Author's Notes: Hi, readers. Here's chapter four of "Running From Here." The fandoms finally meet in this chapter. I am so glad to have gotten to this point. Ranger action will be coming in the next few chapters. Stay tuned for chapter five.

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Chapter 4: Sitting Down/Rude Girl

People walked everywhere in the picnic area located near the concession stand ten minutes later. Lively chatter filled the air as they went to tables and seated themselves. The same went for those standing up and walking away. There happened to be twelve tables. They were arranged in four rows containing three in each one. At least two tables had scratches on the tops of them.

Tommy, Kim, Billy, Jason, Trini, and Zack ate burgers as they sat at the first table in the second row. The first three were on the left. The last three were on the right. Tommy picked up his diet coke and took a long sip through a straw. He put it down before smacking his lips. Kim grabbed a fry and popped it into her mouth. She proceeded to chew.

Tommy heard laughter and looked over at John, Lex, Tim, Alan, Ellie, and Ian, whom were sitting at the first table in the third row. He could see the grandfather and his grandchildren were on the right while their friends were in the left. Tim held two fries on top of his head. He made funny noises while moving them from side to side. Kim glanced at them along with the others. She swallowed with a gulp.

"Isn't that cute?" Trini cooed softly. "That little boy is pretending to be an alien."

"He must really enjoy doing that," Kim suggested.

"I agree, Kim," Tommy said and cleared his throat. He grabbed the straw and moved it up and down. "It reminds me of when I would take straws and put them on top of my head like I was an alien. I'd make the same noises. Then my parents would tell me to stop playing around with the straws."

"Look on the bright side. You never threw away the straws you fooled around with," Billy said, picking up his sprite to take a sip.

"People are too wasteful these days," Jason grumbled with a roll of his eyes. "They won't reuse things like bags and straws. They consider it too much of a hassle."

"You can reuse plastic and paper bags until they rip apart. The same goes for straws until they get too many holes from teeth marks," Zack said as Billy laid his sprite down.

"Some people will chew gum to calm nicotine cravings after quitting smoking," Jason pointed out truthfully. "My parents smoke for a few years before quitting because Mom was pregnant with me. They didn't need to chew gum to calm cravings at all."

"It takes years for the body to get used to nicotine from cigarettes. Once that happens, it is rather difficult to stop," Zack muttered, frowning a bit. "Some people are heavy smokers and live well into their nineties. Some people never smoke and die in their fifties."

"It is all in the genes. That's for sure," Billy said, taking off his glasses and wiping the lenses with the hem of his blue t-shirt. He put them back on. "Who knows how long any of us will live?"

Jason started talking about the time he got himself out of Bulk's bear hug. Tim took the fries off his head and popped them into his mouth. He chewed quickly and swallowed with a loud gulp. John couldn't help but chuckle. He propped his head up with his elbow.

"I have to admit you would make a cute alien, Tim," John said while tapping his cane on the pavement.

"Cute? Cute is for girls!" Tim responded in disgust.

Lex scoffed. "Oh, come on, Tim. Boys can be just as cute as girls."

"That's easy for you to say when you are a tomboy," Tim retorted as he turned to her.

"I may be a bit of a tomboy, but that does not mean I can't look pretty in dresses," Lex said, sitting up tall and proud. "Of course, I do not want to wear makeup. I think it is not needed."

"I remember when Ian joked that the scientists at Jurassic Park pulled up all the dinosaurs skirts in order to find out if they were female," Alan whispered, snickering under his breath.

Ian cupped his chin in his hand. "You found I was right when I said life would find a way. The dinosaurs did end up breeding."

"Frog DNA made that possible," Ellie said, tapping her fingers on the table.

Alan rubbed the back of his neck with both hands. He stretched his arms above his head before emitting a short yawn. He smacked his lips as he laid his hands on the table. He pulled a piece of lettuce out of his chicken sandwich. He popped it into his mouth. He chewed at a steady pace.

"If I did not know any better, I'd say you became a vegetarian, Dr. Grant," Lex joked.

"Ha, ha, ha. That was so funny that I forgot to laugh," Alan said sarcastically and rolled his eyes.

"At least she makes good jokes," Ellie replied in a soft yet firm voice.

