TITLE: Ties That Run Deep

FANDOM: Mighty Morphin Power Rangers

Author: Danny Harbison

Pairing: Jason/Billy/Kimberly

Rating: R-NC17 (for situations)

Feedback: Yes

Archive: Sure

Summary: Sometimes the word Pairing is just insufficient.

Disclaimer: I don't own the Power Rangers and their ilk. I'm just borrowing them for a little fun. (Get back in there and take those clothes off Billy and Jase!) I'll give them back when I'm finished. I promise. No money exchanged hands here. I do own Noah, David, and the rest of the Pride, and am VERY protective of them.

Ties That Run Deep
by Danny Harbison


"I can't believe this is really happening," Kat said excitedly as she snuggled back against Tommy's chest. The two sat curled on Tommy's sofa watching the awards ceremony on the news. Billy was receiving the Nobel Prize for Physics and several of the former Rangers were gathered at Tommy's to watch the ceremonies on his satellite dish. Most of Billy's old friends had come to Tommy's to watch the ceremonies. Over the past few years, they had drifted apart as they
built their own lives and dreams, but this was one of the rare happy events to bring them together as a group.

"If there's anybody who deserves it, it's Billy," Rocky commented from the rocker. It was a sign just how much the former Red Ranger had matured over the years. Although he still possessed an extremely upbeat personality, he'd calmed and matured into a very responsible young man.

Tommy said, "I just wish that Trini and Zack could have been here to see this. They would have been so happy to see him finally get the recognition he deserves." The deaths of the former Black and Yellow Rangers had been the last time this group had been together. He felt Kat reach out and touch his hand gently, trying to comfort him. He and Kat had drifted apart not long after the end of the Turbo era of the Rangers, only to reconnect at their memorial. That had been the last time he'd seen Billy, or Jase or Kimberly for that matter. He remembered how he felt just a little shut out as the last members of the original team closed ranks with each other for comfort, seeming to shut everyone else out.

Later that evening he'd discussed it with Jase, who'd apologized profusely for what had happened, and Tommy began to understand just a little. The original team had been friends since grade school, and Tommy came to realized that what they felt for each other went deeper than anything he and Kimberly had ever shared- although not in the same way. "We sort of need to make sure that we were still here," Jase had told him. "We need to reconnect I guess. We didn't mean to shut you out, Bro. We never meant to do that."

Tommy assured Jase that he understood, and that he wasn't offended, but was just a little hurt by it. Zack and Trini's death had made most of the former Rangers stop and think about their lives, where they'd been and where they wanted to go. Billy had returned to Earth for good not long afterwards, and according to Adam, he refused to even discuss what had happened between him and Cestria. Now, here they were- all except the man of the hour, and Jase and Kimberly. Nobody had heard from either of them in several months, and Tommy had been unable to make contact to invite them.

"Is that Jase and Kimberly there in the audience?" Adam asked suddenly.

Tommy 'paused' the program- digital signal did have its advantages- and zoomed in on the audience. Sure enough, both the original Red and Pink Rangers were on the front row of the audience watching the ceremonies excitedly. It looked like they were holding hands. "No
wonder we couldn't get in touch with them. They're out of the country with Billy."

"Has anyone heard from them lately?" Rocky asked. "For that matter, has anybody heard from Billy lately?"

Adam smiled and said, "I talked to Billy the day it was announced that he'd won. I called him to congratulate him, and we ended up talking for a couple of hours. He said that he was spending a lot of time with Jase and Kim, sort of catching up on old times and all. According to him, everyone is doing fine." Adam leaned back in his chair and remembered what the two had discussed. Billy had hinted around about there being somebody special in his life, but hadn't come out and told him anything specific, so Adam kept his own counsel where that was concerned.

"What are Jase and Kimberly up to now?" Rocky asked tossing a chip into the air and catching it in his mouth. Although Rocky may have calmed down, his appetite had not.

Adam smiled at his oldest friend and said, "Jase just made Detective on the AGPD, and Kim' just started her residency at Angel Grove General." Adam knew that last revelation was going cause a bit of a stir. He so loved being the strong silent type- especially when he could use it to surprise his friends with an occasional bombshell like that.

"Kim is a doctor?" Kat asked surprised. Then her eyes narrowed to ebony slits, "And you were going to tell us all this when?"

Adam smiled at her and replied, "I figured now would be a good time." He quickly dodged the pillow she threw at him.

"Is it my imagination or do Jase and Kim look like they're a couple?" Aisha asked from where she was sitting cross-legged on the floor between Adam and Rocky. Tommy was surprised when he realized that he felt no jealousy toward his former best Bro that he might be with Kimberly now. He'd long since come to grips with his days with the first Pink Ranger. She had been his first love, and like all first loves it had been intense and her leaving him in that letter had been very painful, but what he shared with Kat now was more mature, more lasting, and definitely preferable to the fumbling attempts at a relationship he'd experienced at seventeen. He glanced over to see Kat watching him, he recognized the apprehension in her eyes.

"Well, well, well. Way to go Jase!" Rocky exclaimed.

"I don't know, maybe we should say, way to go Kim. Jase is a good catch too," Tommy replied, trying to put Kat at ease. From the smile that spread across her eyes, he knew he'd succeeded.

"Wonder how they rated an invitation and we didn't," Aisha asked.

Tommy sighed and looked over at the woman before saying, "If you won a big prize and could only invite two people who would you ask, me and Kat or Adam and Rocky?"

"That's not fair, Tommy," Rocky said. "Adam, Aisha, and I've been friends since grade school. Even before we were Rangers."

Tommy smiled, "Exactly, Rocky. Those three have been friends since fourth grade. I think that maybe Zack and Trini's accident hit them harder than any of us really know." He looked around the room, "Besides, who's been in touch with them besides Adam?"

"You mean outside of getting these from Billy?" Kat held up her wrist to show the teleporters Billy had sent with a note explaining them to all the former Rangers a few weeks ago. He'd explained that they were modified to use the Morphin' Grid when active Rangers weren't- which according to Billy was most of the time. That way everyone could stay in touch a little better. Kat felt just a little ashamed that they hadn't managed to do that, and decided that starting today she would make it a point to do a better job of it.

