Chapter 16- The Birthday

Xxxxx

October 2011
Oliver House- Dino Thunder Base
Reefside, CA

Despite Zeltrax's successful decimation of the Dino Thunder Base in 2004, plenty of past rangers and affiliates donated and helped to rebuild the place. Millions of Earth dollars, along with millions of Zenemetars, which were the monetary unit throughout the galaxy, came together and paid for all the components to be fully restored along with two more extras—a gym and a kid friendly gaming center.

Tommy had been in the hidden base for the past two hours. He took off his eyeglasses, giving his tired eyes a rest from looking at fine print. He rubbed his temples in circular motions. He was glad Cole Evans, past Red Wild Force ranger, was back. After all, he blamed himself for Cole's sudden disappearance and had this belief if hehadn't sent the Evans family off to Nashville, Tennessee, the patriarch wouldn't have gone missing. He was now back with no memory of where he had gone to. Compelled, Tommy felt like he had to do some research.

Kim descended down the stairs. She stopped at the bottom step and watched her husband. He was really displaying an abundant amount of guilt over what's happened. From her point of view, he needed a release. She walked towards him and hovered behind his body. She began to massage his tightened muscles, which detracted due to her firm, yet feminine touch.

He grabbed her hands, stopping her. He swiveled his chair around and looked at every inch of her body closely. He used his larger hands, and he examined the crevices of her, which caused her to moan. He cupped her voluptuous ass and easily picked her up, so she could sit on his lap. He began to kiss her so hotly and feverishly.

As a result, Kim began to grind against him and unbuttoned his shirt. She made sure not break any contact, and they continued in their merriment for the next hour.

"Where are the kids again," Tommy asked, seeming to forget about the world when he entered the land of erotica. He began to grab a towel from the gym, and he wiped himself off. Grabbing a clean one, he wrapped it around his lower torso. He tossed another one over to his wife.

She smiled. "Having a sleepover with your parents," she replied, and she headed to the closet. There were extra clothes and robes in there. She opted for a robe. While tying the silky, pink cover, she wanted to speak with him about their daughter and how worried she was. "We have to be careful with Sophia and Brennan."

Her daughter and Brennan, Jason and Trini's first born child, were like two peas in a pod. They were the best of friends, and they were very flirtatious with one another. Kim would watch Sophia toss her head back, her hair perfectly blowing in the wind, and laughing at a joke from Brennan—some funny, others weren't. Brennan would always find a way to somehow touch her daughter too. Whether it's a playful tackle while sparring, pulling a strand of hair behind her ear, or simply locking fingers together.

Their relationship was reminiscent of Kim and Tommy or Jason and Trini, which caused Sophia's mom to become rather uneasy over the development.

"Is there a particular reason." he questioned, a little oblivious to her concerns.

Kim eagerly nodded. "Oh, you can't be that blind, can you," she asked in disbelief.

"Yes, please do tell," he mildly begged not understanding where his wife was coming from.

"They like each other," she revealed, and he looked even more denser than he was before. "He likes her, she likes him, and when two people like each other things occur."

"Are you surprised?"

"Of course I am. She's way too young to be dating, especially someone who is like her brother," Kim shook her head at the thought. He was about to open his mouth. She glared at him, already knowing he was about to bring up their past. Her husband should know by this time the words in that letter were fabricated.

He retracted but recovered not too long later. "What about Jason and Trini? A lot of people thought they were too close like brother and sister, but they defied the odds and are happily married with three kids."

He witnessed the whispers and rumors spread about his best friend and her best friend. High school students could be so crude, and he believed it was their time in Switzerland together that's made them the couple they were today. Obviously, Jason strayed when he began to date the biker, Emily. However, he knew he could never be without Trini. Everyone, including Tommy and Kim, saw that.

"But-"

"And, there's also Rocky and Aisha," her husband added as a second thought. "They've known each other since elementary school. Best friends can become lovers."

