"This is such a great idea, Billy," Trini told him, resting her hand on his shoulder.

"Yeah," Zack agreed, "I really needed a vacation."

"Well, let's go already!" Aisha pleaded excitedly.

The other four teens chuckled, and Billy opened the passenger door for them. As Aisha, Zack, and Trini climbed into the back seat, Kimberly asked, "Billy, what made you think of this?"

"Well, Cestria had to go to some training session," he explained as Zack pulled back the passenger seat to its upright position. Kimberly got in and buckled up. "And I realized that I really missed my uncle's cabin. Well, and you guys, of course."

Kim smiled, and he shut the door, then walked around to the driver's side and got in.

"Air Billy now departing Geneva," he announced as he turned the ignition. "Next stop, Forest Creek Cabins, Angel Grove."

Rocky pulled several bags from the back of the red Explorer parked outside of the expansive cabin. As Tommy and Kat approached the vehicle from the cabin, Rocky lightly shook the bags. "Hey, Tommy, these bags are too light to have a stock car in them," he teased. "Are you gonna be okay?"

Tommy shot Rocky a look of mock anger. "Very funny." He grabbed two bags and a suitcase from the Explorer as Rocky headed into the cabin with his bags. Kat chuckled and took the remaining luggage.

Jason rounded the corner of the cabin and walked with the others to the front door. "You need any help?" he offered to Kat.

She smiled. "No, I've got it," she told him.

"How's the lake look?" They entered the cabin and were struck by the coolness of the air-conditioned cabin as opposed to the heat and humidity of the afternoon air outside. The living room was very spacious, and almost everything in it was wood, with the exception of a small television set against one wall and a large green couch facing it. Near the couch were several wooden chairs, and at the other end of the room was a large picnic table which could easily seat the eleven vacationers who would be eating their meals there for the next six days.

"Oh, it's great," he replied in reference to the lake, shutting the front door behind him. "I might even do a little diving."

Tommy set his bags down on the large, brightly-colored rug in the middle of the living room, as did Rocky and Kat. "Just watch out for submarines," Tommy cracked.

"Hey, hey," Rocky protested, "I tell the jokes here." He looked around, suddenly distracted. "Now where the heck is the food?" He then walked into the kitchen in search of comestibles. The teens chuckled.

Kat suddenly stopped. "Let's just hope Divatox doesn't get any ideas. I want this vacation to be perfect."

"Hey," Tommy interjected, "Divatox or not, it already is perfect." He kissed her on the cheek. She grinned and playfully patted him on the arm.

Jason smirked. "You two aren't gonna do that all week, are you?"

From outside came the sound of rushing air, followed by a slight squeal of machinery. Jason walked to the window and peeked out the curtain. The Radbug had arrived.

"Hey, guys," said Jason, "the others are here." As Jason walked outside to help with the luggage, Tommy sighed happily. Before the martial arts competition to save the children's shelter, there would have been no way Tommy could have managed to spend a week in the same cabin as Kimberly without pouring his heart out to her and possibly trying to get back together with her. And that would've destroyed the great relationship he had with Kat. Thank god he and Kim had had that conversation after the tournament was over, before she returned to Florida. They were finally able to give their relationship some closure. Now he felt as if he could relax in Kim's presence and give Kat the love she deserved.

He and Kat gazed into each other's eyes for a moment, and they both seemed to understand that everything would be all right. At that moment, Rocky wandered into the living room while rummaging through a box of cookies.

"Man Billy sure loaded this place with goodies," he told the couple. "I could live here forever!"

Tommy and Kat broke their gaze to look at Rocky and smile. "As long as the food doesn't run out, right?" Tommy asked.

"The Zack-man has arrived!" Zack announced upon entering the cabin.

"Zack!" Tommy beamed. He stepped forward and gave his friend a bear hug, causing Zack to drop his luggage. Zack grinned and patted Tommy on the back. Over Zack's shoulder, Tommy watched the rest of the original team enter.

"Tommy!" Trini grinned, rushing over to hug both Tommy and Zack. Kat and Rocky watched from the sidelines as Kimberly joined in, followed reluctantly by Billy and Jason.

"Oh, this is so cool, you guys," Kim laughed.

Meanwhile, Aisha walked around the mass of hugging people and sneaked up beside Rocky as he inspected the now-empty box of cookies. "Different hair and clothes," she noted, above the laughter of the six hugging teens near the door, "but same old Rocky."

He looked up at her and grinned. "Aisha! Great to see you!" he exclaimed before she gave him an enormous hug.

Kat looked around and smiled. Everyone was so happy. The instant before she would have begun to feel left out, Tommy reached out from the mass of teenagers and called out, "Rocky, Aisha, Kat, come on in!"

As the three remaining teens reluctantly approached the group hug, Tommy announced, "Guys, this is Kat, Kimberly's replacement." He grimaced beneath the mob around him as he realized that he hadn't phrased that well at all. "... as the Pink Ranger," he added in a futile attempt to recover. Realizing he was still in the hole, he concluded, "And I love her."

Every teen in the group erupted into a single "Awwww." Kat blushed as she joined in the group hug. "Kat," said Tommy, "Zack and Trini are in here somewhere."

"Nice to meet you," Kat said into the crowd with a chuckle.

"Same here!" came Zack's reply.

"Uh, should we come back at a better time?" Adam asked from the doorway. He and Tanya set their bags next to the door and looked at the mass of people. Everyone laughed and began to disperse. Tommy, Kat, Zack, and Trini found each other and formed a small group as they all spread out.

"Hey, what happened to you guys?" Jason asked the new arrivals. "Weren't you right behind us?"

"Yeah, but Adam had to stop to pee," Tanya explained, lifting her sunglasses to rest in her hair.

Adam flashed a weak smile as the teens chuckled. "Tanya, over here," Kat beckoned so that she could introduce her best friend to Zack and Trini.

"This place is great," Tommy told Kat as they stood in the back yard gazing at the sparkling water of the lake and the surrounding pine trees. The laughter and whooping of the other teens playing dodgeball nearer to the cabin failed to destroy the peaceful atmosphere of the land around them. "I kinda feel bad about leaving Justin behind."

"Aw, I'm sure he's having a great time with his dad," she assured him.

"Heads up, Tommy!" Zack cried.

Quite suddenly, Tommy's head jerked forward as something struck him from behind with a fair amount of force. Tommy grabbed the back of his head more in surprise than pain and whirled around to see that the offending projectile was a red inflatable ball about the size of a basketball, but made of a soft rubber - perfect for hurling at people.

"You're it!" Zack laughed across the fifty feet between them. Scattered throughout the back yard were the other teens, all awaiting Tommy's response. Tommy grinned wickedly and picked up the ball.

"Ah, you're a dead man, Zack!" he called out, running toward the crowd of teens. They all took evasive action to avoid being tagged. Zack stood his ground for a moment, then faked left, then right, then left again, dashing around the yard to avoid Tommy's retaliation.

Kat smirked and watched the teens. They were all running around like idiots. But the great thing about it was that they didn't care. They were just having fun.

Some fifty feet behind Kat at the edge of the lake, a small copper-colored periscope emerged from the water and scanned the game in progress.

"I've never seen so many Rangers in one place!" Divatox exclaimed from the control deck of her submarine as she pulled her head away from the periscope.

Elgar, standing directly behind her, asked, "What are you gonna do, send some Piranatrons to rough 'em up?"

She scowled at her nephew. "Yeah, if they can't beat five teenagers, I'm sure they'll do better against eleven of them!" she mocked. "Would you please think before you speak?"

Elgar looked down and admitted, "I've tried."

"No, I'm not going to attack them," she snipped, returning her attention to the periscope. "I'm going to watch them very closely."

