but he'd heard what Jason had said and didn't want to add to any embarrassment. "Oooh, that's gonna hurt for a while," he said to Blake in a low voice.

Blake nodded. "No kidding. I've got a few there and it's never a pleasant thing."

The blond looked up as Eric knelt beside him. "Next time, I'll wear a cup, but honestly, how often does an ox fall on me and happen to land there?"

Eric chuckled and pushed Wes' hair back out of his face. "That's the kind of luck you have. Feel like you can get up now?"

"I'm going to need some help, but yeah, I think I can manage it now." He sighed softly and looked over at Jason. "Although, I don't think I'm going to ask you to a rematch anytime soon."

Laughing, Jason nodded at Eric. Together they slowly helped Wes to his feet. "Can't say that I really blame you for that."

Meanwhile, Hunter had been playing around more than he was seriously sparring with Rocky. So when the older man threw two feints at his head, the Crimson Ranger ducked and on his way back up stuck his tongue out at the former Ape.

Over on the sidelines, Blake was watching his brother and shaking his head. "He's so cocky. I hope Rocky cleans his clock."

Rocky rolled his eyes and stepped back. With a grin, he dropped towards the mat and as Hunter started to move, he came back up with a jump kick that made the blond duck.

Grinning, Hunter was getting ready to say something about Rocky being predictable when another feint to his head made him duck only to catch a backhand to the face as he straightened back up. After it landed, he could only stare in disbelief at the man in front of him, who completed the move by tweaking Hunter's nose.

Patting the kid on the back, Rocky grinned at him. "Better learn some new moves for next time, Rookie." Chuckling softly, he made his way off the mats and over towards the others.

Rocky looked over towards the office and noticed Wyatt, Will and Alan standing there. He nodded at Adam. "I feel for you man."

"Why? This isn't going to bother me at all," the former Black Ranger said, walking purposefully toward the door of his office.

Tommy's eyebrows went up as he watched Adam walk by. "Those kids are in trouble," he said quietly to Jason who was standing nearby.

Jason nodded. "Considering you and I stripped the belts off of two of them and the other one smarted off to Eric? Yeah, I'm glad I'm not in there with them."

"They sure picked a bad time to screw up. Froggy is in no mood for this crap," Tommy replied, heading toward the locker room.

The paramedic nodded. "That they did." He looked back at Wes, blushing slightly. "You doing okay there Collins?"

The blonde in question looked up at the man and nodded. "Yeah, I'm okay. Might not be into doing much of anything tonight, but we'll see."

While they were all in the locker room changing, Jason looked around and then made a suggestion. "Hey guys, why don't we all go out to eat somewhere for dinner? There's a great steak place not too far from here."

Blake shook his head. "We can't. A couple of friends of ours are going to be in town and we're meeting them tonight."

Eric looked over at Wes, who nodded. "Sounds like a plan." He looked at the bruise he had developing on his thigh from Tommy and raised an eyebrow. "What do you have in those legs, man? Iron?"

Tom laughed. "No, no iron. It's all about power and precision."

"Yeah, Tom has always had incredible aim with his kicks. I can't tell you how many bruises he's put on me over the years," Jason added. "But yeah, let's do the dinner thing. I think Adam would enjoy it."

Rocky nodded. "Personally, I think it'd do him good to go out with all of us." He grinned. "Besides, I'm hungry."

Jason tossed his damp tank top at him. "Now why does that not surprise me?"

"Yeah, going out with the guys would help him, I think. He needs to know that he's still got lots of friends," Tommy added, pulling off his shirt and raising an eyebrow at the looks he was getting. "What?"

Blake's eyebrows were trying to climb into his hairline. "Dude! When did you get all those?" He moved to get a better look at the one on Tommy's back. "Man, that tiger is sic!"

Eric nodded. "Got to agree with the kid, that's some pretty cool ink."

"Thanks. I have a good artist up in Reefside. I've been working on these for a couple of years now. Guess I forgot that you guys haven't seen them," Tom said, looking over at Jason.

The former Gold Ranger winked at him. "All right guys, we'd better finish up or we're never gonna get seats." He stood up, tucking his shirt in. "And I for one want to get there before all their house cut porterhouse steaks are gone."

"Alright, let's get moving then. I could use a good glass of wine about now anyway," Eric said, sitting down to tie his shoes.

"I'm with ya there. Adam shouldn't be much longer, I wouldn't think," Tommy replied.

Rocky shook his head. "Not tonight anyway. I can see him leaving them with something to think over for a few days, if not a couple of weeks."

Everyone nodded in agreement and started leaving the locker room, talking amongst themselves. Just as Tommy and Jason were walking through the door, Adam came in to get changed. "Everything go okay, bro?" Tom asked.

He took a seat on the bench and sighed softly. "Yeah, but I don't think I've ever been as disappointed in someone as I am those three."

"They're just young and full of themselves, Froggy. This could be a good learning experience for them," Jason suggested.

"That's right. They need to learn that they can't get away with that kind of behavior. Better to learn it here than in the street," Tom added.

"Yeah, I guess it's just that they are some of my senior students. Makes me wish I'd been the one to train them from the start and not taken them on halfway through, you know? Maybe if I'd had them from the start, they would have more respect for all of this." He finished changing and stood up. "So what's the plan for the rest of the night?"

"Well, we all decided to go out for dinner. Figured we'd head over to LeBaron when we leave here. You up for it?" Jason asked.

"I could definitely go for something to eat and a steak sounds just about right."

"Excellent. Rocky, Eric, and Wes are going too. Should be a lotta fun," Tom said with a grin and held the locker room door open for the other two.

-O-o-O-

Jason shook hands with Eric one last time before climbing into the SUV. The dinner had been fun and everyone had enjoyed themselves. They'd made plans to go up to Reefside for a bar-b-que at Tommy's after school let out. It'd be a chance for everyone else to meet the team the former Ranger Commander had mentored. Buckling his seatbelt, he sighed softly. "That was a nice way to wrap up the day."

"Yeah, it was. I'm glad we could all go out like that," Tommy agreed, getting settled in the front seat.

Nodding as he yawned, Adam agreed with them. "Oh yeah, and I want to thank you both for helping make this a better birthday than I've had in years."

Tommy turned as much as he was able. "You're very welcome. Glad you enjoyed yourself," he said with a smile.

"Just glad that I was able to actually go without falling asleep in my plate."

The paramedic chuckled softly. "You did seem to start getting a little tired towards the end."

"Mmm hmmm, I am tired. Shouldn't have any trouble sleeping tonight," Adam said with a soft chuckle.

