Episode: 'Kevin's Choice'
Chapter 23- The Topic
Xxxxx
Panorama City Forest
His mind was submerged with thoughts of death. He couldn't exactly explain how that came to be. In all honesty, if it wasn't for death, then his mind would be blank. He had to thank death for letting his brain operate with purpose. He sat against a fallen tree trunk, ravishingly cleaning his sword that was cut into two. His blue eyes longingly stared hard, hoping to be reunited with his rightful companion. Though his body seemed to yearn for this, his heart told otherwise. At least, he swore his heart worked.
He wasn't too sure about anything nowadays.
The King of Nighlocks, not to be confused with the ruler of the Netherworld, sought him out. He was lured away from his true life once again.
Cole resumed being Deker's container shortly before the ranger reunion occurred on Summer and Dillon's wedding day. A diabolical demon continuously haunted him. A voice, nightmares, reminders continuously filtered. Though he was content to be around his love, his children and friends, another being decided his fate. Unlike before, a sword wasn't operating him. He was merely a pawn in a lethal game of chess.
She walked around aimlessly, repeating the words of Serrator. Her last, precious possession of her human life was currently at stake. Her Harmonium that concealed her choice of artillery could be recovered, if she did a certain deed. Furthermore, if she was able to convince a certain person to aid her, both would get what they want. However, she was skeptical. Could Deker or whoever that person was still be on this wretched planet and alive?! She had to find out for herself.
As she passed by a humongous tree that seemed to have survive torrential elements, she turned to see him.
"Deker, I can't believe it," she huskily commented. "You're alive... but how? I thought the Red ranger destroyed you."
He, who did respond to another name, deeply exhaled, as he continued with his endeavor. "My sword, Urumasa, took the damage for me. I survived. For my curse to finally be broken, I need to fight the ultimate battle. What matters is for the battle to end without Urumasa being broken..." he coldly relayed.
As of right now, Urumasa, better known as Julian, wasn't 'alive'.
Whatever humanity still existed inside of her, she felt some empathy for him. She had been clueless to this. Absolutely dumbfounded to know this man resumed her husband or Urumasa's fate once more. Now, he was here, and they were intertwined in what felt like never ending game. "We are one in the same. We both have strong attachments My Harmonium," she held her rightful item up and the other half of Urumasa. She shuddered over the evil emanating from this tiny bit. Somewhere, maybe along the sharpness of the blade, still laid Julian, her demented father in law. Sadly, this was the last memory of her true love. She accepted this fact, though it pained her to do so, "... and your sword. They can be repaired. I've spoken to a Nighlock that has the power, if we do something in return."
"Salvation," he slithered, as he concentrated on her. He rose upright. "You better be right about this."
"Yes, I believe him," she confided.
"Then, lead me to him," he ordered.
Dayu faced away, and she led him back to the sea where she spoke to Serrator.
Xxxxx
Hart the Boutique
Panorama City, CA
In two days, the grand opening of Kim's shop was scheduled. She fretted over the event and swore there weren't enough hours in the days to come. She wanted everything to be perfect and hoped there was not a supernatural interference. She was determined in making this party successful. She had plenty of help too. Zordon's Era of rangers plus the Dino Thunder team had been assisting her day and night for the past month. Each with specific duties and abundant support for the first Pink ranger of Earth.
She admitted she was thankful for the distraction. Between coaching gymnastics, being a wife and mother and traveling to a city where she was so close, yet so far from her first child, she was heavily involved in a task that gave her some relief. She already knew about the Samurai rangers being present for the opening, since they were helping their team member, Antonio, out with serving his delicious concoctions. Though, she was nervous, as she still contemplated about revealing her relation to Jayden, she wanted to spend some more time with them. Plus, she had some questions about how close a certain Red and Pink ranger were.
As of right now, she was inside the boutique with Trini, Aisha, Kat, and Tanya. They were helping her to settle some paperwork and further planning where the layout for the upcoming event.
"Are you really going to be okay with Jayden being nearby," Aisha curiously wondered. She rested her clipboard against her chest. "What's really going to happen when he and Sophia come in contact once more?" She was still furious with her son and daughter for ditching school, and they were still grounded.
"I'm sure she'll be fine," Kim answered, after a deep sigh. She straightened out some invoices, and she further spoke on the matter. "I understand where she is coming from, but we have to show some respect for the people that raised him."
"To the hell with the people that raised him," Tanya angrily renounced. All eyes were on her. "Oh come on, you can't deny his 'parents' were only looking out for the sake of their daughter, not your son!" She trusted her gut feeling and blamed everything on Mathew and Nina. As expected, her children were still on lock down.
"Let's be honest," Trini intervened for a moment, "they didn't raise him. I believe Mentor Ji did. He's only complying with what these parents wanted." She saw things in a different light. "Jayden could've stopped being the Red ranger, at any time, but he chose to continue this path." Brennan was still grounded, but she knew his reason for following his friends. He only wanted to be a supporting factor towards his girlfriend.
"Only because he wanted to do what's best for the sake of that family," Kat exclaimed, as she rolled her eyes. "I know for a fact you two would never subject him to that kind of duty!"
They were all right, in Kim's opinion. She wasn't going to oppose either side, but rather be a voice of reason. "Let's think about Jayden..."
Aisha rose her hand like she was in school. "Isn't that what we're doing?"
The Crane playfully glared. "If you would let me finish... let's put ourselves in Jayden's shoes," she used her imagination. "He was probably watching his sister practice with their dad, and I'm sure she has a Mentor too. If they didn't ask to do this, wouldn't that hint he wasn't a part of the family?" She let that sink in for a bit. "The dad probably hoped it didn't have to come down to this, but he must've prepared for this."
"Kim, why are you being so calm," Kat asked. "If that was my child, I would be pissed out of mind."