"But-"

"No," Tommy interjected quickly. He seriously looked at Kim, wondering where her sudden possessiveness of Sophia was coming from. "I'm not saying we shouldn't watch out, but I'm saying Sophia is her own person. She's hitting, or already has hit puberty for goodness sake. Are you telling me by the time you hit puberty you never had a crush on someone, or were you just waiting for me," he arrogantly smirked at her.

She rolled her eyes. "I've had plenty of crushes on other guys and other guys had plenty of crushes on me," she quickly pointed out. "Look, I just don't think our daughter should be dating this soon. I love Brennan with all my heart, he's my Godson after all, and I'd definitely give him my blessing to date our daughter, but not at this age."

Tommy sighed. "Is this about Sophia or Jayden," he asked earnestly. "Better yet, is this about you?"

"What," she almost yelled. If there wasn't so much equipment in the lair, she believed her scream would've caused the place to rumble.

The accusation about her opposition to her daughter having a love life was absurd. Any mother would feel that age, 13, was way too young to fully comprehend and participate in matters of the heart.

Multicolored ranger, as he's been dubbed by the several former rangers, was a little dense when it came to some budding relationships. However, he knew his wife inside and out. He listened to her needs, took care of her, and he loved her with all of his heart. He was quite worried about her, as of now. She was a mom, a wife, owner to one clothing store, and heavily involved in trying to open up another. When needed, she would help at Bulkmeier's, all the while, trying to find her first child. He was surprised his wife hasn't landed in the hospital over the stress she's accumulated.

And, when it came to Sophia, Kim went extremely over the edge, borderline acting as if she was a bodyguard. She was overbearing, way too protective, and he knew why. This was way deeper than 'she's my baby girl'. This had to do with her past.

"It's about you and your mom," he figured, and she looked like she was ready to pulverize him. He nodded it would be okay because he was opening up old wounds. "You're worried that Sophia is going to follow in your footsteps and start hiding things from you like you did with your mom."

"No, that's not it at all," she tersely denied, not able to face her husband. She was suddenly wounded into his arms and looked up at him. His chocolate eyes earnestly looked at her. She surrendered. She was used to being right, but this time around, he was.

"Not everything you hid was bad, Beautiful. Zordon gave us rules he expected us to abide by as rangers. There were plenty of times we missed school, we came home late, and we had tons of bruises and no reasons of why. We began to have sex, and of course, we had to hide that. You got pregnant with Jayden, and to this day, you still haven't told her," he thoroughly reasoned. From the hurt displaying in her topaz eyes, he definitely hit a sore spot. "Am I right?"

"You are," she had to admit she never thought she was being so hard on Sophia was because of her past.

He smiled in victory, but this wasn't the time to gloat. "It's hard to know she's growing up. I can admit that. She's very, very beautiful, her personality is extroverted, she's well likable, and her physical abilities are truly heaven sent, along with Ninjetti sent," he highly spoke of their daughter. "Another thing, you have to also realize you wouldn't know what to do in this kind of situation because one, you've never been through this as a parent, and two, you're completely jaded because of you see teenager Kimberly in her."

"I can't help it," she murmured into his chest. She was now feeling guilty over the way she's been treating Sophia. "She's not me, and I believe she wouldn't start having sex as early as we did. I'm not trying to push her away, and I'd like our mother-daughter relationship to be a close one. Where we could tell anything to each other."

"You are close. She loves you and not because she knows you're the only mother she will have, it's because you are there for her and you shower her with love and affection. You are helping her flourish into a beautiful person. So what, her and Brennan start dating, we should be able to trust them. She hasn't given us a reason not to, and until that happens, just let them be." He knew this wasn't the easiest thing as parents to face, but together they could conquer a hurdle like this.

"Since when you did become a professional at parenting," she wondered, while looking up at him.

"It's just a lucky guess. I suppose, but when Sophia spoke about what happened with fighting those foot soldiers, and you complaining about it, and now this, I kind of figured you were seeing yourself in her somehow. Has she even told you about Brennan?"

"I'll admit she hasn't, but it's probably because I would end up overreacting. We really have never been through something like this before, and I wish there was a manual, but there isn't."