"You know that if you need anything, you can come into my room at any time, right?" Jason looked at the other man in the rearview mirror.

"Yeah, I know," he responded, yawning again.

Tommy grinned over at Jason. "So this get-together we have planned should be fun. Gotta remember to invite everybody."

"Oh yeah, gotta let everyone meet your rookies." He grinned. "It'll also allow those who still haven't met yet to do it in a friendlier manner than how some of us have gotten to know each other."

"Yeah, that's true. I wonder how we could get Kyle to do some cooking for us without having to tell him exactly what it's for?" Tom asked with a grin.

"I still think you should have a talk with that boy, find out exactly what he knows." Jason laughed softly. "Because I'm sorry, there is no way that he picked that hoodie out for Adam by coincidence alone."

"I agree it was weird, but how in the world would he know anything, Jase? I certainly haven't told him and I can't see my kids telling him either. Kira, Trent, and the others know better."

"I don't know, but that boy knows something." He was quiet for a moment. "How smart is he?" He glanced over at Tommy for a moment. "I mean, could he have put stuff together? You did say that he used to live in Angel Grove at one point."

"Yeah, he lived here but he was really young at the time. But he's very smart-very perceptive. I guess it's possible that he could have put two and two together," Tommy said with a shrug.

"Yeah well, at least he got something Adam likes. From the way you've talked about him at times, I was kind of worried."

"I wouldn't worry about it too much," the former Ranger Commander said, trying to change the subject. "What did you think of that Cabernet Sauvignon? I'd like to have a bottle of that myself."

"It was definitely better than that California Red he offered us first. Makes me glad that Wes and Eric were there. I liked that port Wes suggested towards the end a bit better."

"I'd love to get into the Collins' wine cellar. There's no telling what kind of gems you'd find in there," Tom grinned. "You got any good wine at home?"

He shook his head. "Haven't had any alcohol in the place for a while. I was actually planning on picking some up the night we brought Adam home to my place."

"Well, probably a good thing. I guess we can have some of Kyle's coffee when we get back to your place." He turned and spoke towards Adam. "Whatcha think, Froggy? Want some 'Kyle Surprise'?"

When there wasn't an answer, Jason glanced back at their friend and then chuckled softly. "Don't think he's gonna answer you, bro."

Tom managed to turn enough to see the one who had gone quiet. Adam was leaned against the door, head against the glass, mouth open slightly, sound asleep. The former White Ranger laughed. "I guess we wore him out. Poor guy."

"Well, he didn't get a nap in today and he was busier than he's been in a couple of weeks." He grinned at Tommy. "Guess it's just you and me for coffee and maybe some of that leftover chocolate mousse cake."

"Mmmmm, chocolate," Tommy chuckled. "I can do that."

"Thought you might be able to." The rest of the drive was made in silence. Pulling into his place, Jason got out and handed his keys to Tom. "No sense in waking him up. I'll just carry him if you'll get the doors for me."

"No problem." Tommy got out and helped while Jason carefully picked Adam up out of the back seat and carried him up to the apartment. Once inside, they took the sleeping man directly to his bedroom and laid him down. "Wow, he is really out," Tommy said softly.

The former Gold Ranger snorted softly. "He's fallen asleep on the couch since this happened and I've done the same thing." With practiced ease, Jason started removing Adam's shoes. "Grab me a pair of sleep pants and a T-shirt for him?" As he talked, he carefully started removing his friend's clothes.

"So, how does he feel about you changing his clothes for him, hmmm?" Tommy asked, a definite note of humor in his voice.

A soft blush crept over Jason's features. "You'll find out when he wakes up, trust me."

"This should be entertaining," he said with a grin and helped Jason finish up so that they could leave the man to sleep. Once back out in the kitchen, Tom headed for the coffee maker. "Ready for some 'Kyle Surprise'?"

"Sure, but just tell me one thing: Who the hell named this coffee?"

"Hayley," Tommy said with a laugh. "She says that since Kyle won't tell her what's in it, she can't give it a proper name, so she's calling it that until he comes across with the recipe."

"Well, if him hanging up on me...twice...is any indication of how stubborn he can be, I don't see her getting it anytime soon." Moving past his best friend, Jason got down two small plates before grabbing the cake out of the fridge. "How big do you want it?"

The former Green Ranger gave a low, sultry laugh and moved up behind his sometime lover, slipping his hands around the trim waist and started heading lower. "The usual size will do me just fine," he whispered in Jason's ear and then proceeded to nip at the man's neck.

Swallowing, the Original Red Ranger leaned his head back, resting it against Tommy and exposing more of his neck to the man. "Maybe I should have asked how big of a slice of cake do you want."

"Awwww, is cake all you want? Are you sure?" Tommy asked, continuing to nip and kiss Jason's neck.

"No, but cake for now and then when we actually make it to the bed we can explore other temptations."

"You're not nearly as adventurous as you used to be, Rexy." Tom gave the man's neck one last bit of attention and then moved back so that Jason could turn around.

Raising an eyebrow, Jason turned and met Tommy's warm, chocolate eyes. "Oh really?" He stepped closer and put a hand on the other man's waist band. "How quiet do you think you can be?"

"I can be as quiet as I need to be. What did you have in mind?" Tommy asked with a leer.

"Oh, maybe a little pre-dessert treat." Leaning in, the paramedic captured his lover's warm lips while his fingers deftly undid the pants the man was wearing. Slowly, he deepened the kiss while one hand slid inside to gently stroke the awakening member.

"Mmmmm," Tommy groaned into the mouth that held his captive while his own hands began to roam a bit. He briefly thought about Adam sleeping just down the hall, but most thoughts were erased by what Jason was doing with his hands.

Hands familiar with the body in front of him eased the pants down a bit followed by the boxers that Tommy was wearing. When the former Falcon's erection was flying free, Jason sank to his knees, then leaned in and rubbed his cheek against the silky steel. He nuzzled the dark hair at the base, inhaling deeply of his lover's musky scent while one hand began to stroke up and down a toned thigh. The touch was kept light enough to tease, but not tickle as it moved upward before stroking back down.

Looking up through lash-hooded eyes, the paramedic gazed at his friend. "Watch me." Only when the chocolate eyes locked with his did Jason move again.

The former Ranger Commander inhaled sharply as the man on his knees in front of him licked his shaft from base to tip. The tongue that circled his crown before dipping into the slit was wet and warm, but none of that compared to the feeling that rushed through Tommy as Jason blew over the tip of his cock.

