Disclaimer: All things Power Rangers belong to Saban. The songs referenced during Jason and Kim's game are by Dexy's Midnight Runners, 30 Seconds to Mars, Pat Benatar, Color Me Badd, Jermaine Stewart, Dusty Springfield, Hall & Oates, Chaka Khan, Frank Sinatra, the Proclaimers, Taking Back Sunday and Chumbawamba. I don't own any part of any of them, I just use them here for fun. All I own are plot ideas, characters that were never on your TV, and a highly overactive imagination.
A/N: Big thanks to sz2000 and brankel1 for constant reviewing. You guys are awesome. Thanks also to anyone who added this story to alerts/favorites. Sorry about the wait - I have a policy of not uploading a chapter until I've written another one, so that there's a backup supply for extreme circumstances, and chapter 8 was giving me all kinds of trouble. The song titles game is inspired by something my friends and I used to do all the time in high school; it was also a game from Whose Line is it Anyway?
In Transit
Angel Grove, California
July 10, 2012
5:35 AM
"Well, I see you guys haven't lost your touch for bickering over things that mean nothing."
Jason sat in the driver's seat of his dark red pickup, waiting while Kim keyed in the code for their garage door and watched it close. As she turned to jog back to the car, he turned one of the air vents toward her seat and took a big bite of his toasted bagel. When the door swung shut beside him, he turned and examined Kim, noticing with a twinge of guilt the tension in her shoulders, the nerves she was trying to hide. He put the truck into reverse and was about to pull into the street when he suddenly turned back to her and said, "Wanna bet we can go the whole way without stopping?"
Kim turned toward him eagerly, knowing exactly what he was talking about. "Oh, you are so on, Big Red. First one to be stumped makes breakfast for a week?"
Jason glanced in the rearview mirror as he put the car in drive and started down their street, feeling a wave of excitement at the authenticity of the grin on his face. He shot Kim a daring look and said, "Come On Eileen."
She raised her eyebrows at him. "This Is War."
He shrugged, slowing to stop at a red light. "Love Is A Battlefield."
Kim giggled. "I Wanna Sex You Up."
Jason fought to stifle a laugh. "We Don't Have To Take Our Clothes Off."
As the truck pulled through the intersection, Kim reached over and turned the air conditioning off, rolling down the window instead. The air that filled the cab of the pickup truck was warm and thick with moisture, carrying with it the sweet smells of recent rain and fresh cut grass. The world was illuminated in shades of blue and green, the sun still hidden by the horizon at this early hour. The streets were quiet, especially for a work day, the occasional jogger the only thing to break the serenity of the Southern Californian tableau spread out before them. Kim took a moment to think, inhaling the air deeply before turning back to Jason and pretending to pout. "Son of A Preacher Man," she said accusingly.
"Man Eater," he replied without missing a beat.
They played this game all the time, especially on days like this when they needed to blow off a little steam. They'd spend their drives to and from work speaking to each other exclusively in song titles and seeing how long they could last; sometimes they'd just throw it into random conversation, a sort of private language that only their close friends understood. The game had its roots in their teen years, when their group of six playing together could stretch it out for hours on end; the return to familiar things like this always seemed to calm their nerves. Jason sighed and took one hand off the wheel, steadying his speed at four over the limit and resting his left arm on the windowsill, waiting for Kim to take her turn. "I'm Every Woman," she said defensively, crossing her arms in front of her.
Jason raised one eyebrow. "The Lady is a Tramp," he retorted, stifling a chuckle.
They continued on this way all the way to the park, the rumbling of Jason's truck and their giddy laughter the only things breaking the serenity of the promising summer morning unfolding before them.
Angel Grove Park
July 10, 2012
5:45 AM
The park was already a hive of activity by the time Jason pulled into the parking lot and killed the engine. At least a dozen police cars were parked in the lot, along the street, and even on the grass, their lights blaring. Yellow crime scene tape wound its way around the park entrance and the surrounding trees, barring access to anyone other than the handful of crime scene techs or uniformed police officers who milled around the area, the backs of their vests emblazoned with AGPD.
Jason and Kim climbed out of the truck and strode toward the tape, adding to the cacophony with the argument they'd been having in the car.
"Parenthetical titles are not required to have it count," Kim insisted, reaching into her purse for her ID. Jason scoffed at her and shook his head.
"They have been for the entire time we've played this game, especially if it means the song won't make sense in the conversation. Or is that not a rule anymore in Kim World either?" He tugged his ID out of his back pocket, flashing it at the cop standing guard without ever taking his eyes off Kim.
"Don't you think it makes more sense to make something like that optional? It's stupid to not be able to say 'I'm Gonna Be' just because you have to add '500 Miles' to the end of it." The two of them ducked under the crime scene tape and continued toward the site where the body had been found, turning heads with their bickering as they went.
"I don't think you realize how needlessly complicated that would make the game. By that logic, I could say 'Liar' and you could respond with 'It Takes One to Know One,' and then we'd get into an issue of whether that violates the rule against repetition," Jason said, gesturing emphatically as they made their way through the park, passing a basketball court and a small café as they went. "Playing it your way lets you pick and choose what part of the title you want to use to fit it into the conversation easier, and I'm pretty sure we all agreed years ago that that would defeat the whole purpose of the game."
"I don't remember you being such a stickler for the rules when I called you out on breaking the lyrics rule. You're just pissed cause I wouldn't let you use 'Tubthumping' as part of a coherent conversation."