"Kind of makes you wish we could've had a chance with Jayden, huh," Tommy thought raising boys was a little easier. When Tristan came along, he thought he got a second chance. Everything he would've done with Jayden, he now got to do with his youngest son. He was thankful for Tristan, and he loved him so much. That still didn't stop how he felt and would always feel for his first born, on the other hand.

"Yeah," Kim responded with a half smile.

Jayden was turning 18 soon. They've missed plenty of milestones: crawling, walking, talking, first day of kindergarten, driving a car, and dating. Kim, as a mom, could only imagine the advice she would've given her son. when it came to the opposite sex. Maybe, she would have been a little easier on him because he was male. She really wished to know how his adoptive parents have raised him to be, what was he going to do for his future, and most all, did he know if he was adopted.

"What's all this about?" She looked over at the papers spewed on a table.

"Just trying to read about the place where Alyssa and Cole went camping. I'm wondering if there was something we missed," he replied, as he went to turn off the computer.

Kim didn't like the sound of that. "There, as in something intergalactic," she curiously asked, as she turned some her way, so she could read. "Tell them to come home," she demanded. "I want all of them home. Obviously nothing has come out of it."

In addition to Cole, Alyssa, Bulk and Spike being apart of this mission, so were Kelsey and Ryan, past Yellow and Titanium Lightspeed ranger, respectively, Maya and Damon, former Yellow and Green Lost Galaxy ranger, respectively. Also, Nick and Maddie, Red and Blue Mystic Force ranger. Also,on board this crazy bandwagon were Shane, Dustin, Marah and Kapri, all rangers related to the Wind Ninja Academy. These rangers and associates voluntarily chose to leave the comforts of their established home and move to a completely different environment and be surrounded by people unknowing of their second jobs. They wanted to do something like this, and they were enjoying their time in their assigned city.

The news of Cole's sudden disappearance into thin air spread around the ranger world like wildfire. When the cops seemingly gave up and labeled it as a 'man, who was having a midlife crisis', the former rangers stepped in. Others, who were more technical, helped Alyssa and her children to move back to Turtle Cove. They also assisted her with adjusting to life without her husband.

When the rangers' search was deemed unsuccessful, Kim wanted this ludicrous idea put to an end. Tommy rang every single one of them and asked for their return home. The only people to return were teachers for the Wind Ninja Academy. He only believed that was because Sensei Kanoi needed their help. Other than that reason, they would've stayed in Atlanta.

"Kim, I've already tried to get all of them to come back, but they don't want to. I'm not their parent, and I can't tell them what to do. What's done is done," Tommy calmly said. "I know, what's happened with Cole shocked everyone, but what's even more shocking is the fact he's back with no memory of what's happened!"

"Well, reading this isn't going to give us a clue," she muttered, as she browsed the other stack. "Why doesn't he get examined by Andros?" She liked to think the Astro Megaship III had technology that was way more advanced than Tommy's.

"I'd hate to break him away from his family over this. He wasn't there for Anna's birth, and I'm pretty sure he doesn't want to leave her side," he noted, thinking more about it. When he was in the amber for close to half the school year, he remembered how awful he felt just to miss Sophia's qualifying gymnastics meet. So, he could only imagine how the past Red Wild Force ranger could be feeling. He definitely had a lot to catch up on. "We should head upstairs. I'm sick of looking at this stuff."

Besides, he would hate to meddle in on the Evans' personal life. He's already done enough of that.

A naughty idea popped into her head, while a devilish grin appeared on her lips. "More, Dr. Oliver," she grabbed the knot of his towel and turned to the stairs. While not breaking the hold, she made him move his feet forward. He quickly slapped her ass. She giggled, and they headed to the bedroom.

Xxxxx

Hart the Boutique
Panorama City, CA

Kim dropped by the shop. She accidentally forgot her tablet. She obviously wasn't thinking well or clearly. She entered through the back and turned off the alarm. She walked to the office and grabbed the rectangular item and tucked the item safely in her bag.

