What Was Lost: The Return Home

by superdory57

When life happens people change and time can pull apart even the closest friends. That doesn't stop the rangers from coming together when the world needs them. Will the original rangers be able to come together to save each other from themselves? Will the rest of the rangers be able to keep them safe from a threat unknown? And what does Jason's wife have to do with it?

7. Chapter 7 Meeting

Friday April 13th, 2018

Angel Grove, CA

Aisha shifted to get a little more comfortable in the chair as she took the offered glass of water. She and Tanya were currently at the resort spa waiting for their massage appointments to start. Dressed in comfy bathrobes and slippers, they were both curled up in squishy chairs in the small VIP lounge just off the lobby.

"Is there anything else I can get either of you while you wait?" the staff member asked.

"No, but thank you," Tanya smiled.

"Then just relax," they said, smiling back. "We'll be ready for your massages shortly."

As the staff member walked away, Tanya and Aisha heard a voice that caught their attention.

"Aisha? Aisha DeSantas and Tanya Park?"

Exchanging a smirk, they turned to see the source of the voice. It was Megan Callahan, Jennifer's mother. She was staring at them from the doorway to the lobby.

"It's DeSantos," Aisha corrected, taking a sip of her water.

"What are you two doing here?" she practically demanded, frowning.

"We're here for a spa day," Tanya said. "You made it sound so nice the other day that we decided to have one, too."

Aisha nodded in agreement with Tanya as Megan stared at them in surprise.

"And just how did you manage that?" she scoffed, crossing her arms as she walked closer. "They are always booked months in advance. It's practically impossible to get in at the last minute. What did you have to do—take out a second mortgage on your houses and bribe someone to get in here?"

She smirked at them, waiting for a response. Aisha and Tanya both just shrugged with smiles of their own.

"As you said," Aisha answered calmly. "A spa day sounded wonderful. So, we called a friend."

Jennifer's mother frowned, but before she could press for more answers the staff member walked back in and saw her.

"I'm sorry," he said. "But this is the VIP area, and you need to be checked in before you can be in here. The desk is just over there if you could let them know you have arrived. They will direct you from there."

"But they—" she tried to protest.

"This area is for imperial members only," he interrupted firmly. "And everyone must check in first. So, if you could please…"

Without waiting for an argument, the staff member firmly directed Megan Callahan toward the desk and out of the lounge. As they were chasing her out, another staff member came from the other direction.

"Mrs. DeSantos and Mrs. Park?" she said. "We are ready to take you for your massages. If you would follow me."

"Of course," Tanya said brightly. "Thank you!"

Both women stood and, with quick glances over their shoulders, gave Jennifer's mom a goodbye wave and headed to their massages. Megan Callahan sputtered as she was escorted away toward the desk.

Saturday April 14th, 2018

New York City, New York

Hearing a knock at the door of the apartment, Jason set down the books he'd been packing and hurried to answer it. He'd been trying to get a few more boxes packed up before he had to get dressed for the banquet that evening. Quickly stepping around boxes piled in the hallway, he opened the door without checking the peephole.

"Hello?" he said as he opened the door, stopping in surprise when he recognized the person on the other side. "Kim?"

Standing in the hallway, smiling, was someone he hadn't seen in a very long time. Wearing pink sweatpants, a white zip-up hoodie, and tennis shoes, Kim grinned up at him. Her hair was pulled back in a ponytail out of her face.

"Hi Jason!" she exclaimed.

Before he could react, she threw her arms around him in a hug. He hugged her back, still surprised to see her.

"What are you doing here?" he asked as she let go.

"Visiting," she said, cocking her head as followed his gesture to come in. "Is that a problem?"

"No," he said quickly. "I'm just a little bit surprised. You've never come to visit me before."

Kim shrugged, glancing around the box filled hallway.

"I was in the area," she said. "And I saw your mom the last time I was in Angel Grove—she gave me your address. I thought maybe we could catch up while I'm in town."

"Jason, who was at the door?"a women's voice called from another room, interrupting before Jason could say anything else.

"It's just Kim!" he called back.

"Kim who?"she asked, her voice getting closer.

Jason sighed, glancing at Kim who was watching with interest.

"Sorry," he said. "It's just my wife, Christine. She was getting dressed in our room."

He turned back to call out an answer to Christine.

"It's Kimberly," he said. "One of my old friends from Angel Grove? I've known her since we were kids."

"Which one was she?"Christine responded, her voice coming closer. "The short, obnoxious one or the busy body who always seemed to know everything?"

Jason flushed in embarrassment as he looked back at Kim. She didn't say anything immediately, just crossing her arms as she raised an eyebrow. Christine rounded the corner into the hallway, freezing as she realized Kim was actually in the apartment and had heard the entire conversation. Christine's hair was pinned up in a fancy updo and she had a full face of make-up. Wrapped in a bathrobe, she was clearly in the middle of getting ready for something.

"I'm the one who was usually dressed in pink," Kim said sweetly, looking directly at Christine. "Hi. I'm Kim. It's nice to meet you."

Kim held out her hand to Christine as she came closer. Christine recovered a little, gingerly taking Kim's hand as she eyed her up and down.

"And what exactly are you doing here?" Christine asked, taking back her hand and not-so-subtly wiping it off on her bathrobe.

"I was in town and thought it would be nice to catch up with Jason," Kim said. "It's been years since we even spoke with each other."

"That's nice," Christine said with a sniff. "But you'll have to come back another time. Jason needs to get ready to go. We have a charity banquet tonight."

"Oh, really?" Kim exclaimed, glancing at Jason. "What charity?"

"It's for a charity my grandfather helped with start-up funding," Jason said. "I don't know if you heard, but he passed away last month. They are holding a banquet tonight in his honor and invited me to attend in his place."

"I'm so sorry, Jason," Kim said softly, placing a hand on his arm. "I know you were close with your grandfather. I'd love to come with you. Where is it going to be?"

Christine scoffed.

"This is a high-end society event," she said, looking pointedly at Kim's clothes. "There will be a lot of important people there. People you wouldn't know or understand how to socialize with."

Jason groaned as Kim turned back to Christine, her hands on her hips.

"Oh, you'd be surprised," Kim said stiffly. "And I love supporting good charities—no matter who attends the events."

"I really don't think this event is for you," Christine fired back. "Not your—style."

"Leaving my style out of it," Kim retorted. "How much for a plate—or even a table?"

Christine scoffed again.

"If you have to ask, then you can't afford it," she said condescendingly.

Kim opened her mouth to retaliate, but Jason stepped in between the two women.

"Ok, ok," he interrupted, glancing between them.

They both glared at Jason.

"Kim, I really think you'd be more comfortable not coming," Jason said, trying to placate her. "This isn't going to be like anything we attended in high school or college. Why don't you just give me your phone number and I can text or call you later. You said you were just in town for a visit—are you back in California or are you still living in Florida?"

Kim shot another scowl at Christine before answering Jason.

"I'm a little bit of everywhere," Kim said with a shrug. "I bounce around."

"She's probably homeless," Christine muttered under her breath behind Jason. "I mean, look at what she's wearing."

He grimaced, hearing her comment. Kim heard it, too, from the thunderous look on her face. But Jason did take a quick second look at his old friend. She'd never been one to wear sweatpants just out and around—and she did look a little rumpled. Plus, the big bag she had draped over her shoulder.

"Christine," Jason said quietly. "Why don't you go finish getting ready? I'll say goodbye to Kim and be there in a minute."

Christine rolled her eyes, but she did turn and stalk off into the apartment. Jason sighed, running a hand through his hair as he turned back to Kim.

"I'm sorry," he said. "Listen, why don't you stay and visit for a few days? I'll talk to Christine. We have a couch you can crash on—at least until we move out at the end of the week."

"You're moving?" Kim said. "Well, that explains all the boxes."

"Yeah," Jason said. "My grandfather left me his house, so we're moving back to Angel Grove."

"That's wonderful!" Kim exclaimed. "The coming back to Angel Grove part, I mean."

She paused for a moment, a little sheepish at her outburst.

"Anyways," she continued. "I don't need somewhere to sleep. I already have a place to stay."

"Oh. Ok," said Jason. "Well, that's… that's great."

"I really would like to come with you tonight, though," Kim said quietly. "Please? It couldn't hurt to have a friend there to support you."

Jason sighed, glancing over his shoulder.

"Ok," he said after a moment. "You can come with us. But we are leaving in two hours."

"That is not a problem," Kim said quickly.

"Alright, then what is the address so we can pick you up?" he asked.

Kim shook her head.

"I'll meet you back here in the lobby," she said. "Don't leave without me!"

Without waiting for another answer from Jason, Kim spun and let herself out, disappearing down the hall as she pulled a phone out of her bag. Jason sighed and shut the door behind her.

"Christine is going to kill me," he muttered.

Kim stalked out of the apartment building. Still fuming, she climbed into a car waiting out front.

"Home, please," she said to the driver.

She spent the drive through the city in silence, stewing over the conversation with Christine as she searched for more information on the event with her phone. When the car finally pulled up in front of another apartment building, Kim hopped out with a bright thank you to the driver and headed inside. The doorman held the door open for her, nodding in greeting. She smiled back, thanking him. Inside, she took the elevator all the way up to one of the penthouses at the top of the building.

"Jake!" Kim called, walking in and dropping her bag by the door. "Jake, are you home?"

Jake popped out of another room in response to her shout.

"You're home earlier than I thought you'd be, sweetheart," he said, walking out to greet her. "Was Jason not home?"

"Oh, he was home," she said irritably.

Jake frowned, leaning down to give her a quick kiss.

"What's wrong?" he asked with concern. "Did something happen?"

