Tuesday April 17th, 2018

Reefside, CA

Kat looked up from her phone when she heard the office door open. Tommy walked out of his office and headed toward the front door, stopping in surprise when he saw her waiting in the hallway.

"Did you forget something?" he asked, frowning as he walked toward her. "I thought you left to take JJ to school."

Kat shook her head.

"Anton picked him up," she said.

Tommy raised an eyebrow, confused now.

"Why did Anton pick him up?" he asked. "And shouldn't you be at school, too?"

Kat took a deep breath as she shook her head again.

"We're not going to school today," she said after a moment.

"What?" Tommy said, frowning at her. "Kat, we can't just skip school—we're the teachers."

"I've already taken care of that," she said. "I moved things around so my students are taken care of for the day and Anton is going to take your classes. So, everything is settled with the schools and there is nothing to worry about."

Tommy rubbed his forehead.

"But why?" he asked. "I swear I haven't forgotten a date. Right?"

Kat smiled.

"That's not it," she said. "Now come on. In the car. You can leave your briefcase here."

Tommy hesitated.

"Are you going to tell me where we're going?" he asked, though he did set his briefcase down.

"Come on," Kat said, not answering his question. "I'm driving."

She held up the keys as she turned and headed out the front door. Tommy followed her, still frowning. He stopped outside.

"I can drive," he said.

"I've got it," Kat said. "You stayed up too late—again. And you don't know where we're going."

"I'd know where we were going if you'd tell me," Tommy countered, climbing into the passenger seat.

Kat didn't answer. Starting the car, she started driving. Tommy sighed but waited a little while before asking where they were going again.

"Kat…" he finally said, looking at her expectantly. "What is going on?"

She didn't answer for a moment.

"We're going to the base," she finally admitted.

"The base? Why?"

Taking a deep breath, Kat briefly explained what Tanya and Hayley had been working on for the rangers. Tommy listened silently, but the scowl on his face showed he was clearly not pleased.

"They've made their final decisions," Kat finished. "And they'll be taking over their offices today pending being signed off. Meaning they'll be available to meet with the rangers."

She trailed off, glancing over at Tommy as she waited for him to answer. He didn't meet her gaze, staring straight ahead out the window. Kat could tell without him saying a word that he wasn't happy with her.

"Tommy, just say what you're thinking," she finally said after several minutes of tense silence. "I know you're mad."

"Yes, I'm mad," he snapped at her. "You did this behind my back without talking to me about it. I'm not a child, Kat. You don't just get to decide what's best for me without talking to me. I told you—I'm handling it. I don't need you to get someone else involved to try and fix everything. But that's what you're trying to do."

He paused for a moment, shaking his head.

"You should have talked to me," he continued. "You shouldn't be sneaking around trying to trap me in this. I just—"

He scowled again, shaking his head as he trailed off. Kat sighed but didn't answer for a moment, making sure Tommy was done before she spoke.

"I know you aren't a child," she said quietly after a moment. "And you're right. I shouldn't have tricked you into the car. But I'm your wife, Tommy, and I'm worried about you. You've barely slept in weeks and you're just getting more and more stressed."

She took a deep breath.

"We've talked about this before… that you need to talk about this," she continued. "About what happened. But you are going with me today for two other reasons, first."

Tommy glanced over at her, still scowling.

"One, because as current head of the rangers you have to sign the final approval," she said. "Tanya and Hayley worked hard to get this service available for everyone and we already got the reds to agree via a remote vote Sunday night—you are the last step."

She paused again, letting him take in the information.

"Second," Kat said. "Because I am going to sit down and talk with one of the therapists and I didn't want to make the drive home alone…And Tommy..."

Kat looked over at him again, making sure she had his full attention.

"It is completely your choice whether or not you do the same," she said firmly. "No one is going to force you into that room. Do you understand? Not even me. It is your choice."

The couple sat in silence for a while as Kat continued to drive toward Mariner Bay. Again, Kat was the one to break the silence.

"I really do think this is a good thing for both of us," she admitted. "We're both used to dealing with the aftermath of ranger emergencies—it's something that's been a part of our life for a long time. But this? This is new. Having our child directly involved and affected by the secret half of our lives? I don't see it hurting to get some of what's bothering us out in the open. And I'm seriously worried that the stress is starting to negatively affect your health…"

She sighed again.