Before leaving, she took a good look at her store.

She carefully thought about when the opening was to happen. She decided for February 2, 2012. That would be after the melee of the major holidays like: Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year's Day. And, happened to be after the wedding between Dillon and Summer Landsdown, Black and Yellow RPM ranger, which was also going to double as a Power Ranger reunion. Every incarnation was set to attend. Even the rangers hailing from Aquitar, as there was going to be special, aquatic contraption built for them, so they could preserve their form. This was going to be the wedding and reunion of the century.

Kim believed there were so many events coming up, and she couldn't wait!

Everything was in order, so she punched in the code, locked the door, and she was on her way. She looked at the time and cursed. She fumbled in her purse, seeking her cell phone. She was about to be late for the special occasion that was happening at her house. Close to 40 people, a mix of adult and children, were going to be at the Oliver house to celebrate her first born child's birthday. She was running late and still had things to pick up. In the midst of trying to dial her husband and looking for a list of items still needed, she accidentally bumped into someone.

The first Pink ranger of Earth felt pangs of shock starting to where off.

"Oh no," she, then, overheard a female's voice grumble.

She looked in the direction of the voice. There were two people there. A young gentleman, wearing green and a pretty female in yellow.

"Em, are you okay," a male voice, this time, asked, concern clearly evident.

Kim observed the two. She bit her bottom lip nervously, watching them. Her eyes followed where they were looking. Next to them, on the ground, was a carnation pink cake box with what should've been a cake peeking out. As a result of their mishap, white icing, clumps of vanilla cake, and she could only imagine, if there was writing on the cake, looked to be smeared now. They were trying to salvage the thing.

"I am so sorry," the Crane Ninjetti genuinely apologized. She hoped they weren't mad.

"It's fine," the younger woman shooed her words away.

The male checked on Kim. "Are you okay?"

Kim could only nod, as she wasn't the one carrying a cake. Again, she examined them, and then her gaze went back to the discombobulated, sweet concoction on the filthy ground. She couldn't help but think she ruined this.

"Was that a birthday cake," the past Pink ranger curiously questioned in a somewhat trance. Her chest tightened because she missed her eldest child. She never got to watch him blow out his first candle.

"Yeah, it's our friend's birthday today," the guy said, wondering way she was staring awfully hard at the smooshed cake. He hoped she was alright, and that the sudden bump didn't cause an underlying issue. "Ma'am, are you really okay?" She still didn't say anything, which was a cause for worry. He softly touched her shoulder. "Ma'am?"

Brought out of her stupor, she quickly nodded. "Sorry," she said once more. "It's destroyed," she pointed and knelt down, so she could scoop up the remains. She handed it off.

"Yeah, we can always get another one," the young woman said and accepted the box from Kim. She forgot the others pitched in for the cake, and she only had five dollars on her. She sighed because now she wasn't sure how they would pay for second one. "We need to hurry, the others are waiting for us."

"How are we going to pay for another cake," he tried to lowly whisper, but the operative word was try. He once again didn't do a good job. "I don't have any more money."

For their efforts and knowing how important this day must be for their friend, them, and how important this day was for her, Kim piped up. "I'll pay for the other cake," she volunteered. She didn't mean to be nosy and eavesdrop, there was an obvious dilemma.

"We can't let you do that," the female opposed while grabbing her male counterpart's hand, so they could go.

"Please," Kim took a step forward, almost begging them to let her do this. Uncertainty frolicked on their faces, but a minute later they agreed. "Great. I'm Kim by way," she introduced herself while holding out her right hand.

"Mike," the guy shook her hand.

"Emily," the female said, and she shook her hand as well. "You really don't have to do this, if you don't want to." Kim, this time, shooed her words away. "The bakery is this way," she pointed to the left, and the trio walked.

"Yeah, this is really cool of you," the sole male graciously said. "Are you from around here," he asked.

