Tanya, Adam and Rocky watched as Kat silently followed Tommy into the jungle; Billy was still consoling a sobbing Kimberly, and the three were feeling at something of a loss.

"We finally asked for more than Kimberly could give," Tanya murmured, wiping at her eyes.

"And she gave it anyway," Rocky added; he felt as guilty as the others over what had happened. If he hadn't needed to be rescued... if his stupid shoulder hadn't picked now as a time to get thrown out of whack.... As if on cue, a flare of pain from his injury made him moan.

"Come on, Rocky; let's get you back to camp and work on that shoulder," Adam suggested.

"It doesn't need much work. I can pop it back in and...."

Adam and Tanya winced as Rocky worked his shoulder back into place. The pain had left him pale and a little lightheaded. The two had to steady the Blue Ranger.

"Do you need to immobilize it or something?" Tanya wondered.

"Naw, just need to take it easy for a few days," Rocky sighed.

"Still, you should rest," Adam advised.

"Actually, I really don't feel like going back to camp," Rocky demurred. "I need to do something... get my mind off this for a little while--y'know?"

Both of his companions felt similarly; none of them wanted to sit around with nothing to do but think about what had happened.

"Well, I guess we could try and find dinner," Adam ventured. Kim, obviously, wasn't going to be up to hunting, and most likely neither were Kat and Tommy. Although, Adam doubted any of them felt much like eating.

"We could go back to the clearing with the web," Tanya suggested.

"Sure, Adam hasn't seen it yet," Rocky agreed.

"I want to try and free this large bird I saw trapped in the web when I went back to get some rope," Tanya continued. "Even if the spider isn't around to claim it for dinner, the poor thing could still starve to death."

"Let's go," Rocky said.

"Okay, but just a second." Tanya softly approached Billy and laid a hand on his shoulder. "Do you need anything?"

"No, I'm all right."

"We're going to...."

"I heard; just be careful."

"We won't be too far away; the web is in a clearing along this path. It's easy to find. We'll be within earshot if you need anything."

"We'll be okay; I think she's falling asleep now."

Tanya patted Billy's arm then softly stroked Kim's hair. That taken care of, she, Rocky and Adam set out on the trail much as they had earlier.

None of the three felt much like talking; however, the silence soon began to grate on their nerves.

"I just hope Kim's going to be all right," Adam murmured with a backward glance. Really, he didn't want to bring the subject up, but neither could he just let it go.

"She will be," Tanya assured him. "We'll be there for her and get her through this just as she's done for the rest of us."

"This'll sound strange, but I'm kind of worried about Tommy," Rocky admitted. Tanya and Adam shot him incredulous looks; after all, Rocky was the one who wanted to slug Tommy not too long ago. "I know he's been a real butthead and all, but man... I've never seen a look on his face like that--you know, before he took off into the bushes. It was like he was going to cry."

"He wasn't even that bad when he received Kim's letter," Adam continued. "That time it was like he didn't feel anything... like he just shut himself off."

"Maybe he just couldn't keep his feelings locked up inside any longer," Tanya ventured.

"This has to be tough on Kat, too," Adam interjected. "It's got to be hard on her knowing that Tommy still isn't over Kim even after all this time...." Adam's sentence was interrupted by a piercing, plaintive cry.

"What was that?" Rocky wondered.

"The bird I was telling you about," Tanya answered. "Quietly now; we don't want to startle her."

Tanya led the way through the thinning vegetation to the ring of trees bedecked with an intricate maze of white strands ranging from gossamer thin to rope thick. Ensnared in the center of the tapestry was an enormous bird. From head to tail tip, it was covered in rich brown feathers; however, an under coat of golden plumage peeked out from under the somber overcoat. Judging from the hooked beak to the talons that scratched futilely at the ground, it was unmistakably a bird of prey. It was firmly enmeshed in the webbing.

"Wow," Adam murmured, awestruck, as he lost himself in studying the depths of the bird's wide, black eyes.

"It's big enough to be a Zord," Rocky muttered.

"Isn't she beautiful?" Tanya beamed.

"How do you know it's female?" Rocky asked.

"Just a feeling," Tanya replied.

"That beak looks awful sharp."

"So do those claws."

"I wonder why she hasn't cut through the webbing on her own."

"Look at the way she's pinned; she can't reach the strands."

"Check out the size of those feet--they're huge!"

"I don't think she's fully grown... you know, like telling how large a puppy is going to be by looking at it's feet."

"Are you sure you want to get close to her?"

"Trust me, Adam; I've done this sort of thing before."

With that, Tanya started towards the trapped creature. She moved slowly, making sure the bird could see what she was doing. As she approached, she crooned and trilled softly. "Easy does it, pretty girl. I'm not going to hurt you; I'm here to help you." She stopped a few feet from the frightened bird and, removing the talon from the pouch, began sawing at one of the strands to demonstrate her intent.

"Guys, I'm going to need a hand here; I need more tension in these strands. Come forward one at a time... slowly... let her see you... don't make any sudden movements."

Adam and Rocky traded uncertain glances.

"Maybe you should sit this one out," Adam suggested. "You won't be able to do much with your right arm out of commission."

"I still have one good arm," Rocky huffed. "You don't have to baby me."

Although the two had followed Tanya's directions, the bird was clearly nervous about their proximity. It began struggling anew, emitting frightened squawks.

"Sh! It's all right; they're here to help you," Tanya murmured soothingly. She edged closer and gingerly touched the bird's side, giving her a gentle stroke. That only agitated the bird further.

"I don't think she likes being touched," Adam noted.

Suddenly, the bird's head shot up, and a wild gleam flashed in her eyes; she was suddenly terrified and fought harder against her bonds.

"What is it, girl?" Tanya queried as she was knocked over.

"She hears something," Adam said.

The three strained their ears but could not hear whatever it was that had frightened the helpless creature.

"Well, whatever it is, it sure has her spooked, and I don't want to find out what can scare a bird of this size," Rocky commented.

"Let's work on some of the strands pinning her wings," Tanya suggested. Rocky wound a rope-like thread around his left arm and pulled it taut; Adam did the same with the opposing end, allowing Tanya to slash through the middle easily. The trio attacked a second restraining strand. It snapped apart as easily as the first. This time, the bird began to move more freely, and it fought harder to work itself free.

"Whoa!" Adam yelped as he was nearly tossed aside by the writhing avian. She was trying to raise up on her feet and unfurl her wings.

"Let's do a couple on the other side and see if she can free her wings," Tanya suggested. The three gave the flashing beak a wide berth as they skirted around the captive creature. The first thread they severed enabled the bird to move its head more freely. The second allowed her to unfurl her wing more fully. The move knocked Adam to the ground.

"Look out, Tanya!" Rocky warned as another movement threatened to pull the strand Tanya was working on from his grasp. His warning was too late; the flailing wing sent Tanya sprawling as well.

Tanya and Adam were trying to pick themselves up when the bird suddenly lost all control. She raised up, frantically trying to flap her wings, and gave off the most piercing shriek. The trio of Rangers weren't sure what had caused her panic, but then they heard the loud chittering.

"Uh oh, I think somebody's come to check on what's for dinner," Rocky jibed mirthlessly. While they couldn't see the creature yet, they did not doubt that the webspinner had come home.

"Tanya, we have to get out of here," Adam urged her.

"Just a few more strands, and she'll be able to get free," Tanya insisted.

"Tanya, no... the bird is moving too much. You're liable to...." the words were barely out of Rocky's mouth when an unexpected move sent Tanya sprawling; this time, she was unable to roll clear. The bird's massively clawed talons pinned her to the ground.

"Tanya!" Adam gasped.

"I'm okay--so far. Nothing's pierced me yet," Tanya assured them, "but if she keeps on moving...."

"Got you," Rocky said. "Adam, grab a strand on the other side; I'll get one over here. We have to keep this bird from moving around until we can convince it to let Tanya go."

"Right." Adam scrambled over and leaped to catch one of the trailing ends of webbing. For the second time that day, he found himself wishing for more lung power. "BILLY!"

Along the trail at the site of the snake hole, Billy ceased rocking Kim's trembling body. She had finally drifted off into an uneasy sleep. Although he had done nothing more than hold her, he felt completely drained.

How in the world am I going to get her back to camp? Billy wasn't even certain his legs would hold him; they were cramped after being in one position for so long. How was he going to manage while carrying Kim?

A horrendous squawking suddenly pierced the stillness, and Billy felt like swearing as Kimberly stirred at the disturbance. Still, part of him couldn't help but analyze the cry. It was too loud to be a single bird, yet too deep to be a flock. Hadn't Tanya said something about freeing a bird trapped in the web? Judging by the diameter of the web-rope they had used in rescuing Rocky, the source had to be quite large; such a web could hold a victim of considerable size. They had yet to meet any creatures of earth-like proportions. He hoped the three would be careful.

"Hm...? What's all the racket?" Kim muttered, rousing somewhat.

"Pay it no mind; just go back to sleep," Billy advised.

"Sounds like trouble," Kim continued, shaking off her sleepiness. She felt completely worn out, but the noises from down the path got her adrenaline going.

Then, Adam's cry wafted down the trail.

"Let's go; they can't be far," Kim said; however, when she tried to stand, she nearly fell.

"You stay put," Billy instructed as he helped steady her. "You're in no shape to...."

"BILLY--HURRY!"

"This is no time to argue; let's go," Kim insisted. With an exasperated sigh, Billy gave in, and the two swiftly made their way down the path.

By the time they reached the clearing, the bird was partially airborne--Tanya clutched in its talons as if the bird had gone fishing and plucked out a prize morsel for dinner. Adam and Rocky strained to keep the bird from flying off, clinging to their respective ropes. They fought a losing battle.

"TOMMY, KAT, WE NEED YOU!" Billy shouted. Kim dashed forward and dove for the section of webbing dangling from the bird's leg. Billy joined her in the tug-of-war.

"Tanya, can you get loose?" Kim queried, straining her muscles to their limit to keep the bird on the ground. She was still weak and didn't know how long she could hold out.

"I... uh!" Tanya grimaced as she wriggled around in the bird's grasp.

"Tanya...!"

"It's not bad... a claw raked my side... not deep, but it hurts like blazes," Tanya assured her companions.

"Blast it! Where are Tommy and Kat?" Billy muttered through gritted teeth. "If we could hear Adam all the way back at camp when Rocky fell...."

More chittering filled the air, and the bird went wild.

"Is that what I think it is?" Kim gulped.

"Probably," Adam grunted. As the bird panicked anew, a flailing wing sent Adam flying back towards the trail. Without the counterbalance, the bird nearly rolled on top of Rocky.

"Rocky, join me and Billy; you won't be able to hold out over there by yourself," Kim directed. Over her shoulder, she called out, "Adam, go get Tommy and Kat!"

"Gotcha!" Adam acknowledged and quickly sped down the path.

Adam raced back to the site of the snake hole and tried desperately to recall in which direction Kat and Tommy had wandered off. To his frustration, all the greenery looked the same; he was about to give a shout when he noticed some broken flowers off to one side. He quickly dashed into the foliage.

He followed the telltale traces of disrupted vegetation for what seemed like an eternity; how far had the two taken themselves? Knowing Tommy, with his long legs, he could have covered quite a distance without really thinking about it. Adam considered calling out again when he finally heard voices.

"Tommy, please--this is hard enough for me as it is."

Adam stopped. Kat's tone tugged at his heart, her pain raw in her tone.

"I don't want to do this--I have to!"

Softly, Adam crept closer until he could see the pair: Tommy and Kat sitting on a log. He could see the tear stains on both their faces.

"... if I don't let you go--give you and Kim a second chance--it'll only make us both miserable in the long run...."

Adam couldn't believe his ears. Kat was breaking up with Tommy? How could she? That would kill Tommy on top of what happened with Kim--wouldn't it? Adam wasn't quite sure how Tommy felt about anything anymore. Everything was such a mess. As he watched, it was obvious that Tommy wasn't upset about what Kat was doing. Adam was willing to swear that the gleam in Tommy's eyes was one of hope. Yet, what of Kat? He almost couldn't look as she pulled Tommy into the heated kiss, but it was obvious that the heat was only coming from one side.

