Back again!
Thank you all for being so patient. This chapter took me a while to get right, but I'm happy with how this chapter came out. I hope you all enjoy it!
Be ready for some angst and funny moments!
There's no real warnings here, so read on and I'll see you at the bottom!
Paws and Claws Rescue Center
The Miscreants walked through the front doors looking just a little worn out.
"You're late." Bonny said as she walked around the corner. She paused as she saw the teenagers. "Are you kids okay?"
Leif looked at her. "Yeah, we got sidelined saving a dog on the way here." He took a few minutes to give her the basics of what had just happened, and she listened with rapt attention.
"I know them." She said when he finished. "I'll put in a call to them and when Buttercup is fixed up, she'll come here. She'll stand a better chance of being adopted with us."
After a few seconds she looked them all over with a shrewd eye. "There is something different about you." She said in a speculative voice. Even you two." She added looking at the goths.
Leif shrugged. "It's nothing huge, Sapphire and I joined a crew. We're Miscreants now."
They followed her over to a meeting area and were seated and Bonnie gave them all another look and then her eyes widened when she recognized Kyle and Autumn. "I remember you two. You adopted Apollo and Athena. How are those puppies?"
Kyle grinned at her. "They're living the dream. We've acquired another dog on the premises, so now they have a pack to run with; they're over the top happy."
Bonnie grinned at them. "That's awesome." She looked at Katsume. "You look familiar too. Where have I seen you before?"
"I used to volunteer at Paw Prints Animal Rescue in Los Angeles."
Bonnie nodded. "Then you know the ins and outs of animal rescue?"
"Yeah, it's not always pleasant, but scoring a win once in a while makes it all worth it."
"He's downplaying himself. Do you remember seeing that video online about Beatrice? That pittie with only three legs and half a tail?"
Bonnie nodded.
"Katsume was the one who got her adopted."
The Asian teen ducked his head. "That was a small miracle. I didn't know if I'd ever find a home for her."
"Well then, welcome to Paws and Claws, I think you'll be a good luck charm around here. Did Leif and Sapphire give you the basics of what the upcoming event is about?"
Katsume nodded. "Yeah, it's a fashion show, Halloween style. It's supposed to give the adoptees more exposure. I've read about this kind of thing before, but have never participated in one."
Bonnie nodded. "Exactly. The main reason I wanted to do this, is that the old way of simply setting up a tent and putting out flyers isn't getting us anywhere and there are so many animals, like the older residents and those with disabilities that get overlooked on the way to the puppy and kitten room.
We have so many sweet dogs and cats that would make good pets, but they're stuck all day in the kennels and I strongly feel that if they got time in the spotlight and a chance to strut themselves around, people would see them in a better light." She paused to take a breath and then sighed.
"Now, comes the issue of money. To be blunt, there is no budget for costumes. Every dollar from donations goes to food and medical care, so if we do this- and I'll help where I can-we're on our own." She gave them all a long look. "Knowing this, are you all still willing to help me out?"
Autumn nodded. "Yeah, we can come up with our own costumes, we've got years of them in our closets, and no one said they had to be elaborate. We can also scour the Goodwill and other thrift stores for pieces that can be dressed up with sequins and stuff."
Bonnie looked relieved. "This sounds like an amazing start. Now, I have something that might help you out," She pulled out a binder. "I have pulled the records of the all the adoptable animals that I want to show off." She handed the binder over and then added. "In the back, pocket I have some printable coupons to some of the stores that might help you guys out."
They all took some time to look through the pictures, with the exception of Leif and Sapphire who knew the animals by heart.
It was the basic mix they expected; mostly mutts with some Pitbulls and Chihuahuas mixed in here and there and they were shocked to see a Rottweiler and Doberman in the book.
"These last two…Mason and Anubis…those aren't common stray dogs." Katsume commented as he looked up at the head of the shelter.
Bonnie looked sad. "Owner Surrenders, I'm afraid. The Rottie...Mason, got out of his yard and was hit by a UPS truck. His owners ditched him when they found out he lost the use of his back legs. He's got so much love to give, and he's got plenty of spirit, but his body is broken."
