The hitch looked incongruous on the back of what appeared to be a classic white VW Beetle (albeit one with a pipe organ crammed into the back seat), but the car was not what it appeared, much like the young man laboring by the bumper. The first light of the weekend dawn broke coldly over the hills of Angel Grove as he made a final check of the trailer. Seeing a familiar yellow hatchback approaching, Adam Park stood up from his work.

The parking lot by the far end of the lake was deserted except for the two of them. Tanya Sloan climbed out of her car, packed tight with most of her earthly possessions, and looked dubiously at Adam.

"Please tell me you're joking," she said.

"Not at all. We're ready to go," Adam replied.

"Adam, I have to be in Boston first thing Monday morning. I can't believe you even made it out here in this thing."

"I'll have you in Boston for lunch today," he said, "Promise."

"What does it do, fly?" she asked.

"Yes," Adam replied, shrugging at her look of disbelief. "Well, sort of flies and teleports."

"Where did you find it?"

"It was in Billy's..." He paused, glancing at Tanya. She stiffened at the mention of the former Blue Ranger's name. She had asked though, so he continued, "Billy's old lab. I guess I just forgot he left it there 'til now."

"It'll really pull my car, even loaded down like this?"

"We used it to bring the Frog NinjaZord back to the Repair Hangar once; I think it can manage. Pull your car onto the tow rack. I want to make sure it's good and secure."

"Yeah, I'd hate to have it drop off over Des Moines."

Billy materialized on the shore of Lake Leman in Geneva. He recognized the skyline of the city from a postcard the gang had sent from the Peace Conference. He found a bench to sit, and consulted his laptop before proceeding. He was pulling up a GPS overlay of the city when he was utterly distracted by the silver band on his right hand.

He had never worn jewelry of any kind, but he liked the way the claddagh looked on his finger. He felt safe wearing it, since he hardly ever got into fistfights with monsters any more. He realized his vision was blurring with tears as the ring invoked a flood of memories about Seth. On impulse, he launched his email program and dashed off a brief note to his lover (Ex-lover, Billy corrected).

"Arrived safe. Missing you already. Will"

More seemed excessive, since they had parted barely a half-hour earlier.

He closed the communication program and turned his attention to the city map on his screen. After the GPS grid was in place, he activated a program of his own design that overlaid an image of the Morphin' Grid. He observed a small yellow dot in motion, leaving the University and heading towards the student housing area on the outskirts of the Old City.

Checking the local time, Billy thought aloud, "Late class on Friday evening. Tough break."

He closed his computer, returned it to his backpack, and began walking briskly towards the slowly setting sun, and Trini Kwan's apartment.

If I don't get lost, Billy thought, I should get there right after her.

Adam crawled out from under the trailer and brushed the dust from his pants.

"That should do it," he said.

Tanya still regarded the whole set-up with a very dubious eye. "Adam, are you really sure about this."

"Like I said," he replied, "it's towed Zords before. Your little hatchback shouldn't be a problem."

"Not like I have much choice now," Tanya sighed. She moved to the passenger side of the Bug and climbed in.

"Buckle up," Adam cautioned, climbing behind the wheel. Looking across at her with some concern, he asked, "You didn't have breakfast, did you?"

"No, you said not to and that we'd pick something up on route."

"Good," Adam breathed a sigh of relief. "Actually, we'll get something there." Before Tanya could question him further, he started the RadBug's drive, checked his coordinate settings, and depressed the accelerator.

Tanya held back her scream until they broke the sound barrier.

It was a contemporary and mundane building. The contrast of the concrete facade with the medieval post-and-beam buildings just beyond seemed as incongruous as Trini had described in her letters from the Peace Conference.

Still, having spent the better part of two years in a cramped dorm room that was last remodeled the year he was born (inside a building built the year his grandfather was born) Billy found himself envying Trini's school accommodations. The building was spotlessly clean and obviously housed self-contained apartments.

It felt a bit odd, using the Grid to track his comrades, but it seemed the easiest way to catch up with them quickly. With a bachelor's degree in hand, Billy recognized the approach of a new chapter in his life. He realized it was important to him to tie off the loose ends that remained >from his abrupt departure.

Had his departure been any less abrupt than any of the others? He barely had time to say good-bye to Trini when she, Zack and Jason had left for Geneva. Kim essentially vanished when she went to train with Coach Schmidt. Aisha had been swallowed by Africa. And he hadn't had two seconds to say 'so long' to the others before he was whisked to Aquitar (given the quality of his final transmission, he was uncertain if they had received his last message).

The door was veneered with a blond wood. Taking a deep breath, Billy knocked on the door -- dash dot dot dot, dash -- their ancient signal when they first played together many years ago.

He heard the faint sound of voices behind the door, a familiar one coming closer.

"Oh, my God!" he heard as the lock flipped back. The door opened to reveal a petite Asian woman with hip-length black hair.

"Billy? Is it really you?" Trini asked.

"Long time no see," he replied.

"Oh! It's so wonderful to see you!" She threw her arms around him. She smelled exactly as he remembered, a faintly floral scent he had never precisely identified. "Don't just stand there in the doorway. Come in."

Billy stepped into the apartment and was again struck by a slight twinge of jealousy. A hallway went all the way to the back where the kitchen appeared to be. To his right was a living room.

"Qui est là, ma douce?" The voice coming out of the kitchen was deep and rich.

"Un cher ami. Billy Cranston de Angel Grove."

"Trini," Billy asked, glancing at her left hand. The ring on her fourth finger was gold, set with a single sparkling stone.

"Come on, I'll introduce you," Trini said, almost blushing.

There was no good place to land RadBug in Boston. Even the notorious drivers of Bean Town would have been hard-pressed to cope with its unique handling qualities.

"Are we there?" Tanya asked, eyes shut as the sensation of motion ceased.

"About ten miles outside of Boston proper. The Sox are away today, so it should be an easy drive in for you," Adam said, as he powered down the Bug. He had selected an ideal landing site, the parking lot of a high school in the Boston suburbs; hardly isolated, but out of the way and on a summer Saturday morning, essentially deserted.

"That was quite a ride," Tanya exhaled, hands trembling as she removed her seat belt.

"Actually, you did a lot better than I did the first time I rode in this thing," Adam commented.

"Come on, I nearly..."

"I did."

"No."

"All over the front seat and my lap. I had just finished lunch before we went out and..." Adam shrugged as he climbed out of the car.

"I suppose that's why I never saw it before."

"Partly," Adam admitted, starting to unhook Tanya's car from the trailer. "After he made it teleport-capable as an alternate route to the Command Center, it only ever had two speeds --stopped and really, really fast. When he got wrapped up in the Zeo Zords, Billy never got back to refining it."

"He did that a lot, didn't he," Tanya stated-more-than-asked. "Left things lying around half finished."

Adam bit his tongue. Consciously or not, Tanya was goading him, and he was in no mood to play along.

"He seems like a nice guy," Billy commented, as he settled onto Trini's overstuffed couch.

"He's the best," Trini assured him, climbing into the matching chair.

"I didn't mean to impose. Delaying your dinner, chasing him out..." Billy apologized.

"Dinner will keep and Jean didn't mind. He'll take his time at the grocer and give us a while to catch up. You're sure you won't stay to eat?" Trini asked again.

"No, really, I just had lunch and I need to keep moving. You're my first stop," Billy replied, taking a sip of water from his glass.

Trini looked remarkably the same, yet very different than he remembered. Her hair was noticeably longer, and it seemed to frame her whole body now. Her face hadn't aged a day since he'd last seen her, but her eyes looked older, more knowing. Still rail-thin, with taut and supple muscles; Billy had no doubt she'd taken the University in Geneva by storm. She had applied for early admission at the Peace Conference and was now essentially finished with her undergraduate degree as well.

"When do you graduate?" Billy asked, starting the conversation in neutral.

"End of the summer," Trini replied, taking a sip of wine. "I just have to finish my internship and I'm ready for the world of international business."

"It seems to suit you," Billy noted.

"That's sweet of you to say," Trini replied, gazing intently at her old friend, probing with her eyes.

"Let me give you an early graduation present," Billy offered, taking a duplicate of his teleport interface from his shirt pocket. "The controls are essentially identical to the old model, but it's much lighter and less obtrusive. Of course, there's no communication function and that's what really bulked up the old units. You might also notice a brief delay before actually dematerializing; it only taps into the Grid if it's not in use by someone else already. Active Rangers always have first priority."

"Brilliant work as always, Billy," she approved, admiring the device. "Thank you." She leaned over and kissed his cheek.

"I'm thinking of it as a 'retirement benefit' for ex-Rangers. We're all over the globe now; it'll be nice to get together occasionally for coffee or something."

"It has gotten harder to stay in touch," Trini agreed. "And it is tough not having anyone around who's 'in the know.'"

"So you haven't told Jean anything?" Billy queried.

"I think he suspects," Trini replied. "At least that I know something about who the Rangers are. Or were. It's practically the only thing he ever asked that I've been evasive about. He's stopped asking, so I think he realizes it's something I won't talk about."

"You met him here?"

"On a break in France actually," Trini bubbled. "When I met him, he said he was contemplating transferring --and then he turned up here in the summer term."

"When's the wedding?"

"Date to be set. Probably next year. The logistics are staggering! All his family in France and Switzerland; my parents in California, my grandparents --who want a traditional ceremony, with wedding banquet-- not to mention graduating and starting our careers. I've been joking about eloping to Las Vegas, but that's sounding more and more like the best option. Are you presenting these to everyone?"

"Yes," Billy confirmed.

"Good. Then no matter where the wedding ends up, the old gang can make it. That's a huge load off my mind. Thanks, Billy." She smiled and strapped the device to her wrist. "What's been happening with you? We were so worried when Cestria sent that message."

"Message?"

"Asking about you. Gosh, it must have been back in the fall. She sent a text message to all the Rangers she could reach, asking if we'd seen you," Trini said.

"How is she?" Billy asked, trying not to betray his decidedly mixed feelings, even after all this time.

"She's well." Trini paused. "Cestro has asked her to pair bond." She looked carefully at his face, trying to gauge his reaction.

"I guess she has a thing for Blue Rangers," Billy joked lightly.

"Billy, I don't want to pry, but..."

"But you are concerned about how I feel about her becoming intimate with another friend." Billy closed his eyes in thought for a moment. "Happy -- that she found someone who suits her as well as Cestro does. Relieved -- that she's recovered >from our relationship as well. Sad -- just a touch, that it didn't work out between us."

Trini listened amazed. "You never used to be able to do that; articulate your feelings that way."

"I guess we're all growing up a bit," Billy observed.

"Someone at college?" Trini asked, filling in a number of gaps in Billy's narrative for herself.

Billy nodded.

"Was it love?" Trini asked.

Billy paused and took another sip of his water. "Yes," he said finally. He continued, deciding that if anyone would support him at this moment, it would be Trini, "I love him and I think I always will, but he was right; we weren't meant to spend our lives together."

Billy felt a great weight lift from his shoulders. His ex had always respected his circumspect attitude about having developed an intimate relationship with another male. Seth had commented on more than one occasion that he had been in a relationship for months before accepting that his homosexuality was more than a 'phase'. Billy had taken somewhat longer to finally accept the idea. If he had a regret about his time with Seth, it was his own closetedness throughout most of the time they were together. Now the die was cast; he had outed himself to an old, dear friend. Regardless of what she said next, he felt an odd euphoria.

"How'd you meet him?" Trini asked, not missing a beat.

"On Spring Break, actually," Billy smiled. "Then, I turned up on his campus over the summer. The rest, as they say, is history."

"Sounds vaguely familiar," Trini joked.

The next few minutes of conversation were lost on Billy as he anticipated further questions from Trini about his orientation. When none came, he interjected, "Trini, I'm not complaining, but you don't seem particularly surprised to hear that I've been partnered with another man for the past two years. Did you know something I didn't?"

Trini smiled and replied, "You said it was love, Billy. Who am I to make any judgment on that?"

Billy cast his eyes down, "You'd be amazed at the number of people who are more than willing to pass judgment. And to punish the offenders."

Trini came over and sat next to him.

"No one who's an old friend, old friend," she assured him, wrapping her arm about his shoulder.

"I didn't think to leave room for a passenger," Tanya admonished herself, as they looped the harness back into storage on the trailer.

"It's all right," Adam replied. "I need to get back to the dojo anyway."

"Do I at least get a good-bye kiss?" Tanya asked.

"Of course," Adam replied.

With the trailer secured for the return trip, they stood in the empty parking lot. Adam lightly embraced his ex-girlfriend and gently touched his lips to hers.