"And, again, I will admit I crossed a line getting you into the car under false pretenses," she said. "But sometimes you have to tell the kid it's grape juice instead of medicine…"

She hesitated, glancing at Tommy again. He scowled at her for the comment, but the anger had mostly vanished.

"I'm sorry, you started the kid thing," she said sheepishly.

Tommy let out a sigh of his own, rubbing a hand over his face.

"I know," he admitted. "And I know I've been a lot more irrational lately. But… Kat, I really don't want to talk about it right now…"

She nodded.

"But maybe that's part of the problem," she suggested softly.

Tommy just sighed and nodded, leaning against the window.

"Anyways," Kat said a moment later. "Again, even if you decide not to go through with an appointment—you really do need to give final approval for the candidates. They can't meet with the rangers until everything is official."

"Who did they even find?" Tommy asked. "This isn't something you can just trust anyone with."

"That's the best part," Kat said, smiling. "It was actually Hayley's idea. But—with some help from Karone and Andros—they were able to create a small team from off planet. Tanya, Dana, and Hayley have put in a lot of hours to vet their experience and everything else. All of them are already aware of rangers. So that means we can speak completely freely and trust that they will protect our secrets and our identities—and not just because it's part of their job to do so."

Tommy nodded but didn't say anything else. Kat didn't press and they spent most of the rest of the drive in silence. Though with a lot less tension than the first part of the drive.

When Kat finally pulled into Lightspeed, they headed straight inside and took the elevator down. When they stepped out on the medical floor, Dana, Carter, and Hayley were waiting for them with a small group of people.

"Tommy, Kat, welcome back," Dana said with a smile. "Tommy, I'm not sure what Kat told you but—"

He shook his head.

"She already covered everything," he said, nodding at Dana and turning to the small group behind her and Hayley. "Welcome to Lightspeed. I'm Tommy Oliver, Zordon's white ranger and current head of the rangers here on Earth. This is my wife, Kat. Pink Zeo ranger."

They all smiled, thanking him. There was a quick round of introductions in the hallway as all of the therapists introduced themselves.

"And we have a space set up in this office for us all to go through everything," Hayley said when introductions were done. Tommy, you'll need these. And there are digital copies on the tablet if you prefer."

She handed him a small pile of folders as she spoke.

"It'll be a little crowded with all of you in there," she continued. "But it shouldn't take long. Billy, Andros, and Carter have already spoken with everyone, and credentials were verified before they even arrived. All necessary notes are in the files."

Tommy nodded, taking a quick glance through the folders in his hands.

"Thanks, Hayley," he said. "Let's go sit down. Dana, if you would join us."

Dana looked at him in surprise. He just shrugged.

"Just because I have a doctorate doesn't mean I'm qualified to make decisions in a medical field without support," he said. "And since Tanya isn't here, that means you. You may not be a psychologist, but you have medical training and know how at least some of this is supposed to work if I have questions."

Dana nodded and followed Tommy and the others into the office and shut the door. Kat and Hayley waited in the hallway with Carter.

"I take it the drive went well?" Hayley asked quietly. "He doesn't look like he wants to break something."

Kat sighed.

"Well, he didn't make me turn the car around," she said. "But it's probably a good thing I didn't let him drive or we might not have made it."

"Well, you made it," Hayley said. "And that's the important part."

Kat nodded in agreement. Carter frowned, looking toward the office.

"He's really on edge, isn't he?" he asked, looking back at the two women.

Hayley and Kat exchanged a look and then nodded. The three of them waited quietly in the hallway for everyone else to come out of the office. Angela joined them while they were waiting, apologizing for her late arrival.

Not long after, the office opened and people started filing out, smiling and chatting with Dana in the lead. However, the last of the therapists didn't come out into the hall. Instead, they smiled and started to shut the door.

"We'll be out a little later," they said, closing the door.

Dana blinked in surprise as she realized Tommy hadn't followed them out into the hall either. One of the others turned to Kat while Dana was distracted.

"Shall we?" they said.

