Chapter Ninety-three
The Sound of Dischordia
"Hey guys," Conner called cheerfully, practically bouncing down the stairs. "Where's Zack?"
"He went to get Trini," Ethan said.
Conner frowned, then brightened. "Well, I'm sure he won't succeed. They blocked the door with something, so—gah!"
Something slammed into Conner from behind, knocking him into the wall. He turned to see Trini run past him, wearing a baggy red T-shirt and looking frantic. "Kim? Kimberly, can you hear me?" Trini shouted.
"On the other hand, that Zack's a bright guy," Conner said, wincing.
"Damned straight," Zack said, coming down the stairs with a thoroughly disgruntled Jason.
"TRINI!" Kimberly and Tommy bellowed in perfect unison.
"If I ever find out you had anything to do with this, I swear—" Tommy began threateningly.
"Trini, get us out!"
"Working on it." Trini turned and looked at Conner. "Where's the key?"
Conner raised his head defiantly. "It's in a safe place."
"Don't you have a spare?" Kira asked.
"Of course not. I don't want copies of the key to this door floating around everywhere! Conner, we need that key."
"Well, you're not getting it." Conner crossed his arms over his chest.
Trini sighed. "Everyone start searching. There are only so many places he could have—"
"No, no," Jason interrupted, holding up a hand to stop the others as they headed for the stairs. "I'll handle this."
With that, Jason strode over to Conner and seized the front of his shirt. The next thing Conner knew he was dangling two feet off the ground and his back was slamming into the wall, hard.
"Conner," Jason said pleasantly, "where is the key?"
Conner stared down at him, numb. Conner had fought monsters, had risked his life, had nearly lost his friends in battle… but nothing had ever filled him with half as much terror as he felt in this moment. The moment when the Red Ranger looked Conner in the eye and made it incredibly clear that he had three seconds left to live and only one chance for salvation.
"I hid it in the dog's dish."
The words were out of his mouth before he could consider his options. Jason smiled at him and lowered him gently to his feet. "Thanks, bro," Jason said cheerfully. He looked at Zack, who nodded and rushed back up the stairs, but Conner was no longer paying attention, the word "bro" ringing in Conner's ears. The first Red Ranger had called Conner "Bro!"
"Way to stick to your guns," Ethan said sulkily.
"You have got to teach me how to do that," Kira half-whispered, staring at Jason in awe. "Think of the power…"
"Sorry. It's a unique talent," Jason said dryly. "Now. Once Zack gets back with the key, we'll let Tommy and Kimberly out and you can all go back to the hotel. Billy, can I ask you a favor?"
"Anything," Billy said solemnly, still full of guilt for allowing Conner to trick him into locking up Tommy and Kimberly.
"Keep an eye on Conner for a few hours for me? I honestly don't think I can keep from strangling the next person who causes an interruption, you understand…"
Billy blushed, but he nodded. "Sure."
They waited for a few moments, the only sound the occasional thud or muttered curse from the Secret Chamber. Jason tapped his foot impatiently.
"You know," Conner ventured, "if we let them out now, it'll all be for nothing."
Trini rolled her eyes and looked at Jason, who clapped Conner on the shoulder. "Trust me, Conner—we don't get them out of there soon, it'll do far more damage than good. I know you had his best interests in mind, but you can't force Tommy to do what he doesn't want to do. You have to point him in a direction and let him charge blindly into it on his own."
"Kim, too," Trini said.
Jason nodded. "See, Conner, in theory, this wasn't a totally horrible plan. They do need to sort things out and sometimes it seems like they need to be forced to do it, but they can't be forced."
"If it was this easy, we would have locked them in a closet many years ago," Billy added dryly.
"Good point," Trent said thoughtfully.
"It's one thing to lock them in a store or a trunk—they know we're letting them out eventually," Jason continued. "So in the trunk, they relaxed, chatted, waited it out."
"Notice in Spencer's, however, that their focus almost immediately shifted to escaping. They were working together, yes, but the overall intention wasn't realized," Trini said. "It got the nostalgia flowing, forced them to work as a team, but they escaped too quickly and came out of it in exactly the same place they were when they went in. There's no way that will happen here; not when they're currently furious at each other."
Jason nodded. "Before we locked them in the trunk, they were both fine with each other. Before we locked them in Spencer's, Tommy was determined to get on her good side and Kimberly was too drained to be really angry."