"And that helps us... how?" he asked, scratching his head. "Oh, you know what they say," she replied, brushing him away with her hand. "Know your enemy, and you... can take over the world. Or something similar - I don't remember it exactly! Now leave me alone! I don't want to be disturbed."

"Too late for that," Elgar said to himself as he walked to the lift.

She spun around with wild eyes. "What did you say?" she demanded.

"Uh... I said I'll make sure no one bothers your... watching," he told her, getting into the lift.

She smiled. "Good," she replied as she looked back into the periscope. The lift doors closed, and Elgar was gone.

That night, Tommy and Kat entered the cabin holding hands. The others were all sitting in the living room - some in chairs, some on the couch, others on the floor.

"I loved the Mad About You," Kimberly shared, "where Paul spends the entire episode trying to figure out what 'hoomoos' means."

Trini and Jason slid over, making room for Tommy and Kat on the couch. As the couple took a seat, Billy said, "Hi guys. We're discussing our favorite episodes from contemporary television comedy series."

"Because the TV doesn't work," Tanya volunteered.

Zack continued the conversation. "Oh, my favorite Simpsons episode was when Homer thought he saw an alien, and Mulder and Scully came to Springfield...."

"I actually saw that one," Adam replied. "I couldn't pass up an X-Files crossover." The teens chuckled.

Rocky then asked the group, "You guys remember that Seinfeld episode with The Contest?"

"That was hilarious," Kim remarked.

"I heard about it," said Billy.

"Can any of you honestly say you're masters of your domain?" Rocky probed. "Er, Rangers of your domain, as the case may be...."

Tanya frowned. "Wait, I don't get it. What domain?"

"You ever play solitaire, if you get my drift?" Rocky asked with a smile.

Tanya shook her head. "I... still don't understand." Beside her, Adam lowered his head and emitted a barely audible groan of embarrassment.

"You know, you ever test the equipment?"

"What?"

"Drill for oil in your own back yard?"

"What in the world are you talking about?!"

Billy stepped into the conversation and frankly explained the situation. "He's asking if you engage in auto-stimulation."

Tanya blinked, apparently still unsure what she was being asked. Finally, Trini spoke up to translate for Billy like old times. "He wants to know if you masturbate," she stated matter-of-factly.

"Oh!" Tanya realized. "Well, yeah, who doesn't?" She looked around, but no one would answer.

"You guys," Kimberly protested, "some people just don't do it." The teens looked at her questioningly. "... as much," she added.

Rocky smiled. "I'll bet none of you could go the whole week without it."

"Is that a challenge?" Jason asked with a smirk.

"Yeah, we'll have a little Contest of our own," Rocky replied.

"Come on, guys," Billy spoke. "Isn't this a little juv--?"

Rocky cut him off. "What's the matter, Billy - afraid you won't stand a chance away from Cestria?"

The teens chuckled softly, and Billy grew red. "Here are the rules," Rocky told the group. "If you... uh, give in to your urges, you have to contribute five dollars to the 'Master' fund. Anyone who lasts the week can split the cash. Assuming any of you can last that long, that is."

"You're on," Jason agreed. Slowly but surely, everyone else did as well.

"Great!" Rocky laughed. "Oh," he added, "and not that any of you would do anything like this, but keep in mind that any 'couples action' also counts."

"I--" Tanya began.

"No copulation allowed," Billy explained.

Several of the teens looked at Trini expectantly. "I'm not touching that one," she told them.

"Now, if you'll excuse me," said Rocky as he stood up from the floor, "I think I'm gonna turn in early."

Adam frowned as Rocky walked down the hallway and disappeared into the room he and Adam shared. Adam looked at the others, then got up and went after his friend.

"Rocky, are you okay?" he asked upon entering the room. Rocky sat on one of the beds and sighed. "I mean, you never go to bed early!" Adam elaborated, sitting beside his friend.

A grin slowly formed on Rocky's face. "It's too much for me to handle," he told his friend in green.

"What?" Adam asked.

"None of the girls denied doing it!" Rocky laughed. "I can't believe it!" Adam blinked, not sure what to say.

"Every single one...!" Rocky continued absently.

"Aren't you making a big d--" Adam began to ask, but Rocky cut him off.

"I'd like to be alone now."

Adam stood up and quickly walked out, shutting the door behind him.

As he rested in the couch, Adam could hear Rocky coming down the hall, and he hid behind his magazine. _I don't wanna know, I don't wanna know...._ he chanted in his head.

"I'm out!" Rocky declared, slapping a five dollar bill onto the kitchen counter. Adam groaned to himself as the other teens looked at Rocky, momentarily stunned.

Aisha looked at the clock on the wall. "Jeeze, Rocky, we only started the game ten minutes ago!"

"Not to mention you were the one who wanted to play in the first place!" Jason laughed.

Rocky grinned sheepishly as he got out a large glass jar from the cabinet above. "Well," he said, setting the jar on the counter and putting his money in, "what can I say? I buckled under the pressure."

"Or would that be 'unbuckled?'" Jason joked.

"And again, I am the champion!" Zack declared, tossing his hand of cards onto the table.

"Ugh, you're too good," Rocky complained in jest.

"You win," Aisha said as she stood up. "I'm going to bed."

"Yeah, me too," Rocky added.

Zack collected the cards. "Fine, fine. If y'all are going to bed, I guess I will too. After all, I don't think the lovebirds are feeling too conversational."

They looked at the couch, where the only other two people still awake were in each other's arms, gently kissing. Tommy slowly lifted his hand from Kat's back and waved to the three teens. Aisha and Zack chuckled and headed off to bed. Rocky paused for a moment, sighed inaudibly, then went to his room.

Now alone, Tommy and Kat tightened their grasps, firmly squeezing each other together, and their kisses became filled with passion. What little time they had spent together recently was always in public places - the movie theater, the park, the Juice Bar. They had barely had any physical contact. Now, though, they had the privacy to do whatever they wanted. And it was exhilarating.

She pushed toward him, causing him to recline onto his back with her on top of him. They began to gently grind their bodies together for a moment before Kat, realizing that she was now straddling her boyfriend, decided they were going too far. She pulled away, and they sat up.

"Tommy, I think we should... get some sleep too," she suggested.

Tommy blinked his eyes a few times. "Yeah," he replied absently.

She stood up and kissed him on the cheek. "G'night," she told him.

He smiled. "Good night."

The next morning, Kat awoke to the sound of someone fixing breakfast in the kitchen. She stretched and stealthily got out of bed, as not to wake up Tanya, whose bed was not more than a few feet from hers.

Meanwhile, in the room across the hall, Tommy had also awoken to the activity in the kitchen and had gotten up, excited about the impending day of fun. He stealthily made his way to the door without waking Zack up. He turned the doorknob and opened the door to see Kat doing the same right across the hall, almost like a reflection of him.

"Good morning," they both chuckled, and then, at the same time, both realized that the other was holding a five dollar bill.

When Billy turned around from putting several trays of muffins into the oven, Kat and Tommy were standing on the other side of the counter, smiling innocently. He noticed that there were now two more contributions to the jar. He decided to ignore the implications.

"How'd you guys sleep?" he asked softly, as not to wake anyone.

"Great," Kat replied.

"Pretty good," said Tommy. "Hey, man, you didn't have to make breakfast for everyone."

"Oh, it's okay," he replied. "I love to cook."

"Are you serious?" Tommy asked. "Jeeze, friends for four years and I never knew."

"I taught myself once my mom left," he told them. He smiled and added, "Someone had to take care of my dad."

Kat sniffed the air. "Do I smell oranges?"

Billy began to wipe the counter with a paper towel. "Yeah, orange muffins. My own recipe." He threw the paper towel away and said, "Well, I'm gonna go take a shower."