Kat nodded and followed them down the hall to another office.

"And I can show the rest of you where your rooms are since you've already seen your offices," Angela offered.

The remaining therapists took her up on the offer and they disappeared down the hallway. Dana turned to look at Hayley.

"Ok, so, I wasn't expecting that to happen quite so quickly," she said, looking at the office door again. "How did he—"

"I put a note in the file to tell Tommy who he would be meeting with if he chose that option," Hayley said. "That's also why I picked that office to meet in—it was theirs. I figured that would be easier for him—less pressure to ask."

Dana smiled.

"You are seriously sneaky sometimes," she said. "Though that would explain why he told me to give these to you after I signed them."

She held out the folders with the signed approvals.

"Oh, perfect," Hayley said. "I'll get everything scanned in and filed. Thanks!"

Taking the files, Hayley spun and headed down the hallway. Dana and Carter also headed back to work.

Kat walked out in the hallway, pausing in the door to say thank you again. When she turned, she was surprised to see Hayley sitting in the hallway in a chair.

"Tommy is waiting for you in the car," Hayley said, glancing up from the computer on her lap. "He didn't want to talk to anyone else while he was waiting for you."

"Oh, ok," Kat said, a little confused. "Umm… thanks?"

Hayley nodded, closing her computer and standing.

"How are you feeling?" she asked.

Kat shrugged.

"It was nice to talk," she said. "But it'll be nicer getting home."

Hayley smiled, nodding.

"Get out of here," she said. "I'll see you both later. I need to get going, too."

Kat nodded and turned, heading toward the elevator. She went to glance at the time but realized she didn't have her watch—or her phone. She'd left both in the car so they wouldn't be a distraction during her appointment. Sighing, Kat leaned against the wall of the elevator as it moved up to the garage level. She might not know exactly what time it was, but either Tommy wasn't in the appointment for long or she had been in there for a lot longer than she thought.

Reaching the garage level, Kat headed straight for their car. She had given Tommy the keys when they first arrived, knowing he would probably want to drive on the way home. He was waiting for her in the car like Hayley said he would be. Tommy had changed out of his school clothes into the sweatpants and t-shirt Kat had packed in a duffel bag early that morning. He was in the driver's seat, the seat leaned back, and he had his eyes closed.

When she opened the door to climb in, he opened his eyes and sat up.

"Were you waiting long?" Kat asked quietly.

"No," he answered, shaking his head.

"Oh, good," Kat said, falling silent.

She hesitated, wanting to ask how it went but not wanting to pry too much. Once she was comfortable, Tommy started the car and pulled out of the garage to head back to Reefside. Once they were on the road, Tommy glanced over at Kat.

"You were in there for almost two and a half hours," he said. "I can tell you were wondering."

Kat blushed a little as she looked at him.

"Oh," she said. "I—"

Tommy shook his head.

"Don't worry," he quickly reassured her. "I was in there for just over two hours myself."

Kat breathed a sigh of relief—for multiple reasons.

"I feel a lot better," Kat admitted. "It was nice to get things off my chest that have been building. It's not going to all just go away now, but I feel like I can breathe a lot better."

Tommy nodded but didn't answer and, for a while, it was quiet.

"I'm sorry, Kat," Tommy said quietly sometime later.

Kat, who had been staring out the window, turned to look at him in surprise.

"I know I've been really irritable lately," he continued. "But you were right—I did need to talk about it…and—and I'm going to give this a chance."

Kat smiled.

"You have no idea how happy it makes me to hear you say that," she said.

"I know," he said, smiling faintly back at her. "It's just—"

He hesitated for a moment and then took a deep breath before continuing.

"Part of why I've been so hesitant—and why I got so angry," he admitted. "Was because before it was always just a quick fix. Something easy to just push away and move on from. Time or someone else to fight always provided enough of a distraction and it wouldn't take long for me to start feeling alright again. But with JJ…it was different this time. And I'm tired…"

"I am, too," Kat said quietly.

Tommy glanced over at Kat, guilt flashing briefly across his face.

"Doing this," he said after a moment. "Working through it this way. It's hard. Actually talking to someone about it…"

He sighed, shaking his head again.

