Hi guys! Here it is, the much anticipated (at least, I hope you anticipated it) sequel to Left Out! It takes place 5 years after the previous story. You needn't have read Left Out, but parts of this story might make more sense if you do. New Status will feature many similar shenanigans as the first story, but this time around the rangers are posting it all on Facebook. It's not completed yet, but I'll post new chapters as I finish them. Catch ya on the flip side!

CHAPTER 1: ETHAN

"I got tired of waiting…wondering if you were ever coming around…my faith in you was…fading…"

Tommy Oliver leaned an elbow on the windowsill of his jeep and all but pounded the back of his knuckles into his forehead. "Connor," he said as calmly as he could muster. "You've made your point, I turned off the CD, so Please. Stop. Singing!"

Connor only grinned at his former teacher in the rear view mirror as he turned up the volume on his iPod so Tommy could hear it. "When I met you on the outskirts of town…"

"And I said…"

The car suddenly jerked to the right as Tommy sharply snapped his head to glare at the person in the passenger seat who had just begun to also sing. "Kimberly. Ann. Oliver." He said through gritted teeth as Connor continued his a-ca-pella solo in the background. "Do not encourage the Justin Timberlake wannabe."

"Oh hush," Kimberly said, waving a dismissive hand at her husband. "This is the best part."

As one, she and Connor threw their heads back and belted the final chorus. "MARRY ME JULIET, YOU'LL NEVER HAVE TO BE ALONE! I LOVE YOU AND THAT'S ALL I REALLY KNOW!"

Suddenly, Connor leaned forward to gesture to Kimberly while Tommy attempted to swat him away. "I talked to your dad, go pick out a white dress!"

"It's a love story," Kimberly sang back to him. "Baby just say…"

"Yeeess!" they finished together, and Tommy's moans replaced the sound of the purposefully dreadful off-key singing.

"You are scarring our son for life," he said dramatically.

"Nah, Sammy's fine," Connor said, reaching over to tickle the six month olds feet. "I think he likes it. Do you like when Uncle Connor sings Taylor Swift to you?" he asked in a baby voice.

"First of all, no, he doesn't," Tommy answered as his son shrieked with laughter. "Second of all, you are not 'Uncle Connor'."

"What about just Uncle C?" Kimberly said innocently, as if Tommy had asked for suggestions.

"Yeah!" Connor agreed enthusiastically.

"Third of all," Tommy ignored them and spoke louder. "His name is Samuel. Not Sammy. Not Sam. Samuel."

"But I like Sammy!" Kimberly fake pouted, and Connor put on his best puppy dog face.

"Yeah!" he pretended to whine. "Me, too!"

"No." Tommy said firmly. "Sammy is a girl's name."

"Kim is a boy's name," Kimberly pointed out.

"Yeah, in Japan," Tommy countered.

"I thought it was Korean?"

"Shut up, Connor!"

"Ooh," Connor pretended to shrink closer to the baby's car seat. "Daddy's angry. Just remember, little buddy…whenever he gets like this, there's a secret lair in your basement. And it locks from the inside," he stage whispered to baby Samuel.

"I have a key," Tommy grumbled.

"But by then he'll be out the back door."

"Then he'll spend his night sleeping in a tree."

"You mean, he'll spend the night sleeping in the tree house."

"We don't have a tree house."

Connor gasped and lightly put his hands on either side of Samuel's head, covering his ears. "Blasphemy!" he harshly whispered.

"Where would we even put a tree house?" Tommy grumbled as he changed lanes.

"We live on the edge of a forest, dear," Kimberly pointed out as if she has to remind him of this every day.

"More like you live on the edge of the middle of nowhere," Connor muttered. "But don't worry," he adopted the baby voice again as his attention returned to Samuel. "You can come visit Uncle Connor in the big city whenever you want to! Except when I'm not there," he seriously pointed a finger, which the baby reached for. "No wild parties while Uncle C is traveling." Samuel finally grabbed hold of Connor's finger and promptly stuck it in his mouth. "Oh…I can't say no to that face-of course you can have a party! But only if I'm invited."

Kimberly grinned even as Tommy groaned. "Connor, you're going to be a great dad."

"Yeah, hopefully soon," he replied absentmindedly as he searched for a tissue to clean the drool off his hand.

"How much longer does she have?"

"Any day now," Connor beamed. "The doctor said he'll give it another two weeks before he'll induce."

"And how's Krista feeling?"

"Bored," Connor replied honestly. "She really had fun at that stay-in girls night you had for her."

"Thank Kira, it was her idea. I just brought the chick flicks."

"Yeah, well, it really made Krista's day. Or month, I guess. She's really not enjoying this whole bed rest thing."

"And I feel for her!" Kimberly said empathetically.

"Thank God!" Tommy randomly exclaimed from the driver's seat.