"It was Jason's wife," Kim muttered.

"What did she do?"

"Nothing specific," Kim said. "But she was rude, she was nasty—she insulted me. And she's never even met me before!"

Jake chuckled, giving her a hug. She hugged him back, burying her face in his chest.

"You talk to women like that all the time," he said. "Why does this one have you so ruffled?"

"Because she's married to Jason," Kim mumbled into his shirt. "He deserves someone better than that."

"Maybe she's just having a bad day," Jake suggested.

"I doubt it," Kim retorted. "Now."

She pulled out of the hug and put her hands on her hips.

"We are going to a charity banquet."

"Umm… when?" Jake asked.

"Tonight," Kim said. "So, I need to go get ready. I have to be back at Jason's place in less than two hours."

"Wait, tonight?" Jake frowned. "I thought we were staying in tonight."

"Not anymore," Kim said. "I'm going to outshine her—if only because she assumed I was homeless."

"She what?" Jake said, raising an eyebrow.

"Oh, apparently because I'm dressed in sweatpants, I'm homeless," she said.

Jake snorted as he looked her up and down.

"Most homeless aren't going to spend the little money they have on custom designer sweatpants," he said with a smirk. "So, what is this event?"

Kim started explaining as she walked toward their room, Jake trailing behind her. He sat down on their bed as she started digging through her closet. She gave him a rundown of all the details she had found on her way home.

"So, I'll need you to call ahead and buy us plates," she said. "Or a table. The driver can drop me off at Jason's place and I'll ride to the event with them and meet you there. Which one?"

She came to the door of the closet holding up two dresses for his opinion.

"Definitely that one," he grinned, pointing. "Especially if you want to make her eat her words."

Kim laughed, putting the other one away. Jake continued to help her get ready, grabbing her things as she asked for them. Once she was done with her hair and makeup, Kim put on her dress and started going through her jewelry. She muttered indecisively, picking up items and putting them back.

"I have a suggestion," Jake said behind her.

Kim looked at him in the mirror as his arms came around her and he placed a diamond necklace around her neck. She beamed, glancing over her shoulder at him.

"It's perfect," she said as he hooked the clasp for her. "And I have just the earrings and a bracelet to go with it."

She took out a pair of diamond earrings, not too big so as not to draw away from the necklace she was wearing. Then she put on a bracelet to match. Satisfied, Kim sat for a moment in front of the mirror fiddling with her hair and jewelry to make sure everything was just right. Jake stood behind her, hands on her shoulders.

"Too bad I'll miss the look on this Christine's face when she sees you at the door," Jake murmured, kissing the top of her head.

Kim laughed and stood, turning around.

"Have I mentioned how much I love you?" she said. "And you'll need to wear a full tux tonight—with tails, please."

Jake groaned.

"Only for you," he grumbled. "But you need to get going or you are going to be late. And I need to get dressed or I won't be able to beat you there."

"I'm going," Kim said. "Oh! And I'm borrowing one of your coats."

"Why?" Jake asked as she darted into his closet, coming out with a long trench coat.

"Never you mind," she said, giving him a quick kiss before she headed out the door. "It's all a part of the plan. I'll see you there."

Jason paced back and forth in the lobby of the apartment building. Christine was sitting nearby in a chair, not even trying to hide her irritation.

"We need to go, Jason," she snapped. "Our car is waiting and we are going to be late. I can't believe you even said she could come with us. She doesn't have a ticket. Are we supposed to just buy her one?"

"I'll figure it out when we get there," Jason muttered. "And just give her a couple more minutes. I'm sure she just got caught up in the traffic."

Christine scoffed, scowling as she sat stiffly in the chair, being careful not to mess up her dress. Jason continued to pace. In the chair next to Christine, Will lounged casually as he stared at his phone.

The door opened and all three turned to look. Kim hurried in, catching sight of Jason almost immediately. She was wearing a long, men's trench coat that brushed the ground. But her hair was up, and Jason could see she was wearing earrings now.

"I am so sorry, Jason," she said. "I meant to be here ten minutes ago. Traffic is awful."

Jason sighed in relief.

"It's fine," he said. "Let's go."

He walked over and held out a hand to Christine. She scowled at Kim behind him, but took his hand and stood, brushing off her dress as she did. Will stood up as well, looking Kim up and down as he did. Kim raised an eyebrow at his appraisal.

"Oh, sorry," Jason said, seeing them looking at each other. "Kim, this is my brother-in-law, William. Will, this is Kimberly. She's an old friend."

"It's nice to meet you," Will drawled with a grin on his face.

"Likewise," Kim said stiffly. "Shouldn't we be going?"

"Yes," Jason said. "Come on. The car is waiting out front."

Jason led the way out the door, Christine holding on to his arm. Jason opened the door and helped Christine inside and then turned to help Kim as well. Once both women were settled in the car, he climbed in the back with Kim and Christine. Will sat up front with the driver. They had one more passenger than Jason had originally planned on when he had ordered the Uber-X a few days before.

"We are going to be late," Christine huffed as the car started moving.

"We have plenty of time," Jason said, trying to reassure her.

Christine just scowled. But Jason was right and they arrived quickly. Others were still arriving around them as they climbed out of the car. Jason helped both girls out as Will climbed out of the front seat. Christine and Kim moved toward the door ahead of the men. Christine grabbed Kim's arm and stopped her, hissing quietly.

"I hope you understand just how expensive it is going to be to get you in," she hissed. "This isn't just some restaurant."

Jason, walking up behind, took Christine by the arm.

"Christine, it's fine," he said again. "We will make it work. Alright?"

Christine scowled but didn't argue. Kim rolled her eyes and turned to walk straight toward the doorman.

"Kim, wait!" Jason called, hurrying after her.

But she didn't pause. Kim walked right up to the greeter.

"Name?" he asked, ready to check through the list in his hands.

"Kimberly Rosenberg," she said with a bright smile.

He nodded, glancing down at the guestlist.

"Ah yes," he said. "Welcome Mrs. Rosenberg. Your husband has already checked in. You will be at table number twenty."

"Thank you," Kim said, moving past him through the door.

Jason and Christine stared in surprise as they came up to the door themselves. Will followed close behind them. Kim had paused just inside the entrance as someone came up to take her coat. She unbuttoned it and gracefully let the coat slide off her shoulders, handing it over to the man waiting to take it for her. She turned to look behind her for the rest of the party she had arrived with.

Kim was dressed to the nines in a blush colored, floor length gown. It had a high neck in the front, but an open back. A beautiful gold necklace of twisting vines and flowers rested on her collarbone, glittering with the diamonds set in the flowers.

"Name?" the greeter asked, looking expectantly at Jason.

"What?" Jason said, turning back to the greeter. "Oh! Umm… Scott. Jason Scott."

The greeter raised an eyebrow, a little suspicious of Jason's stumble. Kim laughed.

"Don't worry, they are with me," she said with a smile. "And he's the guest of honor tonight."

Christine was still staring at Kim in shock—as was Will. Neither had expected her to just waltz through the door unhindered. Jason hadn't either. They followed her inside, handing off their coats as well. Inside, Christine swept past Kim in a huff with Will right on her heels. Jason, however, took Kim by the arm and pulled her aside.

"What are you doing?" he asked quietly, glancing around.

"What do you mean?" Kim asked innocently. "This is how I always am at these functions. Half of being here is about being seen."

"That's not what I meant—" Jason started to protest.

"Kimberly?" another voice interrupted. "It is you! I didn't know you were back in the States. How have you been?"

Kim spun, greeting the woman who had interrupted. Jason just stood there as the two women started chatting about mutual friends and what they had been doing. And then Kim was moving through the room, greeting people by name and conversing easily with them. Jason just watched in shock, trailing behind her. This Kim was not what he expected—he didn't know what to do with this Kim. She fit right in with all of the elite guests in the room without even seeming to try.

Christine found them again, grabbing Jason's arm.

"Where is this coming from?" she demanded. "I thought she was just an old friend."

"She is," Jason said defensively. "And I don't know. I mean, she's always been outgoing but this is different. It's like she does this all the time."

Christine didn't answer, her grip tightening on his arm.

"Jason!" she hissed. "That's Jacob Rosenberg coming over!"

Jason frowned, turning to follow his wife's line of sight.

"Rosenberg?" Jason repeated. "But isn't that the last name Kim gave?"

"I don't know," Christine snapped. "But Jacob Rosenberg is one of the richest men in the country. Think of how much better things could be if you could get a job with him."

They watched Jake stride through the crowd straight over to Kim. Walking up behind her, he put his arms around her and gave her a quick kiss on the cheek. Kim spun in his arms to face him, reaching to take his hands.

"There you are, sweetheart," he said. "Did they give you our table number? It's just over there."

"Of course," she beamed. "I was just catching up with a few people. Let me find Jason and we'll join you. I want you to meet him."

"I'd love to meet him," Jake said. "I need to go say hi to a few people. Meet you at the table in a few minutes?"

"Alright," Kim said.

Squeezing her hands, Jake turned and walked away, pausing to talk to a few people as he went. Kim turned back to look for Jason. Spotting him and Christine, she hurried to join them.

"Have you already claimed your seats?" she asked. "Jake bought a table and says you are welcome to join us. Table twenty just over that way."

"Of course!" Christine exclaimed, suddenly smiling at Kim. "We'd love to join you."

Christine immediately hurried toward the table where Jake was now standing and talking to a few others, but Jason stopped Kim from following.

"What's wrong, Jason?" Kim asked, looking up at him.

"What are you pulling, Kim?" he asked, frowning. "Why didn't you tell us from the beginning you were married to one of the richest men in the country?"