"But if we just release them..." Conner began insistently.
"Trust me—we want to release them," Jason interrupted. "We don't want them to escape on their own."
"Why not?" Conner asked, slowly digesting this new information.
"Because if we don't redeem ourselves by freeing them, we're all in very deep shit," Jason replied mildly.
"Um, guys?" Zack had reappeared, and he looked badly shaken as he came slowly down the steps.
"Yes?" Jason asked impatiently.
"There's… a problem." Zack swallowed.
"Good grief, what now?" Trini asked, putting a hand over her eyes.
"The key… isn't there."
Jason whipped around to glare at Conner. "You lied to me?"
Conner shook his head frantically, backpedaling. "No, no! I put it in the dish and put some food on top of it to hide it…"
"And that's the problem," Zack said heavily. "Guys… the key isn't there. Neither is the food."
Everyone stared at Zack. Realization dawned on Ethan, Billy and Trini's faces first. "What? What?" Kira asked. "If it's not in the dog food, where…?"
"It's in the dog," Zack explained.
Jason's face paled. "Run that by me again?"
Zack cleared his throat. "When I got to the kitchen… the dog was finishing off the food. And there was no key."
There was a long, ugly silence while the eight ex-Rangers came to terms with this new development. Then they heard Tommy's voice from inside the Chamber. "Guys? What's going on? Did you find the key? Hurry up; Kim won't tell me how to find the safety latch and—"
"There's been a problem," Trini called in a strangled tone. "A big problem."
"Kim, I'm so sorry," Kira whimpered.
"What? What? What's going on?" Kimberly demanded.
"Conner… took the key," Trent explained reluctantly. "And apparently he… he…"
"Yeah?" Tommy asked impatiently.
"He fed it to Tommy," Zack finished.
"What do you mean, he fed it to Tommy?" Kimberly asked, confused.
"Not Tommy, Tommy. The dog, Tommy," Zack clarified. "The dog ate the key."
There was a pause. Then Kimberly angrily shouted, "Ha, ha! Very funny, Zack. Now let us out."
"I'm not kidding," Zack insisted. "The dog ate the key."
They waited in silence for Tommy and Kimberly to digest this news. Then Tommy shouted, "Yeah, right!" so loudly that everyone jumped.
"It's true—" Zack began, but Tommy interrupted.
"The dog ate the key? The only key? Well, isn't that convenient. Come on, people; I'm a teacher here! That excuse doesn't work for homework and it's not working now! Open the freaking door!"
"It's not an excuse!" Trini yelled. "Do you honestly think we couldn't come up with something better than that?"
"Apparently not, if your best plan to get me and Kimberly back together is to lock us in a closet! I thought we had an understanding, Trini! I thought you were going to help me!"
"I am, but—"
"Oh, now you're conspiring against me, Trini?" Kimberly demanded.
"Of course not!"
"Hey!" Tommy yelled. "Whose side are you on?"
"I'm on both of your sides!"
"Yeah, right!" Tommy shouted. "First you tell me you'll help me get Kim back, and the next thing I know I'm locked in here and Kimberly's screaming incoherently at me, and now she's locked in here too and the dog ate the key?"
"This was all Conner's doing! I would never lock you two in a room full of priceless research!"
"Oh, sure, blame it on Conner! You better let us out of here, now, or else!"
"I told you, we can't!"
"Wait, wait, wait," Ethan interrupted. "Dr. O finally admitted that he wanted Kimberly back? And he asked Trini to help him do it?"
"Oh, yeah," Conner said vaguely. "Right before Billy and I cuffed him and threw him in the closet."
"You idiot!" Kira yelled. "He was finally working it out on his own and now he's trapped in there and the key's in the dog!"
"Oh, come on," Conner said, waving a hand dismissively. "Dr. O's been back and forth about it all week. Just because he's in a positive mood doesn't mean he'll actually do anything about it. 'Yes, I want Kim, let me glare at Conner with glowing green eyes because he called her hot.' 'No, I don't want Kim, we're just friends.' 'Yes, I want Kim, would you all mind getting banned from the carnival so we can make out?' 'No, I don't want Kim, we're just friends.' 'Yes, I want Kim—'"
"Excuse me!" Kimberly yelled furiously. "I don't know where you people get off, thinking that it's up to you and Tommy who I date! I am very happily single, and I'm going to stay that way until I decide otherwise, and no amount time spent locked in a closet is going to change that! So let me out!"
