_Come on, Billy; you guys gotta get us out of here! Tommy needs help now!_ Adam prayed silently. Then, as if in answer to his silent entreaties, something pounded heavily against the wall. Someone was trying to break through the blocks! The resounding blows hit a second and third time. With the fourth, Adam noticed some of the stones giving way and threw himself across Tommy's inert body. Moments later, the wall imploded, showering the two with blackened bits of stone and mortar.

"Billy? Jason? Is that you?" Adam queried, coughing on the dust. When the cloud of debris settled, Adam found himself staring at their rescuers--but it was not the trio he was expecting. One was a massively armed (and extremely hairy) biped; the other two were reptillian in appearance--one supporting the other. The lizard-like being holding up his companion hissed something at Adam in a tongue he didn't understand.

"I'm sorry... I don't...."

Then, to Adam's astonishment, the hairy being's body began to change--growing smaller, losing hair, changing color... until Adam found himself staring at....

"Billy?"

"You are one of the Ninja Blue Ranger's companions?"

"Y-yes."

"Good."

"Who are you? Where's Billy and the others?"

"Your companions vanished before they completed their mission to rescue you. By freeing you, we have repaid the debt we owe them. Quickly now, there isn't much time," the shapeshifter advised.

"Right." This was not the time to be standing around and asking questions. Adam draped one of Tommy's arms over his shoulders and hoisted him up. "Come on, big guy; we're getting out of here." As Adam dragged Tommy along, the sauroid snorted and said something that Adam did not like the tone of.

"IgwaNai says that one smells of death. Better to leave him," Billy's double translated.

"I won't leave him in this hell hole; he's still alive," Adam snapped.

"That is your affair, human." Still, Billy's twin helped Adam drag Tommy outside the walls. "We have done all that we can do for you. My companions and I wish you well."

"Thank you."

Adam watched as the trio disappeared among the rocky shadows. Overhead, the sky was filled with activity. Were those robots? "Let's find some place a little less exposed to wait for the others," Adam murmured to Tommy, who stirred slightly. He managed to drag Tommy a little ways to a ruined courtyard. It would be easy enough to duck under the large, fallen pillars if searchers came near. Adam set Tommy down and sank heavily onto one of the stones. In spite of the fighting in the distance, it was fairly quiet. That's when he heard the trickle of water, and he realized that he was quite thirsty. Searching for the source of the sound, Adam found a broken fountain in the center of the yard; he wasn't sure if he could trust it or not, but at the moment, he had nothing to lose. The water proved to be clear and cold, and tasted wonderful. After slaking his thirst, Adam filled his cupped hands and carried a bit of the liquid to Tommy, hoping to revive him with it. He could have sworn he heard a hiss of steam as the cold water touched Tommy's feverish skin.

"Come on, Tommy; give me a sign that you're still with me," Adam murmured, shaking Tommy's shoulders and lightly slapping his cheeks. That roused Tommy somewhat; he started tossing and turning and babbling deliriously. However, Adam managed to make out one word that Tommy kept repeating over and over: Kim. That gave Adam an idea.

_I hope this works!_ "Easy does it, Tommy; it's me, Kim. I'm here to help you," Adam said softly.

"Kim?" Tommy moaned beseechingly.

"That's right."

"Oh God, Kim... I need...."

"I know what you need, Tommy; that's why I'm here."

"Really?"

"Really."

Tommy struggled to sit up; his eyes burned with the green flames consuming him. Still, he managed a smile--one full of affection for the woman he loved. It was a look that shook Adam's nerve.

_Heaven help me pull this off!_

"I don't want to die, Kim," Tommy said thickly as his arms fell heavily around Adam's trembling shoulders in a hug.

"You won't. I won't let you."

Tommy's hand reached up to stroke his hair and then his cheek. Adam closed his eyes as Tommy leaned close for a kiss. He had been braced for another hungry, desperate exchange and was greatly surprised by Tommy's tenderness. It was unlike anything Tommy had tried with him thus far. His mouth was soft, his lips and tongue exploring gently yet with a passion deeper and stronger than his raging hunger. Adam was left breathless when Tommy pulled back, and, disturbingly, wanting more.

_Oh Lord, what's happening to me?_

"Kim, is something wrong?" Tommy queried. "You're so tense all of a sudden."

Adam hadn't expected Tommy to be that cognizant of his reactions. He swallowed hard as he realized he was going to have to put a little something into the performance if he was going to keep Tommy convinced he was with Kim. "Nothing's wrong," Adam fibbed--actually, everything was wrong, but he couldn't worry about that now. The only thing that mattered was making sure Tommy survived to get home. He tried to reach out to Tommy as he would to Tanya (or rather how he would like to reach out to her); his hand shook as he touched Tommy's cheek. "You seem so desperate, I wasn't expecting you to be so...." _Gentle? Tender?_

"I'm not sure how long that'll last," Tommy apologized.

"Don't worry about it. You do what you have to do."

"Then, come here," Tommy said with a wide grin. He swept Adam up in a more heated kiss, and as Tommy's tongue sought to dance with his, Adam felt Tommy's hands slide down his back to caress his behind. Adam tried to bite back a sigh and failed. It felt so good! Tommy's touch was so delicate... his fingers wandered everywhere--down his cheeks, along the underswell of his buttocks--doing things to Adam that had never been done before, making him feel things he had never felt before.

_Stop it, Tommy; please! Don't play with me; just take me and get it over with._ Adam's eyebrows shot up and his eyes went wide as Tommy's fingers tentatively explored the cleft between the soft globes of his bottom. It was such an unexpectedly intense sensation that Adam felt himself raise up on his toes, following the movement of Tommy's stroke.

"Mm, you like that?" Tommy purred as his mouth moved away from Adam's and started exploring his neck. Adam bit his lip and forced himself not to answer. He felt as if his body was strung as taut as a bowstring; he couldn't take much more of this. He shut his eyes, blinking back agonized tears. Then, a bolt of white hot fire ripped through Adam's body; it felt as if every nerve ending in his body was tingling with pleasure. A tremor raced through him, making his knees feel weak. What was Tommy doing to him? His mouth--soft, warm, and wet--was still at his throat; with his tongue, Tommy traced circles about the base of his neck where it met his collar bone. Adam gripped Tommy's arms a little tighter, trying to hold himself up, and a gasp slipped out of his clenched teeth.

"Your neck's awful sensitive," Tommy murmured. Adam opened his mouth as if to protest, but Tommy silenced him with a quick peck on the lips. "Hush. I know you're doing this for me, but I love taking my time to make you feel good first."

Adam gave a tiny whimper as Tommy's mouth moved lower down his chest, teasing him with tiny licks and nips. He knew what was coming; what he hadn't expected was the rush he felt as Tommy's mouth closed over his right nipple. He never dreamed those small nibs would be so sensitive, and while Tommy suckled at his right breast, his fingers toyed with his left. It took every ounce of self-control he could muster to keep from pulling away. _It wasn't supposed to be like this; Tommy was just supposed to fuck me and get it over with!_ Then, Tommy switched sides; Adam barely had a moment to get his bearings before the sweet torture began all over again.

Tommy's mouth was not only having a pronounced effect on erogenous zones Adam never knew he possessed. His cock was so painfully hard that Adam feared he was going to come at any moment. The slightest contact with Tommy's body--the tinest brush... it was all he could do to keep from relieving the pressure himself. Adam had never been so completely aroused in his entire life, and Tommy wasn't nearly done with him yet!

"Tommy, please...." Adam entreated, desperate for a reprieve. The sensations, the emotions... it was all just too much, too overwhelming.

"You sound as eager as I am," Tommy laughed softly, fixing Adam with a devastatingly tender look in his eyes. "Are you sure you don't want me to continue?"

"Yes, I'm sure," Adam stammered.

Tommy pouted slightly. He started to say something but was cut off by a sudden spasm. Adam held his breath, waiting for the moment of clarity to undo everything he had set up with Tommy's delirium.

"I think you're right; I don't think I can hold back much longer," Tommy grimaced. "How would you like to do it? From the front or the back?"

"The back," Adam said without hesitation. To be honest, he wasn't sure how Tommy could take him from the front, but by doing it from behind, he wouldn't have to see what Tommy was doing to him.

"Okay, but we'd better make sure you're ready." Tommy turned Adam around and pulled him close until Adam's back was pressed against Tommy's chest. He felt Tommy's hardness throbbing against his ass cheeks. Tommy's hands briefly wandered all over his chest and down to cup his balls. Adam wasn't sure which he was more afraid of--Tommy realizing that he wasn't Kim or the fact that Tommy's hand around his rod felt so damn incredible.

"Let's see how wet you are," Tommy said jauntily. For a moment, Adam thought Tommy was going to take his cock in his mouth; however, Tommy leisurely licked his way down Adam's back until his tongue slid along the valley between his cheeks.

"Oh God," Adam groaned helplessly as Tommy's tongue slid all over his ass. With a tiny growl, Tommy threw himself into nibbling on Adam's behind.

"You have such a great ass!" Tommy sighed, pausing briefly in his oral explorations. Adam felt his tongue probing deeper, seeking and finding the opening to his bottom; he felt his muscles clenching in protest.

"Just relax; I'll be as gentle as possible," Tommy assured him. Adam's breath was coming out in ragged gasps; his body trembled with fear--_and desire,_ the little voice purred. Adam tried to deny it with his heart and soul; however, his mind seemed to shut down as Tommy's finger slid into the puckered opening of his posterior.

"So tight," Tommy groaned. In spite of his anguish, Adam heard the edge in Tommy's voice. He had known that Tommy's control was illusionary, but now he was swiftly losing even that. Tommy got up off his knees, and, gripping Adam's hips tightly, bucked himself against Adam's ass in a dry hump. Adam waited for Tommy to take the move farther, but he seemed to withdraw again.

"Kim, could you do something for me first?" Tommy asked in a tiny voice. It was such a soft, pleading tone that it caught Adam by surprise.

"W-what?" he rasped, his throat raw and dry.

"Would you please use your mouth... just for a little bit?"

_No way. I can't...._ Adam protested even as he felt Tommy guiding him to his knees. He couldn't give Tommy a blow job; he just couldn't. For one thing, it wouldn't be enough to do Tommy any good. For another... _for another, you're going to need some kind of lubrication when he enters you or it's going to hurt like hell. Spit's better than nothing._

_Spit's better than nothing,_ Adam tried to convince himself as he found his hand wrapped around Tommy's engorged cock. It was as feverishly hot as the rest of his body. That helped to settle the butterflies in Adam's stomach; it reminded him that he was doing this because his friend needed this to survive. Still, he closed his eyes tight as he opened his mouth. Then, gingerly, he closed his lips about Tommy's cock.

_I can't believe I'm doing this._ Tears trickled down Adam's cheeks as he tried to figure out what to do with the organ in his mouth (never having had a blow job, he had no clue as to what it was suppose to be like). There was just so much that he was afraid he was going to choke. Almost against his will, his tongue began sliding around the pulsating flesh.

