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Disclaimer: Same as always, folks ...

Note: Here is the next chapter ... longer than I thought it'd be, and yet only half of what I wanted to tell. Oh well, the characters sometimes have their own minds ...anyway, I hope you enjoy, and please leave some feedback on the way out? See you all at the feedback box ...DB





Times Present, Times Past

Chapter 7: Complications





/Angel Grove, The Present /



"This is driving me nuts," Zack groaned as he returned from the Youth Center's counter to the gang's table with a tray of drinks. Jerome Stone had told them to help themselves, just run a tab on the total, while he was taking care of inventory and paperwork in the back and basement rooms. Which was convenient for them - they had both privacy (it was after hours) and a sufficient supply of refreshments.

"What does?" Aisha asked dryly. "The waiting, the not knowing, or those idiots stalking us out there?" She gestured towards the windows facing the parking lot, where several reporters were lurking, cameras and tape recorders at the ready.

"Most likely all of the above," Rocky commented as he nodded his thanks for the soda Zack was handing him. "I know it does me, too."

"I could barely get inside, they were crowding the entrance so," Tanya muttered. "Good thing Lt. Stone barred them from entering, at least."

"And it took threatening them with a lawsuit for trespassing to accomplish even that much," Trini sighed.

"Is that pathetic, or what?" Aisha grimaced.

"Uh huh. Guess it pays that he still has contacts on the Force," Adam said quietly. "I wish he could make them leave Angel Grove altogether." He hated all the media attention their friends' predicament was garnering; how unfortunate that the time hole had to appear in full view of a dozen people at least! It was even worse at the Scotts' and the Hillards' houses; the situation there resembled nothing so much as a siege, making an already difficult situation nearly unbearable for the families. Couldn't these people see that there were lives involved, that friends and relatives had other things to worry about than providing headlines and teary statements for a ravenous press?

"Not gonna happen, pal," Zack sighed, hooking a chair with his foot and plopping down next to Trini. It was strange sitting here, in 'their' place, with only her and him from the original group of Rangers present. Jason, of course, was missing, Kim and Tommy still on their way ... and Billy was at the Power Chamber again, running the meagre data he'd managed to collect so far through yet another battery of tests. But even though Rocky, Adam and Aisha had joined the team after he had left for Geneva and Tanya was the latest newcomer, it still felt somehow as if they were all part of the same team.

/All of us have served with Tommy and Billy, at least, /he mused. Or maybe it's because we all knew Zordon. Anyway, we're together. As it should be.

"I know. But a guy can wish, can't he?" Rocky replied with a wan grin. None of them was happy about the situation; dealing with media types had been bad enough while they had been Rangers, but at least then their uniforms and the dark-visored helmets had granted them anonymity. Now, their status as friends of the disappeared being well-known, they seemed to have become fair game for any newshound on the planet. Privacy was fast becoming a rare luxury for all of them.

Right then, there was a sudden commotion outside the Youth Center.

"Mr. Oliver! A statement, please!"

"Do you have anything to tell us?"

"Any new developments?"

"Have you heard from the Rangers, Miss Hart?"

"Yeah, can you tell us where and when they're going to inform the public about what's going on?"

"How far away from rescuing your friends are they anyway?"

Zack rolled his eyes. "Tommy and Kim are coming," he observed unnecessarily. The two had to suffer even more from the reporters, due to the fact that as nationally-competing athletes they were better known than the rest of their friends. Whatever answers they might be giving were drowned out by the clamor of conflicting voices badgering them.

"I wonder what these guys are hoping to find out," Tanya ruminated. "I mean, it's not as if we know anything more than they do."

"As a matter of fact, we do," Aisha interjected. "Know more, that is."

"Oh yeah? What? They already know that they're in the past, most likely, and that the Rangers are trying to find and, if possible, rescue them. But that's all we know, too. And what little else there is - like, Billy doing most of the actual work - we can't tell them."

"Yeah, we'd blow our cover for sure," Rocky grumbled. "Or the new team's, anyway. Man, I thought this whole secrecy thing was over and done with now we've retired. Instead, it's worse than ever!"

"Nobody could have foreseen such a thing happening, Rocky," Adam tried to calm his irate best friend. "Precisely because we are no longer active."

"Still sucks."

The one-time Blue Zeo Ranger got no arguments from his friends on that.