"Well, Jason," Kim smirked, putting a hand on her hip. "You didn't ask—or give me a chance to tell you anything. Besides, I'm pretty sure Christine would have just laughed if I had told her that in my sweatpants—or flat out called me a liar."

Spinning, Kim swept away toward her husband leaving Jason staring after her in surprise. He really didn't know how to respond to what she had just said. Especially since he couldn't say she was wrong. Will walked up behind Jason, clapping a hand on his shoulder. Jason turned to see what he wanted.

"Is Christine talking to Jacob Rosenberg?" he asked eagerly.

"Yep," Jason said. "Apparently Kim is his wife."

"Kim?" Will repeated. "Like your friend Kim?"

Jason nodded.

"Yes," he said. "I had no idea until a few minutes ago."

"Oh really?" Will grinned. "Is that a problem? You and Kim a little more than friends?"

Jason frowned at the suggestion.

"No," he said firmly. "We have never been anything more than just friends."

"You sure?" Will smirked as they started walking over to join Christine.

"Knock it off, Will," Jason said irritably. "She's like my little sister."

Will just laughed. At the table, Kim was holding Jake's arm and leaning into his side. She had a drink in her free hand now and was listening to something Christine was saying to Jake.

"Oh, there you are, Jason," Kim said, smiling as he walked up. "I'd like you to meet my husband, Jake. Jake, this is Jason."

"It's nice to finally meet you," Jake said, holding out a hand. "I've heard all about you from Kim."

"I'm not sure if that's a good thing or not," Jason chuckled as he shook Jake's hand.

Jake laughed as Kim smirked at Jason. Jason quickly introduced Will, as well. Once everyone had been introduced, Will turned to talk to Kim. She had let go of Jake's arm and was talking to Jason.

"So, you two have been friends since high school?" Will asked.

Jason eyed him suspiciously, but Kim just shook her head.

"Even longer," she said. "Jason and I have known each other since we were children. We were very close growing up—though we have drifted apart since we both left Angel Grove. I guess that's part of growing up though."

"Close, huh?" Will grinned. "Just how close? Jason denies it, but if you've known each other that long you can't be just friends. Spend any time together more recently?"

Jake's eyes narrowed as he turned to glare at Will's suggestive comments. Kim raised an eyebrow.

"We are just friends," Kim said coldly. "If anything, I would consider Jason an older brother—nothing more. And I don't enjoy being the subject of malicious gossip."

"I would prefer you weren't either," Jake agreed, pulling out his phone to answer a text as Kim put an arm around his waist to lean against him.

He started typing as Will just smirked, enjoying himself at their expense. Kim peeked at the text Jake was sending and laughed a little.

"You can't help yourself, can you?" she asked. "I never should have introduced the two of you."

Jake grinned as a response popped through.

"Too late now," he said. "But Tommy does say that just because he is on the other side of the country, doesn't mean he can't take care of someone bothering you—so I don't have to mess up my nice clothes. Something about friends in the area."

Kim laughed as Jason looked at Jake in surprise.

"Tommy?" he repeated. "Why is Jake texting Tommy?"

"I introduced them not long ago," Kim sighed, shaking her head. "I regret it some days…"

Jake grinned. Will frowned, a little put out that he wasn't getting much of a reaction anymore. They had stopped paying attention to him almost entirely.

"Tommy has plenty of stories about Kim from high school," Jake said, putting an arm around her again. "And he is always happy to share something to embarrass her."

Kim huffed but didn't move.

"You look surrounded tonight, Mrs. Rosenberg," a new voice interrupted. "Are any of them bothering you? I can have them removed. My teammates would be happy to help."

The group turned to see a young man in a red dress shirt standing there with a grin on his face as he waited for Kim's answer. Jake groaned and Kim smiled.

"What are you doing here, McKnight?" Jake grumbled.

"Well, since the event is a fundraiser for my charity, I think it is probably a good plan for me to be here," he grinned in response. "I don't remember seeing you on the guest list, however."

Kim laughed as Jake scowled.

"I don't think you need to throw anyone out just yet, Conner," she said. "And this was a last-minute decision. We just happened to be in town and found out about the event from Jason earlier this afternoon."

"Hey! You're Conner McKnight!" Will exclaimed.

Conner turned to look at him, eyeing Will for a moment.

"That would be me," he said. "And you are?"

"Will," he answered, holding out a hand. "Will Harrison."

Conner nodded but didn't take his hand.

"And you are Jason Scott, of course," Conner said, holding out his hand to Jason instead. "Your grandfather was a good man; I was sorry to hear about his passing. Glad you could make it in his place."

"Thanks," Jason said, shaking Conner's hand. "Thank you for the invitation."

"Of course," Conner said as he glanced over at Jake again. "Oh! Before I forget. I'll be right back."

Without any further explanation, Conner turned and jogged off through the crowd. They watched him disappear before going back to their conversation.

"You know Conner McKnight?" Will said, turning to Jake and Kim. "That kid is one of the biggest stars in the soccer world right now. Getting close to him opens a lot of doors."

"Well, I've only met him a couple of times," Kim said, shaking her head. "But he and Jake run into each other a lot because of soccer games and events. They have a—special—relationship."

"That kid is obnoxious," Jake inserted. "Always taking every opportunity to insult my team and their stats."

"He likes me," Kim laughed. "Always so polite. But you're right, he doesn't miss a chance to insult you, Jake."

Jake scowled.

"If he wasn't such a good player, he wouldn't be so cocky," he muttered, shaking his head.

"I'm not so sure about that," Kim said, shaking her head.

"So, he doesn't play on your team, Jake?" Christine asked.

Jake opened his mouth to answer but didn't get a chance.

"He wishes," Conner snorted as he rejoined them. "Here, Jake. I got you a present. Been waiting for the perfect opportunity to give it to you—now seems good."

Jake eyed the small paper bag Conner was offering to him suspiciously. He took it after a moment and reached inside. The moment he pulled it out, Kim burst out in laughter and then promptly choked as she tried to smother her laugh.

"And what is this supposed to mean?" Jake scowled at Conner.

He was now holding a copy of Soccer for Dummies in his hands. Conner was laughing, as were the other two who had come back with him. The group hadn't noticed them right away.

"Maybe it will help you win more games," Conner grinned. "I even autographed it for you."

"I should hit you with this," Jake muttered, holding the book.

"But you won't—too many witnesses," Conner said with a smirk. "Oh, these are my friends—Kira and Trent. Kira and Trent, this is Jake Rosenberg and his wife Kim. Jason Scott and his wife. And apparently, he is Will. Don't know how he fits in here."

"Nice to meet you all," Kira said brightly. "We've heard all about you, of course, Jake. And Conner has mentioned you, too, Jason—though I don't believe he has met you before. I think he would have mentioned that already."

Jason shook his head as Kira shot a look at Conner. The younger man just grinned.

"This is the first time I've actually met him," he said. "Though I had heard about him through his grandfather."

Greetings were exchanged all around. Christine stared at the pair like she was trying to place them.

"I've talked about Kim, too," Conner said. "Remember?"

Trent and Kira exchanged a look, shaking their heads.

"I don't remember you saying much," Trent said. "I knew you had met Jake's wife, but that was it."

"I have though," Conner said. "You know—Kim? Kimberly? The 'other woman'? That Kim?"

Trent and Kira stared at Conner until his last comment—then their faces lit up with recognition. Jake and Kim, on the other hand, watched Conner with some concern.

"Oh! That Kim," Kira exclaimed. "I guess I never put the two together. Though, to be fair, she is dressed a lot nicer than in the pictures we have seen."

"McKnight, why are you talking about my wife?" Jake interrupted, raising an eyebrow. "And why do you have pictures?"

"It's nothing weird," Conner quickly assured him. "We have a mutual friend. Acquaintance? Whatever. We know some of the same people. They have the pictures, not me."

"Really?" Kim said, intrigued now. "Who?"

Conner shook his head and grinned.

"Not telling," he said. "I want to see how long it takes you to figure it out. I'm really entertained that you haven't already."

A man walked up to the group, briefly drawing Jake's attention from the conversation as turned to answer a question. He stepped away so he wasn't a distraction, Kim walking with him. though they didn't go far.

"Well, I really should be going," Kira said as she shook her head at Conner. "As entertaining as this is, I need to finish my sound checks before showtime."

Christine gasped.

"You're Kira Ford!" she exclaimed, finally realizing who Conner's friends were. "Which means you must be Trent Mercer, Anton Mercer's son."

"Well, yes," Kira answered. "That's still my stage name. But that's Fernandez-Mercer, not just Mercer."

"Oh, of course," Christine said hurriedly. "I didn't mean to offend."

Trent just waved it off.

"Come on, sweetheart," he said. "Before they yell at Conner for distracting you again."

Conner rolled his eyes as they left.

"I've actually got to get ready for my opening speech," he said. "Krista's going to be looking for me. And no one wants her coming out here to get me. But it was nice to meet you all. Enjoy the banquet!"

He jogged off in the same direction as his friends. Jake and Kim returned to the group a few minutes later.

As the banquet began, the group took their seats. Jason, curious now that Tommy had been brought up, asked Kim what she knew about some of their other high school friends as dinner was served. She shared what she knew as they ate.

"Well, let me see," she said. "Adam owns and operates a dojo that is quite successful. I haven't seen it in person yet, though. Tanya works as a family counselor. Aisha still travels back and forth to Africa once in a while, though she does most of her stuff from home now—coordinating rather than actually going. Rocky is a paramedic. I honestly have no idea what Zach is up to at this point—though I think he is in LA? He was talking about a studio a few weeks back."