Tanya kissed back with growing ferocity. Her fingers wandered into his long, wavy hair and pressed his mouth to hers.

Adam stiffened at the unanticipated passion in Tanya's kiss. This was rapidly turning into the kind of scene he'd hoped to avoid. Still, he could hardly cast her aside as if she were an attacking Tenga. Despite her best efforts to make it otherwise, his response was nothing more than polite. Tanya took the hint quickly.

When they separated, a thick silence hung between them.

Jean seemed somewhat taken aback that Billy had to depart so quickly. Billy finally managed to persuade him that no slight was intended, and that his rapid departure owed to a very tight schedule of connections already taxed by his impulsive decision to look up his high school friend. He got away only by promising to come to the bachelor party.

Once in the lobby of the building, he opened his laptop again and checked his possible destinations. Making sure he was still alone, he activated his teleporter and vanished, bound to the south and east.

As he reappeared, Billy saw the first light of morning breaking in the east. To his left, he heard a splash. He didn't need to consult his locator program this time; he was in the right place. He slipped quietly into the pool area, the smell of chlorine so very familiar and friendly after two years on the varsity swim team.

"Old habits die hard," Billy thought aloud, as he spied a pink bathing suit containing Katherine Hillard. She was climbing onto the three-meter springboard.

She paused as she reached the top of the ladder, then stepped deliberately onto the board. Setting herself far from the pool end, she held still, focusing, ready to spring into action. Billy froze in his tracks, not wanting to disrupt her concentration. Suddenly, she charged forward, leaping up and landing at the very end of the board, which distorted under her weight. Backed it snapped, flinging the former Pink Ranger up as she tucked and rotated. Passing the apogee of her arc, her body extended into a long, fluid line, which knifed into the water with the smallest of splashes.

Billy stepped in closer to the pool as she vanished into the water. When her blond hair broke the surface, he began to applaud, the sound echoing off of the empty rows of bleachers by the poolside.

Her head snapped around, looking for the source of the applause; Kat believed herself alone in the center (even the most dedicated swimmers didn't usually appear until after she had finished her morning workout).

"Who's there!" she called out, as she quickly climbed out of the diving well.

"Your form is still exceptional, Kat," Billy said approvingly, moving clearly into her view.

"Billy!" Kat exclaimed, dashing over to him, throwing her arms around him and kissing his cheek, soaking him as her swimsuit connected with his shirt.

As Adam turned to climb back into RadBug, the former Yellow Ranger called after him, "Dammit, Adam! Why? Why couldn't we make this work?"

"Make what work, Tanya? Us? There hasn't been an 'us' for over a year."

"I realize that! But there should be; there should be an 'us'."

"Maybe," Adam responded. "But there isn't. I can't ever be what you wanted me to be for you."

"I'll settle for less."

"Why, Tanya? I mean, why should you?"

"To have you... it'd be worth it."

"Until you started to hate me for making you compromise. What should I do? Call Rocky and tell him to take all of the dojo, or hook the car back up so you can blow off a career-making break?" Casting his mind about, Adam finally dredged a neutral comment out, trying to end the trip on an up note. "Good luck at the station, Tanya."

"Good luck with the dojo, Adam," she responded, fighting down a wave of hurt that threatened to overwhelm her.

"He sounds like a sweetheart," the former Pink Ranger commented.

"Affirmative," Billy confirmed. "So, what happened with the Royal Ballet?" he asked, changing the subject after giving Kat her teleporter.

"Harsh reality came crashing in," she replied. "I'm a good three inches too tall for the Corps. I'm glad I went there for a year; but I couldn't ever make the company. Then my Dad had his heart attack and Mum was all on her own down here, so back I came."

He paused before asking the next obvious question, not certain how recent the wound was.

Kat saw it in his eyes and answered, "Tommy and I... well, we didn't break up exactly. We just drifted apart; an ocean between you will do that."

Billy smiled involuntarily at the unwitting applicability of that statement to his relationship with Cestria.

"We never sent each other a 'the letter'," she continued, "rather, we started drifting from romantic to friendly --when we managed to connect at all. Bottom line, we got together for the wrong reasons."

"Wrong reasons?" Billy inquired, not certain what could have been wrong between the two of them.

"Billy, the only thing we ever really had in common was having our brains damp-mopped by Rita. It's a bonding kind of experience, but it's no basis for a relationship. Everything else was transitory, contrived almost, when Kim dropped out of sight. Being on the team was all that was holding us together. Once we'd passed on the powers... Well, we really never even talked about trying to stay close to each other."

"You sound rather blasé about all of this, Kat," Billy observed.

"I'm a woman of simple tastes at heart, Billy. Being a Ranger was great while it lasted, and I'm really glad I met you and Tommy and the others, but this is my home. It's nothing like when I left it, but it's still where I belong."

"I envy you that, Kat."

"What?"

"Being so certain of where you belong."

"Everyone belongs somewhere, Billy. In your heart, you know where that is. Oh, my, look at the time! Mum'll think I've drowned if I'm not back for breakfast. Will you come back by soon, Billy? Some time when I'm not training for the Pan Global Games at 5 in the a.m.."

"Certainly."

"Sorry about all the wet," she apologized, collecting her belongings.

"Don't worry about it. I'll leave the water behind when I teleport. A little trick I learned on Aquitar."

"In that case," she threw her arms around him again. "Give my best to Tommy when you see him, please."

"I will," Billy promised, returning her embrace, not caring that his shirt got soaked through again.

"Thanks for everything, Billy," she kissed his cheek. "I hope you find what you're looking for."

"I'll email you if I do," Billy smiled.

Adam powered down RadBug again inside the storage garage in Billy's old lab. It was still fairly early. His first class wouldn't begin for another hour and the dojo was not far away. Adam allowed himself a moment to let his mind wander and remember the time he had spent here with his friend. Dust had settled on everything in Billy's absence. Before, there had never been time for dust to gather; Billy was constantly shifting things around. Adam had always marveled at the boy genius' ability to locate anything in the room instantly, regardless of how many times he rearranged it.

Adam became abruptly aware of how much he missed Billy's company. Ever since Aisha left, Billy had filled the role of confidant for him. Unlike Rocky, who always offered his advice and opinion (asked for or not) or Tanya, who always complicated things with her attraction to him, Billy was his sounding board-- calm, rational, never offering advice unless asked.

"Dammit, Billy," Adam said aloud. "Three years, and you couldn't come up with a way to send an inter-stellar postcard or something?" Slipping out through the secret door they had constructed just after the Zeo period began, to avoid having to pass through the house to access the lab, Adam turned off the lights.

He again failed to notice the blue suitcase that Billy had left standing on the floor by the workbench yesterday afternoon when he stopped briefly at the lab before teleporting to Geneva.

The darkness took Billy by surprise. It had been some time since he had teleported so much in a short period and the gaping distances he was covering were disorienting. He hadn't been expecting city lights when he teleported to where Aisha Campbell was living, but there was literally nothing around him. Even odder, he had arrived under a lone tree on a grassy plain, virtually on top of her last position; either she hadn't seen him or was avoiding acknowledging his arrival.

Or, perhaps I'm momentarily misdirected, he thought.

A flock of birds suddenly cried out and took wing as he removed his laptop and woke the screen from sleep mode. As the display began to glow, a form dropped from a branch above, knocking him to the ground. He rolled as he landed, striking a defensive stance as he regained his feet, his old instincts suddenly alive.

"Are you trying to get us both killed!" Aisha hissed in a harsh whisper, pressing the case shut with her foot as she scanned the horizon.

Billy was astonished by the transformation his former teammate had undergone. The others had simply aged a bit, as had he; Aisha, from what he could see in the dim ambient light, had changed utterly. Her long tresses were cropped practically back to her skull; she seemed much thinner, taller and longer than Billy remembered. Most astonishing, however, was the change in her demeanor. Billy remembered Aisha as carefree and fun-loving; the figure before him bordered on feral.

"Aisha..." he began.

"Hush!" she snarled at him, still scanning for an unseen enemy. Suddenly, she lunged at him again, "Down." She landed on top of him, her hand forcing his face to the ground just as they heard the faint pop of a distant rifle. Almost immediately after, bark splintered off of the tree behind them.

"What..." Billy whispered.

"Poachers," Aisha replied. "No way to get across to them, now that they know where we are."

The gravity of Aisha's decision to "help protect the animals" in Africa began to sink in to Billy. "Yes, we do." He hazarded a look around; his backpack was lying where he had arrived at the base of the tree and his computer was about two meters to their right. Another shot plowed into the tree. "I assume they have night vision sights."

Aisha nodded.

"I need both my pack and my computer."

"Behind the tree. Get the laptop and crawl; I've got the pack," the former Yellow Ranger replied. She was out of his field of vision by the time he reached the fallen computer.

He scurried quickly around to the back of the tree. No more shots came their way. Aisha was waiting there with his backpack.

"What's the plan?" she asked, handing it to him.

"Remember how to use one of these?" he asked, passing her a teleport interface from the side pocket.

"Target?" she asked, strapping it to her wrist.

"A moment please. They've got night vision; therefore, they're using embedded chips, probably the only ones for a few kilometers. Which puts them..." He read the information on his laptop screen. "Right here." Tucking the computer back into the pack, he began to program his own teleporter when Aisha placed her hand on his shoulder.

She crouched low and looked into his eyes saying, "Do you remember how to do this?"

Her tone was not condescending, but rather concerned; she conveyed succinctly in that one question a dual meaning -- 'can you handle this,' and 'you realize I may not be able to save you'.

Billy placed his hand on hers. "Some things, you don't forget," he replied. "Ninja Ranger Power."

As the uniform appeared, Billy realized that Aisha was also wearing what was left of her Ninjetti suit, the bright yellow long since subsumed into a deeper color more suited to night hunting. He felt a bit silly next to her in his powder blue outfit, like a child wearing a brand new, starched gi in a class taught by a master in a uniform threadbare with years of washing.

For the first time since he arrived, Aisha smiled, saying, "Nice to have company." The smile faded as she became all business again. "There'll be at least three, possibly as many as five. Everyone will have automatic weapons, but only one or two will have pistols. I'll take them first; they only have the autos out when they expect trouble or are taking down an animal. The leader will be the one with the night goggles; he's mine. Go low; I'll go high. Once they're down, don't interfere."

Even in the starlight, Billy saw the dead seriousness in his former teammate's eyes. He nodded his understanding. Confirming the system clear for transit, he said, "On three... one, two, three."

They vanished as the low thunder of an elephant herd on the move came >from just over the horizon.

A sudden flash behind the tree was visible unaided to the sniper. He sighted the spot again, scanning through the green glow of the low-light scope for a human target. His head jerked around as Aisha landed with a thud on the hood of the open jeep. The driver was slumped, unconscious by the time he had turned. As he twisted to bring his rifle to bear, it was wrenched from his hands. The last thing he remembered was the rifle stock connecting forcefully with his face in a blur of blue.

The poachers were taken utterly by a surprise. Only the leader (Billy assumed, since he had the goggles) managed to fire a shot at Aisha. His arm hung limp at his side after she disarmed him.

As Billy bound up the unconscious hunters, he heard Aisha's voice, followed by the unmistakable sound of flesh striking flesh. Beside the jeep, Aisha stood over the captive leader, holding him up by his shirtfront and striking his face.

"Where is the Ringmaster?" she demanded.

The prone man's pale face was covered in blood, his body limp, and he still laughed at her. Speaking in British-accented English, "Last I heard, he was putting flowers on Kinte's grave."

Aisha lost it; her cry of anguish gave Billy the moment he needed to reach her as she lanced at the man's throat in a killing blow. He grasped her arm, barely halting the strike in time. Aisha dropped the poacher, clawing at Billy with her free hand. He flipped her across his body, rolling as he went.

The battered man on the ground laughed all the harder, "Uh oh, trouble in paradise. I always heard the 'Veldt Avenger' wouldn't kill. Such a sentimental girl after all."

Billy had deliberately thrown Aisha as far as he could from the poacher. Before she could spring back to finish the man, he called to her, "Dead men don't answer."

He gripped the killer by the side of his throat and pressed in hard on the three primary pain points of the human head.

"I suggest you answer her questions at once, or I shall help her break every major bone in your body. And then I will use the device that allowed us to appear out of nowhere to send you to the bottom of the Indian Ocean, to see which kills you first, the pressure or drowning," he bluffed.

Needling pain lancing his skull, staring up into the faceless shadow of the hooded figure, fear glinted in the poacher's eyes for the first time.