"As for Anubis, he just got old and lost sight in one of his eyes, at least according to his owners. The thing is, he's not as old as they said. he's only 8 and has plenty of time left."
"I think they just wanted a puppy instead, so they surrendered him." Leif answered in a biting voice.
"But he's so cute! How could they dump him?" Autumn asked.
Bonnie frowned. "That's a question I can't answer, people can be so fickle."
"Well, can we meet him?" Katsume asked.
Bonnie nodded with a hopeful smile. "Yep, right back here!"
About an hour later
They all walked out the door with ideas swirling around in their heads. There were so many dogs in need of their help! Bonnie had gifted the new volunteers with swag- mainly T-shirts with the rescue logo on the front.
"We should totally get our nicknames on the back." Autumn said. "When we go to the craft store, we can pick up some extra lettering."
"That's an awesome idea." Sapphire answered. "I was thinking the same thing when we first got our shirts, we just never got around to it."
The guys were in their own huddle as they approached the vehicles. "I've always wanted to create of those canine wheelchairs. I've seen it on the internet a few times, and it looks like a nice challenge. I just know that Mason would get adopted if he had his own wheels."
"We should pimp it up too. Make it look as badass as possible, maybe even add some undercarriage LEDs and chrome it up. We can go to the junkyard to find parts if we need to." Rook said.
"Guys, do we even know if he'll use it?" Katsume asked.
"That Rottie has so much energy and drive." Leif answered. "We get him his own set of wheels and he'll be giving Vin Diesel a run for his money."
"Then let's do it and for the show, you can be an auto-mechanic. That's an easy costume to put together and it'll be something you can just slip on in a minute or two."
"Oh I can see that." Sapphire said with a grin. Maybe tie sleeves together around the waist and at in a smudged up tank-top. You should go full Fast and Furious, it'll get that big baby some attention."
"Or you just like showing off your sexy boyfriend…"
Sapphire gave him a look. "Yeah, but I do that every day. But, at the show, you can use your sexiness for a good cause."
"Ok, you two lovebirds, break it up." Rook said as he climbed into his jeep. "Let's get back to the Manor. We're going to be facing an inquiry when we get there."
The Manor
Rook was right.
When they walked in the door, after taking off their shoes, they found the adults sitting around the table waiting for them.
"Looks like the Need for Speed Crew is all here." Rocky said as they walked into the kitchen. All the parents were present, including Alma and Iris and a man none of them had really met before. His name was Axel and he didn't look happy...at all.
"When I gave you that jeep," Axel said, "I didn't plan on it being used to outrun the police. What were you thinking?" Rook's father was a stocky man with a full head of hair. No one would doubt that he used to be in a rock band as he still sported his flaming bandana on his head and he had a neatly trimmed beard. He wore a spotless black shirt and worn looking blue jeans.
Rook looked at his father. "Yeah, I didn't plan on it either, but Buttercup was severely injured, she was slowly bleeding out and the emergency hospital was only a mile away. If we'd gotten pulled over, the cops would have taken forever and she'd have died."
"Or we could have gotten you a police escort." Officer Kelmen said from beside Axel. "We're not in the habit of letting victims bleed out."
"Sorry Officer, But my trust in the Angel Grove PD is non-existent. They've done nothing to fix that. I'm not about to trust them when a life is on the line…especially not an innocent dog with a gunshot wound.
Officer Kelman nodded. "You've got a point there. That's why I'm really here. Officer Tesla gave me a call earlier and we had a nice long talk. He's brewing up something that involves you guys. I've been pulled away from my desk job to be the negotiator between the department and your parents."
"And what would the police department want with us?" Kyle said looking extra skeptical.
"It's a task force thing, and if we can hammer it out, I'll be your handler and it would be a fair trade for letting you guys off with a warning for the police chase today."
"Let's skip to the end where I say no, and you can tell them that I'm not interested." Kyle said feeling his anger well up.
"Kyle, Bro. It's not up to you." Rook said slowly. "That's not how we do things in our crew; we put it up to a vote and to do that, we should at least wait till we hear the proposition."