Hips tried to thrust forward but were held in place by one of the large hands of the Original Red Ranger. Tommy watched as his shaft slowly, ever so slowly, disappeared between Jason's lips and he groaned at the feel of his best friend swallowing him slowly.

Tommy's scent was like a drug and intoxicated Jason beyond belief. He lost himself in the pleasure of driving his lover senseless. Years of being together had taught him exactly what to do to send his tiger into overdrive and right now, the former Gold Ranger was using every bit of that knowledge.

Hands stroked toned thighs or lightly rolled softly furred sacks. Pauses to catch his breath gave him the chance to place light nips on the tender skin of the inner thighs or suckle at the sensitive skin that rested over Tommy's hipbones. With his tongue, Jason traced the vein that ran the length of the rigid member before taking the head once again into his mouth. He began to hum on the down strokes and lightly applied pressure with his teeth on the way back up.

The pleasure rippling through the former White Ranger came in waves, each one taking him higher and higher towards the peak of pleasure. When he felt the pressure ease up on his hip, Tommy began to slowly thrust into that willing mouth.

Jason moaned softly around the prize he held and brought his hands up to cup the firm buttocks, encouraging his lover. The paramedic had experience deep throating his partner and knew his limits well. At the moment, it was all about the pleasure and driving his best friend wild.

Freeing one hand, he reached into a pocket of his jeans and pulled out a small, single use package of lube and opened it. Squeezing a little onto two fingers, he easily found the puckered opening and applied pressure until he was able to slip inside.

The sudden entrance caused Tommy to slide deeper into Jason's mouth and he groaned quietly in pleasure. The dual sensations as Jason re-took control over him were exquisite. Factor in the idea that Adam could walk in on them at any time and it made for an erotic venture.

Jason began to increase the tempo of thrusts with his fingers into the man he loved, driving him towards the edge as he used his mouth as well. As he worked harder to drive his Falcon over that edge, Jason realized that it wasn't enough. Removing his fingers and releasing the cock he had been working, the paramedic stood slowly and captured the soft, warm lips once more. At the same time, he undid his own jeans and let their weight carry his boxers with them to the floor.

Before Tommy had time to complain about the loss, his mouth was captured by Jason's. Their tongues began to duel and he gasped as the former Gold Ranger quickly entered him. 'God, Jase.' The sensation of being filled by his lover was indefinable.

His hands grabbed at the other man's firm cheeks, seeking to drive him deeper. Grunts and moans were swallowed by breath-stealing kisses as they sought to remain as quiet as possible.

With sure movements, Jason raised one of the former Ranger Commander's legs and put it on his hip. It changed his angle of penetration and allowed him to go deeper, brushing over that inner pleasure core with each stroke.

As Jason increased his tempo again, Tommy used one hand to take hold of his own weeping shaft and began to stroke it in time with his partner's thrusts. He could feel the tingling beginning in his spine and when the other man's speed and force increased once more, it was enough to send him spiraling over the edge in ecstasy. As his orgasm hit him, the Original Green Ranger tempered his scream of pleasure by clamping down on the shaft that penetrated him deeply and kissing the man hard.

The clenching of those muscles on his cock drove Jason over the edge and he came hard, sending his essence deep into the one that had been a part of his life for years. Breaking for air, he pressed his forehead against Tommy's and grinned. "Guess we'll have to consider that a warm up for later on."

-O-o-O-

Tommy poured two cups of coffee and, after putting a little cream and sugar in each, took them over to the table that sat in front of the couch. Jason followed him with two small plates of cake and a couple of forks. "I think the couch will be more comfortable, don't you?"

Chuckling softly, Jason took a seat beside him. "Considering how hard that kitchen floor is, yeah it'll be much more comfortable."

Tommy smiled and made himself comfortable. "So...I guess I gotta go back to boring ol' Reefside tomorrow."

"Yeah well, I'm trying to figure out how to swing things so Adam isn't here alone for 14-16 hours a day when I go back to work on Monday."

"Yeah, I guess you do have to work sometime, don't ya?" Tom said, getting a nod from his best friend. "And Rocky's still helping out with the dojo. How much longer do you think Adam will need to be with someone?"

"For at least another week. Right now, it's mostly a matter of making sure he doesn't over do it and has someone there to help him out with the nightmares." He took a drink of his coffee. "I mean, he's doing better, but I'd hate for him to drift off to sleep waiting for something to heat up on the stove for dinner and it catch fire."

Tom thought for a few moments. "He can come home with me. I'm only gone for a few hours every day-I can come home for lunch if I want to. And there's always Kyle..."

Jason was quiet for a moment. "That might actually be a good idea. He opens up to you and I know that he's comfortable around you even after a nightmare." He chuckled softly. "Although I'm not sure how good of an idea it is for Adam to hang out with your rather cheeky TA."

"Oh I don't know...it might be interesting," Tom laughed. "But I've got plenty of room and I'd be glad to watch after him for a few days. Think he'll go along with it?"

"He might. We'll see how he feels tomorrow once it hits him that you're leaving." He grinned. "If he's moping about, we can always just ask him what he thinks about going to spend a week with you."

"You really think my leaving would make him mope?" Tommy asked with a grin.

"At least for a little bit." Finishing his cake, Jason set the plate aside and turned a bit to look at his friend. "Seriously Tom, you don't hound him about if he's okay, how he's feeling, is he warm enough, or any of the other things that I do. You also don't hover like Rocky tends to do." He chuckled softly. "Instead, you let him push himself until he either falls asleep or actually asks for your help. It's not something I've ever been good at. That's why I have the job that I do and I like it."

"Well, like you said, we'll see how he acts in the morning. I'd actually love to have him there. I even told him the other day that he'd be better off at my house." He thought about that and then corrected himself. "I mean as opposed to being alone at his place."

"Well, for right now, leaving him alone for long stretches just isn't something I want to do, but you're right. Him being up there with you is a great idea." He grinned as Tommy shifted and winced a little. "You okay?"

"Hmmm? Oh yeah, fine." He paused for a moment and then tilted his head and looked at Jason. "Do you always carry lube around with you in your pocket? I mean, I know you were a Boy Scout, but..." he trailed off.

Jason shrugged as he blushed slightly. "Only when I'm around you."

"Oh..." Tom started and then wasn't really sure what to say after that. He just kind of blankly stared at his lover. Finally, he gave a little shrug. "Okay."

The paramedic laughed softly. "Just be glad that I am. Otherwise, I would have had to use something in the kitchen."

Tommy wrinkled his nose and gave a little shiver. "I guess you're right. I've never been a cooking oil or butter sorta guy. Yuck."