He felt himself losing his balance, and Adam reached out to brace himself against Tommy's hips. His fingers bit deep into the soft flesh of Tommy's cheeks. To his surprise, Adam felt the tremor which racked Tommy's body and heard the full-bodied moan which rumbled up from the depths of his chest. Curious, Adam raised his eyes to see Tommy's reaction. At the moment, Tommy's head was canted back, his eyes closed, and a smile of indescribable bliss lit his face. Then, Tommy glanced down at Adam, meeting and holding his gaze as a hand cradled the back of his head, holding him in place. Adam was seemingly paralyzed as Tommy began to work his organ in and out of Adam's mouth.

"You have such an awesome mouth," Tommy murmured thickly. Then, his smile faded, pain puckering the corners of his mouth, and he pulled out. He reached down to cup Adam's face. "I'd love to return the favor, Beautiful, but I...."

To his mortification, Adam felt keenly disappointed by Tommy's withdrawal and the fact that he wasn't going to reciprocate. _What's happening to me? Why am I feeling like this?_

Tommy, his hands still gently cradling Adam's chin, slowly sank to his knees. His thumbs brushed away the tears staining Adam's cheeks.

"Scared?" Tommy asked softly.

"Uh huh." It wasn't a pretend answer; Adam was terrified by both the internal and external conflict engulfing him.

"So am I. I'll try and be gentle."

_You already have been... and part of me is glad and part of me wishes you hadn't been!_

"Ready?"

Adam couldn't speak. He swallowed and nodded. "Do you want to be on your knees?"

"A-actually, could we do it standing up?" That would at least leave him some semblance of dignity.

"Sure." Tommy climbed to his feet unsteadily then offered a hand to Adam. He accepted; however, before standing, he quickly engulfed Tommy's cock in his mouth one last time, liberally coating it with saliva.

_Lubrication...._

Tommy turned Adam toward the fallen column; Adam braced himself and started breathing deeply. He had no idea what to expect, but he knew enough that he had to stay relaxed. _Like when you get a shot, it'll hurt worse if you're muscles are tensed._ He felt Tommy spreading his cheeks. Then came the probing finger. Adam sucked in a gasp of surprise as sweet fire, mingled with pain, shot through him. In spite of his efforts, he felt his body tense. Tommy patiently worked the finger in and out until Adam began to adjust to the sensation. It was like a ripple of warmth radiated outward from the point of contact; it spread throughout his body rapidly. Then, Tommy removed his finger, and Adam felt strangely empty. However, next came the insistent pressure of the tip of his cock.

It was a curious feeling, being opened and filled. There was discomfort... stretching, the friction against the dry walls chafing... but there was also the most awesome pleasure. Adam couldn't even begin to quantify it. It was something so deep inside him, a place he never knew existed, and as Tommy drove further and further into him, he kept hitting that spot, and the most mind numbing, body awaking sensations washed over Adam, leaving him trembling in their wake. He hadn't realized what a haze he had been in until Tommy spoke.

"You are so hot... and so tight... oh man...!" Adam hadn't realized it, but Tommy was completely inside him. For a moment, neither of them was able to move, overcome by the intensity of their responses. Tommy, however, recovered first. Adam felt Tommy's hands easing him upright until he was leaning into him. Tommy then began caressing his torso and abdomen. While his hands were engaged, his mouth began working on Adam's neck, and Adam shivered in helpless delight as Tommy nibbled and stroked him into a state of arousal akin to euphoria. He was incapable of thinking; he could only feel, his senses overwhelmed. Tommy's mouth on his neck... finding that little spot that would leaving him quivering with ecstasy. Tommy's fingers on his chest... alternately massaging and pinching his sensitive nipples until they strained to be touched like his cock. Adam didn't think it was possible for things to get any more intense when he felt Tommy's hips give a gentle thrust, and another ripple of fire tore through his body. Then, wonderfully... impossibly, a hand wandered lower, and Adam all but sobbed as Tommy's fingers lightly embraced his aching erection.

_No more... please... I can't take any more... you gotta stop... it feels too good... it wasn't suppose to be like this!_ Yet even as Adam wished for it to stop, Tommy was tilting his head back, turning it slightly, and slipping his tongue into Adam's mouth. Unable to do anything but react, Adam simply let Tommy kiss him. He felt his will--his resistence--crumbling. His body had betrayed him; he could feel his hips pushing back to meet Tommy's forward thrusts. Tommy quickened the pace slightly, and Adam matched him. He could feel himself rushing headlong towards--something. It was so powerful, Adam couldn't put words to it, and he could feel Tommy careening there right along with him. Suddenly, Adam felt Tommy's body go rigid, and his hands gripped Adam with painful strength. Though their mouths were still engaged, Adam felt Tommy's scream.

"It hurts!" Tommy gasped, and he tried to pull out.

"Don't... you can't...!" Adam protested breathlessly. _You can't stop now; I'm so close...._ "You have to come." He couldn't believe he was begging Tommy to continue.

"The pain...."

"... will go away once you come."

"The green fire will go away?" Tommy whimpered pitiously.

"Yes, Tommy, it will go away. You have to have an orgasm; it's the only way you'll get better."

"But what if I hurt you?"

"You won't hurt me." _He will if he shoots his load up your ass; you'll wind up in the same state he is!_ The nagging little voice was right. Adam had to think of something and fast. Tommy had to come, but Nikkolo never said where he had to shoot his load. "You won't hurt me," Adam reiterated, "if you promise to do something."

"Anything."

"You have to pull out before you come," Adam instructed.

"Pull out?" Tommy echoed, sounding very disappointed.

"Yes."

"But why do I have to pull out?"

_What reason do I give him? What would Kim tell him?_ Adam grinned as an idea came to him. "Did you remember to use a condom?"

"No, I forgot," Tommy said, crestfallen.

"Well...?" _Thank goodness for Tommy's faulty memory!_

"You're right; I'm sorry for complaining." Adam heaved a sigh of relief. Tommy would ejaculate the spore and he wouldn't introduce it into anyone else; Nikkolo's cycle would be broken.

"It still hurts," Tommy moaned, and Adam felt another spasm ripple through their joined bodies.

"You have to ignore the pain. Think only about how good it feels." _Ignore your doubts; focus only on the pleasure._

Tommy said nothing else; he let his body speak for him as he slammed his hips forward with the full force of his need. Adam gasped with a mixture of pain and pleasure. _I can't... I can't fight it any more--heaven help me!_ He let go in mind and body, riding out Tommy's desperation as best he could.

His body shuddered under Tommy's frantic thrusts. Adam dug his fingers into the coarse, crumbling surface of the pillar and gritted his teeth to bite back a moan as Tommy took him hard. It wasn't long before Adam felt Tommy's body tensing as his orgasm approached.

"Kim, I can't...."

"Don't stop!"

"... can't stop... gonna...."

"Pull out...."

"... now!"

At the last possible instant, Tommy pulled out. With a scream that rivaled the one he gave when Urgul paralyzed him, Tommy shot his tainted jism all over Adam's sweat-streaked back and ass. Adam never even felt the toxin as it burned his skin, nor was he cognizant that Tommy had passed out and collapsed against him. His own body's needs forcefully demanded attention, and he could not deny it any longer. He stroked his straining member as frantically as Tommy had stroked his ass. He could still feel Tommy's nearness; his body pulsed with the fire Tommy had stoked. It was more than he could bear. Adam cried out as mind and body virtually exploded from the release of his desires. He all but sobbed with relief as he fell forward against the cool stone of the fallen pillar. Then, exhausted, he sank to his knees.

He knelt on the cold, hard ground gasping for air, his body trembling. He felt curiously empty, almost devoid of any thought, feeling... then, he became aware of the burning sensation on his back and a tickle, like something crawling. Adam wiped his hand across his back; when he pulled it away, he found it covered with a thick green ooze. Wriggling in the slime was a worm-like creature whose miniscule body resembled spiralled pasta. Slowly it dawned on Adam that this was the spore, the source of all his and Tommy's trouble and pain. He stared at the parasite numbly; then, a black wave of anger crashed over him, and he flung the organism to the ground. The tiny creature began crawling towards him. That was just too much for Adam; he groped about blindly until his hand closed around a large chunk of debris.

"Die, you son-of-a-bitch," Adam snarled, slamming the rock down on the spore, crushing it. Then, everything seemed to crash in on Adam at once, and he buried his face in his hands as sobs shook his body. What had been tears of joy and relief became tears of pain and confusion.

Adam was so lost in his emotional turmoil that he wasn't even aware of his body dissolving into a beam of light.

"Adam?"

The voice was soft, tentative, and Adam thought he was hearing things. He could have sworn he felt a hand on his shoulder--small, soft, delicate--so unlike the touches he had experienced over the last couple of days. He must be imagining it.

"Adam, it's all right. Everything's going to be fine now."

_It's not all right! How can it be after... wait a minute, that sounds like...._ "Kimberly?" Adam finally looked up and saw Kimberly peering down at him with a kind, if somewhat sad, smile. Her face brightened as he made eye contact, and he noticed bright spots of moisture glistening in her eyes. Adam glanced around and found himself in the Power Chamber. "Is it really you, Kim?" Adam stammered, not wanting to believe it was real.

"It's really me." Kim threw her arms around him and hugged him.

Adam was strangely aware that her arms were both soft and strong. Rather awkwardly, he returned the embrace. She felt so small.

"You're safely home now; the nightmare is all over," Kim assured him, gently stroking his hair.

_But it's not! It's starting all over again--just like when I was a kid._

Adam heard what sounded like a mechanical groan. "Jeez, he's heavy. I could use a hand here," Alpha complained. Adam turned and saw the automaton trying to move Tommy's inert body. All he succeeded in doing was rolling him over. Adam glanced at Kimberly's face; it was pinched with concern, and one of the glistening teardrops slid down her cheek.

"Will you be all right for a minute?" Kim queried.

"Sure." What was Kimberly doing over here with him?

"I'll be right back."

Kim wandered over to help Alpha, but neither one could lift Tommy. They were trying to get him into the scanner bed. Adam forced himself to his feet; his muscles felt cramped, and he experienced a moment of lightheadedness.

"Why don't you guys get his feet," Adam murmured as he staggered over to help.

"Are you sure you're up to this? You're hurt, too," Kim pointed out.

"I'll manage."

With the three working together, they were able to hoist Tommy onto the bed. Kim threw a sheet over Tommy while Alpha put the monitor bar in place. Adam could do nothing but lean against the edge of the bed. He stared numbly into Tommy's pallid face. Though pale and wan, all traces of his pain were gone.

"Hey, Tommy," Kim murmured. She brushed the hair from his face and kissed him gently. "Hold on, hon. Please."

"He'll make it now, Kim," Adam said softly. Kim reached over and gave his hand a grateful squeeze.

"His vitals are weak but stable; the big lug'll live," Alpha reported.

Just then, Adam's knees gave out; Kim quickly slipped around the bed to catch him. "Let's get you into a bed and check out your back," Kim said. Weak and weary, Adam was unable to do anything but let her guide him to a second medical couch. By the time they covered the short distance, his head was spinning, and he gratefully lay down on his stomach. It wasn't until his skin made contact with the cool, vinyl-like surface that Adam remembered he was naked. He felt his cheeks grow hot.