"I'm going to try this," he said. "I don't know if it will work, but I have to try something. I can't keep doing this to you and JJ—my stress is making things hard on both of you and that's not fair. So, I'm going to try."

"That's all I've wanted," Kat said. "And if it doesn't work, we'll try something else. But at least you are trying—and I appreciate it."

Kat reached over and squeezed his hand as he nodded. Her phone vibrated in her lap, and she glanced at the message.

"Anton says he'll meet us at home with JJ," she said. "Or he'll keep him longer if we want some time alone."

Tommy shook his head.

"Anton can bring him home," he said. "I think we would all prefer that today."

Kat nodded in agreement and sent the message to Anton and let him know when they'd be home so JJ could be there waiting.

Saturday April 21st, 2018

New York City, NY

"Marc, please," Jason sighed. "Let's go. We need to get to the airport."

They were standing in the now empty apartment. Though they had been staying in the hotel for the last week, they had come by the apartment to make sure everything was taken care of and turn in keys to the office. Marc had planted himself on the floor in the hallway and was now refusing to leave. Jason had come up to find him after putting the last of their travel luggage in the waiting car.

"I'm not going," Marc said stubbornly, glaring up at him. "I don't want to leave."

"You can't stay here," Jason said. "This isn't our apartment anymore."

"Then we can find somewhere else."

Jason shook his head.

"Marc, come on," he said, trying to be patient. "I know you don't like this, but we've talked about it. All of our stuff left days ago and is going to be waiting for us in California. There isn't anything here."

"I changed my mind."

Jason groaned, rubbing a hand over his face.

"Get up, Marc," he said. "If we don't get moving we're going to miss our flight. I promise it's not going to be that bad. And your grandparents are both excited to see you. Your grandmother is going to be very disappointed if we don't show up."

Marc frowned, hesitating. Jason walked over and held out a hand to his son.

"Come on," he said. "Let's go."

Marc sighed, his shoulders slumping as he let Jason pull him to his feet.

"Fine," he muttered. "But only because grandma would be sad if we didn't come…"

Relieved, Jason followed Marc out of the apartment and shut the door for the last time. They headed down the stairs to get into the car.

"If I don't like California, I'm running away and coming back to New York," Marc announced as they walked down.

Jason glanced at him, raising an eyebrow.

"Really?" he said drily. "You're going to run away?"

Marc nodded as they reached the first floor.

"Yep," he said. "And you'll have to follow me back, so then we can just stay here."

Jason rolled his eyes as he shook his head.

"Just get in the car," he said. "I really don't want to miss our flight."

"I'm just frustrated, Billy," Trini sighed. "He's still behind and other ambassadors are beginning to ask questions. They want to know why requests aren't being processed as quickly and I know they're whispering amongst themselves. They think something is going on with the rangers. Rumors are dangerous."

Trini was sitting in her living room with a glass of wine as she tried to relax after dinner. It had been a long day of deflecting questions she didn't want to answer. Fortunately, it was a little easier to do that over the phone—which is what most of her meetings entailed when the UN wasn't having a full meeting. Now she was video chatting with Billy, the computer sitting on the table in front of her.

"It is understandable," Billy said. "Rumors can spiral out of control quickly."

"And Tommy isn't helping," Trini continued, taking a sip of her drink. "He just gets mad at me when I call for updates or to ask for something specific."

"Maybe you should call him less," Billy suggested.

"Less?" Trini repeated, raising an eyebrow. "It's not like I've been calling him every day. I'm not being that harsh. I've only been calling him a few times a week."

"He is still readjusting. I am sure he will catch up soon."

"Billy, it's been nearly a month—"

Trini paused, glancing at the date.

"It has been a month," she sighed. "And it feels like he's only gotten further behind on requests."

"To be fair, Tommy only just began therapy this past week," Billy pointed out. "And with how little he has been sleeping, focusing on anything can be challenging. We are all hoping it will start to get better from this point now that he is attending counseling."

Trini frowned, setting her glass down on the table next to her as she leaned forward.

"Wait—what?" she asked. "Counseling?"