She paused, taking a drink of her water.

"Anyways," she continued. "Trini of course works with the UN. She's an ambassador for—she's an ambassador for the UN. Umm… let's see… Oh! Kat and Tommy are actually both teachers now."

"Tommy is a teacher?" Jason said, a little surprised. "Like a gym teacher?"

"Nope," Kim grinned. "Like a science teacher. He teaches high school science."

"Well, I didn't see that coming," Jason muttered, shaking his head.

"I didn't either when he told me," Kim laughed. "It's not like school was ever his strong suit when we were actually in school."

He hesitated before asking his next question.

"What about… what about Billy?" he asked.

Kim shrugged.

"As far as I know, he is still… out of the country," she said. "Tommy mentioned him in passing when I saw him a few weeks ago, so maybe he's been back for a visit in the last few years? It's not like he could just pick up a phone where he's at."

Sighing, Jason nodded. Christine, irritated with the conversation, interrupted and pulled Jason's attention back to her. They talked about Christine for a while and Will. And then the conversation turned to Marc, Jason's son. Kim was excited to learn more about him since she hadn't seen him at the apartment when she stopped by. Jason explained he was staying the night at a friend's house since they were going to be out late.

The rest of the night passed quickly. Kira performed, thank yous were given, and the results of the silent auction were announced. At the very end of the night, Conner brought Jason up to the stage for a special announcement. He was opening his first permanent soccer camp and was going to be naming it in honor of Jason's grandfather. So, in honor of that, he gave Jason a plaque with his grandfather's name engraved.

"I'm glad I got to see you while I was in town," Kim said, giving Jason a hug as they said goodbye at the doors. "Keep in touch and I'll see you soon. I put my number in your phone, and I have yours now, too. I'll be in California more often, so once you get settled let me know. I still haven't met Marc, after all."

"I will," he said. "It was good to see you, too."

Sunday April 15th, 2018

New York City, NY

When his alarm went off in the morning, Jason groaned and rolled over to turn it off. Still grumbling under his breath, he sat up and swung his legs over the side of the bed. Sighing, he rubbed a hand over his face. It had been a long time since he'd been out that late for any reason. Climbing out of bed, he quietly got dressed and slipped out of the room without waking up Christine. He headed straight to the kitchen to start making breakfast. Yawning, Jason glanced at the time and decided he'd just make food for him and Marc. He knew from experience that Christine and Will wouldn't be up anytime soon. Once everything was just about ready, he headed down the hall to Marc's room.

"Marc, time to get up," he said, knocking on his door. "Breakfast is almost ready. Let's go."

He waited for a moment for a response. When he didn't get one after a minute, Jason sighed and opened the door. Stepping inside, Jason froze when he saw Marc's bed was empty. Then he remembered.

"Right, he spent the night at his friend's place," Jason muttered to himself. "Because we were out. Well, I guess I get a bigger breakfast…"

Shaking his head, Jason shut the door behind him as he headed back toward the kitchen. He was in the middle of eating—alone—when there was a knock on the door.

"Now what?" he muttered, getting up to answer the door.

Opening the door, Jason was surprised to see Kim standing outside. Jake was right behind her, his arms full of flattened cardboard boxes and some other packing supplies.

"Kim?" Jason said, blinking at her.

"Good morning!" she said brightly.

"Kim, what are you doing here?" he sighed.

She cocked her head, looking at him with a hand on her hip.

"Visiting you," she said. "Jason, we went through this yesterday."

"This early in the morning?"

Kim snorted.

"Oh for goodness sakes," Kim said, rolling her eyes. "It's already 8:30a. Besides, you were the one who said you wanted to finish as much packing as possible today, so you didn't have to work on it after work every night this week."

Jake shifted behind her.

"Can we take this conversation inside so I can set this stuff down?" he asked.

"Oh, right," Jason said sheepishly. "Sure. Come on in."

He opened the door further to let Kim and Jake walk in.

"Sorry," he said as he shut the door. "I was eating breakfast. Let me just get everything cleaned up and I'll sho—"

"Nope," Kim interrupted. "Sit down and finish your breakfast. We'll get all of the things we brought organized with what you already have while you finish eating."

"Kim, it's fine," Jason said, shaking his head. "I did eat—"

"Nope, finish your breakfast," Kim said again. "You need to eat."

"Kim…" Jason sighed.

Jake shook his head.

"Jason, you've known Kim for how long?" he chuckled. "She's not going to take no for an answer without a really good argument."

"I'm waiting," Kim smirked.

"I don't have one," Jason muttered. "I'll go finish breakfast."

"Yep, shoo," Kim said.

"I'm going, I'm going," Jason said. "Just try and keep it down. Christine and Will are still sleeping."

"Oh, we need to be quiet?" Kim said, glancing over at him.

She dropped the box she had just picked up and it made a loud thud. Jason winced.

"Kim," he said. "This isn't—"

Jake put up his hand as he shot a look at Kim.

"I've got this Jason," he said. "We'll keep it down. I promise."

Nodding slowly, Jason turned and walked back into the kitchen to finish eating.

Mariner Bay, CA

Pulling into the garage, Tommy parked the car and climbed out. He reached back in and grabbed his backpack, slinging it over his shoulder as he turned to head toward the elevator. Carter was waiting for him.

"Hey, Tommy," Carter said.

"Carter," Tommy sighed, nodding.

"I'm glad you're here early," Carter said as Tommy approached. "I'm behind getting a few things together, but I approved the final agenda you sent."

Tommy sighed again, placing his hand on the control pad for the elevator.

"Come on," Tommy said. "I'll help finish the prep, but I've been on the road since really early this morning. I had to drop off JJ in Angel Grove with Tanya before I could head this way. And I was going to grab Rocky and Adam while I was there, but they were already gone."

Carter frowned, looking over at Tommy as the elevator door shut.

"Tommy, they aren't here yet," he said slowly.

Tommy shook his head.

"No, they were making a pit stop," he said. "Apparently, they were going out to breakfast on their way. They didn't think to invite me, though—even though they knew I'd be coming to Angel Grove first."

"Oh, I can get you something to—"

"It's fine," Tommy interrupted. "I grabbed something on the way."

"Oh, alright," Carter said. "If you're sure."

"Let's just get everything ready before everyone else starts showing up," Tommy said shortly.

A few minutes later they were in the conference room getting everything set up. The table and chairs were already set to go, so they focused on sorting out the paper copies of the agenda as well as some reports for the reds to go over before the next meeting. They also had to get the computer set up so Leo could call in—he wasn't coming with Andros this time. So, he'd be on video like Aurico.

"So, what even prompted this meeting, Tommy?" Carter asked as they worked. "Last I heard your other three teammates had fully stepped away from the rangers except in extreme emergencies."

Tommy sighed.

"Well, it started when one of them showed up at my house demanding to spend time with me when I had no time," he muttered. "Then she got all upset when I wouldn't tell her or explain certain things and she knew I wasn't telling her and—you know what? I'll just explain it when we're all here. That way I don't have to repeat myself. Because even though they don't need to know that part they are all going to insist on knowing."

Carter didn't say anything for a moment, looking at Tommy in surprise over the small rant. Tommy took a deep breath.

"Let's just go over some of this stuff while we can," Tommy said, shaking his head. "We don't need all of these reports for today, but it will save us time later."

They both sat down and started flipping through the files. Tommy quickly covered the agenda to make sure he and Carter were on the same page and then moved on to other things. Carter tried asking Tommy some questions as they continued, but he was completely absorbed in the reports now. All he was getting was the occasional grunt or one word answer. Giving up, Carter stood and stretched.

"I'll be back in a few," Carter said. "I'm going to grab a couple more things and see if anyone has arrived yet."

"Grab some water and snacks for the meeting while you're up," Tommy said absently.

"Already taken care of," Carter said, gesturing to the side of the room.

Tommy didn't respond or look up for a moment.

"I'm sorry—what was that?" Tommy said a moment later, looking up.

"Never mind," Carter sighed.

Tommy nodded and went back to what he was doing.

"Don't forget the stuff," he said again.

Carter just shook his head and walked out.

New York, NY

"Jason, you need to label the boxes," Kim said, shaking her head as she thrust a marker at him. "How else are you supposed to know where they go?"

Jason rolled his eyes, shooting her a look. He'd finished breakfast a while before and now was working on packing up what he could of the kitchen while he meal prepped for the week. Kim had been insisting on making sure everything was thoroughly labeled. Will had stumbled out grabbing some food and muttering something about going to find something interesting to do. While Christine had only passed through briefly to say she was going to the spa with her friends without noticing Kim and Jake packing in the living room. Jason decided it would be easier to just not say anything and had let them both go without another word.

"I'll open the box, Kim," he said, shaking his head.

But he took the marker anyways and labeled the box before going back to what he was working on. Kim watched him, her brow furrowed as she looked at all of the food he had laid out on the counter. Some of it was separated into containers while other food was still waiting.

"So, why are you making so many different things?" Kim asked, poking around to see what he had. "This is a lot of food."

"Well, I have to have enough for all of us to eat," Jason said.

"Yes, but why so much for just four people?" Kim asked. "It's one week—how much variety could you possibly need?"

"Oh," Jason said, glancing around. "Well…"

He paused for a moment then shrugged as he pulled more plates out of the cabinet to wrap and pack them. He was starting with all of the dishware, planning on using disposable things for the rest of the week.

"That stuff is Christine's," he said, gesturing to one group of containers. "And that's Will's. The rest is for Marc and myself."

Kim frowned.

"And they can't eat the same things as you and Marc because?" she asked slowly. "Does someone have an allergy—that's something I need to know."

Jason shook his head.