Then, the friends could hear the Youth Center's door open, and a breathless Kimberly tumbled inside. She quickly recovered her footing, though, and turned, pressing herself against the door just enough to allow Tommy to slip through as well. Together, the two then slammed it shut, leaving the extremely vocal reporters behind in the darkened parking lot.

"Man, I hate that!" Tommy huffed as they joined the group. "Don't these guys have anything better to do than harassing us?"

"Our thoughts exactly," Adam murmured. "Not even the back entrance is safe."

"Well, we do have another way of getting out," Kim remarked, tapping her communicator meaningfully. "Let them wonder where and how we got past them."

"Good idea, except for one thing, Kim," Zack sighed.

"Oh? What's wrong with it?"

"Lt. Stone is in back, doing his paperwork. How would we explain to him how we made our escape? He may not exactly have been Supercop or Supersleuth, from what I heard, but that doesn't mean he's stupid, either. You want to blow our cover? Or give away just how much we're really involved with the Rangers?"

Kimberly's face fell. "I hadn't thought of that. Blast!" They'd never had that particular problem with Ernie, or maybe he'd just never let on if he'd suspected anything ... then, she frowned. "How do we get out, then? I /really /don't want to have to run past that mob again if I can help it."

Trini gave her a consoling hug. "We'll find a way when it's time," she soothed. "After all, it may have been a while since we used to do our quick getaways on a daily basis, but I think we're not completely out of practice."

The petite gymnast sighed. "I guess."

Rocky meanwhile was handing a smoothie to Tommy. "Here you go, man."

"Thanks." The former Red Ranger gulped about half of it down thirstily. "I thought I'd learned how to handle the press, but this is ridiculous."

"Our thoughts exactly," Tanya grimaced. "And I assume that means you have no idea how we'll slip away, either."

"Not a clue," Tommy confirmed morosely. Then, he shook himself, sank into a chair and scanned his friends' faces. "Any news from Billy yet? Or Justin?"

"Nope," Zack grumbled. "And we're not supposed to call them, either."

"Why the hell not?"

"They said they'd contact us instead," Rocky said, his expressive face showing exactly how he felt about the instruction. "I mean, I can see how it'd be irritating for them to have any of us dogging their heels every step of the way, but ..."

"...but it doesn't make the waiting any easier." Adam voiced what they were all feeling.

"No shit," Tommy groaned, burying his head in his arms on the table top, his whole posture shouting frustration and anger. Quietly, Kimberly reached over and patted his shoulder in sympathy. He looked up and gave her a slight, grateful smile, then reached for his smoothie again, sipping the rest more slowly. "So -- we wait."

"Not much else we can do," Zack agreed.

Trini quirked a tiny, rueful grin. "And we all just love waiting."

~*~



Justin looked up from the console he was working on and saw Billy stretching tired muscles. "Any luck?"

"No more than before," the blond genius replied tiredly. "I've set the system to run backwards in five-second inclements, but with very little success so far. And I simply can't tie up any more resources in our search, or we'll leave the Power Chamber defenceless."

"Not right away," Justin corrected him. "We do have a pretty large power reservoir to feed into the computers ..."

Billy smiled, but it held no mirth. "Most of which I've already accessed," he explained. "I'm keeping some in reserve, just in case we do have a breakthrough of any kind that might need immediate attention, but while I am as anxious as everybody to find Jason and Katherine, I am also aware that the Earth's defense has to take priority over more personal concerns."

"Hmm, yeah. Sucks, though, doesn't it?"

The two shared a brief grin. That phrase was cropping up more and more in all of their conversations.

"Indeed."

Justin frowned, trying to think of other options. "What if we tapped into the zords' auxiliary power supply? That'd give us a few million extra megs."

"Possibly, but it's also too dangerous in case you guys should become embroiled in a lengthier-than-usual altercation with Divatox's minions," Billy sighed, calling up a chart with a few keystrokes. "See? The only way we could possibly siphon off more power to the search computers from the zords would be if we harvested it from the gyros controlling the purely mechanical operation of limbs and weapons systems. Which unfortunately ..."

"...would seriously impair reaction times, delay the Megazord merge past the critical point and reduce overall speed," the young Blue Ranger grumbled after glancing at the graph display. "And that'd be a /really /bad idea in a fight."

"I concur."

"Shit."