"Those were my thoughts." He grinned. "Then again, I've been trying to figure out a way to get you alone most of the day."

"Oh have you now? Even after last night?" Tom asked, snuggling against Jason's broad chest.

"Well, we did only have the weekend." He put an arm around his best friend and held him close. "Wanted to make sure we made the most of it."

"I think we've done okay so far," Tom grinned. "We still have tonight, ya know...as long as we're quiet."

"I'm counting on it." As he spoke, Jason let a hand trail over his lover's stomach. "I'll be moping a bit when you leave."

"Well, you know how much I miss you when we're apart. We've been over that again and again." It still bothered Tommy that he and Jason couldn't be together on a regular basis, even though he understood the reasons behind it.

The paramedic nodded his head. He was getting to the point where his father's reaction to his lifestyle choice was really starting to tick him off, but at the same time he wasn't ready to cut that last string just yet.

"Promise you'll call once you two get back. I want to know you got there okay."

"Of course. You know, you really do worry too much," Tom stated and then paused. "But I appreciate it," he added with a smile.

Jason blushed softly and leaned down, placing a light kiss on the other man's lips. "Well, that's a good thing because I'd worry no matter what. I love you, Tom, and it does worry me at times you being all alone up there."

"I know, but I'm not truly alone. I have Hayley, Kyle, Kira, and Trent who keep quite a close eye on me. A little too close sometimes," he grinned. "I know it's not the same as having you or one of the other guys up there, but it's something at least. I'm pretty much okay most of the time, ya know."

"Yeah, I know." He rested his head against Tommy's. "We've still got some time tonight. Anything special you wanted to do?"

"Just be together while we have time. It'll probably be a while before we can get together again," Tom sighed, tracing circles with his fingers on Jason's thigh.

"Want to stay out here or go back to my room?" He let one hand drift lazily through the other man's hair. "I miss your hair sometimes."

The former White Ranger laughed. "So you keep telling me. I think I might let it grow out-at least a little. I wonder how the school board would feel about that?"

"I think that they'll just have to get over it." He sighed softly. "Come on, let's take this stuff back to the kitchen and go to my room."

"Sounds like a good idea," Tom said with a warm smile, turning his face up so that he could place a soft kiss on Jason's waiting lips. "Let's go."

After taking their stuff back to the kitchen and putting it in the dishwasher, Jason grabbed a couple bottles of water before walking over to Tom. "Ready?"

"Definitely. I need to rock your world again before I leave," he said with a wink and a grin.

"We'll see who rocks whose world." Chuckling softly, he leaned in and gently nipped an earlobe before heading down the hall.

"We just need to remember to be as quiet as possible," he said, motioning toward the closed door of Adam's bedroom. "Don't wanna disturb Froggy there."

"I think we can manage that." Jason grinned as they entered his bedroom and shut the door with his foot before placing the water on the nightstand. Turning, he looked at Tommy. "I think it's your turn." Slowly the former Gold Ranger pulled his shirt off over his head and tossed it to the side. "But what are you gonna do about it?"

Following Jason's lead, Tommy removed his own shirt slowly and unbuttoned his jeans. As he walked toward his lover, he ran a hand slowly over his own abs. "I'll have you begging before the night is over."

"I guess we'll just have to see if your actions can back up your words now, won't we?" He grinned as he undid his jeans and let them slide to the floor. Stepping out of them, he took a seat on the bed. "Come and get me."

-O-o-O-

Jason smiled softly as he lazily ran a hand through Tommy's sweat dampened locks. "Okay, so I have to admit…" he waited until the warm, chocolate eyes met his. "You definitely rocked my world that time."

Tommy smiled warmly. "Toldja. I know the combination to your safe, Rex," he chuckled.

"Yeah well, guess I had to let you remind me of that." He sighed softly. "Think we're definitely going to be feeling it a bit tomorrow." He grinned. "Not that I'm complaining."

Adam rolled over and then frowned as he opened his eyes. It took him a moment to realize where he was. Shaking his head, he tossed the covers back and was surprised to find himself in sleep pants and a shirt. The former Frog snorted with annoyance and laid back. "Dammit Jason!" Getting up and to his feet, Adam started down the hall to the other bedroom and didn't think twice about opening the door.

At the sound of the door opening, Tom instinctively grabbed for the sheet and pulled it up a little higher over the two of them. "Adam...did we wake you? Are you okay?"

"I thought we'd come to an-" Adam stopped as he realized what he'd walked in on and turned beet red. "Oh damn. I'm sorry, bro."

Jason chuckled softly. "It's okay, man-don't worry about it. You pissed at me for carrying you in the house and putting you to bed?"

"Dude, that's only half of it. I thought we'd talked about the changing me as well? I mean, come on Rex." The former Green Zeo Ranger kept his gaze on Jason, determined not to notice how Tommy's shoulders seemed to be shaking or how sculpted that back was.

"Froggy...you were worn completely out and fast asleep. I just wanted you to be comfortable, so Tom and I changed your clothes so you could sleep. There was nothing improper about it," Jason replied, unconsciously still running his hands over Tommy's body.

"Yeah, we didn't mean to upset you. Just wanted you to get some rest," Tommy added.

Sighing softly, Adam nodded. "I guess it just disorients me, you know? The last thing I remembered was being in the car and the next I'm waking up in the other room with no real clue how I got there."

"Okay, I'm sorry. Won't happen again, I promise," Jason said with a smile.

Tommy rolled over, making sure that the sheet covered his hips. "What woke you up, anyway? You were sleeping so well the last time we checked on you."

He shook his head, regretting it a little as he did so. "Back started hurting a little along with my head." He blushed slightly while flashing them a crooked smile. "Putting Wyatt on his ass like that might have been fun, but it probably wasn't the smartest thing I could have done."

"Probably not, but it sure was awesome to watch," Tom smiled.

"I just can't believe that he said that to Eric and then lived."

"Do you need Jase to give you something for pain, bro?" Tommy asked, a little concerned about his friend.

"I was just going to take some Tylenol or something."

Jason shook his head as he moved to get up, keeping the sheet over his hips as he grabbed his boxers off the floor. "If it's as bad as it was the other night, Tylenol's not gonna help it."

"I think that stuff is pretty much useless. Maybe I'm just used to taking stronger stuff, but taking Tylenol is like swallowing M&Ms to me," Tom quipped.

Adam rolled his eyes. "Alright." He raised an eyebrow at the Original Red Ranger. "Sometimes, I think you get a kick out of sticking people with things."

Tommy burst out laughing at that before he could stop himself. "True...true." He shot a look at Jason and continued to chuckle.

