TW: References to addiction and rehab in this chapter.

Cameron stared at the ceiling, counting the tiles as he waited to go to his group therapy session. He was starting to feel like himself again, but then days like today happened. Days where he remembered Shelby so vividly that it hurt to breathe. It hurt to exist and instead of trying to find alcohol to numb the pain, he was sitting with it. He was sitting with it for the first time since her funeral.

"You counting tiles again?" Keith asked as he returned from his session and sat down on his bed. Keith was a stockbroker on Wall Street and had checked in a few weeks before Cameron due to his substance dependance. For the most part, he really liked Keith- they both found themselves here because they couldn't deal with the stress life had thrown their way and they had found zero healthy ways to handle it. "You're going to have to tell some people what happened to her to start moving past it."

"It's not that simple," Cameron whispered and he went back to counting. Everyone told him that he had to talk about it. He had to explain why losing her was so bad. But how did he even begin to explain what had happened to her? How did he open up in group and explain that his girlfriend had been killed because she was a prophetess and a Power Ranger? That he was a Power Ranger. While Kim and Tommy had revealed themselves, they had managed to keep the other rangers hidden from the outside world and he wanted for it to stay that way as long as possible.

"But it is. I didn't say it had to be anyone here, just someone," Keith stated and he shook his head. "You're young- what shit could you possibly be in that you wouldn't be able to tell anyone about this?"

"Go go Power Rangers," Cameron sang under his breath and he saw Keith freeze. Yup, that was the reaction he thought that everyone might have to what happened around Shelby's loss. Erick and the rangers were safe, but the rest of the world would not understand. "Yeah. So, thanks for the advice, but I'm not going to be judged for things I have done while I explain how my girlfriend died protecting…"

"Cam, I'm not judging you. I'm just shocked that you…the world only knows about a couple of people being Power Rangers and both of them have the last name Oliver," Keith said as Cameron let out a sigh. That was one of the other problems, he found himself so mad that the Oliver twins had survived when Shelby had died and while he loved Jay and Kira, he knew Shelby could have protected herself better without them. He knew that she would have had a better chance at surviving if she had just looked out for herself that day. "Was she…"

"Yeah. She died protecting their children," Cameron whispered and he let the silence permeate the room. No one knew what to say to him when he said that, even Erick.

"So she was a ranger too?" Keith asked and Cameron just nodded. "Man, that sucks."

"It does and I…I should have gone to her instead of to the monster…I should have…Tommy and A-they had it handled. They didn't need me to help, but Kiros, he was after her too. He was after Kimberly and Shelby and I thought by helping them that I was going to keep her safe, instead…" Cameron trailed off as there was a knock at the door and he glanced up to see Erick standing there. He shook his head that he didn't want to go to group today and Erick silently nodded. He had forced him to do many of the steps at first, but after a particularly disastrous session where Cameron's powers had nearly exploded, Erick had given him a bit of leniency. He knew that none of them wanted for his powers to explode like that, least of all Erick. "Instead I wasn't there when she needed me most."

"You'd probably be dead too," Erick said and Cameron let out a sigh. He had realized that, the Command Center had collapsed on her and he would have probably been stuck under the rubble as well, but maybe he could have shielded her. Maybe he would be the one that died and she would have lived. "I know. I know you wish that it was you instead of her, but…"

"Do not tell me that I owe it to her memory to make a good life for myself," Cameron growled and he felt his powers pulsing right below the surface. He closed his eyes to try to calm himself and was shocked when Keith put a hand on his shoulder.

"I was going to say, but it wasn't. You owe the world nothing Cam, you've done enough for it. I'd just ask that you think about what you really want. You're here, so there is a part of you that doesn't want to bury it all, but how much you want to deal with at a time is up to you," Erick stated as he nodded. "By the way, Tommy is going to stop by tomorrow."

"Just Tommy?" Cameron grunted and he peeked an eye open to see Erick glaring at him. "Fine. I'll take what I get."

Cameron sat on a bench, enjoying the warm afternoon and the light breeze. It was finally getting to where the afternoons were consistently nice and he enjoyed the time outside. He enjoyed being able to just listen to nature in this little sanctuary. The inner city was far too busy to be able to hear any of this. He heard footsteps behind him and shook his head. Tommy. Tommy had the quietest foot steps of anyone that he knew and he had trained them on how to hear him. If they could hear him, they could hear almost any monster.

"You're not going to sneak up on me, Dr. O," Cameron muttered as Tommy let out a chuckle as he appeared next to him. He was surprised to see him in jeans and a t-shirt, completely dressed down for once. For all the badass that Tommy had in him, his chosen professions did not show it off very often. "Kim let you out of the house like that?"

"What's wrong with this?" Tommy asked as Cameron just shook his head. It was obvious to anyone that knew them when Kim had a say in his clothing choices and when he picked stuff out for himself. "Erick said you wanted to talk to…well us. I'm sorry, Kim's not up to it right now, so you just got me."