Billy tried to look scandalized at Justin's succinct comment, but it expressed too well his own feelings in the matter. I wonder what Jason or Tommy would have said if I had ever allowed myself to express my frustration in such a manner, /he thought with some amusement. /They would most likely have thought Rita or Zedd had managed to replace me with a clone or evil twin without anybody noticing. Besides, I'd have worried far too much that one of the girls might have heard me cursing. I was taught better manners than that; strange that a boy as young as Justin has no such compunction ...

Billy realized suddenly how priggish and sanctimonious a direction his thoughts were taking -- not surprisingly, perhaps, after spending a considerable time on a planet where deportment and restraint of all emotions were paramount every minute of every day. He gave himself a mental shake. I bet Justin feels good for saying out loud what I barely dared think, though!

Out loud, all he said was a dry, only faintly reproving "Quite so." He chose to ignore the impish grin Justin couldn't quite hide, as if the teen were completely aware of his thoughts.

That is ... scary. Nice, though, in an unexpectedly conspiratorial sort of way.

Sternly calling himself to task, Billy bent back to his work, feeling strangely elated at the idea that for once he was working with someone who /understood/.

~*~



The group of friends had spent over an hour sitting and talking quietly, trying to distract themselves when they knew that speculating about whys and hows was fruitless, but all attempts proved ultimately futile. At one point, Rocky had half-heartedly suggested they spar, but nobody had taken him up on his offer, and he hadn't insisted. In their current state of mind, there was no telling when frustration would get the better of them and a simple exercise could take a nasty turn; he'd seen it happen often enough in classes he'd taught, after all. So, they continued to wait, their conversation gradually giving way to heavy silence, when Tommy finally reached the end of his not-unlimited patience.

"That's it. I'm calling Billy," he announced without preamble, lifting his communicator to his mouth. He hailed the Power Chamber before any of the others could say a word to stop him.

"Billy? Justin?"

Kimberly sighed and shared an exasperated look with Trini and Aisha. She knew how hard the situation was for her ex-boyfriend, but that didn't mean she didn't understand the pressure the two Blue Rangers were already under as well. Interrupting their work was not going to be helpful, but try and tell that to Tommy!

Better to let Billy tell him he's being a nuisance!

She looked out the window; dusk was beginning to fall, yet there were still about half a dozen reporters hanging around the parking lot. She wished she could give Tommy ... what? A good shake? A talking-to? Hugs and kisses?

All of the above, I guess, /she admitted silently to herself. /None of which is going to help -- and frankly, the latter might even make matters worse. Not that they aren't complicated enough already ...

It had come as a surprise to her how strongly she still empathized with Tommy. Kimberly had known after Muranthias that she was by no means over her former boyfriend, but she'd hoped that with time, seeing him happy with Kat, would help her go on with her life. Seeing him so anguished and desperate, though, brought all her old feelings back.

And then some. Damn.

Breaking up with Tommy had been one huge mistake, she knew that now. How could she have ever assumed she didn't need him anymore? Kim had no idea. However, she had no intention of causing any more upheavals for him by trying to win him back when he had found somebody else to love -- even if it killed her. But to know he was in pain was almost more than she could bear, and it was all she could do to stop herself from throwing herself at him, hugging him and making promises she didn't know she could keep.

/I didn't know that when he lost his Green Ranger Powers, either, and yet I told him all would be well eventually, /a little voice at the back of her mind reminded her, but the gymnast determinedly ignored it. After all, Kim acknowledged ruefully, she wasn't fifteen anymore, nor in the throes of her first major passion. Even if it turned out to be true and Tommy got his Powers back after all; I know better now than to raise his hopes when there's absolutely nothing I can do to change things. Besides, I doubt he'll want me to comfort him over losing Kat; not after the way I dumped him.

Kimberly winced inwardly. Both thoughts were uncomfortable, to say the least, and she didn't want to pursue either. Better to support Tommy as best she could from a distance, by giving him pep talks when he needed them, see that he got some food into him occasionally and to lend him a shoulder or an ear should he want it. Just like she'd been doing for the past few days, and keep her reawakening feelings to herself.

/I'll deal with all that tomorrow, /she determined. And if that makes me into a 20th-century Scarlett O'Hara, who cares!

She was jolted out of her musings by the voice coming from Tommy's communicator.

'Yes, Tommy.'

Billy. And he sounded none too pleased at the interruption.

Tommy closed his eyes and winced at the tone; he could picture his former team-mate's expression all too well. But he had to ask.

"Anything yet?"

