Chapter Seven

Return of an Old Friend

"I wonder why this tour thing's going so slow. You'd think plenty of people would want to take a tour of Angel Grove," Skull mused as he screeched to a halt in front of Club Bulkmeier.

"It's early yet. We probably won't get any customers for a while," Bulk said.

"But it's two in the afternoon, and we haven't had a tour since Tommy," Skull pointed out.

"Two is way too early. I mean, if you weren't a tour guide, would you even be awake?"

"Good point," Skull said, nodding wisely.

Just as they were climbing out of the tour bus, intent on getting something to eat at the club, someone tapped Bulk on the shoulder and said "Excuse me." Bulk and Skull turned and found themselves face-to-face with the first Yellow Ranger.

The two gaped at her, utterly dumbfounded. They were so shocked that it took them a moment to realize that the Red and Black Rangers were standing behind her.

"Hi," the Yellow Ranger said cheerfully, in a vaguely familiar voice. "We were hoping you could help us with something."

"Help…?" Suddenly Bulk was jolted back into action. He seemed to swell with importance, puffing out his chest and gut as he drew himself up proudly. "What can we do, ma'am?"

"We need to get to the mayor's office downtown," the Red Ranger replied. "Could you take us?"

"Sure!" Bulk said immediately. "Follow us! To the tour bus, Skull!"

The three Rangers looked at each other, then hurriedly followed Bulk and Skull to the van. With a lurch, it set off down the road, Bulk and Skull chattering excitedly.

Only the three Rangers noticed Kimberly's Mustang and Tommy's Jeep following them.

Jason, Trini and Zack had never been so grateful to get out of a moving vehicle as they were when they stepped out on the sidewalk in front of the mayor's office. "Thank you for your assistance," Jason said formally, still somewhat dizzy and shaken from Skull's erratic driving but trying to appear calm.

"Will you need a ride back?" Skull asked eagerly, leaning over Bulk to talk out the window.

"If at all possible, we'd appreciate that," Jason replied reluctantly. "We won't be long."

"No problem," Bulk said quickly. "We'll wait."

"Oh, joy," Zack muttered to the others as they headed for the building. "Tommy really downplayed how badly Skull drives."

"Tommy was a racecar driver," Trini pointed out.

"And if Skull was a racecar driver, he'd die in the most spectacular crash in NASCAR history," Zack replied.

"We should have listened to Kira and Ethan when they told us not to use Conner's idea," Jason said ruefully.

"That's putting it mildly," Trini said dryly.

"Putting it more accurately would be 'I'm gonna knock that kid's teeth out for suggesting this,'" Zack added.

"What were we thinking?" Jason agreed.

The three Rangers kept glancing around cautiously for gawkers as they dashed into the office building. Two security guards gaped at them as they passed, but no one stopped them or took much notice otherwise until they reached a receptionist's desk.

"Excuse me," Jason said. The woman looked up and froze. Jason took advantage of her silence to speak quickly, trying to act as though three Power Rangers who hadn't been seen in years walking into the mayor's office was nothing out of the ordinary. "We'd like to see the mayor, ma'am."

"D… do… do you have an appointment?" she choked out.

The three Rangers looked at each other. "Uh… no," Jason said, rolling his eyes behind his helmet. "But it'll just take a second. Could you tell him the Power Rangers are here?"

"S-sure. Uh, have a seat." The secretary gestured vaguely at a row of chairs and rushed off. Jason looked at the others and shrugged. They went to sit down.

"So," Zack said with a smirk, taking note of all the people wandering past who'd stopped to stare, "read any good books lately?"

"Nope," Jason replied, grinning.

"Hey, this looks good," Trini said, picking up an old issue of Time from a nearby table. Crossing her legs, she propped it on her knees and began to flip through it as businessmen, lobbyists and politicians wandered past, gazing at them in shock, disbelief and excitement as they sat calmly in the waiting area, as if they came to the mayor's office every day.

"There's the mayor," Zack said in a low voice, pointing discreetly. They hurriedly stood up, Trini replacing the magazine. The mayor was power-walking towards them, his secretary practically jogging behind him.

"The Power Rangers! It's an honor!" the mayor called far too loudly (undoubtedly trying to make sure everyone heard him) as he shook their hands. "I'm Jacob Anderson. I always wanted to meet you. Here to discuss Power Rangers Day?"