"Not exactly," he said. "Will is lactose intolerant, but that's it."

"Uh, then question," Jake said, joining them. "Why did I see the makings of a very expensive charcuterie board in your fridge?"

"Oh, that's Christine's," Jason answered. "For her goodbye lunch with her friends later this week."

"But then—" Jake started to ask.

Kim elbowed him.

"Never mind," Jake said. "It's not important."

Jason just shrugged.

"It's fine," Jason said. "Christine likes things to be a very specific way when it comes to food. She's fussy—and we both know it—but if she doesn't eat the right things for her she starts to think she is gaining weight even if she isn't. And of course I make sure she knows it—but I always try to keep that in mind while making her food. I don't want her to stress about it. And, I mean, Will has a legitimate medical issue."

Kim nodded, still thoughtful.

"I guess that makes sense," she said. "But most of the things you have for Christine are simple—why does she need it all prepped ahead of time? Wouldn't some of it be better made fresh? Or does she need it to take to work?"

"Oh, Christine doesn't have a job right now," Jason said, shaking his head.

"Wait—what?" Kim exclaimed. "Really?"

"It's fine," Jason said. "There was an issue at her last job and since we were moving we agreed she would just wait until we got to California. And the food—well, she doesn't cook a lot. It's not something she likes to do. So, if there isn't food ready to eat she's more likely to just go out with friends and we really can't afford that—"

He paused, his face flushing as he realized what he'd just admitted. Kim immediately shook her head, placing a hand on his arm.

"It's fine, Jason," she said. "There is nothing wrong with having financial issues. Not everyone gets a lucky break like Jake—"

"Hey!" Jake protested. "I work hard."

"Yes, you do," Kim said, patting his arm and keeping her attention on Jason. "Everyone struggles with something, Jason. It doesn't make you better or worse than anyone else."

Jason sighed.

"I know," he said. "It's just not something I like to talk about… it doesn't help that living in New York is so expensive."

"It is," Jake agreed. "But you're moving to California—which isn't really any better."

Kim smacked him on the arm. Jason rubbed a hand over his face, getting a little frustrated by the turn in conversation.

"You're right," he admitted reluctantly. "But I won't have to pay for a house or apartment in California."

"I guess that makes more sense," Jake said.

Jason nodded.

"Not having to pay rent like I do for this apartment is going to go a long ways," Jason sighed. "We pay almost $3500 a month to live here."

Jake and Kim both looked at him in surprise, looking around the apartment.

"Well, you're being ripped off," Kim muttered.

Realizing she had just said that out loud, Kim slapped a hand over her own mouth.

"I didn't mean that," she mumbled through her hair.

"Yes, you did," Jake said, shaking his head. "Sorry, Jason—but she's not wrong."

Jason just shrugged. He wasn't disagreeing with them. Part of why he was so eager to move and not worry about it for a while. The three of them chatted for a few more minutes, deciding on lunch before Kim and Jake went back to packing up the living room.

Mariner Bay, CA

"So, what do you think the chances are of us not being the last ones here?" Conner sighed as the elevator doors closed.

Krista, Trent, and Kira exchanged amused looks. They had arrived at Lightspeed a few minutes before and were heading down to get Conner to the meeting.

"Probably slim," Trent said, shaking his head. "The meeting starts in less than ten minutes."

"Great…" Conner groaned. "Oh well, I guess. I might be last, but at least I'm not late. Are you two coming with me? Dr. O would like me to remind you that you have to stay quiet if you sit in."

Kira rolled her eyes.

"Excuse you," she snorted. "But we are not the loud ones—unlike you and Ethan. But no. We figured we'd go down to the room with Krista and relax while you're with the reds. It's not like Krista can sit in, anyways."

"Fair," Conner said, glancing over at his wife.

Krista was shaking her head at him. The elevator stopped on the command level and Conner placed his hand on the pad to open the door. He stepped out, giving them a quick wave before darting down the hallway to find the room. As Conner was opening the door, he saw Jayden coming down the hall with Cruger. He wasn't the last one to arrive.

"Are we the last ones?" Jayden asked, joining Conner who had stopped to hold the door open.

"Yeah, I think so," Conner said. "It's fine though. Dr. O wouldn't start without us unless we were really late. Hey, Cruger. You staying?"

The SPD commander shook his head.

"Not this time," he said. "I have other things to attend to. And I've read the agenda. Nothing requires my direct input."

Conner nodded.

"See you around," he said.

Cruger turned to leave as the two reds walked into the conference room and let the door shut behind them. Conner did a quick glance around the room to take a count.

"Yeah, we're last," he sighed. "Even Mack beat us."

The Operation Overdrive red ranger glanced over at his name. Seeing Conner and Jayden, he walked over to say hi.

"Dude, how did you beat me here?" Conner asked. "I thought I'd at least beat you and Jayden. And I would have beaten him if our flight had been able to leave on time."

"I came last night," Mack grinned. "Figured that was better than trying to race the clock."

"Alright," Conner said, glancing around. "Looks like we're just about ready."

Mack nodded as he looked over at the table. Most of the rest of the reds were already sitting around the table. The large conference table sat twenty—and with all of them there it was nearly full. Tommy was sitting at one end of the table with Andros to his right and Carter to his left. Around the corner of the table from Andros was TJ, though he was turned away talking with Wes and Eric who were sitting in the next couple of chairs. Cole was sitting next to Eric, occasionally interrupting their conversation. A couple of chairs sat empty between Cole and Casey. The Jungle Fury red was leaned forward on the table talking to Troy and Brody sitting directly across from him. Jayden had walked away from Conner and Mack and was heading toward the empty chair next to Troy. Nick, sitting on the other side of the empty chair, glanced up as Jayden sat down. He had been talking with Hunter and Shane sitting next to him. Adam was sitting on the other side of the ninjas, talking quietly with Rocky and Billy. Carter, on Billy's other side, was waiting patiently for everyone to settle in.

"Are you two planning on joining us?" Tommy asked, looking up at Conner and Mack.

Both quickly headed for their seats. They hadn't realized he had seen them. Mack quickly grabbed the seat next to Casey, leaving Conner the chair by Cole.

"Oh, thanks," Conner said, elbowing Mack. "Why don't you sit by Cole this time—I'm always stuck sitting by him."

"Hey!" Cole exclaimed, frowning. "What is that supposed to mean?"

"It means we always disagree, and you annoy me," Conner countered, though he did sit down.

"Conner, you don't have to sit there," Tommy pointed out, glancing up briefly from the tablet before going back to it. "We aren't sitting in front of the UN or anything else formal—you don't have an assigned seat."

"Everyone else is already sitting," Conner grumbled. "Unless I want to sit awkwardly by myself in one of the chairs at the other end of the table."

Tommy sighed.

"If it's that big of a problem, get here earlier next time," he said.

"It's a six-hour flight from New York!" Conner protested. "You're lucky I got a direct flight—or I might still be on a plane."

Tommy shook his head, glancing at the time and putting the tablet away.

"We don't have time for this right now," he said, looking around the room.

Pausing, Tommy frowned and then turned back to Conner.

"I thought you were bringing the others," he said. "Where are they?"

"Eh, they didn't want to sit through the meeting," he said. "They're down in the room with Krista."

"Your actual rooms or the command suite?" Cole smirked.

Conner shot a scowl in his direction.

"Which do you think?" he countered. "Because I didn't think it was actually a question."

Brody, who was sitting in with the rest of the reds for the first time, watched Cole and Conner snap at each other with some hesitation.

"Ignore them," Troy said quietly, shaking his head. "They'll be like this all day. It's normal. We're only concerned when they aren't fighting."

"Everyone calm down," Tommy said, interrupting the increasingly louder conversations. "Let's get started."

Cole was still looking at Conner, shaking his head.

"Why are you always picking on me?" he asked irritably.

"I wonder," Conner muttered, rolling his eyes.

"Order, please and thank you," Tommy said firmly, looking at the two of them.

Both Conner and Cole quieted down, turning their attention to Tommy. Once Tommy was sure he had everyone's attention he got started. For a while they just went through business as usual, discussing requests from various countries or organizations as well as claims of potential alien technologies found in places they shouldn't be. Things left behind by villains the rangers had defeated. They also covered the new protocols for missing rangers that were in the works. Fairly routine, the first part of the meeting flew by with minimal issues or interruptions. Once they were through with that, Tommy brought up the next part of the agenda.

"Moving on," he said. "I know most of you are wondering why I called for a meeting now instead of just waiting until our next scheduled one in the fall—especially since Brody's team is still dealing with Madam Odius."

There were murmured acknowledgements from most of the reds—they had been curious.

"I called a meeting now because of the last item on our agenda, which can't wait that long," Tommy continued.

He paused, taking a deep breath before he continued.

"Due to recent events," he said, looking around the room. "Some members of the first Mighty Morphin' team have expressed a renewed interest in being involved with the rest of the ranger community."

That announcement got an immediate reaction. All of them knew Trini, Billy, and Tommy from their involvement with the ranger organization—most of them had never personally met the rest of the first team of Mighty Morphin' rangers. Questions started flying around the table as the volume went up. Tommy sighed, but let it go for a moment before he said anything.

"Alright, alright," he said. "Order."

A few of the reds kept whispering, but it was quiet enough that Tommy just ignored it.

"So, why a full meeting?" Jayden asked. "You're talking about the original Earth rangers. They have a right to know everything. After all, we know all about them."

Cole scoffed.

"So what?" he said. "That doesn't mean they should just get an automatic pass to our identities and everything else. They're the ones who decided to walk away."

