A/N 1: So this is a little plot bunny that just won't go away. Even though the views for stories is screwed the heck up. Note: I am not a Kat hater. But this one just won't go away so I gotta do it.

A/N 2: Tommy begins work to try and reconnect with his Falcon spirit, and claim a way to talk to Kimberly through his mind. Meanwhile, Jason meets his new blind date.

A/N 3: Usual disclaimer. Power Rangers isn't mine. Eldin and Fienna are products of Boom Studios.

Chapter 11 - Project Paris II: Jason's New Date

May 1, 2004

Phaedos

Tommy's mind felt like absolute jello. Sweat poured down his face. It felt like he'd been at work rebuilding his connection to the falcon for hours.

He tried not to think about it too much but wondered how things would have turned out if he had practiced with his Ninja powers, at all, over the years.

He shoved that what could have been stuff aside again as he continued to try and rebuild any sort of telepathic connection with the Ninja powers.

Suddenly, he felt someone touch his forehead, and he was suddenly snapped from his trance. It was only then that he realized how exhausted he really was and how out of practice he was.

"You need to rehydrate, Tommy," Ninjor told him gently, holding up a jug of water as he did so. Tommy took it gratefully and drank from it.

"It's going to take time for this to develop again," Tommy said, "and unfortunately time is not on my, or our, side."

"Believe it or not you are further along than you think," Zophram cut in and said, "it's just that we pushed you hard to see where you are at. The connection you had is damaged but can easily be repaired."

"And there's no doubt you'll work hard enough," another voice said, cutting through the noise. It was a voice Tommy had heard before but not since the Island of Illusion.

"Quagmire, nice of you to join us," Dulcea said, as if reading Tommy's thoughts. Indeed, Tommy looked to his left and saw the "elf on a shelf" as he and Kim referred to him back in the day.

"Happier days," Tommy muttered to himself, the old island notwithstanding.

"I have long waited to repay Zordon's chosen for breaking the mystique of the horrible prison that was my home, Dulcea," Quagmire said. "I've lived in California since but kept a low profile."

"Wait...you live in California. I get keeping a low profile but not even informing us?" Tommy asked.

"Yes, Tommy. If I had informed you of my whereabouts Lokar may have found where I was and sought to destroy me. But now that he has taken aim at all of you again, I feel it my duty to give all the help I can provide."

"You're not doing clever rhymes either," Tommy noted, "so that means this is deadly serious."

"Indeed it is," Quagmire said, "my sources tell me that the assistant of Goldar and Scorpina's daughter has already successfully cast a dormant spell on five of the six Ninja Storm Power Rangers. All that is left would be to activate the spell from any place and they will become her instruments of destruction, against their will."

Tommy nearly keeled over at this news. The three Winds had almost beat his Dino Thunder Rangers, and the Thunders had nearly beat the Winds several times before that. Those five were easily as tough as any of Zordon's first teams.

"Please tell me that Cam has escaped, Quagmire," Tommy pleaded.

"He has. However my sources also tell me that they are still pursuing a sixth Ranger. If the sourcing is accurate, the person they are after is a Ranger legend who is originally from a different time period," Quagmire said.

Tommy gasped. That meant Kim wouldn't be used for evil, but he also knew who the suspect was that Quagmire was talking about.

"Oh God," Tommy said. "Wes is in immediate danger if you are right. I am going to have to go to Silver Hills sometime when I get back. In fact if I don't get back soon my cover will probably be blown."

"I would agree but Quagmire has his own tricks," Dulcea said.

"Katarina does not know I am behind it but I cast a spell on her that does not allow her to transport from Miami," Quagmire said before he turned to look at Dulcea, "however, Tommy is inadvertently correct. He must return for when I leave here and return to Earth, the spell is null and void. I must go back so I can meet up with Billy and Jason's soon to be blind date."

"I'd enjoy seeing that but, well, you know," Tommy said.

"Very well," Dulcea said. "I shall open a portal to send you back to your lab, Tommy. I would, however, prefer to see you back here for further training."

"One last thing, Tommy," Quagmire said. "A better way to find what you seek would be to focus on the bonds you share. All of them. And remember, positive thinking is key."

Tommy nodded and stepped through the portal, with everyone staring at him as he went.

"Is he close?" Zophram asked.