"Adam, what's wrong?" Kim wondered, noticing his distress. Adam couldn't say anything--he couldn't even look at her. All he could do was blush more fiercely. Kimberly, however, seemed to understand. Without a word she fetched him a cover and draped it over his bottom and legs. However, she left the small of his back exposed. Adam was only dimly aware of Kimberly running the portable scanner over his back. The physical and mental toll of the past couple of days caught up to Adam, and he felt himself drifting off to sleep. However, a sudden reverberating explosion startled him into full wakefulness.

"What was that?"

"I hope that means the others have finally toasted Nikkolo's hench-droid," Kim answered. She applied a warm, wet cloth to Adam's back, clearing way the dried fluid. It was only after the thick film was removed that Adam realized that his back hurt. He sucked in a sharp gasp of air.

"The others?" he queried, trying to concentrated on something other than the pain and his inner turmoil.

"Uh uh. I was able to teleport Billy and the others home shortly before I located you and Tommy; however, one of Nikkolo's robots followed them and attacked the Command--blast it--Power Chamber."

"But how...?"

"Dimitria let them use the Zeo Crystal since the other Rangers are gone."

"Yo, Kimberly, you gotta see this," Alpha called out.

"What is it?" Adam wondered sleepily.

"Probably the results of the medical scans. I'm not Billy: I can't make heads or tails out of the print out. I hope he and the others get back here soon," Kim replied. "I'll be back in a bit to finish treating your back. Kay?"

"Sure, Kim."

Instead of falling back to sleep, Adam watched as Kim crossed the chamber. He knew that she was probably wanting to sit with Tommy; however there was really nothing she could do for Tommy at the moment, and there was no one else to care for him. Still, it was good to see Kim; he just wished he knew what that odd little smile of hers was all about. Another muffled explosion shook the chamber; Adam was glad to know that Billy and the others had made it back safely. He wished he could be out there with the others; he had almost forgotten what it had been like to wield the Zeo powers. Strangely, he thought of Billy and wondered which color he had adopted for the duration of the emergency. Adam hoped that Rocky had let him claim the blue shard. Billy always looked good in blue, and red had never been Tommy's color; he always looked better in white.

_Yes, the white shorts had looked good on Tommy, hadn't they, and Billy hadn't looked that bad in the white wrap...._

"No!" Adam moaned, shoving aside those distrubing thoughts, but whenever he relaxed they kept coming back.

"Adam, what's wrong?" Kim queried, hurrying over upon hearing his outburst.

"Nothing," he stammered. He suddenly wished Kim would go away; looking at her reminded him of Tommy and his gentleness as he had made love to him in her stead. Adam felt like crying again, but he couldn't--wouldn't--in front of Kimberly. Why wouldn't she leave him alone, and why was she looking at him like someone had just died?

"Alpha's run a scan on the sample of the toxin in Tommy's semen from your back," she began in a quavering voice. "Adam, what happened to Tommy? How did that stuff get in his system?"

Adam felt himself freeze up. He couldn't tell her. He just couldn't....

"Adam, please. It's important. The toxin is still in his body, and Alpha can't find anything in the data banks on it."

"It can't be still inside him! Tommy did what Nikkolo told him to do; he...." The words jammed up in Adam's throat as ice cold fear gripped Adam's heart. Tommy had to be cured, otherwise that meant everything that had just happened had been for nothing!

"Adam, it's okay. You can tell me... I know what happened between you and Tommy," Kim said softly, lowering her eyes.

Adam just gaped at her in disbelief. "You know...?"

"I was searching for you in the monitor, and I saw...."

"Everything?" This couldn't be happening! He couldn't bear it if Kim had seen....

"Everything."

That announcement shattered the last of Adam's will. He buried his face in his folded arms, trying to hide his tears of shame from Kim.

"Oh, Adam, no...."

Adam was as helpless as child and hadn't the strength to fight Kim as she scooped him into her arms and held him as he cried.

"Another monster bites the dust!" Rocky cheered as the five rematerialized in the Power Chamber.

Billy and the others removed their helmets, and the successful Rangers exchanged high fives and congratulatory hugs. Billy had forgotten the thrill he had always felt whenever he morphed and went into battle. It wasn't so much the fight... it never had been... it was just something he had never been able to describe. It was a frisson of excitement that he hadn't realized he so desperately missed until he had tasted it again.

"I only wish it could have been Nikkolo," Jasom murmured darkly.

"May I offer my congratulations, Rangers?" Dimitria intoned.

"Dimitria, where's Kimberly?" Billy queried. He observed that Tanya and Kat had powered down. He was reluctant to do so--for more than one reason, and he noted that apparently Jason and Rocky shared one with him in particular.

"Could not one infer from her absence that she was as successful in her mission as you five were in yours?"

Billy found himself understanding Kim's frustration in dealing with their mentor from Inquirus.

"She got Adam back?" Tanya asked with a hopeful squeak.

"And Tommy, too, no doubt," Jason added.

"She would not have left her post otherwise," Billy concurred.

"Where are they?" Kat wondered.

"When one is injured, would not the infirmary be the most likely place to find that person?"

"Injured?" Rocky gulped, as if the possibility had not ocurred to him.

"How badly?" Tanya questioned.

"Billy, Tanya, will you not go to the infirmary and assist Alpha and Kimberly?"

"Of course, Dimitria."

"Certainly."

"Would it not also be advisable to return the Zeo Crystal to its storage cell since its powers are no longer needed?"

"Oh man, do we have to give them up so soon?" Rocky sighed as he surrendered his borrowed zeonizer. The uniform faded, leaving him dressed in the wraps provided by Nikkolo's seneschal.

"It was great while it lasted," Jason added, following suit.

"It sure was," Billy echoed wistfully.

"Come on, Billy," Tanya urged.

"While Tanya and Billy are busy in the infirmary, perhaps I should help you guys find some more clothes," Kat suggested with a titter. As Billy turned to leave, he observed a mischievous gleam in Kat's eyes as she ran her gaze over Jason and Rocky. "Although, it seems like such a shame; you both look awesome in those little skirts. You should wear them more often." She sighed with exaggerated longing. With a sigh of his own and an amused shake of his head, Billy left his companions to deal with the indignity of their abbreviated wardrobe.

He then turned his attention to Tanya, noticing that the muscles in her back were taut with her anxiety. He caught her hand and gave it a reassuring squeeze.

"Do you have any idea what Nikkolo might have done to them?" Tanya asked.

"From what little I know about Nikkolo, it could have been just about anything," Billy answered. He didn't want to say anything more; Tanya was already worried enough as it was. There was no point in speculating until they assessed Adam and Tommy's conditions. As the two drew near the infirmary, they were surprised to hear the sound of someone crying.

"That's Adam," Tanya gasped, hurrying forward. Billy quickly followed. The scene in the infirmary shook them both. Tommy lay unconscious on one of the medical couches; even from a distance it was obvious that he had undergone some sort of trauma. On the other bed sat Kimberly and Adam; Adam had his face buried on Kim's shoulder as his body shook with his sobs. Kim held him tightly, making every effort to comfort him.

"Go ahead and relieve Kim so I can find out what's going on here," Billy advised. He had to applaud Tanya's restraint as she carefully approached her grieving boyfriend, allowing Kimberly the opportunity to see her and to prepare Adam. Billy felt a little misty-eyed himself as he watch Kim gently transfer Adam to Tanya's arms. No words were spoken, and Adam clung to Tanya as tightly as had to Kimberly as his emotions continued to pour out. What could have happened to Adam to have reduced him to such forceful tears? Kimberly's expression was grave and her body rigid as she made her way over to where Billy waited.

"What's going on?" Billy asked softly.

"If I ever lay eyes on that bastard Nikkolo, I'll rip his heart out and squash it the way Adam squashed his miserable spore!" Kim hissed darkly between clenched teeth. The murderous rage in her eyes unsettled Billy.

"Yo, Kimberly, were you ever able to get anything out of curly-top before the water works started?" Alpha queried. Kim whirled to face him, and Billy could almost feel the heat of her anger. Even Alpha seemed to feel it; he seemed somewhat cowed (which was absurd considering he had no emotions) as he amended his question. "I meant, was Adam able to tell you anything useful before he got so upset?"

"Tommy was infected with some kind of spore; Adam didn't know what it was," she answered in clipped tones. "The creature--which looked like a green, curly-q noodle--created a poison that drove Tommy mad with pleasure and pain. The only way to get it out of Tommy's body was through ejaculation." Billy raised an eyebrow at that. There was a lot Kim wasn't saying.

"That doesn't give me a whole lot to go on," Alpha huffed.

"It was all Adam could tell me. Nikkolo wasn't exactly forthcoming with the particulars."

"A small, green curly-q noodle," Alpha sighed. "Who knows what I'll find."

"Will you tell me what you didn't tell Alpha?" Billy asked as the robot wandered off to perform the computer search. The two slowly drifted towards Tommy's bed.

"He was raped," Kim spat, her fury barely contained.

"Tommy?" A shudder of anger and revulsion ripped through Billy's body. He closed his eyes, almost unable to hear Kim's words. _Not that, please...!_

"Adam called it Urgul--something with four arms and a stinger tail. It originally went after him, but Tommy fought it back. The creature paralyzed Tommy with its stinger then raped him, passing the spore into Tommy. Then, Nikkolo wanted Tommy to rape Adam in return. Adam says that Tommy fought the poison and the urges it produced as long as he could...."

"Kim, did Tommy rape Adam?" _Please, I hope not...._ "Is that why he's... ?"

"No, Tommy didn't rape him, but... oh God, Billy!" Kim turned to Billy as her tears began to fall. He automatically wrapped his arms around her and held her as she vented her emotions. Kim's trembling form felt curiously tiny; she had such a strong spirit that Billy tended to forget how petite she was. Even so, she clung to him with surprising strength. Billy returned the embrace, his own emotions surging to the fore, causing him to hold her even tighter. He felt the moisture rising in his eyes even as he felt Kim's tears trickling down his chest.

"Right after you guys teleported out of here, I went searching for Tommy and Adam," Kim explained as she regained her composure. "I saw some of what was going on around Nikkolo's citadel; I was scanning the lowest levels and found two lizards and a big hairy thing that looked like a cross between an ape and a sheep dog pulverizing a section of wall. As soon as the wall went down, I started picking up Tommy and Adam's biosignatures. I was ready to teleport them right then but Dimitria wouldn't let me. She indicated--she never says anything!--something wasn't right. Tommy looked really bad, and Alpha ran a second scan and discovered that he was infected with something; Dimitria and Alpha told me that I couldn't bring the guys back until Tommy's body was cleared of the infection otherwise it could get into the morphing grid and infect anyone who used it. They wouldn't even let me bring Adam home; Dimitria implied that he would be need for Tommy's cure. I was livid; I mean, how could Adam cure Tommy? Even Alpha was baffled by it."