"Thank you," Kat said hoarsely, wiping away her tears.

"No, I should be thanking you for understanding," Tommy replied.

Adam couldn't take it any longer--and Tanya didn't have the time. Composing himself as best he could, he arranged for a noisy entrance.

"Tommy... Kat... we've got trouble!" he blurted out breathlessly.

"What's up?" Tommy queried, slipping easily into leader mode as he hopped up from the fallen tree, but there was something different about his tone... his stance.... Adam noticed that Kat detected the difference, too.

"Tanya's caught... the others are trying to keep the bird grounded, but...."

"She'll be all right, Adam," Kat said reassuringly, placing a hand on his arm, knowing that Adam and Tanya had always been close friends. "Which way?"

"Damn it, where are they?" Kim grumbled. It was becoming increasingly difficult to hang onto the webbing. The bird was practically airborne, and Tanya had not been able to worm her way out of the avian's grip.

"We can't hold onto her much longer," Billy added. "The more she struggles, the more these strands break, and...."

"I realize that!" Kim snapped back.

"I think the chittering is getting closer," Rocky interjected.

"Hang on, guys!" Tommy shouted, announcing that reinforcements had arrived. Both Kat and Adam lagged behind somewhat: Kat winded from her ordeal that morning and Adam still wiped from not being completely recovered yet.

However, before Tommy could get into place, Rocky lost his footing. He crashed into Billy, causing him to lose his hold. The bird surged upwards frantically, aware that the resistance was gone. Kimberly was pulled along helplessly.

"Grab the line!" she called out frantically to the others.

"Kim, let go!" Tommy shouted, rushing forward to catch the rope.

"But Tanya...."

"Let go, Kim!" the Yellow Ranger instructed. "Don't get caught, too!"

"Tanya--no!" Rocky gasped. Kim was the only one weighing the bird down; if she let go, Tanya was as good as gone.

Kim, reluctantly, released her hold, but as the bird took to the air, she became entangled in the trailing strands.

"Tommy...!" Kim shrieked as she was yanked into the air, dangling by one snared ankle. The bird swiftly made for open sky, dragging Kim along. In speeding past the trees, a branch clipped Kim's head, and she went limp in the line.

"KIMBERLY--NO!"

All eyes turned toward Tommy at that soul-wrenching cry. There was a tone that they hadn't heard in Tommy's voice since Kimberly left--a fullness, a sureness.... Looking at him as he stood there--his eyes to the skies and his emotions visible to all, not caring that everyone else could see what he was feeling--was like looking at the Tommy of old. Suddenly, they realized what had been wrong with their leader as he struggled with his new powers and Zords: a part of himself had been missing--a piece of his soul--and somehow he had gotten it back.

"After them," Tommy ordered, his voice ringing with confidence and authority. "We have to keep them in sight." With that, he charged after the retreating figures.

Billy quickly regained his feet and joined the chase with Rocky a half step behind him. Adam started after the trio but soon faltered; he was still too weak. Behind him, Kat was in much the same state.

"Adam?" Rocky called out, noticing that his friend had dropped back.

"Don't worry; we'll catch up. Just get Tanya and Kim...." Adam gasped, waving Rocky on and wondering how he could manage the chase with his injury. Rocky waved back and raced off without another word. Adam watched him disappear then wandered back to where Kat was catching her breath.

"... sorry...." she wheezed. "I just have nothing left."

"I know; that venom is potent stuff--even with the salve to treat it," Adam said consolingly. "We'll catch up with the others."

"How are they going to get Tanya and Kim back?" Kat fought back her tears. Seeing Tommy like that--obviously filled with feelings he no longer had to deny--made Kat realize that the Tommy she had dated had not been the Tommy she had fallen in love with. The ache in her heart grew.

"We'll think of something," Adam assured her. "Come on; why don't we go back to camp and get our stuff. Tanya and Kim will probably need what's left of Billy's salve, and with all the snakes around here, I doubt anyone really wants to stay."

"You got that right," Kat muttered, shivering at the memory of being wrapped in the cold coils.

As they retraced their steps, Adam watched Kat closely. The heaviness in her heart showed itself in the way she seemed to be slumped over. Once or twice he noticed her wiping her eyes. He couldn't bear to see her like that.

"Wait a minute, Kat," Adam began gently, putting a restraining hand on her arm. When she looked at him with brimming eyes, he had to look away. Nervously, he scuffed his feet in the dirt. "Kat, I... I overheard some of what you said to Tommy in the clearing... about giving him and Kim a second chance...."

"I really had no choice," Kat murmured. "How can you give up something you never really had?"

"I think it was the bravest thing I've ever seen," Adam continued in a rush.

"Was it?" Kat went on, trying to deny her pain. "I was just tired of hurting and being miserable and scared...."

"Don't talk like that. Anyone could tell how much you loved Tommy."

"Yeah? I loved him so much I couldn't even see that he never loved me."

Her bitterness surprised Adam, and Adam surprised himself by reaching out to take Kat by the shoulders as if to shake some sense into her. "Kat, don't get down on yourself over this. It's not your fault that things didn't work out. Tommy and Kim... well, it always seemed like they were meant to be together...."

"Tell me something, Adam. Did the rest of you know... could you see that I was just wasting my time mooning over Tommy?"

"It's never a waste of time caring for someone," Adam insisted, but that wasn't the answer Kat was wanting to hear. He summoned his courage to give it. "In the beginning, I thought you were wasting your time--when Tommy was so depressed--but then he began responding to you, and it began to look like things might actually work out for you two...." Kat had looked away, but Adam felt like swearing when he saw the teardrop trickling down her cheek. He hadn't meant to make her feel worse. "Kat, even though Tommy may not have loved you like you wanted, he still cares... and you cared enough to do the right thing in letting him go."

"That isn't much comfort right now," Kat said, sniffling.

"I know it's hard... that it hurts, but you have to believe that there's someone out there who would like nothing better than to make you happy--someone who wants to love you the way you deserve to be loved," Adam ventured hurriedly, before he lost his nerve. He couldn't believe how close he had come to confessing his feelings for Kat, but he couldn't--not while the heartache was still fresh.

"Adam, that's beautiful," Kat murmured, smiling through her tears.

"Yeah, well...."

"Thank you." She gave him a peck on the cheek, making him flush a deeper shade of crimson.

"We'd... better get our gear and catch up with the others," Adam stammered, unable to think of anything else to say.

"All right."

"I hate flying!" Tanya shouted as the tree tops spread out below her. Her fear was not as deep as Kimberly's claustrophobia or Rocky's dislike of snakes, but after spending so much time on the African plains she was not particularly fond of being hundreds of feet above them. She had always been grateful that her Zord hadn't been one of the fliers. And I thought I despised air travel when inside the aircraft!

"Okay, Tanya, get a grip," she muttered to herself. She fought the urge to close her eyes; she needed to see where the bird was taking her. However, as a shift in the air currents caused the bird to dip slightly, she nearly threw up.

She had to keep her wits about her; there was no way the guys could help her. Outside of shooting the bird down--which wouldn't have been a smart move, and she doubted that Kat could shoot that well--they had no way of getting her down. She was on her own... well, almost. Kim was still with her but was in no shape to be of any help.

What had Kim been doing joining in the tug-of-war anyway? Why had Billy let her anywhere near the bird? Although, Tanya doubted Billy had any say in the matter. Kim could certainly be formidable--even when sick to death. Thinking of Kim forced Tanya to look down again to see how her teammate was faring. Kim had already endured enough for one day; then to be hauled up in the air and conked on the head...! The Yellow Ranger studied the webbing that was wound around Kim's ankle; the strand hadn't been knotted, and it was swiftly coming undone.

"Kim! Kim, snap out of it!" Tanya shouted as she tried to wriggle out of the bird's grasp. The sharp talons dug into her flesh but not deeply. Still, she felt something warm and wet trickling down her sides, and the pain was enough to make her wince. "Come on, Kim! Wake up!" Tanya knew that she couldn't get free before the rope completely unwound. Kim's only hope was to wake up and save herself.

Suddenly, the bird cut loose with a shrill cry and went into a dive. Tanya tried not to lose it as the world fell away with dizzying speed. However, she was rewarded to see Kim stirring.

"Kim--quick! Tie the rope off!"

Not really understanding, the still-groggy Kimberly did as she was told then lost consciousness again. Tanya knew Kim's knot wouldn't hold for long.

"Hang on, Kim... don't black out on me again!"

Since wiggling around wasn't working, Tanya opted for a different tactic: get the bird to open its claws. She began probing around the craggy foot, hoping to find a sensitive spot. Her plan was beginning to work. The feet were twitching, the talons giving a little. She soon found a tender spot; the claw seemed to spasm, and Tanya began tickling for all she was worth.

The claws suddenly unclenched, and Tanya felt herself in free fall. She reached out frantically for the trailing rope, but it was blowing away from her. With the wind tearing at her eyes, Tanya looked down; she spied a wide, silvery span of water, but it was slightly ahead of her... nothing but trees below. There would be no surviving a landing from this height. Tanya closed her eyes and silently offered up a prayer.

Then, something wrenched her arm. Tanya gasped in astonishment as she discovered Kim's hand clamped around her wrist.

"How...?" she gulped.

" ... just grab the rope. Can't hold on...."

Shoving her questions aside, Tanya contorted around until she caught the trailing end of the webbing with her legs. Carefully, she transferred her full weight to the rope.

"That was too close," Tanya sighed.

"Woke up in the nick of time," Kim joked weakly, smiling down into Tanya's upturned face.

"Let's see if we can't get you upright," Tanya suggested. Being upside down couldn't be doing Kim's head wound any good. It took some doing, but she managed to climb the rope and get above Kim. Just as she was about to pull the former Pink Ranger up, the rope gave a jerk. Tanya looked to where the rope was attached to the bird. It was pulling loose.

"Can this get any worse?" Tanya wondered as she resumed helping Kim up.

"Thanks. Now what?" Kim asked groggily.

"I'm not sure. Maybe if this buzzard flies low over the lake, we can make a jump for it," Tanya speculated.

"I'm not sure I'm up for a swim."

"Neither am I, but do we have any other choice?"

Tanya scrutinized the shimmering blue expanse below them. It was a fairly large body of water. If they were lucky, the bird would come in low near the shore... her musings were abruptly interrupted by a flash in her peripheral vision. Kim was looking in the proper direction but hadn't seemed to notice; however, she was barely able to keep her eyes open. Tanya looked, and in the distance--due east--she saw a second flash of yellow light. It was so bright, she closed her eyes against the glare. The after image burned into her retina was that of two ovals: her Zeo symbol.

"Did you see that?" Tanya asked excitedly.

"See what? I didn't... uh oh."

"What?"

"We have company."

Tanya followed Kim's gaze and saw another bird coming in hard and fast. It was even larger than their ride and possessed the same drab plumage.

"Mama looking for her baby," Tanya gulped.

"I think mama has spotted us," Kim murmured grimly. Tanya had to agree that the larger bird was coming in awfully low, taloned feet extended as if to pluck the dangling prize from the smaller bird.

"Maybe not mama," Tanya said, revising her opinion. The small bird held her course, but at the last moment, she veered to the right, dropping beneath the other predator.

"Why go lower?" Kim wondered, clutching at the rope for dear life.

"We're her prize; she doesn't want to lose us. If she went higher, the other bird could have picked us off."

"Why don't they just go fishing or something and leave us alone?"

"Maybe that's what they're going to do--with us as the bait," Tanya joked dryly. About that time, their bird dove straight towards the lake.

"Hang on!" Tanya yelped. The two barely had time to catch a breath before they found themselves drug through the cold water. The dip was momentary as the bird took to the sky again.

"We should have let go," Kim mumbled through chattering teeth.

