Don't Run Away III: Danger Unleashed
By SparklyTree3876
Rating: PG-13/R
Genre: Romance/Adventure
Pairings: Tommy/Kim, Jason/Trini, Rocky/Aisha, and Billy/Kat
Author's Notes: Hi, readers. I would like to present a new Mighty Morphin Power Rangers fanfic in nthe form of a second sequel to "Don't Run Away." It is AU set a week after the previous fic and shows Rita continuing her crusade to destroy the Power Rangers and their allies with things taking an unexpected turn when Scorpina begins to experience mysteries dreams and visions as Tommy and Kim settle into married life. I did not intend to start this sequel so soon after the first one, but I got hit with inspiration and decided to get started. It will contain elements from a number of Mighty Morphin Power Rangers episodes and possibly "Green With Evil." I will warn everyone ahead of time that this fic will contain sexual content. Some of it may be intense. If you're uncomfortable with that, then I suggest you don't read it when the chapters containing it are posted. Otherwise, you may read at your own risk. I hope you enjoy this fic. Constructive criticism is welcome.
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Chapter 1: A Little Ways Away
Clouds covered half the early morning sky above the Oliver residence in late November. A northern mockingbird sat on the sink windowsill. It ran its beak through its wing feathers. It did the same to its chest and back feathers. It proceeded to chirp a beautiful melody. Another mockingbird flew in and landed next to it. It joined in on the chirping.
A week had passed since Tommy and Kim married and had their honeymoon at his uncle John's cabin. They made love multiple times the morning after the wedding before heading back to his house. They couldn't resist doing it twice on his bed. They agreed to keep their wedding rings hidden underneath stuff in their desk drawers. They parted tearfully, but it wasn't before sharing a passionate kiss. They met in secret at the lake twice and in the dreamscape once during the week.
The mockingbirds looked inside to see Kerri pouring coffee into a mug. She filled it to nearly full before putting the kettle back in the coffeemaker. She took a sip and nodded in approval. She moved her head from side to side, stretching her neck. Josh walked into the kitchen. He came up behind her and wrapped his arms around her. He kissed her temple, causing her to look up at him with a big smile on her face.
"You are always one for coming up behind me and kissing my temple, aren't you?" she teased.
"Yep," he responded and winked at her. "It is your favorite area to be kissed after all."
"At least I wasn't pouring coffee into this mug when you did that," Kerri said as she picked up her coffee. "It is quite possible I would've spilled it on myself." She winced painfully before putting it down. "Spilling coffee on yourself is one of the worst things ever. It's not only hot. It also leaves a big stain on your clothes."
"That's true. Of course, we have Cheer. It works wonders on getting coffee stains out," Josh pointed out while letting go of her.
"We have a great washing machine too," Kerri commented.
He raised an eyebrow. "Don't forget who bought that washing machine."
She rolled her eyes as she turned around. "Of course not."
Josh pinched Kerri's nose as well as her chin. He grabbed a mug from the cabinet next to the sink after going to it. He approached the coffeemaker and grabbed the kettle. He poured coffee into his mug until it was close to full. He returned the kettle to the coffeemaker. He got a spoon from the silverware drawer. He added three spoonfuls of sugar to it. He stirred the contents before taking the spoon to the sink to lay it there. He sipped his coffee and nodded in approval. He eyed the clock, seeing it read six o'clock. He turned his attention back to her.
"It sucks Thanksgiving weekend is over. We have to go back to work. Tommy has to go to school," Josh mumbled.
"At least he got to sleep in on all four mornings," Kerri replied.
"It's not unusual for teens to sleep in late on holidays and weekends," Josh said and ran his tongue all over the inside of his mouth.
"I don't blame them, especially if they have sports practice that goes well into the evening and hit the books until eleven or twelve o'clock," Kerri whispered and let out a relieved sigh.
"It's good to know he has settled in well at his new school. He made nine new friends during his first two weeks," Josh said warmly.
"Parents can't expect their children to make new friends on the first day at a new school," Kerri said honestly. "It's unrealistic."
"Being in a new school can feel a little intimidating for youngsters, especially teens. They want to fit in so much. At the same time, they wonder if their new friends will stick by them if something happens to them," Josh explained.
"Some people think the quantity of friends matters. It doesn't," Kerri said matter-of-factly. "Quality is what really matters."
"I'd rather have a few true friends than a bunch of fake ones who would abandon me at the drop of a hat," Josh said bluntly. "Both of us have been betrayed by people we thought were our friends."