Shaking his head, the paramedic slid his boxers on and reached over, slapping his sometime lover in the ass. "You'd best behave." Going over to his bag, he picked it up and nodded at Adam. "Let's get you settled again and I'll look at your back before I give you something for it."

Adam turned and started toward the door. "Thanks, Rex...and again, I'm sorry I bothered you guys."

Jason put a hand on his shoulder. "Don't worry about it, bro. I would have felt worse about you hurting for the rest of the night than embarrassed at you walking in when you did."

"Yeah, no kidding," Tommy added. He had gotten out of bed right along with Jason and after pulling on his boxers, walked over to join them. "Besides, you really didn't interrupt anything anyway," he said with a smile and put a hand on Adam's shoulder.

The former Frog nodded as he walked down the hall. "Let me make a pit stop and I'll meet you in the room." He ducked into the bathroom to take care of business, leaving the two men alone.

Walking on into the guest room, the former Gold Ranger turned to look at Tommy. "Five minutes... if he'd walked in five minutes sooner it would have been worse." He grinned sheepishly. "Guess I really should remember to lock the door sometimes."

"Ya think?" Tom asked, but couldn't help but grin. He wasn't any better about it. "We both probably need to work on that. The guys have always said that neither one of us knows how to lock a door." He paused and started chuckling softly. "Do you realize how many times we've been walked in on over the years?"

Jason ran a hand through his hair. "Way too many to count."

"Uh huh," Tom said, still laughing. He looked up as Adam came in. "So where are you hurting, Froggy?"

The other man snorted. "Same place as last night. It's almost as bad as last night. Think not doing much all this time and then moving as quick as I did probably wasn't a good thing." He walked over to the bed and gingerly stretched out on it face down.

"Another pain killer/muscle relaxer cocktail, Jase?" Tom asked, looking over at the paramedic.

"Probably, but I need to see how tight it is so I can judge the dose." He took a seat next to Adam on the bed. "I'm going to do the same thing as last night. When I get done, I want you to rate the pain for me, okay?" When he got a small nod, Jason started.

Tommy stood nearby watching Adam's face. He could tell from his friend's expression that he was definitely in pain. Every time Adam winced, Tommy did too. "I know how you feel, man-believe me."

When Jason pushed on one spot, Adam hissed and flinched away a bit. "Damn! Okay, that just jacked it up to a seven."

"It's a little warm to the touch there, but I don't think it's anything serious. I know you might not want to, but over the next couple of days you're going to have to start stretching out a bit. Slow stretches so you don't pull anything plus a bit more protein and potassium."

Taking note of what Jason was advising, Tommy nodded. He was going to insist that Adam come home with him the next day, regardless of how much the man might protest about 'being a burden'. There was no way he was going to let his friend go home to that lonely little apartment by himself.

Sighing softly, Adam turned his head and looked at Jason. "Great, my favorite combo." He glanced at Tommy. "I know that Jase keeps some muscle rub around here, think you can grab it for me?"

"Sure, I'll be right back," the former White Ranger said, walking out and heading for the bathroom. He was sure that he'd seen it in the medicine cabinet the last time he'd come down to visit.

Jason reached into his bag and drew up a dose that was more muscle relaxer than painkiller. "Alright Adam, this time it's more of the muscle relaxer. I think part of the pain is coming from the fact that your muscles are so tight. If they'll relax, then I think it'll help the pain, but I did add some painkiller as well." Jason grabbed an alcohol wipe and looked at his friend. "I'm gonna put it in your hip again, but on the other side."

The former Green Zeo ranger nodded and watched as his friend moved around to the other side of the bed. He barely felt it as the needle slid home and Adam sighed softly. "Thanks for doing all of this, Jason."

The paramedic capped the used syringe and put it in his bag to dispose of later. "You'd take care of me if I needed it, Adam. And you have before, so I'm just returning the favor." He gently tousled the younger man's hair. "That's what friends do."

Meanwhile, Tom had returned with the muscle rub. "Here ya go. Want me to rub some of it on your back?" he asked, taking a seat on the bed next to his friend.

"Would you? I promise I'll pay you back for all the massages, bro."

Tommy chuckled. "You don't owe me a thing, but another of your massages would be nice. Deal?" he asked with a warm smile.

Adam grinned as he pulled the pillow under his head and got settled. "Deal."

"Alright then," Tom said while he was squeezing some of the ointment onto his hands. "I'll hold you to that." He warmed the cream a little between his hands before applying it to his friend's back in slow, large circles. "Just close your eyes and try to relax-the meds 'doc' gave you should be kickin' in pretty soon."

The former Frog chuckled softly. "Think you just saddled Rexy with another nickname, Falcon." He sighed softly and closed his eyes. He could feel the meds starting to work and combined with his friend's slow and sure movements, he was starting to drift off.

"Just what any of us needed...another nickname," Tom said with a laugh. He turned and winked at Jason. "But I think it suits him."

Chuckling softly, the Original Red Ranger gave a small nod. "It's better than some I could be saddled with." He put a hand on the back of Adam's neck. "Get some rest, bro." Picking up his bag, he headed back to his room.

Tommy continued to massage Adam's back until he was sure the man was fast asleep. Getting up slowly, he pulled the covers up over his friend and headed back to Jason's bedroom. "Well, he's out like a light. Hope his back is better in the morning," Tom remarked to Jason as he rubbed the cream that remained on his hands into his own back. "I'm probably gonna be stiff myself in the morning."

"Why don't you lay down and I'll work some of it into your back? It'll help a bit and if you take one of your anti-inflammatories you shouldn't be too bad."

"Sounds like a good plan to me," the former commander said, stretching out on the bed.

Chuckling softly, Jason went to his bathroom and grabbed two of the pills for Tommy and brought them back. "Here, take these before I get started." Taking a seat on the bed, he picked up the cream from where Tommy had set it and put some in his hands, warming it up while waiting for the other man to finish.

Replacing his bottle of water on the nightstand, Tommy laid his head back down. "All done-start rubbin', 'doc'," he said with a chuckle and a grin.

Jason snorted softly. "Just be quiet and relax, Rainbow." Slowly, Jason started to work the warmed cream into his best friend's back. After a few minutes, he could feel the muscles starting to relax and slowly he could feel Tommy's breathing start to even out as the other man slipped off into sleep. Jason kept up his motions until the cream was worked thoroughly into the toned back. Getting up, he pulled the sheet and covers up a bit before returning to the bathroom and washing his hands. After a brief pit stop as well, the paramedic rejoined his lover in bed. Moving closer, he slipped an arm around the trim waist and rested his head against an inked shoulder before joining Tommy in sleep.

