"Hey guys, what's up?" Tommy asked, a water bottle in hand and a towel wrapped around his neck. He was wearing his favorite green tank top, an emerald bandana keeping his long hair out of his eyes, a jade towel around his neck (the rest of his outfit would be described but the author is running out of synonyms for green). He'd just gotten done helping Jason teach a martial arts class and was looking forward to spending some time with Kimberly.

"Have a seat," Kimberly said, motioning for Tommy to join her and Billy at their table. Jason and Zack were off with Trini discussing ways to incorporate the Tootsie Roll into Zack's Hip Hop Kido, leaving the other three Rangers to hang out by themselves (which surely wouldn't become a thing… right?). "Tommy, we need to talk."

"Oh God, you're pregnant!"

"What?!"

Tommy held his head in his hands. "My mom warned me that holding hands with a girl could get her pregnant but I didn't listen! I thought we didn't need to put on rubber gloves… I am so sorry, Kimberly!" He took a calming breath. "We'll figure this out. First, baby names… let's name it after Zordon! Boy or girl! Works for either or!"

Billy just stared at the green ranger. "I believe Tommy's parental figures have misinformed him about how procreation works."

Kimberly nodded. "Yeah, I'm glad the rest of us are orphans." She tapped Tommy on the shoulder. "Not pregnant. We'll deal with the Birds and the Bees later. Now we need to talk about an… image problem."

"Image problem?" Tommy asked, confused.

"Affirmative," Billy said. "It has come to our attention that the community has begun to express trepidation in one constituent of the Power Rangers."

It took Tommy a moment to realize what Billy was getting out. "Oh… OH! Yeah, I guess that is bad."

"Very bad," Kimberly said, relieved that Tommy understood.

"So, how do we discuss this with Trini?"

…or not.

"Not Trini," Kimberly said.

Tommy frowned. "Zack then? I mean, yeah, he murdered that Pilgrim-"

"Negative," Billy said.

"…Alpha?" Tommy asked.

"It's you," Kimberly finally blurted out.

"Me?" Tommy said, shocked that his friends thought people were terrified of him. "Why would people be afraid of me?"

"Remember last week?"

~8 Days Earlier…~

Tommy hurried up the fire escape, hoping he'd make it in time. Rita had sent down a monster (he honestly didn't know what it was. Billy had mentioned something about a birdhouse and Rocky Mountain Oysters and Tommy was in no hurry to find out what that meant) that had forced the rest of his team to chase after the creature through the park. Tommy had been late once more thanks to him forgetting to put his communicator on (at least that's what he told Billy; he wasn't about to admit that the strap irritated his sensitive skin) but this had worked out, as Zordon had received energy readings from something appearing on top of Angel Grove's famous rooftop restaurant 'Le Munchies'. Reports had quickly come in that a group of monsters were holding the diners their hostage. Zordon and Alpha had teleported him nearby and he was now scaling the fire escape in hopes of surprising the monsters and freeing the innocent diners.

Leaping over the roof's edge, Tommy landed in a fight pose, ready to take on his new foes. The citizens looked at him in surprise while the trio of monsters turned to face him. Two looked reasonably human while the third was clearly a robot covered in gold armor. The male was dressed in black leather and had a silver mask that covered the left side of his face while the female was dressed in white armor and had a shock of pink hair.

"I knew we leapt too far!" the leather man said. "Frax, I told you I wanted us to end up in 2001!"

"I'm so sorry, Master Ransik!" the robot said pleadingly. "I didn't mean to do this!" Under his breath (but strangely loud enough for Tommy to hear) he muttered. "Or… did… I?"

"Daddy, look!" the pink haired woman proclaimed. "Another Ranger!"

Ransik took a step forwards before visibly relaxing. "Calm yourself, Nadria! That is the legendary Green Ranger!"

Tommy, unsure what to do, took a step forward. "You need to-"

"The evil Ranger created by the Empress of Evil Rita Rupulsa herself?" Nadria asked.

"The very same!"