"It's happened in both childhood and adulthood to us," Kerri said and frowned. "It was devastating, but we picked ourselves up and moved on."
"Of course, some people try to hang on to those who don't want to be their friends anymore. They become so obsessed with it that they end up harming them," Josh muttered in fear. "It happens more often than we realize."
Kerri nodded in agreement. She turned around to look at her coffee. Her husband joined her side as she slipped a lock of hair behind her ear before clearing her throat. She licked her lips.
"Bernadette Protti was obsessed with being like Kirsten Costas. She wanted to have the same accomplishments, but she never got them," she said.
"On June 23, 1984, Kirsten was lured with a phony invitation to a dinner for the Bob-o-Links. Bernadette had planned to take her to the party to befriend her. However, Kirsten got angry when the girl told that no dinner was planned for the group. The girls quarreled. Kirsten ran to the home of Alex and Mary Jane Arnold. She told them that her friend had gone weird. Alex drove her home. He noticed a Pinto was following them. Arnold saw Bernadette attack her. He thought that he was seeing a fist fight. However, Bernadette stabbed Kirsten with a knife five times. Neighbors called an ambulance. Unfortunately, Kirsten died at a nearby hospital," he explained and frowned.
"It was six months before the killer was found. Bernadette passed a lie detector test," Kerri muttered tensely. "Her alibi could not be confirmed. The police suspected she had lied. She realized her arrest was imminent when she spoke to an FBI officer. She wrote her mother a letter that contained a full confession."
"Bernadette was said to have found the kitchen knife by chance. Her elder sister, Virginia Varela, claimed she kept that knife in her car to cut vegetables. The Costases did not believe her story. They claimed Bernadette never intended to take Kirsten to a party, but she had planned to murder her. She was sentenced to a maximum of nine years. She was released seven years later on parole," Josh said, shaking his head in disbelief.
"This didn't have to happen. Bernadette could've moved on from not making every group Kirsten got accepted to," Kerri pointed out.
"Unfortunately, she was obsessed with being popular," Josh commented, rolling his eyes.
"Many teens are just like that, especially when they face pressure from parents to be part of the in-crowd," Kerri murmured.
"Nobody gets accepted into everything," Josh said truthfully. "It's just not feasible at all."
"Not to mention you'd be busy all the time. You wouldn't have time for friends or family," Kerri muttered, tensing a bit.
"I don't think I could've handled so many extracurricular activities when I was in school," Josh admitted, shuddering softly.
"Me neither," Kerri agreed. "It's not good to take on too much."
Kerri picked up her coffee and swirled it around. She sipped it, as did Josh with his. They put them down with contented sighs.
"If there is one thing I love about coffee, it is that it wakes me right up," Kerri said, happiness radiating from her face.
"Me too," Josh agreed. "Sometimes, I have to drink two cups in order to get going."
She smirked. "On a few occasions, you drank so many cups of coffee that you bounced off the walls."
He blew a raspberry. "So did you."
Kerri punched Josh in the arm. She got a punch to hers from him in retaliation. They stuck their tongues out at each other. They pulled them back into their mouths. They started talking about buying their first house in Moore.
00000
The mockingbirds were still sitting on the windowsill six minutes later. They emitted soft chirps before bobbing their heads. They watched as Josh wiped a tear from his eyes as he tried to contain his laughter. Kerri was telling him about the time her father, Alan, placed a rubber snake in her bed. She clapped three times.
"I screamed so loud that I sent an echo through the house. Mom came running into the room and asked what was wrong. I showed her the rubber snake in my bed. We heard laughing. Dad came into the room and said he couldn't believe I fell for it. We started laughing with him," Kerri said.
"It is good your dad has a great sense of humor. Many dads are very serious," Josh replied.
"Unfortunately," Kerri grumbled with a heavy sigh. "Your dad is one such person. He doesn't like jokes of any kind."
"He won't change. That's for sure," Josh admitted, giving a shrug. "He is still a good man, though."
Kerri blew her bangs out of her eyes. She and Josh picked up their coffee to sip more of it. They put it down with contented sighs.
"It feels like only yesterday when we adopted Tommy after his mother abandoned him at Kroger," Kerri said in a warm voice.
"He was just seven years old when that happened," Josh commented and licked his lips. "He couldn't understand what was going on. He was placed with us because he had no other relatives." He sighed heavily. "He lived with us for eight months before we decided to adopt him."
"We became foster parents with the intent to adopt. We were eager to take care of him when he was placed with us. After five months of living with us, he began calling us Mom and Dad," Kerri explained as she remembered that day. "When we asked him how he felt about us adopting him, he got excited."
