Back in Time
Chapter 31
In the Dino Lab, an alarm sounded, making Hayley look at the monitor in front of her. "Energy spike just outside of town!"
"Pull it up!" Tommy said, making them all look at the screen as Hayley pressed a few buttons, an image of a clearing in the woods appearing.
"I don't see anything." Trent said. Before anyone could respond, they watched a black and green invisiportal open up and two figures shot out, both landing on their sides and rolling to a stop with their momentum.
"It's Kira and Kim!" Conner said as he recognised the two women that had both pushed themselves up as they looked around. Tommy breathed a sigh of relief as he looked at them, noticing that neither seemed to be too injured.
"Hayley, can you send Kira's bike to them?" He asked. Hayley started to type the commands, before another invisiportal opened and Tyrannodrones jumped out, followed by something that made all of the DinoThunder Rangers freeze.
"What the hell is that?" Adam asked, taking in the creature.
"Mesagog." Tommy breathed, watching the two women jump to their feet and slip into fighting stances.
"What is he doing? He never comes through a portal himself!" Trent said, his eyes wide as he ran a hand through his hair. They all gasped as the Tyrannodrones started to attack Kira and Kim, both women seemed to hold their own, but Conner wasn't going to take any chances.
"Let's go!" He ordered, making the 4 run towards their bikes and ATVs, not bothering to morph.
"We're coming too." Jason said, making them freeze as they were about to turn their engines on.
"No way." Tommy said, only to get a glare from Trini.
"We still know how to fight. We can keep the Tyrannodrones busy while you guys take Mesagog." She snapped. Conner and Tommy shared a look, and Conner sighed.
"Fine. But you leave Mesagog to us!" He said, making them all nod. "Trini, you take Kira's bike. The rest of you, hop on." Trini jumped on the yellow bike as Jason joined Conner on his bike, Zach with Ethan, and Adam with Trent while Billy stayed with Hayley.
"Hold on." Tommy said, making Zach laugh slightly as they raced out of the lab and through the tunnels until the came out in the forest, following Conner's GPS to where Kira and Kim were.
"This isn't working!" Kim called as she cartwheeled over a Tyrannodrone and kicked it from behind, only to be hit from the side by another one.
"Kim! Warning!" Kira called, making Kim frown before her eyes widened and she put her hands over her ears, ducking as Kira unleashed her Ptera scream again. They regrouped and slipped into their fighting stances again, Kira coughing slightly as Mesagog got back up.
"You're going to regret that, Ranger!" He hissed, his eyes glowing slightly in his anger. He was about to attack them himself when he was suddenly hit by red, blue, white and black beams, knocking him off his feet again. Kira and Kim spun around and sighed in relief as they saw the rangers stop the bikes and ATVs just behind them, jumping off to join the two women.
"Leave them alone, Mesagog!" Tommy said. Kira couldn't help but notice that he chose to stand between her and Kim, making her frown slightly.
"Tommy! I see you're not the only one trying to be a teenager again." He hissed, looking at the former Rangers in the group. "You really think you can defeat me with no powers?"
"We may not be able to morph anymore, but we're still Rangers!" Jason snapped, a slight smirk on his face. "And we all still know how to fight!"
"This isn't over." Mesagog hissed before a portal opened up, taking him and the Tyrannodrones back to the Island.
"Thank God for that." Kim mumbled. Tommy smiled, only to frown as Kira started sinking to the ground.
"Kira!" He exclaimed as he grabbed her and helped hold her up. "Are you alright?"
"Overdid it on the scream." She said in a croaky voice, putting a hand to her ribs as she moved wrong. "Damn Kim, you know how to kick." Kim winced slightly at the reminder of the two times she kicked the younger girl in her ribs, which had already been bruised.
"I'm so sorry!" She said, making Kira wave her hand absently.
"Not your fault." She rasped, a slight smirk.
"You alright to ride?" Tommy asked, looking at her bike with a slight frown.
"I think so." She said as they reached the bikes. She climbed on her bike and got comfortable with a slight smile. "Let's go." Trini climbed on behind her and Kira frowned as she saw Kim get on Tommy's ATV and wrap her arms around his waist. She sighed before turning the engine on and following the others back to the lab, gritting her teeth as the pain in her ribs increased. As much pain as she was in, she was extremely aware of the former Ranger behind her and knew she had to try to ignore the pain.
They pulled into the lab and Trini climbed off Kira's bike, frowning when the Yellow Ranger didn't get off as well. "Kira?" Kira just shook her head and slumped over slightly, one hand clutching her ribs. "Kira, what's wrong?"
"Ribs." She rasped, her throat still sore from overdoing her scream.
"Tommy!" Trini called, making Tommy look over from where he was helping Kim off his ATV. He saw Kira slumped over and ran over, putting a hand on her cheek and bending down to see the pained expression on her face.
"Kira? What's wrong?" He asked, only getting a pained groan in response.
"She said it's her ribs." Trini said with a frown. He nodded and stood up. He carefully picked Kira up, making sure the stand on her bike was down, and carried her to the bed, laying her down as Hayley grabbed the scanner.