"We heard city council wanted us to RSVP," Zack explained wryly.

"Of course, of course—why don't we talk in my office? It's just down here…"

The mayor led them up the stairs, down the hall and into a well-decorated, roomy office, chattering all the way. "So good of you to come… I was a tad worried you wouldn't be able to make it to Power Rangers Day, you must be awfully busy… will it be just the three of you coming?"

"Oh, no," Jason said. "All six of us will be there."

"Really? Splendid! Have a seat, have a seat…" He gestured at the chairs in front of his desk, sitting down behind his own. "I was thinking of having a bit of a question-and-answer session at Power Rangers Day. You know, a few reporters asking a few questions… nothing fancy. The citizens of Angel Grove simply want to thank you, meet you… you're such a mystery, you know, and after all you've done for the city we'd all like to thank you on a bit more personal level…"

Trini and Zack looked at Jason, who cleared his throat uncomfortably. "Uh… well, I suppose there's no harm in that," he said hesitantly. "There are a few rumors we'd like to quell."

"Of course," Mayor Anderson said, beaming. "I must admit, this is doing wonders for local business. All the tourism… and we've you to thank. You've done so much more than protect this city."

"Our pleasure," Jason replied.

"Would it be possible for you to talk with the press now?" the mayor asked eagerly. "There's a reporter from the New York Times in town, I'm sure he'd love to get a bit of an exclusive—"

"Er… we've really got to be going," Jason said quickly.

"Right, right, places to go, lives to save," Mayor Anderson said, still grinning. "I'll be sure to let city council know that you will be coming. Would you mind giving speeches, by the way?"

"Um… speeches?"

"Yes, you know, just a few words…" He looked at each of them in turn hopefully. "I'm sure the children would just adore that. Oh, and if you could sign a few autographs…"

Trini and Zack looked at Jason again, who was starting to feel a bit alarmed at being put on the spot. "Uh… we'll see what we can do," Jason said awkwardly.

Trini happened to glance out the window and spotted a news van pulling up to the curb across the street. She stood up, a note of worry in her voice. "We really must go now," she told the mayor, leaning over to shake his hand again before heading for the door. As she passed the startled Jason and Zack, she whispered "Crowd coming."

Jason and Zack were on their feet in an instant, catching the mayor by surprise. "Thank you the great honor," Jason said hastily, rushing after Trini.

"'Preciate it," Zack added, waving over his shoulder and chasing after his friends, leaving the befuddled mayor to stare after them.

The moment they stepped into the lobby, a large group of people turned to look at them. They were startled to see several reporters amongst them, some with notepads and some holding microphones and accompanied by cameramen.

"Press must have started watching the office, waiting for us to show from the moment they put that article in the paper," Jason muttered. "We should have thought of that."

"I really wish we could teleport," Zack said wistfully.

"Charge them," Trini suggested with a slight smile. "They might break and run."

The crowd was already rushing at them… but everyone stopped as the Red, Yellow and Black Rangers suddenly ran straight at the group, as if running into battle. With startled yelps, the crowd parted, no doubt thinking wildly that the Power Rangers were attacking.

"Sorry… urgent battle, can't stay!" Jason yelled as he dodged through the mass of people.

"See you at Power Rangers Day!" Zack called.

The three of them dashed out into the street and dove into the shuttle bus, scaring the crap out of Bulk and Skull, who were talking excitedly about their new status as Ranger chauffeurs and hadn't seen the Rangers approaching.

"Step on it, Skull!" Jason shouted, though he instantly regretted it.

Skull, panicking, threw his foot onto the gas. The tour bus shot away from the curb just as the crowd poured out onto the office's steps.

"Where to?" Bulk asked as they sped off.

"Angel Grove Park," Trini replied, glancing behind her. Behind them were Trent, Kira, Conner, Ethan and Tommy in his Jeep, followed by Billy and Kimberly in her blue Mustang. If anyone, be it fan or journalist, tried to follow them, the plan was for Billy and Kimberly to slow down and drive like elderly people, giving Skull the opportunity to get far enough ahead to lose them.

"We really appreciate this," Jason told Skull as he whipped around a corner and nearly hit a tree.

"Don't mention it! Anything we can do for our old friends the Power Rangers," Bulk said cheerfully. "So why'd you need to see the mayor?"