"Very, I think," Ninjor said. "As Quagmire has said all he needs is a little push to focus on the bonds he once had. I think he will find that push soon enough."

4:30 p.m.

Angel Grove, CA

Jason Lee Scott, now single for almost two years running, sighed as his doorbell rang.

He knew it was coming too. Billy had almost forced him into this, knowing Jason hated blind dates.

"This better be good Billy," he said. He was sure Billy had lost his mind. He had no idea that his life was about to be turned upside down, in more ways than one.

Opening the door, the sight that greeted him was the last thing he ever expected. It was Billy and...Quagmire?

He barely had those thoughts for five seconds before he turned to see the third person...his blind date.

She was so gorgeous he had to grab the door handle to keep from fainting.

And the way she carried herself, he could already see, screamed "boss lady."

Before he could even think, he was being pulled close to her. Even if he wanted to, he couldn't have said no. He was completely lovestruck already.

"Name's Tiffany. Don't wear it out," she grinned.

As if someone was reading Jason's thoughts, a yellow light filled the house, right as Jason somehow closed the door with all four individuals in the house.

Jason's heart went to his throat as he saw the love of his life suddenly appear in the room. It was like he'd seen a ghost.

"Tri..." he murmured even as he was still in Tiffany's arms.

As if to sense his question, she nodded her head, basically saying, "Trust her. It's OK."

He looked to Tiffany, her eyes filled with love, then back to Trini who suddenly spoke.

"Listen to everything she says and heed it Jason. I will always love you."

With that, her apparition faded.

He then looked at his date, asking a silent question.

As if she read his mind, Tiffany said, "Yes. Go say hi."

He then walked over to Billy and said, "You sneaky bastard. You did it again."

"Don't I always though?" Billy said as the two embraced like the close friends they were. Jason knew Billy co-owned the hotel downtown (he had been to the opening and had a tour of the place) and had been working on other "projects." Billy had refused to divulge what those were.

"And Quagmire. What's this about?" Jason said.

"Your friend Tommy basically told me the same thing," Quagmire said. Jason raised an eyebrow. Tommy had met Quagmire again? What the fuck was going on?

"The only thing I am willing to say right now is that you need to be ready to suit up again," Quagmire said.

"Wait, didn't Tommy just beat his big bad like two days ago?" Jason asked.

"That ugly creep Mesogog is small fries compared to the threat that really looms, Jason," Billy said. "Like Trini said, listen to everything Tiffany tells you. We should be going, Quagmire. I have already said too much."

All of a sudden, Jason looked at his blind date and as if she knew what he wanted, she leaned into him and captured his lips. The feeling was like nothing he had ever felt.

"Have fun, you two," Billy said, waving at Jason as he exited the house to his car. Jason could see Quagmire was already gone.

Tiffany grinned. It was now her and Jason alone.

"Well then, Jason," she asked, still cradling him against her, "which part of the date would you like first? The good part or the bad part?"

"First of all, how can you read my mind?" Jason asked.

"People from my part of the universe can read thoughts as easily as we breathe, Jason."

"Let's do the good part first," Jason said. "I don't want my fun with you spoiled."

9:30 p.m.

Angel Grove, CA

The events that followed were part of an evening Jason would never forget, for reasons good and bad. The two had went to dinner at the restaurant inside the hotel downtown, went to see a nice movie and now were in bed together.

Tiffany had also told him her origins, where she was from, how she'd been on both sides of the fence because of her childhood friendship with Rita, how the M-51 galaxy was no longer evil, her serving as an assistant under Eldin and Lady Fienna. Everything.

He would have to remember that Tiffany could read every one of his thoughts, at any time.

That was the good part.

Then there was the bad part. Because his brand new girlfriend was so beautiful and smart, it soothed the pain a bit but not very much.

That Lokar was back and that Kat was actually working with him against the legacy he and the others had built under Zordon's jurisdiction had shattered his world. And that his little sister was being tortured by Lokar and his entire family was maybe the worst part of it all.

No, that's not true, he thought. Lokar and Kat had murdered Trini in cold blood was the worst. No, Kat had not been the driver but she'd paid him handsomely. Trini was dead because of those two. And, Kat had almost killed his best friend (also her very own husband) and if it hadn't been for Kimberly's interference she would have.