Jason opened his mouth to retort, but the appearance of a familiar figure moving quickly toward them pulled caught his attention. Tommy Oliver practically sprinted across the grass to greet them, his long hair tied back in a ponytail that ran halfway down his back, his trademark arrowhead necklace bouncing against his chest. He wore a tight-fitting white button down shirt that exhibited his toned upper body, the sleeves rolled up to the elbow; a thin tie the color of pine needles hung around his neck, the knot pulled down to accommodate the two top buttons he'd left undone. The shirt was tucked into a pair of black slacks, and Tommy's badge, clipped to his belt, stood out sharply against the dark background. He approached his old friends, grinning, and started to say something about the eight months that had passed since they'd seen each other, but Jason cut him off, pulling Tommy into the argument as smoothly as though they were still seventeen. "Tommy, please tell Kim that you have to use the entire song title and you can't just not say the parenthetical part whenever you decide it's convenient."
Kim slugged Jason on the shoulder and looked imploringly at Tommy. "Well first, would you please remind Jason that he can't just pick and choose which rules to enforce because he's such a whiny little ass about losing."
"Can you please tell Kim that we agreed on these rules for a reason and it's not my fault she can't be bothered to follow them?"
Tommy just stood there, glancing from one of them to the other. "Well, I see you guys haven't lost your touch for bickering over things that mean nothing," he said with a laugh, clapping Jason on the shoulder. "Luckily Kat and I haven't gotten to that part yet."
Jason smiled and held out his hand. Tommy clasped it in his own and pulled him into a one-armed hug. "It's good to see you, man," Jason said, patting Tommy on the back before letting him go. "Like old times, huh?"
Tommy nodded and turned to Kim, who grinned sheepishly and said, "Sorry about that. We really get into that game sometimes."
Tommy laughed and pulled her into a hug of her own. "Don't worry about it," he said into her shoulder before letting go. "When we'd play that game as kids you two were always the last ones left. I still don't know how you can remember all those songs."
Jason tapped the side of his head with a finger. "Don't you remember? My brain is a lethal weapon, honed to deadly precision. Now," he rubbed his hands together as Tommy and Kim rolled their eyes at each other. "Why don't we get down to business? It's miraculous enough that we beat Foster here, I'd rather not let him catch us screwing around."
"It's over here," Tommy said, suddenly all business. As they covered the last few dozen yards to the crime scene, Tommy turned and said, "You two do realize that this is the first murder victim found within the Angel Grove city limits since the Power Rangers showed up, right?"
"Oh, believe me, the thought occurred to us," Jason said. Kim shuddered, rubbing her arms despite the warmth of the morning. The three of them walked the rest of the way in nervous silence, trying not to think about the implications of Tommy's observation.
The Big Oak Tree/Crime Scene
Angel Grove Park
5:50 AM
The body lay right where Joey had told Jason it would be, leaning up against the giant oak tree that had been the site of so many Power Ranger picnics. As the three old friends approached, the crime scene tech kneeling over the corpse glanced up at them, then turned to Tommy, his expression curious.
"Special Agents Jason and Kimberly Scott, FBI," Tommy said to everyone within earshot before Jason or Kim could say a word on their own behalf.
Jason's mouth slowly closed, words of introduction dying on his lips as he shrugged and gestured to Tommy. "What he said. What have we got?"
The tech said nothing, just gathered his equipment, stood up, nodded to Tommy, and brushed past them, headed back toward the park entrance. Kim watched him go, then turned her gaze on Tommy. "I guess that's your cue."
"Shouldn't I wait until your boss gets here?" Tommy asked, crossing his arms over his chest. "He seemed pretty insistent over the phone."
"Honestly I'm surprised he didn't show up before we did," Jason said, and Tommy didn't miss the nervous glances he made in various different directions before continuing. "Swear to god that guy's either never slept a second in his life or he invented teleportation while no one was looking."
"Glad to know you think so highly of me, Scott," a gruff voice echoed through the trees. Tommy looked over Jason's shoulder to see a man wearing a dark suit approaching them; the guy appeared to be about ten or twelve years their senior, his hair cut short, military style, flecks of grey showing in his dark goatee. He stood about Jason's height, and carried himself as though he'd once been built like a linebacker; as Tommy watched him now, however, he could tell the man's relatively slight frame belied a solid build.
The guy strode up behind Jason and leaned forward until his chin was practically resting on Jason's shoulder as he spoke. "Now if only you could show it by not being such a smartass."
Jason never moved – never turned around, never shifted his weight, never even changed his facial expression. Tommy was awed by his old friend's show of restraint – the Jason he'd grown up with could never stay that still for that long with someone approaching from behind. Clearly he'd grown very well accustomed to this man's quirks. As Foster finished talking, Jason reached out, snatched the Thermos from Kim, raised it to shoulder level and said cheerfully, "Morning, sir."
Foster regarded Jason for a moment before taking the Thermos and drinking greedily. He moaned softly as he pulled the Thermos away from his lips. "Damn good coffee, Scott. Luckily for you, my teleportation machine broke down this morning and I really needed this, or I would have taken this opportunity to remind you that the Bureau's policy of professional image is not something that can just be ignored for the sake of convenience. You are here to enforce the laws of this country, you should at least make an effort to look sharp every once in a while." Foster took another sip from the Thermos, then moved between Jason and Kim, gesturing to Tommy to begin. Jason winced and shot a glance at Kim behind Foster's back; she fixed him with a look that said, What did I tell you? He responded with a glare, but had to cut it short when he heard Tommy start talking.
"I gotta tell you, Agent Foster," Tommy said, stepping around to the other side of the body. "I'm kinda glad you guys stepped in on this one so quickly. We've never seen anything like this before."