"Why?" Tommy asked. "Aren't we going swimming later this morning?"

"Well, you guys can," he answered. "But I've had my fair share of swimming on Aquitar. I'll just watch you guys from dry land."

"If you say so," Tommy replied.

After Billy had gone into the hall bathroom, the only bathroom in the whole cabin with a shower, Kat looked at Tommy and said, "Sometimes I really can't tell with him. You think he's all right?"

"Eh, I wouldn't worry about him," he replied. "He's got a right to be a little sick of water. And besides, he's just being Billy. Sometimes he just likes to be alone."

"Billy!" Aisha exclaimed from the hallway. "Oh, my god, I'm so sorry!" she squealed as a door slammed.

When Tommy and Kat rushed into the hall, they found Aisha standing outside the bathroom door with her hands over her mouth.

"You didn't...!" Kat said.

Aisha nodded timidly, biting her lower lip. At that moment, Adam came out of his room with his hair mashed to one side. "What's going on?" he asked. Aisha cracked a smile at the Green Ranger's disheveled appearance.

The shower turned on in the bathroom, and Tommy felt free to answer without fearing Billy might overhear. "Aisha walked in on Billy when he was about to take a shower."

"Oh, man," Adam remarked with the hint of a smile on his face. "How much did you see?"

"Everything," Aisha reluctantly answered. "I heard you guys up and about," she said to Tommy and Kat, "so when I got up and saw you two in the kitchen, I thought that was everybody! I didn't even think that the bathroom could've been occupied!" She spoke very quickly and was obviously agitated.

"Hey, it's all right," Kat assured her. "He won't hold it against you forever."

Then Kimberly emerged from her room. "What happened?" she asked.

"Aisha saw Billy naked," Adam told her.

"Oh, welcome to the club," Kimberly smiled.

Tommy was startled. "What?"

"I did spend a day in his body," she replied.

Tommy blinked. "Oh yeah, I remember hearing about that."

Just then, Trini and Jason walked in through the front door. Jason smiled at the teens from the living room and asked, "Why are you all in the hallway?"

"Aisha saw Billy naked," Kim replied. "Where'd you two go?"

"Are you serious?" Trini questioned.

"I walked in when he was about to get in the shower," Aisha explained.

Jason laughed. "Uh, we went out to do some early morning katas." He and Trini walked into the kitchen, and the teens in the hall followed.

"Whoa, I see two more people failed to master their domains," Aisha pointed out upon spotting the jar. Tommy cleared his throat while rubbing the back of his neck.

"Hey, wait," Kim protested, "last night... you two didn't... 'help each other out' with the contest, did you?"

"No!"

"Of course not!" Tommy and Kat blurted out.

"Oh, okay," Kim said with a smile.

Adam set his brush next to the sink and crossed through the room in which Rocky was sleeping to get from their half-bathroom to the hall. When he emerged into the living room, he saw Billy and Kat in the kitchen removing the muffin trays from the oven. Jason, Trini, and Tommy were standing at the living-room-side of the counter, and Kimberly was preparing eleven places at the picnic table which was positioned a few feet from the counter. Aisha, meanwhile, was sitting by the herself on the couch.

Just as Adam prepared to approach Aisha, Billy asked him, "Hey, Adam, could you wake up the slugs?"

"The what?" Adam blinked.

"The sleepyheads...?" Kim suggested cheerfully.

"Oh." Adam made a U-turn and headed back down the hall.

Tanya was gently brought into the waking world as she felt a light kiss on her cheek. She stirred in her bed and moaned slightly without opening her eyes. "Mmm, Rocky...."

Adam pulled back. "What?"

Tanya grinned and grabbed him in her arms. She laughed as she pulled him to her. "Come here."

He hugged her and kissed her on the cheek. "C'mon, breakfast's ready," he told her. "Help me wake Rocky and Zack up."

"Easier said than done, I'd imagine," she replied.

After breakfast, the teens had proceeded to retreat to their rooms to change into their bathing suits. In the kitchen, Billy was washing ten sets of dishes as Rocky continued to eat, now alone at the table. Aisha cautiously entered the kitchen and held onto the doorframe.

"Uh, Billy?" she asked.

He looked up, slightly startled. "Aisha! Hi...."

"Billy, look," she said. "I'm sorry about--"

"Hey, don't worry about it," he told her with a smile. "It was an accident."

"I guess I just assumed that if anyone were inside, they would've locked the door," she supposed. "But I mean... I shouldn't have just--"

"Actually, that door's lock is broken," he explained. "I should've told you guys when you first got here."

"If you know the door's not locking..." Rocky began in-between muffins.

"So you're not mad?" Aisha asked.

"Of course not," Billy replied.

"...tell everyone to please start knocking!" Rocky declared off the top of his head, much to his own amusement. He then began to eat the last muffin, which happened to be his seventh.

Aisha giggled at Rocky, then asked Billy, "Can I help clean up?"

"No, I got it," he replied. "Thanks, though."

"Okay," she chirped, and then headed off to the room she shared with Kimberly.

When Tanya, dressed in a yellow and orange two-piece swimsuit, walked into the living room, she found only Trini, who sat in one of the wooden chairs in a pale yellow one-piece while reading the latest issue of Time.

"Hi," said Tanya, taking a seat in another chair.

Trini looked up and smiled. "Hi," she repeated. Upon noticing Tanya absently looking around the living room, she commented, "Great place, isn't it?"

"Yeah," Tanya replied. "Have you been here before?"

Trini answered, "Yeah, a couple of years ago, Billy invited the team here to study."

Tanya chuckled. "Did it pay off?"

"Oh yeah, we all got A's," Trini said.

Rocky then emerged from the hallway wearing light gray swim trunks and wandered into the kitchen to look through the cabinets. "Man, I'm still hungry," he remarked.

"Are you gonna come crying to us when you get a cramp from swimming so soon after stuffing yourself?" Tanya asked.

Rocky closed the cabinet doors and walked over to the living room table. "Eh, I'm sure the lifeguard'll save me," he replied.

"Rocky, you are the lifeguard," Tanya reminded him.

"Oh, scary," Trini laughed.

Rocky watched as Kimberly and Aisha emerged from their room in bikinis, pink and yellow respectively, which left little to the imagination. "Did you two just get dressed in the same room?" Rocky inquired.

Aisha looked at Rocky curiously as she and Kimberly took a seat on the couch. "Yeah...?"

"At the same time?"

"Yeah...?"

Rocky blinked. The image of Kimberly and Aisha getting undressed and putting on bikinis next to each other popped into his mind much too easily. He looked at the jar on the kitchen counter and thought, _Man, I'm gonna be flat broke before the weekend's over._

Just then, Billy entered the living room wearing navy trunks. Aisha looked his fit, slightly muscular body over once and found it very easy to mentally fill in what the bathing suit covered up.

"I thought I might get a little sun," Billy explained.

"That reminds me," said Aisha, standing up, "I forgot to put on some sunscreen." As Kimberly watched her friend go into their room and shut the door, she decided not to mention the fact that they both had already put on sunscreen.

Soon afterward, Zack hopped out from the hallway wearing purple trunks and announced, "All right, ladies, prepare to be amazed...."

At that moment, Adam emerged from his room in green trunks and entered the living room. Tanya applauded and whooped. Adam looked around in confusion for a moment, then decided to go with the program and began to flex his muscles.

Zack looked back down the hall. "Hey, man, where'd you go?" he called out. Moments later, Tommy appeared in red trunks. "Hey, what happened to the black one?" Zack inquired.

"Dude, I am not wearing a Speedo," Tommy told him. The teens laughed.