And she'd done it out of petty revenge, Tiffany had told him. The kissing on Kimberly part had done it.

She'd tricked them all, and now because of this the legacy was in grave danger.

He wanted to be mad at Tommy but really couldn't; Jason had trusted Kat too. Until Kat had hooked up with Tommy, he'd had brief thoughts about going out with her as well. And, Tommy was at least trying. Jason shuddered to think how much Kat knew just from that marriage. One wrong step and Kat could have Tommy ended in two seconds.

And the fact that Kat was seeing this Ivan Ooze guy behind Tommy's back - truly sick, Jason thought.

"I'd ask how she tricked us all, but that's not important for the moment," Jason said to Tiffany pointedly. "How the fuck is Lokar even alive. We sent him packing twice."

"Lokar is nearly impossible to kill, Jason," Tiffany said. "He is a demon, in every sense of the word. Believe it or not, he could have killed Rita if he wanted to, at any time. He's far more powerful than Repulsa or Zedd ever were and I can testify because I know both of them, good and evil."

"Besides all that, his home is the Talos Dimension, he was able to secure himself from Zordon's wave several years ago," Tiffany said.

"So does anybody have a plan to get Kimberly the fuck out of there? I can't even imagine how hellish her life is now," Jason said.

"Tommy does, but it's simply in the planning stages at this point," Tiffany said. "My sources tell me he calls it 'Project Paris.'"

"He's out of his mind," Jason mumbled. "Caroline and Pierre would never work with him, Caroline more specifically. Shit, Caroline probably thinks this Kaden guy that Kim is unfortunately married to is good."

"It's risky, no doubt, but let's just say I think it's got a better chance of working than you think," Tiffany said with a wink. "The elephant in the room is that Tommy is still married to Kat legally. One bad misstep..."

"Yeah, I know. Don't remind me," Jason said. "Hey, do you have any place to go where you won't look so suspicious to the public?"

"I do in fact. The hotel downtown that we were at earlier, the one Billy co-owns, is actually a front for what is under it."

"And that is?" Jason said, interest rising.

"A modern day command center with all the latest equipment, which is run by Billy, Justin and my boss Lady Fienna. This is why it's called Grandma F's Hotel. Not even Lokar knows about it, to my knowledge," Tiffany said, smirking as she did so. "The reason Tommy's lab in Reefside, or whatever that town's name is, got blown up is because his security system wasn't as refined as this command center's is. It's very hard for anyone to get into the base here."

"Brilliant," Jason said. "This could be the X-factor to defeating Lokar. Is there anything else I should know?"

"Yes, actually," Tiffany said. "Just a couple of days ago, Grifforza, the spawn of Goldar and Scorpina, arrived to assist Lokar along with her assistant Heart Stealer. Heart Stealer is capable of corrupting entire teams of Rangers and she's deadly herself in battle."

"You said entire teams?" Jason said. "No way."

"Way," Tiffany said regretfully. "She does it by literally ripping a person's heart out of their chest while in a force field, corrupting it with her spell, and then putting it back inside her target. She can then activate her magic from anywhere."

"Tiffany, that's disgusting and also TMI," Jason said. "It makes me want to gag on my spit. And I don't even want to think of how bad Goldar and Scorpina's daughter is."

"She's as awful as you envision her to be, and also Goldar is back as well," Tiffany said. "Lokar revived him to assist Kat and he was the one that corrupted the White Dino Thunder Ranger's Dino Gem. This is why Tommy was put in a coma."

Jason silently fumed. Goldar didn't seem to want to die already.

"Can we win this, seriously?" Jason said. "It seems like a lot. Kat, Lokar, Goldar, Grifforza or whatever her name is, entire teams of evil Power Rangers."

"Yes. We can and we will," Tiffany said. "It will take a lot, but it can be done. It really all depends on Tommy. If he comes through we can win."

That made Jason feel quite a bit better. Tommy wasn't the Greatest Ranger Ever for nothing.

"That's enough bad news. Sleep?" Jason said.

"Yes. I think we both need it."

The two drifted off to sleep, holding each other like their lives depended on it.

'Try me, Kat,' Tiffany silently said. 'You may have murdered Trini and almost murdered Tommy, but you cannot easily get rid of me. Some day you will see justice.'

Review box is at the bottom. Please review/follow if you don't mind. Thanks.