"He's right, Kyle." Autumn said in a softer tone. "I don't trust the police either, but we just became a crew, and this is not how I want to start things out."
Her gentle words got through to him in a second and he felt her love through their bond. He sighed and frowned at the officer. "Fine, we'll put it to the vote, but I'm still not agreeing to anything." Then he walked out of the room with Autumn following him.
Rook looked at the adults again and he noted that Officer Kelmen didn't look angry, he looked sad instead.
"So, what happened at the shelter?" Axel asked, breaking the moment up.
Needless to say, the rest of the crew slept in the manor that night.
The Trailer
Autumn sat calmly on the bed as her angsty boyfriend paced back and forth in front of her raging.
"Those bozos really think I'm going to work for them? Do anything for them after they almost let me die!" he went on cursing in a mixture of both Spanish and English and she sat through it all stoically, letting him get all his anger out of his system.
She was pretty miffed too but it didn't take more than a minute before realizing that those negative feelings were coming from his end of the bond.
She would never say it to him, but she was more intrigued by what officer Tesla had come up with than angry about what had occurred in the locker room all those months ago.
"Corazon? Are you there?" His voice was more tender now.
Autumn looked up at him. "Yeah, I'm here. I was just letting you rage before I said anything. Do you think it's all out of your system yet?"
Kyle sighed and sat down on the edge of the bed. "Yeah, I think so. I know it's not my place, but I don't want anything to do with the cops. How can we trust them after all that trouble we just went through?"
Autumn leaned into him. "I think it's important to remember that the cops that betrayed you and the ones in the office now are different people altogether. It's a whole new police department there and it wouldn't be fair to hold them responsible for what the other cops did." She put her hand on his. "I think it would only be right to let them prove themselves. We may even come to be allies with them."
Kyle kept his eyes on the floor and then he saw Autumn in his sight, kneeling on the floor in front of him.
He frowned at her. What are you doing down there? Don't be kneeling on the floor like a servant."
"I had to get your attention somehow, Mi amore."
"Well, you have it. What now?"
She got up and gently pushed him onto the bed. "I think you know. Don't fight me, I'm going to take over now."
"Yes…."
The next morning
Kyle and Autumn walked into the kitchen looking a little better than the night before. They found their crew sitting around the breakfast table with Kayla in the mix.
When she looked up at them, it was in concern. "Are you okay? Did the birds and the bees get you?"
Autumn gave her a weird look, but then then looked at the others. "Yeah, little Ninja. We're both feeling better after a good night's sleep."
"There's a lot of sleeping happening around here." She narrowed her eyes at them. "Are you guys making a baby? Cause there's already a lot of them around here. We don't need any more right now."
Kyle had poured a glass of milk and was taking a drink when she said that. His eyes widened and he spit up the milk in a glorious white spray. Autumn laughed out loud at her and the rest of the team just shook their heads at the hilarious moment.
Thankfully she recovered first, and she knelt down to Kayla's level. "No, Little Ninja. We're way too young for that yet. Before we do that, we need to graduate high school and get married. We've got loads of time before we take that step."
Kayla seemed to take them at their word, and she continued to page through the binder laying on the table.
With that moment over, Kyle began to wipe the counter down with a bemused expression on his face.
"So, are we still going shopping?" Autumn asked smoothly. "Do you know what you want to buy for your new wardrobe?
"There's not enough green in my closet…and I can't keep wearing this hoodie every day." As she said this, she looked up seeing her dad in the hallway. He stood stock still with a surprised look on his face.
"Oh, hi Dad! Morning!"
Tommy seemed to recover quickly; he kissed the top of her head and hugged her tight. "I sure hope that you keep some pink in your wardrobe too. It would make your mom very happy."
"Of course, Daddy. I just want to wear more green this year. I'm not leaving Mommy out of it! Do you think she'll be mad?"
"No sweetie, I'm not mad." Kimberly said as she walked in with a sleeping bundle in her arms. When Tommy offered, she handed the baby off to his father and continued to the fridge looking for something to eat.
