" Although the move was seen as a risk by some investors, this quarter has been quite successful in our..." Kimberly sat back in her chair at the head of the conference table, doing the usual morning meetings. To her partners it looked like she was taking diligent notes. What they couldn't see was that she doodling a picture of a falcon all over her presentation packet. She really did try to pay attention in these meetings. It's not like she wanted to think about falcons...or anything that might be related to it. But these meetings were so boring, all they talked about were figures and projections and- ow! Kimberly looked to her right where Quinn scolded her silently. What? Kimberly thought back.

"Ms. Hart?" her financial advisor, Mr. Armstrong, asked.

Kimberly jumped and blurted out, " Yes."

Mr. Armstrong stared quizzically, " You want to lower the goals predetermined for next quarters numbers?"

The room stared back at her expectantly. Some looked afraid, some looked annoyed. At the corner of her eye she saw Quinn mouth the word no. " No. I mean...not unless you would advise it." Mr. Armstrong nodded then proceeded. She looked back to Quinn to say a silent thank you. She just rolled her eyes and basically said go back to daydreaming. Kimberly was extremely grateful Quinn signed on as a partner. Although Kimberly founded the Gymnasium and it was her baby, she just couldn't deal with the numbers and business stuff like Quinn did. Kimberly was was more hands on, she liked coaching, going to competitions, getting the new state of the art equipment. Oh poor Mr. Armstrong, Kim thought, he sure can talk. She tried again to pay attention but within two minutes she was back on her doodling pad tracing over and over the falcon on her page. Her dream last night stayed with her. It had felt so real. So real that when she woke up she had the urge to reach for the phone and dial Jason's number just as she had eight years ago.

** Kimberly sat at her computer. She had gone through the whole disc that Zordon gave her. She had spent the last twenty minutes getting lost in the swirls of her star gazing screen saver as her mind played back everything she had heard. I have to give up my life in Angel Grove, she thought to herself. I have to sit back and let Zordon sacrafice himself. I have to put my best friends in danger. I have to give up Tommy. Tommy is supposed to be with Kat... She had also seen what would happen if she didn't do these things, and they were horrible. If she chose herself, she'd be tearing apart other teams, other couples, so many innocent lives. Her heart played ping pong as she thought about what she'd be giving up but then who she could be helping.

She didn't realize she was crying- no, not crying, more like sobbing hysterically- until Quinn came in the room.

" Kim I and got your note so I went out for - oh my god Kimberly what happened?"

Kim tried to control herself but when she looked up to Quinn's concerned face she lost it all over again.

" Kimberly what's wrong? Oh no... did something happen in Angel Grove?" Kim nodded not knowing, or caring, what exactly she would say.

" Is it Tommy, is he okay? Did he get hurt?" Kim looked at her and contemplated telling her the truth. Or as much of the truth she could without mentioning the power ranger thing. But something inside said not to.

" No, he's okay. It's...a... family member."

" Oh. Who is it, are they okay?"

" They, she got attacked. My cousin got injured."

" By one of the monsters?"

" Yeah. One of those...she's...hurt badly. And it hurts so bad, it's like I'm feeling the all the pain myself."

" Kimberly, I'm so sorry. Is she going to be okay?"

Kimberly looked at her room mate and could finally give a piece of the truth. "I don't know. I don't think so." She started crying again and Quinn caught her and hugged her through the next flood of tears. When Kimberly gained control again Quinn helped her sit on her bed.

" Are you going to go back home and check on her?" Quinn asked.

" No," Kimberly said right away. She quickly added " I can't leave training this close to the games."

" Kim I'm sure coach would understand this is an emergency."

" No," Kimberly shook her head, " I'll just make it worse going down there."

" What? No, you-"

" Trust me, there's nothing I can do to help except stay back." I should have thought of a better plan before I said anything thought Kim. " And if you don't mind if anyone calls or anything just don't mention it. Like my mom, she was in shock. She may freak out if its mentioned to her in conversation. So its better just to not mention it. Not that many people know."

Quinn looked at Kimberly really confused by all this. But she said, " Okay no problem. Whatever you need me to do to help, you got it. Look I know it's not my business but I really think you might feel better if you go down and see her. And be with your friends and Tommy."

Kimberly looked at her sadly, " Thank you. But I know what I'm doing. It's best this way." Quinn offered to go get some soup and tea for Kim as she hadn't eaten dinner yet and Kimberly accepted. Once Quinn closed the door, Kimberly pressed her communicator. "Zordon?" she said weakly.

" Yes Kimberly." he answered back.

" I went through the disc. Zordon I don't know if I have the strength to do any of this."

" As I said, this decision is yours alone to make. But never underestimate your strength or endurance."

" Thanks, I still need some time. And I know I don't have too much of it. Zordon what I mean is, I don't think I'm strong enough to do this on my own. I can't talk to anyone about this. I know I can't tell the Rangers, but I need someone to help me deal. I'm asking permission to let Jason in on this. He's not an active Ranger and if he knows what's going to go down on that mountain maybe it will allow him the strength to break out of his spell too."