"But he's not your child. He's mine. I know they went about this the wrong way, and I wish they would've consulted Zordon, who would've talked to me and Tommy about it, so we can give our two cents. We never got the chance because Zordon passed," she sadly relayed.
"I'd like to think Zordon did have the best intention for all of us, but Kim, you have admit, he did you wrong," Tanya admitted, while looking to her best girlfriends. "You and Tommy were young, very young, and hid this for a long time. If you guys mentioned that you didn't want him to follow in your footsteps, then maybe none of this would be happening."
"Yet it is happening..." Trini tacked on. She walked up to Kim, abandoning her current task, and hugged her tightly as a form of comfort. "When are you and Tommy going to say something?"
All waited for a reply from Kim. They saw the pain that resonated on her face when Andros confessed Jayden was the Red ranger. She should've been jumping for joy that day, but she wasn't. She felt betrayed. As much as the four of them wished to step in and confess to Jayden that he was in the presence of his birth parents, that wasn't their place. Kim knew what was best for her and her family's behalf, and that did include Jayden. She's explained countless times that she didn't want to destroy his duty as the leader to the Samurai team.
"Guys, it will happen. Just, not right now," Jayden's mom replied to the best of her ability. She browsed her store and her stomach began to rumble like it was in a boxing match.
"What's that noise," Jason's wife queried, as her eyes darted to the right and left. She began to laugh, as she peeked at her sheepish best friend. She brightly beamed. "Are you hungry?"
Kim was red. "Very much so. What about you guys," she inquired. They all nodded. "Alright, as a form of repayment for today because I know you all lead busy lives, but are still here with little ole me, I'll purchase lunch," she graciously offered.
"Wonderful idea," the Bear happily praised.
"I think you should also get bottles of Moscato, so we can have our own celebration," Adam's wife declared with a smirk. "I think we should all let loose."
"But within our means, of course," Mrs. Hillard-Corbett added, and Trini agreed.
She smiled. She loved them so much. "Alright... I'll be back." Tommy's mate grabbed her purse and waved goodbye. She exited her store, but wasn't sure where the nearest liquor store was or the best eatery around, so she began to walk in the direction of the wind's breeze. She headed down a few blocks, when suddenly, five teens purposefully rushed by. She stood, dead in her tracks. She had a feeling a fight was brewing, and well, curiosity and motherly instincts kicked in. She went to investigate.
Meanwhile...
The rangers were called into their next battle but without their trusty Blue ranger.
For the past day, Kevin was having second thoughts about his chosen path. Since he was little, the pool was often a place of therapy. He enjoyed being one with water and swimming came easy to him. It was a no brainer he would continue practicing and, eventually, made it onto an elite swim team. When he decided to abandon that team for this team, he did so for his dad's sake. His dad wasn't able to defeat Master Xandred like he hoped so, even losing his best friend in the last battle, so Kevin was fulfilling what his dad couldn't. Seeing that his swim team was in town, and he was unable to rejoin them, the desire t secure them a spot for the Olympic trials, he pondered about guilt. He didn't mean to run out when they needed him the most, but he received the call and answered.
If Kevin's guilt over the swim team wasn't enough, the newest Nighlock, Skarf, easily inhaled his Samuraizer. Now, how was he going to help the Samurai team? Kevin's been working meticulously on the Samurai Gigazord combination. He was trying to get the full logistics of bringing together eleven zords. One mistake could cause all the zords to be destroyed. He didn't want to responsible for that, so had to severely analyze how this was to work.
From a close location, and she made sure to conceal herself, she attentively watched good versus evil. As the rangers morphed into their power suit, she mused this was definitely a far cry from her teenage days, as she was a spectator rather than engaging in the fight. Her eyes traveled to the monster, who she deemed it more ruthless than the ones she'd encounter before. Then, her eyebrows furrowed, as she witnessed the Green ranger making an unnecessary phone call.
"What," she incredulously whispered. "Who does that?!" She resumed laying low, overhearing the Pink ranger say something.
"Look's like it's in his right arm," Mia knowingly claimed.
Kim pursed her lips together. "Alright, so there was a reason," she quickly figured. She kept a close eye on them, and she saw a figure stealthily jump in between her son and the Nighlock. The skeleton like figure caused her to mildly jump. She continued, staring hard, as if she knew who was under there. She shook her head.
"Deker, it can't be," Jayden wasn't believing his eyes. Their last encounter, he could've sworn he killed him.
"Forgive me, I must intrude," Deker nonchalantly interrupted. His measly Mooger sword was drawn against his favorite opponent—the Red ranger.
Kim couldn't believe it. She avowed that was Cole's voice she heard. It was a little deeper and menacing than she was used to, but he would use that kind of voice when his kids got out of hand. She listened, her ears fixated on the newly arrived figure. She hadn't realized another Nighlock bypassed her.
Dayu finally made her presence known.
As the fight raged on between the the white figure with red accents, who she came to know as Deker, the Crane began to think these two had history. Maybe, it was like Tommy and Goldar or Rito. Her topaz pools stalked them. When her son felt the brunt of Deker's sword, and his body skid against the ground, a queasy feeling showered her. She stepped forward, the need to help overpowering, but broke away and held back. She trusted her son could do this. She didn't need to fight the battles on his behalf. From the few minutes she's seen, he's proven to be a powerful warrior.
"Huh, Red," Deker gruffly announced with displeasure tinged in his voice.
The previous Pink ranger jumped at the sound of Skarf literally scarfing down his next meal. She shook her head of the mental images. That icky Terror Toad monster popped into her head so suddenly. In a brief second, her eyes widened to catch the Nighlock morph into another terrifying creature thanks to the assistance from Deker and the female Nighlock.
"Great, could this day get any better," she sarcastically muttered. She noticed Deker departing with his companion beside him. Kim departed, as she wanted to know if that was Cole. She left the scene of the fight, careful to not make the same mistake as her daughter. She marched , seeking the Nighlocks.