'No. And frankly, I do not know when there will be news, so please ...'

Don't interrupt. Don't nag. Don't bother. Billy didn't complete his sentence, but then he didn't have to. The implications were clear.

Knowing he looked and sounded helpless and lost, yet past caring, Tommy managed to mumble a sheepish apology. "Sorry."

Billy's tone softened. 'Tommy, Justin and I are doing the best we can, but as we repeatedly told you, these things take time.'

"I know. It's just ..."

'Why don't you guys come over here and we can tell you at least what little we have found out?' Justin interrupted, his young voice full of compassion. He knew exactly how excruciating it was to wait for news, for someone to give reassurance that you hadn't been forgotten ... he was suddenly very grateful that it was only grief and work which kept his father from visiting him in Angel Grove more often, not some seemingly insurmountable barrier of time ... or death. 'I mean, it's not much, but we have managed to eliminate a few possibilities at least ...'

In the Power Chamber, Justin shrugged at the reproachful glance Billy gave him. Momentarily blocking the open channel, he set his mouth firmly.

"What? It's not as if I said we had positive results."

"True, but it is cruel to raise hopes, nonetheless. Which, knowing Tommy, this will do."

Looking far too wise for his age, Justin tilted his head.

"And he doesn't need hope -- especially now?"

Billy opened his mouth to speak, then closed it again with a snap. His colleague was right, Tommy did need hope. They all did. He sighed resignedly.

"Yes," he admitted. "Very well. But take care not to make empty promises."

"Trust me, I won't," the boy replied, then reconnected the comm. channel. The whole exchange had lasted only a few seconds. "Tommy? What do you say?"

'I'll take whatever I can get,' came the eager reply.

"Okay, then 'port over." There was an unexpected pause. "Hey, you guys hear me? The coast is clear, you can teleport directly in," Justin added. "Carlos has a soccer game, Ashley is doing her cheerleading stuff, and Cass and TJ are watching. There's room enough, even if you guys all come in at once."

With sometimes thirteen current and former Rangers crowding the Power Chamber simultaneously, they had to be careful about teleporting in lest there might be accidents with unpleasant consequences.

A new voice chimed in -- Rocky's.

'Um, that's not the problem, Justin,' he said somewhat sheepishly. 'It's more like, how do we get past the pack of newshounds camping in the parking lot.'

Justin exchanged a pained look with Billy. They, too, had had a couple of run-ins with sensation-hungry reporters who were tracking down anyone even remotely known to be friends (or even acquainted) with the two castaways.

"Oh."

"Can't you teleport from the hallway, like we used to? The locker area always was quite a safe location," Billy suggested.

'I suppose, but ...'

"But what?"

'There's this little problem named Lt. Stone working in his office -- which just happens to have its door open and overlooks the hallway,' Rocky sighed. /'Plus call me weird, but those two chimps have popped up again, and I swear they're watching us! They're worse than Bulk and Skull,' /he muttered, sounding annoyed.

Justin grinned. "Okay, I guess you do have a problem. Hang on a few minutes, I'll think of something."

'Sure thing.'

"What exactly do you have in mind?" Billy asked suspiciously. He wasn't sure whether he liked the light that had suddenly appeared in the younger boy's blue eyes. "You are not going to use the Power or something to create a diversion, are you? That's forbidden."

"I know, don't worry," Justin replied. "But we have to do something ..."

"Granted, but what?"

At this point, the Blue Turbo Ranger chuckled loudly. He didn't know if Billy would recognize the reference, but he'd waited to use this quote from one of his mother's favorite TV programs for ages.

"Well, you see ... I have this cunning plan ..."

~*~







Angel Grove, The Past

Having finished with her morning ablutions,/ /Kat dropped a white pebble into the container she'd tucked between two rocks at the shore. She did this every day; without a proper calendar, it was her only means of keeping track of her monthly cycle. White pebbles meant she was fine, dark ones meant she was in for a week of cramps, discomfort and general messiness. She cast a cursory glance at the plastic cup, then did a double take. Was it her imagination, or was the level of small round stones much closer to the rim than it should be?

With suddenly shaking hands, she pried the container loose and upended it on the moist sand. Counting slowly and carefully, she replaced her counters one by one. Then did it all over again -- not once, but twice. When she was finished, she sat back on her heels, feeling completely thunderstruck.

"It can't be," she murmured. "I must have miscounted!"