"I don't know about that--look!" Tanya gasped. A massive fish leaped out of the water, snapping at the flailing strand as it wafted out of its reach. However, it had barely dove back under the surface when the larger bird swooped down and snatched it up in its claws.

The girls looked at each other as their ride began to climb higher into the air. They were a goodly distance from shore, but the water seemed to be their best chance of surviving a fall. However, before they could make up their minds, the decision was taken away from them as the strand finally worked free of the bird. The two plummeted towards the mirror bright surface.

Tommy broke the tree line at the edge of the lake, and as he gasped for air, he watched as the two birds circled about each other. Billy and Rocky quickly joined him in watching helplessly as their teammates were buffeted around on the single stand of webbing.

"Let go of the damned rope!" Rocky sputtered, unable to spare the air for a shout as the smaller bird skimmed the water. Then, as the fish leaped out after them, he amended, "then again, maybe not."

"We can't just stand here; we have to do something," Tommy huffed frustratedly.

"Their best bet is to let go and chance the water," Billy noted. "Is there anyway we can get out there to them?"

"What I wouldn't give for a boat," Rocky sighed.

Tommy looked around the shore to see if there was anything they could use. There weren't even any fallen trees that they could use for a crude canoe. However, floating just off shore was a patch of the largest lily pads he had ever seen. For a moment, he thought of using one of the leaves, but there was the small matter of being able to cut one loose--the supply pouch was up in the air with Tanya so they were without their cutting tool. Also, there was no guarantee that the pad would float when weighted down with bodies.

"What about one of these?" Billy suggested. Tommy wandered over to where Billy was kneeling. He was inspecting a large green... something. It had the circumference of a medium sized tree but looked more like a plant stem; whatever it was, several of the somethings were floating on the water.

"Will they hold our weight?" Tommy queried. He waded out to the stem and straddled the center of it. Sitting down, he put his full weight on the "trunk." It sank only a little and continued to bob in the water.

"It appears to be naturally buoyant," Billy mused.

"Uh, guys, that's gonna have to work," Rocky muttered, his tone full of fear. The other two looked to where he pointed. Tanya and Kim were plunging towards the lake.

"Now all we need are a couple of paddles," Tommy said, trying to quell the rising tide of his fear. Panicking would do the girls no good; he had to trust that they could make the dive.

"These should serve," Billy recommended, having found two oblong-shaped halves of a very large mussel shell.

"Great!" Tommy, however, paused thoughtfully. "You know, one of us should stay behind. We don't know how much weight this stalk can hold, and with the girls, we don't want to risk sinking...."

"Also, someone should stay behind to flag down Kat and Adam," Billy continued.

"Sounds like a job tailor made for me," Rocky volunteered, "what with my bum arm and all."

Tommy smiled gratefully and clapped Rocky on his good shoulder. "I didn't want to ask, but...."

"I know; I don't like it, but I understand. Now, get going, you two. The girls can't stay afloat forever."

"Right!"

Tanya did her best to remember how Kat always knifed through the water so effortlessly. The maneuver was complicated by the fact that she had to hang on to Kim; she did not want to be separated from her. Kim was struggling to keep from blacking out again. The two of them impacted the water faster than Tanya realized they would; she barely managed to catch a breath. She got one arm out in front of her and noticed Kim had done the same split seconds before the dark, cold wetness surrounded them.

Swimming was not one of Tanya's strong points, though she knew how. She had to keep herself calm as she seemed to go deeper and deeper into the depths. Fighting her sense of panic, she finally angled herself back towards the surface... at least she hoped the lighter patch she glimpsed before closing her eyes was the surface! Kim was not doing much to help; Tanya wondered if the impact might have stunned her. Dragging Kimberly along was slowing her up, yet she refused to let go.

Tanya burst through the surface of the lake, drawing in a grateful gulp of air. She wouldn't have been able to hold her breath much longer. Glancing anxiously at Kim, she was relieved to see that the former Pink Ranger was also gasping for air. Next, Tanya shot a look skyward. The two birds were flying off, apparently having lost interest in them.

"Thank goodness," she sighed. However, she was mindful of the fact that there were still some very large fish out in the water that would find them a tasty mouthful. She and Kim couldn't tread water out there indefinitely; the question was, in which direction should they swim? Every stretch of shore line seemed to be equidistant from their position.

"Tanya, I don't think I'm gonna hold up much longer," Kim murmured exhaustedly.

"You have to, Kim; you don't think for a minute that I'm going to leave you," Tanya shot back tightly, trying not to let Kim know how worried she was about their chances.

"I didn't think so, but I'm not going to be much help."

"Come on; why don't you try and float for a bit, and I'll tow you," Tanya suggested. She racked her brains trying to recall Rocky's explanation of how lifeguards were trained to bring in a water victim. Suddenly, direction didn't matter. Tanya had to make for the first stretch of land she could reach; however, as she was sizing up her options, she spotted an indistinct shape cutting across the water.

"Tanya! Kim!"

Tanya squinted and was able to make out the familiar shapes of her teammates paddling towards them. "Billy!" she shouted back. Looking back to her companion, she said, "Hang on, Kim; the cavalry's a-comin'!"

It was just a matter of continuing to tread water, but it seemed as if it took forever for the guys to reach them. Just when Tanya began to feel as if she couldn't kick or support Kim any longer, Billy and Tommy pulled up along side them.

"Tommy, take Kim on the left; Tanya can you duck around to the right? We have to pull you up together or we'll risk capsizing," Billy directed.

"Got it."

Tommy eased Tanya's burden, and she swam under the unusual canoe.

"On three. One... two... three!"

Tanya found herself easily hoisted out of the water and in Billy's surprisingly strong arms.

"Not a moment too soon," she sighed gratefully, hugging him as tightly as her exhausted arms would allow. Billy said nothing as he returned the embrace; Tanya noticed the tremors in his muscles. She hoped the two weren't too tired from paddling out to them to get them to shore.

"Kim... oh man...!"

Tanya looked up from where she was still clinging to Billy to see Tommy clutching an unconscious Kimberly tightly to him. At the moment, he had Kim's head cradled in his hand and his face--eyes closed--nestled in the top of her hair. His fear, relief, and love were plainly written in his expression. Tanya looked back at Billy inquiringly; his expression seemed to say he didn't know what it was all about either.

"Be careful with her head, Tommy; she has a pretty good sized knot back there," Tanya advised.

"I feel it," Tommy murmured, recovering from the overwhelming rush of his emotions.

"What about your sides?" Billy queried, feeling something warm and wet beneath his hands as he continued to hold Tanya.

"They're not bad," Tanya answered as she reluctantly extricated herself from the warmth and safety of Billy's arms. She looked to her wounds: no worse than deep scratches. Although, she had to admit that they stung something fierce. "Nothing a little salve won't patch up." She peeked into the supply sack to see if there was anything she could wrap around her sides; the only thing she found was a sodden strip of fur. That wasn't going to do her much good. It would have to wait until they got to shore.

Tanya scooted along the length of the stalk until she straddled it midway between the two guys. She held her arms out to Tommy. "Why don't you give Kim to me; you can't paddle while holding her."

Her words made sense, but Tommy seemed reluctant to surrender Kim.

"Are you sure you're up to it?" Tommy queried. "You look pretty wiped yourself."

Tanya didn't have the energy to be annoyed at Tommy for his statement; she was seriously wondering if she was going to be able to stay awake for the trip to shore.

"I'll manage," Tanya replied.

With a parting hug, Tommy transfer Kimberly to Tanya's care. Then, in tandem, he and

Billy reversed their direction on the stalk. They wouldn't have to worry about trying to turn the uncertain boat around. As Tommy repositioned himself, he noticed a wetness on his thigh.

"Tanya, check Kim; I think she may be bleeding somewhere," Tommy said, holding up his red tipped fingers.

Tanya hadn't noticed any other injuries before, and she didn't see any open cuts; however, as she shifted Kim around so that she could hold her more comfortably, she, too, noticed a tiny trickle of blood on her legs. Then, the answer dawned on her, and she reached for the soaked bit of fur from the sack.

"It's better than nothing," Tanya chuckled, shaking her head in disbelief. "As if you hadn't had to endure enough today... now this, too."

Rocky stood on the shore, shielding his eyes against the glare of the sun. Once Tanya and Kim hit the water, he had been unable to see them; he hoped that didn't mean anything. He watched as Tommy and Billy's forms grew smaller. He hoped they reached the girls in time. He really hated being left behind, but Tommy had been right; there hadn't been room for him on the stalk. Rocky sighed frustratedly, wincing as the discomfort in his shoulder flared up. He wished they had some aspirin or something; he didn't think there'd be much Billy's salve could do for him, and he didn't want to be doped up and babbling like an idiot, either.

Behind him, he heard noises in the trees. Whirling, he prepared to defend himself and was much relieved to see that it was only Adam and Kat finally catching up.

"Are you two all right?" he queried, abandoning his vigil to help them. Kat was leaning heavily on Adam, weighted down by her share of their meager belongings. She was using Kim's bow to help support herself. Rocky noticed that her eyes were red and puffy--as if she had been crying.

"I'm fine, just a little tired," Adam admitted. As much as he would have preferred otherwise, he was grateful when Rocky took over aiding Kat. "I think the poison is starting to catch up with Kat."

"I just overdid it, that's all," Kat demurred weakly.

"Well, you'll have a chance to catch your breath," Rocky said as he helped her over to a stump not far from the water's edge. "You guys missed all the excitement."

"I was going to ask where is everyone else. What happened to Tanya and Kim?" Adam wondered, and Rocky quickly related what he had witnessed of the girls' escape from the bird.

"How's the water?" Kat asked.

Rocky wandered down to the waterline and stuck his foot in. "Yikes!" he yelped, shivering as he pulled his foot back.

"We should try and get a fire started," Adam suggested. "Tanya and Kim will probably be all but frozen."

"We don't have the flint--or whatever it is Billy uses," Rocky pointed out. "Tanya has the supply sack."

"Actually, we do," Kat said.

"It had been left behind at camp," Adam added.

"Finally, something I can help with," Rocky muttered good-naturedly as he and Adam set about gathering up some kindling.

While the boys were tending to the fire, Kat kept watch on the lake. There seemed to be no movement out there, and she hoped that nothing was wrong. Her attention was so riveted on the indistinct shapes in the distance that she jumped when she heard the clatter of wood falling behind her.

"So, do you know how to use this stuff?" Rocky wondered as he eyed the bits of rock warily.

"I think I can manage," Adam said with a grin. "Weren't you paying attention when Billy explained how to do this?"

"Me and camping stuff just don't get along," Rocky grumbled.

"Hey, you two, I think... yes, I think I see... they have them! Tommy and Billy have Tanya and Kim, and they're heading in!" Kat announced excitedly.

"All right!" Rocky cheered, exchanging a high five with Adam.

By the time the quartet returned to shore, the two had managed to get the fire going. Adam and Rocky waded out to the stalk to help unload the girls. However, as Adam reached out to take Kim from Tanya, he caught a glimpse of Tommy's expression; it mirrored one that he had worn on more than one occasion.

"Here, Tommy, I'll brace the trunk for you; you get Kim ashore," he offered.

Tommy glanced questioningly at Adam as the Green Ranger moved into position; the silent exchange told Tommy that Adam somehow knew how desperately he wanted to go to Kim. "Thanks," Tommy murmured gratefully. He quickly surrendered his seat and gently took Kimberly from Tanya; she had yet to regain consciousness.

"Here, Tanya," Rocky said, offering her assistance. While Tanya leaned on Rocky's left side for support, Kat came forward to steady her on the right.

"Your poor sides," Kat murmured.

"They look worse than they are," Tanya said tiredly. "Kat, why don't you see to Kim. I don't think she'd really want Tommy taking care of her right now." Tanya gave her a knowing look that needed no explanation.

"You've got to be kidding," Kat gaped.

"What?" Rocky wondered, hating to be left out.

"You'll figure it out soon enough," Tanya assured him.