Kim shook her head. "I'm from Reefside, originally from Angel Grove actually," she answered, while following them. "I'm here because of my shop. I'm about to open one. Emily, I think you'll like it," she promised, since her boutique catered to girls and women only. Sizes ranged from zero months to size 24. Her shop would have a variety for babies, toddlers, pre-teen, teen, petite, and women.

Emily always loved shopping. As they were about to be at the bakery, Kim's words replayed in her mind. "So, you must know our friend, Antonio," she reasonably deducted.

"The fisherman," Kim questioned, thinking this was such a small world. They nodded. "Are you his friends? Is it his birthday today," she fired inquiries off, as Mike opened the door. She entered the place and was amazed by the goodies in here. She thought about placing an order to take back to Reefside.

"No," Emily giggled a bit, getting back to her queries. "It's for our friend, Jayden. It's his birthday today."

Kim had been looking at the array of desserts, but she soon became distracted. She whipped her head up so rapidly, her neck unexpectedly cracked. This world was way too small. Jayden, the name rang in her head a couple of times, making her believe they were talking about her son. That couldn't be true though. The thought of him being so close was a one in a seven billion chance. She believed she had a better chance at winning the lottery

Anyways, Bulk would have said something. At least, she would've hoped so. She shook her head, dismissing the thought that her son had been in Panorama City.

"Oh, you're back," the cashier informally greeted, a little surprised, as Emily went to the counter. "Was there something wrong with the cake?"

"There was just an accident," Mike replied on Emily's behalf. "We'd like the exact same cake."

"Right, so a vanilla cake with white, cream cheese icing, and 'Happy 18th Birthday, Jayden'," the friendly female cashier remembered. She got one cake out of the display, and she went to the back and handed it off to the baker. She returned to her post and rang them up. "The total is $31.67."

"Hi, I'll be paying," Kim motioned for the lady, and she looked back at Emily and Mike. "Is there anything else you guys want? It's on me," she offered.

"Are you sure," Emily didn't want to impose.

Kim smiled and nodded.

"Wow, Kim, you're so nice," Mike complimented, and he ordered a smoothie. "What about the others," he asked Emily.

Kim pointedly interjected. "Of course you can order for them as well. I don't see a problem with it. This is your friend's birthday, and I still feel like I'm responsible for the other cake," she couldn't help but feel they were related to her Jayden. After hearing this was their friend's 18th birthday, her hope soared.

Emily agreed, and she ordered for the rest of her friends and Mentor. She watched as Kim paid. The total came out to about $60 already, but then she watched as Kim went to the large cupcake display. She must have ordered close to five dozen cupcakes and another large cake too. Suddenly, the total was close to $175. With no hesitation, Kim took out her credit card and handed it over.

Emily only hoped she could become like Kim-financially stable.

Mike wondered if she was single, since he wouldn't mind a sugar mama.

"Kim, do you need help with walking all of this to your car," Mike queried, since she only had two hands.

"Thanks, I'd like that," Kim obliged. As they waited for final touches on the birthday cake, she asked some questions. "So, Mike and Emily, who else is going to be celebrating your friend's birthday?"

"Obviously Antonio, Mia, Kevin, and our Men-um," Mike nervously laughed and corrected himself, "Ji."

"Are you guys doing anything special for Jayden," Tommy's wife also inquired about. She felt this dire need to join them, but she didn't want to sound like a lunatic and possibly crash what they had planned. However, all she wanted was one look at their Jayden. That's all. A mother's intuition would tell her if that was her son or not.

"A dinner and maybe a movie. Right now, they're at the restaurant. We were bringing this cake, so we could eat this as our dessert," Emily responded, feeling unusually comfortable with someone she just met "This is extremely nice of you. You really didn't have to do all of this."

The Crane warmly smiled, since she liked these two already. "Hey, it's not a problem."

Once everything was ready, Mike assisted his new friend with bringing everything to her car. Emily, in one hand, held Jayden's birthday cake, and in the other she had a tray with drinks. Mike juggled holding a second tray of drinks along with a bag filled with boxed cupcakes. Lastly, Kim tightly grasped the extra cake she purchased along with the last bag of boxed cupcakes.