Jason, Trini and Zack explained carefully and held a polite conversation with Bulk and Skull until they came to a stop in the parking lot near Zack's SUV and Jason's pickup truck. Tommy and Kimberly parked their cars a short distance away as inconspicuously as possible.

"We have to go," Trini said as she, Zack and Jason climbed out. "Thanks again for your help."

"Anytime!" Bulk called as the three of them ran off.

"Where are you going? Is there a monster attack?" Skull shouted after them.

None of them stopped to reply. They dove into the woods, circled to the left, ducked low and dove into the parked cars next to Jason's truck. Checking carefully for onlookers, they demorphed next to Jason's truck, using it as cover. They waited for Bulk and Skull to pull away, then casually strolled over to Tommy, Kimberly, Billy, Kira, Ethan, Conner and Trent.

"How'd it go?" Kimberly asked eagerly.

"It was a blast," Zack proclaimed, grinning from ear to ear.

"It was kind of like the Rangers Parade," Jason said, not quite sharing Zack's sentiment.

"That bad?" Tommy said, grimacing.

"Ouch." Kimberly winced.

"Don't remind me," Billy moaned, looking pained.

"What Rangers Parade?" Ethan asked.

"You guys were in a parade?" Conner added.

The six older Rangers looked at each other. "It's… a long story," Jason said slowly. Tommy shuddered and nodded. "Suffice it to say, it wasn't one of our better days."

"This wasn't as bad," Zack insisted. Everyone looked at him dubiously. "We didn't even talk to a reporter. And there was no Goldar. And no Kinko's. And no looking for a mechanic. And Tommy didn't have to—"

"I thought we agreed that we weren't going to ever mention that again!" Tommy interrupted shrilly. His friends stifled laughs while his former students gave him curious looks. He stubbornly avoided their gaze.

"Well, maybe it wasn't as bad as the parade, but I'm betting it'll be on the news within the hour," Trini said with a sigh.

"We should go watch it," Tommy said. He smiled. "You think Ernie still has televisions in the Juice Bar?"

"That's a great idea!" Trini gushed. "Let's go see him!"

Twenty minutes later, the ten of them entered the Angel Grove Youth Center. Ernie was behind the counter, looking much like they remembered, though he was a little thinner with a few more gray hairs. He was wiping the countertop with a rag and staring fixedly up at the TV. Tommy, Zack, Kimberly, Billy, Trini and Jason came up to the counter, the teenagers behind them, looking around curiously. Then all attention was focused on the television set as a reporter's voice reached them; they distinctly heard her asking "Mr. Bulkmeier" a question.

"Even the Power Rangers themselves are taking our tours," said the voice of none other than Bulk, as the network showed footage of the uniformed Jason, Trini and Zack jumping into the shuttle bus. A large caption along the bottom of the screen said, "Rangers Return!" in huge bold letters.

"They're our old friends," Skull added importantly as the picture changed to a reporter standing with the grinning Bulk and Skull. "We helped them a lot, back when we were detectives."

"That's right," Bulk said, nodding emphatically.

Ernie shook his head, his back still to his former customers. "Yeah, right," he muttered, smiling.

Now the mayor came on the screen, surrounded by a mob of reporters. "The Power Rangers have agreed to sign autographs and give speeches, as well as answer a few questions from those in attendance," he said proudly.

The picture switched back to Bulk, Skull and the reporter. She stepped forward, smiling into the camera. "You heard it here first. The Power Rangers have confirmed that they will be attending Power Rangers Day. We'll have more at six. And now, back to your regularly scheduled program."

The network's logo flashed on. "This has been a special report by—"

"Wait—speeches?" Billy repeated, looking alarmed.

"Autographs?" Tommy demanded.

"Answer questions?" Kimberly added.

Jason rubbed the back of his neck nervously. "Well…"

Jason was saved the trouble of explaining himself. At the sound of their voices, Ernie turned around to find himself face-to-face with six teens who'd come to the Youth Center more than the rest of the population of Angel Grove combined.

"Guys!" Ernie exclaimed, pleasantly surprised. "What are you doing here?"

"We just heard you were back," Jason said, clasping Ernie's hand. "We didn't know, or we would have been by already."

"It never seemed the same without you," Tommy added.