"Aw, come on, man," Zack pleaded. "Nobody's worn it!"

"No!"

Zack frowned. "I'll get somebody to wear it before the vacation's over," he said with a smile.

Kat and Jason then joined the other teens in the living room. Kat, wearing her hair up in a French braid, sported a pale pink one-piece swimsuit, and Jason had on a solid black wetsuit with goggles around his forehead.

Rocky opened the door leading to the screened-in porch which overlooked the back yard and the lake. "Last one in the water's a Tenga egg!" he shouted before bolting onto the porch and out the screen door leading outside. The other teens chased after him in a mad dash for the lake, leaving only Billy and Kimberly in the living room.

As Billy reached behind the couch to pull out a collapsible lawn chair, Kim walked down the hall and knocked twice on the door to her room. "Aisha, you coming?" she asked.

"Uh, in a minute," came Aisha's response. "Go ahead. I'll catch up."

"Okay," Kim replied. She and Billy then walked outside together.

As Billy watched the teens swim around in the lake and splash each other, he suddenly realized he desperately needed to use the restroom. He got up from his lawn chair and walked up the several steps leading up to the porch. Inside, he saw Aisha walking toward the counter with a five dollar bill in hand.

Aisha quickly turned her head in Billy's direction and froze. "Whoa, busted," she remarked.

"Aisha...?" Billy asked, not sure what to say.

"I couldn't help it," she explained. "It's not every day I get to see you..." She smiled coyly and added, "All of you, I mean."

Billy quickly found himself at more of a loss for words than before. Aisha turned and dropped the money into the jar. She then looked at him, starting to grow concerned about his silence. "Sorry, I didn't mean to make you feel uncomfortable," she apologized.

"No, no! I'm..." he stammered, searching for words, "...flattered." She smiled weakly. She was quiet for a moment, then said, "Um, I think I'm gonna hit the lake now. Sure you won't join us?"

"Actually, I might take you up on that," he replied. "But first I need to use the restroom."

Aisha smirked. "Oh...?"

"No, I really do need--" Billy tried to explain.

"Fine," she chuckled before turning to go outside.

"You know what makes the perfect lakeside snack?" Rocky asked as he walked into the cabin, seeing Billy standing at the counter.

Billy, quite startled, dropped something to the floor. "Potato ch--" Rocky started to continue until noticing that the dropped item was Billy's wallet. "Oh," Rocky said softly. "So that's why you went inside!" Rocky realized with a grin.

"No, it's not!" Billy protested, picking his wallet up and setting it on a small wooden table beside the couch. "I didn't..." His voice trailed off.

"So you were just in a generous mood and decided to make a donation for the heck of it?" Rocky asked jokingly.

Billy said, "No, I mean, I didn't plan to..." He sighed. "Look," he began to explain frankly, "Aisha... took a great deal of pleasure from walking in on me this morning."

"You mean that's what was taking Aisha so long?" Rocky asked excitedly.

"Just now...?"

Billy, ignoring Rocky's questions, continued, "I just never thought of myself as being attractive...."

Rocky, somehow managing to focus on the conversation at hand, said, "Oh, come on. How many times have you done it with Cestria and still not realized girls think you're hot?"

Billy frowned. "Hey, Cestria and I haven't done anything! You just assume--!" He calmed down and continued speaking in a normal tone, "For your information, Aquitar's code demands that we abstain until seventy-two suns after we first became a couple."

Rocky inquired, "How long is that?"

"About two years."

"My god!"

"Look, I don't know if we would or not even without the code."

"Are you kidding? Why not?"

"I think it would be pointless to talk to you about abstinence."

"Hey, I've abstained this long!"

"Yes, but by choice?"

"That's not the point!"

Billy sighed. "Can we just drop this conversation?"

Rocky shut his mouth. "Yeah, sure," he replied softly. "Hey, I didn't mean to probe. I..."

Billy replied, "No, it's okay..."

"It's just, you're so lucky to have Cestria," Rocky continued. "I guess I'm trying to live..." He stopped to think of the word.

"Vicariously," Billy offered.

"Yeah," Rocky said.

"Well, I'm sure you'll find someone," Billy assured him. "Assuming you can stop drooling long enough to say hello."

That afternoon, Rocky, Adam, Kimberly, Aisha, and Tanya sat around an empty Coke bottle on the living room floor, each of them wearing a towel around his or her damp swimsuit. As Rocky spun the bottle with a flick of his wrist, he was very conscious of Kim's presence directly across from him. She had her towel wrapped around her waist, leaving her upper half covered only by her bikini top. As innocent as her exposure was, Rocky had to force himself to keep his eyes lowered, for fear of looking somewhere he shouldn't. As long as he didn't look anywhere near her, he would be all right.

The bottle came to a rest pointing at Kimberly. Rocky chuckled to himself and looked up. "All right, truth or dare, Kim?" he asked, locking his gaze onto her eyes.

"Truth," she replied cheerfully.

Rocky smiled. "Hmm," he said, thinking. "All right, I got one. If you had to kiss any girl in this cabin, on the lips, who would it be?"

Kim chuckled softly, not particularly surprised that Rocky would ask such a question. She waited for a moment, then answered, "Aisha."

Aisha smiled and raised her eyebrows jokingly. Rocky nodded toward the bottle and told Kim, "Your spin."

As Kimberly spun the bottle, Adam leaned back on his elbows and said, "I'm telling you, Rocky, I've never seen anyone play Truth or Dare with a bottle."

"It's better this way," Rocky insisted. "You never know you you're gonna get. See, now you can't get revenge on people by turning around and giving them the same dare or question."

"Wanna bet?" Kim teased as the bottle pointed to Rocky.

"Uh oh."

"Truth or dare, Rocky?" she asked sweetly.

Rocky knew she'd ask him which guy he'd choose to kiss. So he rebelliously chose, "Dare."

"Okay," said Kim with a smile, "I dare you to kiss one of the guys in the cabin on the lips."

"D'oh!" Rocky exclaimed. The other teens present all began to laugh. "Yeah, yeah, very funny," Rocky told them. He frowned. "All right, fine." He quickly leaned over to Adam and pecked him on the lips. Adam, quite startled, jerked back and began to wipe his mouth off with the back of his hand.

"Ugh! Rocky!" Adam complained. "Jeeze, you could've warned me or something!" Adam received no sympathy, however, as all three girls were giggling furiously.

As Adam gazed into the night sky at the countless stars which could only be seen this far away from civilization, the shimmering image of the moon reflected in the lake danced through his peripheral vision.

He began to feel very faint vibrations in the wood of the dock as someone approached, and he sat up. "Hey," he greeted with a smile, "what took so long?"

Tanya stretched out beside her boyfriend in the near-darkness. "Do you really want to know?" she asked.

He looked at her. "Don't tell me you...."

"Adam," she said with a soft chuckle, "it's not a big deal." He leaned back and, after a brief pause, agreed, "All right, yeah, you're right." Content to leave it at that, he continued scanning the stars.

"It was because Rocky kissed you," she offered.

He sat up again. "What? You got excited just because Rocky kissed me?"

"Yes!" she replied. "Wouldn't you get excited if... say, Kat kissed me?"

He thought for a moment and then answered, "No, not... really."

"Well fine," she said. "Rocky would."

"Rocky'd get excited if you told him you and Kat lend each other clothes."

"Look, I can't explain it," she told him. "It just excited me, okay?"

He leaned back once more. "All right, fine," he said gently.

"Say, Mr. Restraint, you're still in the contest, aren't you?" she asked.

He nervously replied, "Yeah...."

She grinned mischievously.

As Tanya entered and closed the door behind her, Kimberly noticed that Adam wasn't with her. Between mouthfuls of popcorn, she asked, "Hey, where's Adam?"