Away from the next round of this fight, Deker and Dayu stepped a few feet back. They wanted to get a better view of what they had accomplished. Both feared if there was an error, or the Nighlock lost, then they wouldn't 'see the light at the end of the tunnel'. They ignored that, for now.
"Is this going to bring back my Urumasa," Deker faced Dayu. He wanted an answered, and he needed it now.
Dayu didn't know how to reply. Seeing that the rangers were successfully forming the Samurai Gigazord, she was positive Serrator wasn't going to be happy. Therefore, their possessions, they so vitally needed, wouldn't be restored so quickly. "I, uh, um..." Fear instilled, after seeing Deker's human form in front of her. The hard blue eyes expressed coldblooded anger.
Kim throatily gulped in surprise. Her assumption was confirmed. She stumbled back, causing a misstep . She fell, a thudding sound soon followed, which alerted the two closest people. Blue eyes and ghoulish yellow orbs directly stared back at her. They gripped their weapons tautly, advancing her way. She bravely kicked her feet up, now standing on two feet, and took up a fighting stance.
She could only do so much, but damn it, she was willing to try.
Xxxxx
Samurai Gigazord Cockpit
"Samurai rangers, victory is ours," Jayden proclaimed, officially ending today's battle. Before he could celebrate with his team, a screeching sound of a Crane in distress resounded. "Ah," he screamed painfully, his eyes tightly closed inside of his helmet.
"Jayden," Emily cried. She instantly came to his side with Kevin assisting her. "Are you okay?!"
The others were obviously concerned and thought Jayden needed a break. Assuming Shogun mode did take a lot of Symbol Power. They began to fan him. The Red ranger shoved them off. He jumped out of the Samuraizord's cockpit, as if another entity was guiding him, in the nick of time. There, he saw a lone civilian. He front flipped forward, withdrawing his Spin Sword and pointing the weapon's blade directly at Deker and Dayu.
"Don't you touch her," he vehemently demanded. His eyes flashed green in a menacing way.
Deker and Dayu took a step back when that happened. They glanced at each other with worry, which was surprising to these two, and fled the scene.
Kim took a deep breath, hoping her pulse rate would return to normal. She cautiously tapped the Red ranger to thank him.
Jayden shook his head twice. He didn't know what caused that sudden urge to leave his team, or who, or what alerted him that somebody needed saving. He turned, confusion masked by his helmet, to the person he protected. He saw it was Sophia's mom, also known as the first Pink ranger of Earth.
"Thank you," she warmly acknowledged.
"It wasn't a problem," he responded. "You would've done that for me."
"You're right. I would have done that for you," she agreed. Even if a black, tinted visor was obstructing her view, she knew his eyes were concentrating on her like the first time he came into this world. She was about to say something else.
He stopped her with his right hand. "I should get going," he made sure the coast was clear and demorphed, on the spot. He smiled at her and quickly left to return home.
Kim longingly stared at the direction her son ran off to. "I would give my life for you," she added to herself. She was jarred out of her thoughts , as citizens came out top open and when her cell phone rang. On the caller ID, Aisha's name popped up. "Hello?"
"Kim, are you okay?! You didn't get hurt, did you? We saw the fight," Rocky's wife worriedly called.
"I'm, yeah," she briefly chuckled. "Yeah, I'm fine. I just got caught up in the fight too. You know how that goes."
"Did you see him?"
Kim smiled sorrowfully. "Yeah," she immediately changed the subject. "Let me go and get lunch now..."
"Oh, okay, see you when you get back here," Aisha hung up the phone.
Kim finally left to get food. She definitely used this private time to think about what just occurred.
Xxxxx
Two Days Later
Hart the Boutique-Grand Opening Celebration
So far, the opening at the boutique was pleasantly going along. There were plenty of people in attendance, other designers, who wanted their pieces displayed, showed interest, and there was enough food to go around. Kim stood by the door, greeting every single person cordially, with her husband standing by her with pride.
The Samurai rangers were dressed in serving attire, and they passed out the sushi that Antonio prepared. There were a lot of familiar faces at this event. That wasn't too surprising. They continued handing out sushi pieces and mingling, enjoying their time away from the Shiba House, even if it was to do some work.
This was the first time Brennan, Sophia, Rock, Lani, Adrian and Naddy had been around each other, since their eventful visit to Panorama City on their own. The sextet used the party as their reunion and were excitedly catching each other up on what they've been doing since getting grounded. There wasn't much to be frank, but they were content being around one another. All swore not to do anything else that would get them into trouble, now or in the future. Their parents were still watching them like a hawk too.
At this moment, the six of them were in a corner lounging. Sophia just finished telling them about what happened in her hospital room.
"Even after all of that, they still didn't want to reveal that Jayden was your brother," Lani couldn't believe her Uncle and Aunt's audacity. Her brown eyes caught a glimpse of Jayden. Her heart fluttered instant. According to her, he was extremely good looking. "What's holding them back?!"
"Shh," Tommy and Kim's daughter hushed her. "We're not even supposed to be talking about this here, but I know this is the only time I can say something to you all. But keep it down, will ya?!"
Lani apologetically sighed. "Alright, what's the deal," she asked in a softer voice.
"Well, if I may answer," Adrian piped up. "I muse it's because of him being a Power Ranger, right?"
"Partly," Sophia replied. "I mean, what would you do if you thought this was your future," she asked them.
"Well that's thought provoking," Naddy commented, after taking a sip of her drink.
Adrian blushed overhearing that.
"What," Rock seemed baffled by his sister's big word. He tapped her. "What does that mean, 'thought provoking'," he childishly taunted with eyes swayed around. "Since when are you using big words?"