Ernie shook all their hands and then paused before asking, "You guys in town for Power Rangers Day?" in a carefully nonchalant voice.

The six of them looked at each other, then nodded hesitantly. Ernie grinned. "Wow, look at you guys! All grown up. I still remember you as sixteen-year-olds, and now look at you… and who's this?" he asked, nodding at the four teenagers, hanging back behind Tommy.

Tommy introduced them all. "They were my, uh, students," Tommy explained uncertainly, knowing that Ernie was a lot smarter than Bulk and Skull and would realize something was off. "I'm a science teacher now."

Ernie gave the teens a shrewd look. "You wouldn't happen to be from Reefside, would you?" he asked casually.

"How'd you guess?" Conner asked, surprised. Kira, Ethan and Trent also looked confused.

"Oh, someone mentioned that's where Tommy was living now," Ernie said, still in the same nonchalant tone. The four teens shrugged, accepting the excuse. Noticing the exchange of glances between Jason, Trini, Billy, Kimberly, Zack and Tommy, Ernie grinned and put down his bar rag. "Teaching science, eh, Tommy? A lot's changed. Care to fill me in over some smoothies? On me."

The elder Rangers were just as eager for smoothies as they were for a subject change, knowing that Ernie had probably put two and two together and figured that the six kids who'd always disappeared during monster attacks and had now returned for Power Rangers Day were the original team, and that the four teens from Reefside were probably the Dino Rangers. He didn't mention it, however, didn't even look at them accusingly, simply handed them drinks as they sat down at the counter, and they all chatted away as other customers came and went.

"So what are you doing now, Billy?" Ernie asked, after hearing the other's stories. "I seem to remember Adam saying something about you moving, but no one ever elaborated, and then I had to go to the Amazon…"

"Oh… uh… I was offered a job. Working with… the, um, government." That, at least, wasn't a total lie—he was working for the government of Aquitar.

"Doing what?"

"I… well…"

"He's not allowed to give out a lot of information," Jason cut in quickly.

"Yeah, you know the government," Kimberly added.

Ernie gave Billy a piercing look; Billy avoided his gaze. "I see," Ernie said. "Do you enjoy the work?"

"Immensely," Billy said, nodding vigorously.

"Got you a wife yet?"

"Er… well, no," Billy said sheepishly. "But I'm involved with someone."

"Good for you," Ernie exclaimed, clapping him on the arm and grinning. He turned to Tommy, who swallowed, fearing that Ernie might ask him about his love life as well… and that would definitely be awkward in front of Kimberly and the teenagers. However, Ernie seemed to understand. "And you're a paleontologist, eh? How'd you get interested in that?"

Tommy shrugged. "My brother, David, talked a lot about ancient Native American sites in the area. Took me to some of them. That got me interested in archaeology, and from there it wasn't long before I turned to dinosaurs."

"He's unnaturally fascinated by them," Ethan muttered.

"Yeah. All the stories about fossils he told us," Conner added. "Talk about boring. I m-mean…" he stammered at Tommy's glare, not quite over Tommy's reaction about Kimberly at the picnic, "uh… flooring. Yeah. We were totally floored at how interesting it was."

"So how'd you end up teaching?" Ernie asked, smiling slightly at Conner as the others stifled laughs.

"Well, a lot of paleontologists end up teaching, so I went ahead and got my teaching license while I was at school, just in case I couldn't find work in the field. Then I started working on an island with Trent's father on a huge breakthrough on dinosaurs… but there was an accident at the lab, and the whole island ended up destroyed. So I was kind of ready for a break from actual researching, and I started looking for teaching positions. Finally found one in Reefside."

"Reefside," Ernie repeated, still with a half-smile. "Home of the Dino Rangers."

"They're gone now, though," Kira said, starting to realize how much Ernie was putting together. "No one has seen them for a while, not since they took down Mesogog."

"He was the Dino Ranger's Rita Repulsa," Tommy added.

"Yeah, I heard," Ernie said. He looked right at Tommy. "Funny, isn't it? You've lived in two cities with Power Rangers."

"Yeah, weird," Tommy said, smiling back at Ernie. "It's a small world."

"Really small," Ernie agreed.

"Come on out and say it, Ernie," Jason cut in, giving Ernie a penetrating look. "You know, don't you?"

"Know what?" Ernie replied calmly.