"He's... still out there," she replied, taking a seat on the floor to watch the movie the others were watching on the now-operational TV.

Several minutes later, Adam entered and discreetly slipped into the kitchen. He looked to make sure no one in the living room was watching through the counter area which connected the two rooms, then dropped a five dollar bill into the jar.

Billy looked up from his copy of "Physics Can Be Fun" to survey the lake occupied by his friends. They looked like they were having so much fun. He considered joining them. After all, he was getting quite hot lying out in the sun, and he'd already read the book several times before. He didn't suppose it would hurt to take a quick dip.

Hours later, the teens were in a cluster playing water volleyball, with the exceptions of Tommy and Kat, who were standing near the shore in shoulder-high water, talking about nothing in particular while in each other's arms, and Kimberly, who was sunbathing while floating on her back further out in the lake.

It was Rocky who interrupted the volleyball game in progress. "I'm getting cold," he said. "I think I'm gonna go dry off."

As Rocky made his way to the shore on the other side of the dock from Tommy and Kat, Trini added, "Yeah, me too."

"Well, there goes our team," Adam told Tanya, his one remaining teammate.

"We'll finish the game later," Jason said from the other side, whose team was comprised of Zack, Aisha, Billy, and himself.

"Yeah," Zack added jokingly, "you're not off the hook yet!" At that point, all of the volleyball players followed Rocky out of the lake and back up to the cabin. Tommy and Kat, sensing on the edges of their awareness that the teens had gone inside, began to kiss lightly.

Kimberly opened her eyes upon realizing the lake had suddenly grown quiet and allowed her legs to sink, turning herself upright. She saw that her only company in the lake was Tommy and Kat, whose kisses had now grown more passionate. She was on the verge of yelling out a comment to startle them but instead remained silent and watched the couple with slight fascination.

"They think they're alone," she thought as a smirk formed on her face. She then realized that she could see nothing below their shoulders and started to wonder where the couple's hands were. Just as her imagination thought up a few provocative possibilities for what was happening beneath the water, she considered how it would feel to be in Kat's place. She fantasized about Tommy's hands roaming her body, and her own hands began to act out his part.

Billy examined the colossal assortment of breakfast foods on the kitchen counter and decided he'd left something out. "Anyone want some grits?" he asked to the teens beginning to eat in the living room. "I think I'll make some grits," he told himself.

"Good grief, Billy," Trini spoke, "you've made more than enough food already! Aren't you going to eat?"

He sighed softly and replied, "Yeah, I guess so," before reluctantly joining them.

Zack glanced at the jar of money on the kitchen counter as he inhaled his toast and eggs. "Would you look at all the money," he laughed. He took his plate into the living room and took a seat at the table where the others were already eating breakfast. "Is anybody still playing?" he asked with a chuckle.

"I am," Jason volunteered.

"Me too," Trini added before taking a sip of orange juice.

Zack smiled. "Man, y'all just have no self control," he jokingly told the rest of the teens who hadn't spoken. "We've still got three whole days left!"

"And I suppose you think you're gonna make it to the end, huh?" Jason asked amusedly.

"Of course," he replied. "I'm gonna give all of you a lesson in willpower."

"Right," Aisha said sarcastically, her eyes catching Kimberly's. Kim smiled devilishly, and Aisha knew Kim was already hatching a plan.

"Well, you know what they say, Zack," Kim spoke, looking away from Aisha, "pride comes before the fall."

Early that afternoon, Kim and Aisha stood in the doorway of Zack's room, dressed in their bikinis, a small cooler in Aisha's hand and several beach towels over Kim's arm. Kim knocked on the open door, and Zack, lying on his bed, looked up from his magazine.

"Hey, ladies," he greeted, sitting up.

"We're gonna go take the pontoon boat out for a picnic," Kim told him. "Could you help us get it out of the shed?"

He tossed his magazine aside and stood up. "Sure," he replied, removing the towel which had been wrapped around his swimming trunks.

The three walked outside, and Kimberly, a ring of keys in hand, led Aisha and Zack to the shed which was built on the water a few hundred feet down-shore from the main dock. She swung open the squeaky door, and the teens entered the shed and boarded the silver pontoon boat, which had enough space to seat approximately twelve people under the roofed portion and another four or five in the front.

Zack stood in the center of the boat and watched Kimberly and Aisha use the set of keys to remove the padlocks which kept the large chains in the rear of the shed connected to the front railing of the boat. Once the boat had been freed, Kimberly told Zack, "Okay, there's no reverse, so we have to push it out."

"Gotcha," said Zack. "Where do you want me?"

Kim and Aisha moved to the rear of the boat, closest to the shed's opening, and Kim said, "Get in the front and push."

Zack proceeded to sit on the front railing of the boat and place his feet on the rear wall of the shed. "Are we ready?"

Kim and Aisha, at the rear of the boat, reached out and grasped either side of the outer edge of the shed. "Yeah, go," Kim approved.

As Zack pushed and Kim and Aisha pulled, the boat slowly drifted out of the shed and into open waters. Once the boat was clear from the shed, Zack prepared to hop back over to the shed and said, "Well, if you've got it from here...."

"Whoa, hey, wait," Kim protested, seating herself at the controls. "You don't have to go."

"Yeah," Aisha agreed, taking a seat on the port side of the boat, "come with us."

"Well..." Zack hesitated, but then answered not a second afterward, "okay!" Kim smiled as she started the ignition.

Zack took a seat on the right side of the boat. "Have you ever driven one of these?" he asked her.

"Not really," she replied. "But it can't be any harder than a Zord," she laughed, failing to amuse Zack. She turned the wheel as far to the left as it would go and eased the throttle forward to maneuver away from the shed. They were off, and before long, the boat had left the inlet in which Billy's cabin was located and entered the main portion of the lake.

After a while, Kimberly was driving the boat very slowly around a secluded portion of the enormous lake. Aisha was lying on her back on the padded seating area in the front of the boat. A few minutes after the boat had entered that part of the lake, Aisha sat up and reached for her back.

"Um," she began to say, "would you guys feel too uncomfortable if I took the top of my bathing suit off?"

Zack's eyes bulged briefly at the mention of such a thing, but he quickly controlled himself.

"I mean," she continued, "it's not a big deal back in my tribe. They'd do it all the time. And it just feels so nice for a change."

"No, go ahead," Kim told her.

Zack chuckled nervously under his breath, then added, "Yeah, no big deal."

"All ri-ight," Aisha replied in a tone which seemed to warn, "Just remember, you told me I could."

Zack looked away, but not so far away that he couldn't see saw her top fall to the floor out of his peripheral vision. Aisha lay back down, and Zack found himself staring in Kimberly's direction, forcing himself not to look toward the front of the boat. Kim smirked.

Soon afterward, Kimberly told Zack, "I think I'm gonna lie out for a minute too. Could you take the wheel?"

"Sure," Zack replied, standing up to trade places with her. Only after he'd approached the controls did he realize that he'd have to face the front of the boat the whole time. Kimberly lay down where he'd been sitting and draped her arm over her eyes. He had no choice but to steer the boat.

He sat down and studied the controls for as long as he could before fearing the boat might run into something. _Fine,_ he thought to himself, _just look straight ahead at the lake. You can do this._

He looked straight ahead at the lake, but the second he saw there was nothing ahead, his eyes immediately dropped to Aisha's exposed form. So much for Plan A.

Aisha sat up, but the afterimage of her reclined, bare-chested form remained in Zack's vision for a good fifteen seconds after the image had changed.

"Okay, now I'm hot," she said.