"I'm fine with you wearing green or pink or whatever color you want. They're your clothes and you'll be the one wearing them."
Kayla gave her mom a long look. "Does me wearing green mean I'm gonna be a green power ranger soon…like Dad?"
Tommy went eerily still and Kim took a shaky breath as she stood back up.
Kayla gave them a confused look and Tommy was the first one to snap out of it. He sat down in the chair holding Mav close to him. "Your mom and I love you and your brother very much, and I'm not saying that I'd be angry if you were, but the thought of it scares us. Being a Power Ranger is a very big responsibility and what you saw of Connor, Kira, Ethan, Trent, and I do was just a small part of it. Yeah, we got to pilot big Dino Zords and kick evil's butt. But we also got beat up in the process. So, we're not saying that you couldn't do it, we just don't want you to get hurt."
"But what if it does happen?" She asked looking worried.
Kimberly knelt next to her daughter. "Then you'll have a whole lot of backup, and a hell of a team with you."
"Count on it." Kyle added. "If you somehow land in the spandex, then we'll jump in with you."
"There, you see?" Kimberly added. "Awesome backup! Now, let's get back to the subject of shopping! What car are you taking? This is an important day!"
Leif grinned. "Well, this most awesome Ninja has talked me into driving her in the Moon Racer. She knows an awesome vehicle when she sees one."
Rook only rolled his eyes. "Yes, she would be excited to ride in a car named after a fictitious stop motion King of Misfit toys."
Leif smirked at him. "Yeah, but that's also because you drive a jeep…and once you've ridden in one jeep, you've ridden in all of them. There's nothing awesome about riding in an open window death trap."
Kayla looked at her dad. "You mean that Jeep is gonna kill us?"
Tommy handed the baby off to his wife. "No Sweetheart. It's the driver, not the car that could kill us. My jeep is just as good as any of them. He gave her a serious look. "What you're seeing is called a rivalry. It's the teenage version of the one between Fords and Chevys. Remember what I told you about that?"
"It's not the car, it's how you drive it…and to never go over 50 miles an hour without a 5 point harness and a roll cage."
Tommy chuckled. "Yeah, that's close enough. Now, are you all set to go shopping?"
"Yeah, I just have to go brush my teeth and get my purse!" Kayla answered. Tommy smiled at her and pulled out his wallet. He took out a twenty and handed it to her. "Well, here's some extra cash. The money we're giving to Autumn and Sapphire is for clothes. This is for you to buy something that you really want. Make sure you put this right into your wallet, ok?"
Kayla's eyes got really big. "Thanks Daddy!" She gave him a big hug and he chuckled at her before squeezing her tightly.
When she ran off to her room, his face morphed into a concerned one. He got up and leaned against the counter. A second later, Kim was hugging him; now their expressions mirrored each other.
Kyle looked at them. "I meant what I said before. I'd happily throw myself into the spandex before she'd have a chance to decide. Id' also kick the ass of any monster that tried to come after her."
Tommy closed his eyes as if to fight off a minor panic attack.
"We all would." Autumn agreed. "We'd do anything it took to protect her."
Kimberly kissed Tommy softly before leading him out of the room.
"Well, that came out of left field." Leif said softly. "That sounds like a war story to me."
"Yeah, it is, but I'll wait till we're in the minibus to tell you about it."
"Ok, I'll go bring the car around."
Katsume watched them leave. Rook had gone to the shelter to take measurements of the Rottie for his wheelchair and so it was just him as he sat at the table.
A few moments passed when Trent came down the stairs with a set of keys in his hands. They weren't his usual very classy set that he kept for his own car. No these were the ones for 'The Carlita'.
"What's going on?" Katsume asked as he got up.
"We've had a slight change of plans with the lunch today. The wheelchair van that Elisa and her brothers use broke down in their driveway. We're going to pick them up in the hummer limo."
"Now? I thought we weren't having lunch with them till 2?"
"We still are, but this presents and good opportunity to teach an important life lesson. Now, get your shoes on."
So, what did you think? Leave me some reviews along with some costume ideas for our adoptees! What would you like to see at the show?