"Yes—Tommy and Kat both," Billy said matter-of-factly. "Tommy has had a difficult time readjusting after being taken by Draven because of JJ being taken with him. It was hard on him that it even happened. Kat and JJ had a rough time as well."

"But counseling?" Trini said, shaking her head. "Who could they even talk to outside of one of us, Billy? Someone they could actually trust with enough of the whole story to make talking worthwhile."

"Oh, right," Billy said, sounding a little sheepish. "I had forgotten Tommy had not announced anything yet. He was letting them get settled into the base, first. He is going to formally announce it next week."

"Announce what, Billy?" Trini asked patiently.

"The decision was made that having a counselor—or team of them—for the use of the rangers was a good idea," he said.

He continued on to explain how they had found the new team of counselors. Trini listened intently.

"This is actually a fantastic idea," she admitted when he was done. "But why didn't anyone tell me?"

Billy shrugged.

"You have been concerned with fending off questions from the UN," he said. "And you would have learned of it soon enough when Tommy made his announcement. There was no reason to mention it beforehand. Remember, the vote for our team currently lies with me."

Trini frowned, falling silent at the reminder and thinking back over their conversation. Even though she didn't have a vote amongst the reds, these kinds of things were something Tommy usually told her anyways. But it had been weeks since he called her—she'd been calling him. Trini sighed.

"I've been being bossy, haven't I?" she asked quietly.

"Perhaps a little," Billy answered honestly. "Trini, Tommy isn't a teenager anymore—though his sleep schedule may sometimes suggest otherwise. He is good at what he does and does not require someone to monitor his activities. He will do better if he is simply given time. After all, he does understand the importance of the work he does."

Trini sighed again.

"I need to apologize when I call him this weekend," she admitted.

"May I suggest next weekend?" Billy said pointedly.

Trini hesitated and then nodded.

"And don't bring up the kids—except maybe JJ," Hayley interrupted, appearing suddenly on the screen with Billy.

Trini frowned as Hayley waved and then disappeared.

"Why?" she asked.

Billy sighed.

"There was a small incident involving our children Sunday before last that culminated in Tommy having a panic attack," he explained. "It would appear that, after JJ was taken in front of him, Tommy is struggling a little with his confidence in his ability to protect other people's children."

"He's a teacher," Trini said, raising an eyebrow. "He literally spends almost every day with other people's children."

"That is correct," Billy said. "And he is working on it."

Trini nodded hesitantly.

"I know this was a lot of information," Billy said after a moment. "Please do not allow Tommy's current struggles to cloud your judgement of his ability to do his job. I only did his job for a week and at the end I was thoroughly exhausted. I do not envy the responsibilities he has taken upon himself."

"And you only did part of it, honey," Hayley interrupted again from offscreen. "Imagine if you had to take the responsibility completely."

Billy shook his head.

"I do not wish to," he countered. "Because that would mean something had happened to Tommy—and I do not want that."

Trini nodded adamantly in agreement. That was something none of them wanted.

Somewhere over the USA…

Jason scowled, shifting as he tried to get comfortable. They had made their flight on time and were finally in the air. Only a few hours into the six-hour flight, Jason was already ready to get off the plane. Sitting with Marc and Will, he had ended up in the middle seat. Will, hung over from partying the night before, had insisted on the aisle seat so he had a clear path to the bathroom—Jason hadn't argued. Marc had just as quickly claimed the window seat. He'd put on his headphones and was now staring out the window ignoring Jason.

Shifting again, Jason was starting to regret the decision to fly instead of drive, but Christine had been adamant that California was too far away to just drive there. And since they didn't own a car in New York he didn't have a lot of room to argue. Now she was relaxing in first class without them. He glanced over at Marc, wishing he had brought headphones for himself so he could drown out the crying child behind him. They'd been crying on and off since the plane took off and nothing much had been done to stop it. The other child sitting directly behind him had been kicking his seat. He'd tried talking to the kid, but that hadn't helped. Their parent wasn't paying any attention, too absorbed on their phone to care as long as the kids were in their seats.

Jason grimaced as his seat jerked again. Trying to ignore it, Jason pulled out a book to try and distract himself since sleep was not going to happen.