Kim lowered her arm and sat up. "Yeah, so am I," she agreed. "Zack, why don't you stop the boat by that island so we can take a swim." She pointed toward a small island nearby with a diameter of no more than two hundred feet, its surface dotted with bushes and a few small trees.

As Zack did as he was asked and the boat came to a rest, Aisha looked around for a moment and then said with a shrug, "Well, so much for modesty." With that, she slipped out of the rest of her swimsuit.

Kimberly was just as stunned as Zack. _This wasn't in the plan,_ she noted mentally.

Aisha remarked, "This is the only way to swim." She then jumped over the edge and into the water. She swam around a bit and then called out, "Aren't you guys coming in?"

Kimberly, in a surge of either boldness or stupidity (she wasn't sure which), also removed her swimsuit and leapt into the water.

Zack was mesmerized by the two skinny dippers. Eventually, Kim prompted him, "Well? Aren't you gonna join us?"

"Sure," he replied nervously. He pulled off his tank top and hopped into the lake as quickly as possible after having stood up.

"Hey, no fair," Aisha complained jokingly. "You've still got your suit on."

"Yeah, you're missing out," Kim piped in.

Zack laughed, embarrassed. "All right, fine," he conceded. His head lowered into the water a bit as he stopped treading in order to remove his trunks. He then tossed the removed suit onto the boat.

"Swim around a little bit," Aisha suggested. "It's nice."

He reluctantly moved through the water, but then his enthusiasm increased. "Hey, this is kinda nice," he realized. He began to swim circles around the girls. They giggled.

"Man, I'm getting pretty hungry." said Zack, treading water near them. "What's in that cooler you brought?"

"Lunch," Kim replied.

"Hey, I've got an idea," Aisha told them. Zack watched as she climbed back onto the boat. After making sure the latch on the cooler was securely fastened, she tossed it overboard. She then took three towels and carefully lowered herself back into the water, making sure to keep the towels well above water.

"What are you doing?" Kimberly asked as Zack grabbed the cooler.

Aisha headed for the island. "C'mon, we're gonna have a picnic," she said. She was soon close enough for her feet to touch the bottom. She walked the rest of the way to the island.

"But we're still..." Zack tried to protest.

"There's nothing wrong with being comfortable with your body, is there?" she asked.

He watched her begin to surface from the water and swallowed. "No, nothing."

"Wait, there is a party down there," Kim pointed out, motioning toward the crowded waterfront patio on the closest shore of the lake a good distance away.

Aisha turned around, giving Zack and Kim a full frontal view of her body. "Look, all these plants'll keep us hidden. They'll never see us."

They all emerged from the lake and set up the picnic in the center of the island, where there was an area of bare earth. Their towels were centered around the cooler, all three of them facing the center - there was no room for modesty. But soon enough, the three teens were at ease with the situation, and it became no more than an ordinary picnic.

"Okay," Billy called into the living room from the kitchen, "you guys have any suggestions for dinner?"

There was no answer, other than Trini rounding the corner and leaning over the counter. "Billy, you need to take a break," she told him.

"What?" he asked.

"You've been mothering us this whole time," she said, "but you haven't relaxed once."

Billy blinked. "I'm just trying to be a good host," he explained.

She smiled gently. "Billy, we need you to be our friend, not our host." He looked down.

"Will you come take a walk with me?" she asked.

"Well," he replied reluctantly, "I really shou--"

"Go on, Billy," Tanya interrupted as she and Kat invaded the kitchen with culinary mutiny on their minds. "We'll take care of dinner."

Billy and Trini stopped at the end of the dock, watching the sun glimmer in the water. "Billy, why'd you bring everyone here?" she asked.

At first a bit surprised by the question, he none the less replied, "So that everyone could have a good time together."

"'Together,'" she repeated. "So why are you isolating yourself from everyone?"

Billy chuckled nervously. "You're the one who chose to sleep alone in the extra room."

"Billy, this isn't about me," she replied. "You're desperate to make everyone happy, but you won't let yourself be happy. You brought everyone together, but you won't join us."

"Look, maybe it's not that easy, okay?" he asserted. "I turned my back on my friends when I chose to stay on Aquitar. I don't see any reason for them to take me back."

She sighed softly. "You didn't turn your back on us. Do you think I turned my back on everyone when I went to the Peace Conference?"

"That's different," he told her. "You went out of a desire for world peace. I went out of selfishness."

"So, what, you think everyone should hate you for falling in love?" she asked. "You think no one should accept you unless you bribe them with a vacation in the mountains?"

He didn't answer.

"Billy," she spoke gently, "every single person on this vacation is here not because you bribed them, but because they care about you."

He looked up at her, and a smile slowly formed on his face. He looked back down at the water and admitted happily, "Maybe Cestria was right about this trip back home after all."

"Man, that was great," Zack said as he shook his towel out and then put it over his arm. He handed it to Aisha and then took the cooler. "We should do this everyday." The girls laughed softly.

The teens walked to the outer edge of the island and were horrified by what they saw. Rather, what they didn't see. The pontoon boat was gone.

"Oh my gosh!" Kim exclaimed. "What happened?"

Zack grimaced. "Aw, man, it must've drifted away!"

"You mean you didn't anchor it?" Aisha inquired.

He answered, "I had a lot on my mind at the time, all right?"

"Hey guys," said Kim, "good news and bad news." Zack and Aisha looked where she was looking. They spotted the boat; it was now resting against the patio full of people on the near side of the lake.

"And our suits are still on it...!" Aisha pointed out.

Zack let out a disgruntled chuckle. "I'm sure as heck not going over there like this."

Zack took a firm grasp of the boat's railing and prepared to pull himself up. He looked back at the island to see Kim and Aisha watching him from the bushes. "How did they talk me into this?" he wondered to himself before poking his head above the side of the boat.

There were at least twenty people on the patio, and they all sounded very distinguished - not the type of people who would be very accepting of a nudist interrupting their party to retrieve his boat. That ruled out asking someone to throw him his trunks. His only course of action now would be to try to reach something onboard that he could use to cover himself.

Unfortunately, his trunks were on the other side of the boat, the side pressed against the wooden patio. The only thing within reach was the lower half of Aisha's suit. He was unsure how the party guests would react to a guy wearing yellow floral bikini bottoms, but he reached out and took them anyway. "Oh well, it's better than nothing," he decided. He dropped back into the water and slipped his legs through the soft material.

As he boarded the boat wearing what appeared to be a floral Speedo, only with less coverage, he realized that his promise to make someone wear a Speedo had come true in a way. He just hadn't imagined he would be the one wearing it.

Several heads turned to look at Zack as he stood in the front of the lost pontoon boat. He simply smiled at them nervously for a moment, then swiped his trunks from the boat and dove back into the water.

When he again boarded the boat, he was wearing his own suit, and he held Aisha's in his hand. The party guests were still staring at him. He said with a nod, "Lost my boat," and then drove off.

While the boat headed for the island, Zack got an idea. He quickly gathered up Kim and Aisha's suits and hid them in the compartment beneath the driver's seat. "I don't know where they went," he'd tell them. He laughed - this was gonna be great.

Sitting together on the edge of the dock, Trini and Billy watched the pontoon boat return. Kimberly was driving, with Aisha on one side of the boat and Zack alone in the front. Trini noticed that nothing seemed out of the ordinary, but that in itself was out of the ordinary, considering that the three crewmembers were all lunatics. Something was going on - they weren't even talking amongst themselves. Particularly for Aisha and Kimberly, that was just plain weird.

Trini stood up. "Let's go greet the brave seafarers," she said to Billy with a smirk. He too stood, and they walked over to the shed just as the boat had pulled in and the motor had shut off.

"Can I have my shorts back now?" came Zack's voice through the shed door, causing Billy and Trini to stop dead in their tracks and listen.