"Why isn't she up to it?" Cameron growled and Tommy tensed and relaxed. Cameron wanted a fight, he wanted to take out his pound of flesh on Tommy and he also knew he wasn't going to draw Tommy into striking first. Tommy was far too experienced to be bullied into a fight with him, if he wanted to duke this out- he would have to throw the first punch. "She afraid of what I'll say?"

"No. I'm afraid of what you'll do and if you think for a moment that I'm going to put her in danger, you're out of your fucking mind," Tommy stated as Cameron rolled his eyes. The best way he could have protected Kimberly would have been to walk away after Atlantis and he had not done that. He had come to find them when they had gotten powers. He had made the decision to stay in and had then convinced Kimberly that it was for the best. "Hey- I'm here to listen, but I guess it's Kim you're maddest at."

"Why did she go get her? Why did she give the twins to her instead of protecting them herself? Shelby should have never been in that room," Cameron seethed and Tommy let out a sigh. Kimberly had beat herself up about that decision for months after Shelby's death and had woken up on more than one occasion screaming that she was sorry. It was something that they had talked about with Erick, but they'd never talked about it with the rangers. "Why do you get to keep her?"

"She's regretted that since it happened, Cam. But she's also moved past it, because it was a combat decision and those are always split second. They are always as good as what we can do at the moment. Protecting our kids was her first priority and making sure I didn't die was her second. She knew that…she knew that I would need help, I would need her help. Shelby was the first person that she got to that could take the twins and she almost didn't leave them with her. They both could hear what was going on, Cam and Shelby took them and Kim came back to me. If she had known…" Tommy trailed off as Cameron rose to his feet and threw a punch. He heard the hospital staff scramble, but he then felt something go up around them. He glanced up and saw a barrier that the rehab staff were trying to get through. Tommy was going to let this fight happen, because it was long overdue. "If wailing on me will help you, go ahead. God knows, I've beat the living shit out of things for a lot less than this."

"Tommy!" Erick yelled and he glanced over his shoulder as Cameron tackled him to the ground and then motioned for Erick to get folks out of here. "Jesus Christ. Everybody out!"

Tommy took a defensive posture and took blow after blow, seemingly unaffected by Cameron's punches. Cameron felt his fury rising as Tommy calmly dodged him, letting him get in plenty of blows, but making it obvious that he was not going to take him out. Making it obvious that Tommy was still a much better fighter than he would ever be. Why was Tommy not feeling pain? Why was this not ripping all of the rangers apart the way that it was ripping him apart? He felt his powers building and saw Tommy grab his morpher. He was caught off guard as Tommy morphed and then an explosion of power came out of his body as he screamed in frustration. Tommy caught him as he collapsed and he sobbed against him.

He pushed and punched him away, but finally felt that he was completely spent as Tommy wrapped his arms around him and he let out another scream. This was not fair. This was not right. And in the embrace he heard Tommy's sobs as well and he realized, it finally sank in- everyone was hurting with the loss of Shelby, they just didn't all show him how much it hurt them too.

"What the fuck were you thinking?" Erick yelled as Tommy stood in his office and he paced around the room. Tommy was completely collected after Cameron's meltdown and he felt like he needed therapy after what he had just seen. "He could have killed you."

"There was only a very slight chance of that, one that I was willing to live with. And I kept your staff safe from anything he could do to them. He's been teetering on this edge for months and it's important that this happened. He needed it to happen. I know that psychology is your speciality, Power Rangers are mine. He would have exploded no matter what and it's best that he did that with me here. This building is still standing because of that bubble that none of you could cross," Tommy explained as Erick continued to pace around the room and he waited. Everything that Erick had told him indicated that Cameron was going to have a power meltdown someday soon and this was something he was uniquely able to help with.

"A warning would have been nice," Erick grumbled and Tommy gave him a look. "What?"

"You would have tipped your hand with Cameron by isolating him before I showed up and he would have held on to all of this. I know you aren't happy with me on this, but he's safer now," Tommy explained and Erick growled. "I know…if I ever pull that shit again- I'll be finding another therapist."

"Not quite, although I really do want to say that to you," Erick retorted as he let out a long sigh. "Do you think that'll be enough to level him?"

"No idea. It wouldn't be enough if I lost Kim…then again…I'm pretty sure I'd destroy the world if that happened," Tommy muttered as he scratched the back of his neck and he saw the fear run through Erick. Erick knew enough about his powers to know that that was not an idle musing, that it was something that Tommy could do if properly motivated. "He's doing better than I would do, by a long shot."

"You terrify me sometimes."

"I should."

AN: Life is, well, lifing again. I'm in the process of moving which means I will be changing my posting schedule to 1 chapter a week of 1 story, probably being posted on a week day. Thank you all for your patience- I'll get back to normal posting in June.