"Kat, can you give me a hand?" Tanya queried. Billy had slathered her sides with the salve and scrounged up some makeshift bandages; the pain was completely numbed. She wasn't really needing help making a trip to the bushes, but she wanted to get Kat away from the others. Something had happened when Kat had gone after Tommy, and Tanya had an inkling of what it might be. Tommy had tried not to be a pest while Kat had fixed Kimberly up, but it was obvious by the way he hovered close by that he was wanting to do more than simply wait. His concern was plainly more than that of just a teammate.

"Sure, Tanya," Kat sighed.

Tanya hated to ask her; Kat was clearly wiped out from the day's exertions. Still, her friend helped her up and assisted her in leaving the campsite.

"What's wrong, Kat?" Tanya asked as soon as they were out of earshot. "What happened?"

"Tommy and I split up," Kat admitted heavily, her eyes filling with tears. She had cried so much already that she was amazed she had any left.

"He broke up with you?"

"No, I let him go."

That wasn't the answer Tanya was expecting, and suddenly Kat broke down, pouring out the whole story.

In the clearing, Tommy checked on Kim, tucking the makeshift blanket around her a little more tightly. Really, there was nothing they could do for her until she regained consciousness.

Still, it made him feel better to be doing something for her. He hadn't wanted to be too obvious in his concern for her around Kat--he didn't want to hurt Kat anymore--however, he felt that he had failed miserably. Tommy glanced around at the others. Everyone seemed to be dozing; he couldn't blame them. It had been a hell of a day.

Suddenly, Tommy heard a strange rumbling sound, and it seemed to be coming from Rocky. The others heard it too, and all eyes turned to the Blue Ranger.

"Hey, what can I say? We haven't eaten since breakfast," Rocky said in his defense.

Tommy had all but forgotten about food in the excitement. His own stomach made its displeasure known at being empty.

"Time to find out what's edible in these parts," he sighed. He didn't want to leave Kim, but he and Billy were the only able-bodied Rangers left, although Adam was on the mend. "Come on, Billy; let's...."

"Actually, Tommy, why don't you let Rocky and me go with Billy," Adam said, to the astonishment of the others. "Rocky and I would do more good finding food than staying behind with the girls."

"With Amadan hitting us so heavily of late, it's probably a good idea to have someone who can fight stay behind just in case of trouble," Billy added. Tommy was too distracted to be effective in foraging. Billy motioned for Rocky and Adam to follow him as he head back towards the trees.

"Sure," Tommy conceded readily; although, he almost felt ashamed of how badly he wanted to stay by Kim's side.

"Kim will be all right, Tommy," Adam said softly as he trailed behind the other two, "and I'll tell the others what happened."

"Thanks, Adam," Tommy murmured. Adam nodded with a sad sort of smile; something in his demeanor made Tommy add, "I really didn't mean for any of this to happen. I just couldn't help it. I didn't want to hurt Kat any more than I wanted to hurt Kim."

"I know, Tommy, and so does Kat. It'll just take her a little time, that's all."

The guys had barely left when Kat and Tanya returned.

"Where did everybody go?" Kat asked.

"Out to find lunch," Tommy answered, unable to look up at her.

"Great, I'm starved!" Tanya said enthusiastically; however, her eager response was marred by a yawn.

"Why don't you get some rest," Tommy suggested. "They may be a while."

"If I wasn't so beat, I'd suggest you and I go out separately," Tanya said to Kat. "Those guys are lousy at following the animals."

"We'll be doing good it they're back by dinner time," Kat joked weakly. She, too, tried to stifle a yawn.

"I'll wake you when they get back," Tommy assured them.

"I doubt we'd sleep through that," Tanya snorted as she settled down by the fire, and Kat did likewise. The two were soon out, leaving Tommy alone with his thoughts.

He shifted over to sit next to Kimberly, taking her right hand in his. He absently ran his fingers over the scar on the inside of her wrist as he brushed the hair out of her face. The fear that had gripped him since seeing Kim pulled into the air finally let go. Seeing her helplessly dragged along had been bad enough, but to make matters worse was the thought of losing Kim before he had a chance to apologize and tell her how he really felt. She would recover, of that he had no doubt. He could not believe otherwise.

"Hang in there, Kim," he murmured softly, squeezing the hand he held. "It's going to be all right... everything will be all right." He leaned down and placed a tender kiss on her lips. When he pulled back, he noticed that she was starting to stir.

"Oh, my head...." Kim groaned, raising a hand to her temple. Her eyelids flickered opened, and she looked about blearily. "Where am I? What happened to the birds?"

"Hi there, Beautiful," Tommy said softly.

Kim had a difficult time focusing her eyes, but she could have sworn it was Tommy bending over her, and he had called her by his pet name for her. "What did you call me?"

Tommy chose not to repeat himself. "You and Tanya are safe now."

"What happened?" Kim wondered, frowning. Tommy was looking at her the way he always used to: his smile bright and his warm brown eyes filled with love. A dream... or a hallucination, she mused.

"Cold?" Tommy asked suddenly. Kim hadn't realized it, but she was shivering, and she noticed that her hair was all wet. Tommy solicitously tucked the blanket more tightly about her then took her hand in his again. If this was a dream, Kim wasn't sure she wanted to wake up from it.

"Tanya and I fell...." she murmured, struggling to recall what happened.

"Billy and I fished you guys out of the lake. How's your head?"

"What I wouldn't give for an aspirin," Kim said, wincing. She felt around for the lump on the back of her head; it was pretty tender. "It feels like putties have been using my head for a bowling ball."

"Just take it easy for now; you've had a pretty rough day," Tommy advised, glancing away guiltily. That was an understatement. Kim struggled to sit up. "Where is everybody?"

"The guys are out searching for lunch, and the other two girls are sleeping--which you should probably be doing," Tommy explained, gently easing her back to the ground. Kim was going nuts trying to figure out why Tommy was being so nice to her all of a sudden. However, it was an effort to keep her eyes open, and she couldn't stifle a yawn. Maybe Tommy was right; if she went back to sleep maybe this weird dream would be over.

"Okay," she agreed.

"That's my girl."

Then, to Kim's complete astonishment, Tommy kissed her. Her eyes went wide, and absently she brushed her fingers over the spot where his full, soft lips had touched her. Tommy's grin broadened, and he lightly caressed her cheek.

"Why did you kiss me?" she stammered.

"Because I still care," he answered. "Go back to sleep, Kim. We'll talk when you're feeling better."

Reluctantly, Kim closed her eyes; more than ever, she was convinced that what had just happened had to be a dream, because only in her wildest dreams did she dare to believe that Tommy might still love her.

Tommy sighed as he watched the confusion ease from Kim's features as sleep overtook her once again. He squeezed her hand. He couldn't believe it, but his palms were sweaty and his heart was racing--just like the first time he had ever kissed Kim! Part of him wanted to jump for joy... and they hadn't even talked yet. However, for the first time in months, Tommy felt truly happy. Just knowing there was hope....

"Hey, Tommy, guess what we found!" Rocky challenged loudly as he came charging out of the underbrush, his sudden appearance making Tommy jump. He hadn't realized how quiet it had been until the peace had been shattered.

"Lunch, I hope," Tommy shot back, "and keep it down; the girls are still asleep."

"Nope, aspirin!" Rocky declared jubilantly.

"What?"

"Actually, it's willow bark," Adam elaborated as he arrived back in camp, followed closely by Billy. The two carried handfuls of tree bark.

"Willow bark contains salicylic acid from which aspirin is derived," Billy explained. "If I can devise a means of distilling the compound from the bark we will have ourselves a pain killer and anti-inflammatory drug."

"Hey, that sounds like something right out of Gilligan's Island," Rocky chirped. "You remember how the Professor was always doing stuff like that with bamboo sticks and coconut shells?"

"If Billy's the Professor, then you'd have to be Gilligan," Adam retorted.

"If so, then you're the Skipper," Rocky shot back.

Tommy and Billy exchanged pained looks.

"Personally, I think I prefer...."

". . . your analogy of the Flintstones," Billy sighed.

With a frown, Amadan turned away from the viewing globe. He paced his chamber in a fit of pique. His Irridia and Darmak hawks had incapacitated practically the entire team! They should have been broken by the circumstances, and yet they were making jokes about some sort of television show!

"How is this possible!" he muttered. He glared back at the images in the crystal. "Your leader was nearly disemboweled, and you overcame the lack of direction. I destroyed your strength in numbers, yet you continue to function. What does it take to break you, Rangers?"

Amadan's eyes narrowed as he focused on the sandy-haired youth drawing diagrams in the dirt. The one called Billy had been one of the two Dulcea had impudently included in the test; there had to be a reason she had done so. The Master Warrior of Phaedos never did anything without a reason. Presently, Billy was describing what he would need to prepare the willow bark. Amadan grudgingly had to admit that the young man's knowledge and ingenuity were impressive.

"Of course," the ancient keeper hissed, smiling coldly. "Strength and leadership are not always sufficient, but with intelligence even the weakest of opponents can triumph. Perhaps it is time I removed the 'brains of the operation,' as it were. How will you fare then, Rangers?"

"Back off, Rocky; you're making me nervous," Tanya chastised the Blue Ranger who was hovering over her shoulder as she worked on reproducing her aerial view of the jungle in the dirt.

"Are you sure about this?" Rocky asked instead of moving off. "I can't believe the lake is this big."

"How would you know? You weren't up there," Tanya shot back.

Kim wandered over and glanced at the drawing. "My memories of the layout of the land are sketchy at best, but what you have here is looking awfully familiar."

It had been two days since the seven had settled down by the shores of the lake. They had unanimously decided to take some time to let all their various injuries heal before attempting to continue their journey. Two days of relative inactivity had certainly helped, but they were now anxious to be on the move again.

"This is where we're presently camped," Billy said, indicating a section of shoreline. "I recognize the contours from what I've observed on my walks. Your cartographic skills are impressive."

"Thanks. Dad was always good with maps," Tanya said sadly, and Kat put a reassuring hand on her shoulder.

"It looks like we're at the widest part of the lake," Tommy noted.

"Crossing this is going to be tough," Adam murmured.

"Especially considering the size of the fish."

"Can we go around?" Kat wondered.

"We'll lose a lot of time," Billy mused.

"Does it really matter?" Rocky asked. "How long have we been wandering around this jungle anyway? Weeks! And we haven't seen a sign of Amadan's temple. We're probably going in the wrong direction while Amadan sits all snug in his temple laughing his ass off at us."

"No, we're headed in the right direction," Tanya answered with quiet confidence. "When we were airborne, I saw something... a brilliant yellow light...."

"Sunlight reflecting off a building?" Tommy asked.

"No--at least, not that I could tell. As the light faded, I saw something in it--my Zeo symbol."

"Sounds like a good sign to me," Kim remarked.

"So we keep heading east," Tommy concluded.

"Judging from what we have here, the lake narrows in places to the north and south of our present position," Billy said. "The question is, how close to our camp are these sections, and exactly how narrow is the expanse."

"Let's send teams to find out," Tommy recommended. "One group will head north, the other south, and which ever team finds the narrow stretch first, that's the direction we'll head." He looked around to see if the others were in agreement.

"Actually, one team should stay around here," Kim suggested, "you know, as sort of a relay, and the team that stays will be responsible for finding dinner and restocking some of our supplies. We're running pretty low on a lot of things: cocoon thread, willow bark, purple leaves and the burn relief...."

"Perhaps Kimberly and I should be the relay team," Billy volunteered, "She and I stand the best chance of locating all the requisite supplies."

"Adam, Tanya and I can take the south shore," Rocky piped up.

"Actually, I was wanting to rearrange the groups," Tommy said, astonishing the others. "We know how well the usual assignments function, but if Amadan hits us again, we have to be prepared. I was thinking Billy and Rocky, Adam, Kat and Tanya, and me and Kim."