Tommy looked down at the one on his wrist and smiled. A very good idea just formed in his head. Flipping the cover back to reveal the small holographic imager he checked the location of the other three teleporters. Good, all three of them are together, and according to the scans coming off their units, they're alone. "I've got such a good idea," he told the others. Smiling he held up his wrist, "The news said this was recorded earlier," he pointed to the paused television. "Why don't we pop in on him and congratulate him ourselves. The scans show that all three of them are together, stationary and alone."

"Great idea, Tommy!" Rocky agreed with him enthusiastically. Rocky agreeing with him should have been Tommy's first warning.

"I don't know, Tommy," Adam began. "They may not be expecting us."

"That's what makes it such a good idea," Rocky said. "This way we can surprise them." That was Tommy's second warning.

"I'm game if you guys are," Kat chimed in.

Tommy smiled and showed them the lock he had on the three original Rangers' position. "Okay, let's do it." Five streaks of light disappeared from the room.

As they materialized in the darkened room, each of the former Rangers yelled their own congratulatory felicitation.

"Surprise!"

"Way to go Billy!"

"Bet you didn't expect to see us!"

"Congratulations!"

"Uh. oh! We forgot the time difference between California and Switzerland." Kat said. Then her voice changed to a completely different tone. "Oh my!" The sudden blaze of the overhead lights
revealed the sleepy- eyed and very startled forms of Kim, Jason, and Billy in the king-sized bed. The three managed to pull the covers up and around them quickly, but not before revealing to anyone with eyes to see that more than just sleeping had been going on earlier in the evening.

*

Kim screamed, and turned a deep shade of red, "Tommy! What are you guys doing here?"

Billy blinked at the light. Reaching across Jase, he put on his glasses before blushing deeply. "Although the sentiment is most appreciated guys, don't you think perhaps calling before you
transported via the Morphin' Grid might have been a wise course of action."

Tommy simply stepped back, his brain unable to process the scene in front of him. The warmth of Kat's hand in his helped to bring him back from the swirling emotions that were threatening to break over him like some huge tidal wave. Surprise, jealousy, anger, surprise, incomprehension, a touch of lust, surprise, anger, jealousy, surprise, all hit him one after another as he tried to comprehend what he was seeing.

Jase sat up in bed, pulled the covers tightly over Kim and said, "Guys do you think you could give us a minute." He indicated the door that led to the rest of the hotel suite. "Give us a chance to get dressed and we'll talk."

Nodding in compliance, the former Zeo and Turbo Rangers left the room as Aisha and Kat traded high fives behind Tommy's back with a quick wink to Kimberly. Aisha simply mouthed, "Way to go Kim!"

Closing the door behind his startled friends, Adam turned and faced the shell-shocked Tommy, "I knew if Rocky agreed with you, it had to be a bad idea," he chided his former leader.

Kat watched her boyfriend with some concern. He was not taking what he'd seen very well. She couldn't blame him for being surprised- it's not every day that you walk in on your former girlfriend in bed with TWO of your closest friends. Of course, at the same time Kat realized that if they had taken the time to extend their friends the simple courtesy of a phone call this situation could have been avoided. She'd just never expected Billy or Jase either one to be involved in
a threesome, much less with each other. "That is going to be some explanation," Tommy said looking back at the door like he wanted to go through it and throttle someone.

"Uh, Earth to Tommy," Aisha snapped her fingers at Tommy, put her hands on her hips and said. "Since when do they owe us any kind of explanation of who they sleep with? They're all over twenty-one, and the last time I checked, none of them were married."

Tommy stepped back as if physically assaulted by the woman's words. "It's not that Ai- It's just that I never expected. . ." he looked back at the door with a torn expression on his face. Finally,
he shrugged and said, "I just don't like seeing my friend used that way."

"How do you know anyone was being used?" Aisha asked. "It looked to me like they were all very happy to be there."

"I just can't imagine Kim. . .," he looked over at Kat guiltily as he realized that his girlfriend might not take his current state of mind too well. Finally, he threw caution to the wind and said, "I mean, I could never get past second base with Kim and then to find her with TWO guys."

Rocky raised an eyebrow at Tommy's comment about how far he and Kim had experimented sexually. He'd always been under the impression that their relationship had gone further than that. In a rare expression of the insight people never expected from him he said, "You said it yourself, Tom: Those three have been friends forever." Glancing over at Adam and Aisha he said, "Don't take this wrong, but all things considered I can see how it could happen."

As every head in the room turned to face the former Red Ranger, the door to the bedroom opened and Kim entered followed by Jason and a very flushed Billy. "Uh guys, I think maybe we need to talk," Kim said.

"I think that might be a good idea," Tommy began.

"You don't owe us any explanations," Adam broke in before Tommy could continue. "We owe you an apology for barging in unannounced." He gave Tommy a hard look, "To be honest, we didn't factor in the time difference between Switzerland and Angel Grove."

"Sweden," Billy corrected.

"Huh?" Adam asked.

"We're in Sweden, not Switzerland."

"Oh, I always get those Nordic "S" countries confused," Adam tried to put some humor into the situation. He had to admit to himself that if anyone else had been involved it would be humorous, but since it was he and his friends, he didn't find it quite so funny. Adam added, "Like I said, you don't owe us any explanations." He shot Tommy a look that screamed, "behave."

Billy chuckled and sat down on the sofa under the watchful eye of Tommy. For the first time the former White Ranger let his eyes take in the rest of the suite. It was actually a small apartment, sans a kitchen. The furnishings were elegant and he realized that they didn't just put up Nobel Prize winners in the Holiday Inn down the street. He couldn't help but raise an eyebrow when Jase and Kim sat on either side of him- their body language screaming that this was not the first time they'd all been together.

Kim looked up into the chocolate brown eyes of her former boyfriend. The man whose heart she'd broken with a letter of which she was not proud. She sighed and said, "Yes we do. We're all friends, and we need to clear the air."

"When?" Tommy managed to finally get out through the tightness that was forming in his throat. The emotions that were threatening to wash over him were confusing the hell out of him. He knew he loved Kat. He knew that things had been over between him and Kimberly a long time ago. He'd buried those ghosts before he ever let himself reconnect so intimately with Kat. Somehow though, this whole scene was churning up intense feelings of betrayal.

"About three years ago," Jase told Tommy. "I guess it started right after Zack and Trini's memorial." He looked at Tommy and said, "It's a long story Bro," looking over at Kim and Billy he waited for them to nod, "and I think each of us is going to want to tell our own parts. Why don't you sit down and we'll talk."