"But it's ok that we know everything about them?" Conner countered, snapping at Cole again. "Serious double standard there. It's not like they walked away because they didn't want anything to do with the rangers anymore. After all, they came without hesitation when Troy's team called them for help a few years back. Just like the rest of us."

The argument between the two rangers quickly began spiraling as the others exchanged looks. They were used to this happening at this point. Tommy rubbed his forehead.

"Enough!" he finally interrupted, snapping at the group. "The rangers are not the issue, Cole. It was established from the start that if they wanted to step back in that they could without question. The issue today is that there is an outside party involved."

Rocky, Adam, and Billy exchanged concerned looks with each other, but didn't speak. Tommy was usually a lot more patient with the group.

"So, which teammate is it?" Conner asked, not seeming to be fazed by Tommy snapping.

"If everyone would stop talking for a moment, I could tell you instead of you all throwing guesses around," Tommy said irritably.

The reds all settled down, waiting quietly for an answer. Most of the rangers were watching Tommy now, but several of the ones who had known him for a long time were starting to share concerned looks with each other like Tommy's teammates were. Carter, Andros, and TJ were among them.

"Kim initiated this," Tommy said after a moment. "She has recently reconnected with our friends and, along with that, wants to be more in touch with the rangers. However, that also opens the door to her husband finding out. He is already aware of Kim's identity but has been told nothing beyond that. I can't say for sure what he has guessed about Kim's friends."

"Oh! That's great!" Conner exclaimed with a grin.

Then he paused, frowning.

"Aww, man…" he said. "But that means you'll tell him about me. That's no fun. I've been enjoying giving him a hard time… he hasn't even figured out you and I know each other yet, Dr. O."

"Conner, I don't care about your secret games," Tommy said shortly. "I would like to get through this meeting without constantly being interrupted—"

"The point Tommy is trying to make," Carter interrupted quickly. "Is that the decision we are making today is about how much access Kim's husband—Jake?—is going to have. Kim clearly trusts him enough that she has shared her own identity. The question is—how do we feel about him knowing about the rest of us? Where do you want to draw the line? Do we let him know some things? Everything? We need to come to an agreement."

Conner immediately shrugged.

"I mean, most of us have at least one relative or friend who knows everything," he pointed out. "I don't think it would be fair to Kim of all people to say she has to keep everything she finds out a secret from him. Why don't we let her decide how much she actually wants to share after she gets caught back up?"

Cole scoffed.

"I don't see any reason for him to know," he said. "There are already too many people who know our identities. And it's not like he's been dragged into a situation. Unless I've missed something, he hasn't even been exposed to rangers before."

"He's her husband, Cole," Conner said shortly. "She shouldn't have to hide this from him."

Other conversations started taking off around the table, sparked by Carter's questions as well as the debate between Conner and Cole.

"Why not?" Cole asked. "Some of us actually manage to get through a day—not to mention our lives in general—without telling people our secrets."

Conner scowled, knowing Cole was talking about him. They'd had almost an identical argument when Conner was getting married to Krista and had asked to be able to share the ranger world with her. Cole was one of the rangers who was pretty firmly on the side of not telling anyone who wasn't directly involved. Though he'd usually cave by time the vote came and everyone else was on the other side of the debate.

"It's not the same," Conner snapped.

"I don't see how it's different," Cole shrugged. "Just because she has a right to know doesn't mean he does. He isn't a ranger."

"He doesn't have to be," Conner countered. "This is about trust—not having been a ranger. And all of this—"

He gestured around the room.

"This is a lot to keep secret from someone," he continued. "Especially once Kim knows the whole thing. I realize you have a difficult time understanding this concept—but it's a lot different being married to someone and trying to hide something from them. You are with them all the time. You don't just hide things and pray they won't accidentally find out your secrets."

"She's clearly managed it so far," Cole pointed out.

"Because she thought she had to!" Conner said heatedly. "There is a level of trust there, but she has also clearly respected the privacy of her friends and the other rangers she does know about if he still doesn't actually know. Kim clearly trusts him and I think we should trust her judgement. I wouldn't have married Krista if I didn't trust her with all of who I am."

As their argument grew louder, so was the general volume of the room as more rangers were talking. Tommy had an elbow resting on the table and was leaning into his hand, rubbing his forehead.

"Good for you," Cole snapped. "Doesn't mean we need to trust strangers—none of us know this guy."

"Wrong," Conner snapped back. "I know him. Plus, Dr. O never would have brought this to us if he thought it was a bad idea. He would have just said no."

"She's his friend—why would he?" Cole retorted.

Tommy stood abruptly.

"Enough!" Tommy snapped, looking around the table. "Everyone knock it off!"

The rangers all stopped, turning to look at Tommy in surprise.

"We are never going to come to a decision if you all keep arguing and talking over each other," Tommy snapped as he looked at them. "You are worse than my high schoolers. Can we please just focus for five minutes and make a decision?"

He sat back down, looking at them expectantly. The other rangers, however, exchanged confused looks as they hesitated to answer. These kinds of debates and arguments were normal for any of the meetings. While the rest of the group was hesitating to answer, Andros stood.

"Why don't we take a break?" he suggested. "Everyone get something to eat and continue the discussions amongst yourselves away from the table. We'll reconvene in about ten minutes to finish addressing concerns and make our final decision."

Tommy immediately stood and stalked away from the table. Conner, shooting another scowl at Cole, hurried to follow him.

"Dr. O—"

"Not now, Conner," Tommy said shortly.

Conner frowned.

"But what's wr—"

"Conner, enough!" Tommy snapped, turning to look at him. "I am just trying to get through this meeting so I can get back to Angel Grove and pick up JJ and get him home. We both have school tomorrow and I can't be here forever. So, if we can just get through this in a reasonable amount of time, that would be great."

Spinning, he stormed away leaving Conner staring after him in surprise. Conner stood there for a moment and then nodded. He glanced around the room, his gaze landing on Rocky, Adam, and Billy talking not far away. Darting over, Conner stopped in front of Adam.

"Someone needs a nap," Rocky was muttering as Conner joined them. "I don't know that I've ever heard him actually yell at Conner. Like for real yell at him."

Adam smacked Rocky in the shoulder.

"Quiet," he said. "If Tommy hears you, you'll only make it worse."

Conner raised an eyebrow, glancing between the two of them as Billy sighed.

"Adam—can you go talk to Dr. O?" Conner asked. "Try and help him calm down so he can make it through the rest of the meeting?"

Adam nodded and headed in the direction Tommy had gone. Conner turned his attention to Rocky, eyeing him.

"You should stay away from him," he decided.

"Hey!" Rocky protested. "I'm perfectly capable of helping Tommy relax, too."

"I don't think he needs your kind of relaxed today," Conner countered.

Billy chuckled as Rocky scowled at Conner.

"Anyways," Conner continued, ignoring Rocky's scowl. "I'm gonna go grab Hunter and Shane and distract Andros."

"Why Andros?" Billy asked curiously.

"Because he set the timer," Conner grinned. "And I need him to lose track of time."

Without waiting for a response, Conner zipped across the room to Hunter and Shane to get his plan going.

New York, NY

After spending all morning packing, Jason, Jake, and Kim had paused for lunch and were now starting to pack again. Jason was in the kitchen while Jake and Kim were just shifting a few more boxes out of the way. Jake was moving a box across the hall when the lock turned and the door opened. He turned to see who was coming in. Marc, coming home, walked in and shut the door. He didn't see Jake until he'd shut the door and turned around. Seeing Jake standing a few feet away, Marc froze.

"Stranger!" he shouted, scrambling for a cannister of pepper spray attached to his keys. "Stranger!"

Jake looked at Marc in surprise, nearly dropping the box when he started shouting. Kim came running out of the other room and quickly put herself between Jake and Marc.

"Marc, it's ok," she said calmly, holding both hands up in a calming gesture. "We aren't strangers. I'm—"

"Dad!" Marc continued yelling, ignoring Kim as he managed to get the pepper spray in his hands. "Dad there's two! Dad!"

His hands shaking, Marc was aiming the pepper spray canister at Kim and Jake now. Jason, having heard the shouting, came racing out of the kitchen.

"Marc, no!" Jason exclaimed. "It's fine. They're friends!"

Marc stopped, looking at Jason and then at Jake and Kim.

"Friends?" he asked hesitantly, still gripping the canister.

"Yes," Jason sighed. "This is Kim and Jake—I've known Kim since I was in high school."

Slowly Marc lowered the pepper spray and Jason breathed a sigh of relief as everyone relaxed.

"Hi, Marc," Kim said with a smile. "I'm Kim and this is my husband, Jake. It's nice to meet you."

"Umm… yeah," Marc said slowly. "Sure."

Still eying them, Marc kicked off his shoes and dropped his stuff on the bench in the hallway before pulling out his phone. Jake disappeared to put the box he had with the pile in the living room.

"You know," Kim said, looking at Marc. "You really should work on your self-defense a little more. Pepper spray is a good thing to have, but if you had sprayed it in this hall, you would have gotten yourself, too. So probably not the best first move. Plus, I could have had it out of your hands before you could do anything with it if I had wanted to hurt you."

Marc scoffed.

"Yeah right," he said, looking at Kim.

Kim moved and, before Marc realized what was going on, she had snatched his phone right out of his hands and was holding it up with a smirk.

"Hey!" Marc sputtered. "That doesn't count! I—I wasn't ready."

"Oh, I'm sorry," Kim said, handing his phone back. "Let's try again."

Marc scowled as he took it back, clutching it tightly and watching Kim suspiciously. She didn't move for a moment, just watching him.

"Are you just gonna—hey!" Marc exclaimed.

Kim was holding his phone again, grinning as Marc sputtered in protest. Shaking her head, she handed the phone back.