Tommy frowned and moved to confront the villains. "Yes, Rita created me, but I-"

"-broke away to begin your own reign of violence and death!" Ransik stated. "I read up on your dark exploits and I must say it's an honor to meet you, Green Ranger!"

"…what?"

Frax bobbed his head. "Oh yes. Please, do not assume we have come to muscle in on your territory. Please, accept these innocents from us! You may torture them as you wish."

"Torture?" one patron said.

Nadria happily nodded, turning to address the diners. "Yes! If we had captured you there's a chance you'd have died quick and painless but the Green Ranger and his blood-soaked hands prefer to torture and mutilate his captives. I heard he once flayed a man for a week straight, refusing to let him die till he had his fill."

Several patrons gulped in fear and began to back away from Tommy. "Wait!" the Green Ranger called out.

"I heard that he then steals your soul and places it in his dagger so he might hold you prisoner forever!" Frax exclaimed.

"We have to do something!" another diner screamed.

"Let's kill ourselves before the Green Ranger can do the job!" a third citizen said. "Come on, boys, leap to your deaths!"

"WAIT!" Tommy screamed, only for his cry to be drowned out by the thuds of bodies falling to the cruel, unforgiving pavement below. "…wha… wha…"

"Goodbye, Green Ranger!" Ransik said. "Know that every villain that comes after you sees you as a trailblazer!" The mutant criminal pressed a button and Frax's cobbled-together time machine teleported the three back to the year 3001.

"Tommy, we're here now!" Zack called up from the street below. "Ugh, who threw lasagnas all over the-AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!"

~TALES~TALES~TALES~

"Hey, that all worked out in the end," Tommy pointed out. "That restaurant was hosting a NAMBLA convention so everyone who died deserved it! And now Zack can't eat lasagna so we all get extra portions!"

"Yes, that's true," Kimberly said, "but it doesn't change the fact that people still think you are evil. We want to help you get over that and Billy and I came up with a great idea." Kimberly reached into her purse and pulled out a brochure.

"Big Brothers/Big Sisters?" Tommy said. "So… I'll improve my public image by getting a Big Brother to mentor me?"

"…it is so good that you are cute," Kimberly said, stroking Tommy's hair. "No, you'll be a Big Brother to someone."

Tommy pouted. He'd always wanted an older brother (EPIC FORESHADOWING!)

"We've conversed with Zordon and he concurred that this is a smart proposal. It would permit you to demonstrate to adolescents that you are a virtuous individual. I've recommended that we consider implementing it among the rest of our sextet." Tommy and Kimberly looked at each other, then at Billy. "It means 'a group of six'," Billy said.

"Ah," Kim said before turning her attention back to Tommy. "But yeah, Zordon really likes the idea. Yes, he made us Rangers to stop Rita but Rangers aren't supposed to be just warriors. We are Heroes of Light, protecting and aiding this world. That means doing more than destroying monsters and keeping Trini full of coffee."

"I… suppose," Tommy said.

"Don't worry," Kim said, taking ahold of his hand and giving it a squeeze, "I'll do it with you! You and me first, then Jason and Trini, Zack and Billy… mix it up later on but for now start with those partners. So, what do you say?"

Tommy looked at Billy and Kimberly and sighed. "I guess it would be better than people checking my dagger for blood."

~Two Days Later…~

Tommy and Kimberly stood in the museum's entrance, trying their hardest not to feel awkward. It was weird to be in uniform without a monster to fight or a threat to take care of. Several visitors stopped to stare at them but, in typical Angel Grove fashion, promptly ignored the strangeness that was two Power Rangers leaning against a ticket booth, not quite sure what to do with their arms since their costumes didn't have pockets. The citizens, after months of monster attacks, giant mechs, and strange reality-altering magicks, had developed a blind spot for such things. Unless there was a threat to their lives they would merely ignore the bewildering sight.

Tommy was seconds away from wandering off to the gift shop when Kimberly nudged him in the side. "What?"

"You can't wander off."

"I wasn't-"

"You were," Kim said. Though Tommy couldn't see her face he knew she was smiling. "Besides, here come the kids."