When Adam arrived at the dojo, everything was still closed up; there was no sign of Rocky. Dealing with Tanya for the last few hours left him no patience at all for dealing with his old friend and business partner.

After graduating and passing on the Power to the new Rangers, he and Rocky had decided to take the leap and move their Youth Center classes into a dojo of their own. Their success had been tenuous at best.

They were both skilled martial artists and reasonably good instructors, but they were also utterly inexperienced at running their own business. Coupled with their decision to move out of their respective houses and take an apartment together, their resources were stretched to the limit.

Rocky's apparent loss of interest in the dojo was beginning to wear heavily on Adam. He found himself actually angry with his longtime friend as he unlocked the front door.

Aisha had broken the distributor cap and checked Billy's knots; the poachers were not going anywhere. Using the jeep's radio to inform the local police of their position and the parts needed to move the vehicle, they departed. Aisha had no desire to be in the vicinity the when they arrived. She and Billy walked away in silence.

Just before they reached the tree line, she finally spoke, "Thank you."

"A pleasure. It's been a while since I wore this."

"Not that," she responded. "I let him make it personal. I got sloppy. That usually gets you killed out here."

"It's already intensely personal to you, Aisha. I could have seen that even five years ago. What happened?"

"Don't presume," she said, walking more quickly.

"Aisha," he called. "I am your teammate, I am your friend; and right now I am very, very concerned about you. I know I'm not Rocky or Adam, but I want to help."

She stopped before she entered the trees. Not looking back at him, she whispered, "It seems so easy, half a world away. Help the animals... Have a bake sale... Hold a benefit concert... Recycle..." She laughed softly. "You have no idea how it is here. Monsters attacking from the Moon; that's easy. You know who you're fighting, who the bad guys are. Here... who's a friend? Who's on the take? Who's in the Ring? Who's just trying to survive!

"The sniper; he's from the village where I stayed. Even getting caught, he made more money tonight than he did all last year. He's got a wife and a child. It's a mess. Too bad Angel Grove High didn't offer advanced African eco-geo-politics."

"Aisha..." Billy released his concentration and let the Blue Ninjetti uniform fade. "Who's Kinte?"

The Yellow Ranger's body twisted back towards him at the mention of the name. Her practiced outrage melted as she looked into the Blue Ranger's eyes, the moon reflecting off the lenses of his glasses. She swallowed, then spoke softly, "Have you ever met someone and felt like you've known them forever in an instant?"

"No," Billy answered honestly.

"Kinte and I... He opened this world to me. He taught me to survive in the open. Showed me the majesty and wonder of all the life here. When I was with him, I never thought about Angel Grove; I didn't even miss morphing. Above everything, he cherished the balance of nature. He was the embodiment of the anti-poaching movement here."

There was only one possible conclusion to this story. Billy nodded and held up his hand; the rest of the details, he could guess.

Aisha continued, "No, I've never told anyone from back west what happened. Why I... We were going to be married. I wanted to start a family right away. Two nights before the ceremony..." Her voice failed her.

Billy stepped closer to her, and said softly, "They killed him."

Aisha nodded. Her mask of control cracked, then shattered; she threw her arms around Billy, sobbing, "I never found enough of the body to bury."

Across the plain, a chorus of animal calls keened back to the Yellow Ranger as she wept three years of sorrow onto Billy's broad shoulder.

Adam had just finished sweeping up when Rocky entered the building.

"Where have you been?" he called from the back, as he put the push-broom away.

"I overslept a little. Relax, class doesn't start for a half an hour."

"Twenty minutes. The early students will be here any second, and it takes time to get this place ready." He had planned on going through the books this morning before class, but the need to prepare the main room seemed more urgent. That was supposed to be Rocky's job, but his partner had been arriving later and later recently. Adam had no desire to get caught with a dirty mat when the youngest students and their parents arrived for the first session.

"Hey, I swept before I left last night," Rocky stated, opening his bag. Shifting the contents around he asked, "Do you have anything I can use to keep my hair up? I must have missed my tie-back this morning."

"Check the office; middle drawer of the desk. There should be some rubber bands in there."

"Right. I'll go get changed."

Hope you remembered your belt, Adam thought loudly at Rocky, as his friend ducked out of the main room and headed to the office.

"Aisha, I wish you'd consider coming home."

"I am home, Billy," she replied. "This is my home now, and woe to the bastards who are trying to hurt it."

Billy said nothing.

"Don't worry. You reminded me of something very important I'd forgotten. I'm a Power Ranger. I let them pull me into their game, and I've been fighting by their rules; that changes right now."

Perhaps it was a trick of the light, but Billy could have sworn Aisha's clothing shifted to a lighter yellow as she stood there.

She moved closer and hugged him. "Are you going to tell him?"

"I haven't decided. Certainly not until I'm done rebounding from Seth," Billy replied, releasing her. "You've known him longer. What do you think?"

"He's further in the closet than you ever were. And you might be the only person that could let him see the door."

"No pressure then," Billy joked.

"No more than we're used to. Take care, Billy."

"May the Power protect you, Aisha."

Adam sighed as he watched Rocky's first class with the pee-wee squad. He was really in his element. Some of the new parents had looked rather dubious when they saw Rocky start the initial class a few weeks ago, but almost everyone had quickly come around watching Rocky handle the group. He kept the kids focused and directed for forty-five minutes, and several of them were actually getting quite good.

Given his own appearance, Adam felt he had no room to criticize Rocky's ever-growing hair, but he thought it didn't suit the former Red Ranger at all. In fact, he knew with certainty it had cost them at least three potential students, as well as one who had been with them from back at the Center.

Adam had tried to compensate by keeping his hair pulled tightly up and covered whenever he was at the school, but Rocky had always been the really clean-cut one. Maybe it was unfair of Adam to expect that he'd always fill that role, but he wished Rocky would at least make an effort to maintain a neat appearance. His skills were still sharp when he tried, but increasingly, Rocky was looking more like someone you'd need to use martial arts on than you'd learn martial arts from.

Billy had spent rather longer in Africa that he had planned. Even with the time differential, it was a bit late to come calling unannounced. Still, Zachary Taylor had always been a night owl. Besides, his lights were on.

The noise of New York City traffic filtered through the barred window at the end of the hallway. Billy knocked on the dark-painted door, amazed that the school actually still housed students in this ancient dorm. Although he hadn't planned to stop, he found himself hoping that Zack's roommate was already gone; perhaps he could crash here for the night.

"I bet I know who that is..." came the sound of a familiar baritone >from behind the door, music faintly audible behind it.

Bet you don't , Billy thought, smiling in anticipation; he was enjoying seeing everyone again.

The light in the room went out and the door swung open, revealing a muscular, dark-skinned man wearing only a pair of tight, black Calvin Klein boxer-briefs. The deep, rich odor of incense rolled out into the hallway and candlelight flickered within.

Billy was afraid for a moment he had the wrong room. The young man before him had a small goatee and a shaved head, two sartorial decisions that did not jibe with his memory of Zack. That concern faded as a look of shock came into his old friend's eyes.

"Billy?"

"Hey, Zack. Long time no see."

"Oh, man! Good to see you!" He threw his arms around his old friend and gave his back a hearty slap. "Come in!"

Billy tried his best not to stare as the former Black Ranger switched on the overhead light. Zack looked remarkable; he had obviously taken meticulous care of his body and had totally overcome his reticence about displaying it.

Zack seemed unaware of Billy's scoping as he pulled out one of the battered desk chairs for him to sit.

"Fill me in, man. Where have you been? When'd you get back? What happened with the fish lady?" he asked, tossing a short robe over his shoulders and sitting on the bed.

Billy braced himself to retell the story again when something chirped. Zack froze, he was obviously expecting the call and looked as if he wanted to dive onto the phone, but he was also genuinely glad to see Billy.

Billy solved the dilemma for him, "Why don't you get that first."

With a sigh of relief, Zack dug the tiny phone out of the front pocket of his pants on the floor. "Yo! Michelle! Baby, where are you? Still on the subway... I can come meet you. Okay. You're all packed... good. Oh... Oh! Yeah! Ten minutes?... Sure thing, Baby. I'll be waiting."

The change that came over Zack as he spoke was unmistakable; his snug underwear left nothing to the imagination. Billy couldn't tell if it was love, but it was definitely lust. Zack's head dropped back onto the bed as he disconnected the phone and a large smile spread across his face. The smile crashed as he suddenly remembered his companion. "Oh, man! Billy..."

"Think nothing of it, Zack," Billy said, a bit relieved to dodge telling the story again. "I've been dropping in on everyone unannounced; someone was bound to have other plans sooner or later. I assume that's who you were expecting when I knocked?"

"Yeah," Zack replied, the goofy grin returning to his face. "She flies out tomorrow night."

"Then I'll give you the really quick version and be on my way."

"How long are you in town, man?"

"Assuming your estimate was correct, about nine and a half minutes." Billy got the teleporter for the Black Ranger from his bag and handed it over. He also pulled one of the 'keep in touch' cards he had printed out before leaving school; uncertain of where he would end up, it contained only his name and email address.

"Teleportation for the masses?"

"Just for those who know how to use it."

"Man, I could have used this a few years ago. You've finished college already?" Zack asked rhetorically, seeing the "alumni.edu" at the end of the address.

"Always a quick study. How much longer for you?"

"Probably a year," Zack shrugged. "Depends on how much money I make this summer. If I don't have to work in the fall, I might be able to finish, but it'd be tough. Besides, I'm in no rush; I like it here!"

"You've been seeing Michelle since..."

"Geneva. She wanted to come to school in New York so..."

"So you turned up here in the fall."

"No way. We were sending each other messages like crazy when the conference ended. This was a second choice school for both of us, but it was the one we both got into."

"That's great, Zack."

"Yeah. It has been," he smiled widely again.

"You're certainly full of energy," Billy commented, feeling the fatigue of his journey.

"It's the middle of the morning for me," Zack explained. "I've been dancing, I mean that's how I've been paying the bills since I got here. It's been great! I get up about 9, go to work 'til 3 or 4, grab a bite and do my homework 'til sun up, then work out first thing in the morning when the gym opens and hit all early classes. The teachers love me 'cause I'm awake and alert --and I've never had to fight to get in an 8 a.m. class."

"Where do you dance professionally at two in the morning?"

Zack raised his eyebrows and smirked a bit. "Anywhere that pays," he laughed. "Seriously, Billy, I don't want to freak you out or anything, but mostly it's at a couple of gay clubs over in Chelsea. I used to do a Ladies Night around here too, but Michelle hated it."

"But she doesn't mind the all-male venues."

"Nah; she likes that there's nothing there to tempt me. Actually, the money's better too, so I'm cool with it."

"I wish I had known; I would have brought my boyfriend up to see you," Billy said, leaping in with both feet.

"Is that why you came back?"

"No, I didn't find out until after I'd returned."

"Well, I'll be working all summer. Let me know when you're coming and I'll make sure you're on the door list."

"We'll see." Billy decided to delay going into detail about Seth until they had more time. Unconsciously, he raised his glasses and rubbed his eyes.

"You look beat, man."

"It has been a rather full day. I should go on before Michelle gets here. I'll meet her next time."

"Billy, we could move over to her place if you want to crash here. She's in another part of the building..."

Looking around, Billy realized that Zack probably wasn't in the habit of keeping fresh roses on his desk. This was intended as a special night. It was kind of him to offer, but Billy declined. "Thanks, but I'd rather not incur Michelle's wrath before I have a chance to meet her. This looks like you've got quite an evening planned."

"It is gonna be a while before I see her again," Zack confirmed.

"Then send me a message tomorrow and I'll email you back when I have an address for you to teleport to. We can have... a midnight snack soon."

"Deal, man," Zack held up his hand and gave Billy five.

"Have a good time, Zack."

"Hey, don't talk like we're not going to see each other for another couple of years. I want to hear all about what's been happening."

"And I want to hear all about Michelle," Billy responded, preparing his teleporter. "Play safe and don't forget to tell her you love her."

"Billy?" Zack looked surprised.

"I didn't spend all of the last few years in the lab." Billy smiled as he vanished in a blaze of light.

Almost half his morning class was absent. Adam had come to expect that during the early summer, but today was particularly bad. On the plus side, he got to spend quality time with every student who was there, but his anxiety about enrollment and retention increased greatly.

After 'the incident' in the spring, rumors surrounding Adam and the school had raced through the local community. Adam had pointedly declined comment on the matter to anyone, and, to his credit, Rocky referred all queries to Adam. Although details were difficult to come by, that had not stopped anyone from making up their own version of events.