Brennan defeatedly looked down. "Rock, just sit there and look pretty," he demanded, as he didn't want his friend to hurt his brain.
"What's that supposed to mean," Rocky's son was mildly offended by his friend.
"I like when you sit there and look pretty," Lani, from her spot, confessed. Rocky cheeks were flushed at her comment.
"Oooo," the others immaturely crooned at their friends.
"Shut up," Rock defended Kaylani. He was happy over the comment though.
Despite the shenanigans of her friends, Sophia was elsewhere. She took subtle glances at Jayden, wondering what and how he was doing. After her hike to the Command Center, she understood her parents' reasons. They would, as a family, help him to understand his lineage. It just wouldn't happen as quickly, as they thought. There was this hurdle. The hurdle being—he was a Power Ranger. If the situation was different, then they would've gladly confessed.
Sophia and her mom recently had a talk. She thought back to the day.
(Flashback)
The Oliver women were at the biggest mall in Southern California. Kim was rigorously exercising her debit card. After three hours of shopping, they were famished and headed to the food court. Sophia waited patiently for her mom to bring her back a veggie stromboli and a Sprite. Once her mom returned, the two began to eat. There were pregnant pauses, but that changed when she took the reigns.
"Mom."
Kim placed down her utensils on the tray and gave her daughter her undivided attention. "What is it, babygirl," she asked.
Sophia smiled. Her mom hadn't called her that in a such a long time. "I just wanted to say I'm sorry for the way I've been acting, what I did, and I know at times you think I don't appreciate everything you do for me or Tristan, and, him, but I do," she sincerely apologized for her recent actions.
The heartfelt apology tugged at her mom's heart. She earnestly stared at her daughter, promising herself that she wouldn't blubber like a baby, but she couldn't help herself. She shed a few tears, and her daughter came around the table and sat next to her. She wrapped her mom in a loving hug. The emotions took over, and even Sophia began to tear up. They laughed through the cries. The Crane grabbed a napkin and carefully wiped her eyes. Sophia did the same.
"What caused you to say all of that," mother quizzically queried.
"Dad took me to the Command Center. He showed me where you gave birth to Jayden. I hadn't seem him like that, since Tristan was born."
"So, he let tears flow freely too?"
Sophia nodded. "I believe that everything happens for a reason. Maybe, Jayden was placed with that family because he is the key to saving the world... What if Zordon knew that?"
Kim was surprised by her daughter's current thoughts about the situation. She swore her daughter would never forgive her, especially for the encounter at the hospital, but maybe, grounding her gave her daughter time think. "You do?"
"I do." For a little, daughter pondered. "When the time comes, I want to be there. I want to help explain we never stopped thinking about him, and we want him to know he always has a home with us."
"So, you aren't angry?"
"I am still, but not as much as before. I've come to the conclusion, based off of what you two have told me, and Jayden's expression when I said something, that it's still going to be an uphill battle no matter what. I want him to live peacefully, for the mean time."
"It was never easy," the Crane admitted for the first time to the Dove. "You don't know how many times I wanted to run back to the main room of the Command Center, scoop him up and teleport very, very far away. I even thought about giving up my Power Coin, so I could raise him."
"But you didn't," Sophia comforted. "You did what you thought was right for him, and you continued to save the world."
"You're right, I didn't. Another, possible scenario would've been for me and Tommy to be parents, while still being rangers..."
"It would've been hard for you to fight Rita and Lord Zedd, if you chose to do that. I could only imagine you would've shot baby bottles instead of arrows," she joked. She earnestly looked at her mom. She never received an answer to her inquiry from her dad, so she wished her mom would give her one. "Why didn't you, you know, when you found out you were pregnant, think about having, an..."
"Abortion," the Crane supplemented to which Sophia nodded, yes. "Well, we don't believe in abortions."
"I already know that. Dad told me, but he made it seem like there was another reason."
"There is, but when you're older, you will know what that is..."
"I want to know now," she stubbornly demanded.
The Birds and the Bees talk was something Kim was not prepared for. She believed that conversation was to be saved for her daughter's teen years—later teen years. However, she wanted to be the one to talk to her about this matter. Seeing as it was just them, she didn't thought this was the perfect time."What your dad and I have is very special. Yes, we were too young to do what we did, but we cemented our relationship in that way. As a result, Jayden, you, and your little brother came into this world. It's a memory that we get to live with everyday. Regardless if it's from afar or close, through good and bad times, we are constantly reminded of what we brought into this world together," she explained. The letter from all those years ago was a cover up. She could never ever replace Tommy. "I knew your dad was the one for me. I couldn't have chosen a better person to have children with."
Sophia was wowed. Her parent's relationship was strengthened by Jayden's birth apparently. "Thank you, mom," she hugged her. "I know at the opening, Jayden's going to be there. I won't say anything, unless you two are ready to."
"I know, but hopefully, we won't have to continue this much longer..."
(End Flashback)
Tommy and Kim's daughter resumed talking with her friends.
In another part of the shop, Mia placed her tray of food down. Her feet were still slightly blistered from the night she performed. She sat on an available chair, so she could give her feet a rest. People didn't seem to mind feeding themselves, she noticed. They were socializing, while taking pieces of sushi from her platter. She shrugged and listened, rhythmically bouncing her upper body to the music being played by the night's dj—the Original Black ranger, himself.
The night after the performance with her brother still stuck with her. Things became awkward between her and Jayden the next day. Slowly, the awkwardness became tension, and now, there were problems. Mia realized she put herself out there and was denied by him. She was humiliated, hurt, and wasn't sure how she was going to recover from the situation. She didn't explain too much to Emily, but did mention she was avoiding him.
The other rangers noted there was an issue between the Red and Pink ranger because they weren't as affectionate like previous times, but they didn't openly speak on the matter. They didn't want to intrude or offer advice that could cause further problems. As long as the problem wasn't affecting their ranger duties, then that's what really mattered.