"Actually, she's Jewish—Whoa!"

The car jerked to the right as Tommy quickly changed lanes again. Samuel squealed with excitement from the backseat. "I draw the line at talking about pregnancy!" he said, turning on the turn signal with more force than was necessary. "Hey look, we're here."

"Hel-lo Angel Grove!" Kimberly said excitedly and wiggled her butt in her seat as they pulled onto the exit ramp.

"Hello huge picture of Dr. O in spandex!" Connor added, craning his neck to get a better look at the white ranger welcome billboard as they drove past. "How come you get your own welcome sign?"

"Ooh look-there's mine!" Kimberly pointed as she rolled down her window. "And Trini's!"

"How come Reefside doesn't have these?" Connor asked.

"Because you've never stood still long enough for them to take a picture," Tommy grumbled before adding thoughtfully, "And Reefside doesn't have any billboards."

"Hmm," Connor said in a way that instantly had Tommy suspicious. "It doesn't need to be a billboard…just a large welcome sign…"

"Oh hey-here's Jason's neighborhood!"

"Agh!" Connor and Kimberly both shrieked—though the former tried concealing it as a sneeze—as Tommy took a sharp right turn. Samuel flapped his arms and laughed.

Kimberly looked worriedly over her shoulder. "He truly is his father's son," she muttered concernedly when she saw her baby was fine.

"Hey! What's that supposed to mean?"

"Nothing, just that you both seem to enjoy really fast car rides and adrenaline rushes. Sometimes at the same time."

"There's nothing wrong with living on adrenaline."

"Tommy, what would you do if one day Samuel comes home from high school and announces he's formed a sky-diving club?"

"First of all, I work at the high school and I have an in with the principal, so that's not going to happen. Second of all, that was a great club. I can't believe Angel Grove High discontinued it."

"Oh yeah," Kimberly scoffed. "Because teenagers jumping out of an airplane was a wonderful idea."

"You weren't rolling your eyes when you were back-flipping out of that thing."

"You did a back-flip out of an airplane?" Connor gasped at the original pink ranger. "Dude, your wife is awesome!" he lightly hit Tommy on the arm.

"First of all, don't call me dude. Second, stay away from my wife. And my kid while we're at it."

"Speaking of that," Kimberly said casually. "I found a baby-sitter for next month for my brother's wedding."

"That's good. Who is it?"

Connor giddily leaned forward and smiled broadly at Tommy. "Hi!"

"You? Him?! No, absolutely not. I don't want him infecting my son's mind like he's infected yours." He jerked a thumb at Kimberly as he turned down Jason's street.

"I am not infected," Kimberly rolled her eyes. "You're the only one who can't stand Connor, and that's because he purposefully provokes you. Besides, Sammy loves him."

"He'll have a kid of his own by then, too," Tommy pointed out.

"And Krista's agreed to help!" Kimberly replied cheerfully. "And Kira! And Hayley said she'll drop by on her way to Angel Grove on Saturday."

"Joy," Tommy muttered, parking on the street behind a blue SUV he recognized as Rocky's.

"It upsets me and Sammy when you guys are mad at each other," Connor said sadly as he got out of the car.

"I'm not mad." Tommy snapped, unbuckling the baby's car seat.

Connor and Kimberly shared a knowing look as Trent's car pulled in behind them and Trent, Kira, Ethan, and Hayley climbed out.

"Uh-oh," Hayley said quietly as Tommy merely nodded at them. "Connor, what did you do?"

"I didn't do anything," he said pointedly before leaning in and whispering in mock horror to them, "Mother and father are fighting again."

"Shut up or you're grounded," Tommy threatened as they made their way towards the front door.

"Dear, I thought we agreed that we weren't ever going to tell our children to shut up," Kimberly said reasonably.

"Connor is not our child!" Tommy exclaimed.

Connor suddenly gasped and clutched a hand to his chest. "I'm adopted?"

"Now look what you've done," Kimberly winked at Connor behind her husband's back.

As the married couple continued their teasing banter—at least on Kimberly's end it was teasing—Connor looked at the three younger rangers and their technician as if to say "I told you so." The five of them cackled with laughter as Ethan pulled out his phone and selected the Facebook application.

"That conversation is totally going to be my new status!"

Ethan James:

Connor McKnight: "Mother and father are fighting…"
Tommy Oliver: "Shut up or you're grounded!"
Kimberly Oliver (Kimberly Hart): "Dear, don't tell our children to shut up."
Tommy: "Connor is not our child!"
Connor: *gasps in horror* "I'M ADOPTED?"

Kira Ford-Fernandez, Hayley Ziktor, and 17 others like this.

Jason Scott commented: What a harsh way to drop that bomb on ur kid, bro
Connor McKnightcommented: I feel as tho you've failed me dad…