The Green ranger took a look and was in awe with her customized SUV. "Whoa," he said under his breath. "Is this your car?"

The first Pink ranger of Earth's car was one of a kind. She definitely incorporated her favorite color along with the favorite color her husband has ever sported. "Yeah, it is," Kim proudly stated, and she placed everything neatly inside. She turned back to them, and she didn't know how to phrase this important question. She would have to ask regardless of how ridiculous it sounded because she needed to know. "Is it okay if I wish Jayden a happy birthday too?"

Mike and Emily didn't know what to think. The question was a little out of the blue, and she was nice. However, that didn't mean they should comply and take her back. Yet, she did pay for everything. Speaking privately, they didn't see any harm. Just a bit wary though, the two ended up giving in.

"It's right this way," Mike pointed to the bistro that was a couple of blocks down.

Kim thankfully nodded, unable to say anything else. She felt her heart race with each step she took. She fiddled with her hair, outfit, and purse; it was like she reverted back to the teen, who was about to give birth in the confines of the Command Center. She was extremely nervous, but reminded herself this may not be him. Of all places he was actually in Panorama City? The thought was ludicrous! She just didn't want to be disappointed. She walked inside with them. They headed to the back where, at a circular table, there were five others seated: a beautiful Asian with long black hair, an African American teen with nutmeg colored eyes, an older gentleman, who appeared to be Pacific Islander, more specifically Samoan or Tongan descent, Antonio with his perfectly gelled hair, and then, the young man, who she supposed was the reason for the cake.

Her eyes stayed on him, as he talked to the person he was seated next to. The female in pink. His hair was brown with blonde faintly streaking through. From what she could see, his profile showed his strong, jaw structure. She also saw his fondness for the color red. According to how his body was positioned above the table, she was positive he was pretty tall. All she wanted was a good look at his face. That would be the deciding factor, or at the very least, some hint.

Finally, Jayden turned to face Emily, Mike, and the sudden newcomer. She was older. Maybe past her mid twenties but not in her thirties. He was never good at judging ages anyways. He was curious as to who she was because there was something about her. He couldn't quite pinpoint what was making her stand out.

Softly gasping, Kim intently looked into his haunting blue eyes that displayed a little mystery behind them.

"Mrs. Oliver," Antonio called, surprised she was there. "What are you doing here? How do you know my friends?"

"Hey, Antonio," she managed to greet him, while keeping her eyes strictly on the man in red. She tore her eyes away and faced Antonio. "How are you?"

"I'm great. What are you doing here," the Gold ranger repeated his question and rose out of his seat. He passed by Mike and Emily, who took their seats, and he brought Kim into a side hug.

Kim apologized, sneaking another chance to look at Jayden before answering. "I'm sorry. I forgot something inside the store, and then there was a little incident," she softly laughed, while pointing towards Emily. "I bumped into your friend."

"And the cake dropped," Emily informed with a slight shrug. "So, she wanted to purchase another cake."

"And specialty beverages," Mike showed the drinks. He handed them out. Yeah, he thought it was tacky to bring outside beverages to a nice place, but there was no way to say no to her offer.

There was instant chatter from the other rangers and Mentor, saying their thanks and how kind she was to do this. A complete stranger, buying them drinks and a cake, was a class act.

Mentor Ji fiercely studied the older woman in front of him. He was definitely caught off guard by her presence. He wanted to find out why she took an interest in them.

"Mrs. Oliver that's so sweet of you," Antonio sipped his mocha frappuccino. "While you're here, let me introduce you to my friends. You know Mike and Emily. This is Kevin, Mia, Ji, and this is the birthday boy, Jayden. Everyone, this is Kim Oliver, she's the owner of the store I was telling you all about."