"Just never use jokes from a joke book. They suck big time," Tim added.

"Tim, don't use that language," John scolded while shooting a glare at him.

"Sorry, Grandpa," Tim apologized with a nervous chuckle.

"Apology accepted," John responded. "Just don't do that again."

Tim picked up his burger and took a small bite out of it. He put it down while chewing. He swallowed with a loud gulp. Lex tore a piece off the bun of her lettuce-and-tomato sandwich. She popped it into her mouth and proceeded to chew.

"Herbivores do not have to worry about their finding their food. It is right there," Alan said with a smile.

"That is unless the herbivores are dealing with drought. Then they go where there is more food," Ellie added.

"For carnivores, their food is always moving. They have the advantage of surviving drought by scavenging," Ian commented and crossed his arms. "Hyenas have the biggest advantage because they eat every part of their prey, even the bones."

Lex swallowed. "Now, that is bony."

"Good one, Lex," Tim said, smacking her on the shoulder.

"If you smack me on the shoulder again, I will honk your nose and pull your underwear over your head," Lex teased.

Tim nodded at her. "Duly noted."

Lex ruffled her brother's hair, as did he with hers. He smacked his sister upside the head. She pinched his cheek and spoke baby talk. He grabbed her wrist and pulled her hand off. He laid it in her lap. He gave it a gentle pat.

"If you pat my hand any more, Tim, yours will end up stuck to it," Lex teased and tickled his nose.

"How about I glue my hand to yours?" Tim asked.

"No, thank you," Lex said while shaking her head rapidly. "I do not want to deal with glue's stickiness."

"You are right that glue can be sticky," Tim said, scratching his head. "Superglue is the most difficult to get unstuck."

"That is especially true when it comes to superglue sticking your fingers together," Lex pointed out.

"You will never see me play with superglue," Tim said.

"Good for you, Tim," Lex said proudly and exhaled softly. "I will never play with it either."

Lex patted Tim on top of his head. He proceeded to talk about time he jumped out of her closet and scared her silly.

00000

John, Lex, Alan, Ellie, and Ian laughed as Tim moved his head from side to side while holding his ears and speaking gibberish fifteen minutes later. Lex began to get louder and hit her hand on the table. They had finished their lunch and thrown their trash away. They still had their drinks, though Tim's drink was nearly empty. Tommy, Kim, Jason, Trini, Billy, and Zack happened to remain at their table. They were talking quietly about Zordon.

"Keep being silly, Tim," Lex said and grabbed a handful of hair as she continued laugh hard. "You are cracking me up!"

"Nah. I am done," Tim said, becoming still and letting go of his ears.

"You are such a spoilsport," Lex grumbled in mock annoyance.

"I know you are, but what am I?" Tim teased and grabbed her ponytail. He tapped it on her cheek. "Do, do, do."

"Oh, hush," Lex whispered and swatted his hand aside.

"We'd better get going. We need to see the other parts of the zoo," John pointed out truthfully.

"Could I refill my cup, Grandpa?" Tim asked while picking up his cup.

"Sure," John said, nodding at him. "Don't take too long."

Tim grabbed his coke and went to the first line at the concession stand. He could see employees moving around in the back. He did not see Veronica coming up behind him. He narrowed his eyes at the employees. He could hear them talking. She sighed impatiently.

"Can't those people hurry up?" Veronica griped.

"Be patient, lady. They are coming," Tim said, looking over his shoulder.

"They should come right now. I am thirsty," Veronica said angrily as she glanced down at him.

"You really need to keep your voice down," Tim whispered and clenched his teeth tightly.

"I do not need to keep my voice down, pipsqueak," Veronica snarled and pointed her finger at him as he turned around to face her. "You need to shut up."

"How about you shut up, Veronica?" a female voice asked.

Veronica hissed irritatingly at recognition of the voice. She turned around to see Trini, who stood a short distance away from her. She emitted a humorless chuckle.

"Didn't your mother tell you it is rude to butt in on other people's business, Trini?" Veronica asked.

"Didn't your mother tell you it was wrong to pick on little kids?" Trini retorted as she walked up to her.

"You look so ugly wearing yellow," Veronica said with a huff. She flicked one of her rival's pigtails. "The pigtails look even uglier."