"Nothing broken." She said, putting the scanner away and handing Kira some painkillers. "These should help."
"Thanks." She replied, taking the pills.
"You need to be careful." Tommy said, running a hand through her hair. "If you keep getting hit in the ribs, they might break again."
"Well, tell everyone that tries to attack me to aim somewhere else!" She snapped, her eyes softening slightly as she saw him wince. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean it like that."
"I know." He replied, kissing her head. "I'm just worried about you."
"I know." She replied. She reached into her pocket and carefully took out the necklace she pulled from Kim. "Here. This is what made Kim evil." Tommy took it from her, being careful to only touch the string and not the rock. "I think it's a fragment of that meteor we came across a while ago."
"We thought the same thing." He said, placing the rock on a table and moving away from it, worried about what might happen if he touched it. "Well done for saving Kim. I can't imagine it was easy to fight her."
"Yeah. Sorry I didn't give you the chance to save us." She replied with a slightly sharp tone. Tommy frowned before looking around the lab, noticing that everyone had gone upstairs and left them alone.
"What does that mean?" He asked, looking back at her and noticing that she was looking down at her lap.
"How many times did you save Kim?" She asked, making his frown deepen. "Or Kat."
"I don't know, a few for each of them." He said, making her sigh. "What is this about?"
"I can't play the damsel in distress like them." She said, feeling tears in her eyes. "Your two serious relationships both let you play the knight in shining armour, but I can't do that. I'm not like that."
"Good." He said, making her look up in shock. He felt his heart break at the sight of tears in her eyes and put a hand on her cheek. "Kira, I don't want you to be like them. To start with, Pink wouldn't suit you." She laughed slightly, making him smile. "Kira, you are strong, determined and down right terrifying when you want to be. But that is what I love about you. I don't want you to be like them. I want you to be you. I love you." Kira looked up at him with wide eyes as she registered what he said.
"You've never said that to me before." She murmured, making him smile as he rested his forehead against hers. "I love you too." They kissed and Kira smiled at him as they pulled away. "I'm sorry for being emotional."
"Never apologise for that." He replied, running a hand through her hair.
Xxx
Later that evening, the original Rangers were all sat in Tommy's living room with the DinoThunder Rangers, all of them relaxing.
"Man, seeing you two together is just weird." Conner said, looking at Kira and Tommy where they sat on the floor, Tommy leaning against the wall and Kira leaning against Tommy.
"Well, get used to it." Tommy said with a smirk, making Kira laugh.
"I have to say, minus the whole monster attacking everyday thing, you look happy, mate." Jason said with a smile.
"Yeah, it's nice to see you like this." Trini said with a smile. She shared a look with Jason before turning back to Tommy. "So, we've been talking and we think it's time we all went home."
"What? Why?" Ethan asked, making Zach smirk.
"We have our own lives to get back to. There's only so long I can leave Ernie to run the youth centre on his own." He said before looking at Kira with a smile. "You were right, by the way. He did know we were Rangers."
"I knew it." Kira muttered, making them laugh.
"Besides, Tommy was right about one thing in the past." Kim said with a sad smile. "It's dangerous to be around Rangers. And I for one do not want to be kidnapped again!"
"I guess you're right." Tommy said, frowning slightly. "Although, you did get kidnapped a lot when you were a Ranger too, so it shouldn't be anything new to you." He had to duck as Kim threw a cushion at him, the others in the room laughing.
"Hey, we're still going to stay in contact." Trini said with a smile. "And if you even think about cutting us off again, Conner will be able to explain why you don't get on my bad side." Kim and Kira looked at Conner with frowns as the others laughed at the slight look of horror on the Red Ranger's face.
"Am I missing something?" Kira asked as she looked at Conner.
"Doesn't matter." He mumbled, scared of what Kira might do if she was told what he had said.
"I'll tell you later." Tommy said with a smile, laughing at Conner's glare. "And don't worry, Trini. I have no intentions of cutting off contact again."
"Hey, I'm sorry again for everything today." Kim said, smiling slightly as she looked at Kira. "And I'm sorry about the ribs."
"You didn't break anything, and stop apologising!" Kira said with a smile. "Just promise me that you'll aim somewhere else next time."
"Deal." She replied with a laugh.
"Oh, and I'm sorry about what I said in Mesagog's lair." Kira added, wincing slightly as the others gave her a confused look. "I knew I needed to get the necklace, and you got sloppy when you were angry. I didn't mean what I said, I just said it to get a reaction." Kim watched her for a moment before she stood up and moved to sit next to Kira, wrapping an arm around her shoulders and giving her a hug.
"I know you didn't mean it." She muttered, pulling away and giving her a smile. "I never was able to control my temper in a fight. I'm just glad you used that to break me out of it! I never want to be evil again."
"Amen to that!" Conner muttered, only to be hit on the head by Trini.
"How about once you've sorted your monster out, you guys come to Angel Grove and we have a proper reunion?" Zach suggested as they all stood up. "We can invite Rocky and the others."
"Will there be food?" Conner asked, making them all laugh.