Reluctantly, Tommy sat down across from the man with whom he'd once entrusted his life- a man he thought he knew up until five minutes ago. Now he wasn't so sure, but he was going to hear Jase out at least. Looking over at Kim, and hoping that the emotions he felt deep down weren't showing, he sat across from the trio and said, "Okay, shoot."

Jase leaned back, taking Billy's hand in his own, as the former Blue Ranger held Kim's hand. Looking over at his best friend, he didn't like what he saw in Tommy's eyes. Taking a deep breath, he began:

JASON:

I wouldn't admit it at the time, but my heart was breaking. How could they be gone? They fought giant monsters from outer space. They piloted some of the most advanced weaponry this planet had ever seen. How could they die in something so stupid as a car wreck? It wasn't fair, it wasn't right!

I kept looking over at their photos at the memorial. Zack, teaching his hip-hop-do class; God, I remembered how the kids loved him, and hoped- I still hope- that I'm half as good with them as he was. He was one of my oldest friends, we'd been best buds since third grade. I remembered all those nights when he, Billy and I would sit on the ledge outside Billy's window and talk about all the things so important to an eleven year old: could Spider-man beat Batman; is there life on other planets- well we all found out the answer to that one-; karate; just how fast could the Battlestar Galactica go. I missed his exuberance, his unfailing desire to make sure that everyone was having a good time. Hell, I even missed that period when he drove us crazy with while he was constantly in pursuit of the elusive Angela.

Next to his photo, they had a picture of Trini from the volleyball team, all smiles and sweetness. Never had God put such a beautiful person on Earth and I was pissed as hell at him for taking her away from us too soon. I couldn't help but remember those long talks we used to have in Geneva about what we wanted to do with our lives. I just hope that she got to do some of them before the end. I missed how she always had a kind word for everyone around her, how she always saw the brightest and best in people. Mostly I missed her just being in my life.

I stood there at the back of the hall, not sure I could even go in. I mean, if I went in, it would mean that I had accepted they were gone, and at that point, as stupid as it might sound, I wasn't ready to do that. I had never felt so alone in my life. Not even when I was cornered by Goldar in the Dark Dimension and being powerless had left me feeling so naked and exposed. This was something I couldn't fight, something I couldn't change. Now if I went into that hall it would be
admitting that they were gone, and that I couldn't do anything to change that. I found myself missing them already- and some part of me registered that I was missing Kim and Billy too.

Everything we'd been through since fourth grade came back to haunt me. I hated myself for letting the most important people in my life slip away. And, I have to admit, I was starting to feel some of the guilt over what had happened with Billy and the Gold Powers. At that time, as far as I knew, he too was out of my life forever. I looked around and saw all of you guys, but for some reason I felt alone, set adrift in the world.

Then, I felt a hand on my arm. Looking down I followed it back to Kim standing there with tears in her eyes. Some part of me just reached out, and before I knew it we were holding each other and crying- right there in front of God and everybody. She felt so good in my arms, not a romantic good, just the pure goodness and love that I felt for her as one of my closest friends. I remember pulling back from her and smiling. She said, "I don't know if I'm going to make it, Jase."

I remember trying to smile back at her when I admitted, "Me either, but maybe we can help each other." I put an arm around her and we took our seats half way down the hall.

As we sat, she asked me, "Have you seen Billy yet?"

I quickly looked around to make sure that nobody could hear before shaking my head and replying, "Last I heard he's off planet."

Kim smiled and patted my arm, "He's back. You two need to talk." She turned and looked forward, "I think we all need to talk."

I just nodded to her and turned my mind back to the ceremony. I still don't remember anything anybody else said during it. All I can remember is the pain and the emptiness I felt in my life with them gone.

Leaving the building after the service, I remember a familiar voice calling to me, "Jase, Kim." Turning in the direction of the voice, I saw Billy standing there looking wounded and alone. I couldn't stand it. I just ran over to him and pulled him into the biggest hug I could muster. I think I realized then that having him in my arms felt just as right as what I felt with Kim. At the time though, I thought it was simply the relief at having him back in my life. I realized that while he was gone there was a hole there, and that I had simply gotten used to the pain it caused.

It wasn't long before we both were pulling Kim into the hug with us, and something inside me just clicked. I felt more complete then, than I had since before we went to the Teen Peace Conference- which by the way was the biggest joke in history, but more about that later. I'm sure we were a sight, standing there holding each other, taking comfort in each other's presence in ways that I don't think anybody could ever really understand. Finally, I said, "We need to talk, Bro."

Billy nodded and wiped away the tears I could see forming in his eyes. "I predict that that would be a very astute course of action." He was using Billy-speak again- sorry man but you do that some times when you get nervous- so I knew he was trying to hide behind that dictionary he calls a vocabulary. You can't know someone for most of your life, be as close as the five of us were, without learning little things about them like that. Billy's vocabulary starts sounding like a question on the SAT when he's nervous. Kim plays with her hair when she's excited. Zack couldn't stand for two minutes to pass without someone saying something- so he would usually crack a bad joke. Trini, well Trini had this way about her with little kids that made the most intense scolding sound like it hurt her more than it did them- which it did.

I remember you watching us, Tommy. I could see the hurt in your eyes, Bro and I wanted to do something about it, but right then I didn't have the emotional energy to do it. I know I wanted to say something to you, but I just couldn't pull myself away from Kim and Billy. It was as if I was afraid that if I let them go, then I'd never see them again. I know it doesn't make sense, I know it sounds like I was crazy- which at that point in my life it is very possible that I was just a little bit. I think we all needed to make sure that we were actually there- to reassure ourselves that the hole that just opened up in our lives wasn't going to widen. I know we talked about it later, Tom and I'm sorry for shutting you guys out. I know you loved them too, but right then, we needed each other, and we needed to be alone- to heal- to bury our ghosts.

"I suggest that we retire to some place more secluded and inform each other about what's been going on in our lives," Billy said. "My dad is out of town, if you don't mind pizza, we can go there for dinner and to catch up."

I smiled at Kim and Billy, and said, "Why don't we go to my house instead. There's a lamb roasting in the oven, and I've got a bottle of very good wine. We can catch up with each other and remember our friends without worrying about who hears what secrets."

"That sounds good, Jase," Kim said taking each of us by the arm and heading toward the parking lot.

"What about your parents?" Billy asked.