The school had gained some notice, but the net result had been a brief drop in enrollment, followed by a burst of new students who had not continued after the first series of classes. The current session ended in four weeks; if the class stayed this size, he didn't know how he'd keep the doors open.

Billy debated heading either back to the dorm or to his lab in Angel Grove, but saying good-bye to Seth again would be too hard, and his lab was buried in dust. Instead, he headed southwest.

He materialized under a tall tree on a side street. The school was an enormous State University, and the area to the west of the campus was given over almost entirely to student housing. Walking half a block towards a wider street, Billy saw a long row of large houses with Greek letters prominently placed facing the road. The sound of loud music blared from the long, low, contemporary house on the corner; he observed aloud, "Frat Boys; another universal constant."

For a fleeting moment he considered retreating to his lab until morning, but then decided to press on. Everyone else was either in or near Angel Grove, he'd make a fresh start there in the morning.

So long as there's a room away from the party, it can't be worse than Homecoming at the dorm. And, he reasoned, I can always leave and come back if I need to. Quickly confirming his position, he headed towards the frat house, the party, and his former team leader.

At 1:20 Adam was tossing some tapes and a change of shirt into his bag.

"You going to be around here this afternoon?" he asked Rocky as he shouldered the bag.

Rocky turned from the water cooler, taking a large swallow. "Nah, I'll hit the bags tomorrow. I'm gonna take it easy today."

"What'd you take?" Adam asked as casually as he could.

"Some Tylenol. Relax, I'm fine."

"Just asking," Adam defended. "I've got to run; my seniors class starts in ten minutes."

"See you at home."

"I'll be late. I've got to come back here."

"Right," Rocky waved absently.

The door to the house was open, and a moderate-sized crowd was already hard at celebrating in the main room. A banner reading "The Last Gasp" was hung across the entry to the party.

As Billy peered into the dimly lit room, a large young man approached him from the hallway leading back into the house. "Yo, dude," the brother called to him, "This is an invitation-only bash."

"I'm looking for a friend who's a member here; Jason --Jason Scott."

The other man's demeanor transformed. "You know the Veep, man? Cool! He's still back in his room."

"I just got in; which way...?"

"Straight down, left, second to last door on the right. Big ying-yong poster on the door."

Billy resisted his impulse to correct the pronunciation.

"Tell him to hustle up. There's a whole posse of Kappa Delts up here waiting for him."

"I'll be sure to mention it," Billy said, moving past the man. The noise of the party faded as he turned the corner of the hallway. That was a relief, the day was catching up with him rapidly.

Jason's door was strikingly obvious in the hallway lined with sports figures, extreme recreational activities, and busty women holding beer and wearing thick dental floss for clothing. Billy knocked on the door beside the image of a traditional black and white Yin Yang floating above a computer created mountain range.

"All right, Bernie! I'll be right out." The door opened. "Relax already, the girls aren't going anywhere... Billy!"

"In the flesh," the Blue Ranger responded. Jason's appearance surprised him. The slight layer of baby fat Jason had carried throughout high school had melted away. Never a small individual, he bulged all over with muscle. He had apparently shifted into serious bodybuilding at some point, and the results apparent through his loose, revealing shirt were astonishing. Despite his own efforts at maintaining a muscular frame, Billy felt as dwarfed as he had in the old days beside the former Red Ranger, more so when Jason threw his tree-like arms around him in a warm hug.

"Oh, man, it's good to see you! Where have you been; what's been happening?"

"If you wouldn't mind, Jason," Billy sighed as he loosened himself from Jason's embrace, "perhaps we could discuss all that later. I've been on three continents and in four time zones since breakfast and I was hoping to impose on you for some crash space."

"No prob, Bro." Jason moved into the room and gathered a pile of clothing >from the bed. Tossing the ball of laundry into the corner he continued, "I wasn't figuring I'd get any sleep tonight anyway. Crash here and we'll catch up tomorrow. Sure you don't want to come up front for a while?"

"Positive," Billy replied, putting his pack down at the foot of the bed. "I haven't been this wiped since Zedd attacked us for two days straight."

"Okay, then. I'll go play fraternity vice president and we'll catch up in the morning. Call if you need anything."

"Thanks, Jason. It's good to see you."

"You too, man. Really." There was a subtext in Jason's voice, but fatigue prevented Billy from decoding it. "Pleasant dreams."

Adam had been teaching stretching and breathing at The Angel Grove Senior Center for three months. It provided a small stipend, and he had found it to be one of the most satisfying of his classes.

It was also quite a challenge for the athletic and eager young man. There were always new people dropping in and he couldn't teach any of the flying maneuvers he favored.

Still, the discipline of reviewing the base fundamentals was good for him, and seeing several of his regulars increase their mobility made him quite proud and happy.

He had ended the session a few minutes after 2:00 and was packing up his things when Mrs. Lintz came over to him.

"So nice to have you here again, young man."

"My pleasure, Mrs. Lintz. You're doing much better with the arm extensions."

"I know! Last week when my granddaughter visited, I took the checker set down from the top shelf with no help. Ah! She was so surprised. Such a nice girl, Adam; bright and pretty. You should meet her."

Adam winced. How had he managed to get a class full of women with pretty granddaughters he should meet?

"I know," she said, reading his expression. "I'm not the most unbiased source, but, my boy, she is a treasure. She says she'll bring me to class next week. I've told her you're such a nice young man; a little skinny, a little long in the hair, but nice. You'll meet her?"

Deciding that agreeing was an easier option than arguing, Adam put on his best business smile and replied, "Of course, Mrs. Lintz. But you should know, I'm not really looking..."

"Wonderful! Wonderful! Such a find she is, Adam. Wait, just wait 'til you meet her." She patted his arm and turned to go back into the main room. "I'll call her now to confirm. Ah! Such a perfect couple you'd make."

Adam rubbed the center of his forehead as she bustled away. Shsaking his head, he popped his tape from the player.

Billy awoke to the sun filtering in through a window on his left, disoriented; the window should be on the right, and he was facing a wall. He always slept on the outside, Seth slept against the wall. No, yesterday wasn't a dream, Seth was still in Maryland; Billy had arrived in Texas late last night.

Then who was leaning up against him under the covers?

Billy blushed at the prospects, especially since he had not brought his pajamas along with him; he had stripped to his skivvies after Jason departed last night and had been fast asleep practically by the time his head hit the pillow.

Slowly, Billy raised his head and looked behind him. Without his glasses, he could only guess at the time showing on the small clock by the bedside. Somewhere between sunrise and 9:59 when the "1" would have appeared as an additional smudge next to the hour digit.

Jason was fast asleep next to him, trapping him against the wall. Sleeping in a narrow bed, Billy had adapted to sharing close quarters. Jason was obviously not used to such company. Billy was squished into the wallmost quarter of the bed, so he tried what Seth had always done in a similar situation. He braced his arms against the wall and pressed as if he were doing a horizontal push up. Using the full width of his back, he tried to slide Jason's sizable mass so that he could extricate himself without waking his friend. Seth had become quite adept at the trick last fall when, for the first and only time, his initial class met before Billy's.

Jason was apparently unfamiliar with that technique as well; his response was to roll over and envelop Billy in a tight embrace. Billy was now free >from the wall, but firmly locked under Jason's massive arm.

It felt remarkable. For the first time, he really understood what Seth meant when his former lover described the protected feeling he experienced when Billy held him; the difference in their physical size had always prevented Billy from experiencing the same feeling when Seth held him.

Now he understood. Jason felt like a soft, warm wall surrounding him. He smiled for a moment and hoped that Jason wouldn't be too disconcerted if he woke up now, especially since Billy wanted to tell him about Seth.

Billy had, some time ago, realized that Jason was the first man he wanted to have sex with --or at least the first man who had entered his fantasies as an adjunct to the women he conjured while masturbating. Billy had developed quite a crush on Jason in high school, which he had always sublimated into something else. Cradled against his old friend, he smiled and snuggled deeper into Jason's arms; one of his oldest fantasies was occurring with no effort on his part.

But even as he basked in the glow of Jason's warmth, he became aware of Seth's absence. Being held by Jason was utterly different, and even though he had spent the night in other beds with other partners occasionally over the past two years, he had always done so with the knowledge that their, he and Seth's, bed was waiting for him.

That was no longer the case.

Billy laughed quietly as he imagined what Seth would say if he told him this had happened the night after he left; the laughter became a sob as he realized that it could be some time before he saw Seth again.

Jason had been feigning sleep since Billy tried to move him. He thought that Billy had accepted and enjoyed his embrace, but feeling the shudder of soft crying emerging from his old friend, he was concerned that he had made the wrong decision crawling into bed with him after the party broke up. As the Blue Ranger's apparent distress continued, Jason tried to think of a way to defuse the situation he thought he had created.

"Billy," Jason whispered, "Are you okay, man?"

Billy jumped at the sound of Jason's voice. "Affirmative," he replied, wiping his eyes quickly. "I'm sorry. Did I wake you?"

"S'okay, I can never sleep late no matter what time I get to bed." Jason reached up and felt the moisture on the Blue Ranger's face; he removed his arm and backed away a bit. "Billy, what's wrong?"

Billy replied, "I was just missing someone I said good-bye to yesterday morning."

"Long time?"

"Over two years."

"Ouch. What's her name?" Jason asked evenly.

Lying was not in Billy's nature and his trust in Jason was high. He hadn't expected to be in this position for this discussion, but he took a deep breath and replied, "His name is Seth."

"You think it's over for good?"

"The being lovers part is."

"Sorry, man."

Five for five.

Billy hadn't wanted any of his friends to be unsupportive or shocked by his relationship with Seth, but a little bewilderment somewhere would have been nice. He rolled over and faced the former Red Ranger. "Jason, did the entire team realize I was gay years before I did? So far, it seems to have surprised no one except me."

"Well," Jason smiled and put his arm back on Billy's shoulder. "I cheated a little. Trini dropped me a line this morning and said you'd probably be by soon."

Billy's face dropped in shock. Trini wouldn't have shared the intimate details he had discussed with her; that just wasn't possible.

"She didn't say anything specific," Jason assured him, reading his friend's expression. "She suggested I talk to you about some of the questions I've been asking her. I filled in the rest on my own." He stroked Billy's arm gently. "Plus you called me 'Seth' when I climbed in."

At a loss for any other reaction, Billy laughed. Jason joined him. Billy's laughter grew in intensity and he placed his head against Jason's chest as the utter absurdity of the situation overtook him. He finally rolled onto his back, gasping for breath, convinced he was still asleep and this was a vivid dream. "This is rich," Billy choked out, "Please go ahead, Jason. Ask whatever you like before I wake up."

"You're not dreaming this, Billy," Jason assured him, rising up and looking down at his companion. "Billy, I..." Jason suddenly appeared nervous. He glanced away from Billy then looked deeply into those green eyes. "Oh, hell..." he leaned over and kissed Billy somewhat awkwardly on the lips.

The contact dispelled the last of Billy's doubts about this being a dream. Taken completely by surprise, his response was tepid. Jason retreated slightly but Billy pursued. Surprise made the first moment clumsy; Billy had learned that that was not how one kissed, on any occasion. Jason had initiated a kiss; he'd sort out the details later.

He ran his hands into Jason's dark hair and caressed the Red Ranger's mouth in his. Jason tentatively slipped his tongue into Billy's parted lips; Billy responded by gently closing his mouth around the muscle and sucking.

After a protracted moment, Jason released his old teammate and rolled away onto his back. Out of habit, Billy delivered a final light peck as Jason reclined.

"Wow," Jason whispered.

"So," Billy asked, also reclining on his back. "What did you want to ask about?"

"Actually, it's not what you think," Jason replied.

"Of course," Billy responded.

"I mean, I..."

"Naturally..."

"And I don't want to imply..."

"Surely not..."

Suddenly the pair of them broke out laughing again.

"Jason," Billy queried. "What brought this on?"

The former Red Ranger sighed, "I'd been wondering what it'd be like to kiss another guy."

"I deduced that part," Billy prodded with a raised eyebrow.

"Last fall after pledge week, one of the new guys was working out with me a lot. We'd really hit it off. He's been doing Tai Chi for a few years and wanted to learn some hard style martial arts, and I was curious about soft style. One night, out of the blue, he asked if he could blow me. I was between girlfriends and pretty horny, plus I figured he was joking. I said 'sure' and... he did it.