Jayden really wanted to discuss that particular night with Mia, but each time he tried, she either ran off or came up with a lame excuse. It was tiring to have to deal with that, so he let it be. However, seeing her all the time and knowing they were more than friends made it hard. He fished her out through the sea of people, and he walked her way carefully. He didn't want to be too aggressive, but he really wanted to speak to her.
Jason, Rocky, Andros Conner and TJ were talking amongst themselves but stopped when they saw a nervous Jayden heading in the direction of a certain Pink ranger. They were more interested in that than the topic they were conversing on.
"He's a Pink lover," TJ slyly gossiped. He drank his beer, already adding to the buzz he had going on. "Like father, like son... and me of course."
"Well, let's be honest, he has good taste," Rocky complimented from a distance. "If I was their age, I would so totally..." He motioned what he would do to Mia, and it was rated mature.
"She is pretty hot," Conner stated adoringly. "If we had a Pink, and she looked like that, psh, I think I would've gone with a Pink myself."
Jason wanted to choke Rocky and Conner. "Are you two crazy," he angrily hissed. "Shut up!"
"Oh come on, Jase, live a little. Like you haven't thought about that little blonde number on the Samurai team," the Ape obnoxiously added.
Andros concurred. "And she's a Yellow," he whistled. Alcohol and occupants of KO-35 didn't mix too well. He was the evidence. "I'd take up the power once more just for that."
"We're all married here. Did someone forget," the first leader of Earth stressed.
"'We're all married here. Did someone forget'," the Red Dino Thunder ranger mocked in an irritating fashion.
The Red Turbo ranger snickered. "This coming from the guy who openly admitted, on the day of the Forever Red mission," he reminded, "if you got a free pass, you would've boned Maya from Mirinoi. Jase, you pine for women in Yellow."
Jason cautiously looked around to make sure no one heard that. "Teej, I'm going to kill you for that," he pointed in frustration but softened. "Emily is cute."
"Ha," Cassie's husband victoriously heckled. "You're a guy, you think with your other head half the time. I do it too."
Conner agreed. "We all do it." He continued watching. "Well damn," he exclaimed, as he saw Mia hastily walk away, leaving a clearly flustered Jayden behind. "Men, I think he needs our help."
These past Red rangers huddled together, planing to save their 'nephew'.
"Don't you think we should stay out of it," Jason asked them. He was beginning to question the reason Kim supplied an abundant amount of alcohol at this party. "You sons of bitches!"
"And you need to stop being a bitch and help out Tommy and Kim's son," Rocky chimed in, making sure to not talk too loud. "We still all question how you got Trini to date you! You obviously had help."
"I did not have help," the Red Mighty Morphin ranger quickly denied.
Conner wasn't believing it. "You do know my wife is pretty chummy with your wife, right. I heard a few stories," he revealed.
"I should spar with you," Jason fired.
"Let's play soccer instead," Conner bargained, since he wasn't up to par with Jason in that sense.
"I don't know how to play soccer," Trini's husband pointed out.
"Great, I already win," Conner smirked.
"Did I just get outsmarted by Conner," Trini's husband questioned himself.
Andros tossed a quick look over his shoulder. He turned back around. "Guys, I think we should give him some relationship advice," he proposed, not thinking about the repercussions that could follow. "He does look upset."
"You got it," TJ happily volunteered to grab Jayden and pull him aside, so they could help their fellow Red out.
"Oh man, Kim's going to kick our ass," Jason notified all of them, paying special attention to TJ. He wished he had the ability to hurl a gust of wind towards the Red Turbo ranger's way, so he could prevent a disaster.
Rocky thought Jason had gotten really soft. "Bro, relax! If she does, then this was all TJ's idea," he readily placed the blame on someone else. "Just think about it. 'But Kim, we told him to stop, he just didn't listen' That's the story."
Andros and Conner already agreed.
Tommy's eyes checked on his daughter. She seemed to be enjoying herself. Next, the chocolate brown pools roamed for Jayden. He suddenly caught eye of TJ speaking to his son. He paid close attention, wondering what his successor was up to. Surely, Theodore Jay Jarvis Johnson wasn't that inebriated, was he?! He left his wife's side, so he could prevent any trouble for occurring. He took faster steps, in hopes of saving Jayden.
The Oliver family already briefed their friends about how to act tonight. Once more, they delayed on telling Jayden the truth. For the night, Kim didn't want to deal with that type of familial matters. She just wanted everything to go smoothly. Therefore, Tristan was placed with his paternal grandparents for a couple of reasons. One, he would most likely wail around the unfamiliar people, two, he would run around the story maniacally, thinking it was fun, and three, he would want to be around Jayden.
The Red Zeo ranger made his presence known. "Hey, what's, uh, going on here," his eyes narrowed once he saw TJ.
Jayden jumped for the second time tonight. After Mia's blatant denial for a conversation, a very manly arm slung around his shoulder. He wondered if he did something wrong. He peered to see that it was the second Red Turbo-Blue Space ranger. Now, the man that's been on various teams was next to him. He alleged that Kim told him about their chance encounter from a couple a days ago.
"Uh, you see, I-I..." the current Red ranger's eyes bounced between the two. He felt cornered, as other leaders from past power teams came his way. He stiffened immediately in the next second. "Am I being initiated or something," he warily questioned.
"What," Conner wondered what made him think that. He took one look at his Mentor and saw he wasn't too pleased with this. He ignored it. "No, not even, we just want to help you."
"Help me, with that," Jayden countered peculiarly.
Tommy wanted to strangle them all. The least they could've done was confront him about this matter before carelessly preventing his son from doing his assigned job. "Yeah, what does he need help with," he firmly interrogated them.
"Girl trouble," Rocky clued Tommy in with a smirk. "We're all married, know a thing or two about love, so... we should help him out."