"You see?" Conner said triumphantly. "Even if he gets his head on straight, she's still all 'Want Dr. O, don't want Dr. O, want Dr. O, don't want Dr. O.' I'm helping them both."
"No you're not! You're locking them in a closet!" Kira shouted.
"Exactly!"
"Oh, don't try to play dumb, any of you!" Tommy roared. "You're all in on it, I know you are! I—ooh, hey, found the safety latch. About freaking time." There was a pause, then a thud as he tossed his handcuffs to the side. "Now… where was I?"
"You were ranting like an idiot," Kimberly supplied.
"Oh, thanks. I—hey!"
"Well, you were!"
"I am not ranting like an idiot! Don't tell me you believe this crap about it being Conner's plan!"
"Oh, that's right—I'm not supposed to have an opinion. I'm just the girl Tommy can choose to date or not to date at his leisure!"
"That's right!"
"Oh, forget you!"
"Look, don't worry, guys," Trini called urgently, anxious to stop their bickering. "We'll figure something out. Just give us a little time."
"Don't give me that!" Tommy bellowed. "You did this! All of you! You're always pulling this sort of nonsense! What do you want, huh? Do you want us to kiss and make up? Is that what you want? Will that get us out of here? Fine!"
The sound of a scuffle came from inside the Chamber. Kimberly yelped. And then there was silence.
"No way," Zack breathed, eyes wide.
"I told you!" Ethan exclaimed happily, punching Trent in the arm.
"I don't believe it," Trent said, shaking his head.
"Oh, my god," Kira whispered.
"This turn of events is highly perplexing," Billy commented, frowning.
"Finally!" Trini sighed.
"About freaking time," Jason muttered.
Conner thrust his fists in the air. "It's working! I am a genius!"
Kimberly was even less sure how this had happened. One minute she was ignoring Tommy's ranting, leaning on the table, searching idly for any means of escape, and the next Tommy was lunging for her. She leaped off the table, dodging to the side on instinct, and now they were both dimly lit by the blue glow of the Aqua-phone. Kimberly glowered at him, not sure what he was playing at. Tommy's eyes narrowed in determination and he dove at her again, seizing her wrist in one hand.
"What—HEY!" Kimberly yelped. She concentrated on an attempt to free her arm, and the move cost her dearly. Not only did she fail to pull her wrist from his grasp, but Tommy used her distraction to grab her other arm and pin her to the wall.
She couldn't see his face anymore, just the vague silhouette of his head in the ethereal light. She struggled vainly against his hold, still unclear on his motives, and then his head tilted to the side just a bit. Something about the move sent a wave of horror and realization through her being, her entire body going rigid with shock, fear and anger.
She shoved at him roughly, but he held her fast, and even though she couldn't see a single feature on his face she was acutely aware that he was smiling, perhaps even smirking, and she wanted nothing more in that moment than to smack his face. How dare he? Three years of happiness, eight years of nothing, six days of chaos, and now this? No. This was wrong. Wrong, wrong, wrong! He had hurt her, he had blamed her, he had screamed and ranted and threatened to break down her door, he couldn't just do this, this wasn't how it worked…
Attempting another fruitless shove against Tommy's person, Kimberly glared up at him. He couldn't see her face, but it made her feel better about the situation. "You wouldn't dare," she hissed.
Tommy replied only by leaning into her and finding her lips with surprising ease in the darkness.
A jolt went through Kimberly's body, shock and fear and an unbidden sense of relief that startled her almost as much as the present situation had. It hadn't occurred to her just how much she had wanted this until it happened, and she was so busy trying to remember why this was a bad thing that it took a moment for it to sink in. Tommy was kissing her. Tommy was kissing her.
She wanted to fight him. She wanted to get away, from him, from this, from the last eight years and every feeling she'd been fighting so heroically over the past week. She wanted to run, to break down that firmly-locked door and run straight out of the house, out of the city, couldn't do this, shouldn't do this…
Oh, god. Tommy was kissing her.