Fighting the tremor rocking her body, she repeated the process once more. The result remained the same, though -- where she'd expected to find anything between 25 and 33 white pebbles, there were 48 instead. Which meant she was at least 15 days overdue.

It could even be as much as 23, she thought, as close to panic as she'd ever been. How could I not notice?

It had been several months since she and Jason had become intimate, and when the scant precautions they were able to use had proved effective so far, she'd hoped they would continue to do so.

Kat swallowed hard. It looked as if the odds had caught up with them after all. Sighing, she rose to her feet and looked around. Jason usually woke up earlier than she did, but he never left camp without telling her, so he had to be around somewhere. Within a few seconds, she spied him a few hundred yards down the shore, putting out fishing lines. With a heavy heart, she made her way towards him.

Jason looked up from his task with a broad smile as Kat's shadow fell over his shoulder.

"Hi, good morning," he greeted her cheerfully. "Sleep well?" He himself had slept like a log; the previous day had been exhausting due to him having bagged another deer -- which meant enough food for at least a fortnight -- but the lucky break had also kept them up with celebratory lovemaking far into the night. In fact, they' both slept in.

"Yeah," Kat mumbled, not daring to meet his eyes. She couldn't help but be subdued, and having become quite attuned to her expressions, Jason instantly sensed that something was wrong. His cheery mood vanished like the morning fog lingering over the lake.

"What's wrong?" he asked, immediately concerned. He got up from his crouch and took the slender blonde in his arms. Kat still wouldn't look at him, and he had to tilt up her face to be able to glance into the blue eyes. To his horror, they were as bleak and desperate as he hadn't seen them for a long time.

/ /Something about that fact sent a premonitory shiver down Jason's spine. He didn't know how he knew, but suddenly he was sure that Kat's sudden funk was significant for both of them. Maybe even to their very survival.

The young woman buried her head in his shoulder, clinging to the broad, muscular frame as she tried to control the tremors racking her body. She really didn't want to have to tell Jason her suspicions, but had no choice in the matter. If they proved true -- which she feared they would, and all too soon, too -- he had a right to know.

Jason waited for Kat to calm down; when he felt her trembling gradually subside, he asked again, as gently as he could. "What's wrong, baby?"

Kat sobbed once, then made herself say what she had to.

"I'm late."

"For what?" Jason frowned, not understanding right away.

She shot him a look full of hurt, confusion and fear. How can he be so dense? It didn't matter that she was being unfair, not in her present state of mind.

"You know."

"Actually, I don't ..."

Jason's puzzlement, strangely enough, helped Kat to regain some composure. She eased back a little from his comforting hold and blew a strand of hair out of her eyes.

"I'm overdue," she rephrased, still a little unwilling to use the P word. Not that it'd change the fact, but ...

"For /what/?" he repeated, then comprehension dawned visibly in his dark eyes. His bearded cheeks blanched, and he could feel his mouth go dry all at once. "You don't mean ..."

Kat just nodded slowly, her blue eyes as serious as he'd ever seen them. Jason gulped.

"Oh boy."

The reaction was so inadequate, it was almost funny. Almost.

Trying to fight down a panic attack, Jason shook his head once, as if to clear it. "How ... how sure are you?"

Kat sighed, grateful at least that he hadn't recoiled from her in utter horror. In fact, his arms were still wrapped firmly around her, even if Jason had moved back slightly to better look at her face.

"As sure as I can be without a test," she murmured. "By my count, I'm two weeks late. Possibly more. I should've noticed sooner, but ..."

"But you haven't. Not that it matters, I guess," Jason finished for her. His mind was still reeling with shock -- and a host of other emotions he couldn't yet name.

"No. Not really."

"And there's no chance of there being another cause?"

"I kind of doubt it." Kat replied, gradually calming. "I mean, if my cycle were affected by the temporal displacement, physical exertion or something, I'm pretty sure I'd have noticed a disruption before. But I didn't, not once."

"Man."

"Yeah."

Jason drew a deep breath, then tightened his embrace once more. He pressed a kiss to Kat's forehead.

"I'm sorry," he said softly. "I tried to be careful."

"I know you did," Kat murmured back. "So did I. Seems they were right in Biology class, after all."

"No kidding." The only contraceptive methods at their disposal had been coitus interruptus and trusting that they calculated fertile and infertile days for Kat correctly; they hadn't been totally irresponsible or careless, even if they both needed the emotional comfort their intimacy gave them. But as their teacher had warned them, it was a very insufficient way of handling things. Now they would have to live with the consequences.