-o-O-o-

By the time the sunlight streaming through the windows woke the former Green Ranger, Jason had been up and about for nearly half an hour. He wanted to make a nice breakfast for them all since Tommy and Adam would be leaving today. 'Mmmm, what smells so good?' Tom wondered and he threw back the covers to head to the bathroom.

Jason tossed the kitchen towel over his shoulder as he pulled the sticky buns from the oven. His mom had given him the recipe a couple years ago, but he'd never really thought to try it. Taking the dish over to a tray he had set up, Jason carefully tipped it over and left it for a couple moments before lifting the cooking dish away. He grinned at the caramel and nut-covered buns. The reason he'd made them this morning is because all three of them had loved them as teens and they would travel well on the trip back to Reefside. He placed the dish in the sink before going over to turn the bacon he had cooking for the rest of breakfast and then took a drink of his coffee.

After stopping by the bathroom to take care of morning business, Tommy followed his nose out to the kitchen. "Oh my lord, what smells so good?" he asked, walking and sniffing. "Still think you need an apron, you domestic thing, you," Tom said with a grin and swatted Jason's ass. "Did you make some coffee for your man?"

Quirking an eyebrow, he wrapped his arms around Tommy. "Don't you think an apron would get in the way when you had your way with me?"

"You hush or I'll fit you for a chastity belt before I leave," Tom shot back and then kissed Jason gently.

The other man returned the kiss and let it go on for several minutes before he pulled back. "Coffee's ready and I do have to admit, it is a good blend."

"Ah, the 'Kyle Surprise'? I'll make sure to let the kid know you like it. Maybe he'll make some just for you as an apology," Tom suggested with a big grin.

"Guess I can't really blame him. We all have bad weeks," he grinned and went back over to the stove. "But don't tell him that. Figure I've got to meet him sometime."

"Oh yeah...and I can't wait," he laughed. "I don't know which one will be funnier-his face when he finally sees you or your face when he says something completely out of line."

"Really think he would? Or are his wisecracks such a part of him that he can't help it?" He shifted the bacon over to a paper towel to drain. Going over to the fridge, he grabbed the eggs and some other stuff for the omelets. "Any special requests?"

"Ham and cheese if you have any, please. And yeah, the boy just can't help himself. I think it's a defense mechanism, but he can come out with some of the wildest stuff at just the wrong moment," Tom answered, shaking his head.

"Adam told me about the ass comments he made at the mall." He grabbed some ham and added it to his stack before shutting the fridge and going back over to the counter. Handing the block of cheese to Tommy, he grinned. "Grate enough for three omelets?"

"Sure. Is this that cheese that I like so much?" he asked, taking a sniff.

"Yeah, aged extra sharp cheddar. I don't use it much, but it's great in omelets."

"Mmmm, I love it," he replied, breaking off a bit and popping it into his mouth. "Have you heard anything out of Frogboy this morning?"

"Not yet, but like I told him last night, I gave him more of the muscle relaxer than I did painkiller." He finished cracking the eggs into a bowl and started beating them. "Plus, yesterday was the first day that he didn't take a nap. So I'm not really surprised that he's still out."

"True. So how much trouble you think he's gonna give me when I insist that he come home with me?" Tom asked while steadily grating cheese into a small bowl.

"I think he might put up a small argument, but nothing too big."

"I'm not taking 'no' for an answer, so he may as well just save it. I guess we'll leave after lunch. I need to get back and get things in order for tomorrow."

"Yeah well, if you phrase the asking right, he might not put up a fight at all." Jason sighed softly. "Yeah, thought that'd be about when you left."

"I wish I didn't have to go, but...duty calls, ya know. You gotta go back to work anyway." There were so many things Tommy wanted to say, but they'd all been said before and it made no difference, so he just decided to keep his mouth shut. 'Maybe one day he'll be able to do what he wants-not what his dad wants.'

"Wish I could take more time off, but I'm due to re-qual in a couple weeks. I might try and take the test earlier, just so I can get it out of the way." He laughed softly. "It's not like I'm outta practice being around this group."

Tom laughed out loud at that. "No, that's for sure. You'll get plenty of practice as long as you hang around us-me, in particular."

"Least you're easy to diagnose and treat." He diced up some ham and then looked over at Tommy. "That looks like it should be enough. Why don't you go wake Adam up? That way everything will be hot by the time he makes it out here."

"Alright, that's a good idea. Be right back," he said, wiping his hands on Jason's dish towel and then hanging it back around the ORR's neck. Before he could get swatted with it, he scooted out of the kitchen and down the hall. When he got to Adam's door, he knocked quietly at first. "Adam? You awake yet?" he asked through the door.

Adam groaned softly at the knock on his door, but didn't move otherwise. He wasn't in pain, but he definitely was unwilling to get up just yet. The longer he stayed in bed, the longer it would be until Tommy left because he knew that the other man wouldn't leave without talking to him. Jase and Rocky were great, but at times they almost smothered him.

Tommy knocked again. "Hey Adam-breakfast will be ready soon. Are you up yet?"

The former Frog sighed. "You can come in, Tom."

Opening the door slowly, the former commander peeked in. "Hey, wake up sleepyhead," he said with a grin. "You hungry? Cause Jase has been outdoing himself in the kitchen."

Rolling over, Adam looked at his friend. "I'm a little hungry. Just haven't felt like getting out of bed yet, you know?"

"Oh yeah, I know very well," he answered as he took a seat on the edge of the bed. "There's lots of mornings I don't feel like getting up. How's your back?"

"Better than it was last night." He looked up at the former Falcon from where he lay and grinned. "Like I said, I just haven't felt like getting up yet."

Tommy lightly rubbed Adam's arm. "You don't wanna miss all that wonderful food, now do ya? He made Mama Scott's sticky buns for us," he grinned.

"Is that what I was smelling?" He slipped his tongue out and wet his lips. "Damn, thought I was just dreaming that smell." He sat up slowly. "Did he happen to make any coffee to go with it?"

"Oh yeah, got some 'Kyle Surprise' ready and waiting for ya. Come on, let's go eat okay?"

"I'm coming." He tossed the blankets aside and waited for Tommy to stand before getting to his own feet. Once upright, he stretched slowly and then grinned at his friend. "I'll be there in a minute. Need to make a stop first and take care of business."

"Okay. See you in the kitchen in a few minutes then," the former White Ranger said. "I want to talk to you about something."

Adam raised an eyebrow at him, but didn't say anything as he headed to the bathroom.