Finally something in her mind unhooked and Kimberly melted, her struggles abruptly ceasing as she let it happen. Tommy, feeling her relax, shifted and released her wrists, wrapping his arms around her and pulling her closer. It was then she realized that she had expected him to feel the same, but everything felt so different now, a fact that struck her intensely when she slid her hands up his chest to his neck and failed to encounter long strands of hair. But she could work with that, because for all he felt different, he kissed the same. The two wayward thoughts compounded, making her acutely aware of the years and the distance between herself and Tommy now. They used to be so close, and now they were practically two strangers despite their past.
Yet the longer they kissed the more she was reminded that this was Tommy. The same guy who bought her roses and won her carnival prizes and shyly asked her to dances and serenaded her with that horrible voice and forgot everything except their anniversary. He had saved her life, fought by her side, comforted her, asked her stupid questions, kissed her eagerly, and once sobbed half a night away in her arms.
Tears sprang to Kimberly's eyes, much to her horror. She couldn't help it; too many emotions were flooding out and she felt that she would collapse if she dared try to repress them once again. So she let the tears fall, kissing Tommy even harder as the drops fought their way out from behind her closed eyelids and made their way down her cheeks. She pressed herself against him as far as possible, feeling his heart pound, his breath hitch.
Suddenly Tommy pulled back as he felt the wetness of her tears hit his own cheeks. There was a pause, a horrible, still pause that seemed to stretch on endlessly. Kimberly wanted to say something, to reassure him, but she couldn't. She couldn't stop crying, either, couldn't even reach up to brush the tears away. They had a right to fall.
"I've wanted to do that for eight years," Tommy whispered, and his voice was desperate, almost pleading. She could hear him, breathing heavily, swallowing audibly as if trying to clear something hard from his throat.
Kimberly sighed shakily. "I have too."
Nothing had been fixed, and they both knew it. She could feel the tension in his body—he probably wanted to hold her, comfort her, sooth her like he used to. But it wasn't right. That wasn't him, not anymore, not again, not yet.
So the only thing that could be done was done. Tommy leaned in and kissed her again.
The tears stopped suddenly; this wasn't about anything anymore, not the past, not the pain, just the kissing, just Tommy. Memory was run over by passion and nothing mattered but Tommy.
Hands began to wander and now they won't so much holding each other as clinging, Tommy crushing her against his chest. They fell back against the wall and then Tommy was swinging her around and pushing her towards the table. Her thighs hit the ledge and she hopped up until she was sitting on it, praying it held under her weight. Something was jabbing her in the leg; she impatiently yanked it out from underneath her and ignored the sound of it shattering on the floor.
"Hey! What was that?" Trini shouted from outside the closet.
The indignant tone in her voice sent them both into giggles. "Hey, you wanted us to kiss and make up," Tommy called smugly, and he swept another miscellaneous object off the table just for fun, feeling a strong sense of pleasure at the resulting crash.
"No, I wanted you to leave me alone so I could have sex with Jason!" Trini shot back.
"No one's stopping you," Tommy replied calmly, leaning back a bit. Kimberly snickered.
"Good point," Jason said in distinctly hopeful tones.
Tommy stepped away from Kimberly and raised his voice a tad more. "There, we've kissed and made up. Now—"
Whatever Tommy was about to say was lost when Kimberly pulled him back for another kiss.
"What was that?" Zack called. "I didn't catch that last part."
Silence was the only answer from the Secret Chamber. "…Are they kissing again?" Kira asked, wrinkling her nose.
"That, or it's all a clever plot to get them out of the closet," Trent said with a shrug.
"Come on, Trent! It's obvious it worked," Conner said proudly. "I am a genius. They're so naming their firstborn after me."
Zack smirked, pressing his ear against the door. He could hear the occasional moan, but not much else. "Sounds like they're creating your namesake as we speak."
"Guys!" Billy wailed. "My Power Suit is in there!"
"It's working! It's working!" Conner shouted gleefully.
There was another crash from within, followed by a firm, "This doesn't mean I forgive you," from Tommy.
Conner frowned at that. "Well, it's still working."
"This doesn't mean I forgive you, either!" Kimberly retorted.
"…It is still working, right?" Conner asked Zack as Tommy and Kimberly lapsed into silence.
Zack held a finger to his lips, continuing to press his ear against the door. So his eardrum nearly shattered when Tommy bellowed, "Forgive me? Excuse me?"
"What, like it was all my fault?" Kimberly demanded.
"Guys, guys, remember the working!" Conner called desperately.