"What are we going to do, Jase?" Kat's voice was a mere whisper.

He closed his eyes briefly, then made himself say it loud for the first time.

"We're going to have a baby."

The enormity of that made them both speechless for a few seconds. Finally, Katherine was the first to find her voice again.

"I'm scared, Jason," she mumbled.

"Me, too," he admitted. "But we've managed this much ... we'll just have to deal with things as best as we can. Together, you and I. Like we've done so far."

Kat sighed heavily. "I guess women have managed to survive pregnancies without doctors and hospitals before ..." The thought wasn't as comforting as she'd hoped it might be. Not when she desperately wanted all the help she could get.

"Uh huh. Still, I wish you could have all of that," Jason echoed her thoughts. "Or at least a woman friend, or your mother, to help you."

Hearing his understanding, Kat felt her eyes fill with tears while at the same time her fear receded. It was funny, but knowing that Jason could follow her emotions to such a degree helped her steady herself and bolster her hope that together, they'd cope with this complication as well. Just as they'd managed to overcome all the other obstacles fate had thrown their way since their fall through the time hole.

"Yes ..." Determinedly, she composed herself. What they needed now was logical, practical thinking, not another emotional scene. She summoned a brave, if rather wobbly smile. "So, what do we do?"

Jason smiled gratefully back at her, his admiration for Kat's courage and inner strength rising another notch. Briefly, he considered.

"I guess ... as long as you're feeling okay, we go on as usual. You'll tell me when you start feeling sick, or anything?"

"Sure," Kat promised, feeling her own mind sort through various options. "So far, I haven't had a bit of morning sickness -- which I think is good," she mused out loud. "I really wouldn't want to lose what little food we have by puking every morning."

Jason grimaced. "Uh, no. And speaking of food ... I know you've been doing a terrific job picking fruit and stuff, but I think it'd be a good idea if you stopped climbing trees for now."

"What? Why?"

Ever since the beginning, when Kat had determined that she could provide for them all by herself, even if it meant scaling trees to heights she'd believed far out of her reach before, she'd been proud of overcoming her hesitation because she wanted -- no, needed -- to carry her share of the burden of survival. She'd proved to herself and to Jason that she was capable of anything. To have part of that taken away from her stung. Far more than she'd thought possible.

"It'll be too dangerous," Jason explained gently. He knew how much her newfound independence meant to Kat.

"But the best fruit are in the treetops!"

"I know, and believe me, I've enjoyed every one of them. But I'd rather have stuff that isn't quite as ripe or juicy or whatever than have you injure yourself ... or our baby."

He was right, darn him. Kat /had /had a few tumbles in the past year or so; luckily never from a great height, so the worst thing that had happened to her had been cuts, bruises and a sprained ankle once. But she knew that very soon, her mobility would become severely curtailed by her increasing girth, and the risk of serious harm was just too great now. Both to her and the child she was carrying.

"I hate it when you're right," she grumbled, glaring at Jason when he chuckled.

"I know. But you'll do it? Or rather, won't do it?" he cajoled.

"Oh, okay." For the life of her, Kat couldn't stop her lower lip from sticking out mutinously. She felt herself relent, however, when he tenderly kissed her pout away.

"Only for the duration. Okay?"

"Alright," she gave in with what grace she could muster. "But don't come to me complaining if you don't like what I can pick from the ground!"

"I won't, promise. Besides, I won't be able to look up your dress anymore when you're not climbing," Jason leered comically. "So you see I get punished twice." He never had, but Kat didn't know that, did she? It was just a ploy to lift her mood ... and apparently it was working, judging by her reaction.

"Hmph." Kat had to smile, even through her instant blushes. Jase has been looking up my dress?!? The rat! "Serves you right!"

It was his turn to pout, but the midnight eyes were alight with laughter. "Aww."

"And don't give me that innocent look, either; it's not working!"

"Gotta have to practice more then, I guess," Jason said amicably, kissing Kat on the tip of her (in his opinion) adorably crinkled nose and threading an arm around her still-slender waist. "Why don't we hash out details of who gets to do what from now on over breakfast?"

As if on cue, Kat's stomach rumbled delicately, making them both laugh.

"Two against one, honey," he grinned. "You're outvoted."