"They moved to Arizona two years ago- Dad's allergies finally got the best of him," I told him. "I've got the house now."

"Fine, I'll meet you there," Billy told us as he unlocked the door to the Radbug. Man it was good to see that old jalopy again. He must have seen me staring at it because he said, "It was the only vehicle I could obtain access to on such a tight time schedule."

I just shook my head and smiled, "It's just good to see it, that's all." I looked over at Kim and asked, "Do you need a ride?"

She held up a set of keys and smiled, "I've got a rental. I'll meet you there."

*

An hour later, we were sitting in my living room just basking in each other's presence. I'd managed to dig out several old photo albums I had stashed away upstairs. For the longest time we sat and looked at photos from when we were growing up. There was one of us in third grade; when we won the sandcastle-building contest at Blue Springs Elementary. The girls designed it, Billy fixed the structural flaws and Zack and I hauled sand and helped build it. Overall, it was one
of our best joint projects, and marked the first time we beat Bulk and Skull at something.

"Jason," Billy looked up from the picture album, his eyes burning with a pain and seriousness that sent shivers down my soul. "I'm sorry." It wasn't the usual "I'm sorry" that guys usually use when
what they really mean is "that sucks, I didn't have anything to do with it, and really don't have to apologize but I feel for you man". It was something different, like he was apologizing for hurting me, or something.

"Whatever for man?" I asked.

"I wasn't there when the Gold Powers started hurting you. I wasn't there when you needed me." I couldn't believe what I was hearing. This was the man who gave up his Powers so Aisha could take them. He was the same man who then stayed on as tech support for the team when he should have been at MIT changing the world. This was the guy whose hance at the Gold Powers I'd snatched away. HE was apologizing to ME for not giving more.

"Bro," I told him, "don't go there. You don't have anything to apologize for. You were sick, and then you got a shot at something you'd always wanted. There is no way I'm going to let you apologize for snatching a little happiness after everything you'd been through."

He shook his head, "No it wasn't like that, Jason. I wasn't grabbing a shot at happiness, I was running away. I was hiding from you, from Tommy, and from the Rangers."

"What about the fish-lady?" I asked. I couldn't imagine what Billy had to run from.

Billy just shook his head and said, "It was all a lie. Cestria just agreed to go along with it to help me save face- an act that on Aquitar also gained her a great deal of honor."

"What do you mean save face?" I asked. Billy then told me what really happened on Aquitar. As a matter of fact, I think maybe I should let him tell this part.

*

Tommy listened to Jase tell his story, wondering when he was going to get the point- the part that would explain why they had teleported in to find him in bed with both Billy and Kim. His emotions were slowly coming back under control, and he took a moment to consider them. He slowly began to realize that he was still just a little jealous of the idea of Kim with anyone but him. Smiling inwardly, he realized he was being unrealistic, and unfair.

"Okay, exactly what did happen on Aquitar?" Kat asked. She had her own curiosity about the former Blue Ranger's reasons for leaving for off planet. She thought things had been pretty going well for him up until he started aging rapidly.

Billy took a deep breath and began:

When I left for Aquitar I was not in the best of conditions, either emotionally or physically. I was dying, and I didn't care, I just wanted it all over. I wanted to stop caring about what happened to
you guys. I wanted to stop caring that I wasn't a ranger any more, and I wanted to stop caring that I was alone most of the time.

You may not realize it, but I was pretty much shut out - regulated to support staff- after Tanya took the yellow crystal. I wasn't a Ranger any more, so that made me a liability to the team. If things got rough, I'd just be in the way, and I didn't want that to happen, so I just sort of faded into the background. I knew it had to be done, but that didn't make it any easier seeing you guys and knowing that the only way I could help was fix up your 'Zords after you were done. After a while, it seemed that nobody even noticed me except for when you needed a 'Zord fixed or something invented. I know, I know it wasn't like that, but, at times, it felt to me like it was to me.

It got to where I was living in the Command Center, just to have something to do. When I wasn't able to hold the Gold Powers things just got worse. I felt alone. Trini and Zack were in Geneva, Kim was in Florida, and Jase was hanging out with you guys. On top of everything else, I felt like I was loosing my Big Brother. There were times when I hated your guts, Tommy. Jase and I had been friends since we were kids, and there I was, not able to share Rangering with him as you were. I hated myself for feeling that way, because you'd always been such a good friend to me. After a while, I just started hating life.

When I got sick and realized that I was likely going to die, I was actually glad. At least everything would be over then. Then we came up with the idea of going to Aquitar to find a cure and I couldn't find a reason not to go, so I did.

Recovering wasn't a pleasant experience. I itched all the way to my bones, while the aging process slowed and then reversed itself. I fought with a body that refused to cooperate. Although outside of tumbling, I've never been much of an athlete, I was at least accustomed to being able to control my body to the extent of not fouling my clothing.

Finally, as I began to recover physically, I discovered that I had to make a choice. My body was getting better, but my life back home wasn't. What did I have to go back to? I'd given up my scholarship to MIT to keep things running in the command center. I didn't have a life of my own anymore and all my friends were busy with theirs. Kim was in Florida, Zack and Trini were in Geneva, and the rest of you were saving the world. Hell, I couldn't even talk to my Dad anymore.

Since I was alone, I took the time to decide what I wanted to do after I recovered. Cestria and I became very good friends and we talked a lot. As I learned more about their culture and way of life, I realized that I would never be able to assimilate into their society. Still, we both were interested in each other's world so like I said, we talked about everything from high school and the Rangers to chocolate and bread- it turns out that the Aquitations have no concept of bread or most of the foods we eat. We talked a lot about what had happened with the Rangers, and she helped me come to grips with what I was feeling. By the time I had healed, we'd become very good friends- and no, Rocky not THAT good. Although I was physically ready to come home, I still wasn't emotionally ready. We came up with the plan of telling everybody that I was staying there to be with her while we worked on other alternatives for me back on Earth.

Our talks about the Rangers led to a rather surprising discovery- one that helped me understand and come to grips with my apathy about living and dying. We were talking one day, about you guys. After my describing some of our missions against Rita and Zed, Cestria asked me several questions about each of you and then sat back with a smile. I told her, "You have the countenance of someone who has made a discovery."

"I believe I have, William of Earth." Again, she looked insufferably pleased with herself.

"Is this a discovery you would care to share with me?" I asked.

