So guys, I don't own anything you recognize, yada yada. This is my first fic, so I'd really appreciate reviews! They'll help keep me going!! Sorry for the long wait!

p.s. the character is not named after me. And to let everyone know, kim's currently in Florida.

Doctor Oliver's Living Room

The lithe form underneath Conner's muscular body writhed and squirmed, struggling to break free of her current predicament. Conner had managed to pin her to the floor, holding her flailing wrists down with his hands and straddling her waist. She was trying to think of a different way to escape, maybe outsmart him, since he didn't look too bright, when she heard the heavy thud of footsteps approaching.

Craning his head around to the entrance of the living room, Conner watched as his fellow teammates rushed in. The look on Ethan's face as he stared at the sight before him was almost comical. But his female teammate rushed towards him and smacked him upside the head, her face flushed with anger.

"And just what do you think you're doing? Get off that poor girl!" Conner didn't need to be told twice, he let go of the girl's wrists and stood up. He offered the girl a hand, but she just brushed him off and got up without his help. She brushed off some imaginary lint from her clothing as Kira continued with her rant. "Just because you're some big macho man doesn't mean you can just pick on someone smaller than you! And just because she's a girl doesn't mean she's weak!"

As Conner and Kira argued, Conner looked past her and saw a flicker of recognition flit across Dr. O's face as he looked at the newcomer. The brunette raised her head, and her and the older man's eyes locked. A beaming smile spread across her face.

"Nicole?" questioned the Black Ranger. So the two knew each other. Conner's eyebrow lifted as he pondered this thought. She ran over to Dr. O and threw her arms around his neck in an affectionate embrace. He wrapped his arms around her small frame.

"Uncle T!" Conner couldn't resist a smirk. He mouthed to his mentor, "uncle T?" Dr. O just shot him a glare from over the girls shoulder. Conner would remember that one for later. But then his eyes widened as he processed this new discovery. Dr. Oliver had a niece? And a niece that he had just fought with? Conner rubbed a hand across his face, pinching the bridge of his nose.

"Man, I could've picked you up at the train station! Why didn't you wait for me?" Nicole pulled back from her uncle, giving him an incredulous look.

"Uh, I waited for like, half an hour, and you never showed up! So I figured I'd just come by and surprise you myself. Didn't they tell you what time I'd get here?" She had her hands on her hips.

"Well, uh, yes…" he raised a hand to rub his neck. "I guess I, err, forgot." He answered sheepishly. His niece just rolled her eyes at him. Tommy Oliver's forgetfulness was a known fact among his friends and family. She sighed.

"That's okay, you can just make it up to me by letting me eat some of your food. God, I'm starving, that was a long ride here." She bounced into his kitchen. Intent on finding something edible, she opened the fridge. And immediately frowned at what she saw in there. Or, better yet, the lack of what should have been in there.

"What, no food Uncle T?" She gasped. "What would Aunt Kim say?" Tommy winced at the mention of his ex-girlfriend. Nicole shut the fridge, turning to face her uncle. "Sorry, didn't mean to dredge up painful memories."

"No, no, it's okay. It's all in the past now," he waved off her apologies, with a less than heartfelt reply. "How is she? We haven't talked in awhile…"

"Kim? She's doing well. Last I heard from her she was teaching gymnastics to little tykes." Nicole wandered over to one of the cupboards, pulling out a half empty bag of potato chips. She sat at the table and began to munch.

"Good, that's good. At least she's happy." Nicole averted her gaze, opting to look down at the bag of chips now in her hands. She had neglected to mention the fact that her Aunt Kim was engaged to some other man. It would only hurt her uncle even more, she rationalized.

"So…"she munched on a chip and swallowed. "Ya gonna introduce me?" She gestured to the open doorway with a chip in hand. Standing there, peeking into the room, were the four teens she had seen earlier. One was a punkish female, the other three male; one African American, one she thought was of Spanish descent, and the brute she met earlier. They all grinned sheepishly at being caught eavesdropping.

"Heh, yeah, come on in guys." The teens tumbled into the kitchen. "These are four of my students, Kira Ford, Ethan James, Trent Fernandez, and Conner McKnight, whom I believe you've already met." He pointed to each of them in turn as he said their name. "And guys," he glanced at his teammates, "this is my niece, Nicole Scott." She shook hands with them all, giving Conner a glare all the while. Conner sighed, wishing he hadn't made such a bad first impression. Now he had to get her to warm up to him. It looked as if he had his work cut out for him.

"And, pray tell, what are four of your students doing at your house after school hours?" Nicole cocked an eyebrow, waiting for an answer from her uncle. Trent quickly intervened.

"We were just doing some extra credit work for Doctor Oliver's class," he cut in smoothly. Nicole tried to discern whether or not he was lying, but he didn't show any telltale signs, so she dismissed it as the truth.

"Okay, whatever. Now if it's all the same to you, I, for one, am tired, so I think I'll just head up to the guest bedroom and make it my own." She jogged off to the living room, to grab her duffel bag, and sprinted up the stairs. The Rangers heard a door click shut. The four teenagers turned to their teacher, with demanding looks. Tommy sighed and dropped down into a seat, knowing that they wanted an explanation. He ran his fingers through his short locks, this was gonna be a long night.