"Hasn't your dad taught you anything?" Kim said, shooting a look at Jason. "You live in New York City for crying out loud."

"That's what the pepper spray is for," Marc said, rolling his eyes. "Duh."

Kim frowned and rounded on Jason.

"Jason!" she exclaimed. "Are you serious?"

"What?" Jason said, taking a step back without thinking about it.

"Have you seriously not taught him anything about self-defense?" she demanded.

Jason hesitated as she glared at him.

"What is dad supposed to teach me?" Marc inserted.

Kim groaned in exasperation, glaring at Jason again before turning to Marc.

"Honey, your dad used to teach self-defense classes when we were in high school," she explained. "He actually knows quite a bit."

"Uh huh…" Marc said doubtfully, looking between Kim and Jason.

Jason was shaking his head.

"Kim, that was a long time ago," he said. "I don't do that anymore. Just a basic workout to stay healthy and that's it."

Kim put a hand on her hip as she turned back to him again.

"Maybe so," she said. "But you could at least make sure your son is able to defend himself if he gets in trouble. You of all people should know—you can't always plan for trouble to show up. And age has absolutely nothing to do with it."

Jason grimaced, catching her hint.

"It's just not something I do anymore," he muttered, glancing away.

Kim frowned, her hand dropping as she studied Jason.

"It was never something you just did," she said quietly. "It was a big part of who you were—and still are. Can you really just continue to keep that from him?"

Jason didn't answer as Marc stared at them in confusion.

"I'm going to check on the oven," Jason said after a moment. "Lunch will be done soon."

Spinning, he stalked away and left Kim with Marc. Jake was watching from a little while away. Kim sighed.

"And I'm doing it again," she said, shaking her head. "Pushing all of the wrong buttons…Jake, why don't you help Marc take some boxes to his room and get started in there? I'm going to go talk to Jason—and try not to push anymore buttons."

Jake nodded as she walked away.

"Come on, kid," he said. "Let's grab some boxes."

Marc hesitated and then followed Jake, scowling as he eyed the pile of boxes Jake picked up. Jake just paused, looking at him expectantly. Muttering, Marc followed Jake to his room.

A little while later boxes were spread everywhere, and Marc was reluctantly sorting things into them. Dropping some things in a box, Marc looked at Jake.

"So, how did she do that?" he asked.

Jake looked over and chuckled, knowing exactly what Marc was talking about.

"Your dad may not have told you," he said. "But he was friends with a lot of very athletic people in high school—and from what I've been told he was pretty athletic, too."

Marc frowned.

"Well, yeah, I guess," he said. "Dad is kind of athletic. I mean, he works out to stay in shape."

Jake shook his head.

"Not quite, kid," he said. "I mean really athletic. They were into martial arts mostly with a few other sports here and there. And Kim was actually a national level gymnast."

"Like flipping and tumbling and stuff?" Marc asked curiously.

"I'm not sure I'd reduce it to just that to her face—but yes," Jake chuckled. "And a lot more. Honestly, she could probably bench press you if she wanted to."

"Yeah, right," Marc snorted.

"I'm not kidding," Jake said, shaking his head. "Kim was a serious gymnast for a long time. She almost made it to the Olympics during her career. And just because she isn't a competing gymnast anymore, doesn't mean she hasn't stayed in shape."

"Ok, what's your point?" Marc asked, tossing a few more things randomly in boxes.

"My point is you shouldn't underestimate someone based on their looks," Jake answered. "Kim still works out, including weightlifting and other aspects of gymnastics. And to be good at what she does, she has to be able to literally throw her whole body around. She may be small, but she's strong—and she hits hard when she wants to."

"Whatever you say," Marc said, shaking his head.

"Hold on," Jake said, pulling out his phone. "I can show you."

A few minutes later Jake and Marc were both sitting on the floor as Jake showed the teen a couple of old videos he had of Kim in gymnastics competitions. Marc watched them excitedly, wowed by some of the things Kim did. When Jason yelled a short time later for lunch, Marc was a lot more on board with not underestimating Kim. They walked out into the hallway to see Jason and Kim talking.

"That box is all books, Kim," Jason was saying. "Why don't you just leave it—"

Kim rolled her eyes, crouching to pick the box up and standing. Jason sighed.

"Stop fussing," she said. "You of all people should know I'm stronger than I look. Now scooch so I can put this with the rest and we can eat."

Jason just shook his head as she walked away.

Mariner Bay, CA

Conner looked over as Tommy and Adam rejoined the rest of the group at the table. Between himself and the two Ninjas, he had managed to stall Andros an extra ten minutes—much to the red space ranger's annoyance. But Tommy looked calmer than when he had walked away, so Conner just grinned at Andros' irritation.

"Let's take the vote," Tommy said, glancing around the table. "In favor?"

The motion to allow Jake to learn about the rangers when Kim was brought up to date passed unanimously—including Cole. Eric and Wes had talked to him during the break.

"Alright, then it's passed," Tommy sighed, glad they were done. "I will contact Kim to set up a meeting as well as reach out to Zach to see if he wants to join in since he alluded to it when he talked to Trini."

"What about Jason?" Carter asked, glancing over.

"We'll have to catch him as we are able," Tommy said quickly. "He doesn't come to California often."

Most of the group nodded, but Wes frowned.

"Wait—isn't Jason married, too?" he asked. "Shouldn't we be voting about her, too?"

"No," Adam said immediately. "Not now."

His statement was met by confusion on the part of the red rangers. Tommy had turned all of his focus to putting his things away rather than answering the questions.

"We have not talked to Jason about it," Billy said, quickly explaining. "So, we have no idea what she may or may not already know. Without talking to Jason, we do not know her or how much we can trust her with. Jake was different because we already have people to vouch for him—such as Conner."

Conner nodded.

"I give him hard time, but I'd trust Jake with my life," Conner said confidently. "And I'll trust him with the identities of my team and my friends. I don't know Jason's wife, so I wouldn't be comfortable offering her the same."

"But doesn't Tommy?" Wes asked, looking over at Tommy.

Tommy just stood, slinging his backpack over his shoulder.

"I am not going to offer an opinion today," he said shortly. "Meeting adjourned."

Without waiting for anyone else to speak, Tommy spun and left the room. They watched him go in surprise.

"Well, that was abrupt," Troy commented.

"Should we go after him?" TJ asked, looking after Tommy in concern as everyone started to stand and stretch.

"Nope," Conner answered immediately. "That was definitely a 'don't follow' voice. He only used that voice in high school when—well, if there was a ranger situation and we needed to be able to slip away quickly. So, I wouldn't."

With Adam, Rocky, and Billy nodding in agreement with Conner, no one went after Tommy.

"Anyways," Conner said, stretching. "I'm out. I'm tired and would love to be home and get some actual sleep."

"Wait a second," Cole said as Conner turned to leave. "I have a bone to pick with you."

"Save it," Conner said irritably, not pausing. "My wife and friends are waiting so we can go home."

"No, I want to know why you would argue for Kim's husband but not Jason's wife," Cole pressed, following after him. "Shouldn't Jason's wife have just as much right as this Jake? You were the one saying it's hard to keep secrets from a spouse."

Conner groaned, stalking out of the room with Cole still following. The sound of Conner snapping back was cut off by the door sliding shut behind them. Everyone else was getting up and moving now, too. Mack and Jayden were the next to leave, heading down to the residential level to get settled in their rooms and start thinking about dinner. Both were staying at least one more night at Lightspeed rather than rushing back home on another long flight. Leo and Aurico, the only ones who had called in, had hung up when Tommy left. Andros and Carter moved off to the side, talking quietly with each other as the rest of the group gathered together. They were still chatting.

"We seriously need to get Tommy a vacation," Rocky said, shaking his head. "I don't think he's ever been this level of stressed. Billy?"

He looked at the blue ranger, the one who had known Tommy the longest of all of them present. Billy shook his head.

"It has been a long time," Billy said thoughtfully. "I would say the closest I can think of would be when we were dealing with the green candle and Tommy could not help us like he wanted…"

"But good luck convincing him to actually take a vacation," Rocky sighed.

"You could just surprise him," TJ suggested.

Rocky snorted as Adam and Billy shook their heads.

"Yeah, because that went so well the last time," Adam sighed.

"Kim was trying to be nice," Rocky protested. "We all were."

"Yes, but there is a difference between nice and needed," Adam pointed out.

"What he needs is some uninterrupted time with his family," Rocky argued.

The remaining reds were listening to the argument with interest now, though most of them didn't know all of the context. Everyone at least knew the basics of what had happened with Draven at this point, however.

"I'm not disagreeing with you, Rocky," Adam said. "But a vacation is only going to help if he actually relaxes. And he's never going to be able to do that if we force him into it. Tommy has to make the decision on his own."

Rocky scowled for a moment and then sighed. He knew Adam was right.

"Adam is right," Nick inserted. "Sometimes with family stuff you just have to let people deal with it."

"But I'm not wrong to be worried, right?" Casey asked, looking around at the older rangers. "I've never seen Tommy act like this. I mean, I've known him for a while now and—"

Rocky snorted.

"Yeah, a while," he said, shaking his head. "There's a big difference between a while and a while, kid."

Casey rubbed the back of his head sheepishly as he looked at the rangers who had known Tommy for decades at this point.

"Tommy does need a vacation, though," Eric said, shaking his head. "After all that? He really needs to shut it off for a little while."

"Seriously?" Wes said, raising an eyebrow at his partner. "He's the one who needs to learn to shut it off?"

"Are you saying I work too hard?" Eric retorted. "Guess that means I can leave the trainees with you this weekend then."