Jayden whipped his head towards Rocky, unable to see that Tommy's eyes had precariously flashed green. Rocky was definitely quivering in his pants. Jason's thoughts were proven correct. Andros snickered, Conner wanted to make a run for it, while TJ was planning to put all the blame on Rocky.
"Was it that obvious," the recent leader asked. He hadn't realized they saw what happened and also surprised to know they cared. "We sort of got into a fight a couple of weeks ago."
"Oh, women problems," Tommy, as his father, was compelled to help and give advice. "We should head out and talk about this privately. You can tell us what's been going on."
"Really," Jayden mused, and they eagerly nodded. "Great because I really don't want her mad at me anymore."
The Falcon devilishly smiled, his eyes zeroing in on the other five.
"Great! Grab a drink, a nonalcoholic drink," Conner specified, and we'll meet you outside. He, along with the others, watched the youngest Red do as he was told. He knew a tongue lashing was coming from Dr. O.
Once they were alone, Tommy faced them. "Okay, so who's fucking idea was this," he interrogated. The names of the Red Ninjetti and Second Red Turbo ranger were easily tossed out there like prey to its hunter. Finger pointing and name calling soon ensued. Tommy miserably wiped his face, realizing these hooligans he called brothers and surrogate son were bringing attention to themselves—a lot of attention. He motioned for all of them to get out of there. As they walked out of the store, he saw Jayden sitting at a circular table. He turned back to them. "We go there, offer him advice and that's it. Do not mention we are related. Got it?"
"Yes sir," they saluted their 'leader' for this mission.
Kim's husband rolled his eyes crankily. He was already regretting bringing them along. As Jayden's real dad, he's been wanting to provide insight to the female mind. Tonight was his chance to actually do so. He kind of wished to do this by himself, but the others would provide some relief. He headed directly towards his son, who was drinking a can of Coke.
Jayden placed his can down and looked around the illuminated streets of Panorama City. The last time he explored the streets, at night, was when he ran away from the Shiba House. He promised himself, Mentor and the others, especially Mia, that he wouldn't do that again. He sadly sighed, as this would be a perfect place to spend time with the Pink ranger. The street lights shining down on them, the stars twinkling in the night sky and serving as a backdrop for another one of their passionate, makeout sessions. He was brought out of his stupor when he was surrounded by older, past rangers. He bowed his head as a form of respect.
"Oh, you don't gotta do that," Conner waved the motion away. "We're all friends."
He bobbed his head several times intermittently as he spoke. "Yeah, friends," the Red Samurai anxiously agreed. "So, you guys think you can help me out with Mia?"
"Most definitely. You will definitely get her back," TJ replied for the others. "So, how long have you been dating her?"
"Who made the first move," Andros asked.
"Have you guys gone far," Rocky wanted to get down to the nitty gritty.
Tommy's breath was knocked out of him over Rocky's question. He glared, but, honestly, he wanted to know that answer too. "Not far, right," he reproached his son. He believed he was too young to participate in sexual acts.
Jason disliked where this conversation was going, and he could see that Jayden was looking a bit uncomfortable. "How about, what happened between you and Mia?"
Jayden agreed to the neutral question. "Recently, we had some alone time. We hardly get alone time," he clued them in by further explaining the boarding arrangements at the Shiba House. "On this night, she looked absolutely beautiful," his mouth watered just thinking about it. He quickly shook the thoughts off. "She kicked me-"
"Wait," Conner interjected with interest. "Why'd she kick you?"
"She thought I was an intruder," he replied.
"Oh, did she kick you hard," Rocky queried. "If she's like my wife, I'm sure you suffered a black eye."
"Or worse," Andros speculated.
"Black eye," Jayden mumbled. The men expressed their sympathy, so they understood his pain. They've been kicked once or twice by their respective partners and each other's respective partners. "After she kicked me, we talked, one thing led to something else and..."
"Oh God," Tommy muttered under his breath. "You guys didn't... um do that thing that people, who are in love," he enunciated, "do, right..." The others groaned in frustration. They all knew Tommy began having sex at an age younger than what Jayden was now. "What?" He offensively murmured.
"Are you insinuating he shouldn't," Andros' eyes darted between Tommy and Jayden,''... do what happens naturally between male and female. They can be in love?"
"Or not in love," TJ knowingly supplied.
"Because people who are or not in love do, do that," Red Dino Thunder added with a grin.
Jayden listened intently to the men before him. He was liking this moment. To him, it was like he had several fathers stepping in and talking to him about a topic that seemed to be too taboo in the Shiba House. He supposed Ji wouldn't want to talk about this, and, in fact, reprimand him for even thinking about sexual tendencies. He thanked the high evens for this chance intervention of some sort.
"But, it's better when man and woman are in love," the Red Mighty Morphin ranger deliberately confirmed.
Rocky shrugged, letting the alcohol talk. "Just bone her. Boning is boning..."
"What," the Red Samurai almost choked on his next gulp of soda. He became baffled by the statement. "So, no matter who you're having sex with, it's just sex?!"
Tommy's hands gravely rose towards Rocky's liquor fueled body. "Rocky," he barked, pledging he was going to tell Aisha about that comment. "No... never."
"Ignore Rocky," Jason irritably yet authoritatively commanded, formulating where to take this discussion. "Look," he motioned with this hands. "I'm assuming you are a virgin."
"Yeah, I am," Jayden responded, barely hearing the thankful exhale that exited Tommy's mouth. "Shouldn't I wait to have sex?"
The former Red ranger glanced at each other. For a certain five, their eyes begged on how to go about this.
Conner took the initiative. "For me, I began in high school." He tautly smiled, already knowing questions were going to come from Jayden. "She was the one for me. I tried dating someone else, and she did too, but when you find the one you're meant for, whether you're 14, 17, 25, even 50, you just know. We took it quite far and became parents at a very young age, but now, we're married with two kids."