"You're not going to tell anyone, are you?" Trent asked desperately, far more worried than the older Rangers, who knew Ernie far better.

Ernie grinned at him, weakening when he saw the teens' nervousness. "I've known for over a decade. If I was going to tell anyone, I would have done it back in the 90's."

Conner, Kira, Ethan and Trent all breathed a sigh of relief. Trini glanced around the Juice Bar to make sure they were alone. Satisfied, she asked, "How'd you figure it out?"

"Come on," Ernie said, shaking his head. "Six kids who knew how to fight, always disappearing during monster attacks and wearing red, yellow, black, pink, blue and white on a daily basis?" He looked at them each in turn as he said their colors. "Doesn't take a genius."

"We weren't that indiscreet," Kimberly insisted, then paused. "Were we?"

"We were teenagers," Zack said with a shrug. "Except for Billy, we weren't the wisest of people. Everyone's a complete idiot at seventeen."

"Hey!" Conner, Kira, Ethan and Trent exclaimed indignantly.

"I wonder if anyone else figured it out," Jason muttered worriedly.

"I wouldn't worry too much about your identities," Ernie said kindly. "If anyone had figured it out, they would have said something by now if they'd planned to expose you. And who would believe them, anyway?"

"Could you imagine what people would say if Bulk and Skull claimed they knew who the Power Rangers were?" Kimberly said with a giggle.

"Given the fact that Trini, Zack and I just took a 'Club Bulkmeier Tour of Angel Grove,' I'm not sure," Jason said dryly.

"What was that all about, anyway?" Ernie asked curiously.

"Yeah, Jason," Tommy said, glaring at him. "What's all that about? Speeches? Autographs?"

Jason cringed. "Well…"

Trini, Zack and Jason launched into the story. While Kira, Trent, Conner, Ethan and Ernie seemed amused, Billy, Kimberly and Tommy's expressions ranged from disbelief to uncertainty to horror.

"We don't have a lot of luck with meet-and-greet sessions," Tommy pointed out.

"Like that Rangers Parade you guys put on," Ernie said. "That was really funny."

"That was not a parade!" Trini insisted. "We were towing our zords. They were damaged. I don't know why no one figured that out."

"I think they did, but the town wanted the publicity," Jason said. "God, that was irritating."

"You think it was irritating? You weren't the one thrown to the wolves!" Tommy retorted.

"Yeah," Zack said. "That must have been awful."

Kimberly, Jason, Trini, Zack and Billy attempted to look solemn and apologetic—and then burst out laughing three seconds later. Tommy glared at them all while the rest looked on in confusion.

"What are you guys talking about?" Conner asked eagerly.

"Nothing," Tommy said firmly.

"Yeah," Kimberly piped up. "It was just this little thing where Billy was hallucinating, Trini was trying to kill Zack, Jason became the unofficial spokesman for Kinko's, and Tommy was mobbed by a bunch of fans."

There was a slight pause as everyone reflected on this.

"So… not our finest hour," Zack said.

"I was not hallucinating," Billy insisted.

"Right. Sure, Billy," Tommy said with a sarcastic smile.

"Looking back, it was hysterical, though," Zack continued.

"Spokesman for Kinko's?" Ethan repeated.

"Hallucinating?" Trent asked.

"Mobbed?" Conner pointed at Tommy and laughed.

"It's a story for another time," Tommy said firmly, glowering harder than ever. "A time far, far in the future."

Ernie chuckled. "Well, I suppose it'll have to be. I close soon and I haven't wiped a single table down since you got here—I really need to get to work."

The Rangers looked up, surprised, to see that the sun had already set and the sky was dark enough to see several stars. They'd completely lost track of time during their talk with Ernie.

"Aw, darn," Kimberly muttered. "Well, do you need any help or anything?" she asked Ernie.

"I'll be fine," he said cheerfully, glancing around. The place did seem to be showing signs of neglect—many tables had dirty dishes, used napkins, crumbs and spilled liquids and so on, and the floor needed a good sweeping. Seeing their dubious looks, he added, "No, really, I can handle this. Do it every day. You kids are on vacation—you go have fun, all right? Come back and see me soon, though, okay?"

"We will, Ernie," Jason promised.

After a long good-bye, the ten ex-Rangers left the Youth Center, only to mill about in the parking lot.

"So what are we doing now?" Jason asked.