Kim shook hands with everyone, and when it finally came for her to shake Jayden's, she became overly anxious. He completely stood up straight. She took a breath before she took his hand into hers, and once their hands touched, she felt an earth shattering amount of calmness wash over her. She felt an instant connection, only mom and child would understand. She continuously shook his hand up and down, while deeply exploring his ocean, blue eyes. No longer was she a mom, wife, and business woman. She was a teen juggling school and being a superhero and somehow she had given birth with the help of her teenage boyfriend, a fully, sentient, multifunctional automaton, and a giant, floating head, since she remembered those were his eyes.

Tears began to well, and she gracefully took her hand back.

"Happy Birthday," she wished, making sure to keep her emotions in check.

"Thank you," Jayden acknowledged, as he sat back down. Honestly, she looked familiar, but he was more concerned over her well-being. He could've sworn there was a hint of water gleaming in her light brown eyes. "Are you okay?"

"Yes," she replied, refraining herself from fainting right there on the spot.

With the actuality of having her first son, the one she gave up for adoption 18 years ago, standing right in front of her, the flurry of emotions were hard to contain. She wanted to desperately ask questions to see if this was him, but she was in a stunned and bewildered state. This was too good to be true, but for her sake, she vied for this to be true. Her husband had been searching, past rangers had been searching and for goodness sake, she had been searching for him.

This has to be him.

"Mrs. Oliver, do you need a cup of water," Mia wondered, since the older woman appeared to be frazzled or overwhelmed. She was about to request the waiter, but was stooped by a head shake from her. The Pink ranger observed the apparent looks between the person that held her heart and the older woman, who was named Kim.

Kim was about to say something, but her cell phone rang. She politely excused herself and took the call.

"Hello," she greeted her husband.

"Beautiful, where are you? I thought you just had to pick up your tablet."

"Oh, right," she seemingly forgot the time. As much as she didn't want this moment to end, this wouldn't be fair to everyone, who was at their home in Reefside, nor would this be fair to Jayden, on his birthday. Understandably, she was quite torn over this predicament. Instead of making a fool out of herself, she wanted to be positive this was her son. She'd do research at home. She had to find out more about Ji, since she believed that was the adoptive parent. "I'll be home soon," she promised.

"Alright, I was getting worried. Everyone is almost here, you know."

"Right," she whispered into the phone. "I love you."

"I love you too."

She walked back to the table, shortly after ending the call. "Um, Antonio, I'll see you at the opening. I hope the rest of you can come," she invited them all. "Enjoy the cake and drinks and your guys' dinner. Mike and Emily, thank you for letting me tag along," she was obviously rambling due to the jitters of being this close to her possible son. "And, uh, Jayden, Happy Birthday," she lovingly wished once more. She stayed for a little bit longer to catch another good look at him, and then she left.

Mentor watched the woman, having felt she bore a resemblance to his student, who became a man today. He turned back to Jayden and again his gaze fell on the petite woman, then shortly returned back to the man next to him. He thought that would be a long shot. The odds were one in a billion. He shook his head and returned his attention to the people seated with him.

Xxxxx

One Hour Later
Oliver House

She parked directly in the back, choosing to go through the secret entrance instead. As soon as her feet touched the grass, that surrounded her home, she immediately dashed towards the door. She pressed the hidden button and waited to enter, ignoring the cars of her closest and dearest friends. They were already there, ready to celebrate, but she couldn't do so yet.

She vigorously wiped the tears that were coming down by buckets.

A million thoughts caused her brain to scramble. She had to admit she could've caused accidents or gotten tickets with the way she swerved in between cars, dumbly turned from one lane to another, and her speed was up to 90 MPH. Well over the average of 75 MPH. All she could think about was going home, digging up information on this Jayden, the others with him, and especially Ji. In addition, she had to fight herself from driving back to the place they were at.

The part in the movie, 'Legally Blonde', about reckless abandonment also popped into her mind that was already riddled with abundant jumbles. She didn't want to look crazy to them by accusing Jayden was her son.

She immediately sat at the computer Tommy and Hayley would share during their Dino Thunder days, and she began typing in the key words: Ji, Jayden, and Panorama City. She waited, and she could hear her phone ringing. However, that would have to wait.

This was more important.

A/N: Stayed tuned for the next chapter. It will be a special one.