"Sure," replied Aisha. "Come take 'em off me."

"I'd rather take this instead!" Zack laughed.

"Hey!" Aisha snapped. A moment later, she said calmly, "Fine, you can keep it. Just toss me your tank top."

"Here, take it," Zack told her. He then immediately cried out, "Hey, my towel!"

"Run, Aisha!" Kim shouted excitedly.

The door flew open, startling Trini and Billy. Kim bolted out with an armful of towels. Right on her heels was Aisha, who had failed to fully put on the tank top by the time she'd left the shed, momentarily flashing the two spectators. She quickly pulled the shirt down to reach the black swimming trunks she was wearing. The girls scurried through the lawn, giggling all the way, dashed up the porch steps, and vanished inside the cabin after dropping a towel on the steps.

Billy and Trini stood there for a moment, dumbfounded by the scene that they'd just witnessed. Finally, Trini called out, "Zack, you in there?"

"Yeah, I'm fine!" came Zack's nervous reply from somewhere to the right of the door frame. "I'm just... chaining up the boat. No need to come in."

"Um, okay...." Trini answered.

Finally, Zack emerged from the doorway. He held a cooler at waist-height and deliberately faced them at all times. Dangling from his left hand was Aisha's bikini top.

"Hi," he blurted out. "Nice boat, Billy." He then backed his way through the yard to the cabin. Once he'd reached the steps where Kim had mercifully left him a towel, he crouched down to hide himself behind the cooler as he set it down, then wrapped the towel around himself. He then picked up the cooler and went inside.

Billy shut the shed door and shook his head. "I'm not even gonna ask."

That night, Trini was jolted into the waking world when Rocky tripped over her feet. She watched blearily as he clumsily maneuvered his way around the recliner she lay in and stumbled off to bed. He was probably still asleep, which was more than she could say for herself now.

She looked around. She was alone in the living room, with the exception of Jason, who was sleeping in the couch across from her. The last she remembered, Zack, Aisha, and Kimberly were watching TV after she, Jason, and Rocky had fallen asleep. Then, in her sleep, she had thought she heard someone mention the katas she and Jason had done every morning at dawn. She also seemed to remember the image of Zack, Aisha, and Kimberly discreetly exposing themselves to each other, pretending not to notice what they were doing, but she honestly couldn't tell if it had actually happened or if she'd merely dreamed it up in response to the conversation she and Billy had overheard that afternoon. No, it had to have been a dream, she decided. They wouldn't do something like that.

On the other hand, if their boat ride were as wild as it sounded, they'd already bared everything to each other anyway. What was there for them to hide? And they weren't really doing any harm.

She smirked, remembering the time Jason had accidentally walked in on her while she was getting dressed in Geneva. Even though she had been embarrassed at the time, the incident was stimulating whenever she looked back on it. She could feel herself becoming aroused at the thought of showing her body to Jason. Suddenly she wondered if Zack, Aisha, and Kim didn't have the right idea after all.

Watching Jason very carefully, she slowly pulled her shorts to one side, giving him a view he would never have suspected he might get. Yet he simply snored. She added a second hand to give him an even more impressive sight. As thrilling as it was to expose herself so blatantly, it wasn't enough - she had to relieve the tension which was building up inside her.

She remembered the contest and hesitated for a moment. She was about to eliminate herself from the competition, and they were leaving tomorrow! _Well,_ she rationalized mentally, _Jason would probably enjoy being the only winner. And I don't really want the money._ With that, her brain stopped arguing, and she gave in to her desires.

She leaned back against the recliner as her hands went wild. She had to concentrate in order to avoid whimpering in pleasure - if she lost all control, she'd surely wake Jason. And even though that possibility didn't seem too terrible to her right now, she was fairly sure she wasn't thinking too clearly, so she decided to restrain herself to softly panting in quick breaths.

As soon as it was all over, she suddenly began to feel silly and a bit embarrassed by what she'd done. But it had been wonderful. She straightened her shorts and got up to go to bed. As she walked off down the hall, a smirk formed on Jason's face.

In the darkness of her room, Trini slipped out of her damp clothes and into her nightgown, then brushed her teeth in the adjoining half-bathroom. She returned to her room and felt her way over to the bed. As soon as she'd climbed in, she yelped in surprise and leapt back out.

"What? What?" Rocky mumbled, squinting as Trini flipped the lights on.

"Rocky!" she quietly exclaimed. "What are you doing in my bed?"

"Your bed?" he asked, looking around. "Hey, how'd I get in here?"

Trini sighed softly, calming herself. "You must've gone into the wrong room when you went to bed."

"Oh, wow," he spoke, quickly getting up, "I'm really sorry..."

"It's no problem," she told him with a smile.

He opened the door and said, "Uh, good night." He then left, shutting the door behind him.

Jason stood on the porch and breathed in the cool night air. All he had to do was hold out until tomorrow. But he could think of nothing else but the show Trini had just given him. If he didn't calm himself down, there would be no chance of his winning the contest.

Rocky sighed and gave up on trying to find a comfortable position in his bed. He was wide awake, and he could only think of doing one thing: expressing his enjoyment of having Trini's body pressed against his. On the other hand, he was completely broke.

Jason walked through the kitchen and headed down the narrow staircase which led into the basement. At the bottom, he flipped the lights and beheld the enormous hot tub which Billy had shown him the first day of the vacation - it was custom-built of solid oak, and its benches could seat a good twenty people. If this couldn't relax him, nothing could.

He stripped down and tossed his clothes into a corner, then proceeded to tinker with the spa controls on the opposite wall. Unbeknownst to him, a tiny golden periscope rose from the hot tub and took in its surroundings.

For six solid days, Divatox had watched the teenagers' activities with nothing more than mild amusement. But, now, as Jason turned to face her periscope, she inexplicably felt a surge of passion. Little did she know, she was attracted to him as a result of the courage and defiance he'd shown when she'd kidnapped him to be Maligore's sacrifice. And when he'd gone into action fighting the Rangers in the Serpent Temple - that had been incredible. Of course, she would never admit that to herself. She simply knew that she was turned on at the moment, and that meant she would soon lose the contest, had she been playing.

She chuckled to herself as she retracted the periscope. If she were to leave a contribution in their jar, it would blow their minds. Her chuckle turned into a giggle. Of course, she was short on US currency, so she would have to contribute something else. She rummaged through her pile of treasure in the front of the cabin and located a solid gold, cigar-sized model of her submarine. Perfect.

Jason peeked out from the staircase to make sure no one was in the kitchen. Determining that the coast was clear, he emerged completely nude and opened the refrigerator. Just as he removed a root beer, a flash of crimson lit up the kitchen. Now standing beside him was Divatox.

She was obviously as surprised as he was. She hadn't expected anyone to be upstairs, especially not the cause of her desire. Her eyes ran up and down the length of his body. She mentally cursed herself. If only she had realized when he was her prisoner what a perfect specimen of masculinity Jason was, she would have put him to better use than letting him sit around in the bilge for a day and a half.

"What are you doing here, Divatox?" Jason demanded coolly.

She had to stifle a chuckle at the ridiculousness of his attempt to be assertive while buck-naked. "Relax," she said with a smile. "I'm on vacation, just like you are. Even villains are allowed to take a break every now and then."

Jason frowned. He obviously didn't trust her. She sighed. "Do you really think I would've left the Rangers alone for so long if I weren't on vacation?"

His frown slowly disappeared.

"If you must know," she told him, "I'm here to make a contribution for your little contest." She produced the golden submarine and daintily dropped it into the jar on the counter. Her eyes lowered as she noticed him growing visibly aroused.