"I'm up for suggestions," Zack said with a shrug.

"I'm… uh… actually thinking of turning in," Billy said apologetically. "While returning to my previous sleep schedule isn't going to be too difficult, the discrepancies between the gravitational pulls of Earth and Aquitar are quite taxing. I'm rather fatigued. The heaviness takes some getting used to."

"He talks like a cross between Ethan and Hayley," Conner said with a frown.

"All he said was that he's tired because gravity's stronger here," Ethan said, rolling his eyes at Conner. The six older Rangers looked at Ethan in surprise. "What?"

"A new Billy translator!" Zack exclaimed, clapping his hand on Ethan's shoulder. "Thank god."

"It got so confusing when Trini wasn't around," Tommy added, nodding.

"Yeah," Kimberly jumped in. "Once Trini, Zack and Jason left, we all had to actually study to understand him. There was talk of reading the dictionary."

"Rocky actually did that, didn't he?" Billy asked.

"He got through the first half," Tommy replied.

Billy chuckled. "Anyway, I'm sorry. If you guys want to go do something, that's fine—"

"Actually, Conner's snoring kept me up all night," Ethan said sourly. "I'm tired too."

"Ah, come on, the night is young," Conner said cheerfully.

"Easy for you to say! You sleep through anything!" Ethan retorted.

"Yeah. Ethan threw all sorts of stuff at your head in your sleep," Trent said with a laugh.

Tommy pinched the bridge of his nose. "Maybe we should all head back and get some rest," he said. "All the free smoothies have me a bit hyped up, but sleep makes these four relatively quiet, so the sooner they go to bed, the better."

"Fine by me," Jason said. Everyone else muttered their agreement, save a sullen-looking Conner. "Billy, you riding with me?"

Billy nodded and headed for Jason's truck. "It's going to be a tight fit with Trini," Jason said, hitting the remote to unlock the doors. "But I think we'll manage."

"Oh… I'm sleeping over at Kimberly's," Trini said. "Remember?"

Jason stared at her. "Honey, you're married and pushing thirty. You don't have sleepovers."

"That was before her best friend rolled into town," Kimberly said, sticking out her tongue playfully.

"I told you about this, didn't I?" Trini said, frowning. "I already put my overnight bag in her car at the park. Billy, you remember, don't you?"

"You told Billy, and not me?" Jason said, looking like he was a step away from pouting.

"I told her I didn't mind," Billy spoke up. "Because I knew I was going to be exhausted upon returning to Earth."

"So you're just going to abandon your husband—" Jason began.

"Jason!" Trini interrupted, exasperated. "I'm staying the night with Kim, not moving to Africa!"

As they continued to have an entertaining, not-too-serious fight, Kimberly turned to Tommy. He swallowed, wondering what she was going to say; they hadn't actually spoken directly since the initial "hey." It wasn't that they were avoiding each other; they just hadn't been thrown into a conversation together. Tommy wasn't sure how he felt about that, and he was even less sure if Kimberly was glad or unhappy about it.

"Um… listen," Kimberly said uncertainly, "while we were at the picnic, Trini and I were talking to Kira, and Kira mentioned that you guys were all stuck in one room because of the lack of available rooms. I told her I'd ask if you'd let her share my hotel room so she's not cooped up with a bunch of guys."

"You don't have to do that," Tommy said, trying not to sound automatic. In truth, he wasn't sure if he liked that or not. It would be nice to have one less person in the room, and he knew it was probably driving Kira crazy to be around the four of them; while the guys were her friends, they were still guys, and Tommy knew it wasn't easy to hang around friends who were all of the opposite sex, let alone be stuck staying with them for a week. However, he was leery of letting Kira stay with Kimberly. While he knew Kimberly was responsible—at least, she had been in the old days—he was a touch worried about something going wrong and having to explain to Kira's mother that he'd let Kira stay with some strange woman. He was even more worried about just what Kimberly, Trini, and Kira would talk about behind closed doors; there were some things he simply didn't want his former students knowing, and a lot of it was stuff he especially didn't want them learning through Kimberly.

"I want to," she said. "She'll be fine. I assume your room's near mine, isn't it?" He nodded. "Then I'll run screaming down the hall if something bad happens, kay? We'll be fine. It's not good for a girl to spend so much time around too much testosterone."