Looking around, Tommy could see that what he had in mind was obvious to everyone except Kim. She cocked a questioning eyebrow at the assignments. Tommy kept his face perfectly composed. Granted, they had been stationary for two days, but there hadn't been any time for him to talk to her privately. She had spent much of the first day sleeping on and off, and the seven of them had spent the bulk of the second day huddled under the makeshift tarp, for once staying dry in a rainstorm.

"Billy, Rocky, you guys head north. Kat, Adam, Tanya, take the southern stretch," Tommy directed. "Use your best judgement about how far you go. We should all meet back here around sundown."

"And what if we haven't reached the narrow sections?" Rocky muttered.

"We try again in the morning. Let's get going, folks."

"I wish he'd just tell Kim and get it over with," Rocky complained as he trailed along after Adam and the girls to fetch a water bag. He wasn't happy with his new assignment. He liked working with Adam and Tanya; over the course of their adventure, the three of them had become almost as tight as he, Adam and Aisha had been.

"That's why he did this," Kat responded, putting a consoling hand on his arm. Her tone was gentle, without sadness, and both Tanya and Adam shot her concerned looks. "I'm okay, you two. It doesn't bother me so much any more."

Tanya regarded her skeptically. Only forty-eight hours ago, Kat had been utterly devastated by the break up.

"I didn't say that it had stopped hurting," Kat hastened to clarify herself. "I just had time to think things over during the last couple of days, and I noticed something. Even though Tommy and I had a few awkward moments, I found that I enjoyed his company more than I have in a long while. It was nice to be able to talk to him without worrying or having doubts about our relationship."

"Maybe you two were just meant to be friends," Adam ventured, trying to keep his tone comforting without betraying the hope in his heart.

"I'm beginning to think you may be right," Kat agreed.

"Catch!" Tommy called down. Seconds later, Kim was pulling in a cocoon. Thus far, their scavenger hunt had been successful. As she tucked the ball of strong thread into the sack, she hoped they wouldn't have to use it to stitch anyone else up. The only thing they hadn't been able to locate was another purple leaf.

"Why don't we work on finding dinner," Kim suggested as she waited for Tommy to drop down out of the branches. Actually, she wished Tommy would get to whatever it was he was up to. She didn't know how much longer her nerves could take the suspense. She had been trying to figure out what was going on between the two of them ever since she fully regained consciousness. She still wasn't sure if the kiss and his affectionate words had been real or not, but considering how nice he had been to her the last two days she was beginning to think so. The question was why.

"Actually, if you don't mind, how about we take a break?" Tommy asked as he regained the ground.

"Sure." Kim found a soft patch of moss and took a seat. She still wasn't one hundred percent and was feeling a little winded. She took a swig from the waterskin then handed it to Tommy. She eyed him warily as he sat down next to her.

"Kim, we need to talk," he began, running his hand through his hair and around the back of his neck. It was a nervous gesture Kim well remembered.

"About...?" she prompted.

"All the stuff that we've really needed to discuss but were too afraid to." Tommy rested his arms across his knees in an effort to keep himself from getting up and pacing. "I suppose, though, that I should start out by apologizing. Ever since you patched me up, I've been a real ass--I've treated you pretty rotten, and I didn't mean to. I really am sorry."

"Why?" was all Kim could think to say.

"I'll explain that in a minute. I also wanted to apologize for the break-up...."

"Wait a minute here," Kim stammered. "You're apologizing to me for the break-up? Are you completely nuts or what? I'm the one who should be apologizing for that; after all, I'm the one who sent the letter."

"I know, but that's not the way I meant it. I'm sorry for what I did to cause you to break up with me."

"Huh?"

"Billy told me how you tried and tried to get in touch with me; the letter was a last resort." Tommy paused; the words weren't coming out right. In his mind, he had this discussion all planned out, but he wasn't finding it as easy as he had imagined. "Kim, when you sent the letter, was that something you really wanted to do or was it something you felt you had to do. Did you really fall out of love with me?"

"N-no," Kim admitted reluctantly. She felt herself panicking. She couldn't do this! And yet, she knew she had to. She and Tommy would have no closure until they got everything out into the open, and if that meant baring her soul then she'd just have to do it.

"You told me that you and Todd just sort of happened... that you got close when he was helping you through some rough patches. Am I wrong in assuming that those rough patches had to do with our relationship?"

Kim didn't say anything as she hung her head. She couldn't meet Tommy's expectant gaze.

"Why did you break up with me? The truth."

Taking a deep breath to steady herself, Kim answered, "I let you go because I thought I had already lost you, and I thought it would be easier if I did the leaving than if I waited for you to do it."

"Why did you think you had lost me? Because of what happened between your folks?"

"Maybe a little." Kim gave a wry little laugh. She picked idly at the patch of moss. "I used to think I was so confident... that nothing could shake my belief in my friends, my family--myself. Then, Zedd got hold of my Power Coin; I think that's when the armor first cracked. I began to question if I was good enough... for the team... for you...."

"That sounds like one of my riffs," Tommy interjected, trying to lighten things up a little.

"Kim essayed a wan smile at that, but it quickly faded. "Then, there was Kat."

Tommy hadn't been expecting that statement. "I don't understand; I thought you liked Kat--that's why you gave her your coin."

"I did... I do like Kat; that's what makes this so stupid and petty. It's just that Kat was tall, blonde, beautiful, poised and graceful, not to mention really sweet...."

"You're all those things, too... well, except the tall and blonde part," Tommy said with a teasing grin, and Kim just made a face at him.

"Do you have any idea how many times I've been dumped for a tall blonde with a great body?" Kim sighed, recalling the old disappointments of her early teen years. "I saw how you guys looked at Kat when she first came around, and...."

"Kim, you didn't need to be jealous of Kat. Okay, I admit, she did catch my eye when I first saw her, but I wasn't interested in her. You were all that mattered to me... so beautiful, intelligent, brave.... When I first saw you in school--you were so pretty and popular--I almost didn't have the nerve to say anything to you. If it hadn't been for Bulk and Skull harassing you that day...." Tommy just shook his head. "I was never interested in tall blondes. I loved you; I didn't want anyone else."

"I guess I was never really sure how you felt."

"Couldn't you tell...? When we were together, it was the best feeling in the world. You always made me feel so good inside. Sometimes I was afraid that I'd be practically glowing or something."

"And you always made me feel so special," Kim whispered, feeling misty-eyed. If only they could have told each other these things sooner!

"Kim, if you had known how I felt--that I loved you and that I hadn't gone looking for someone else when you left--would you still have left me for Todd?

"Of course not! I loved you! I wanted to die when I sent you that letter... I think, maybe, part of me did."

"So, if I had written or called or done something, none of this would have happened," Tommy said quietly, returning to his apology. "I hadn't realized that I was neglecting you. I was so caught up in being a Ranger... I let my sense of duty blind me to what was really important to me. You did everything you could, Kim, and I screwed up and let you down."

"I don't blame you, Tommy. I never did. I should have been stronger... not let my doubts and insecurities get the best of me. I should have trusted you...."

"That's hard to do when you're far away from everyone and everything you've ever known and loved. I know what it's like to be a stranger in a new place--the fear and uncertainty. I felt like that when I first came to Angel Grove. At least I had my family and you guys when all the upheavals with my Powers came along. When you turned to get support from us, none of us were there for you. You did what you felt you had to do."

"But it wasn't the right thing."

"Face it; we both messed up--you for not trusting me and me for taking you for granted. However, we can't dwell on that. We've got to let what happened go and move on."

"I'm willing, if you are," Kim ventured.

"Friends?"

"Friends."

Tommy scrambled to his feet and offered Kim a hand up. The two shared a brief, awkward hug.

"Man, if only we could have done this back at the beginning of this mess," Tommy sighed.

"Yeah, we would have avoided a lot of pain," Kim agreed.

Tommy was about to offer further commentary when a low rumbling distracted him. Kim grinned, and he looked sheepish.

"Why don't we go find lunch," she suggested, handing Tommy the supply sack so she could be free to wield her bow.

"See any likely targets?" Tommy wondered.

"Pay attention, and I'll teach you how to follow these little critters around," Kim said jauntily as she stooped down to search for a likely looking set of tracks. Spying a promising set, she led Tommy off into the underbrush.

The two trailed their prey in thoughtful silence; however, after several minutes of tracking, the footprints vanished at the base of a tree.

"Well, that's just nifty," Kim snorted in annoyance.

"We'll find something else," Tommy assured her. Just then, there was a chittering sound in the leaves overhead, and moments later, a small missile plonked down on Kimberly.

"Ow," she complained, rubbing her head, glaring up into the greenery. The creature wasn't visible, but they could still hear its angry chattering.

"I think our would-be dinner has declared war on you," Tommy snickered as another nut came hurling down at Kim.

"Oh yeah? Well, just let it show its fuzzy little face; I'll teach it to throw nuts at me," Kim grumbled. There was something about Kimberly's stance--the glint in her eyes and the set of her jaw--she looked so fierce and at the same time the situation was so ridiculous that Tommy couldn't help laughing.

"What?" Kim snapped indignantly.

"Nothing," Tommy snickered as a series of spheres rained down on Kim. "Maybe if we stand here antagonizing it long enough, it'll throw down enough of these to feed us."

"Thanks for the support," she grumbled as she backed out of the creature's range.

"Come on, let's see what else is out here," Tommy suggested. The two resumed their hunt but found no other promising tracks. As they paused to rest again, Kim regarded Tommy thoughtfully. There was still something that wasn't sitting well with her about the situation.

"You know," she began hesitantly, "you never did answer my question about why you were being such an ass. D-did you really hate me for what I did?"

Tommy gave her question serious consideration before answering. "I was pretty hurt, but I never hated you."

"So, you weren't just trying to get back at me for dumping you?"

"Is that what you thought? Did you really think I'd be that petty?" he asked, sounding a little hurt.

"Not really. I guess I just felt I deserved it after all that I had done...."

"Don't you ever think that! No one deserves to be treated like that. I honestly hadn't meant to hurt you; I guess I was just scared and confused," Tommy confessed. "When I first got your letter, I just locked everything I had been feeling up inside, but ever since I saw you in the Games, those feelings started coming back. I thought I was handling them okay, but I was only fooling myself. After my injury, I wasn't in control any longer, and I guess I panicked. I was afraid of letting myself get close to you again... afraid that you might hurt me again, so I did my best to push you away. Only, things got out of hand; I tried to stop myself, but I only seemed to make matters worse. I'm not proud of what I did, Kim, and I hope that you can forgive me."

"If you can forgive me, too," Kim agreed. "Although I thought that you had replaced me, I didn't want to hurt you. And even though I didn't know how much, I knew that you had cared--at least at one time. I knew on some level that I had to have hurt you. When Todd broke up with me, I knew how you must have felt. When Billy told me about what happened, I was absolutely sick inside knowing that I caused you that kind of pain. I never want to do that again."

"You and Todd aren't together?" Tommy queried innocently, hiding the beginnings of a smile as the last of his doubts melted away. He already knew the answer.

"No," and she finally told him what she had told Billy of their break up.

"I'm sorry," Tommy said quietly at the conclusion of her tale. What Todd had put her through was as cruel as what she had done to him, and no one deserved to hurt like that.

"It's all right. It was probably for the best," Kim sighed. "I realize now that I turned to Todd because he reminded me of you not because of his own qualities. That wasn't fair to either of us."

"I wish you would have told me this before."

"I know, but I didn't want to interfere with your relationship with Kat."

"About me and Kat...." Tommy began anxiously. Kim was looking up at him expectantly. "She and I had a talk. We're no longer together."

"Oh, Tommy, no," Kim murmured, her eyes filling with sympathy. "I'm sorry." She had thought he and Kat had been happy together; she didn't want him to be hurt again.

"It was for the best," he sighed. "It was time she and I stopped fooling ourselves; we tried--it just didn't work out. It would have only hurt us both in the long run to keep trying."

"Poor Kat, and here she was so afraid that I was going to try and steal you away from her. I hope you let her down more gently than I did you."

"Actually, I got dumped again."