"It sounds as if Dimitria knew more than she was letting on," Billy mused.

"It was so damn frustrating, Billy; the only thing I could do was keep the guys in the the monitor and keep a teleportation lock on them to get them out the moment Tommy was cleared. I could tell that Adam looked as scared as I was feeling, so I knew it had to be something serious. Finally, Tommy came around and...."

Billy felt Kim shiver, and he had a feeling he knew what followed. "I-I watched Tommy make love to Adam," Kim admitted, her voice scarcely above a whisper.

_An interesting choice of words to apply merely to taking someone in the heat of animal need,_ Billy reflected.

Kim somehow seemed to pick up on what he was thinking. "It wasn't just sex, Billy. Tommy didn't just sodomize Adam and that was the end of it. It was rather like the way Tommy makes love to me."

Billy found that rather startling. What had gone through Kim's head as she watched that, he wondered. She couldn't have known what was behind their actions at the time.

"Adam told me that Tommy tried other methods of ridding himself of the spore, but nothing worked; it just hurt too much. It was still excruciatingly painful for Tommy while having sex; it was just that the sex felt so good he didn't mind the pain so much."

"What about Adam; did he know what was going to happen?"

"Apparently Nikkolo made sure they both knew what was coming. Adam was willing to let Tommy do whatever he had to, but Tommy kept refusing. Finally, Adam had to trick him into... poor thing! At least Tommy was out of his mind when... but Adam...." Kim folded into Billy again, shedding more tears.

Billy hugged her tightly and glanced back over to where Tanya was gently rocking Adam, crooning soothingly; it looked as if his emotional storm was over for the moment. His heart went out to his friend. It was one thing to be taken by force, but it was another to be forced to choose to be taken, and really, there was no choice. Adam had done the only thing he could do. Billy would have done the same thing if he had been in Adam's position--really, any of them would have to save the life of a friend.

"Kim, I think I have a handle on what's going on with Tommy right now," Alpha interrupted. Kim lifted her head and wiped her eyes. With a sheepish smile she brushed the moisture from Billy's bare chest.

"Sorry for getting you soggy," she murmured.

"I'll dry," Billy replied, favoring her with a encouraging grin. "Let's see what Alpha has turned up."

However, before he joined them, Billy cast another worried look in Adam's direction. His sobs had quieted, and the infirmary was so still that Billy could hear Adam's soft, forlorn statement: " Now the voice will never go away."

"There you go, Tommy," Kim murmured.

Billy hung back in the doorway and watched as Kim tucked the blanket around Tommy. He had spent an additional two days in the Power Chamber infirmary, regaining consciousness only briefly when Kim forced the remaining poison out of his system. Dimitria had decided that once Tommy was out of danger, it would be better for him to convalesce in more familiar surroundings. (Uncharitably, Kim had voiced the opinion that Dimitria and Alpha were simply tired of having them underfoot.) To that end, Billy and Kimberly had brought Tommy home.

Kim bent over and placed a gentle kiss on Tommy's lips. "Rest easy. You've earned it." She stood at the bedside looking down at Tommy with concerned tears glistening in her eyes.

"There's nothing more you can do for him now," Billy whispered as he came forward to draw Kim away, wrapping his arm about her shoulders. He knew well that she would remain at his side otherwise. He gave her a small hug. "Sleep's the best thing for him."

"I know," Kim sighed, allowing herself to be ushered away. Once in the hallway, she closed the door to Tommy's bedroom softly. Billy guided her to the Olivers' kitchen. Kim sat down at the table, staring vacantly at her hands, and Billy checked the brew in the coffee maker; it smelled fresh, probably made that morning. He flicked on the switch to warm it up and hunted through the cabinets to find two cups.

It had been a rough forty-eight hours, and there had been little time to deal with all that had happened. Billy had wanted to talk to Adam, but once Tanya got him settled down, he withdrew into himself and wouldn't respond to anyone. As disturbed as he had been by Adam's reaction, Billy hadn't had time to think much more about it. Alpha had discovered that there were still traces of poison in Tommy's system, and there was no known antitoxin. Without the spore, it wasn't as virulent, but they hadn't wanted to take any chances. However, the substance proved resistent to their methods of extracting it until Kimberly hit upon the solution: _"If he had to rid his body of the spore through ejaculating, maybe we can get the poison out the same way."_

In the end, Kimberly jerked Tommy off. Billy sighed. It was agreed that Kimberly would masturbate Tommy in private (it was the least they could do, considering that the more intimate aspects of her relationship with Tommy had just been laid bare). Billy was the last one to leave the infirmary; he had paused at the door, turning to ask Kim if there was anything she would need. For a moment he was transfixed as Kim pulled back Tommy's covers; he hadn't realized it, but Tommy was still rampant. Then, Kim shed her own clothes and curled up next to Tommy on the scanner bed. The image of Kimberly laying next to Tommy stroking his erection had, disturbingly, stuck with Billy.

Billy suddenly felt the need to be doing something--anything--while waiting for the coffee to get hot.

"You know, I was rather surprised when Alpha teleported us here," he said, trying to find something to say. "I guess I wasn't expecting Tommy to still be living with his parents. I thought he had a place of his own."

"He did until about a month ago," Kim answered quietly.

"What happened?"

"He finally got fed up with his roommates. They were slobs, completely irresponsible, and didn't respect his privacy. They utterly took advantage of him."

Kimberly, obviously, had never cared for Tommy's housemates. "What will Tommy do now? Will he stay home?"

"Probably unless he can find another roommate to share an apartment with. The dojo doesn't pay enough for him to have a place of his own."

"Forgive me if this seems a little forward, but I would have thought that you would have...." Billy fumbled.

Kim smiled at his embarrassment. "I'd have loved to, but I had already signed the lease with Jessica and Carmen. I couldn't back out without causing them some serious problems. I guess I don't want to put Carmen through Jessica having to screen a new roommate; Jess is extremely picky. I didn't think she was ever going to approve an applicant to sublet my room for the summer."

"That's right; you're supposed to go home for the summer," Billy said.

"Angel Grove is my home, Billy; I'm going to see my mother in Paris."

From Kim's tone, Billy realized he must have hit a sore spot between her and her mother. "Are you staying with the Olivers until you leave?"

"Uh huh." Kim regarded Billy thoughtfully. "It's too bad you're not home to stay; you and Tommy could be roommates then. That'd be so cool, kinda like old times."

Billy was just thinking the same thing, and he was half tempted to tell her that he was back for good, but he wasn't quite ready. Now wasn't the time to add his emotional baggage to the conversation.

"However, if you did come back, you'd probably wind up going to some impressive school somewhere else." Kim's tone was tinged with sadness. "Why stay here and go to State when you could go anywhere in the world?"

"If I were to come back, I would probably start out at State, at least for a year," Billy said. It was something he had already considered in his plans to resume life on Earth, and telling Kimberly might perk her up a bit. "I've been so out of touch that I would need a year to get back into the swing of things, and I'd prefer to do that close to home."

"I wish you'd come back, Billy; we've missed you," Kim said. Billy, suddenly, did not know what to say. "However, I'm being selfish. I'm sure that Cestria is missing you just as much, and you're probably missing her too."

"Yeah." Billy sighed with a heavy heart. The conversation had taken an unexpectedly serious turn, one which he wasn't prepared to deal with at the present moment. As he turned his attention back to the coffee, Kim lapsed into silence, withdrawing into herself much as Adam had. Billy sighed. That wouldn't do her or Tommy any good. "How are you holding up?" Billy queried as he poured out two cups of coffee and handed one to Kim.

"I'm okay," she responded tiredly.

_As okay as can be expected considering she watched Tommy make love to Adam and had to perform a sexual act on him to finish ridding him of the toxin that had driven him to having sex with Adam in the first place. Then to have Alpha blurt it out to everyone else...._ Kim's concerns made Billy's seem small in comparison. All he had to deal with were a romance that he had known wouldn't last and old dreams tantalizingly dangled before him only to have it made plain that that was all they could ever be. Nothing would ever come of them. Not that he had ever expected anything, but it was disappointing to have it confirmed. Even with the most impossible of dreams, one tended to cling to the thinnest thread of hope. That was the beauty of dreams.

"You don't look okay," Billy murmured.

"How the hell am I supposed to feel?" Kim blurted out abruptly. "Do you have any idea what it was like finding Tommy making love to Adam? It was like someone ripped my heart out; I had no idea why he was doing it or anything... and then to find out that if he hadn't he would have died...." Kim's frustration faded as quickly as it flared. "I'll be okay with it once things settle down." Billy knew there was more she wasn't saying, but he didn't want to push. "Actually, Billy, I'm really worried about Adam. I know I was kind of hurt and angry seeing him and Tommy together--until I found out why--but how must he feel? I know it was only to save Tommy's life, but Adam had to talk Tommy into having sex with him; he practically begged him to do it. I could see everything, Billy--actions, expressions--the whole time he and Tommy were together, Adam looked so... torn. One minute he'd look utterly miserable--embarrassed to death and heartbroken--and the next, I'd swear he was enjoying it."

That statement shook Billy to the core. He had expected the misery and humiliation, but not the enjoyment, and Billy had the feeling that Adam's scars ran deeper than any of them would have ever imagined.

_This isn't working._

With a sigh, Adam opened his eyes. He had come to Ko's garden (he was still grateful to Billy for introducing him to the old master) as he often did in search of peace, but the garden's tranquility did nothing to comfort his troubled spirit. Of course, the oppressive heat and humidity and the fact that he had hardly eaten or slept in the last three days didn't help either. Was it only three days ago that he had sat sobbing in Kim and Tanya's arms, his body aching as much as his soul? At least the body had healed; his bottom wasn't smarting any longer, and the burn had responded to treatment well. It was all but gone. Too bad medicine couldn't cure the rest of his problems.

He had wanted to die of shame when he had first arrived in the Power Chamber, not so much for what he had done--he didn't regret saving Tommy's life--but for what he had felt. Still, he had managed to take solace that nobody--not even Tommy--would know; it would be his secret, and he would be able to deal with it eventually (although he anticipated a much stronger battle with the voice this time around) However, it had utterly crushed him to know that Kim had seen everything; to make matters worse, he had simply been unable to hold back his tears. _Rather like Tommy after Urgul raped him, I suppose. _

He had been astonished when Kim gathered him into her arms and held him while he cried. She hadn't seemed to mind at all; she had been so gentle and understanding... _"I've held Tommy while he's cried; it's the least I can do for you after what you did for him."_ It helped to know that Kim had seen Tommy cry and hadn't thought any less of him. She had held him for the longest time without saying a word, and Adam had to admit that he was glad he wasn't alone. However, Kim had begun asking difficult questions; Adam hadn't really wanted to answer, but she had been intractable. She needed the answers so that she could help Tommy, and to have remained silent would have invalidated his efforts to save Tommy. He remembered feeling Kimberly's trembling (had it been with anger or revulsion?) as he related, with difficulty, what had happened. Actually, he had told her more than he had intended, but once he started talking, it all just came pouring out. Throughout it all, Kim never said a word; Adam just remembered her holding him tighter when he finally fell silent again. Then, she looked him in the eyes; he could barely bring himself to meet her gaze for fear of what he might see. There was no censure or condemnation, merely gratitude and a kind of sadness. _"Thank you,"_ was all she said.