"Please, Dr. O?" Kira begged, looking utterly pitiful. Just behind her, Ethan and Conner started yelling.

"I can't help it if geeks need their beauty sleep!"

"You can help having a rhinoceros stuck up your nose, can't you? Surely there's an operation to fix that. When you first started snoring, I thought you were dying!"

Trent winced and slung his arm around Kira's shoulders. "Much as I envy her opportunity, Dr. O, I gotta back her up."

"Why can't I?" Kira added. "It's no big deal. It's an old friend of yours, not some random bag lady off the street!"

Tommy held up his hands in surrender. "Okay, okay, spare me the long persuasive argument. You can go. But be careful, okay? Don't break anything. Don't get lost. And DON'T leave the hotel without me knowing. And—"

"She'll be fine, Mr. Responsible," Kimberly cut in. "She's not a toddler. She's almost a legal adult."

"But Tri-ni!" Jason wailed, now fully pouting.

"Unlike some people," Kimberly added wryly. Tommy laughed.

"Tommy!" Zack called. "Kimberly! We're tied two to two—who do you think is right here, Trini or Jason?"

"Trini is an independent entity," Billy pointed out.

"Trini's my wife," Jason whined. "We haven't spent a night apart since we moved in together."

"God," Kimberly teased, "that must drive you insane, Trini."

"Jason does have a point," Zack said. "What do you think, Kim?"

"Girls gotta stick together," Kimberly replied. "Sorry, Jase."

Jason glared at her and turned to Tommy. "Tommy, what—"

Tommy held up his hands again. "Whoa! Wrong guy, Jason."

"But you're my best friend," Jason insisted.

"And I'm not married and never have been and therefore can't make an informed opinion. So sorry, I'm staying out of it."

"You been hanging around Billy?" Zack asked. "That was a bit wordy for you."

"Ha! I win!" Trini gloated before Tommy could reply. "Three-two!"

"Hey, no fair! You can't add in your best friend to the vote if I can't!"

"Yes I can! I can't help it if your best friend is chicken!"

"Hey!" Tommy exclaimed indignantly. "I am not!"

"Are too," Jason said.

"I am n—"

"THAT'S IT!"

Tommy turned just in time to see Conner and Ethan, who were continuing their own fight, lunge at each other. Before long, Conner had Ethan in a headlock and was yelping repeatedly as Ethan stomped on his foot.

"HEY! Break it up!" Tommy yelled, seizing Conner by the back of his shirt and yanking him away from Ethan, hard enough that Conner's feet left the ground momentarily.

Kira leaped between the two boys as Ethan started after Conner. "Come on, guys! Cut the drama! Didn't we have enough of that yesterday?"

"He started it!" both boys yelled simultaneously.

"Yes, we're all three years old today," Tommy said, rolling his eyes and looking pointedly at Jason.

"She started it," Jason said with a wry grin, pointing at Trini.

"Jason, it's late," Kimberly said, shaking her head. "Trini's sleeping over. Get over it. She'll come back tomorrow."

"Supposedly," Trini muttered, but she smiled.

"All right," Jason said reluctantly. "Let's head out, eh, Billy?"

The two of them said their goodbyes and left. Zack turned to Tommy.

"You know, I couldn't help overhearing… if you need more room, you're welcome to stay with me. I've got plenty of space in my room, and we're in the same hotel."

"Okay," Tommy said instantly. "I mean… well, I should probably stay and chaperone…"

"Come on, Dr. O!" Conner said, seeing opportunity and jumping in. "You were going to get your own room, remember? How is this any different?"

"Yeah, and we'll be fine," Ethan said quickly.

"I'll keep the two of them from killing each other," Trent chimed in.

Tommy snorted. "Good luck with that," he said, but he sighed and added, "All right. But don't—"

"Break anything," the four teenagers interrupted simultaneously.

"Yes, and—"

"Stay out of trouble," they cut in again.

"We know the speech, Dr. O," Trent said. "We'll be fine."

Tommy raised his eyebrows but shrugged. "All right, fine."

Conner, Ethan and Trent raised their fists in celebration. "YES!" Conner shouted. "No more Dr. O!"

"Thanks," Tommy laughed.

"Freedom from adult supervision! We can do anything we want!"

"Conner," Ethan said warningly as Tommy's face darkened, "you're not helping."