"He didn't get romantic or try to kiss me or anything; he just got off on giving head. We kept on working out together and every once in a while, he asked if I was feeling horny, usually right when I was. I don't know if he's been doing anyone else in the house; no one's said a word about it. Anyway, it got me a little... curious."

Billy bit his tongue to keep from laughing again. Although generally a tolerant person, Seth had always had a very strong opinion about "curious" straight men.

"Yeah, I know, is that lame or what?" Jason concurred, sensing Billy's amusement.

"No. I think it's commendable. It was always a sore point with Seth, though. Didn't you ever approach your friend?"

"I couldn't, Billy. Like I said, he never wanted anything back and we never talked about it. That was the way it worked. He asked if I wanted it; I'd say yes and he'd do me or I'd say no and he'd leave. Honestly, I think if I ever offered to reciprocate, it'd be all over; I kind of got the impression he likes doing straight guys."

"I believe I understand the context now. What were the questions you've been asking Trini?"

"Do you think letting another guy blow me makes me bi," Jason asked, "Or gay?"

"No," Billy replied. Jason expected Billy to continue at some length. He didn't.

"That's it? Just 'no'?"

"It was a yes or no question. In my opinion, no; accepting fellatio >from another male has no impact on your sexual orientation."

"What if I want to suck off another guy?"

"Who?" Billy asked.

"What?"

"Not what, who? Who did you have in mind?"

Jason's brow knitted at the question. "No one in particular. I'd just been kind of wondering what it'd be like, is all."

"What kind of guy?"

"What do you mean?"

"One of your fraternity brothers? A classmate? Tall? Short? Light-haired? Dark-haired? Is there a man you've seen and thought 'I'd like to go down on him'?"

"No!" Jason said, a bit emphatically.

"Then what are you wondering about, Jason? You're curious in the abstract about what the experience of performing oral sex on another man would be like; that seems like a predictable response to having been fellated by someone I presume you perceived as straight."

Jason flopped back onto the pillow, rubbing his eyes with the heels of his hands. "Isn't that how it starts? Being curious?"

"No."

Jason opened his eyes wide and looked over at Billy. "Then what happens..."

"No one knows. The simple fact is, Jason, no one understands how personality is formed, let alone sexual identity. I tend to believe it's largely genetic, but that's as much because I've always preferred the security of the physical sciences as the presence of any substantial evidence. I wasn't at all curious when I met Seth; I was lost and desperately alone."

"So when did you know you were gay?"

"Know it, act on it, or accept it?" Billy countered.

"There's a difference?"

"Jason, when did you know you were straight?"

"What?"

"To put it in a way that's more common among heterosexuals, when did you first 'notice' girls?", indicating the quotes with his fingers.

"Junior high, I guess," Jason replied.

"Did you have intercourse in junior high?"

"Of course not!"

"Then excluding masturbation, there was a gap between the realization and acting on it. I imagine acceptance occurred simultaneously to realization; that was the big difference for me."

"So, when did you accept it?"

"About a month after Seth and my first anniversary."

"You were with him for a year..."

"More than a year actually; having quite pleasant sex at least three times a week." Billy shrugged, "I always was a little slow on the personal matters."

"What turned the corner for you?"

"The realization that it wasn't just Seth who was turning me on; it was men in general. Looking back honestly over the years, it was always males that excited me sexually as far back as I could remember." Regarding Jason again, Billy blushed. Although they were still both covered, lying next to each other, Billy knew that Jason was in all likelihood naked.

Billy still recalled the first time he and the rest of the team had gone to his uncle's resort above town. When they were bedding down for the night, he had emerged from the bathroom in his pajamas to see Zack folding his pullover and pants, ready to jump into bed in a tank top and shorts. Jason had gone into the bathroom after him and returned a few moments later, stark naked. Zack had ribbed him a bit, but Jason had sloughed it off, saying he always slept in the nude, and that Zack could turn out the light if he didn't want to see. Billy had called for a truce quickly, not wanting to be caught staring at Jason; in retrospect that would have been only marginally worse than Rita's nightmares.

Seeing the color in Billy's face, Jason tried to lighten the mood. "I hope that's a good memory."

"Mostly," Billy evaded. "Jason, why did you kiss me?"

It was Jason's turn to flush bright red. He finally answered, "Because I figured if I didn't do it then, I'd lose my nerve."

"Was it what you expected?"

"It was... different. You don't kiss like any girl I've ever dated."

"Was that sufficient, or are you still curious?"

The Red Ranger lived up to that title, turning an even brighter shade of crimson.

"Jason," Billy said, placing his hand on Jason's shoulder, "believe me when I say that I know all too well how confusing and disturbing questions about sex and sexuality can be. I've just spent two years sorting out my own feelings in that regard. The degree was practically incidental.

"I'm delighted and very flattered that you wanted to talk to me about this. I'm also touched that you still trust me so much. You are one of my oldest and dearest friends, and you are one of the finest, kindest, most honest people I've ever known.

"You are also, to be brutally honest, one of the sexiest men I've ever met. A large part of that is your unshakable sense of self; who you are, what you believe, the personal code you live by. If there is anything disturbing that sense of self-knowledge that I can assist you in resolving, I would consider it an honor.

"You are a rare friend, Jason, even among the many fine friends it's been my privilege to know. Nothing you could say, ask or do will cause that to change. You are my good friend and I hope that I am yours."

Jason gathered Billy into his arms and held him tightly.

"Thank you, old friend," Jason whispered.

"My pleasure," Billy responded. Billy realized that drawn up against his friend's muscular frame, flesh against flesh, the familiar scent of Jason's body wafting into his nose (still the same after so many years) that there was nothing sexual between them in that moment. Whatever else Jason wanted, he needed the assurance of friendship.

Billy also realized that as prominently as Jason had figured in his fantasies, as attractive as he found the former Red Ranger, nothing could surpass the value of their bond. If it was a choice of having Jason's body or his friendship, there was no contest.

Jason released his hold, asking, "Are you hungry?"

"A bit," Billy replied.

"Great. Let's grab breakfast and catch up. Man, I did a training tour through China, Korea and Japan last summer; it was awesome." He threw down the covers and hopped out of bed, buck-naked as Billy expected. "I got my butt kicked all over the Pacific Rim by some of the most incredible sensei. I even got a chance to spar with Grandmaster's apprentice in Seoul. Man, I was wishing I was fighting Goldar by the time we were through; him I could have at least landed a punch or two on." Grabbing a pair of red shorts from the desk chair, he stepped into them, continuing, "I think I can scrounge up a clean towel for you..."

Billy slid to the side of the bed saying, "I brought one, actually. That bit of advice in the Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy is really quite accurate..." He was reaching for his backpack when he became aware of Jason's gaze. Billy was suddenly self-conscious that he wore only a pair of briefs; that made no sense. He and Jason had played on the football team together (Oh, how that had provided some source material on Aquitar); it wasn't as if either hadn't been naked in close quarters before. Still, Billy swallowed, "Uh, Jason..."

"Sorry, Bro," Jason said, holding up a hand. "You... you look good, is all."

"Thanks. Swim team, weights, martial arts and clean living I guess," Billy smiled. "Down the hall?"

"Officers get suites," he replied, opening the door to the shared bath. "That's partly why I ran."

"Great." Billy took out his towel and moved to enter, but Jason stood in the doorway. "Jason?"

The former Red Ranger looked lost in thought. "Billy..." he inhaled deeply, "There have been some men I've found attractive. Arousing even. And yes, I'm still curious. Can I... can I kiss you again?"

Billy tossed his towel back onto the bed and stepped closer. "Of course you may, Jason."

Billy stood before his friend, fighting his urge to take the lead. He still vividly remembered the moment he had reached out and kissed Seth the first time. He wouldn't have denied that experience to anyone, least of all Jason.

The touch of his lips was tentative again for a fleeting instant. Feeling no fear, no unease, no judgment, Jason relaxed, kissing his friend deeply, at last enfolding Billy in his arms again as the kiss crossed over into passionate.

"Oh, man, what am I doing?" he asked aloud.

"Only what you want to, Jason," Billy replied, feeling their erections touching through the thin cotton of their shorts. "I have no expectations of you, and I don't want you to be concerned with me. Anything that happens now is for you, my friend. Whatever occurs, I will treasure in my memory, but it never need be mentioned again. We are friends, Jason. Nothing will change that."

The exact emotion was still unreadable as Jason ran his hand down Billy's back, feeling --truly feeling-- the other man's skin. Smiling, Jason kissed the Blue Ranger on the neck, allowing his hands and mouth to explore the familiar yet never experienced contours of another man's body.

Billy smiled and sighed inwardly. Surprisingly and just a bit sadly, Billy found himself wondering exactly what would be left to fantasy by the time the morning was over.

Blobs of blue and red were spattered all over the front of the dojo when Adam arrived. Thankfully, it was still wet and most of it was on the window. Someone (You're being generous, he thought, you know who it was) had thrown balloons filled with paint at his school.

As he opened the door and prepared to pull the hose from the back room to the front, it took all of his years of training to keep from flying into a rage. Anger was useless right now; he needed to clean up the front before the mess set permanently.

Billy found it difficult to say good-bye to Jason. He was tempted to stay for a while and get thoroughly caught up, but he was determined to see everyone as quickly as possible. Besides, the teleporter placed them essentially next door to each other; that was the point, to let them connect in person when they needed to.

Checking his tracking system, he saw several changes in location since yesterday. Adopting a policy of calling on the person in the most Eastern time zone first, he decided to head northeast, curious that he hadn't noticed Tanya Sloan moving across the country. It was as if she had magically re-appeared in Boston.

He recognized her car in the lot, still bearing California license plates. Her name did not appear on the apartment directory, but there were two blank nameplates. "I've got a fifty-fifty chance."

For no discernible reason, he tried number twenty-two first. After a moment, a buzzer sounded and he pulled the front door open. Climbing the stairs, he wondered what he would say to Tanya. They had never been particularly close and had not fought on the team at the same time. Still, she had been a valuable part of the Zeo and Turbo Rangers. She had also been close to Adam and could perhaps fill him in as to what was happening in Angel Grove.

He knocked on the door, hoping that it was indeed his former teammate residing in the apartment. He heard movement within which stopped abruptly as he sensed the occupant looking through the peephole.

He called out, "Tanya? It's me, Billy."

After what seemed a long moment, the lock was thrown back and the door opened. "Hello, Billy," the short, coffee-skinned woman said. "This is certainly a surprise."

"May I come in?"

"Suit yourself." She stepped away from the door and allowed him to enter. The apartment was small and sparsely but neatly furnished. It seemed somehow devoid of character. Against the walls were scattered piles of boxes. "Pardon the mess, I just got here this morning. Temporary housing 'til I find a place."

"New job?"

The former Yellow Ranger nodded.

"Congratulations."

Tanya nodded again in acknowledgment. She'd made no move to sit, standing by the doorway to the small kitchen with her arms folded.

Sensing a lack of enthusiasm for his presence, Billy unslung his backpack and took out Tanya's teleporter. "This should make picking up the last of your belongings from Angel Grove easier."

"Thank you," she said, accepting the device and placing it on to the pass-through counter. The silence was deafening.

Billy had planned to chat and then move on from inside the apartment. Not knowing where this was headed, he decided to change plans and beat a hasty retreat.

"I'm sorry if I caught you at a bad time. I'll be on my way. You look well, Tanya. I hope we'll be able to talk soon." His hand was on the doorknob when she spoke.

"How could you do that to him, Billy?"

"I beg your pardon?" he replied, turning.

"How could you desert Adam like that?"

Billy grimaced at the memory of his departure. "The decision was largely out of my control, Tanya. I was dying."

"You got better," she said. "Don't look at me like that. Play the wounded puppy with someone else. You got better and you never even let him know. He worried about you for months after you left; it killed him not knowing what happened to you."

"It was a difficult time. I didn't want to worry anyone with what was happening."

"Well, that failed miserably. They were all obsessing about you. Adam, Tommy; Rocky even asked about you when he was in the hospital."

"I'm sorry. I didn't know what to say. Especially after I got back."

"How about something like 'Hi. I'm back. I'm fine. Give me a call if you want to talk'."

His voice rising to match the anger he heard, Billy replied, "Perfect; except that I was 3,000 miles away, by choice; I was an emotional mess; and I really didn't want to talk to anyone on the team."

"Oh? And why not?"

"Because I wanted my life back!" The sharpness of Billy's voice cut through Tanya's anger. He continued, "I was tired. I spent all of my adolescence fighting monsters and saving the planet. I turned down full scholarships >from five of the top applied science programs in the world to live in a windowless bunker with a magical, disembodied head and a small, child-like android designing, building and repairing giant robots for other people to use.