Then came the announcement that Adam had been dreading: _"Tanya's here."_ He hadn't been ready to face his girlfriend. He didn't want to let go of the rock that Kimberly had come to be. _"It'll be all right, Adam. Tanya loves you, and she only wants to help."_ The words had barely crossed Kim's lips when he felt himself transfered from her arms to the familiar warmth and strength of Tanya's embrace. Through it all, he had been unable to regain control of his emotions. He cried himself out in Tanya's arms, and she simply let him.

Adam felt himself losing it again; annoyed at himself, he got to his feet. Perhaps if meditation wouldn't work, a kata would. Nothing heavy--not with the heat being what it was; it was almost as if Mother Nature was determined to keep him miserable. Adam stretched out; the activity felt good. However, as he started the routine, instinct took over, leaving his mind free to wander. It wandered back to when he and Tanya emerged from the infirmary, leaving Kim, Billy and Alpha with Tommy. Kat and Dimitria were in the heart of the Power Chamber; of Rocky and Jason there was no sign.

"Hey, Adam," Kat greeted him softly, concern and sympathy showing in her expression. She held folded clothing in her arms, and Adam clutched his sheet more tightly. "I went ahead and got some clothes for you while I was scrounging stuff for Jason and Rocky. They're changing in the storage room."

"Thanks, Kat."

"Will you be able to make it, hon?" It was the first thing Tanya had said to him.

"I'll manage." By the time he had made it across the chamber to the storage room, Rocky and Jason had come spilling out, horsing around and nearly flattening him.

"Take it easy, you two!" Tanya scolded.

"We're sorry, Adam," Jason said contritely as he helped him up.

"Geezus, Adam, you look like hell," Rocky commented.

"I feel like hell," Adam joked grimly. He couldn't let them see how badly he was hurting inside.

"Why don't one of you give him a hand; he's hurt," Tanya snapped impatiently.

"Sure, Tanya," Jason agreed, taking Adam's arm and helping him along. Adam would have preferred dressing himself, but he didn't have the strength to refuse.

Once ensconced in the storage room, Adam dropped his sheet; there was an awkward silence. Adam couldn't look at his friends; they really didn't know what to do until Jason caught sight of the burn on his back.

"Good Lord, Adam... did Nikkolo do that to you?" Jason gasped. Adam only nodded; it was easier than telling them the truth. He could almost see the wheels in Jason's mind turning as he wondered what could have been done to Tommy.

"If that's what he did to prisoners in the pleasure chambers,I'd hate to see what he does in the torture chambers," Rocky murmured humorlessly.

Nothing further was said, and in the end, Adam was grateful for his friends' assistance in getting dressed. It was so hard to move. The trio exited the storage room as Billy and Alpha emerged from the infirmary. Adam blushed as he found himself staring at Billy, who was still wearing nothing but the wrap Nikkolo had provided him. He hoped no one else had noticed.

"How's Tommy?" Kat queried, handing over Billy's clothes.

"Not good. There's still toxin in his system." Adam felt sick at that. Then he noticed Billy looking at him and realized that he knew something. Oh God, not Billy too! Billy's next words were directed specifically at him. "The initial dose of toxin was extremely heavy, and Tommy's system fought it for so long that the build up was just too great to be completely drained in one treatment." Adam was visibly relieved; bless Billy for being long-winded and circumspect while trying to be reassuring. However, Alpha's statement damn near shattered Adam's surface calm.

"Yeah, Kim's in there now jerking him off." Fortunately, the others were too stunned by the announcement to figure out that this wasn't the first time that sex had been used to help Tommy. Adam felt badly for Kimberly. He had always suspected that she and Tommy had been fooling around (especially since she had returned from Florida) even before Tommy's actions had confirmed that for him. Still, it felt like an invasion of their privacy to have Alpha blurt out such a delicate thing. The silence that fell over the group had been an uneasy one. Adam imagined he wasn't the only one who thought he heard moans echoing down the corridor from the infirmary; those faint sounds stirred his blood as he remembered being the cause of them....

Those same sounds had echoed throughout his dreams over the last three nights. He wished he could make the dreams go away; any more he was almost afraid to go to sleep. Whenever his guard was down, the little voice was there with its insinuations and suggestions--and it wasn't so much the dreams of what had happened. It was the dreams that spun off from what he had been forced to do with Tommy, dreams that involved the other guys as well.

_Why?_ Adam felt like shouting. He hadn't realized it, but he was back on his knees again, his head bowed as he gasped for air. He had been going at it a lot harder than he had intended. His shirt was soaked, and he wiped away the sweat that had trickled down into his eyes--at least he thought it was sweat. _Why is this happening to me? Why can't I dream about Tanya--or even Kimberly for pity's sake! I'm in love with Tanya, not Tommy. It's Tanya that I want to have sex with... Tanya that I...._

_... that you've been avoiding since you left the Power Chamber._ Adam sighed guiltily; maybe that's why he couldn't.... Tanya had called; she had stopped by, but he couldn't bring himself to see or talk to her. He knew that she had been uncommonly patient with him; normally, Tanya cut right to the heart of the matter. In a way, that was what Adam feared. There was no way he could tell her about what had happened: _how do you tell your girlfriend that you had sex with another guy--whatever the reason?_ He didn't know how much longer Tanya would be willing to let him remain silent. He knew he should tell her, but....

"Hey, Adam. Are you okay?"

Adam looked up and through the hair that dangled in his eyes, he saw Tanya crouching in front of him looking concerned.

"Yeah, I think I overdid it a little," Adam mumbled. He wasn't ready to face her. He stayed on his knees, head bowed, trying to gather his courage.

"Your mom thought you might be out here; she said you come here often when you want to think," Tanya continued, trying to find some way to draw him out. "And the caretaker told me this was your favorite spot. This is really a beautiful place; I can see why you like it. How'd you find out about it?"

A neutral topic--Adam was able to breathe a little easier. "Billy brought me here a couple of years ago and introduced me to Ko," Adam explained, recalling his first meeting with the wise caretaker.

"I'm glad to see that you're getting out," Tanya went on to say.

"I think I was starting to go crazy staring at my walls," Adam mumbled.

"I wish you'd open up and let me in. I want to help."

She wasn't wasting any time getting to the thick of things; Adam felt a sudden surge of panic, like he wanted to run away.

"I know, Tanya, and I'm sorry I'm being so difficult. It's just that...." _I barely understand what's going on myself; I doubt I could explain it to anyone else._

Tanya reached out and clasped his hand, giving it a firm squeeze, and she offered him a kind smile. "I just want you to know that I'm here for you whenever you're ready."

"I appreciate that, Tanya. Really." He *was* grateful for her offer; he only wished he had the nerve to take her up on it. He hated seeing her hurting for him.

"Do you think that, maybe, you'd like to get out and do something?" she queried, retreating for the moment.

"I guess so. I'm not sure if I'm real good company yet. What did you have in mind?"

"I didn't know if you'd heard or not, but Tommy's up and around. Kat's heading back to London tomorrow, and everyone was hoping to get together one last time before we had to split up...."

Adam swallowed nervously and felt a knot of fear tighten in his belly. He wasn't sure he was ready to face everyone, especially Kim and Tommy.

"... they want everyone to get together at the Youth Center."

"The Youth Center? Aren't we a little old to be hanging out there?"

"You know, for old time's sake. What do you say?"

"I don't know, Tanya.... "

"It would do everyone some good if you'd show up at least for a little bit. Look, we all know you and Tommy went through some rough stuff while in Nikkolo's dungeon, and we're all really worried. Why you don't feel like you can face us? Whatever happened to you wasn't your fault. I don't know what you're afraid of...."

_I'm afraid of myself!_

"... but you can't hide from your friends forever."

Adam sighed. Tanya was right. Hiding from his friends would only make things worse; besides, they only wanted to help. He'd always been able to turn to Billy and the others in times of trouble before; why not now? _Because this isn't like not having the courage to talk to a girl; you think you're attracted to guys!_ How could he tell Billy something like that? Billy had been able to understand a lot about him over the years, but Adam doubted he would be able to help him with this. And Rocky... it'd probably drive Rocky away screaming. He was okay with the thought of homosexuality--as long as it didn't get too close to him. He wasn't sure about Jason, and Tommy... what would he say to Tommy? What could he say? Then, then girls... what would they think? Even as Adam came up with every reason in the book for not turning to his friends, he knew that he couldn't keep avoiding them. Maybe seeing everyone in a group wouldn't be so bad.

"All right," he acquiesed.

"You will?"

Obviously, Tanya hadn't expected him to give in. He smiled at her amazed expression. "What time do we have to be there?"

"You have just enough time to go home and take a shower," Tanya pronounced, wrinkling her nose. Her reaction made Adam chuckle and smile slightly. It was the first time in days that had happened. It was nice to know he still could.

"Tommy!"

"Hey, bro!"

"Good to see you up and around!"

"Hey guys," Tommy greeted his friends with a warm grin as he and Kim entered the Juice Bar. Tommy found himself looking around wistfully. The place brought back a lot of old memories; they had spent so much time here as kids, and there was something comforting in seeing his friends gathered around one of the old tables looking up to greet him: Kat, Jason, Rocky, Billy.... Tommy frowned as he realized that Adam and Tanya were missing. Kim had said everyone was supposed to be at lunch.

"How are you feeling?" Billy queried. Tommy knew he had spoken for them all; in spite of his friends' smiles, he could see the concern in their faces.

"Still a little weak, but otherwise I'm all right," he answered as he took a seat. Tommy felt a prickle of annoyance as he caught the glance Kim shared with Billy. It was clear that they didn't believe him. He wished Kim would quit treating him as if he were a china doll; he wasn't going to break or anything. So he didn't want to tell her about what happened just yet--it was no big deal. He intended to tell her--soon; he wanted to check with Adam first to find out what he was going to tell Tanya. He really was all right--physically and emotionally. He was dealing with what had happened just fine.

So he'd been taken by another guy (and poisoned); he could handle that. After all, he had intervened to keep it from happening to Adam, and although he hadn't known it at the time, he had saved Urgul's life--well he would have if Nikkolo hadn't turned Urgul into dust.

As far as what he had done with Adam... okay, he had shared a bed with Adam; no big deal. Adam would have frozen if it hadn't been for the heat Tommy had been radiating. He had intimately touched and kissed Adam. That one was a little harder, but still, Tommy could accept what he had done. They both knew that Tommy wasn't at fault--it was the spore and the poison. Besides, Adam was his friend, and they had had to endure worse things than being forced to share a kiss. Granted, kissing Adam wasn't something he'd have choosen if he had been in his right mind, but Tommy had to admit that the actual... event... hadn't been so bad--just the circumstances surrounding it. He could deal with it. He just hoped Adam understood and didn't hold it against him.