"I hate this," he muttered to himself. "This had better not be a sign of how things are going to continue…"

Sighing, he settled in as best he could as he continued to count down the remaining hours of the flight.

The road to Reefside, CA

Out of the corner of his eye, Tommy saw JJ glance over at him again. JJ had been shooting looks in his direction since they left Angel Grove a little while before, but he had yet to actually say anything. He just fidgeted with his phone in his lap. After another hesitant look a few minutes later, Tommy decided he'd waited long enough.

"So, are you going to ask or are you hoping I'll just read your mind?" Tommy asked, looking over at his son. "You know that only works some of the time."

JJ looked at him in surprise. Both of them had been quiet since Tommy picked JJ up from Tanya's a while beforehand. They had stayed the night before in Angel Grove so they didn't have to get up crazy early to make the drive for their appointments. Tommy had dropped JJ off at the Park house for his appointment with Tanya before making the drive to Mariner Bay for his own. Then he had picked up JJ after they were done to head back home to Reefside.

"What do you mean?" JJ stammered out in response.

"You've been trying not to stare at me since we got back in the car," Tommy said, raising an eyebrow. "Clearly there's something you'd like to ask or talk about. So?"

JJ hesitated again before answering.

"Well, I," he said. "I just—it's ok if you don't want to tell me the answer."

Tommy smiled, shaking his head.

"JJ, I don't know if I want to answer or not if you don't ask the actual question," he pointed out.

"Right," JJ muttered, looking down at his lap again.

Taking a deep breath, JJ looked back up at Tommy.

"Dad, where did you go while I was talking to Tanya?" he asked quietly. "You were gone for a long time…"

Tommy didn't answer immediately, staring ahead as he drove and trying to decide how he wanted to answer the question. Seeing the look on his face, JJ shook his head.

"I'm sorry, I shouldn't have asked," JJ said quickly. "You don't need to tell me anything."

"No, it's fine," Tommy said, immediately shaking his head. "There is absolutely nothing wrong with you wanting to know where I was."

Tommy paused for a moment before continuing.

"I was at Lightspeed," he answered.

JJ looked at Tommy in surprise.

"You were visiting the power rangers?" he asked excitedly. "Why? Wait—"

The excitement disappeared just as quickly as it had come.

"Are you in danger?" JJ asked, his eyes wide.

"No, I'm not in—" Tommy answered, hesitating. "Technically I'm not in danger. Unless you count potentially being a danger to myself."

JJ frowned.

"What does that mean?" he asked, confused.

Tommy shook his head.

"I visited Lightspeed for the same reason you see Tanya," Tommy explained. "Just with someone at the base rather than Tanya."

JJ looked at Tommy in surprise.

"But—but why?" he asked, stumbling over his words a little. "Why would you need to? I was—I was…"

JJ paused, taking a deep breath.

"I was scared," he admitted, looking at his lap again. "That—that's why I need to talk to Tanya…"

He looked up at Tommy.

"But you don't get scared, dad," JJ said confidently. "You're never scared of anything. So why…?"

He trailed off, looking to Tommy for an answer. Tommy chuckled faintly, shaking his head.

"Everyone is scared sometimes, JJ," he said. "Even me. And that's ok. But when it starts to affect your ability to enjoy life, that's when you have to do something about it. Which is what I'm trying to do by going to Lightspeed and talking to someone."

Tommy paused, glancing over at JJ who was watching him intently.

"And I've been afraid before," Tommy admitted. "But this is the first time I've been this kind of afraid…and it was because something happened to you and I wasn't able to stop it."

JJ blinked at Tommy in surprise.

"So, you were afraid because you thought you couldn't protect me?" JJ asked.

Tommy nodded, glancing over at JJ again.

"I'm always going to try and protect you, kiddo," he said quietly.

JJ nodded.

"So, it really is alright that I'm talking to someone?" JJ said. "It has to be since you are, too. And you're pretty much the best person I know."

Tommy laughed, reaching over to ruffle JJ's hair.

"Yes, there is nothing wrong with needing to talk to someone," he said. "It's taken me long enough to admit that… but I wouldn't let your mom hear that last comment."

"It's ok, mom is better than you anyways," JJ grinned.