Rejoining Jason in the kitchen, Tommy started helping him get the food ready to serve. "He's up-be in here in a minute." He paused and then added, "Said he thought he was dreaming the smell of the sticky buns."

Jason chuckled softly as he slid the last omelet onto a plate. "Considering it's not something I do often, I'm sure he did think that he was dreaming."

Finishing up in the bathroom, Adam ran a hand through his hair before going out to the kitchen. "Tommy said that you actually made your mom's sticky buns." He walked over and poured himself a cup of coffee. "They smell really good."

"They look good too," Tom said with a grin. "Let's see if he can actually make them taste like his mom's though. That's the test," he said with a chuckle.

"You two keep it up and I'll eat them all myself or take some to the station. I'm sure the guys there would appreciate them." He added bacon to the plates and nodded. "All right, let's eat."

"Hey, all I said was that they smell good. Falcon here is the smart ass-not me," Adam remarked, walking over to the table.

"No no, I'm sorry," Tom said, holding his hands up in surrender. "Didn't mean to piss you off, Betty Crocker."

Reaching out, Jason snapped the towel at Tommy's ass. "Keep it up and you won't get any, Rainbow." He winked at Adam. Chuckling softly, he grabbed one of the plates and added a couple of the rolls before picking up his coffee and going over to the table.

"I've already gotten plenty," Tom said with a laugh, causing both Jason and Adam to turn and look at him with their eyebrows raised. Tom raised his plate. "Sticky buns...what did you think I meant?"

Adam snorted as he put a couple of the buns on his own plate. "With you? Nothing that innocent." Grabbing his coffee, the former Frog joined Jason at the table.

The Original Red Ranger just rolled his eyes and took a bite from one of the buns. "Aww man, that's good."

Turning and looking at Adam with surprise, Tom tried to act offended. "Hey, I resemble that remark," he said with a wink.

The younger man grinned before taking a bite from one of the rolls and groaned softly in pleasure. "Oh damn, Jase. You really out did yourself with these, bro."

Jason grinned. "Glad you like it." He looked over at Tommy. "What do you think? Are they as good as Mom's?"

"Hmmmm...let me take a few more bites before I make a determination," he answered, mouth full of the sticky bun in question. "Might have to eat several before I'll know for sure," he grinned.

Shaking their heads, the other two laughed and tucked into their meals. After most of his omelet had been eaten, Adam got up to get another bun and refill his coffee. "So what did you want to talk to me about, Tom?"

The former commander looked up at Jason first and then turned his gaze on Adam. "Well, here's the deal. Jase has to go back to work tomorrow and he'll be gone for sometimes 12-14 hours a day. Rocky is running the dojo and working his regular job, so he won't be around either." He paused for a moment. "What would you say to coming home with me for about a week? I'm only at school for about 8 hours and I can come home during my 2 hour break. That way you won't have to be alone."

He refilled his cup and fixed it the way he liked it before grabbing another bun and going back over to the table. "Why would you want me lying around your house for a week?" He held up a hand. "Don't get me wrong, the idea is very tempting, but I need to get back to my own routine sooner or later."

Jason nodded. "You're right Adam, you do, but not just yet." He put a hand on his friend's shoulder. "I mean, yesterday took a lot out of you and there wasn't a lot of activity involved. This way, you can start spending some time alone, slowly increasing your activity a bit, but still have someone around to talk to if you need it and at night you won't have to be alone in either your apartment or mine."

Tommy looked at Jase and nodded and then looked back into Adam's eyes. "He's right, Froggy. You need to be around your friends right now and I'd love to have you as a guest for a while."

For several moments, Adam said nothing as he took a long drink of his coffee. Then he looked at both of his friends and nodded. "Alright, I'll go with you." He grinned. "Now, how am I going to get back home next weekend?"

"I can bring you back, that won't be a problem," Tom said. "We can come back next Friday or Saturday-whichever you prefer."

"That'll work because unfortunately, I have to pull a 12 hour shift Thursday night, so I won't be off until Friday morning." Jason stated. "But then I'm off until Monday. Me going anywhere besides bed Friday would have been out of the question."

"Alright, but I'm going to have to do laundry at your place. I'm down to the last of my clean clothes because some of the stuff I brought from my apartment kinda smells."

"That won't be a problem. I usually do laundry on Sundays anyway," Tommy laughed. "So I guess we'll leave after lunch then, okay?"

The other man nodded and grabbed the last bun Tommy had on his plate. "Works for me." He grinned as he bit into it.

The former Gold Ranger started laughing at the look on Tommy's face. "Think he got you, bro."

"Hey! That's grand theft bun right there! That has got to be illegal," Tom said in his best indignant voice. "You'll pay for that, Frog boy."

"Promises, promises." He laughed softly and held out the last bit to Tommy.

The former Green Ranger grabbed hold of his friend's hand and then ate the last bit of the baked treat right off his fingers. "Oh I'll get you, you just wait," he said with a wicked smile on his face.

Jason just shook his head at the two of them. "Okay kids, time to finish eating."

"Yes, Dad," Adam responded with a smirk. "You gonna send me to my room if I don't?"

"Yep, and take away your video games and your phone," Tom added, his eyes bright with laughter.

"You're both a trip." The paramedic grinned at them. "I'll pack you two some of the sticky buns to take with you along with a thermos of coffee. That way you don't really have to stop except for gas or the bathroom." He stood up. "In the meantime, we need to do a little kitchen clean up and decide who's going to get the first shower."

Adam had just finished the last of his food and put down his coffee cup. "I'm a guest-I go first!" he said, getting up and literally running down the hallway to the bathroom. The other two were momentarily too stunned to say anything.

"Well...I guess he's feeling better," Tom said when he finally found his voice again.

"I think so." Shaking his head, Jason chuckled softly. "That's a good thing though." He nodded. "Come on, help me get the kitchen cleaned up."

"Alright," he said, standing and gathering up dishes and napkins. "Hey...you wanna accidentally on purpose freeze our little frog?" he said with an evil grin.

"Not today." He smiled softly. "It's a good idea, but I don't know how he's facing in the shower. I'd rather all that cold water not hit him in the back."

"Ah damn...but I guess you're right," Tommy conceded. "I'm glad he didn't put up much of a fight over going home with me. I don't want him being by himself right now."

"You're not the only one and this way he can start getting some freedom, but there's still someone close."

-o-O-o-

Tommy and Adam had both gotten all of their things packed earlier so now that lunch was over, they prepared to get on the road to Reefside. "We'll call when we get there, I promise," Tom assured Jason. "And I'll take good care of Froggy too."