"I'm an alien," the Red In Space ranger elatedly motioned to himself. The active ranger furrowed his brows. "Just because I'm not of this Earth, doesn't mean I don't have those urges. My wife and I met when she was in high school. I was a cold individual, but slowly began to warm up to her. We didn't wait too long either when we began to take it to the next level, as you humans say. I was about 18 Earth years.
"Does that go for all of you? You guys began in high school," Jayden wondered. He wasn't sure if he belittled or underestimated his predecessors, since they went against the grain. "Well, did you?!" Other than Rocky, TJ, and Jason, the others nodded they had. "Why didn't you start as young as them," he singled out the Red Mighty Morphin, Ninjetti and Second Red Turbo.
"Hey," Rocky obnoxiously began. He misdirected his finger that was meant for TJ and ended up finger pointing his finger at Jason with a child like smile. He dangled his finger erratically, succumbing to the effects of drinking half a bottle of vodka."Pew, pew, pew," he pretended to shoot off laser beams. "Mayday, mayday ahhhhh... kaboom," he imitated a bomb going off.
The youngest member's mouth gaped open in shock over the antics of Aisha's husband, as the older men groaned miserably. They were beginning to think Rocky started drinking before coming here. Their heads hung low in disgrace. They hadn't been looking out for their fellow kind and were stunned to know that 'Sha, as Aisha was lovingly nicknamed, hadn't given him a couple of wallops upside the head. Possibly, he hadn't been around her, since the Destanos family arrived. Conner and Andros offered to take the 'Ape Man' back, leaving just Jason, Tommy, and TJ to speak with Jayden.
TJ reminisced. "I began after coming back from Space the first time, which was when I was getting close to 19. When you first start, you don't want to stop."
"TJ," Tommy reprimanded. He's heard the stories of his successor, and he didn't think it was appropriate for his son to hear.
"Tommy, just let me handle this," Cassie's husband disregarded the heat coming from the former White, Green, Red, and Black ranger's eyes. Reluctantly, the other guy obliged. "I've had quite a few partners, and people know about that. Like, him, him," he directly pointed to Tommy and Jason, "obviously Andros, Leo, Carter, Wes, Eric and Cole." He sighed heavily but continued. "As far as my wife is concerned, I was her first and am going to be her last, while she was my second and tenth to be honest. I have to say out of all the partners I've had, she's the greatest. When you have sex with someone you love, there's really no better feeling. Your first time should be meaningful. The others can admit to that."
Jayden thought the words over. "I'll be honest, I care about Mia a lot. I really haven't dated before, she's my first girlfriend, but I really wasn't expecting to be in that kind of situation."
"Do you love her," Tommy earnestly queried. "I remember from the reunion how close you two were. I could see the way you even stared at her, and she stared at you the same way. Love is something you just know."
Jason rose his hand. "Before Trini and I made our relationship official, and by official I mean boyfriend and girlfriend, sex did come eventually. I dated another person. We had chemistry, and she looked so hot in biker shorts, but being with Trini just felt right. She's my rock and has been there. What makes the relationship even better, and I'm speaking for a majority of the Reds, is to be able to share what you do in secret with your partner. Nothing is ever off limits; they understand what you're going through."
"That's the thing, she will never understand," the Red Samurai ranger practically shouted. The others were taken aback by his response. They looked at him questionably. He sighed. "Nothing," he wasn't going to admit he wasn't the 18th Head of the Shiba Family to them, even though they weren't exactly strangers. He shook his head of those thoughts. "I don't want to do that, at least, not yet, and I hope she's okay with it. You see, I stopped her from taking things farther, and I know she's hurt, but I did it for a reason."
Tommy graciously thanked the high heavens. His son had a decent head on his shoulders, and as a parent, he was relieved. Yet, he could see this issue was clearly bothering his son, so he offered advice "Have you tried talking to her?" He retracted his cell phone out of his pocket and discreetly sent a text to Jason's wife. She replied back not too long later, and he placed his phone back in his pocket."To let her know you weren't ready, which is also a good and respectable thing."
"She won't talk to me."
"She's probably embarrassed that you didn't want to have sex. When you do get a chance to talk to her, thoroughly explain and make her feel like she's the only female in the world that's on your mind," TJ advised.
"Especially, if you don't want to lose her. I don't think you do. I saw how hurt you were when she walked away from you. Show how much she means to you," Jason told.
Jayden's dad lovingly looked at his son. He was proud of his son, even more proud that his son was a gentleman and wasn't keeping his head in the gutter. His head rose to see his daughter come out of the boutique with a bouquet of roses in her hand.
Sophia appeared bewildered. She didn't know what her dad, her Godfather and one of her uncles was doing out here with Jayden or why she was asked by her Aunt Trini to deliver these flowers. She arrived and held them up. Jason and TJ locked eyes and knew that was their cue to leave, so they did. With just Tommy, Jayden, and her there, she opened her mouth. "Um did someone request flowers?" She softly bit her lip, her eyes wandering to peer at Jayden, and words jumbling within her head crazily. She opened her mouth but no words exited. She guessed it was because she didn't want to say too much, but then too little would possibly have him asking questions. "How are you," she questioned.
"Oh, hey, Sophia," he greeted, not realizing she was there. He admit he was caught up in the advice of his fellow rangers and their thoughts about sex. "I'm good. How about you? You look great by the way." He was glad that she wasn't badly injured nor side effects from his blood donation resulted.
"Thanks," she accepted kindly. "Dad, is there a reason for these flowers?"
"Yeah, give them to Jayden," after his daughter did so, he spoke about his motives. "We're going to gather Mia, make up something, so she could head out here, and you will give her the flowers and finally explain your side of the story."
"Really," Jayden was astounded.