"Wait—what?" Wes sputtered. "No, that's not what—"

"Nope, too late," Eric smirked. "You said I need to turn it off once in a while, so I'll just take this weekend off and spend it with Taylor and Devin. Training is your problem now."

The other reds snickered as Wes protested. Hunter and Shane exchanged a look.

"We agree that Dr. O needs a break," Hunter said. "But I think you all need to just leave him alone. He's just stressed and that's understandable—he'll get past it faster if we aren't all pressuring him."

"People handle stress differently," Shane added. "I mean, you should have seen how stressed Sensei used to be over Cam. It was pretty much constant—and Sensei is practically the definition of Zen and being centered."

"He really is," Hunter chuckled. "I didn't witness it much firsthand, but I've heard about it."

Shane nodded.

"You did not mess with teaching Cam fighting of any kind," Shane said. "In the end, it took Cam quite literally telling his dad to jump through a hole in time to get him over that—in the most respectful way possible, of course."

"I still don't know how he does it," Hunter said, shaking his head. "Only Cam can be disrespectful but completely respectful at the same time—a skill none of the rest of us will ever hope to master."

Andros and Carter walked over to join the group as they were chuckling over Hunter and Shane's story.

"What if we just kidnap Tommy and take him on a trip with us?" Rocky said after a moment. "He'd relax eventually, right?"

Adam and Billy both grimaced.

"You do realize how horrible of a suggestion that is, right?" Adam asked, looking at Rocky.

"When was the last time he actually took a vacation?" Troy asked curiously.

Rocky, Adam, and Billy exchanged looks as they tried to come up with a date.

"It has been a long time," Billy finally admitted.

"So, he really does deserve one," Casey said as the others nodded.

"If only because he puts up with all of us on a near daily basis," TJ snorted.

"Has it really been that long?" Carter asked, frowning.

"Well—" Billy started hesitantly.

"Yes," Rocky interrupted. "Between teaching, the resort, and all of this? Yes. It has."

He sighed, shaking his head. Billy and Adam weren't arguing.

"Billy especially can confirm this," Rocky said after a moment, "but one thing Tommy never really learned to do was take a break and enjoy life on his own. He was always too focused on keeping the rest of us alive. That's why the rest of us all learned to keep an eye on him—so he didn't overwork himself so things didn't fall apart."

With Adam and Billy nodding in agreement now, the other rangers exchanged concerned looks. Carter frowned.

"If this is a problem, why haven't any of you called him out on it?" he asked.

Rocky shook his head.

"Because that's the last thing he needs right now," he said. "Tommy doesn't need to think his team—any of them—doubts his ability to do his job. As much as I want him to take a break, I know he just needs time."

"And we are keeping an eye on him," Billy said quietly. "If he was so far gone we were actually concerned, we would have already stepped in to assist."

"Whether Tommy liked it or not," Rocky added.

They all fell silent for a moment until the silence was broken by TJ's phone ringing. He scrambled to answer it.

"Hey, Cass—" he started to say. "No, I'm not staying down here all night."

He frowned, listening to his wife as attention turned to him. The other rangers were watching him in amusement now.

"Cassie, we're just talk—Yes, Andros is right here."

"TJ still isn't allowed out alone," Andros smirked, leaning over to the rest of the group. "Cassie is still mad that he took off on his own and got kidnapped. I was told I couldn't let him out of my sight while we were off the ship."

The rangers laughed as TJ scowled at them.

"Are you ever going to let this go?" TJ sighed. "Ok, ok."

Hanging up, TJ sighed as he turned to Andros.

"We need to go or Cassie said she's coming to get me," he muttered.

Laughing still, Andros nodded.

"DECA, let's go," Andros said.

With their departure, the rest of the reds began to trickle out of the conference room to make their way home.

New York City, NY

"Good luck with the rest of your move," Kim said. "I hope we helped you out today."

Without warning, Kim threw her arms around Jason in a tight hug. He hesitated for a moment and then hugged her back. It was late evening now and Kim and Jake were getting ready to leave. With their help, most of the apartment was now packed and ready for the move. Even Marc had everything packed that he wouldn't need for the rest of the week.

"Thanks, Kim," Jason said gratefully as she let go. "I appreciate you coming to help. I wasn't sure how I was going to get everything packed in time."

"Of course," she said brightly. "Oh!"

She started digging in her purse as she continued.

"Now, I've arranged for the moving truck to arrive on Tuesday," Kim said. "So—"

"What?" Jason interrupted, frowning. "Moving truck? Kim, I'm planning to ship everything possible in the next couple of days and then have the furniture picked up next weekend when we leave. They'll just deliver it to the house. Mom and dad are going to—"

"Nonsense," Kim said, cutting him off as she pulled an envelope out of her bag. "You are not going to make your parents lug everything into your house. Not to mention, did you even think of how many things could get lost along the way? A moving truck keeps it all together."

"Kim," Jason sighed. "I can't—"

"I already have it settled," Kim said, shaking her head as she handed him the envelope. "I just put it on Jake's card so you couldn't argue with me."

Jason frowned as Jake looked at Kim in surprise.

"Wait—when did you take my wallet?" Jake asked. "Because I don't remember this happening."

Kim shook her head and waved him off.

"Oh, I memorized the number a long time ago," she said. "You know that."

"Ah, that card," Jake said. "Alright."

"Now," Kim said, turning back to Jason. "You need to have everything ready for the movers Tuesday morning. Remember to make sure everything is labeled appropriately so they know what rooms to put it in at the house in California. There is some paper in the envelope to draw a basic map of the layout of the house for them, so make sure that is ready, too. All floors and rooms. The truck is big enough to fit everything."

"Kim, they can't take our furniture," Jason said. "Christine was already upset we would have to sleep on air mattresses for a few days when we arrived in California—I can't tell her she's going to have to do the same thing here."

She rolled her eyes.

"You won't have to sleep on air mattresses at the new house," she said, putting a hand on her hip. "The movers will put your beds where they belong."

"But—"

"And I took care of where you'll sleep this week," Kim continued, ignoring Jason's attempted protests. "Now you can relax the rest of the week as you finish your last couple of days at work. And Marc won't have to stress during his last week of school here."

"Kim, what did you do?" Jason sighed.

Kim ignored him, turning to look at Marc.

"Alright, Marc," she said with a smile. "I know you've only just met me, but I'm hoping to see you and your father a lot more often and I would absolutely love it if you would consider me kind of an adopted aunt."

Marc nodded hesitantly, eyeing Kim with some suspicion. Even after just one day with her, he had quickly learned she didn't take 'no' as an answer very often.

"Would you be ok with giving me a hug goodbye?" Kim asked, holding out her arms to him.

Now Marc looked at her in surprise. Unlike with Jason, she wasn't just grabbing him in a hug.

"Umm… alright, I guess," Marc said after a moment.

He moved closer and Kim pulled him into a hug. She kept it brief, having seen his hesitation.

"Alright," she said. "I'll see you both in California. Jason, call me if you need anything at all."

Waving goodbye, Kim and Jake disappeared out the door. Marc and Jason stayed where they were for a moment.

"Dad?" Marc said, looking over at Jason.

"Yeah?" Jason said, turning away from the door.

"So, she's one of your friends?" Marc asked.

Jason nodded.

"Yeah, she is," he said with a small smile. "I haven't seen her in years, but… yes."

Marc nodded, following Jason back to the kitchen. Jason dropped the envelope on the table.

"She's weird," Marc announced.

"Yes, she is sometime," Jason chuckled.

Marc dropped into a seat at the table. Jason grabbed a snack for both of them as well as something to drink, a soda for Marc and a beer for himself.

"So, are you gonna open the envelope?" Marc asked as Jason joined him at the table.

"Oh, right," Jason said, picking it up.

He opened the envelope and pulled out the papers inside. He started glancing through the papers. On top was all of the information for the moving service, starting with a confirmation and description of services.

"Kim wasn't kidding," Jason muttered, reading through it. "They really are going to fully load and unload for us."

He was still glancing through the papers for the moving company a moment later when a paper escaped from the pile.

"Dad, you dropped something," Marc said, reaching for the paper that had landed on the table.

He paused, looking at the paper before looking back up at Jason.

"Dad—why is there a paper from the Four Seasons?" Marc asked.

Jason looked over in surprise, taking the paper from Marc and reading quickly through it. He sat back in his chair in a little bit of shock.

"Because Kim got us a hotel room starting Tuesday night," Jason muttered, running a hand through his hair. "And then she ran away before I could tell her no."

Marc snickered.

"Again, your friend is weird," he said. "But we get to stay at a hotel! Right?"

Jason sighed, eying his phone sitting on the table for a moment as he considered calling Kim to tell her no. But across from him Marc was practically bouncing in his seat now as he waited for Jason's answer. And it would make the transition easier.

"Yes, we are," Jason said.

"Yes!" Marc exclaimed. "I'm going to make sure my swimsuit is in my suitcase."

Jumping out, Marc raced out of the room. Jason shook his head and picked up his phone.

Why? You didn't need to do any of this.

There was a short pause as he waited for an answer.

Kim: Sorry. The person you are texting can't come to the phone right now.

Jason: Don't be a jerk.

Kim's only response was to send a smiley face. Jason scowled at his phone. Then he tried calling her. All he got was her voicemail.

Kim: Sorry, getting on a plane. Bye!

Jason huffed, glaring at the phone again.

Jason: You left here maybe half an hour ago. You can't be at the airport and through security that quickly. And you said you were leaving tomorrow.

Kim: This phone is out of srvice area.

Jason rolled his eyes and then sighed.

Jason: You spell service wrong…

But thanks, Kim.