"Take care of yourself while you're at it, okay?" Jason wrapped his arms around his sometime lover and leaned in so that his mouth was close to Tommy's ear. "I'm gonna miss you, Falcon."

Leaning into the embrace, Tom smiled. "I'll miss you too. Wish it didn't have to be like this," he said, knowing that his best friend would understand his meaning.

The paramedic sighed heavily. "I know, me too." He stepped back and placed a kiss on his friend's cheek.

'Well, you know what to do about it,' Tommy thought, but knew better than to say anything out loud. It would only cause hard feelings. "See you next weekend. And we'll be careful, I promise," he said, picking up his bag and turning to Adam. "Ready to get on the road?"

Jason handed Adam his bag and put a hand on his friend's shoulder. "You take care of yourself, bro."

Adam nodded and took his bag from the other man. "Thanks Jase, and I will." He grinned. "I'll even help keep Falcon on the right track."

Tom got to the door and turned, waiting on Adam. "Thanks for the snacks, Rex. I'm sure we'll enjoy them on the way."

"You're both welcome." He walked with Adam to the door. "Be careful you two."

Once they were on the road, the two settled into some friendly conversation. Finally, Tommy remembered to ask Adam about the other night at the dojo. "So, what did you end up doing about the three troublemakers? You never did say."

The other man snorted. "I suspended them all from the dojo for two weeks. Before they can come back, they have to write a thousand words on why they should not use what they learn in the dojo against others unless they are in danger. Wyatt got smart and asked what about tournaments and I made his essay 1500 words."

Tom chuckled and looked at his friend briefly. "Who's the teacher here?" After a moment, he added, "But I like that-you're hardnosed. Kids like that need more discipline."

"It'd be different if I had taught them from the beginning, but I inherited those three along with four others."

"Well hopefully you'll have them long enough to teach them a few things-besides martial arts, I mean. Believe me, I run into that problem all the time. The problem kids just keep getting shuffled from one teacher to the next-no one seems to want to really do anything about them." He paused and shook his head. "And then, of course, the school board comes along and ties our hands so we can't really discipline them anymore. It's really disheartening."

"Makes me glad that I'm not a school teacher. Being one for the martial arts is hard enough at times."

"Sometimes I wonder if I really want to keep teaching. I've been seriously thinking about trying to get a position as a research scientist, but it would mean moving and I don't really wanna do that."

"Well, that's teaching full time. Have you ever thought about just teaching part of the time?"

"And just what would I do the rest of the time?" Tom asked with a smile.

"If I decide to open up a dojo in Reefside, when you feel up to it, you can help me there."

"Now that's a tempting offer. I hope I don't get much worse off than I am now, but...Hayley and Billy seem to think it's inevitable," he sighed. "I hope they're wrong...for once."

"Me too." Adam shifted a bit in his seat so that he could face his friend. "Even if you do get worse, I'd still like your advice on stuff about the dojo so you could still be an advisor."

"Think you can afford my consulting fee?" Tom asked with a grin, trying to get his mind off his condition.

"Oh, I'm sure that we can work something out."

"I suppose you could pay me in massages. Whatcha think?"

"That could be doable." He grinned and settled back in the seat. "I'll give you one tonight at least."

"Oooh, that'd be nice," Tom said with a smile. The rest of the trip went by rather quickly with the two men talking and laughing. When they reached the house on Valencia Road, Tom wore a warm smile. "Home sweet home. I'm glad you came along, Adam. Like I told you, it does get kinda lonely out here by myself."

"I was actually kind of glad to get out of town for a bit. Don't get me wrong, I appreciate everything that Jase has done for me, but him and Rocky are such mother hens that at times I was feeling smothered."

"I can so believe that. Now I can't promise not to worry aboutcha or not check on ya, but I'll try not to hover, okay? I know you need your space."

"I appreciate that, Tom." He climbed slowly out of the jeep and stretched a bit before grabbing his bag. "So what are we going to do about dinner?"

"Don't know. We could get some take out if you want or we could go out to eat. I don't much feel like cooking tonight."

"Too bad you live in the sticks and no one delivers out here." He walked beside Tommy up to the porch. "But if we're going to drive and pick something up, we might as well eat it there."

"Yeah, you're right. We'll go in a bit. I want to check my mail and answering machine...maybe change clothes," the former Ranger Commander said, unlocking the door and allowing Adam to walk in ahead of him.

Once inside, Adam walked in a bit before coming to a stop and taking a deep sniff. "Oh man, I don't think we're going to have to go anywhere, Falcon."

"Huh? What're you talkin' about?" he asked, walking up behind his friend. Then the wonderful aroma hit him as well. "Kyle...gotta be," he mumbled and headed for the kitchen to see what was smelling so appetizing.

Setting his bag down, Adam followed him and found a note on the counter. "Dr. O - Figured you'd be home in the late afternoon. Dessert is in the fridge along with a salad. The crock pot has a roast with potatoes, carrots, onions, and celery in it. By the time you get home, it should be done. Enjoy! Kyle." When he finished reading the note, Adam raised an eyebrow. "So what did he leave for dessert?"

When Tommy found the cake in the fridge, his eyes lit up. "Looks like a chocolate cream cake of some sort. Mmmmm...looks good too."

Adam walked over and swiped a finger through it, grinning as he tasted it. "Boston Cream and yeah, it's good." He chuckled softly at the look on Tommy's face. "Come on, we can both clean up a bit and then eat. Afterwards, we can put some laundry on and settle down with the dessert."

"Sounds like a plan." They did exactly as Adam had suggested and enjoyed a wonderful home cooked dinner courtesy of Kyle. When the plates were cleaned and put in the dishwasher and the first load of clothes had been started, they sat down to enjoy their cake. "I really should pay the boy something for all of this," Tommy remarked.

The former Frog chuckled softly. "Do you honestly think he'd accept any money from you for it? I haven't met him but a couple of times and can already tell you that he would put up a fight or be hurt if you even suggested it."

"I know, I know. Maybe I can repay him some other way." He stopped and thought for a moment and then a wide smile crossed his face. "I know...I'll keep Rex from killing him when they finally meet. That should make everything paid in full."

Adam laughed softly. "You might have to hold Rex at bay to start, but I think once he gets a good look at Kyle he'll turn into the ultimate mother hen on the boy."

Tom shook his head. "Oh man...you think Jase smothered you? Just wait until he gets the lowdown on Kyle. That boy won't be able to fart without Rexy knowing about it."

The other man started laughing. "Aww man, I almost feel bad for the kid."

-O-o-O-

A/N—Please leave us a review! We'd really appreciate it!