"She broke it off? She loves you as much as I do--did."

Tommy hid his smile at Kim's slip up. Even though he knew she still loved him, he hadn't wanted to get overconfident, but now he couldn't keep the happiness from swelling within him. "She did it because she could see even better than I could that I was in love with someone else."

Kim was stunned. For a moment, she felt hope flicker in her heart--maybe there might be a chance for her and Tommy again, but now for Tommy to admit to being in love with someone else.... It made Kim's heart ache to see the loving glow that lit his face.

"She's the first girl I ever gave my heart to."

"T-that's wonderful," Kim stammered.

"I just hope she's willing to take a chance on me again."

"I'm sure she will." Kim didn't know what else to say. "Will you talk to her as soon as we get home?"

"Actually, I don't think I can wait that long."

"Huh?"

Tommy smiled brightly, and as he took her hands in his, a feeling of deja vu washed over Kim. She looked up at him--uncertainty in her eyes, much like at the beach when she lost her Powers.

"So, would you be willing to give us a second chance?" Tommy queried. He had made a mistake before in thinking that she could read what was in his heart... never telling her.... "I love you. I have from the moment we met, and I will always--no matter what."

"T-Tommy?" Kim fumbled.

"You do still love me, don't you?" he asked softly

"I never stopped," Kim said huskily. She squeezed Tommy's hands tightly.

"Please, Kim; let's try again."

"Y-you really want to?"

"More than anything."

With a sob that was part relief and part joy, Kim flung her arms around Tommy. Tommy enfolded his arms around her, pulling her close as if he would never let her go. The fullness in his heart was almost too much to be contained, and he felt his own eyes misting up.

"Man, I've been wanting to do this since you walked through the doors in the juice bar," Tommy sighed with perfect contentment. It felt so good to have Kim in his arms once again.

"I've been wanting you to do that, too; I had nearly forgotten... I always felt safe and loved when you held me; I've missed that," Kim murmured. She reveled in the embrace a moment longer, then, she pulled back slightly, playfully swatting him on the arm.

"What did you do that for?" Tommy wondered.

"For jerking me around like this. For a moment, I really thought there was another girl besides Kat. Why the big production?"

"I didn't want to make it too easy for you," he replied, a grin tugging at his lips; both heard the echoes of Kim's playful banter from that faraway afternoon when they shared their first kiss. The laughter came easily to them; however, it died away, replaced by deeper feelings. Tommy softly caressed Kim's face then tilted her chin upwards ever-so-slightly. They moved as one, and their lips met in a lingering kiss that stirred all the sweetness and emotion of their former relationship and spoke of the promise of their new bond.

When at last they parted, both were breathless, flushed, and a bit giddy. Neither could speak, but no words were necessary; everything they wanted to say was plain in their shining eyes.

"Let's see, who haven't we assigned a character to," Rocky mused thoughtfully as he lounged in the shade. The day was the hottest they had ever experienced in the tropical forest, and the humidity was smothering. There'd be no starting on the raft today.

The search parties hadn't been successful in locating the narrow sections of the lake, so they took a vote and headed south. After several days of traveling, the seven had reached a likely spot where the far shore was visible.

"... Adam and I are the Skipper and Gilligan, Billy is the Professor...."

"I hope the girls finish up soon," Billy groaned softly. Their camp was adjacent to a small alcove surrounded on three sides by low rising cliffs. The lake had proven to be a bit too inhospitable for recreational purposes, but the pool was perfect for swimming. The girls had risen early to take advantage of the cool water, leaving their counterparts to wait their turn.

"I guess that means Tommy is Mr. Howell," Adam ventured, joining Rocky's game reluctantly. He knew that unless he participated, Rocky was likely to stick it to him just out of spite.

"Yeah! It works. Tommy always has been a little full of himself," Rocky snickered.

"Hey, leave me out of this," Tommy objected. He glared at Rocky who blithely ignored him.

"That makes Kim Lovey," Adam noted; it had been pretty obvious that the two had talked and were a couple once again.

"Don't let Kim hear you say that," Billy chided, thinking that Kim would not like to have been cast as the millionaire's scatterbrained wife. Although, the selection made sense; after all, the Howells were the only couple among the castaways. Tommy and Kim were happier than they had been in a very long while, and yet, Billy had the sense that all was not as it should be. He had hoped their reunion would set everything to rights, but there was still an undercurrent of tension between them; he just couldn't figure out the cause.

"That leaves Ginger and Mary Ann...."

"Okay, guys, the pool's all yours!" Tanya announced as the girls returned to the campsite.

"All right!" Rocky cheered, leaping to his feet.?

"A timely rescue if ever there was one," Billy murmured softly as he got to his feet. Tommy had to stifle a chuckle.

"Have fun," Kat called out, flashing Adam a smile as he started after Rocky. The Green Ranger stood there for a moment, beaming at her, when his long time friend grabbed him by the arm and tugged him down the makeshift path.

"We'd better catch up," Billy sighed. "There's no telling what sort of trouble they'll get into otherwise."

"Right," Tommy agreed, but he hung back as Kimberly came by. He found his mouth suddenly dry; Kim was still wet, and the water beading on her skin looked so... tempting.

"Hey, Tommy," she murmured shyly. She felt ridiculous; she hadn't felt so bashful around Tommy since they first started dating. She was well aware of the intensity of his gaze; it both flattered and flustered her.

"Hey, Kim."

She was about to walk on past and join Kat and Tanya, but Tommy caught her hand. She eyed him expectantly. Tommy glanced back to see where Kat and Tanya had gotten to. Neither one was around. Kim followed his gaze, understanding. They hadn't been as openly affectionate as in the past. Somehow, they were a little more self-conscious about indulging when the others couldn't. Once the coast was clear, Tommy swept Kim into his arms. Since their reconciliation, the two hadn't had much time to themselves, just stolen embraces whenever they could.

As he held Kim, Tommy luxuriated in the feel of her soft, warm body pressed tightly against his. He felt the tremor that rippled through her and the warmth of her breath against his skin. He reached a hand up to stroke her hair--he wished it was dry. Her hair was so soft and silky. His other hand rested safely on her the small of her back; the urge to slide it down, to test the curve of her sweet bottom (no longer swathed in the necessary furs) was nigh irresistible.

Kim nuzzled her cheek against the silken steel of Tommy's chest; her heart was pounding a mile a minute. She couldn't help it; it happened every time Tommy held her... or fixed her with his chocolate brown gaze... or simply was around. Kim cast a glance towards Tommy's face; he gave one of his heart melting smiles. It made her feel bold; tiptoeing so that she could better reach, she kissed him.

What had started out as a playful peck quickly transformed into something deeper. Lips parted, allowing tongues to dance and explore. The embrace strengthened, pressing bodies more closely together. Hands roamed, and the two were swiftly lost in the fiery rush. Then, as swiftly as the passion overtook them, the intense wave ebbed--as it always did--leaving them breathless, excited, and confused. Things had never been this intense between the two of them, and neither was quite sure how to handle it.

"Wow," Tommy gulped, excruciatingly aware of her body next to his. It was startling to realize that she was as excited as he was. He could see it in her eyes... feel it in the hardness that pressed against his chest.... It was an overwhelmingly powerful feeling.

"Yeah," Kim echoed, blushing faintly. She closed her eyes and tried to calm herself; still, she was acutely aware of Tommy's state of excitement. As always, she tried not to look. She wondered if he realized just how forcefully his manhood throbbed against her. It hadn't been as noticeable when she had the furry underwear on, but now... well, she didn't want to say anything and embarrass him. She was thrilled to think that he responded to her like that--and more than a little frightened by the possibilities.

Neither one wanted to let the other go.

"I had an idea," Tommy ventured when he could finally find his voice again. "This evening, if it cools down enough, would you maybe like to claim a little private time and head up to the bluffs? We could watch the sunset."

"I'd love to, Tommy."

They both had been desperately wanting to spend a little time together--something more than stolen moments.

"It's a date, then," Tommy confirmed with a grin.

"Tell you what, I'll even bring the comb," Kim offered, grinning, and Tommy all but purred. She knew how much he enjoyed having his hair played with. The two stood there for several minutes, simply staring and grinning at each other. Then, somewhat reluctantly, Kim extricated herself from Tommy's arms. "You'd better catch up with the others before they come looking for you," she whispered.

"I'd rather stay here with you," Tommy pouted.

"I know, but you guys need some time away from us girls... male bonding and all that sort of stuff," she teased.

"Yeah--right!"

"Go on, if I'm going to comb your hair out, you need to wash it."

"Okay," Tommy agreed; he swooped in for a quick kiss, but like the first, it threatened to get away from them.

"TOMMY!"

The two broke the kiss, and Tommy leaned his forehead against Kim's.

"I think I'll kill Rocky," he muttered.?

Kim giggled as Tommy sighed in frustration. "You'd better go." She gave him a quick peck, then scampered off.

Tommy watched her walk away; his second sigh of frustration had nothing to do with Rocky being annoying. Once she was completely gone from view, Tommy headed up the path the others had taken.

"Tommy, you coming?" Adam called out, seconding Rocky's shout. About that time, they saw him heading up the trail.

"Oh, I bet he will... later," Rocky snickered.

"Rocky...." Adam chastised his companion, elbowing him.

"Hey, can I help it? Ever since he and Kim got back together, he's been worse than I was at the beginning of this little adventure."

"What do you mean by that?" Tommy challenged.

"Oh, nothing," Rocky answered, all innocent. However, he was unable to control his laughter. Exasperated, Adam pushed him into the pool.

"What is he talking about?" Tommy sighed, not certain if he really wanted to know.

"I believe Rocky was referring to the fact that your appreciation of Kimberly's person has been more... unrestrained of late," Billy explained with amused delicacy.

Tommy caught his meaning perfectly, and it got him to thinking. If his 'appreciation' was still noticeable, how much more noticeable had it been when he was with Kimberly.... He realized that Kimberly had to have been aware of his erection.

"Oh, man," he groaned, his cheeks turning scarlet. In a fit of self-consciousness, Tommy leaped into the cold water. Actually, holding and kissing Kim had always gotten him hard; it just wasn't as noticeable through his jeans.

"Are you okay?" Billy queried as he waded into the water more sedately.

"Mortified," Tommy grumbled as he shook his wet locks out of his face, spraying Billy in the process. "Kim must think I'm some kind of...."

"... healthy heterosexual teenager," Billy concluded for him. "It's a perfectly natural response, given the stimulus."

"And I thought controlling my 'perfectly natural response' was hard when I couldn't let my 'appreciation' show." Tommy retorted. "I'm worse now than I was then."

Tommy fell silent as he wrung more water out of his hair. The almost cocky self-assurance he had felt when asking Kim to get back together was gone, replaced by an uncertainty deeper than that which he felt when he had asked Kim out on their first date. He eyed Billy speculatively and wondered if he should pursue the topic. He had never talked much about what went on on his dates, and yet, Tommy had never felt the urge to open up so strongly. What was he looking for? Advice? Reassurance?

"Man, Billy, what am I going to do?" he sighed.

Billy, wisely, remained silent, and Tommy plunged on.

"I thought getting back together with Kim would take care of the problems...."

"It hasn't?"

"No, it's created ones I never even dreamed of."

"I thought I detected an underlying tension between the two of you," Billy began.

"Oh, there's tension, all right--sexual tension," Tommy admitted softly so Rocky and Adam wouldn't overhear.

Billy's cheeks colored. "Um, Tommy, I... don't know what to... I mean, I'm the wrong person to be talking to about this subject...." he stammered.

"I know. If I could, I'd talk to Jason, but since he's not here you'll have to do," Tommy replied, understanding Billy's discomfort. "I hope you don't mind."

"This little adventure of ours is making me consider taking up the field of psychology," Billy sighed. "I've already spent a good portion of this trip being Kim's confidante."

Tommy just smiled, but it faded as he considered what he wanted to say.

"I'm not sure what it is; Kim's always gotten the ol' hormones in an uproar, but never like this."