Kat let herself be led towards the fire. "For now."

~*~



The eight former Rangers at the Youth Center were impatiently waiting for a chance to get away to teleport to the Power Chamber, but no opportunity presented itself. Jerome Stone had briefly looked in on them, assured the gang that of course, they could run a tab, he trusted them to pay up later if they could manage a quick departure, then left for his house along with the two ubiquitous chimpanzees; there was a meeting of the Angel Grove Horticultural Society scheduled for tonight. A guest speaker was going to talk about a new fertilizer for roses, and he didn't want to miss that. Not when his prized bushes were so nicely recovering from Bulkmeyer and Skullovich's antics! On leaving, he locked the back door firmly so that no reporter could sneak inside. Unfortunately, that also prevented the friends from leaving that way -- and teleporting was still out of the question, as the reporters in the parking lot had delegated one of their number to keep a close watch on them through a window.

"That guy is giving me the creeps," Aisha said disgustedly, turning away from the curious face pressed against the windowpane from the outside. "What does he think we're up to in here, mass orgies?"

"Well, that would at least get Jason and Kat's disappearance off the front-page news," Rocky snorted. "Not that I'm suggesting anything," he hastily added as the girls glared at him.

"I just wish Justin would get on with whatever plan he's hatched to get us out of here," Tommy sighed impatiently, running a hand under the long hair at his back.

"You're not the only one," Zack groused. "No offense, guys, I like spending time with all of you, I /know /we spent every free minute we could in here while we were still at High School, but ..."

"...but if we can't get out of here soon, we'll all end up stir-crazy," Tanya finished for him. She laughed as the former Black Ranger clapped his hands to his chest melodramatically and pretended to stagger back.

"Finally, a woman who understands me! Are you free tonight, fair lady? I have a record collection I'd like to show you!"

"Go find yourself someone else, Zack; this one's already taken," Adam warned, placing a possessive hand on Tanya's shoulder. He was smiling at his predecessor's antics, but there was an unmistakable sound of warning in his pleasant voice.

"I am?" Tanya wondered, looking at Adam with wide eyes. True, they had been dating since their senior year, but he'd never declared himself so emphatically before. Not in public, anyway.

"Yes." Adam's tone was firm, then he quirked his trademark shy smile. "If you don't mind, that is."

Tanya decided she liked his attitude. A lot. She gave him a quick kiss and a very warm smile. "Not at all."

Before anyone could comment on this unexpected development, there was a commotion outside, in the parking lot. A sound of running feet, then someone was calling out to them.

"Tommy! Tommy, come quick!"

"That's Justin," Rocky murmured, recognizing the young voice. "What's he up to?"

"Only one way to find out," Tommy said, and got up to approach the door. Before he could open it, though, he found his hand stayed by Trini.

"Do you really think that's wise, Tommy? What if whatever's Justin planned doesn't work?"

"Then we'll be swarmed by those jerks," Kim sighed, torn between wanting to help Tommy and recognizing the good sense in Trini's words. "But he promised he'd get us away, and we can't do that if we continue to hole up in here."

"Yes, but do we really want to open that door?" Zack asked reasonably.

Tommy glared rebelliously at his friends, but stopped. "Do you have another idea?" he wanted to know from no one in particular.

Outside, Justin was still calling for him, his tone full of urgency. Already, two of the reporters were turning towards him, curious to know why this kid needed to speak to one of their quarries so desperately.

Trini sighed and let go of Tommy's arm. "Unfortunately, no."

"Well, let's hope his plan works, whatever it is," Tanya decided for all of them. "Waiting won't serve any real purpose."

"Uh huh. And I for one would like to get out sometime this century," Rocky muttered. "I'm sick of counting the ceiling tiles."

"Or the air slits in the locker doors," Aisha added.

Adam hid a grin. Suddenly he was reminded of other antics his best friends had gotten into when they had all been kids together. But that was a topic best got into another day. "Let's do it then," he said quietly.

Tommy drew a deep breath. "Okay, here goes nothing." Gritting his teeth against the probable onslaught of reporters' questions, he opened the door and stepped out, his friends grouped supportively at his back.

"Tommy! There you are," Justin gushed, surging forward in an excess of delight. He grabbed the former Red Ranger's arm and started to tug. "I thought you would never hear me!"