_Okay Mr. I-can-deal-with-it, if you're so damned all right, how come you wouldn't come out of your room for the last couple of days? How come you're afraid to talk to your girlfriend, and how come you keep having those nightmares about molesting your friend?_

"Tommy?"

Tommy shook his head to clear it. He realized that Kim had her hand on his arm and was peering up at him with concern. Everyone else at the table was also regarding him anxiously.

"Are you all right?" Kim wondered.

"Yeah, I'm fine." _Ha!_ "My mind was just sort of wandering."

"Are you sure you're up to this? You're looking a little pale," she pursued softly.

"Stop being such a worrywart, okay?" Tommy kissed her affectionately on top of her head then reached for the soda she had ordered for him. He glanced up at the others, who all suddenly seemed to be interested in other things. "Come on, you guys; it's no big deal. All right? Hey, isn't someone going to tell me how the three of you escaped from Nikkolo's cells?"

"You mean Kim hasn't told you?" Jason wondered.

"Every time I try to talk to him, he falls asleep," Kim harumphed, letting her displeasure at being put off be known.

"It was pretty wild," Rocky began enthusiastically and launched into the tale. Tommy observed that Jason and Billy sat back and let Rocky have the floor. Jason occasionally interjected to correct a minor point. For the most part, Billy listened to Rocky's recitation with an air of amused tolerance, giving Tommy the sense that Rocky was leaving out something that struck Billy as funny. In fact, Tommy caught Billy's eyes at one point, and his friend offered him a conspiratorial grin. He would ask Billy about the rest of it later, in private. It suddenly hit Tommy how long it had been since he and Billy hadn't needed words to communicate, and he was surprised to find that he could still read Billy after a two year absence.

"... and then, whoosh! Kim zapped us home," Rocky concluded. "Of course, the drone followed us, and since the other Rangers are gone, we had to use the Zeo powers to defeat the walking tin can...."

"You guys went back into action and I missed it? Oh man...!" Tommy groaned, his envy unfeigned. He had missed being a Ranger more than he cared to admit sometimes. "So, Billy, how was it being the Blue Ranger again?"

"How did you know?"

"What other color would you possibly be? You'll always be the Blue Ranger--uh, sorry, Rocky."

"That's okay; when I think of the Blue Ranger, I generally picture Billy too."

"Well, Billy...?"

"It was... morphinominal."

That produced laughter all around, and it made Tommy feel better than anyone could know to share in it. He hadn't felt much like laughing lately.

"So, what about you and Adam? What happened to you guys? How'd you escape?" Rocky queried. The others cringed at his bluntness; leave it to Rocky to have all the tact of a tenga.

"Didn't Adam tell you guys already?" Tommy asked, genuinely surprised. "By the way, where is he?"

"Tanya called to say that they were running late," Kat supplied helpfully. "We haven't seen Adam since Dimitria released him from the Power Chamber," Billy explained.

"When I called the other day, he said that he was taking it easy because of his back," Rocky volunteered, able to sympathize with an injury of that nature.

"What happened to his back?"

"You mean you don't know?" Jason queried.

Tommy shook his head, feeling sick to his stomach. In his madness, had he done something to seriously hurt Adam? That was the thing he feared the most--losing control and injuring Adam; it was the image that haunted his nightmares. Tommy supposed he could have called Adam and asked him about it, but he had always managed to find a reason not to. _Face it, you're just plain scared to find out._ "I was infected with the toxin almost immediately after I was tossed in the cell. It was pretty powerful stuff and started warping my mind really quickly. My memories are sketchy at best; I can't remember much of anything that happened on that last day." His recollections of that final day were pretty much lost in a green-tinged haze; he did have one clear memory, however, of being on his knees in the cold shower then flattening Nikkolo. After that, there was nothing.

_Please, tell me I didn't rape Adam!_ Tommy knew that the only reason he was still alive was that he had "taken" someone. He hoped that he had found his release from the pain and madness with Nikkolo and not his friend.

"According to Alpha's scans of the injury, it appears that Adam suffered some form of chemical burn on his lower back," Billy related.

Tommy nodded; Billy's words filled him with such a sense of relief. He had no idea how Adam could have gotten burned--perhaps something happened during their escape? Tommy clung to that faint hope. He prayed no one else noticed his sigh... however, his hand shook as he reached for his soda. He didn't even need to look to know that the tremor hadn't gone unnoticed by Kim and Billy.

"We'll have to ask Adam when he and Tanya get here," Rocky continued, unaware of Tommy's discomfort.

"If you want to know how Tommy and Adam escaped from their cell, you could try asking me," Kimberly suggested suddenly. Tommy shot her an incredulous look. "After all, I was monitoring Nikkolo's fortress ever since I teleported the three of you back home."

Kim had gotten them home? Why hadn't she told him... _She's probably tried, but you won't talk to her._

"There were these two lizard-things and a really big hairy thing...."

"IgwaNai, his bond brother no doubt, and Ufka as a Kyshaak," Billy said helpfully.

"Whatever. Anyway, the hairy guy...." Kim's words faded into the background as Tommy looked up and spotted Adam and Tanya coming in the door. Tanya was holding Adam's hand--a little too tightly maybe?--and Adam offered her one of his lopsided grins, but the smile never seemed to touch his eyes. Tension between the two of them? _You're reading too much into it. Just because things are a little tense between you and Kim right now doesn't mean Tanya and Adam are having problems too. At least, he hoped they weren't. Although, Tommy did have to admit that Adam looked really skittish, almost as if he didn't want to be there. Tommy could empathize with that. He was feeling really nervous right now; his palms were all sweaty, and he surreptitiously wiped them on his shorts.

"Hey, you two, it's about time!" Rocky called out. "We were going to start lunch without you."

"Never get between Rocky and his lunch," Kat teased softly.

"Hi, Tommy; it's good to see you," Tanya said as she slid into the seat next to Kat. That left the seat directly across from Tommy open.

"Hey, Adam," Kim murmured in an affectionate tone that puzzled Tommy. "How are you holding up? Is the back okay?"

"It's doing a lot better; thanks," Adam murmured. Tommy had the feeling that they weren't really talking about Adam's back.

Adam finally took his seat, but when he did, he kept his head down as if he couldn't meet anyone's eyes. An awkward silence fell over the group, and Tommy could feel the others' eyes shifting from him to Adam.

"So, are we ready to order lunch?" Jason asked suddenly.

"Let's do it!" Rocky agreed enthusiastically. Tommy was all but oblivious to the chatter around him. He wished Adam would look up; Adam had to give him some sign that things were okay between them. However, Adam kept his eyes downcast. That worried Tommy

"Adam, what about you? What'll you have?" Kim queried.

Adam glanced up at her briefly. "I'm not very hungry right now." Then, Adam's gaze flickered in his direction--only for an instant--and Tommy felt as if he had been kicked in the stomach. What he saw in Adam's eyes was fear.

Tommy's calm facade shattered as he dropped his eyes, biting back guilty tears. _Oh God, I did do it; I lost control and raped him!_ Panic seized Tommy. He couldn't let the others see... he didn't want them to know what he had done. He reached for his drink, just to be doing something; however he was shaking so badly that he couldn't hang onto the glass.

"Tommy? What's wrong?" Kim queried as she quickly grabbed a handful of napkins to mop up the mess. Tommy was unable to do a thing to help her; he simply stared at the mess in his lap. It was better than facing the others. Still, he hazzarded a peek at Adam. The fear was gone, replaced by puzzlement.

"Why don't you head to the restroom and use the hand dryer to...." Kim's voice caught in her throat as she glanced up at him. What had she seen in his face to startle her so? Misery? Guilt? Shame?

"Excuse me, I don't feel real good right now," Tommy mumbled lamely as he shot up out of his chair. The urge to flee was too overpowering to resist.

"Tommy, wait!" Kim called out, chasing after him. She caught up to him at the door. "Tommy, tell me what's going on. Please!" She clasped his hands tightly and peered up at him with tear-filled eyes. Her love and concern were naked in her expression, and Tommy knew he didn't deserve it, not after what he had done to Adam.

"Kim, I... I just need some air."

With that, Tommy pulled himself away and fled the building, tearing across the parking lot and heading towards the park. His vison was blurred as his emotions threatened to overwhelm him. Yet, even as he ran from the Youth Center--from Kimberly and his friends--he knew that there would be no running from what he had done.

"Tommy, don't! Come back!" Kimberly shouted after Tommy, following him to the door.

Back at the table, Billy traded incredulous looks with the others. "What was that all about?" Rocky wondered.

"I have no idea," Billy murmured. He, along with the others, turned to look at Adam.

"What are you looking at me for? I don't know what's bugging Tommy," Adam snapped.

"No one said you did, hon," Tanya murmured, soothingly patting his arm.

"Maybe we'd better let it drop," Jason whispered to Billy.

"Definitely. I'm going to check on Kim," Billy replied. Kim was standing at the entrance to the Youth Center, her head bowed against the glass door. Even from a distance Billy could see that her shoulders were shaking.

"Kim?" he queried softly as he came up behind her. Kim turned to him, her eyes brimming with tears.

"Billy...." she began helplessly, then her tears got the better of her. She clung to Billy as she cried in frustration. "Why won't he talk to me? Why won't he let me help?"

"I don't know, Kim," he responded with a heavy sigh, doing his best to comfort her. Billy thought of his earlier estimate of Tommy's ability to cope with being manipulated by others and wondered if he had finally reached his limits.

"He won't even listen to me when I try to tell him I know what's wrong," Kim continued with a sniffle.

"Do you know what's bothering Tommy?"

"Pretty much. I've heard him wake up screaming from the nightmares... he's afraid he raped Adam," Kim answered softly.

_That's because he did rape Adam--in the purest definition of the term,_ Billy mused. In spite of the fact that Adam had consented, he still hadn't wanted to be sodomized by Tommy--his consent had been coerced. There was also the fact that Tommy wasn't responsible for his own actions. He hadn't wanted to sodomize Adam but had been forced to. Both Adam and Tommy were victims; in a sense, they had both been raped by Nikkolo: Adam by proxy and Tommy in spirit.

"Well, I know he did rape Adam... I mean, Adam really didn't want to have sex with Tommy in spite of the fact that he let Tommy...." Kim hastened to say as if picking up on Billy's thoughts. "Tommy just didn't do it the way he thinks he did. He thinks he did Adam like Urgul did him--violently and without regard for Adam, but he didn't! He doesn't know Adam let him do what he did. He doesn't know that he tried to be gentle with Adam and make it good for him. If he'd just listen to me, I could tell him what happened, but he won't let me help him!"

_The problem is probably deeper than his guilt over sodomizing Adam. There's also the fact that he was raped to consider and the fact that once again, he had been stripped of his will and turned into someone else's puppet,_ Billy reflected; however, he suspected that Kim was essentially correct. Knowing the way Tommy's mind tended to work, he would latch onto the external problem--his actions against Adam. Those were easier to deal with than internal conflicts. Billy was about to say as much to Kimberly when he noticed a commotion behind them. Turning, he saw Adam leave the table and disappear into the restroom.