"It was a wonderful day in our life, especially his," Josh said, chuckling softly. "Even better was that he was there to see us sign the adoption papers."
"We started moving to Angel Grove in mid-August. That was a week before he started attending Moore High School. We spent our first night here the Friday before he started Angel Grove High school," Josh said with a smile.
Kerri rubbed her nose. "It was hard moving our stuff here, but it was worth it. If we had waited until after school started, it would've been much harder moving here."
"No denying that," Josh agreed. "Of course, some people don't have time to prepare to go somewhere. They got the news they would be heading places on short notice." He cleared his throat.
"We don't have to deal with tornadoes anymore," Kerri admitted in a calm yet firm voice. "Now, we have to deal with earthquakes."
Josh furrowed his brow. "Yep."
Footsteps caught the couple's attention. They turned to see Tommy coming into the kitchen. They could see he was holding his stomach. They heard him groan and became very concerned. He stopped close to them.
"Tommy, what's wrong?" Kerri asked and bit her lip.
"I can't go to school today, Mom. I threw up three times last night. I caught that stomach virus that has been going around," Tommy mumbled and let out a loud groan.
"Oh, man," Josh whispered and let out a shuddering breath. He touched the back of his neck with both hands. "Your mom and I must've been in a deep sleep when you threw up. We didn't hear a thing."
Tommy frowned. "I am so sorry this happened."
"Don't be sorry, son," Josh responded in much comfort. "It's not a crime to get sick on a school day."
"It happens to all students at one time or another," Kerri added in a gentle way. "Anyway, I want you to go back to bed. I will bring you some water to drink."
Josh pressed his lips together. "I am calling Mr. Kaplan and telling him you won't be in school today."
Tommy nodded at his parents. He turned around and walked out of the kitchen. He emitted a soft groan. Josh went to the phone and picked it up. He proceeded to dial Angel Grove School's number of 879-0981. Kerri went over to the cabinet beside the sink to get a glass. She went to the sink and stuck the glass under the faucet. She turned on the water. She filled the glass until it was nearly full. She turned off the water.
Kerri walked out of the kitchen and down the hallway. She entered the first room on the right, which happened to be Tommy's room. She could see he was laying on his back on his bed and that he was under the covers. She came to his side and handed him the water. He took a small sip and gave an approved nod. He inhaled deeply and exhaled slowly.
"The water tastes good, Mom," Tommy whispered in relief. He leaned over to put it on his nightstand. He shifted his attention back to her. "It stinks this happened. I was looking forward to seeing my friends after being away from them for Thanksgiving weekend."
"I know, son, but you don't want them to get sick," Kerri responded seriously as she sat down beside him. "Stomach viruses spread very easily."
"Unfortunately. One infected person could get a bunch of other people sick," Tommy mumbled and swallowed hard.
"Some parents force their children to go to school, even when they are very sick. They don't even care if other children get sick," Kerri said, shaking her head in disbelief.
"That's not right," Tommy said, his voice showing hints of anger.
"It isn't," Kerri agreed. "Those parents think it is wrong for their children to show any sign of weakness."
"When children are sick, they can't help looking weak," Tommy responded seriously. "I look rather weak myself."
"It isn't a crime to look that way," Kerri assured in a gentle voice. "Now, I want you to get plenty of rest. Eat only when you feel comfortable."
"I know the routine," Tommy said and rolled his eyes. "Don't worry."
"Hey, I am your mother. It is my job to worry about you," Kerri pointed out matter-of-factly.
A clearing throat caught the duo's attention. They spotted Josh standing in the doorway. He had his shoulder leaned against the frame.
"Mr. Kaplan told me to tell you that he hopes you feel better," Josh commented and stroked his chin.
"Thanks, Dad. I appreciate it," Tommy replied gratefully and exhaled in a sharp way. "Have a good day at work. The same goes for you, Mom."
Kerri looked at him. "Thanks. We will see you this afternoon."
Tommy watched his mother stand up and follow his father as he walked away from the doorway. He wished he could see the gang today, especially Kim. At the same time, he didn't want to get them sick. This was especially true for his wife. He wanted her to be as healthy as possible, so she could fight against Rita and her minions. He recalled how hard it was to part from her when they returned home the morning after their wedding. They made love one last time before going their separate ways.
Tommy turned over on his side, finding an American robin sitting on the windowsill. He listened to it chirping. He observed it flapping its wings to air them out. It folded them against its back before bobbing its head. He placed his arm behind his pillow. He closed his eyes and fell asleep. He brought his hand up by his face.