"And then I damn near died; not a heroic, Morpher-in-hand, facing-impossible-odds, giving-everything-to-the-last, defending-the-human-race death. No. I got old in an instant. My body decayed all at once and I could barely walk. Instead of fighting evil, I fought to control my bowels. My choices were reduced to premature death or emigrate to another planet.

"I won't bore you with the details, but suffice it to say that on the bad days, Aquitar pretty much resembled Hell. Premature death became the preferable option.

"But I lived. I even got to like living again. I wanted to continue. Avoiding Angel Grove and the Power Rangers seemed the most prudent course to achieve that goal. That was selfish of me, and painful, but it was what I believed was best.

"It's unfortunate you're angry with me, Tanya, but that is your feeling, and I have no control over it. I hope you're happy here. I'll leave you alone now."

"Billy! Wait, please."

"To what end? I don't want to compare tough life stories; I realize you didn't have an easy time of it either coming to the team..."

"No," she continued, "No, I resented you because Adam always liked you better than me. I'm angry with you because losing you hurt him so much."

Billy stopped in his tracks, astonished to hear that Adam had been so concerned about him.

"He always treated me like Aisha. Like a sister. I needed a lot more. After a while, he couldn't handle dating me. Towards the end, you came up in our conversations frequently. I've been very jealous of you."

Billy started to reply.

"I heard you out," she cut him off. "Things weren't the same after you left, not for anyone. Then Rocky got injured and had to drop off the team. We had another boy genius come in and take his place; the problem was, he was still a boy. Adam and Tommy were never sure how to treat him -- kid brother, student, younger version of you. And with Rocky gone, Adam got more and more isolated; I don't think the others noticed as much as I did. We were all so wrapped up in graduation and all the other things that were happening.

"I am sure of one thing though. When we passed on the powers, Adam was relieved; hell, I think that night was the first time I'd seen him smiling on his own in months. He kept up a brave front around the others, but I saw how alone and unhappy he was. I probably made it worse, clinging to him. He was happiest that first year, before I came; the black uniform, running around with his two best friends, and meeting you."

"What about you?" Billy asked. "Do you regret taking Aisha's place?"

"No," she responded without hesitation. "It was more than worth it. I found my parents. I made some great friends. I helped save the world. I guess I thought that the wild romance like Tommy and Kat's went with the spandex. I hadn't counted on it being so much work. And let's face it, I have lousy taste in men."

"Tanya..."

"No, really. I always want the ones who hurt me. They can't handle my being my own woman. Or, they're already in love with someone else."

Billy was silent.

"He doesn't realize it; I don't think. Not yet anyway." She looked directly at him. "What about you? Do you love him?"

"Yes," Billy replied softly.

"Good."

Billy looked at her quizzically.

"There's no point in all three of us being lonely. I suppose it's some small consolation that it wouldn't have worked out no matter what."

"That seems harsh."

"It's the truth, Billy. Everything else aside, I'm a nomad at heart. Realistically, if I want a career on-air, I'll have to move every year or so for the first decade at least. Possibly my whole life. This is a great break for me, but if I'm here two years, that'll be a really long run. Adam is barely over the trauma of leaving Stone Canyon, and unless some megalomaniac finally manages to destroy it, he'll be happy in Angel Grove until he dies. He wants a room with mats to teach and practice in, a place to store his gi, and a few good friends to hang out with."

Tanya finally stopped pacing and settled onto the back of the sofa, looking at the floor.

"You know, the really sad thing is I'm still crazy for him. He's sweet and giving and handsome..."

Billy walked over and sat next to her. "And he'd cut off an arm for a friend."

"Promise me you'll take care of him."

"I'll do my best."

"Then I hope the two of you are happy."

"I hope I have the nerve to see him again."

"You will," she said, rising and going to the kitchen. "I take it you'd like some of the 'dish' from home?"

"Very much."

"Make yourself comfortable. I'll get us something to drink; that pizza I was expecting when you rang should be here any minute."

Out of a sense of civic obligation, Adam filed a police report about the vandalism. He had no illusions that anything would come of it, and he had pretty much destroyed all evidence of the attack before he called. The patrolmen who stopped by to complete the report were not overjoyed to see all of the physical traces essentially gone.

Adam voiced his suspicions about the perpetrator and signed off on the report. In the absence of any evidence or witnesses, the new patrolman asked an obvious question, "What makes you think it's him? Why would he do it?"

"Because I destroyed his family," Adam replied pulling the water down the window with a squeegee. "Such as it was," he added under his breath.

"Come again?" the rookie asked.

"Mr. Park," his partner interrupted, "you did the right thing; the only thing you could do."

"Yeah, which is why all three of them hate my guts now."

"Adam..." the officer responded.

"I know, I know," Adam answered. Seeing that almost all of the paint was gone, he hosed the colored puddle on the sidewalk towards the storm drain. "It was the right thing to do. That doesn't make it easy to live with. Thanks for stopping by, officers." Further conversation was pointless and he still had work to do.

"I'll make sure a patrol car rides by a few times during the night for the next few days," the senior officer said, indicating to his partner that they could leave. "And I'll see about getting some of the Junior Patrol walking a beat along here."

"Thanks," Adam responded sincerely, but he knew there was little Angel Grove's Finest could do about a hit-and-run artist with a vendetta. He was anxious to finish up and hit the bags.

The apartment was in what qualified as the 'bad' section of Angel Grove. Near enough to the deserted warehouses where the monsters always landed to be undesirable (not to mention uninsurable), but far enough away to still be habitable.

Billy knocked on the door loudly a third time; he heard the television playing inside the apartment, and his readings showed that one of the occupants was inside. The television sound ceased abruptly and he heard movement within.

The lock slid back and the door opened to reveal Rocky DeSantos, bleary eyed and disheveled in the middle of the afternoon. Billy scarcely recognized the former Red, later Blue (why did he always resist the memory of Rocky as Blue?) Ranger. He had dropped a noticeable amount of weight and had let his hair grow much longer.

It was the eyes that concerned him the most. Even Aisha had had the old spark in her eyes when he first saw her; Rocky's looked dead. Although perhaps it was that he had obviously just woken up.

Rocky blinked a few times and at last said, "Billy?"

"In the flesh."

"Adam's still down at the dojo," Rocky commented absently.

Billy managed to stop himself before saying "I know." No point in further confusing Rocky. "I'm here to see you, actually."

"Oh, great," he smiled a bit vacantly. "What's up? I haven't seen anyone out here for a while."

"May I come in?" Billy asked.

"Yeah, sure. Make yourself at home." The apartment itself was not bad; it was a two-bedroom unit with a few amenities. Spartan would have been a generous description of the decor; the furniture was a hodgepodge of thrift store specials and milk crates. The television was still on, but muted; a commercial for a razor was running.

Rocky flopped onto a lounge chair facing the set, obviously a favorite spot. "Sorry I'm a little out of it," he apologized. "I was kind of sore after class this morning, so I took one of these little yellow numbers. Sometimes they make me a little..." His voice drifted off.

"Rocky?"

"Yeah, good to see you, Billy. What're you doing around here?"

"I'm back; to stay I think. At least for a while," he replied, scanning Rocky intensely; something else was going on here. Tanya told him Rocky was not his old self, but Billy had put it down to the injury that had knocked him off the Turbo team.

"Jason was back for a while, too," Rocky offered. "Didya hear? He managed to help save everything with Lerigot, even being captured and tortured and put under mind control. Then he took my place in the charity tournament... saved the shelter. That's a real Red Ranger for you..."

Jason's version had been a bit different, but Billy saw no point in pursuing it. He questioned whether he should give Rocky the teleporter now, given his state of mind, but reasoned that Adam would be back soon. He couldn't get into much trouble in the meantime, since he seemed to be on the verge of nodding off.

"Nice," Rocky commented, strapping the interface to his wrist after a few false starts. "Of course, that's what Blue Rangers are supposed to do, isn't it? Invent impossible stuff in their free time. Acing Mr. Wilton's science class was supposed to be child's play."

"On the contrary," Billy asserted. "Mr. Wilton is the strictest grader at Angel Grove High. His course required the utmost attention to detail and copious amounts of outside work."

"Yeah, but you still managed to pull all A's while you were building the Zords, didn't you?"

"Only because I was able to adapt some of the work from one into the other," Billy replied.

"Still," Rocky gazed towards the window, "I bet Justin smokes both our averages when he gets into the class. Hell, he'll probably trade places with Wilton permanently before the year is over if they're still doing that teacher/student switch thing."

Billy found it an odd sensation talking to Rocky; it was as if he wasn't really in the room. He considered trying to determine more exactly what the source of this radical change was, but Rocky was hardly in a forthcoming mood. With some trepidation, he decided to wait until he had a chance to speak with Adam.

Declining Rocky's invitation to watch of the rest of the afternoon's game, he activated his teleporter and headed up into the hills above Angel Grove.

An hour working out on the punching bags had not significantly improved his mood. Putting off the accounting a while longer, Adam decided to run his short course around the park to round off his workout. Any time he spent there usually cheered him up.

The heat of the day was dissipating as he entered the greenbelt. A cool breeze was beginning to blow into town from the water as the sun began to turn towards the horizon.

He kept his pace easy, enjoying the late afternoon. He only stopped at three of the ten fitness stations along his route, concentrating on his shoulders and upper arms.

He toyed briefly with the idea of ducking into the Youth Center, but didn't want to go in without being able to pay down at least part of the tab Ernie had been running for him. He knew Ernie wouldn't ask, but he felt it would be taking advantage of their friendship to keep adding to the bill without any prospect of paying it off soon.

He regretted that decision as he headed back towards the school along one of the main roads. Trapped at an intersection by the traffic lights, he was startled by a woman screaming obscenities at him from her stopped car. "Homewrecking bastard! She's crazy and you swallowed it whole. You fucking asshole. They took my baby from me because of you!"

What were the odds? He knew from experience that it was useless trying to reason with the woman. He pretended he didn't hear her and jogged away quickly when the light changed.

The resort looked exactly as Billy remembered it when he and his father first visited Angel Grove. His uncle always repainted the resort cabins in the spring, but he never changed the colors. There seemed to be several vacancies, but his scans indicated two old teammates together in cabin five.

"Please! No more! This is torture!"

"You said you wanted to see it. I taped six Saturdays worth of episodes and you are going to enjoy them."

"But... but, why is there blue sky over the city and stars in the control room? And why is the city so much bigger on the inside of the dome than it looks on the outside? Why are there caves on a space colony? And why would she keep wearing animals skins..."

"We'll be right back to Rocket Rangers: Lost (Lost... Lost...) Galaxy."

He sighed, saying, "Just tell me my ass didn't look that wide in the red uniform."

"Of course not, silly. You've always had a great tush."

The sound of a knock at the door interrupted their conversation.

"You weren't expecting anyone else, were you?"

"It's probably Mr. Cranston checking up on us. Stay put; I'll get it."

"Yeah, it's not like I'm gonna be rushing anywhere like this." He cast a frustrated look at the bulky metal apparatus encasing his right leg.

Kimberly Hart opened the cabin door and let out a squeal of glee.

"Oh, my gosh! Oh, my gosh! Where have you been hiding, you!" She startled Billy by literally jumping into his arms, hugging him tightly.

Mistaking Kim's exclamations for distress, Tommy Oliver hobbled into the adjoining room to see his girlfriend wrapped around the original Blue Ranger's body. He called out, "Billy! Oh, man, what a great surprise..."

He moved too quickly, tripping himself up and landing face down on the sofa.

Kim released Billy and rushed over to her beau, easing him upright onto the couch and dragging over a chair to elevate his shattered foot. "Will you please take it easy. I swear he's more pig-headed than ever!"

Fighting to smile through an obvious grimace of pain, Tommy replied, "Hey, I'm happy to see him, too."

"Tommy, what happened?" Billy queried, gazing with concern at the heavy metal column which surrounded Tommy's lower leg and foot. Whatever it was, it was obviously a grievous injury to require such extreme immobilization.

"Major crash at the track," he replied. "All things considered, I got off pretty light."

"No head trauma," Kim clarified.

"And the foot is still attached," Tommy added in her direction. "The ribs were barely cracked."

"What's the prognosis?" Billy queried, looking intently at the complex lattice of metal rods contained by the frame.

"Couple of months, and we'll know for sure." Tommy did his best to keep the infectious optimism in his voice, but Billy saw Kim squeeze his hand in support as he spoke.