"Tommy isn't the only one having difficulties with what occured," Billy murmured.

"Poor Adam," Kim sighed. "I wish there was something I could do to help him out. If he hadn't let Tommy do those things to him, he wouldn't be so confused right now."

"What do you mean?"

Kim was about to answer when her eyes locked on to someone behind Billy. A quick look revealed it to be Tanya.

"Is Adam all right?" Kim queried.

"No, he's not," Tanya said sharply. Her words clearly stung Kimberly. Seeing Kim's pained reaction, she backed down--slightly. "Kim, what's going on? What happened between him and Tommy? Adam was fine until we entered the Youth Center; as soon as he laid eyes on Tommy he tensed up--I'd say he was shaking. The two of them could barely even look at each other, and when they did, it sent them running in opposite directions! Look, I know you know something. Adam won't talk to me. I want to help, but I don't know how."

Billy and Kimberly exchanged worried glances. Tanya deserved to know the truth, but Billy wasn't sure that he and Kim should be the ones to tell her. He observed that Kim's expression had become thoughtful. When her focus returned, Billy could see that she had come to a decision.

"Tanya, before I answer you, I need to ask you a really personal question," Kim said with obvious effort. Billy wasn't quite sure what Kim was up to.

"That depends on what it is," Tanya said guardedly. Tanya had always been a bit protective of her personal life.

"It's important--to both you and Adam. Have you guys ever had sex?" Tanya blushed hotly, and for a moment, Billy wasn't certain if Tanya was going to answer. Kim reached out to put a hand on Tanya's arm and looked at her imploringly.

"No," Tanya said softly.

Kim closed her eyes, a look of utter misery crossing her face. "Geezus, Billy, he had been a virgin. God, poor Adam."

Billy read fear in Tanya's face at Kim's words. "Kim, what's wrong? What did you mean 'had been'...?"

"I think you should sit down," Kim recommended. Responding to her nod, Billy quickly fetched a chair and guided Tanya into it. Kim crouched down before Tanya and held her hands tightly. When Kim spoke, it was with great difficulty. "Tommy and Adam were tortured... sexually."

It was a vague answer, but an inspired one, Billy reflected. That was essentially the truth without divulging the more problematic nature of the situation.

"Oh God." Tanya pulled her hands away from Kim and buried her face in them. Billy heard a soft gasp behind him and looked up to find that the others had joined them. Both Jason and Rocky looked a little pale, and Kat was on the verge of tears.

"Adam didn't want to tell me what happened," Kim continued when she noticed that the first shock had passed, "but he had to because I had to know what was wrong with Tommy so Alpha could treat him. Even then, he didn't say a whole lot. He only told me about what happened to Tommy, not about anything that happened to him."

"Does Tommy know?" Tanya queried.

"He won't talk to me either," Kim said sadly. "Tommy said that he didn't remember much about what happened," Billy informed Tanya. "The poison effected his mind. Adam's probably the only one who can tell us what went on in the cell." That, at least, was the truth.

"What can I do, Kim? I want to help Adam, but how can I if he won't let me in?" Tanya asked plaintively.

"I don't know, Tanya, and I wish I did." Kim threw her arms around Tanya, sharing her fears and her tears. Billy looked to the others, taking in their somber expressions. He could see them looking to him for answers, but he had none to give. He felt so damned helpless! He hadn't felt like that since... since the first time his friends had gone into battle without him. He had felt useless then, and he felt useless now, and Billy didn't like it at all.

Tommy lay on his bed staring at the ceiling, cradling close the stuffed dog Kim had given him as a get-well present in the hopes it might bring him some comfort. It hadn't yet. He had been in the same position ever since he retreated to his bedroom after walking home from the Youth Center; he hadn't even bothered changing out of his sweat-soaked clothes. He was still numb from the revelations at the juice bar. He just couldn't seem to get past the fact that he had violated Adam. It sickened him to know that he had once again hurt a friend because he had been unable to resist another's efforts to control him.

_What am I going to do?_ he wondered as he closed his eyes and buried his face in the fluffy white bundle. It smelled faintly of Kim's perfume.

There was a knock at his door.

"Go away," he muttered.

"Tommy, it's me," Kim called out, then she opened the door.

Tommy glanced up at her as she remained standing in the doorway. He was unable to decipher the look on her face. "Look, Kim, I'm really not in the mood to...."

"Talk? I'm not here to talk. I'm here to borrow your communicator," she snapped as she purposefully marched over to his nightstand and began rummaging around. She didn't even so much as look at him, which puzzled Tommy. He could tell by the tension in her back that she was angry.

"What's wrong?" he ventured softly.

She shot him a look of utter amazement as if to say, 'you have to ask?' "The least you could have done was left me the keys to your 4 x 4 when you took off this afternoon," she answered curtly. "Billy had to bring me home. You'll have to go back and get the thing sometime before Lt. Stone has it towed."

"Oh." Kim was still resolutely rummaging through his drawer, unable to find his communicator. "It's tucked away at the back of my sock drawer. What do you need it for?"

"I'm going to go talk to Adam. Since he's not taking any calls or seeing anyone either, I'm going to teleport in. He'll have to see me then."

That was a violation of the rules about using their powers for personal reasons, but Kim seemed undeterred by it. Tommy didn't think Dimitria would allow it; however, he had enough sense not to point that out to Kim. Judging by her grumbling over the past couple of days, Kim was not especially on good terms with Dimitria and Alpha.

"Kim, Adam probably doesn't feel like talking to anyone right now either. He and I have a lot to work out."

"Then shouldn't you be talking to each other instead of moping in your bedrooms?"

Kim's barb hit home. "Kim, please, you just don't understand...."

"Then talk to me. Tell me. I want to understand. I want to help, and so does Tanya, but neither of you will let us. Your and Adam's troubles have gone beyond what happened in Nikkolo's cell; you two aren't the only ones being affected by them. They're hurting me and Tanya, too."

"Kim, I want to tell you... really... it's just that... I can't...."

"Tommy, you didn't rape Adam."

Kim said it so quietly--her back was to him--that Tommy wasn't sure he heard her correctly. It took a moment for her statement to sink in, and when it did, it hit him with the force of a wrecking ball. Tommy was too stunned even to deny her words. When Kim turned to look at him, tears were streaming down her cheeks, and some of the anger had eased from her body.

"What?" he stammered.

"Tommy, I know what happened," she continued. "I know how you were poisoned; I know what the poison made you do, and I *saw* what you did to Adam. You didn't force him; he let you do what you had to. You didn't hurt him; you were really quite gentle."

Tommy felt a shudder rip through him, and he felt his emotions surging. He looked at Kimberly for a long moment, taking in her tear-filled eyes and sad smile. She knew--she wasn't guessing, and it devastated him to know that she knew what he had done. However, amid his self-recriminations and anger, he felt a tiny flicker of hope--hope that had died in him earlier in the afternoon when he had looked in Adam's eyes. Tommy wanted to believe her--oh, how he wanted to believe her--but he was afraid... if he hadn't raped Adam, then why had there been such fear--and anger--in Adam's eyes?

"Adam isn't angry with you, Tommy," Kim continued, picking up on his reticence. "He knows you didn't want to sodomize him; he knows you couldn't help it. I think he's angry with himself."

"Why would he be mad at himself?" Tommy blurted out. That didn't make sense. He could see Adam being angry at him and Nikkolo, but he had done nothing that he needed to be angry or ashamed of.

"Tommy, I think Adam... liked... some of the things you did to him and now he's scared that...."

"Oh." Tommy understood what Kim was getting at; it was something he hadn't considered before. _Oh man, don't tell me I did that to him too!_ "Had he and Tanya ever...?"

"No, but Tanya says that they were both interested; they'd get started then one of them would get nervous and back away. That's why I don't think Adam's gay; he's obviously interested in Tanya. The trouble is he just doesn't know what his body's normal reponses are. I mean, we all have really sensitive spots that'd get a rise out of us regardless of who touched them."

Tommy couldn't argue with that. Kim could just look at his earlobes with the intent to nibble and he'd get the shivers, and the inside of her right forearm was particularly sensitive to being stroked. He doubted that having Adam chew on his earlobes would do as much for him as it did when Kim did it, but it was conceivable that it would produce some sort of reaction. The same with Kim's arm; Aisha had been the one who told him about it, and he always wondered how she had found out. He dismissed that bit of speculation as he watched Kim fasten on his communicator. "You're going to talk to Adam about this?" Tommy asked dubiously.

"I'm the only one who can--I'm the only one who saw his struggle."

"Billy was always close to Adam," Tommy suggested, recalling--among other things--the many times he had seen the two locked in conversation.

"I know, but I don't think Billy is the right person for this. This requires a woman's touch. If words won't work, a demonstration may be in order."

Tommy wasn't sure he was comfortable with what Kimberly was proposing. He didn't know why it was so important that she help Adam, but it was obvious by the steel in her tone that nothing he could do or say would dissuade her. It wasn't like he was worried or anything; he trusted Kim. They were friends and lovers, but Tommy wasn't her keeper. If she felt she needed to do this, it wasn't his place to tell her no. He never would. Besides, if Kim was correct and Adam was having doubts about his sexuality, he was going to need some help to get through it. However, if that was the case, Tommy knew that Kimberly wasn't the right person to be helping Adam out.

With that in mind, Tommy said, "Be careful, Kim. This may not be something you can help with. You might wind up making things worse for Adam."

"Somebody has to do something; this is tearing Adam and Tanya apart. I can't bear to see them suffering like this."

"Does Tanya know what you're planning on doing?"

"I talked to her. I didn't tell her what I suspected, but I did ask permission to do what I thought best to try and get through to him. She said she didn't mind as long as it helped Adam. I promised her--and I promise you--that I wouldn't do anything to intrude on their relationship. I wouldn't hurt that for anything."

"All right," Tommy acquiesed. Kim favored him with a grateful smile and gave his hand a squeeze. Tommy squeezed back as if he wouldn't let her hand go. If Kim could do this for Adam... if she could be so calm about what happened, maybe.... "Kim...."

"Yes?"

"When you get done with Adam, do you think we could... talk?"

Kim's expression brightened. "Are you sure?"

"Yeah."

"Would you rather we do it now?" Kim asked hopefully. It caused Tommy a pang of conscience to see how much his small gesture of opening up meant to her. "Since Adam doesn't know I'm coming...."

"Adam probably needs your help more than I do at the moment. Go ahead and talk to him first," Tommy demurred.

"I'll be back as soon as possible."

"I know. Good luck."

"Thanks."

Kim vanished in a flash of reddish pink light, and Tommy sincerely hoped that she could help Adam--for all their sakes.

"... oh God... no more... please... oh please!... Tommy...!" With that gasp, Adam awoke, his sweat-streaked body trembling from the intensity of the dream.