"I think that your feelings for two of your friends go beyond just the camaraderie of being a Ranger," she told me with a smile. You have no idea how unnerving it is to see a being descended from their world's version of a shark smile.

"Of course I care about my friends," I told her. "Some of us have been friends since grade school."

She smiled again and said, "Yes, but while you describe all of your friends with the detail of one born in the sciences, the words you use to describe two of them are born from your heart."

I must have sat there for a long time thinking about what she was intimating- trying to make sure that I hadn't mistranslated the somatic elements of her speech. Finally, I asked, "Are you saying
that I love Kim and Jase?" As soon as the words were out, I realized that they were true. I knew which of you guys she was talking about without her even saying anything.

"This is something I cannot help you with Billy of Earth. Matters of mating and life bonding are different here than they are on your world. Delphine tells me that you do not take more than one mate at a time, nor are same gender relationships very well accepted," she replied, the regret in her voice obvious. She then swam off leaving me to think about what she'd said.

I must have sat there for hours thinking, because the sun was disappearing in the Western waters when I finally swam away. I slowly came to realize that I did love Kim and Jase, and that that was part of my dilemma. I loved both of them so much that I couldn't bear to bring myself to choose between them. Therefore, instead of being honest with myself, and them, I'd chosen exile on a world so alien that I had to undergo several surgical procedures just to be able to live there. I came to realize that I'd loved both of them since before we'd become Rangers. Then, I was too timid and scared to admit to myself- afterwards I was just plain scared.

It was then that I decided I needed to go home. I was going to try to sort out the mess I'd made of my life. I had several issues I needed to deal with, not the least of which was what to do with myself now that I was no longer a Ranger. What would I do? What did I want out of my life? Where to live? Actually, that was never really a question, Angel Grove was my home, and I wanted to go home. I also knew that I wanted my degree.

One of the primary things I had to decide on was whether to even let the Rangers know I had returned to Earth, especially when all that time passed and nobody even called to see how I was doing. I decided in the end, just to lay low and get my life back to as close to normal as I could. Finally, I hacked into UCLA's computer and got myself admitted. That first year completely drained my savings, but by the second, I was able to obtain several scholarships. I also decided to keep to myself, not letting anybody know I was back yet, and just concentrate on my studies full time. I was on a fast track to my doctorate when Zack and Trini were killed.

That was something I couldn't ignore, or pretend not to care. This was beyond painful. Although I had separated myself from my friends, I still cared. I still missed the camaraderie we all shared,
especially the first five of us. It was then that I realized that I'd been alone long enough. It was time to either do something about Jase and Kim, or to let them go.

I made myself pick up the phone and call Kim in Florida. I just barely caught her too. After catching up for a while, she asked me why I had stayed away so long. I told her about being ill, about trying to get my life straightened out after Rangering, and about life on Aquitar. I talked about everything except what I wanted to tell her- what I needed to tell her. Finally, we made arrangements to have dinner the night before the service.

I don't remember much from the time I hung up to when we met at Nikimotos' for dinner the following evening. I suspect that I managed to annoy several of my friends in at the university graduate lab. I'm told I became something of the caricature of the absent-minded professor.

We met that night and continued our earlier conversations. However, when it comes to matters of the heart, Kim is the genius. She knew that there was more to my mindless prattle than I was willing to disclose. Finally, she came out and asked me, "Billy, what's wrong? I mean besides the obvious."

I remember shrugging and trying to obfuscate, "Nothing. I guess I'm just glad to have someone here that I can talk to."

"What about Jase, and Tommy and the rest of the Rangers? Don't you talk to them?"

I shook my head and told her, "No. I haven't seen any of them since before I left for Aquitar. You're to first I've spoken to since then."

I remember the look on her face. I knew I was in for a tongue- lashing, and I was right. She started right in with, "Billy! Don't hide from us. We won't bite. We care about you."

I don't know- maybe it was grief I was feeling about Zack and Trini- maybe it had all just stayed bottled up for too long- but I lashed out at her before she could continue, "Like hell you do! Did anybody call to see how I was doing on Aquitar? Did anybody ever ask how I was doing after I became a glorified grease-monkey for a disembodied head and a child-like robot? Did anybody think to check up on me after you went on with your lives? No! I spent five years of my life either fighting Rita and Zed as the Blue Ranger, or trying to stay ahead of the repair schedule on the 'zords without so much as even a thank you. Hell, sometimes I think Rocky and Tommy were in some kind of sick contest on who could get their 'zord the most damaged without totally destroying it, and all I ever got out of either one of them was "can you get it fixed soon?" Don't tell me that people care about me, because if they had, they would have at least checked up on me!" I was really having what Trini used to call a pity-party for myself. I told her, "Did anybody ever think that I might have something to contribute beyond the latest weapon to take out the big oogadey-boogedy? Did anybody care if I cared about them- that I had to stop watching the battles on the Viewing Globe, because I was afraid one of them wasn't going to come back? Did anybody ever stop to think that maybe I couldn't go on if one specific person didn't come back?" I think I started to cry then.

Kim just sat there in shock. I know she couldn't have had anything to say about my tirade. It wasn't exactly a coherent. Finally, she said, "Billy? I'm sorry we didn't call. I'm sorry -I- didn't call, and I'm sorry -I- hadn't noticed if you cared about anyone in particular." She reached across the table and took my hand in hers and asked, "Do you want to tell me who it is?"

Discretion suddenly became the better part of valor, and I shook my head, "No, it's not important." I think she started to figure some of it out about then- not all of it, but some of it.

"It's important to you," she said, "but I won't push." She leaned back in her chair and gave me one of those looks that tells you she's up to something. "I do think you need to talk to Jason, though," she said. "You guys have been friends too long to let something like that come between you, especially now." I nodded and told her that I agreed, and promised to talk to Jase.

"And that's my part of the story up to where we met at Jase's house," Billy said as leaned back against the sofa, still holding both Jase's and Kim's hands. Tommy had already figured out that this was going to be a story told in parts- each of his friends telling a little of it at a time.

"That still doesn't explain how you three ended up as a couple. . . ," Aisha said not feeling quite comfortable with the last word. She asked, ". . . , uh what do you call this sort of a situation?"

All three looked at each other, "Uh., we really haven't given that any thought. We just know this much. It's not a fling, it's not experimentation, and it's permanent." Kim said. Then she quickly
added, "And don't take this the wrong way, but it's closed. We aren't looking to add anyone else." She looked at the other two men who quickly nodded in agreement. The intensity of what they were feeling was obvious to anyone who cared to look for it.