"What is it, Justin?" Tommy asked warily, resisting the insistent pull on his arm. What was up with the kid, anyway? He'd never been quite that hyper before. Unless there was good news about Kat and Jason after all ... no. He wouldn't let himself believe that. Not when Billy -- whom he'd trust over anybody else, except Jason and Kat -- had said there wasn't. "Calm down, kiddo."

"But you have to come with me -- right now," Justin pleaded, giving Tommy his best puppy-dog look.

"Why, Justin?" Tanya interrupted, curious despite herself. This frantic behaviour was quite uncharacteristic for the young genius. She noted that by now all of them were grouped in a loose circle around Justin and Tommy, with the reporters only a couple of yards away on the outside, hanging greedily on every word that was said.

"He has to!"

"Justin, I'm not going anywhere with you unless you give me a dam-, uh, darn good reason," Tommy stated firmly. "You know that we're hoping to hear from the Rangers, and we promised to wait here ..." It was safe to say that much; after all, that was the reason why the press was beleaguering them so determinedly.

"But that's just it," Justin exclaimed, his voice rising in volume. "They're here already!"

"What?"

"Where?"

"How can we get there, kid?"

The reporters were crowding closer, all of their attention now focussed intently on Justin, who gave them back a wide-eyed, eager look that made Tanya instantly suspicious. She'd seen that expression before -- usually when their barely-teenaged friend was up to some mischief.

"I dunno if you can get there," Justin meanwhile replied earnestly. He divided his attention between Tommy and the reporters, patently eager to impress any adult with what he had to tell. "But I know for certain that the Blue Ranger appeared in Angel Grove Park."

One of the press people actually grabbed Justin's shoulder and swung him around.

"WHERE?" he demanded to know.

Justin shrank back. "N-near the basketball court," he stammered.

"And where did he go from there?" a peroxide-blonde shrilled, already signalling frantically towards her cameraman to start her car.

"Um ..." Justin hedged artfully. "I dunno if I should tell you ..."

Zack hid a grin at the expert performance the young Ranger was putting up. He had enough experience with his younger cousins to see it for what it was. Barely controlling his twitching lips, he decided it was time someone slightly more mature intervened.

"Go ahead, Justin," he said soothingly. "I'm sure these fine people won't try and stop the Rangers from doing their job, now would they?"

He was rewarded with a glowing look of gratitude that nearly choked him.

"If you're sure, Zack," the boy beamed, visibly relieved. Then, he turned oh-so-innocent blue eyes on the reporters. "He went towards the downtown exit," Justin proclaimed proudly. "I'm sure he'll be at City Hall any minute now -- if that's where he's headed," he added conscientiously. But his audience had already left him, racing towards cars and tearing out of the parking lot as if the hounds of hell were at their heels. Within two minutes, the Youth Center's parking lot was deserted except for the group of bemused friends.

"Well, that got rid of them well and good!" Justin grinned, extremely pleased with himself.

"Maybe, but you promised us you weren't going to tell anymore lies, remember?" Tanya chided gently. She was glad that they were free from the reporters, but ...

"He didn't, right Justin?" Rocky snickered, having also caught on. As had Kimberly.

"Nope," the boy laughed.

"I don't understand," the until recently sibling-less Tommy frowned.

"Think, Tommy," Aisha smiled. She'd lived in a child-rich community long enough to realize what was going on, too. "Who is the current Blue Ranger?"

"Justin," Trini giggled, recalling some of the stunts her cousin Sylvia had pulled when she'd been that age. "And he should know exactly where the Blue Ranger showed up ..."

"Did you really leave the park through the downtown exit?" Adam inquired, amused.

"Of course."

"But you didn't go to City Hall." Tommy, too, began to smile.

"Nope," Justin replied, a smug grin on his youthful face. "But then, I never really said that that really was where the Blue Ranger was going, did I? I only suggested it might be the direction he was taking ... and it's not my fault that these jerks were jumping to conclusions, is it?"

"You are far too devious for your own good, kiddo," Tommy said, trying to sound stern and failing miserably. He was far too glad that the plan had worked -- they were free to go. At last.

"Let's head towards the Power Chamber before they find out they've been duped and come back here," Trini suggested calmly. "We can sort out Justin's subterfuge, the moralities involved and anything else much better there."

"Good idea," they all agreed. Checking quickly to see that they were unobserved, they all then hit the appropriate buttons on their communicators and teleported towards the mountains, in eight streaks of white and one in brilliant blue.





To Be Continued ...