" You make a valid point Kimberly. And I understand that you may need a support system as you come to your decision. I trust in your instincts. You may contact Jason but only Jason. And he must be aware of the necessity of this secrecy. Time is limited but perhaps with the help of a friend you can discover which path you're meant to choose."

"Thank you Zordon."

" May the power protect you."

Kimberly put her communicator away and looked at her phone. It was just earlier today, but it seemed like a different lifetime that she had used that phone to call Tommy. She was so happy so sure of herself and her place in this world. Now...now it felt like she had to learn to walk again. She picked up the phone and dialed Jason's number. He answered after the third ring.

" Jason, it's Kimberly. So...hey have any free time to come down to Florida?" **

Kimberly felt another kick under the table. This time she looked right at Quinn for the answer. It was barely there, but Quinn had been her best friend since those days in Florida and she could read her when no one else could, and Kim saw Quinn mouth yes every so slightly. She looked over at Mr. Armostrong and said "Yes." He nodded and went on. Kimberly put her pen and her pad down on the table and forced herself to pay attention to the rest of the meeting.

That same morning Jason and Tommy drove down to the second day of the Ranger Summit. Connor and Ethan took a liking to Trini- whether cause she was pretty or cause she didn't yell at them all the time Tommy wasn't sure- and opted to ride with her again. Then Kira complained that they she had yet to have any real "fellow yellow" time as promised and asked Trini if she could ride with her too. Trent, who had the tendency to be the most perceptive of the four, followed his instinct to leave Dr. O alone, and opted to go with the follow the girlfriend excuse.

" Are you sure you don't mind the full load?" Tommy asked Trini that morning. "They can be one too many when they join forces."

" We'll be fine. They like me more. I'm not their teacher," she said playfully. "Besides I know you and Jas are just dying for some bromance time." Tommy smiled but he knew that Trini was smarter than that. She was giving Tommy and Jason time to talk about something important. Yesterday was very much focused on Tommy's group so he and Jason didn't get too much time to talk about the Kim thing in private. They were all physically and mentally drained by the time they got back to Jason's house. Even the teens went to bed early anticipating another long day. Tommy hoped that since today they would be focusing on TJ's Turbo team and Andro's Space team, they'd have a little more free time to talk. But having a long drive down to the command center just the two of them gave them plenty of time to start.

"Alright so where do you want to start," Jason said breaking the ice.

" Well I basically know what would have happened to us on Muranthias. So I don't need yet another recap on that..." Tommy could have skipped to asking about TJ's team. But there was something itching at him. Tommy and Jason were long passed being jealous of each other. They knew each had strengths and weaknesses as leaders. And Tommy never felt threatened by Jason's friendship with Kimberly, he saw her like a little sister. He loved Kim like Tommy loved Trini, or Aisha, or Tanya. But he had to admit to himself that he was jealous that for the past eight years, Jason knew Kimberly better than he did, perhaps better than anyone did. He knew what she was really thinking while Tommy had to sit and wonder. When Jason fought as the Gold Ranger alongside Tommy as the red, Jason knew the truth. He had to know as much as possible.

" I was wondering... when did you come to be part of all this?"

Jason nodded. He could understand where Tommy was coming from. He'd be crazy jealous if he some guy knew Emily better than he did himself.

"Kimberly called me while she was in Florida. From what she said in a matter of hours she met the Space Rangers, learned about this other future, and was educated in all of the what ifs on other Ranger Teams. She called me the same night she met the Space Rangers and asked me to come down to Florida for the weekend. She wouldn't tell me exactly what but that it was an emergency and not to tell anyone... You sure you want to hear absolutely everything?"

Tommy didn't say anything, just stared out into the open road. His expression was deadlocked but he nodded so Jason raised his eyebrows and shook his head.

" Alright. Well when I got there, I thought someone had died. She looked like she had been crying from the moment she got off the phone with me through the four days it took me to get there. And like she hadn't slept that entire time either. Her room mate filled me in and said she missed a couple of practices but that the coach understood there was a family emergency with her cousin. I thought it may be a cover up cause i couldn't imagine that being confidential. She also told me that Kim had barely eaten. She'd stay up late at night on the computer doing who knows what. She asked if you knew anyting about it, and I told her that I knew even less than she probably did. I stayed at one of the dorms they hold for guests and Kimberly basically spent the weekend with me so that we could talk without any listeners. I think her room mate was glad though, she looked so helpless."

Jason looked over at Tommy expecting him to stop him from going into so much detail. He knew he didn't have to tell Tommy that much. But if Tommy wanted to know the truth, he deserved to know exactly what that girl had to go through. She deserved for someone other than him to finally know that she wasn't some cold hearted girl who would drop a guy with no emotions whatsoever. Far from it. And maybe Tommy knew this too becuase he didn't say anything, just continued to drive.