"So, you're going to live with Billy and Jason as husband, and wife, and husband?" Tommy asked incredulously. He still couldn't wrap his mind around the idea of Billy and Kim together, much less Jase and Billy. For some reason, he never thought of the young genius as anything but someone in the background. Of course, he realized that that attitude was part of the problem that had forced him to leave the planet.

"Something like that," Kim said, sticking her jaw out, the gleam in her eye daring anyone to say anything about the idea.

Adam shrugged, and asked, "Kim, are you happy with this?"

She smiled at him, "I wouldn't be here if I wasn't."

"Are you happy with this Jase?" he asked the former Gold Ranger.

"Very," Jase replied.

"And you Billy?"

"Indubitably," the green-eyed man replied.

"Then who am I to criticize you," Adam told them. "Happiness is too rare in this world to throw away just because someone else might have a problem with it." He shook his head and added, "Besides, this planet doesn't know what you've done for it- the least you deserve is a little patience." He grinned broadly and said, "Although I am interested in the rest of the story, not for any justification- I just want to know how three of my friends finally figured out a way to make an unconventional situation work." He found himself accepting this arrangement, a lot easier than he would have ever thought he might. To him, it just seemed right- sort of, as if he, Rocky, and Aisha were to become intimate. Adam blushed at the ideas that thought brought to mind.

Rocky listened to what Adam had say and realized, that although what Kim, Jase, and Billy shared went against everything his strict Catholic upbringing taught him, he felt the same as Adam. He figured he was growing up a little- of course being exposed to space aliens and magic- two other things of which the Church disapproved- he'd had his horizons broadened just a little more than most people. Finally, he said, "Billy I owe you an apology. I'm sorry for not being more considerate with my 'zord, and expecting you to do all the work on it." He blushed, "Tommy and I did have a bet going on, but it wasn't to see who could do the most damage to our 'zords without having them destroyed." He glanced over to their former leader and revealed something that up until today, had only been between the two of them. "We should have thought about what our little game was costing other people."

"What kind of bet?" Jason asked evenly. He'd noticed that when he'd rejoined the team, that nobody maintained his or her own 'zords anymore. Everybody seemed to think that since Billy wasn't going into battle, that he'd be free to do all the maintenance. He'd caught himself thinking the same thing once or twice himself, and had always felt guilty about not doing as much as he knew he could do on the Pyramidus.

"We were trying to see who could get the closest to whatever we were fighting without getting hit. Loser had to buy the winner a smoothie at Ernie's," Tommy replied guiltily, as he shrugged, "I guess we didn't stop to think that the loser was adding more work for Billy." He turned to the former Blue Ranger and sighed, "I'm sorry, Bro, our game was making extra work for you. We should have thought of that. You must have really hated us for that. No wonder you left."

"I'm sorry too," Aisha added as she looked guiltily over at Kat. "We knew that Kim had helped maintain her own 'zords, but I guess we figured that since you were there, that it was your job. We didn't think that we should have been helping you. I guess the Power kind of went to our heads."

Kat just nodded, "You know I'm sorry too, Bill," the blonde told him. She and Billy had discussed this issue not long before he'd become ill. She had meant to come to the others with it, but he got sick before she could, and then had left for Aquitar. She hadn't seen the need to make everyone else feel any worse than they already did. She had wondered, however if it had had anything to do with his deciding to stay off planet. Billy nodded to her, and said nothing so she quickly added, "Well, I don't know about you guys, but I want to hear how you managed end up with two guys, while I'm stuck with just one." She grinned and hoped her teasing hadn't stepped over the line with Tommy.

"Okay," Kim said. "I guess it's my turn."

***********AUTHOR'S NOTE********************
Okay guys, the first person thing wasn't working, so I'm going to try and switch to third person omniscient. Hope this works better. I do appreciate all the feedback, and maybe with a little practice I'll be able to try something else in first person later. In the meantime- on to Kim's story. All of the Power Rangers, their gear and belong to Saban. I'm just borrowing them. Noah, David, Brenda, Sharon and the other characters are mine, all mine. If you are interested in reading more about them, email me and I'll send you the stuff. I can't post it because it's currently at a publisher, and I could lose some money if I did.
***********AUTHOR'S NOTE********************

Kim fought back the tears as she closed the suitcase. "Are you sure you don't want one of us to go with you, Kim?" Noah asked from where he was sitting cross-legged on her bed.

She shook her head without turning to face her friend. She knew it was stupid trying to hide that she was upset. Noah could always tell when something was bothering her, and it usually didn't take him long to figure out what it was, but then again, that was in the nature of what he was. "No, this is something I'm going to have to do on my own." Dabbing her eyes, she turned and smiled weakly at him, "Besides, I don't want anyone to get the wrong idea."

Noah flashed one of his wry smiles that somehow managed to impart volumes. "You don't have to explain anything to anyone you don't want to, Kim. You are going back to bury two of your closest friends, people who were more like a family to you than your own. I can understand how that makes you feel." She could hear a deep sadness in his voice.

"Yeah, but I've still got that rather cowardly letter I sent to Tommy to live down," she told him. "You know the one where I lied and said I'd met someone else. I don't want him to think that you're the person I met. "

Noah gestured to himself. She found herself marveling at just how young he looked. When she'd first met him, he had to show her his driver's license to prove that he was as old as he said. Here it was four years later, and he still looked like a thirteen or fourteen year old instead of twenty-two, "Yeah, like the Lord of the Skies is really going to be threatened by someone like me. Come on, I couldn't intimidate a pussycat." She tried to hide the quick double-take, but he only smiled and said, "Kim, I've known since I met you." He shook his head, "You know me, and you know what I am. Hiding something like that from me is impossible."

"Do the others know?" she asked of his rather unconventional family.

Noah just smiled, "Only David. It's somewhat hard to hide things from the other half of my soul. Neither of us has mentioned it to the others, though. It's not their business, nor ours." He leaned
back against the headboard, "That's one of the advantages of being what I am. Nobody can lie to me, but I don't have to tell everything I know either. You'd be surprised how many secrets I've got locked away."

She shook her head, "I don't want to know, Kitten." She came over, sat down on the bed next to him, and kissed him lightly on the cheek. "I just want you to know how much you and your family have meant to me these past few years. I think if it hadn't been for you guys, I might have packed up and headed back home with my tail tucked between my legs before now."