"You've never spent a prolonged period of time in her presence sans clothes before--have you?" Billy asked delicately.

"No. We were just starting to get serious when the district competition came up. We'd talked about sex and stuff but never did anything... well, maybe some casual groping and some pretty heavy kissing. Nothing major. Once she started training, there really was no time for anything more," he admitted with a wistful sigh. "Anyway, Kim had made it clear that she wanted to wait, said she wasn't ready. To be honest, I was kind of relieved, but now.... I don't know; things seem to be moving too quickly.. Sometimes it's as if the break up never occurred, and other times we're as goofy as we were when we were first dating."

"So we've noticed," Billy interjected wryly.

"We're trying to be discreet...." Tommy said defensively.

"I know."

"We've only been together a couple of days, but, oh man, Billy, it's all I can do to control myself. I want her so badly, and sometimes I think she wants me just as much."

"Have you talked to Kim about this?"

"No, but I can see it in her eyes... feel it when we kiss, and yet, there are other times when she backs away, as if she's scared or something. I'm almost too confused to do anything; I never know how she's going to react."

"Then you should be having this talk with her, not me," Billy advised. "You and Kim need to do what's best for the both of you--be that having intercourse or abstaining."

"What would you think if we...?"

"It doesn't matter what I think--or any of the rest of the team for that matter. That's a private matter between you and Kim."

"Like we really have a lot of privacy around here."

Billy had to concede the point. Still.... "Tommy, you need to do what's right for your relationship. That's the only thing that should matter."

"Who knew building a raft would be so hard," Tommy muttered as he secured another knot. That accomplished, he stood and wiped away the sweat trickling into his eyes. The seven had been working diligently for days on the small craft that would take them across the lake.

"We're almost finished," Billy noted. "Just a couple more logs should do it." The construction process had been limited by the availability of fallen timber since they had no way of cutting the trees down.

"We could always see if we could get another whatever-it-was to chase Rocky into a tree again," Tanya quipped. A large, angry quadruped had decided that Rocky looked like a potential dinner, and Rocky had led the creature on a merry chase. It had been intent on pinning the Blue Ranger to a tree, when Rocky had leaped clear, and the hunter was unable to avoid smashing into the trunk.

"No thank you," Rocky demurred.

"Things might go faster if everyone was here to pitch in," Kim murmured.

The others glanced up at her. She had been unusually quiet all morning.

"Kat went to the pool to see if she could wash that sap out of her hair before it hardens," Tanya said.

"Yeah, she did get good and slimed," Rocky snickered, recalling the sticky goo that had poured down on Kat as she had tried to harvest some more of the vines they were using to fasten the logs together.

"Where did Adam get to?" Billy queried.

"I hadn't realized he had taken off," Tommy remarked.

Rocky had, and he scowled. He knew where Adam was, and he wasn't happy about it. Adam had been acting really weird ever since Tommy and Kat's break up. First, Tommy had split up their team, and now Adam was spending more and more of his free time with Tanya and Kat. He hardly spent any time scouting or stuff with him. Rocky glanced over at Kim, who was unusually intent on plaiting the vines into ropes. A grin tugged at his mouth. She had always gotten bent out of shape when she found him spying on the girls. Man, but she could seriously chew a guy out! It would serve Adam right if Kim caught him doing the same thing. That's what he was doing up on the cliff: watching Kat, and it would show Kim that he wasn't the only Peeping Tom on the team.

"Aw, he probably went up the northwestern cliff," Rocky said oh-so-helpfully. "He likes to go up there when he wants to... think."

"Did he claim private time?" Billy asked.

"Nope. Didn't say a word."

"He knows we're working on this thing today," Tommy muttered.

"Hey, Kim, are you all right this morning?" Rocky asked solicitously. "You look a little worn out."

That drew everyone's attention to Kim; Tommy's eyes softened with concern.

"I... didn't sleep too well last night," Kim stammered, avoiding looking at the others--especially Tommy.

"Are you sure?" Tommy queried.

"Yeah. I'm fine."

"Why don't you take a break," Tanya said. "You've been at it since before the rest of the guys were up."

"Why don't you take a walk and go find Adam," Rocky suggested. "I mean, somebody needs to go get him, and it's not a bad walk up the cliff."

"An excellent suggestion," Billy concurred.

"Once Adam gets back, maybe you should claim some private time to take a nap," Tommy added.

"I'm not that tired," Kim demurred. "I think the walk will be enough." Kim set her ropes down, and Tommy gave her hand a little squeeze before she started towards the slight hill.

"What are you up to?" Tanya hissed in Rocky's ear, having observed the glimmer in his eyes.

"Who me? Not a thing. Kim needs a break, and Adam needs to get his butt back here."

To be honest, Kim was grateful to get away from the camp for a little while. The morning had been murder--especially working side by side with Tommy. She sighed longingly, then swore. What was the matter with her? Even the most innocent thought of Tommy had her pulse pounding! It had been like this ever since they got back together, and she didn't know what to do about it. They were supposed to take things slowly... weren't they? Yet, she ached with wanting Tommy, and that scared her to no end.

She had always been a little uncomfortable with how much Tommy got to her; that was why--when they had discussed sex once upon a time--she had said she wanted to wait (when all she really wanted to do was jump him then and there). It was as if she had no control over her responses, and they just seemed so powerful... that's what made last night's dream all the more disturbing.

It had been one of her wicked, wild dreams. She and Tommy had been making love; the vision had been so powerfully real that when she had climaxed in her dream, she woke herself up, her body covered in sweat and still throbbing with the afterglow of her orgasm. She looked around; fortunately, she and Tommy had settled down on the outer edge of their sleeping muddle, and Tanya, who had the watch, was busy singing to herself. She was grateful that Tommy had apparently slept through her wet dream, too. She was just about to settle back down to sleep when she realized that Tommy's arm was draped across her hips, his hand resting against her mound. Furiously embarrassed, she pushed the sleep-heavy limb away. That's when she discovered that his fingers were wet and smelled faintly of her.

What had happened? Had Tommy been playing with her in his sleep? Had she been grinding against his hand as she had ground against his hips in her dream? Kim didn't know, but she still could not get the memory of Tommy's intimate touch out of her head.

Kim didn't know what to do. She wished Aisha was around; she had confided in the former Yellow Ranger about the intensity of her feelings. She had once tried to talk to her mom about it; normally, her mother was pretty cool about stuff like that, but once she mentioned Tommy and sex in the same breath, her mom began suggesting that maybe she and Tommy were spending too much time together--getting too close, too quickly. Anyway, neither woman was available. Kim wasn't comfortable around Kat (again!), and she wasn't sure about Tanya, and there was no way she was going to Billy about this.

Her troubled thoughts had occupied her so completely that she hadn't realized she had attained the summit. It took a moment for Kim to clear her mind. As always, the beauty of the view took her breath away. It was a perfect spot for thinking... or watching a sunset. That was all she and Tommy had done the other night. The tender calm of that evening made the passionate storms of their other encounters all the more perplexing.

That's enough. You're here to find Adam, Kim schooled herself. She looked about but didn't see the Green Ranger. The bushes were pretty thick away from the ledge; if Adam was anywhere, he was most likely on one of the rocks near the edge. As she pushed her way through the brush, Kim heard a sound--a gasp or a moan. Then, from somewhere below her, she heard a splash. Kim cleared the vegetation and looked over the cliff's edge; she had a perfect view of the pool. She peered over just as Kat emerged from the water and made her way over to a grassy patch on the shore to sun herself... just like a cat.

As Kat stretched out, Kim heard that low moan again. It seemed to be coming from around the bend. Kim started towards it cautiously. It didn't sound like Adam, but who else could it be? Was he hurt or something? If so, why hadn't he called down to Kat; she'd be able to hear him. As she rounded the bend, Kim smiled with relief. There was Adam, sitting near the ledge. He looked all right to her; it was a good thing she hadn't called out. It might have startled him and made him jump the wrong way--if he had even heard her. He seemed to be lost in thought. His head fell back, and he wore the most peculiar expression Kim had ever seen. His breathing was labored, and his hand was rhythmically moving up and....

Oh God!

She had caught Adam masturbating! Fire scorched Kim's cheeks, and her only thought was to get out of there. However, her body would not obey. She couldn't even shut her eyes. She stood, frozen in place, and watched as Adam stroked himself.

This can't be happening to me; it just can't!

Her eyes missed nothing, from the changes in his expressions to the changes in his pace. In spite of her acute embarrassment, Kim was fascinated; she had always been kind of curious about how guys did it. Disturbingly, she felt herself getting aroused by what she was seeing; she could feel her own moisture on the insides of her thighs, and her fingers twitched with wanting to alleviate her own excitement.

Adam's soft moans began to take on an intensity that she was familiar with, and that helped to break some of her paralysis. She finally was able to close her eyes. Even if she couldn't move, she could at least give Adam that much privacy. Was this what Tommy did when he...? Of course, she didn't know for a fact that he did or not, but if she had to get off, he probably did, too. She wondered if Tommy ever jerked off while spying on her. Astonishingly, she found the thought of Tommy watching her and doing what Adam was doing rather appealing; it caused a shiver of excitement to race down her spine.

What is the matter with me?

Finally, Adam bit back a telling moan; Kim had to force herself to keep her eyes closed. However, the sound of his release freed Kimberly from immobility. She spun around quickly in hopes of escaping before Adam discovered she was there, but she stepped on a twig. The resulting snap sounded like a gun shot.

"Who's there?" Adam yelped, whirling around. "Kim? Oh God...."

Kim froze in mid-stride. She wanted to die! She did not turn around when her words came spilling out in a rush. "I'm sorry, Adam; I didn't mean to... they needed your help on the raft... Rocky told me you were up here...."

"You saw...?"

Kim hung her head and didn't answer. Her silence was as damning as if she had spoken. It hadn't even occurred to her to fib and say she had only just gotten there. "I'm so sorry." Her whispered apology was scarcely audible.

"It's not your fault," Adam stammered. "I--I didn't claim private time. I know I shouldn't have been spying on Kat, but... you won't tell her, will you?"

Adam's plaintive tone made Kim glance back. His cheeks burned as hotly as her own, and although he wore a stricken expression, his eyes implored her to silence desperately.

"No, I won't," she assured him, favoring him with a gentle, sympathetic smile. With her promise, Adam glanced away, unable to meet her eyes any longer. She knew she should probably just go, but she couldn't just leave things as they were. If she and Adam didn't work this out, the others were bound to ask questions. There had to be a way to make things right between them.

"Look, Adam, don't worry about it," Kim began awkwardly, placing her hand on his shoulder. "I'm sure you're not the only one who's done something like this. In fact..." She took a deep breath; she couldn't believe she was going to do it, but if it would help Adam out....

"... I know you're not the only one." Her tone caught Adam's attention, and he looked up at her. His eyes widened as he picked up on the look in her eye.

"Y-you mean you...?" he gulped.

"Uh huh." It wasn't quite the truth. She had never masturbated while watching Tommy, but she had done it enough when he wasn't around. She continued with surprising candor, "You don't think it's been easy behaving myself around Tommy, do you?"

"I--I suppose not," Adam agreed, grinning shyly.

Kim let out a slow, relieved breath. Things were going to be all right. She noticed that his attention had wandered over the edge of the cliff; when she looked, she saw Kat stretching out and heading back towards camp.

"She is very pretty, isn't she," Kim said softly.

"Uh huh."

Kim gently tousled his hair. "One of these days you should tell her that."

"Yeah, maybe," Adam sighed wistfully.

"Tell you what, why don't I head back and let you compose yourself," Kim offered.

"Okay," Adam accepted gratefully. Then a frown darkened his face. "You said Rocky told you I was up here?"

"Yes, he said you came up here to think," Kim answered.

"Why would he do that when he knew...?" Adam dismissed the thought with a sigh.

"I'll catch you back at camp," Kim said and finally took her leave.