"It seemed like those four days of keeping it all in just built up. As soon as we were in private she started going into everything. In ridiculous detail. All the way from your letter about your Zeo powers, to her wearing some shirt of yours. She mentioned some guy who tried to flirt with her but that she flat out turned him down and talked about you all the time. That she was going to invite you over for the weekend. It was like she needed someone to hear how much she cared about you before she did or said something that might suggest otherwise. Like putting it on the record. Anyways later that day Zordon contacted her and teleported her to the power chamber. There she met the Space Rangers and they told her about Maligore, but you know that story. They told her she had to make a decision and fast so that the events could start taking place. They gave her disc informing her on some of the history of Rangers and the significant events that could be altered. She asked for some time- she mentioned that Jen was a piece of work- and went home. She went through the entire disc that night and realized the weight that just been put on her. She didn't feel strong enough to do it alone so she asked Zordon if she could let me in on it since I would also be placed under Maligore's spell. Oh and she told her room mate someone had been attacked in Angel Grove to at least explain why she'd basically be a zombie for the next week."

Jason stopped again and looked over at Tommy. Say something man. As if reading his mind Tommy asked, " so all that in a matter of one day?"

" Yeah it happened fast. I wouldn't have believed her if I hadn't then talked to Zordon myself. I actually went down to the power chamber for like ten minutes or something. I confirmed everything with Zordon. I even questioned the possibility of the this being some kind of trick. That Jen girl did not like that by the way."

" So yesterday when we all met the space rangers you had already met them?"

Jason laughed, " yeah did you see the look of death she was shooting at me?"

Tommy looked over at Jason for the first time, the tensions relaxing just a little bit, "No? Was she really? I didn't notice."

Jason laughed again, "that's cause you were busy avoiding her at all costs. I don't blame you. She is not the cheerful peppy pink ranger we're use to. Like I said, she did not like me questioning her motives. But Zordon said Alpha confirmed they were who they said they were. So Zordon told me my job was to help Kimberly sort out her feelings on all this. He made me promise not to tell anyone, and to essentially support her in whatever decision she made. I knew she usually told Trini and Aisha everything, and you even more. So I could only imagine what those four days were like for her not being able to share any of her emotions with anyone. I went back to the room and told her I was here for her. And then I sat for an hour as she cried- from sadness, relief of getting it all out- who knows. I finally got her to eat some food, take a shower, change into some new clothes. I'm telling you you wouldn't have recognized her." Finally Tommy gave Jason that annoyed look he was anticipating.

" Anyways I asked her how she had been holding up while waiting for me. She said she wasn't feeling well, couldn't keep food down and that's why she had missed practice. But other than that she spent a lot of time going over and over that disc they gave her. She started telling me about some of the things she was learning. I think part of her was looking for a crack, you know like a reason to ditch this whole operation. But instead she got to know all the rangers before they even know what they would become. You know Kimberly, she began to care for these strangers. She started crying about friends and teams that could be broken up and that she couldn't be that selfish. But then five minutes later she'd be talking about you and how you out of everyone didn't deserved to be hurt or betrayed. She felt like she would be betraying people no matter what she chose to do. That was rough for her.

I went through the disc with her. It was just a lot of files and facts. Some video footage, although I didn't actually see us on Muranthias. They did provide information about what was to happen to Zordon. That was really hard to take in. But I also knew I'd be back on the team evenutally for a little bit. I really didn't know how I was going to keep this from you when we fought together. Believe me bro it was rough. But then you got with Kat and you seemed fine. After a while I thought maybe it really was suppose to be like this because you seemed pretty happy. It wasn't until I saw Kimberly right before Muranthias that I realized even if you were over it, she wasn't."

This finally got the reaction Jason had been expecting.

" She dumped me! Whether it was a good reason or not, I was the one that was crushed. Just because I ended up with Kat doesn't mean I was happy!" His short outburst quieted them for a second. Jason let Tommy calm down and Tommy just realized what he said. He felt a twinge regret as he felt the truth of his words. I'd used Kat like she was some replacement actor. Tommy had long recognized that none of his relationships weren't as significant as his first one, but his shield took another hit as he finally admitted to himself that his other relationships meant absolutely nothing compared to the first one. They were just staged. What was expected of a person his age, and he just went along with the motions. Never coming close to feeling the way he had once. " Sorry Jas- I know its not your fault or anything. It's just, I'm looking back now and seeing how much of it was just an act."

" Well you're a better actor than Kimberly," replied Jason after a moment. " I really did think you were alright. And so did Kim. That's why she stayed away." Tommy took this in and wondered if he had just been real and didn't hide it all, if Kim would have realized he was as miserable as she was, may this would have been all over and out in the open a long time ago... Crack.

Jason spent the rest of the ride describing Ranger stuff. He knew he had hit a sore spot with Tommy and decided to back off. He explained some more information he could remember from the disc about how Maligore would take much longer to defeat but with the help of some intergalactic allies, they would eventually take him. He didn't right out tell Tommy that in the "other" future his name showed up less frequently on the files after the Muranthias battle. It seemed their allies took head afterwards and that Tommy relinquished his leadership skills. But Tommy caught it slightly, noticing that a lot the these prolonged battles were hugely aided by these alien rangers in this alternate universe. Jason was just starting to explain that TJ's team wouldn't succeed Tommy's team in the same timeline when they reached the rock formation that covered up the old command center. As they got of their cars, they knew where and who to look for this time as they found Andros right in front of the entranceway.