Tommy glanced down the stairs towards the double sets of doors where a 20-something woman with very short black hair was shepherding four 6-year olds into the museum. The Green Ranger tilted his head while Kimberly couldn't help but chuckle at the sight of the little ones.

"Are they wearing…"

Kimberly nodded. "Yup."

"Since when did they begin making Power Rangers costumes?" Tommy asked, staring at the kids. Their four charges were wearing poly-cotton blend Power Rangers one pieces and plastic masks with color-matching backpacks and sneakers.

"I'm not surprised, with how much merchandise is being made based on us." Kimberly paused, considering this. "Okay, now I'm weirded out that we've become famous enough to have merchandise."

Before Tommy could comment the woman from Big Brothers/Big Sisters finished climbing the steps, her hands pressed against two of the kids' backs. All four kids were looking up in awe at the Rangers and Tommy and Kim stared down at them, suddenly feeling like they'd grown 10 feet tall and were staring at their miniaturized teammates. There was a little Red Ranger who bounced up and down with pent up energy. Next to him was a Blue Ranger who, even with his mask on, seemed to be studying Tommy and Kimberly intently. The sole girl in the group wore a yellow version of Kimberly's costume, which was rather odd; though not as odd as the final member of the foursome who wore a white version of Tommy's outfit.

"Hello there," the woman from Big Brothers/Big Sisters said, extending her hand. Kimberly, shaking herself from the daze she'd entered upon seeing the kids in their outfits, took her hand and gave it a firm shake. "I'm Elizabeth Randall and these are-"

"We can introduce ourselves! We're not babies!" the Red Mini Ranger exclaimed. He turned to Tommy and struck a dramatic pose. "I'm Connor McKnight and I'm the Red Ranger and leader of the team."

"Who said you could be the leader?" the Blue Mini Ranger complained.

"The Red Ranger is always the leader."

"…there has only been one Red Ranger!"

"And now there are two!" Connor declared.

"That doesn't make sense."

"You don't make sense!"

The Yellow Mini Ranger shook her head. "Boys are silly."

The Blue Mini Ranger held out his hand. "I'm Ethan James, Mr. Green Ranger."

Tommy shook his hand. "Nice to meet you both." He glanced at Mini Yellow. "And what's your name?"

"I'm Kira Ford!" the little girl proclaimed. Before Tommy could say a word Kira blurted out, "I like to sing and I'm learning guitar and I'm taking karate lessons!" She looked over at the Mini White Ranger. "This is Trent Fernandez. He's kinda shy but that's okay because he can draw better than the rest of us. He's my boyfriend!"

Kim, seeing how Trent looked at Kira, chuckled. "Did he know he was your boyfriend?"

"He does now!" Kira happily chirped.

"Isn't that something he should have a say in?" Tommy asked.

"Why?"

"Oh, I like her," Kimberly said. "Nice to meet you too, Trent." The little boy merely nodded, looking back and forth at the two Power Rangers. It was clear he was a bit in awe of them.

"So, I'd like to go over the plans for today-Connor, don't roll your eyes-just to make sure we have everything settled," Miss. Randall said. "You'll have them for 4 hours. We've already made arrangements with the museum concerning lunch, since I imagine you two don't have wallets." Tommy and Kimberly nodded. "They are also allowed to pick out a few souvenirs but there is a $25 dollar limit for each. Don't let them pool money as that will lead to fights. I'll be here at 2pm on the dot to collect these four. Please do not leave the museum." She paused, looking the two Rangers over. "You are sure you won't be called away?"

"The other Rangers are monitoring things and are ready to respond. There'll be no need for use to leave to fight a monster today."

"Good to hear," Miss Randall said crisply. "Connor, Ethan, Kira, Trent, Connor, I want you to behave."

"You said my name twice!" Connor exclaimed.

"You need double reminding. Listen to the Rangers and do as they say, alright?"

"Yes Miss Randall," the four intoned. She gave them one final look, the one Kimberly and Tommy recognized as the standard "You are considering doing something bad but I will find out about it so don't even think about it" look. She spun on her heels and marched away, leaving the two Rangers and their wards idly standing by the ticket counter.