"What's this? I'm gone five minutes and come back and find my study partner in bed with my boyfriend?" David's voice came from the door.

"I wouldn't worry too much about it, Dave. Somehow I get the feeling that I don't have quite the plumbing to interest him," she grinned and threw a pillow at the tall Adonis-like man standing in the door. Whereas Noah was small, barely clearing five foot and a hundred pounds, his boyfriend was well over six foot and built like Austin St. John on a good day. "I was just telling him how much I
appreciate you guys. You've made my life here in Florida not only bearable, but pleasant."

He bowed slightly to her and replied, "It's been a two-way street, Kim. You've been really special to us too- not just to me and Noah, but all of us." He came over and took her hand, "I just don't want you to forget us when you move back out to the West Coast." He bent down and kissed her lightly on the forehead, "And in case I haven't told you yet, I'm sorry for your loss." She suddenly felt the wave of sympathy and affection pour from both these men whom she'd become so close to over the past few years.

"Are you going to see them, when you're there?" Noah asked. Kimberly knew of whom he was speaking.

She shrugged, "I'm sure Jason will be there. I'm not sure about Billy, he's ... ," she started to say "away", but then realized that both these men knew her secret, and had kept it for the past few years, "...off-planet the last I heard."

Noah shrugged, "Maybe, he'll come back. I know if something like this were to happen to one of ours, I'd come back."

She grinned at him, "You'd never leave them in the first place Noah. I know the rest of your family too well. If you tried going off into the night like Billy did, Brendan or Sharon would hunt you down and turn anyone that got in their way into cat chow." She smiled over at David, "That is, if this one would even think about letting you go."

David chuckled and pulled her off the bed, "Seriously Kim, you need to talk to them. At least clear the air." He shrugged, "If we can find a way to make it work," he put an arm around his lover, "I'm sure you guys can work something out."

She laughed, "Somehow I get the feeling that neither of them even see me that way. I've always been Jase's little sister, and Billy's big one." She snorted, "To tell you the truth, I don't think that either one of them even see me as a woman."

"Then they're fools," Noah told her. "Because trust me, my little crane, you're all woman, and if they can't see that, then I may just have to make David take me out there so I can bust their heads."

She grinned at him, "I thought you said you were non-threatening?" she teased the small man.

He laughed, "I said I wasn't intimidating. I didn't say I wasn't dangerous, Power Ranger or not."

"Noah," David warned. "You know that's not our realm of responsibility."

Noah just shook his head, "I don't know. It seems to me that they're using spells. That puts them in the realm of either magery or sorcery, and that is definitely our realm."

"Noah, stay out of it. Giant monsters from space aren't what we're about."

Kim laughed, and was surprised at herself for being able to do it. Leave it to these two to find a way to make her last memories of Florida, pleasant. "I could just see turning you guys loose in the Power Chamber. Poor Alpha would blow a circuit with you two and four nosy cats poking their whiskers into everything. That is if Billy didn't start trying to run all kinds of tests on you, to find out what makes you tick." She immediately regretted the comment, remembering Noah's irrational fear of needles.

He just smiled at her and patted her hand before saying, "It's okay, Kim." He slid off the bed, and headed toward the bedroom door. "We'd better get out of here and let you get some sleep. You've got a long flight tomorrow, and we have to be here to meet the movers."

She got up and followed her two friends to the door thinking about how unlike anything she'd expected her life in Florida had been. She'd come here expecting to continue to train for the Pan Global Games, not end up embroiled in what her friends called the politics of the unnaturals. Not that she'd really had that much to do with it, outside of being someone for them to talk to when things got too weird. It did seem like that she spent most of her free time with some member of their family. "I really appreciate you guys and everything you've done for me."

David turned and smiled at her. "Kim, all we did was what any friend would do. You've been there for us; this is the least we can do." Once again, he wrapped his long arms around her in a brotherly hug. "Just don't make us have to come out there to remind you that we still exist. Remember, two-thirds of my family is part cat, and cats hate to be ignored."

"Will do," she smiled at the taller man as she pulled his lover into another embrace. "I'll miss you too, Runt. Don't let this overgrown beach-bum get you into too much trouble."

"I won't," he told her as they headed out the door.

Closing the door behind them, she leaned against it, once again feeling the loss of her friends. Forcing back the wave of despair and loss, she turned out the lights and headed to the bathroom to get ready for bed. As she slipped into the bed, preparing for her long journey tomorrow, the phone rang. Picking up the receiver she said, "Kim Hart."

"Kim, it's me Billy. I apologize if I've awakened you, but this was the only time I knew I could catch you at home." She felt her heart race suddenly at the sound of a long-missed voice.

"Billy!," she replied happy to hear from an old friend. "Last I heard, you weren't on Earth."

"I've returned," was all he said. Maybe it was all the time she'd spent around Noah and David, or maybe it was something else in his voice, but Kim got the feeling that there was more to it than that.

"So you have," she said carefully.

"Have you heard about Trini and Zack?" he asked carefully.

Her brief sense of elation suddenly crashed again, "I heard, her Trini's mom called me. I'm catching the first flight for Angel Grove out of Miami tomorrow. My flight arrives in Angel Grove at two p.m."

"Do you need a ride?" he asked.

"No, a friend has arranged for a rental for me," she told him. She could almost see him thinking, and then reminded herself that she wasn't Noah.

Finally, he said, "Would you like to go to dinner tomorrow night, then?"

"That would be nice," she replied excitedly. "It'll give us a chance to catch up on each other." She hoped that what she was feeling didn't' show too much in the sound of her voice. She definitely
didn't want to scare off her shy friend.

"Are you still training?" he asked.

"Not professionally," she told him. "I still train and practice, but mainly to stay in shape. Medical school keeps me pretty busy."

"Medical school? You're in medical School?" Billy asked.

"I start my residency in two years," she replied.

"I'm impressed. What made you decide to enter that particular field of study?" There was genuine affection in his voice.

"I guess I just felt like it was time to do something useful with my life. I mean, I can't be a gymnast forever, and this way at least maybe I can get a break on the costs when I need surgery on my knees from all the back flips," she joked. She didn't tell him that her nocturnal activities with Noah and his family had led to an interest in medicine- especially for medicine as Sharon referred to it, "off the beaten path". The clientele wasn't very large, but they usually paid extremely well for someone who understood their particular needs, and was willing to be discrete.