"Ouch," Tommy said, shaking his head. "That changed quickly."

JJ just laughed as he settled back into his seat.

Angel Grove, CA

"Marc, don't stand in the middle of the hallway," Jason sighed, stopping just inside the door. "I'm trying to bring stuff inside. So, either help or move, please."

They had finally arrived at the house not long before. Christine had headed straight inside in search of somewhere to lie down, claiming she was exhausted from the long plane ride. Will had disappeared, too. Jason assumed he was probably passed out in a corner. Marc had wandered in after them and was staring around the house. Boxes were piled everywhere from the movers unloading the trucks. So far, from the quick glance Jason had taken while bringing suitcases inside, it looked like they had managed to get the furniture in the correct rooms. He was grateful for that, because it meant he wouldn't have to move anything.

"Sorry, dad," Marc said. "Where's my room?"

"Upstairs," Jason said. "Should be the last room on the right. Across the hall from mine and your mom's room. Here—take your bag with you."

Jason handed one of the bags he was holding over to Marc. Grabbing it, Marc turned and bolted up the stairs. Sighing, Jason set the rest of the bags down in the hallway and hung up the house keys on the hook in the hall. As he turned to pick up the bags to take them upstairs, Jason jumped in surprise when his mother walked out of the kitchen.

"Mom!" Jason exclaimed. "How long have you been here?"

"Not that long," she said with a bright smile as she walked toward him. "Just since the movers unloaded the trucks this morning. I wanted to make sure everything was cleaned up and ready for when you all got here. I helped make sure everything got where it needed to be and once they were gone I started organizing."

Jason blinked in surprise.

"Mom, you didn't need—"

"Nonsense," she said, putting her hands on her hips. "I'm happy to help. I already found the boxes with your bedding and made up all of the beds so you didn't have to worry about that tonight. And I've been working on unpacking the kitchen, too. Dinner is already in the oven."

"How am I supposed to find anything if you're the one who put it away?" Jason sighed.

"It's nearly the same as your grandfather had it," she said, shaking her head. "You'll figure it out. And if you don't like it, you are free to change it. Now… are you just going to stand there or are you going to give your mother a hug?"

Jason shook his head, but he still walked over and gave his mother a hug. She hugged him back, squeezing tightly.

"I'm so happy you're back," she murmured. "New York was always too far away."

After a moment she let go and Jason stepped back.

"How did you get here?" Jason asked as he followed her into the kitchen. "There wasn't a car parked outside."

"Oh, I had your father drop me off since I was planning on being here most of the day," she said, waving him off. "Especially since he'll be back later for dinner. Now, I need to check on the food."

Jason frowned, remembering her comment earlier.

"Mom, how did you make dinner?" he asked. "There's no food here. I definitely haven't had a chance to go shopping yet."

"Oh, I took care of that for you yesterday," she said absently, opening the oven. "The fridge and everything needed to be plugged in anyways. And I know moving isn't easy, so I wanted to help however I could."

Jason smiled.

"Thanks, mom," he said gratefully.

Christine wandered in as they were talking.

"I can't believe you actually dragged us here, Jason," she sighed. "This place is just as bad as I thought it was going to be. It's so… quaint."

Jason grimaced as his mother spun to look at his wife.

"Oh," she said, crossing her arms as she eyed Christine. "You brought her."

"Mom!" Jason exclaimed. "Of course I brought her—she's my wife."

Christine was scowling at his mother now. But she just shrugged.

"I thought maybe you'd have made better choices by now," his mother sighed. "Guess I lost that bet with your father."

Christine's eyes narrowed as Mrs. Scott smirked.

"Oh, I'm just kidding, honey," she said, pasting a fake smile on her face. "Now, I'm going to find my grandson."

Without another word, his mother left the room. Christine stood fuming as she glared after her.

"This is just part of why I didn't want to move here, Jason," Christine snapped, turning to him. "She hates me."

"She doesn't hate you, Christine," Jason said, trying to reassure her. "She's just trying to tease you—like you tease me. It's not a big deal, right?"

Christine scowled, crossing her arms.

"I'm going to lie down," she spat.

Spinning, she stalked away. Jason sighed as he watched her go.