Sophia smiled. "So, you like her," she asked, wishing to pry information out of his brain.
"Sophia..." Tommy faced Jayden. He began to fix stray hairs, straightened up his attire, and gave him the once over. Sophia grabbed chap stick from her pocket, and she handed it over to Jayden.
He quirked his brow. "What's this for?"
"Your lips look dry," she answered as a matter of fact. "Like, really dry."
''Oh God," Jayden uncapped the circular ball, and he slathered the lip medication on. He figured they were already connected in some way, so he did this with no worry. He gave it back to her. "Better," he kept rubbing his lips together. He tasted a bit. "Mmm, what is that," he wondered.
"EOS—Blueberry Acai," she replied, while holding it up so he could get a better look. She was glad to repay him back in some way. She had this preconceived notion that she owed him her life.
Kim momentarily excused herself from her own gala when she noticed one of the servers was missing. She instantly panicked and sought her husband. She didn't see him anywhere, so she looked for her daughter. When Sophia was nowhere to be seen, then she knew to head to the outside. "Tommy, Sophia," she called, assuming they were telling him the truth without her. She did her best rushing right towards them with four inch stilettos on. She cursed herself for trying to be so fashionable at her boutique, that was geared towards fashion. "What's going on," she popped in like popcorn.
"Mom," Sophia yelped in surprise. She glanced between her parents. "Uh, what are you doing here?"
"I should be asking you the same thing," Kim replied. She tightly smiled. "Tommy?"
Tommy took one more look at his son, and he nodded. Then, turned to his wife. "Jayden and Mia are having a problem. I'm trying to help him smooth things out." He utilized his eyes to plead with her to go along. He kept nodding, vying to hypnotize her.
Kim's eyes darted between her husband and daughter. She felt left out. They could've spoken to her about this. She moved herself between them and checked on Jayden herself. She noted there was a hair out of place that Tommy missed. She slicked it down. "Perfect," she smiled, her heart soaring to the sky. In another life or time, then maybe, this would be like sending him off to prom. This was the closest she could get at this current time, and it was better than nothing. "She must mean a lot to you."
"She does. I really, really do like her," Jayden revealed unknowingly to his birth mom.
Kim's eyes stayed on him, as her mouth slightly moved. "Well, I'm sure whatever issue you two had will be worked out. Do you love her,". She exhaled a deep breath. Relationship advice was her forte, but when it came to her girlfriends, not her children. Honestly, between Sophia and Brennan, she didn't see the harm. But Jayden, being out of her sight and living with his girlfriend was a whole different story. She reasonably worried.
"I don't know what love is, but I know she's important to me. I've known since the time I was turned evil."
For Tommy and Kim that wasn't a surprise.
"Did your eyes turn green," Sophia posed the question.
"Yeah, how did you know," the first born of the Oliver family replied with an query.
Sophia just motioned it was nothing.
Kim got them back on track."Alright, when she comes out here, and even though she's been working and doesn't look picture perfect, speak from your heart when you see her, okay," Kim motherly consulted and held her emotions at bay. "With flowers and a compliment, how can a girl deny you?." She gave a heartfelt smile to Jayden and finally faced her husband and daughter.
Jayden admired Kim and Tommy. They seemed to be great parents.
"Alright, Beautifuls, let's go get her," Tommy escorted them. He hoped his wife wouldn't burst into tears over her oldest child dating. "Jayden, we'll send her out here," he shouted, departing to the shop. He heard his name called and turned in the direction to where it was coming from. Jayden jogged up to them. "What is it, Jayden?"
He was careful to not ruin the flowers in his hand and gave a hug to each Tommy, Kim, and Sophia. "Thanks for helping me and tell the others too. I never got to have this talk with my dad, but you guys stepped in. I'm glad to know if I need help with anything, the previous rangers will be there," he genuinely said. He bowed to the Oliver family afterwards.
Sophia, with agitation, stared at her father and mother, demanding they say something. Tommy firmly planted his finger to his lips. Kim ignored and opened her mouth, disregarding the Shiba Family and her family's plan.
"Jayden, we will always be there for you because-" the Crane began to form the words she wanted to say into a sentence, ignoring the heated stares coming from the Falcon. With anticipation, the Dove braced herself for her mom's reveal. "The truth is..."
"Jayden," Mia came out of the store, intruding on the talk he was having. For the past twenty minutes, she and her friends were looking for him. She assumed he was outside thinking. She didn't mean to be so brash with him, and she wanted to apologize for her actions. Furthermore, she wanted to speak to him. Three pairs of eyes whipped her way. "Oh, Mr. and Mrs. Oliver, Sophia, have you seen Jayden?"
Jayden stepped away from them, flowers strategically placed behind his back, and walked up to her. He held the flowers up as a peace offering. He fixated his eyes on her. Hair hair began to get frizzy around her forehead due to perspiration, some of her makeup appeared oily, and she really needed a night's rest. That didn't matter to him."I'm sorry Mia," he apologized, his blue orbs imploring her soft, brown ones. "I haven't mentioned this to you lately, but you really look beautiful."
"Jayden," Mia lovingly stated his name and received her bouquet of flowers. She inhaled the soft scent of them. "Jayden, these are wonderful, but I think I've seen them somewhere tonight," she smirked, intentionally giving him a hard time. She saw his worry and giggled. She really didn't care where he got them. The fact she was on his mind, regardless, was enough. "Thank you."
The Red ranger blew out a breath of relief. "You're welcome. I'd like to talk to you about what happened."
"You're right. We do need to talk," the Pink ranger agreed.
"How about we take a walk," he offered, and she gladly nodded. He held out his hand for her, and with her free hand, Mia accepted. As the two began to walk away, Jayden secretively turned back to the people he was just talking to. He did a thumbs up, and he returned, solely investing his attention to his girlfriend, leaving behind a terribly distraught family.