"I can understand that concept. That's why I came home and started to work on my degree. It was time I did something other than repair giant combat vehicles, and design weapons for adolescents in spandex." There was a bitterness to Billy's tone that warned her that her old friend was still hurting over something.

Holding her peace until she could talk to him face to face, Kimberly filed the information in the back of her mind and probed in a different direction, "How long have you been back? Where are you in school? Have you spoken to any of the others?"

Billy told her, "I returned approximately two years ago. I'm currently engaged in my post-graduate studies, and estimate that should all go as planned, I'll have my doctorate by the end of next year." He was starting to degenerate into techno-babble. The difference now was that she understood him. "My current position is chief graduate assistant at the UCAG High Energy Research and Development Project."

"Good for you, Billy," she told him. "But have you spoken with any of the others?"

"Not for a while," he told her reluctantly. She got the feeling that "a while" was longer than he wanted to let her know.

"I can't wait to see you tomorrow, Billy," she told him.

"I too find myself anticipating the event." He hesitated a moment before continuing, "However, it is well past midnight at your location, and you have an early flight tomorrow therefore, I will say good night and hope you sleep well."

She smiled to herself, "Good night Billy. Sweet dreams." Hanging up, Kimberly slipped off into surprisingly pleasant dreams.

Kim was tired and excited at the same time. She grinned as she slid into the booth at the Japanese restaurant Billy had named. Her flight had been delayed in Reno, and she'd barely made it to Angel Grove in time to get a quick shower before coming here to meet him. Looking around she caught herself identifying all the exits to the dining room, and noting where everybody else in the room was. She realized that she'd picked up some unusual habits in Miami- habits that her old friends might not understand.

Looking back toward the front door, she saw Billy being escorted toward her table by the maitre' de. He'd changed since she'd last seen him. He was leaner, and his hair had darkened from its normal honey yellow to something more like dishwater blond. As obviously genuine as the broad grin he was wearing at the sight of her was, it couldn't hide the hag-ridden look in his eyes. "Billy!" she screamed, and realized she sounded like a schoolgirl again. Before he could reply or pull away, she leapt up from her seat and literally threw herself around him.

She felt him hesitantly begin to hug her back before finally pulling her into an embrace that surprised her with its intensity. After long moments of just holding each other there in the empty dining room they separated and he held her at arms length before saying, "The feeling is most assuredly mutual, Kim." For just a moment, something flashed across his eyes, and she thought he was going to say something.

Finally, she pulled him into the booth across from her and said, "It's so good to see you."

"You already said that," he smiled at her.

"So I did," she felt herself blush. "Where are you staying?"

"At my dad's house. Normally, I live in the dorm- at least when I'm not sleeping in the lab. Since he's out of town for a few weeks, he asked me to house-sit for him."

"You, living in a dorm?" she asked incredulously.

His answer was interrupted by the arrival of the waiter. After the man had taken their orders, Billy looked over at her and said, "I'm a legitimate scientist now. I don't have to keep a lab in the garage anymore."

"You always were a legitimate scientist, Billy. One of the best," she told him. "You've got more brainpower than most people on the planet combined."

He blushed under her compliment before replying, "Thank you." After a deep sigh, he leaned back in his seat and asked, "So tell me about Florida." She couldn't help but think that he still thought of
others first.

"I just finished two years of Medical School at Miami University. I'm transferring to U.C. Angel Grove for the rest of my college career. I just missed home too much."

"That's great!" he said as his eyes lit up with genuine joy.

"I'm glad at least one person thinks it's a good idea," she said, remembering the letter she sent Tommy those long years ago.

"I'm positive that you'll receive nothing but positive greetings and felicitations from all our old teammates over the news, Kim," again, she heard a hesitation in his voice. After a second he asked, "Can I ask you a question, Kim?"

She smiled at him, knowing what was coming. Steeling herself mentally she said, "Sure."

"Why did you send Tommy that letter," he asked.

Before she could reply, their drinks arrived. She waited until the server had left before looking up from her own drink and saying, "Because after I got to Florida, I realized that I had been in love with the idea of being in love, but not with Tommy." She shrugged, "I did a lot of soul searching down there, and came to realize that although Tommy would always be special to me, I wasn't in love with him the way he needed me to be. That wasn't fair to him, and it wasn't fair to me either. I should have handled it differently, I know that now, but I was young, I was stupid, and I was afraid, so I sent him the letter. I figured it would be easier for him if he were mad at me for finding someone new, than if I told him the truth."

Billy nodded and smiled, "I have always suspected it was something like that." Then looking down he almost muttered, "So? Is there anyone in your life now?"

Kim smiled and shook her head, "Uh huh, you don't get off that easy. First you have to tell me about what's been going on with you and the others."

He looked up sheepishly at her, "I haven't spoken to any of the others."

She told him, "Billy! Don't hide from us. We won't bite. We care about you."


"That's when he blew up at me," Kim smiled and patted Billy's hand in hers. Glancing over at Tommy she said, "I hope you can eventually forgive me."

Tommy shrugged, hiding the brief stab of pain the revelation brought to him. He said quickly, "It's in the past. I'm over it. You're over it. Forget it."

"Wait a minute?" Rocky asked. "Those people you were telling us about in Florida. Exactly what were they?"

Kim smiled wondering how much of her friend's secrets she should reveal. Finally, realizing that some of them might go hunting if she didn't give them at least a little information she said, "They call themselves unnaturals, and they sort of do the same thing we used to, only in the realm of the supernatural." She smiled, "and that's all I really feel comfortable saying about it."

"You mean witches, and wizards and such?" Rocky asked incredulously.

Kim nodded, "And vampires, and werewolves, and definitely werecats, and the occasional ghost."

"That's a little hard to believe," Rocky said.

"And so is a Power Coin and Giant Robots, and a gold armored winged ape," Jason said. "Not to mention a spell to turn the Green Ranger evil. I've met these friends, and Kim's on the up and up." He grinned over at Billy, "Even if they do make Bill nervous."

"How did they find out about you being the Pink Ranger, a spell?" Adam asked.

She smiled, "No, Noah's a telepath, one of the first to be born on Earth in four hundred years. Nevertheless, this isn't about them, it's about how the three of us got together."

Jason smiled, "I think it's my turn again."

*