"You're definitely going to get on with Rocky." Adam said with a laugh. "Kira, I'll call you when I hear something about your case."
"Thanks so much Adam." She replied, giving him a hug.
"You just look after yourself." He replied as they separated. "Make sure you look after Tommy. And try to make sure he's not always late."
"I'm not a miracle worker." She laughed.
"Hey!" Tommy protested, making them all laugh. "Thanks for coming guys. It was really good to see you." They all walked out onto the porch and Tommy followed them to Jason and Adam's cars while the DinoThunder Rangers waited on the porch.
"It was good to see you, Tommy." Jason said, smiling as everyone else got into the cars. "I'm sorry about how we left things after the hospital."
"I'd say we're both to blame about that." He replied. "I'm glad we're friends again. And as soon as the whole issue with Mesagog is over, we'll be able to catch up more."
"I am holding you to that." He replied, looking over at the Rangers on the porch. "You've got a good team there. Look after them."
"You know I will." Tommy said, looking at his team with a small smile. "They're a good bunch. I just hope that they don't lose everything after this."
"They've got each other, and they'll always have that." Jason replied, a small smile on his face. "And hey, I'm really happy for you and Kira. Look after her. She's good for you."
"Thanks bud." He replied with a smile. They hugged and Tommy went back to his team to watch them drive away, wrapping his arm around Kira's shoulders. They all watched the cars disappear behind a tree before Tommy looked at them all with a smile.
"So, you guys want to order a pizza before you go home?" He asked, making Conner smile.
"Yes!" He cried before going inside, Ethan and Trent following him. Kira looked up at Tommy with a smile.
"You alright?" She asked, making him smile as he pulled her into a hug.
"I'm more than alright." He said, leaning down to kiss her. "Now come on, let's go and choose a pizza before Conner orders."
They spent the rest of the evening eating pizza and relaxing. Conner looked at where Kira and Tommy were sat on the sofa and smiled. As much as seeing them together made him cringe, he could see that they were happy together and that was all he needed to be happy for them.
"Hey Dr O, have you written the exam for this week yet?" Ethan asked, making the other 3 groan at the reminder of exams as Tommy laughed.
"Yes. And don't even try to hack my computer to find it. I saved it on Hayley's computer." He said, laughing at the frown on Ethan's face. He knew that the blue ranger wouldn't dare hack into Hayley's computer.
"At least tell me you went easy on us?" Trent asked, making Tommy smirk.
"I'm not saying anything." He replied. He looked at the time before smirking. "Anyway, you three should get going before your parents wonder where you are."
"See you tomorrow!" They called as they left. Kira and Tommy started cleaning up the mess, Kira laughing as she kept throwing things at Tommy.
"Will you stop?" He asked with a laugh as she threw a slice of pizza to him. He froze when he felt it hit his chest, making him look down to see the red mark it had left on the white shirt he wore under the black button up he had put over the top but left open. He looked up and saw the shock on Kira's face, the younger girl obviously having been expecting him to catch it. "Really?"
"I'm so sorry!" She said, a slight laugh in her voice as she put a hand over her mouth.
"Oh, you will be." He muttered, walking towards her with his arms open. "Want a hug?"
"Tommy! No!" She cried as she darted away from him, barely staying out of his way as he tried to grab her. "Tommy!" She cried as he finally grabbed her waist and pulled her close, making sure to get the sauce on her top as well before he moved away.
"Well, looks like we're both a mess now." He said with a smirk as she glared at him. He laughed as he walked away, taking his two tops off and chucking them in the washing machine as he went. He turned and saw Kira staring at him with wide eyes. "Everything alright?" He asked with a teasing tone in his voice.
Kira bit her lip as she looked at his bare torso, his toned muscles accentuated by a few tattoos on his arms. "Yep. Fine." She muttered, looked up to see the glint in his eyes, making her realise how much he was enjoying teasing her. She smirked slightly, which made Tommy worry as he noticed the sparkle in her eyes. "But I guess you have the right idea. Better get these washed before they stain." She said, pulling her yellow top off in a flourish, leaving her in her yellow and black bra. Tommy watched her with wide eyes as she walked past him and threw her top in the machine, his eyes never leaving the tanned skin of her torso. She turned at saw him watching her and smiled.
"Kira, what are you doing?" He asked, his voice low and his eyes meeting hers.
"Oh Brachio, two can play at your game." She said in a playful tone, laughing as he swept her up into his arms and kissed her.
"You are evil, Ptera." He said as he lent his forehead against hers. Kira let her hands rest on his torso, enjoying the feeling of his muscles rippling under her fingers.
"So, this whole waiting until I graduate thing. You sure you still want to do that?" She asked, making him look at her in shock.
"Are you?" He asked, making her smirk as she pulled out of his embrace. She started walking up the stairs, only to make Tommy's eyes widen further as she took her bra off and dropped it on the stairs, looking at him over her shoulder as she kept her back to him.
"Does that answer your question?" She asked. Tommy stood still for a moment before running up the stairs two at a time, pulling her into his arms and carrying her the rest of the way to the bedroom as she laughed.