"That won't do at all," Billy responded, pulling out his computer. "I had hoped to avoid this call a while longer," he said softly. "Ah, well. At least it's for a very good reason."

As he rolled open the cover on the lens of the visual transmitter to the side of the screen, Kim asked, "Billy, what are you..."

"I need to borrow some equipment from someone I haven't spoken to in a while. Pardon me please; I'll try to be brief."

Setting the laptop on the table by the door, Billy launched a very special communication program. Seeing the recipient's local time, he was certain he'd be able to connect.

In a matter of seconds, the window in the center of the screen filled with and image of an ebony-skinned humanoid with large eye sockets. The eyes seemed to grow wider still as Cestro recognized the sender of the transmission. "Billy..."

Forming his fingers into a pyramid shape, Billy made the gesture of formal greeting and bowed his head in respect. "Cestro of Aquitar; I greet you in peace and friendship," a slightly more formal salutation than was called for. Billy wanted to keep this brief if at all possible; the greeting made it explicit that this was not a social call.

"Joy and long life to you, William Cranston of Earth," Cestro responded, instantly matching the other Blue Ranger's formality.

"Need compels me to request a favor of you, Cestro. Is the transit platform still at the same coordinates?"

"Yes; what do you require?"

"Medi-pack beta-three would be ideal."

"Is that all?"

"It should suffice. Could you ready it at once, please? An injury demands attention."

"It will be placed by the time you lock on." Cestro's head vanished, and Billy began to enter information into both the computer keyboard and his wrist interface.

Less than a minute later, Cestro reappeared saying, "All is in readiness."

"My thanks to you, Ranger of Aquitar." He made the gesture of thanks, debating quickly which modifier to use; he settled on the signifier for comradeship -- it maintained formality without impinging the element of friendship between them. Then he hit the 'Go' switch.

Cestro responded with the appropriate sign modified (almost unconsciously) to demonstrate non-specific concern. He appeared to be clearing his throat when Billy relieved his unease by speaking.

"I've heard that you and Cestria are to bond."

The Aquitian nodded as the dark green satchel appeared three feet above the floor directly next to Billy. The Terran Blue Ranger snatched the carrying straps from the air as it finished materializing. "Please accept my sincerest wish for a long and joyous life together. You suit each other well."

Cestro smiled and seemed to heave a sigh of relief.

"Thank you, my..." a trilling roll of deep sound vibrated from the computer's speaker.

Billy's eyebrow shot up; he had always considered Cestro a friend, but he hadn't realized the Aquitian held him in that high a regard. He set the medi-kit down and made a gesture of the sincere thanks modified by deeply felt, personal emotion. He wished he could have made the appropriate sound as well, but they both knew that the untranslated word was far outside his vocal range.

"We bond at the first full primary moon of the new year."

"About four months," Billy calculated.

"Cestria very much desires you to be present for the ceremony. As do I."

Billy was surprised how completely the nuances of the Aquinas body language had remained in his mind. The offer was sincere and was also a source of concern. Recalling the bonding ceremonies he had attended, he guessed that the question was whether he would be able to participate in the ritual, especially since he and Cestria had not formally severed their relationship when he left. "I would be most honored to attend."

"This is wonderful news, Billy."

"I'll call again soon; urgent matters press me now." He paused before giving the sign of farewell. "Give Cestria my affection," he said, using his hands to clarify -- abiding caring as one has for a relative. It was the most appropriate gesture he could summon to mind at the moment.

"Until next time," Cestro bowed and severed the link.

"Indeed," Billy murmured, closing in the notebook. He turned to face his companions, saying, "Well, that's the compact version of what happened on Aquitar."

"Oh, Billy..." Kimberly's face had fallen and her eyes were misted.

"Sorry, Man," Tommy commiserated, unconsciously squeezing Kim's hand.

"It's all right, thanks. Contrary to what you may have seen on Star Trek, interspecies relationships seldom run smoothly. Now, let's see about that foot," he said more firmly, opening the satchel and removing a cone-shaped device.

The fleeting good feeling he had in the park had vanished like a broken Putty. Ignoring the faint remains of the paint attack still adhering to the front wall, Adam entered the dojo and passed straight through the lobby and down the hall between the office and the changing rooms.

Taking out a second key, he opened the door leading to the upstairs apartment. Flipping on the overhead light as he entered, he couldn't believe he and Rocky had actually managed to live in the tiny studio for two months before they found their current place.

Adam had always hoped to sublet the space after they moved, but lodging in a cramped room above a martial arts school was hardly an ideal setting for any of their potential tenants. At least the vacancy allowed them to have a shower on premises, which Adam appreciated greatly right now.

Luxuriating in a slobbishness he didn't dare allow himself at home, he dropped his sweat-soaked clothes in the middle of the floor as he made for the shower stall. The cold water braced him as he waited under the spray for the hot to make the journey from the distant water heater.

The injury to his ankle and foot had been extensive. Tommy hadn't said, but Billy estimated that there was less than a twenty percent chance he would have been able to walk unaided again, even after extensive physical therapy.

He filled them in about his return while he used to the device to knit all of the delicate bones back together, promote re-growth of the cartilage and stimulate the muscles and ligaments that had begun to atrophy under the immobilization of the cage.

Tommy was fighting to stay awake until the end, but Billy instructed him not to. Tommy's recuperative powers had always been remarkable, but this device was quite taxing on the patient. It was, however, the most effective means of repairing the damage in the long run; it did not impose or substitute an artificial repair, rather it forced the body to heal itself at an accelerated rate while allowing the operator to ensure the repair occurred correctly.

As Kim covered the evenly-breathing Tommy with a sheet, Billy turned the bluish ray onto the former White Ranger's rib cage for a moment, before ending the treatment and indicating they should leave him to rest.

"How's that thing on compressed cartilage?" Kim asked rhetorically as she shut the bedroom door.

"Highly effective," Billy replied. "Would you like me to..."

"Maybe later," Kim responded. "Having Pan Global medals and fully functional knees; what a concept."

"Congratulations, by the way. I saw your gold medal routine on the beam right before I left. Did you compete the subsequent year?"

Kim shook her head. "Way past my prime. Coach Schmidt was a miracle worker, but he couldn't make me fourteen again."

"Believe me, being young again isn't all it's cracked up to be."

"So I heard. Will he be all right?" she asked, gesturing towards the bedroom door.

"Affirmative," Billy replied, closing the medical satchel. "He'll be asleep for a while, but he was responding well to the treatment."

"We can leave him alone, then?"

"Actually, waking him would be a bad idea right now."

"In that case, shall we take a walk while it's still light? I haven't been out of the cabin all day."

The 'hot' portion of the shower was of finite duration. Stepping out before the cold returned with a vengeance, Adam dried off and slipped into the clean clothes he kept up here for occasions like this.

The trees around the resort were bursting with new growth as spring drew to a close. The early-evening air was cool under the canopy of leaves as the sun moved toward the horizon over Angel Grove. They walked together along the flat trail circling the resort, Billy completing his story first. "That's about it," he said at last. "When did you reconnect with Tommy?"

"He was racing in Florida last fall. I heard about it and went to the track. He placed second, which was really amazing, given the field he was riding in. I thought I'd send him a note or some flowers or something, but I went down to the pit after the trophy ceremony and it was like the last two years hadn't happened. We tried to be polite and cordial; that lasted about two seconds. I threw myself at him and he caught me, like always. I retired from the sport, left the gym, and learned to be a grease monkey, quick."

"I have a hard time picturing you changing tires in a racetrack pit stop."

"Actually, I ended up doing more of the administrative support stuff. Scheduling, travel, making sure the entry paperwork is filed on time, negotiating endorsements for the team; that sort of thing. Tommy has a great crew, but they're all mechanically oriented; none of them has any experience with major corporate sponsors."

"Where did you pick that up?" Billy asked.

"Coach Schmidt's wife. She did all that stuff for the gym. After I won the medal, I had a few offers; she really helped me work out the best deals and kept me from making some bad mistakes. I heard a few horror stories from the other girls from the games who I was talking to on the computer. When my ankle started acting up, I got to thinking it would be a possible post-competition career. It worked out great. You wouldn't believe how much company reps underestimate someone like me, especially in racing."

"Tommy was picking up sponsors?"

"His career was going well. It takes time to move up and gain experience in the major races; he was on the fast track-- no pun intended."

"What happened?"

"Typical Tommy," she replied. "There was a crash ahead of him and he had a split-second choice; he could escape clean and let the debris fly into the rest of the field and the stands, or he could put himself between the accident and the crowd and hope for the best. He used his car to deflect the wreck away from the spectators."

"You're right; typical Tommy."

"It's a miracle he survived, but the foot looked pretty much like a loss. Do you really think that gizmo worked?"

"The toughest part is going to be explaining his recovery to the doctor," Billy assured her.

"No problem; we tell him our friend came back from another planet with alien medical technology. Happens all the time." She stopped him with a touch and turned him towards her. "Thank you, Billy. He's been trying to be brave for me, and I've been trying to be brave for him, but this really looked bad. Seeing him like that..."

Billy stroked her long brown hair. "He would have made it, regardless. You would have too. You two were always unstoppable together, and it appears nothing can keep you apart."

Kim slid her arms around her friend and hugged him. Keeping her arm loosely around his waist, she began walking them back towards the cabin. Tossing her hair back, she said, "I still think we're going to have to name our first-born after you."

"I hope she's not too cross with me for sticking her with a boy's name." They laughed together at that.

"I'm really sorry, Billy."

"For what?"

"For cutting you out of my life when I left Angel Grove. I've known you longer than Tommy, and in some ways, we're closer than he and I ever can be, unless your brain swapping machine is still around."

The day they had switched bodies... Billy had almost forgotten. "I think the major pieces are still in the lab somewhere. I hadn't planned on using it again, though."

Kim bit her lip the way she did when she was nervous. "Can I ask you something personal?"

"You can always ask," he replied.

"Did you ever have a crush on Tommy?"

Billy breathed out, debating a moment whether to answer. At last he replied, "Affirmative."

"Why?" Kim asked.

"Who wouldn't," Billy responded. "He's good looking, talented, kind, personable, gentle, self-possessed. How could anyone know him and not have a crush on him?"

"I mean the crush and Seth and everything... It wasn't because we changed places that time, was it?"

Billy smiled, if only things were that simple, "No, that had no impact at all on my orientation. And, Tommy is quite attractive enough on his own to inspire a crush."

"That does seem to be his curse," Kim replied, only half-joking. "Do you still?"

"No. I enjoy looking, but there's none of the furtiveness or giddiness of the crush left. He's still an attractive man, but he's yours. Not to mention he's straight, and I've had enough one-sided romances to last a lifetime."

They reached the cabin as the first blaze of pink colored the western sky.

Adam felt his luck was turning when he found an unopened packet of cocoa in the kitchen. Heating a pot of water, he brought the warm, sweet liquid down to the office as he prepared to review the books.

He stopped before opening the office door to look out the front window. The sky was coloring as dusk approached. Sipping his drink, he took in the tranquil beauty for a moment before plunging back into what he expected would be more bad news.

Kim whipped up a very quick, very good supper for the two of them on the cabin hotplate, with enough left over for Tommy when he awoke.

Almost over her protests, Billy applied the cellular repair device to Kimberly's knees and ankles after they had eaten. There was less it could do for her, but it would certainly help moderate the damage caused by years of intensive gymnastics, and afford her some relief from the attendant pain. Kim withdrew to call it an early night, worn out by the treatment.

Billy was packing up his bag when Tommy emerged from the bedroom.

"You're not leaving already?" he asked a bit groggily.

"You never did know when to stay asleep, did you?"

"I feel great," he slumped onto the couch. "Of course, I guess I should wait 'til morning to review my katas."

"That would be advisable," Billy confirmed, opening the medical bag and withdrawing another instrument. He ran it over Tommy's leg and reviewed the readings.

"What's the prognosis, doctor?" Tommy quipped.

"Assuming the patient avoids strenuous activity and life-threatening situations, his prospects for a long, happy life with a remarkable, vivacious woman are excellent." Returning the scanner to the bag, Billy asked, "Seriously, Tommy, how do you feel?"

"Seriously; the best I have in weeks. It's kind of a dull ache all over, which is how I always feel when I've got an injury that's healing. All the sharp pain in the foot is gone. And, I'm hungry enough to eat a Tenga fried in Cog oil."

"Another good sign," Billy observed. "Fortunately, Kimberly planned ahead. Your choice of menu is somewhat better than that. Stay put, I'll heat it up for you."

"Kim crashed early," Tommy commented, settling into the cushions.