"She'd make a great general for Rita, wouldn't she?" Tommy asked casually, earning a giggle from Connor and Ethan. "Alright guys, let's go." Connor grabbed his hand but Ethan moved to walk with Kim, leaving the Green Ranger to grab Trent's hand. "So, why did you pick the costume your wearing?" he asked the two boys.

"I like red," Connor said. "My soccer uniform is red! And I like tyrannosauruses. They're big and cool! Except for Sharptooth… he killed Little Foot's mom."

"I didn't like that," Trent said sadly,

"Me neither," Connor stated, looking down at his feet. Before Tommy could worry about having two kids sobbing about a dead cartoon character in the middle of a museum Connor instantly perked up. "But the Red Ranger has a tyrannosaurus! That's cool! Does he let you ride it?"

"No, but I have my own zord, the dragonzord."

"Dragons aren't dinosaurs," Ethan called out. "Neither are mastodons or sabertooth tigers."

Kim nodded. "Yeah, we brought that up with Zor… our mentor and he said they were ancient and that was good enough."

"…he's stupid," Ethan said with a huff, crossing his arms over his chest. Kimberly choked back laughter while Tommy just stared at Ethan in shock. "I like the triceratops! And the Blue Ranger is really smart… I read somewhere he makes a lot of stuff for you guys."

"That's right," Kimberly said, wondering how that little tidbit had managed to get out. "And what about you, Kira? I noticed you have my costume but its yellow…"

"They make all sorts of costumes different colors!" Kira exclaimed. "There was a Yellow Black Ranger and Pink Blue Ranger… but I like yellow and pterodactyls are the best!"

"I think they are too," Kimberly said.

"But bow and arrows suck," Kira said firmly, causing Kim to take a stutter step.

"W-what?"Kimberly said.

"Kira, that's a naughty word!" Trent exclaimed, horrified.

"But they do suck!" Kira complained. "If I'm gonna fight something I want to be in close, slashing them in the face!" She darted forward and waved her hand about. "Slash slash slash!"

Ethan leaned back. "Girls are scary."

"I'm glad she's not my girlfriend," Connor whispered to Trent.

"What about you?" Tommy asked Trent, giving the quiet boy's hand a gentle squeeze. "Why did you pick my costume but in white? White your favorite color? Like dragons?"

"You're strong," Trent said softly. Tommy couldn't help but smile at that (though Trent couldn't see that) but the boy's next words shocked him to the core. "When you beat up the Megazord… that was cool."

"Uh… what?"

"You took down all five rangers! You beat them up real good and nearly destroyed the Megazord and you were all like 'grrrrrr'! and they were like 'aaaa, no!' It was awesome!" Trent began to warm up to the topic of being evil and powerful and the Green Ranger looked over at his Pink counterpart, silently asking 'how is this suppose to repair my image?' "And I bet you could have totally beat them! That's why I picked your outfit but I wanted to be white because then I could be you… but… uh… in white instead of green!" Trent paused, his little face turning up to look at Tommy. "Could you still beat them, Mr. Green? Not that you'd want to… but could you?"

"Yeah, could you?" Kimberly teased.

Tommy stared at Trent, glad his mask hid his glower. "Maybe," he said, playing it safe.

"Cool," Trent said, instantly going back to being quiet and introvert.

"So," Kimberly said, deciding to take charge, "what should we see first?"

"Dinosaurs!" Connor called out. "RAWR!"

"Egypt exhibit!" Ethan chimed in, doing a mummy walk.

"Rawr!"

"Miss Pink, Miss Pink!" Kira called out.

"Yes Kira?"

The little girl paused for a moment. "…look what I can do!" Kimberly tilted her head as Kira began to spin around, letting out squeals as she did so.

"Mr. Green, I need to go potty," Trent said, tugging on his hand.

"Rawr!"

"Mummy power!"

"Weeeeeeee!"

"Mr. Green! Potty!"

"Oops!" Kira cried out as she hit a display, sending brochures raining down on here.

"RAWR!"

Kimberly and Tommy shared a look.