There was another lengthy pause, long enough for Zack to cautiously press his ear to the door again. He was just giving a thumbs-up to the others when Kimberly shrieked, "HEY! Give that back!" forcing him to dive away from the door, cringing as he clutched his wounded ear.
"No! It's mine!"
"GIVE THAT BACK!"
"No! You didn't honestly think I was kidding when I said I'd get it back one day, did you?"
Kira backed away from the closet in disgust. "Did he just… are they talking about the shirt?"
"Well, at least clothes are coming off, right?" Conner said hopefully.
"That's why you kissed me?" Kimberly yelled, obviously outraged. "To get your stupid shirt back?"
"No, that was just a bonus. But never mind the shirt," Tommy added hastily. "We were kissing and making up, remember?"
"Forget that! You stole my shirt!"
"Excuse me, this is my shirt!"
"I would have given it back!"
"When, huh? You've had it for two days!"
"When I'm not wearing it!"
"I was taking your shirt off anyway!"
"That's not the point! Give it back!"
"No! Look, can't we just ignore the stupid shirt and—"
"No! Give it back!"
"That's counterproductive!"
"Not anymore, it isn't!"
"Kimberly—"
"No! Get away from me. First you act like everything that happened was my fault, you scream at me like a psychopath, then you make out with me and steal my shirt and now you expect me to just… just… go to hell, Tommy!"
"You know what? That's fine. If you're going to pitch a fit about a stupid shirt—"
"It's not about the shirt! You tell me you blame me for what happened, you tell me it doesn't matter who's to blame, then you go off on me when I try to tell you that yeah, I blame you, I blame both of us! You won't let me explain, you practically break down my door, and then—I'm sick of your bizarre little games! One minute you don't want anything to do with me, the next you're trying to seduce me! I was just fine without you, Tommy! I was just fine!"
"So was I!" Tommy roared. "I don't need this, I don't need any of it! And why the hell is it my responsibility to make everything right, huh? Why am I always the one who has to make that step? You never tried either, and maybe I haven't been handling it all that well, but at least I tried!"
"Well you FAILED!"
There was a sudden, oppressive silence. Kimberly couldn't have wounded him worse if she'd tried, and she knew it. Outside the Chamber, Jason, Trini, Zack and Billy exchanged grim glances, and the Dino Ranger looked from one to the next in askance, not fully understanding the power of that word but realizing that something had just gone terribly, terribly wrong.
"Guys?" Tommy called, and his voice was serious, strained. "Let us out. Now."
The four older Rangers looked at each other hopelessly. If they had had possession of the key, they would have complied. Unfortunately…
"Tommy, we're serious," Zack said. "The key's in the dog."
Tommy was quiet a moment. "Get it back," he replied finally. "Get it back, and now."
Conner sagged in defeat. "It's not working anymore," he said wretchedly.
Ethan clapped him on the shoulder. "Hey, it was worth a shot," he said consolingly. "And hey, at least they're talking now. It's all out in the open. And…" Ethan floundered for something to say. "Things aren't that bad…"
"Oh?" Jason asked, arching an eyebrow at him. "Kimberly and Tommy are at each other's throats. We'll be lucky if they ever speak to each other again. Meanwhile, they're trapped in a nearly-impenetrable room and the only key is inside my dog."
Ethan cringed. "Um… we've had worse?"
"We all have," Billy muttered, already thinking hard to come up with a solution. "That doesn't mean this won't be difficult."
"Let's just hope it isn't impossible," Jason said grimly. "All right, guys. Any ideas?"
End Notes: Congratulations to Crimson Angel Winges, our three thousandth reviewer!
And a huge thank you to everyone who reviewed or otherwise praised this story, giving us motivation to continue our work. After three years and ninety-three chapters and tons of injury reports from excessive laughing and still, somehow, finding ourselves with over one day left to go before Power Rangers Day, it's incredible to us that this fic has become so well-received. I think it's safe to say we're officially the most-reviewed fic on this site in this fandom—a fact that never ceases to amaze us—and we're beyond grateful for the support of this cracked-out monstrosity of a fanfic.
Now, here we are, in the middle of Thursday night, with Tommy and Kimberly trapped in a closet, a key trapped inside a dog, and absolutely nothing resolved, so there's only one thing left to say.
OLaB Forever!