"I used the cellular simulator to give her a little nudge to replace the fluid in her leg joints. Unlike some people, she'll probably sleep through," he chided, as he turned on the hot plate. Kim had wrapped Tommy's portions in foil for easy warming and serving; Billy filed away the technique for future use.

"She is something, isn't she?" Tommy asked rhetorically. "She filled you in on everything?"

"The major plot points, yes. Not to hit on another sore spot, but Kat did ask me to convey her regards."

"Oh man, how is she holding up? The last I heard, her father had just passed away."

"Doing rather well. She's back to diving, and is taking care of her mother. She seemed quite content. And, Jason said to be sure to tell you that you missed a great trip."

"You've been making the rounds. Anyone left?"

"Adam."

"You sound worried about seeing him again."

"Apprehensive is a more appropriate word, I think," Billy responded.

"What's up? I thought you two were great pals."

"We were three years ago. As you might have noticed, things change. I understand he and Rocky opened a martial arts school."

"Yeah, it's been kind of tough going for them."

"I heard; Rocky's looked better."

"He dropped out of sight for a while after he hurt his neck. No one was sure what happened to him. I don't think he even told Adam."

"He certainly didn't want to go into it with me." Bringing a tall glass of water over to Tommy, Billy asked, "Looking back now, if you could change things so that you never became a Ranger, would you?" He took a packet of green powder from the Aquitian medical supplies and mixed it into the glass. The water remained clear.

"No," Tommy replied, accepting the glass. "Not changing a single thing; I'd do it all again, even knowing what was coming." He took a long drink.

"That's probably why your arm didn't look complete without a teleporter on your wrist. I distinctly remember taking that off of you when we tucked you in," he noted, returning to the kitchen.

"If I wasn't supposed to wear it, the two of you should have made it tougher to find than putting it on the night stand."

Billy poured the stew into a bowl and brought it to the couch.

"What about you? Do you wish you hadn't been chosen?" Tommy asked, accepting the dish.

"Being a Ranger was one of the two best things that ever happened to me," Billy replied. "Being the team grease monkey was a little tougher; but even with that, no, I wouldn't change anything either."

"Even the growing old and leaving the planet part?" Tommy said between bites.

"Especially that part," Billy replied, sitting on the far end of the couch. "Don't get me wrong; the actual experience itself was pretty awful. However, being off on my own allowed me a period of reflection I wouldn't have had if I had remained on Earth."

"And you wouldn't have met Seth."

"Precisely."

"I take it he's the second thing?"

"Affirmative. At least, so far."

Watching Tommy eat, Billy became aware of a partial untruth that he had told Kim earlier. Weighing the possible outcomes in his mind, he ultimately went with his gut feeling.

"Tommy, I have a favor to ask of you, but it is very important to me that you not say yes out of a sense of gratitude about your leg. I hesitate to ask this now, but I'm convinced that if I don't, I'll never have the opportunity or the nerve again."

"Come on, man, after all this..."

"Please, Tommy; I mean it. Calling Aquitar doesn't enter into it. I'd much rather have you say no than feel that I coerced you in some way."

"Okay, Bro. Shoot; what's this big favor?"

"I would like, very much, to kiss you."

Tommy's jaw dropped. "Why?"

"Are you certain you want the answer to that question?"

"Yeah, I am," Tommy replied.

Billy took a deep breath. "Understand please, I've never told anyone, not even Seth, about this; it's deeply personal. If you're sure you want to know..."

Tommy nodded.

"I had been on Aquitar about eight months. Cestria was involved in a temple rite that lasted nearly two weeks, and the Rangers were off planet. There was absolutely nothing for me to do and I was as utterly alone as I had ever been in my life.

"I spent some time that evening... fantasizing... about the team. More specifically, Jason, Adam, Zack, Rocky and you; all together. It was exciting while it lasted, but when it was over, I was as alone as when I started. Then something that had never occurred before happened; it still sticks in my mind. You appeared again as I was lying on the bed curled up around a large pillow, contemplating walking out an airlock.

"You looked at me and said that I was never really alone and that everyone back home still loved me. Then, you kissed me. I had imagined quite a few other rather interesting things, but you were the first man I imagined kissing. Or more specifically, the first man I imagined kissing me. It is something of great significance to me in many ways. Seeing you and Kim together made me realize that I need to let go of that fantasy. But, before I do let it pass, kissing you is something that I would like to experience once, if you are willing."

"Wow. You were getting off thinking about all the guys, but never kissing us?"

"There were other occasions when I imagined the girls as well; I was still working things out. And remember, I hadn't really kissed anyone at that time."

"But Laura and Violet. And Cestria; you didn't..."

"I never made it even to first base with any of the young women I met in high school. And Aquinas have extremely sharp teeth; one kisses with great discretion."

"Billy, I..." The former Ranger looked straight ahead, his brow knitted in thought.

"It's all right, Tommy," Billy said, standing and collecting the dishes. "Thank you for listening. I won't ask again; I hope that knowing this won't change things between us." Billy walked back to the small kitchen to finish cleaning up before he left.

Tommy stood and ambled over to him. "Yes," he said.

"Tommy..." Billy began, turning to face him.

"Billy, I'm not saying yes because of the leg; that's a debt I doubt I can repay. I'm saying yes because in all of the time I've known you, I can't think of another thing you've ever asked from me. It's kind of weird, but also... flattering. So, if you'd like to, feel free to kiss me." The olive-skinned young man stood, leaning slightly on the counter for support.

Knowing his friend to be incapable of insincerity, Billy dried his hands and moved closer. Rising up on his toes, he allowed his lips to touch the former Green Ranger's mouth. He regretted actually doing it at once; the kiss was awkward and uneasy, nothing like the imagined memory etched in his mind. Tommy's body stiffened almost imperceptibly as he extended his lips in a snug pucker. Billy maintained the contact for a few seconds, then backed away, saying "Thanks, Tommy."

"That's it?" Tommy asked, surprised.

"All that I'd hoped for; thanks for going along," Billy fudged, not wishing to hurt Tommy's pride.

"That was what you expected? I mean from when you were on Aquitar," Tommy queried.

"More or less," Billy dodged.

"Man, you really didn't have any experience with kissing, did you?" Having said that, Tommy extended his arm and gripped Billy's shoulder. He pulled the Blue Ranger to him and wrapped his arms around the young man's torso. A twinkle showed in Tommy's brown eyes as he looked into the surprised pools of green before him and kissed his friend deeply.

Billy melted. He held onto Tommy's back as much for support as anything else. This was the sort of kiss he had always envied Kimberly; not passionate, but deeply affectionate. That had always been Tommy's gift, to inspire great affection.

At last, Tommy released his mouth and ran his fingers into Billy's hair. He drew the Blue Ranger against his shoulder and rested his cheek on Billy's forehead. "We all missed you, Billy. And we all love you. No matter where you are, remember you are much loved. You always will be."

Now Billy trembled. He gripped Tommy tightly, not allowing himself to break down. Tommy didn't move; he tenderly held his teammate until at last Billy released his hold.

At once astonished, amazed and deeply touched, Billy stepped away and found his voice had fled. He had never been rendered utterly speechless before.

Answering the unasked question trapped just behind his friend's lips, Tommy said, "Hey, it was a very small thing to ask for."

"And a very large thing to give," Billy replied. In another world, they might have been lovers as well, but here they were and remained good friends. The matter was now closed. "Thank you." He had jumped; Tommy had caught him.

Billy walked over to his baggage.

"You should join Kim. That medication will kick in very soon and you need your rest." He removed another packet from the satchel and brought it to the kitchen. "Take a dose of this in water tomorrow evening with dinner."

"What's it do?"

"The one you've taken dulls the pain receptors and provides an abundance of building material for cellular repair. This one completes the process by stimulating the ostioblasts to shape the overgrown bone. Don't exert yourself tomorrow. You'll feel like doing flying kicks again, but resist the temptation. The process may have shifted into Turbo, so to speak, but you're not healed yet."

"Yes, sir," Tommy saluted, then abruptly sagged against the counter.

Billy dashed over and put Tommy's arm around his shoulder. "Sneaks up on you, doesn't it?"

Tommy nodded in agreement.

"Come on. I'll try to check back in on you tomorrow," he said, helping Tommy into sleep for the second time that day.

He slipped off Tommy's shirt as the original Green Ranger practically nodded off on his feet. Reclining him back onto the bed, Billy pulled the sheet up over him, leaving the cage on his leg exposed.

Kim stirred and wrapped her arm across Tommy's chest.

Billy paused in the doorway and smiled. The scene was a perfect complement to keep along with the memory of that kiss. He still loved Tommy, but not as a furtive and futile romance. Having released that adolescent idyll, he could rejoice in Tommy and Kim's happiness; they belonged together.

Returning to his computer, he knew he needed to decide whether to complete his tour tonight or not. With no small trepidation, he scanned Angel Grove for a familiar black-green energy signature.

"Well, that's it," Adam said, slumping back into the chair. "It's over. We add twenty-five students, find an idiot to rent that room upstairs, get other income... or this place closes in two months."

He had tried a half-dozen permutations of the income projections and the numbers were stark. It was the apartment that drove them over the edge, but even giving that up and moving back with their parents only delayed the inevitable by about six months. As currently constructed, there was no way to keep the school running.

Adam walked out of the office, passed the changing rooms, and entered the large foyer. He kicked off his shoes by the dojo door and turned on the main light. It was a nice, comfortable space. A low wall next to the main entry separated a parent viewing area from the mat. The mirrors up on the far wall reflected the whole room. "Maybe I should have taken up aerobics," he sighed. "Or Tae-Bo."

He walked to the weapons rack halfway down on the non-mirrored side and pulled out a staff. Adam had never been overly fond of armed combat; he preferred using only his body, but he knew the importance of having a well-rounded skill set. He went through his favorite staff kata, ending in a low crane stance with the bo parallel to his extended leg. He was at the exact center of the room.

Rising slowly from the crouch, he looked in the mirror and said, "I'm going to miss this place."

"Closure would be a most unfortunate ending to this enterprise," a familiar voice spoke from the dojo doorway.

"Billy?" The staff fell from his hand as he turned. Seeing the former Blue Ranger standing at the edge of the mat, Adam dashed towards him. He nearly knocked both of them to the ground as he embraced his long-absent friend.

Billy noticed at once how Adam had changed. His face had grown rounder since he had last seen him, his hair much longer. The second they touched, he didn't care. He was overjoyed to see his friend again. He was also aware that Adam's mere presence aroused him much more than he expected.

"When did you get back? How long are you here? What's been happening?"

"Please moderate the pace of your queries," Billy smiled, holding his former teammate at arm's length. "We've got an abundance of time. My intention is to remain in Angel Grove now that I've returned. I want to hear all about your business venture, and I've got a great deal to recount to you." Probably more than you want to know, he added silently.

"Have you seen anyone else?"

"Everyone." Seeing the shock in Adam's face, he continued, "I wanted to make you my ultimate reunion."

"Oh..." Adam hurried to collect the fallen staff.

"Why don't we retire somewhere comfortable, get some light sustenance, and converse."

"Anywhere in particular in mind?" Adam asked, as he returned the weapon to the rack.

"Actually, I've been looking forward to ingesting a real Youth Center fruit smoothie since the vernal equinox. My treat," he continued, surmising that Adam's financial situation was far from optimal. "I insist. I'm celebrating; I just completed my baccalaureate degree and I'm back... home."

Turning out the light as they departed, Adam commented, "It's funny, I was just thinking about you earlier today."

"Amiable thoughts, I hope."

"Except for your never writing, yeah, pretty good." Adam slipped back into his shoes and motioned toward the front door. He stopped just before they walked out. "Did you want to call anyone and have them meet us?" he asked, turning off the foyer light.

"Negative." Billy pushed the door open and held it for his friend. Realizing his nervousness at seeing Adam had triggered his old penchant for polysyllabic words, he consciously continued in a more conversational mode, "I want to spend some time with you."

Adam locked the door and the two of them began walking leisurely towards the Youth Center.

Although passingly aware of the large flying object that sailed over the town in the direction of the quarry, neither commented on the impending attack. The Power now resided with another team. Although he had not met them, Billy was certain that the current Power Rangers would make quick work of whatever monster was landing.

Or, on the plus side if they didn't, he could always tell Adam how he felt about him as the world ended and never have to deal with the consequences. That thought provoked much more of a feeling of divided loyalty than he had expected as they turned the corner, leaving the darkened dojo behind them.

E-mail: kittiec@starpower.net