As she made her way back to camp, Kimberly's embarrassment remained unabated, and her anger continued to grow. She reflected on Adam's words: why would he do that when he knew...? Rocky had known where Adam had gone, and evidently he knew what Adam had been up to. He deliberately sent her up there! The question was, who was he trying to set up: her or Adam?

Kim was absolutely livid by the time she returned to the worksite. She marched towards Rocky with purposeful strides.

"Did you find Adam?" Tommy queried and was surprised when she completely ignored him.

She glared at Rocky blackly, hands on hips. The others could almost feel her anger. "What the hell did you think you were doing?" she hissed. Rocky had the audacity to look surprised.

"Huh?"

"You knew he was up there; you knew what he was doing, didn't you?" Her voice was so low the others couldn't hear her.

Rocky tried to stifle a grin and failed.

"You bastard! He's your best friend; how could you do something so low?" Tears of anger and embarrassment closed Kim's throat. Without even thinking, Kim slapped Rocky. "Why don't you grow up!" she choked out. Then, she stormed off.

The other three stared after her in amazement, then, as one, they looked to Rocky who was gingerly rubbing his stinging cheek.

"Mind telling us what that was all about?" Tommy prompted sternly. He had never known Kim to strike anyone in anger... especially not a friend.

"I--I don't know," Rocky fumbled, still clearly shocked.

"Rocky, what did you do?" Billy queried.

"Adam went up there to ogle Kat while she washed the gunk out of her hair," Rocky replied.

"So you sicced Kim on him? Why?" Tanya wondered.

"I don't know... I just...." A glib response failed Rocky in the face of his friends' united anger.

"Something happened up there to set Kim off ...." Tommy began hotly.

" ... and something tells me you had better go locate Adam and find out what it was," Tanya ordered, pointing off towards the hill imperiously.

"I think you're right," Rocky mumbled, still feeling the hot imprint of Kim's hand.

Rocky was only half way up the slope when he came across Adam. His friend glared at him darkly, and Rocky knew he had really messed up.

"Uh, Adam...." he began uncertainly. He had seen Adam look this angry only once, and at the time he had been grateful Adam hadn't been mad at him.

"What happened to your face?" Adam asked coldly.

"Kim slapped me."

"She--what?" That shook Adam.

"What did I do? What happened?"

"Why'd you send Kim up here? I never sent her looking for you when I knew you were gawking at the girls."

"I don't know... I guess... I didn't mean anything by it; it was just supposed to be a joke."

"Some joke," Adam mumbled forbiddingly.

Rocky bristled at that; he hated feeling so defensive--especially with Adam, and his temper got the better of him. "What's with you lately? All you do is hang around with Tanya and Kat; ever since Kat broke up with Tommy, you spend all your time making goo-goo eyes at her. Geez, you'd think you had a crush on her or something!"

"I do," Adam said quietly.

"Oh, come on; you can't be serious. You couldn't have fallen for her so quickly, and you never said anything about liking her before...."

"I couldn't because she liked Tommy."

"You mean it? You really have a thing for Kat?"

"Since we first met her."

"Why didn't you tell me!" Rocky burst out, feeling more hurt and left out than he had before. The fact that Adam hadn't confided in him.... "I thought we were best friends."

Adam was beginning to understand why Rocky had pulled his little stunt. He was feeling neglected. Adam sighed. He supposed he had been spending a lot of time with Kat; it was just that she was needing the support right now. Why couldn't Rocky understand that?

"We are best friends, Rocky," Adam answered him at last. "I didn't tell you because I didn't want anyone else to know."

"I wouldn't have told," Rocky mumbled subduedly. How could Adam think he'd betray a friend's trust?

"Not intentionally, but somehow, things have a way of slipping out. Remember when I had that crush on Lilly in the Fourth Grade?"

"Oh."

Rocky remembered. Adam had told him about Lilly, and in his surprise, he had blurted out, "You like Lilly Johnson?" and the entire playground heard. Adam had been so embarrassed and hurt, and Rocky had felt like a jerk for doing that to his bashful friend. That was the last time Rocky recalled Adam being seriously pissed at him... until today.

"Look, Adam, I'm really sorry."

"I know; I'll get over being embarrassed about the time you get over being slapped by Kim," Adam said with a rueful grin.

"Man, she hits hard," Rocky groaned.

"At least she didn't try punching you."

"I can't figure out what got her--what got both of you--so upset," Rocky confessed.

"Kim didn't say anything about what happened?"

"Uh, uh. She just chewed me out for being immature then whap! and off she went." Adam didn't reply, and Rocky found his silence and obvious uneasiness puzzling. Then, something clicked. "All you were doing was a little harmless spying, right?"

"Um, actually, I was doing a little bit more than that," Adam admitted awkwardly.

"Oh?" Rocky regarded him questioningly. What in the world did Adam mean...? "Oh." He felt his cheeks get hot. "Don't tell me you were...."

"Uh huh."

"And Kim saw...?"

"Uh huh."

"Man, if I were you, I'd be pissed at me, too."

"Come on, let's get back to the others so you can apologize to Kimberly," Adam suggested resignedly. It just wasn't in him to stay mad at Rocky.

The day was unusually still, and the waters of the lake were so calm the shimmering surface looked like a mirror. The seven teens welcomed calm waters as they paddled their way across the narrow stretch; if only things had been so tranquil for the team. It had only taken two additional days since the 'prank' (as the incident was being called) to find enough material to finish their craft. None of the three would enlighten the others as to what had happened, and although Rocky had apologized to Kim and had been on his best behavior, she still wasn't talking to him.

"Man, I hope we get across this lake fast," Rocky murmured, pausing in his stroke to clear his eyes. "The way the sun is reflecting off all this water, we are going to be thoroughly roasted once we get across."

"I have plenty of those aloe-pod things," Kim retorted sharply. How had she gotten stuck on the same side of the raft with Rocky?

"They work well on sunburns, I can vouch for that," Rocky countered, trying to keep it light.

"Ease up on him, Kim," Adam whispered as he moved over to spell Kim in the rowing rotation. They wanted to make certain no one became too exhausted since they had no idea how long the crossing would take. "After all, he did apologize."

"How can you let him off the hook so easily?" Kim wondered.

"He didn't think I'd be...." Adam blushed brightly as he floundered for the right words. "... doing anything... you know? Besides, this wasn't the worst thing he's ever done to me."

"Oh, really?"

"Well, I can't think of anything else at the moment, but I'm sure he's had to do something more awful than this."

"All right, if you say so," Kim sighed. When she recalled how frantic Rocky had been when Adam had his run-in with the snake, it was hard to believe that he would deliberately be so mean to Adam. It was only supposed to have been a harmless prank. If Adam could forgive him, she didn't need to continue making a big deal out of it.

"Ready for a break?" Billy queried of Tanya.

"Gladly," she sighed, handing over her paddle. She rubbed her aching shoulders. "It's been forever since I've been canoeing."

"Tommy, why don't you grab a rest," Kat said. He had already pulled a double turn.

"I won't say no to that. Thanks."

As everyone settled into their places and found their rowing cadence, Billy found himself regarding the lake anxiously. He had never been overly fond of water; however, his ichthyophobia no longer troubled him as it once did. Even so, after observing the size of the aquatic life inhabiting the lake, he was not surprised to discover a small twinge of his former fear.

The steady rhythm and the stillness had a lulling effect on the Rangers. The three not presently rowing dozed towards the center of the raft, and the other four were becoming mesmerized by the steady beat of their efforts.

"I just thought of something," Rocky piped up, startling everybody.

"I'm afraid to ask," Tanya groaned.

"Have any of you seen 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea?"

"I have read the novel and found it amusingly inaccurate," Billy responded.

"Why do you ask?" Kat queried.

"I was just thinking about the part where the giant squid grabs the Nautilus and...."

"Thank you for bringing that up," Adam complained. "Now you'll have me thinking about sea monsters lurking down there waiting to grab us."

"What about Pinocchio? You know, when Monstro swallows everything," Kim chimed in.

"Yeah, that's right...!"

" ... or Jaws," Tommy supplied.

" ... The Poseidon Adventure," Kat added.

"Don't start assigning us roles again," Tanya warned. Gilligan's Island had been bad enough.

"Oh, why not? Let's see... Pinocchio would be the easiest. Billy could be Jiminy Cricket--he was the one with the most sense in the movie...."

"Great, now I'm an insect," Billy harrumphed good-naturedly.

"Um, Kat could be the Blue Fairy... she was a good looking blonde," Rocky continued, cheerfully ignoring the others' groans. "Adam could be Pinocchio... you know, kind of innocent, and he thought the fairy was awful cute...."

"I am going to kill you," Adam hissed under his breath.

"... and you'd be Monstro because you eat everything that gets in front of your huge mouth," Tanya smirked. Rocky raised a leering eyebrow at her.

"Don't even think it," she threatened.

"Who? Moi?"

While the Rangers were having a good laugh at their teammate's expense, their attention drifted away from the placid waters. As their animated conversation continued, under the sapphire surface shadows loomed. Tiny waves rippled across the formerly calm, mirror-bright basin. Slowly, sinuously, it rose from the depths with movements that scarcely disturbed the water. So fluid, so silent was the creature that none was aware of its presence until a questing coil reached out as if in search. It found unsuspecting prey.

Billy shook his head and turned his attention back to rowing as Rocky struggled to find parts for all seven of them in Disney's animated motion picture. Kimberly had been cast as Cleo, and Rocky selected Figaro for himself. Tommy was vociferously protesting being cast as Lampwick--whoever that was; Billy was not well versed in children's cartoons. As he dipped the paddle into the water anew, he noticed movement beneath the surface. Curious and concerned, Billy peered over the edge of the raft to see if he could get a better look.

"What the...?"

"Billy, look out!" Kim screamed as a pale pink tentacle rose up out of the water and wrapped itself around the former Blue Ranger.

"Help!" Billy cried as he was hauled into the air. He winced. The grip was excruciatingly tight, and instead of suction cups, the underside of the tentacle was lined with sharp spines that bit into his midsection painfully.

"Billy!" Kat shouted as she lunged forward to catch Billy's hand to try and pull him back. She was nearly hauled off the raft with him.

"Kat, no!" Billy warned her away even as he clutched for the offered aid.

"Kat, no!" Adam echoed, diving across the raft to keep her from being pulled away; he grabbed her midsection and tried to brace himself.

"Don't everybody go rushing to the left side of the raft; we'll tip over!" Rocky yelped as the overbalanced craft listed alarmingly.

"But we have to do something!" Kim gasped.

"He's right, Kim," Tommy agreed. "If the raft goes over, Kat and Adam have no chance of getting Billy back."

"Uh, guys, I think we have troubles of our own," Tanya pointed out as more tentacles emerged from the murky depths.?

"Gross!" Kim squeaked as she brandished Adam's discarded paddle like a baseball bat, knocking away a questing appendage.

"I thought octopuses only had eight arms!" Rocky grunted as he, too, batted at a limb, having counted at least a dozen different tentacles.

"It's octopi," Tanya corrected as she battled a couple of arms.

"This is not the time for a vocabulary lesson!"

On the other side of the rocking raft, the tug-of-war continued.

"Adam, try and grab his other hand," Kat suggested, straining with all her might to pry Billy loose.

"I can't; if I let you go, we'll lose you too," Adam countered.

Billy tried frantically to work himself loose, but the spines were barbed as well as razor sharp. Every movement caused the tiny hooks to tear his flesh.

"Guys, let me go! This thing is ripping me apart!" The only thing Adam and Kat were doing was keeping him from being dragged under the water.

"No, Billy, just hang on!" Adam shouted.

While the Rangers battled the flailing limbs, four more tentacles split the surface. These arms were as thick as three of the others, and instead of tiny spines, they were dotted with menacing thorn-like protrusions.

"Look out!" Billy cried in warning, but it was too late.

All eyes glanced upwards as the combatants felt a shadow looming over them. There was nothing anyone could do as the massive appendage came crashing down on the raft, splintering it into tiny pieces.

E-mail: kittiec@starpower.net