"I happen to think I look fine. Thank you very much," Trini said, swatting the snob's hand aside. "Anyway, there was no reason to pick on this kid. He was simply trying to tell you to be patient and keep your voice down."

Veronica peered at Tim in the corner of her eye. "That kid is probably from a family that not so well off. That makes him a loser like you."

"The real loser here is you, Veronica. You put down people for not being rich like you. You think poor people deserve their fates," Trini hissed in fierceness.

"They do. The world would be better if there were fewer poor people," Veronica said, turning her nose upward.

"Many people became poor through no fault of their own. They should not be shunned. They should be given whatever help they need," Trini pointed out frustratingly.

"It does not matter. They will always be losers. So will you and your friends," Veronica leered.

Trini snorted. "Keep saying that, Veronica. That will never make it true."

Veronica turned on her heel and walked away. She bumped into a young man sipping coke through a straw. He ended up spilling it all over her sparkly white blouse. She screamed in anger. Tommy, Kim, Jason, Billy, and Zack walked to the group, as did John, Lex, Alan, Ellie, and Ian.

"My blouse!" Veronica yelled.

"I am so sorry!" the man yelled and grabbed a napkin from his pocket. He tried to wipe her, but she shoved his hand away.

"Don't touch me, you bastard!" Veronica responded fiercely. "You owe me three hundred dollars for this blouse!"

"You are crazy if you think I will pay such a price for that. You should not even be wearing something so expensive to the zoo," the man said.

"You need to watch the language as well, young lady!" Ellie warned sternly and pointed her finger at her. "There are children present."

"I do not care," Veronica snapped, glaring at her. She heard Tommy, Kim, Jason, Trini, Billy, and Zack laughing. She turned to them. "It's not funny!"

"It may not be funny to you, but it is to us. Karma got you once again," Kim said, crossing her arms. "It will keep getting you until you stop."

"That's right," Zack said with a sharp nod.

Veronica mouthed 'Fuck you' and stormed off. The teens came closer to the children and adults. John went over to Tim, who bit his lip and swallowed hard.

"Are you all right, Tim?" John asked while looking down at his grandson.

"Yes, Grandpa," Tim responded softly.

John turned to Trini. "Thank you for dealing with that rude lady, ma'am."

"No problem, sir. Don't worry about Veronica Lloyd. She treats everyone like trash, especially those who are not rich like she is," Trini explained.

"What a witch," Ian grumbled.

"I agree with that, Ian. By the way, I am John Hammond. The kids are my grandchildren. They are Lex and Tim Murphy. The adults are Alan Grant, Ellie Sattler, and Ian Malcom," John introduced as he motioned to each member of his group.

"Dr. Grant, Dr. Sattler?" Billy asked in shock.

"Yes, that is me," Alan said warmly.

Ellie giggled. "The same goes for me."

"I've read up on stories of your discoveries of dinosaur and plant fossils. They are really interesting," Billy said eagerly.

"It is good to know we have another fan," Alan said warmly and jerked his thumb in Tim's direction. "Tim is a fan of our work."

"That is good. By the way, I am Jason Lee Scott. This is Tommy Oliver, Kimberly Hart, Trini Kwan, Billy Cranston, and Zack Taylor," Jason introduced while gesturing to each member of his group.

Ian smiled. "It is nice to meet all of you. What brings you to the Angel Grove Zoo?"

"We decided we were overdue for a trip at the place, so we decided to get together and spend the day here. What about you?" Jason wondered.

"We are actually on vacation here. I have always wanted to see Angel Grove, so I suggested we visit while we were on Christmas vacation in Orlando. We were on our way to the elephant exhibit after having lunch," John explained.

Tommy laughed. "That is where we are heading."

Lex smiled. "How about we go together?"

Everyone voiced his or her agreement. John laughed delightfully and tapped his cane on the pavement twice.

"I guess that makes it unanimous," John said warmly. "First, let's allow my grandson to refill his drink."

"I would like to refill my drink too, Grandpa," Lex added eagerly.

John waved his hand toward himself. "Okay, Lex. Come on."

John, Tim, and Lex headed to the first line. An employee walked up to them and proceeded to speak with them.