Now, Divatox was a space pirate, but that didn't mean that she didn't understand the concept of fairness. She realized that it was unfair of her to be fully clothed while he was so exposed. So, with a wave of her hand, she teleported her suit away and evened the score.

Jason blinked and grew fully aroused. "I really don't need this," he sighed, turning and walking back downstairs.

"Hmph," she exhaled, leaning against the counter, her back to the living room. She was all hot and bothered, and Jason had left. She wasn't sure what she would have expected from the encounter - she only knew she was now alone. Temporarily.

"Hello?" Rocky asked, peering into the kitchen. He caught sight of a woman's bare back, down which flowed long, purple hair.

She spun around, wearing a red satin robe that had not existed a fraction of a second earlier and desperately trying to hold it shut.

"Who are you?" he asked.

"Uh, the girl next door...?" she suggested.

Rocky mentally assessed the situation. A strange woman with purple hair who could make robes appear out of thin air... that was pretty weird. And the weirdest person he knew of was... "Divatox!"

"Yeah, okay, you got me," she admitted.

"Man, the Rangers didn't tell me you had such..." he stopped himself just in time. "I mean, you stay right there." Keeping his eyes glued to her, he cupped his hands around his mouth and inhaled to alert the others. He paused to see what she would do.

"Go ahead and wake them up," she told him. "I was just leaving anyway."

"You were just...?" Then it hit him. "A detonator! Where'd you plant it, Divatox?"

"What, am I that predictable?" she groaned.

"I won't let you get away w--"

"Look, we're both on vacation," she told him. "You can lose the hero speak." He wasn't convinced. She frowned. What was it with these guys? Just make their lives a little more interesting - a little detonator here, another there - and they hold a grudge against you for life.

"Fine. If I'd planted a detonator here," she said before vanishing into thin air. The rest of her sentence came from behind Rocky. "...would I still be hanging around?"

He turned to find her seated on the couch. A look of bafflement appeared on his face, much to her amusement.

She smirked. There was something interesting about this one... not just his look of dull incomprehension. Something... something like what she'd sensed in Jason, but not quite. She just couldn't put her finger on it, and that bothered her. She decided to probe him until she could figure out what it was.

She patted the cushion beside her, but he stood his ground. "Oh, good grief," she sighed. "Look, I've left you guys alone the whole week, haven't I?"

She laughed on the inside at the irony of the situation. Here she was, the sworn enemy of the Power Rangers in the middle of Ranger Central, trying to make this kid feel comfortable. Why? Did he interest her that much?

"I guess so," he replied, slowly easing into the chair across from her.

"Tell me, Rocky," she said, "why did you leave the Rangers?"

He blinked. He wasn't expecting personal questions. "I was hurt, so someone took my place," he stated matter-of-factly. "I didn't exactly have a choice."

"Give me a break," she told him. "We both know he was a temp. You could've taken back the powers after you recovered. So, what I'm asking is... why didn't you?"

"It's just... I'm not..." He frowned. "I'm not like them."

She leaned forward with curiosity. "Not like them, how?"

"They're just all so... so... perfect!" he explained. "They're smart, they're hard workers, and they're willing to sacrifice everything to be Rangers." He sighed, "And I'm not any of those."

"Rocky, you're only human..." she said, again patting the cushion beside her. This time, he complied, flopping himself down beside her on the couch.

"It's just... they're so good and pure, they make me feel like I'm a bad guy sometimes," he continued. "Even a pervert. I never heard any of them talk about sex." He laughed bitterly, "And what do I do? I think up this stupid contest."

She smiled gently. "Rocky, you're no worse than they are. Practically everyone has--" She blinked out of existence for a moment, then returned immediately afterward and continued with her arm around him, "Like I was saying, everyone's lost the contest already. And they've had a hell of a time playing. They've enjoyed it."

"Yeah, I guess you're--" He interrupted himself, "Hey, how would you know?"

She grinned awkwardly and slowly pulled her arm away from him. "Let's just say I've enjoyed it too."

"H--how much have you...?"

"Oh, I saw and heard it all... including your conversation with Billy." She chuckled. "Sounds like you're about as unlucky at love as I am."

"You?" he asked unbelievingly.

"Oh, well, yeah," she admitted. "I keep dating the powerful go-getter type, but it never works out. You'd think a little respect was too much to ask for."

Rocky listened intently.

"But, you know," she continued, "you keep going, and you just hope you run into someone good someday."

"I don't understand why they wouldn't respect you," he told her. "I mean, you seem nice enough once you relax, and, let's face it, you have a body to kill for."

She grinned slightly. "You think so?" She slid the bottom of her robe up to expose her thighs. "Because I was thinking about getting a little cosmetic surgery here and there...."

His eyes bulged. "Are you insane?" he quipped. "You look fantastic already!"

She grinned. "You're such a dear to say that." She leaned in and gave him a soft peck on the cheek.

She pulled back slightly to look him up and down. She thought she knew what it was about this one. Whereas Jason had been no more than eye candy to her, Rocky had character. He seemed so different from all the others... She looked into his inquisitive and accepting eyes, and the last of her inhibitions faded. She again leaned in, and as he moved forward to meet her, their lips met.

Their kisses were hot and urgent. He leaned back against the pillows on one side of the couch, and she followed. Between her thighs, she could feel Rocky's body crying for attention. Her hands soon found their way into his boxers. In response, Rocky slid the silk robe off her shoulders.

The two lay in each other's arms, smiling placidly, the three articles of clothing amongst them scattered about the floor. She playfully traced her fingertips along his chest and stomach. His anatomy expressed its appreciation.

"Good lord," she remarked, grinning at him. "Again?" But before he could answer, she leapt up from the couch. "Someone's coming!" she whispered.

"What?" He looked around in a mixture of confusion and frustration.

"Up the stairs," she replied, tossing him his boxers.

Slipping them on, he asked, "How can I see you again?"

Her robe draped over one arm, she handed him a piece of paper containing three long lines of numbers. "Call me."

"I'm guessing this isn't a local call...?"

She patted him affectionately on the head and smiled. "Call collect."

Just as she vanished, Jason walked in through the kitchen to find Rocky on the couch struggling to put his shirt on. "Rocky...?"

"Jason!" he answered, poking his head out from the shirt. He slipped his arms through the holes as well and inquired, "What are you doing up?"

"That's what I was gonna ask you."

"Oh, well, you know," Rocky chuckled. "Just couldn't get to sleep."

"I know the feeling," Jason replied. He frowned and looked around the room. "I thought I heard someone else up here."

"Oh, hm, weird." There was an awkward silence for a moment, until Rocky spoke up. "Hey, Jason..."

"Yeah, man?"

"Could I... borrow five bucks?"

"No problem," Jason chuckled. "I was just about to get my wallet anyway."

Rocky smiled. Sometimes, things turned out all right.

"A hundred and thirty-five dollars?" Justin repeated, staring at the jar of money which sat on the Juice Bar in front of him. Rocky and the Turbo teens stood around him, grinning.

"We all pitched in," Kat explained.

"Yeah, maybe you could use it to buy another bike," Adam suggested.

Tanya chuckled. "Hopefully one that doesn't blow up."

Justin laughed, "Wow, thanks." He was suddenly serious again. "What's this?" he inquired, pulling the golden submarine from the jar.

"Oh, uh," Tommy answered, "it's from Divatox." Justin held it to his ear to listen for ticking sounds.

"No, it's okay," Tommy told him. "We scanned it. It's just gold."

Justin frowned. "That's not like her to be so generous."

"Well," Rocky spoke, "maybe we've seen a new side of Divatox." The other teens laughed, much to Justin's confusion. What was so funny about that? He sighed. "You guys can be so weird."

E-mail: kittiec@starpower.net