"Damn it; not another one!" he swore as he pushed aside the hair that was plastered to his face; he felt like punching something, only he didn't have the energy. It was still beastly hot and humid outside, and the air conditioner picked a fine time to break down. Adam lay on his bed wearing only his oldest, most comfortable pair of boxer shorts (the black ones Aisha had given him for his birthday eons ago); he couldn't bear to wear anything else. It was just too hot. His window was open, but there was no breeze to speak of, and the fan was doing little good. He was as miserable physically as he was emotionally.

_Well, why not. It's been a crappy day all the way around,_ he groused. Going to the Youth Center had been a disaster. He had thought he had prepared himself to see the others, but the minute he laid eyes on Tommy, he had lost his composure. An overwhelming sense of panic took hold of him, tying his nervous stomach into knots. He would have been grateful to sit down except for the fact that he had been seated across from Tommy. He had done his best not to look at Tommy, afraid that Tommy might somehow see his conflict and... and what? How would Tommy react if he knew what had been going through Adam's head about him and the others? Although he hadn't wanted Tommy to see, he couldn't resist just a quick glance. He had felt Tommy's imploring gaze and had been curious to know what Tommy was searching for. Their eyes met for just a second... and all hell had broken loose. Tommy looked as if his spirit had been completely crushed, which confused and concerned Adam. Then, he had fled.

Adam had known that, somehow, it had been his fault, but he wasn't sure what he had done. Had Tommy misinterpreted Adam's anxiety as anger? He wasn't angry with Tommy--he couldn't be. Tommy wasn't responsible for what happened; Adam knew that, nor was Tommy to blame for his confusion and doubt. The problem had been there long before this whole mess had started.

With a sigh, Adam shifted around on his bed, trying to find a cool spot on the sheets with no success. They were just as damp as he was. He felt horrible--just like at the juice bar. He wanted to be physically ill in the wake of Tommy's departure, his guilt and self torment rising smotheringly inside him. Then came the wondering stares of the rest of the gang. They had all looked to him as if he had the answers, but he hadn't. Not for Tommy. Not for himself. He had retreated from their penetrating stares as if somehow they might see inside him; his own urge to flee had been growing stronger, more difficult to resist until he saw Billy comforting Kimberly. That had broken him--along with the pain he saw in Tanya's face. He had run for the restroom and had been sick.

Finally, Jason and Rocky had come in after him and had taken him home, assuring him that Billy and Kat would see to Kim and Tanya. The pity in their eyes was more than he could bear. Never had the drive from the Youth Center seemed so long. Adam had retreated to his room, and it hadn't been long before everything caught up to him and he had fallen asleep--a sleep made uneasy by his torment and uncertain desires.

_Stop fighting this. You're only going to be miserable until you can admit to yourself that you want these things._

_No... it just isn't right...._

_Isn't it? What's so wrong with being attracted to other men?_

_I'm not... what about Tanya? _

Adam rolled over, trying to shut out the voice. A glance at the clock told him it was past dinner time, but he wasn't hungry. Adam wished he could go back to sleep; however, he was almost afraid to. He didn't want to be alone--the voice was always the worst when he was alone--but he couldn't bring himself to be around anyone else, least of all his friends. He flopped back on his bed, staring numbly at the ceiling when he caught a flash of light out of the corner of his eye.

"What...?" Sitting up, he saw Kimberly standing at the foot of his bed. "Kim? What are you doing here?"

"May I sit down?" she asked, smiling gently.

"Uh, I guess so," Adam mumbled. He realized belatedly that his desk chair was missing; the only place for her to sit was on his bed. He hurriedly straightened the covers and made room for her. Adam wanted to die of embarrassment; here he was--barely dressed--in his bedroom with Kimberly. Not to mention the fact that he was still had the remnants of the hard-on left over from his dream, and boxer shorts were not the best for containing anything. Adam folding his hands in his lap, his gaze firmly fixed on the floor.

"Relax, Adam; I don't bite," Kim teased, resting a hand on his tightly coiled shoulder, and Adam suddenly felt as if every nerve ending in his body was on fire. It was as if his already excited hormones suddenly realized that Kimberly was female--and an attractive one at that. He tried to push the thought aside; why couldn't he control himself? This was getting ridiculous. Kim was just a friend, not someone he'd ever consider doing anything with.

_Well, why not?_

"What are you doing here?" Adam reiterated, his tongue tripping over the words. He had never been this nervous around Kimberly in all the time he had known her.

"I'm here because I thought you might like to talk to someone. I just want to help, if I can." Kim slid off the bed and knelt on the floor in front of Adam. She placed her hands over his and peered up at him entreatingly. "Will you tell me what's wrong?"

"I'm not even sure if I know what's wrong."

"Please, Adam. Don't shrug me off. Let me help."

She looked so ernest... Adam could see that her soft brown eyes were red, as if she had been crying not too long ago, and he wondered if Tommy was being as closed lipped as he was. Tommy had no reason to hide anything from Kimberly; after all, she already knew.... What could it hurt to open up to Kimberly? He had already decided that he really didn't want to be alone but he didn't know whom to turn to. Kim would be perfect. He had gone to her for advice and stuff while they had been in school together; she was easy to talk to, and he wouldn't have to worry about trying to explain what happened.

_But can I tell her what's really bugging me? Can I tell her my doubts about myself?_ Adam simply stared at her for a moment, and in the end, his courage failed him. "I don't think you can help with this," he replied with a heart felt sigh.

"Try me. You might be surprised." Kim favored him with one of her kind smiles and reached up to touch his cheek. "Tell you what, let me take a guess. Does it have anything to do with how torn you were about what Tommy was doing to you?" she asked delicately.

Adam's head snapped up, and he regarded Kim with fear-widened eyes. His heart pounded heavily in his chest. She could tell that...?

"In the monitor... I could see... one minute you looked completely miserable and the next like you were in heaven." Kim's voice quavered a little as she spoke. That was nothing compared to the trembling in Adam's limbs. He couldn't meet Kimberly's expectant gaze and buried his face in his hands.

"It's okay, Adam," she said soothingly. She sat down next to him and put her arm around him, easing his head onto her shoulder. Adam remembered how comforting her embrace had felt in the Power Chamber--hers and Tanya's. It was like she had lifted the burden from his shoulders if only for a little while, and Adam ached for such a respite. He gave himself over to her hug willingly. No tears came this time, but he could feel the emotion pouring out of him in how tightly he clung to her. For a long time, neither of them spoke, and while she held him, Kim gently stroked his hair. That felt so good.

"You know, Adam, the fact that you liked some of the stuff Tommy did doesn't necessarily mean anything."

Adam raised his eyes to her, perplexed. Kim's expression looked thoughtful. "What do you mean?"

"I don't think it was Tommy you were responding to, just the things he was doing," Kim elaborated. She glanced down at Adam and saw that he didn't understand. "The places he touched... they were really sensitive, right? Everybody has sensitive spots like that, and we respond whenever anybody hits them. Here, let me show you." She held out her right arm to him, turning it so that the soft inner skin was up. "Take your finger and run it down my arm."

Puzzled, Adam did as she requested. He lightly traced his finger from the base of her palm to the crook of her elbow. Her reaction was most startling. She sucked in an excited gasp of air, and a heavy tremor shuddered through her body. From where his head was cradled just slightly off her shoulder, he observed another surprising reaction: Kim's nipples had become noticably hard, and Adam blushed fiercely.

"My forearm is really sensitive, and I didn't find that out from Tommy," Kim said. "Actually, Aisha was the one who made the discovery; we'd been goofing around--y'know, nothing major--she'd been trying to run her finger down my spine to try and get me to jump. Anyway, somehow she wound up doing my arm instead, and I practically creamed myself." Adam's cheeks grew more red at that, and he saw that Kim was blushing slightly, too. "The point is, I get aroused whenever *anyone* strokes my arm just right--you, Tommy, even Aisha. That's just my body's natural response to that sort of stimulation. I figure that's the same sort of thing that happened to you with Tommy. He hit all the right spots, and it took you by surprise. I bet you'd have reacted the same way if Tanya had done those things to you."

Adam wished Tanya had done those things to him. He understood what Kim was driving at; however, he wasn't convinced. _Then how come I've always been curious about other guys?_ Kimberly must have picked up on his doubt because she sighed heavily. However, she said nothing. She continued to hold him, stroking his hair, and Adam was willing to let her. It felt so nice... and Adam sighed contentedly.

"Adam, you've seen guys naked before this happened with Tommy--like in the locker room and stuff, right?"

Adam couldn't find his voice, so he merely nodded. It was so hard to think straight when he could see down the bodice of Kimberly's dress. He knew he shouldn't be looking, but he couldn't help himself. The effects of that brush of her arm still lingered, and the rise and fall of her chest as she breathed was having a sort of lulling effect on him. It made him feel so warm and good to be sitting there with her... having her arm around him. She was so soft and smelled so good, and her voice was so gentle. He needed gentleness right now.

"Have you ever seen a woman naked--and I don't mean in pictures." Adam felt his pulse quicken as he thought of Tanya; how many times had he tried to imagine what she looked like without her clothes? Somehow, his imaginings never seemed to measure up to the small glimpses of her body he'd catch.

When he didn't answer, Kim stood up. Adam regarded her thoughtful expression wonderingly; she almost looked nervous. Then, to his astonishment, she slid the straps of her flirty little dress down her shoulders. Adam swallowed with difficulty as the lightweight fabric slowly fluttered down her body until it pooled around her ankles. Kim carefully stepped out of the pile. She stood before Adam wearing nothing but a pair of white panties. Adam felt the heat in his cheeks and his loins. He couldn't look--he shouldn't--and yet he found himself sneaking peeks between his long bangs.

"You can look, Adam," Kim assured him. "I don't mind. I've nothing to be ashamed of." She tilted Adam's chin upwards. His mouth was dry as he stared; he wasn't sure where to look first. She was all firm and lithely muscular and curvy and soft. Her skin was lightly bronzed with a tan-- _no tan lines,_ he realized with a gulp. Irresistably, his eyes were drawn to the gentle swell of her breasts. Full and soft... Adam's fingers ached with the urge to touch one. The dark rose colored nipples looked invitingly hard... Adam thought of all the times he had brushed against Tanya's breasts or glimpsed the impression of her nipples straining against her shirt. He had always wondered what her breasts felt like....

"It's okay if you'd like to touch one," Kim offered, noticing the intensity of his reaction. Adam reached out and with a shaky hand tentatively cupped her left breast, allowing the weight of her full mound to rest in his palm while his fingers curved up the the outside to lightly stroke the soft skin. A tiny grin lit his face; he had never felt anything like it as he kneaded the pliant flesh. Her nipple was nestled between his thumb and forefinger and he gave it a gentle squeeze. To his surprise and delight, Kim moaned softly.

Adam continued to fondle Kim's breasts, lost in the wonderment of the moment. He would have been content to remain with his hand on Kim's bosom; however a sudden electric shock shuddering through his own body snapped Adam out of his revery. Kim had reached out a hand to stroke his chest; her fingers lightly flicked over the taut knot of his own left nipple.

"Feels good, doesn't it?" she queried. Adam couldn't tell whether she referred to the breast he cupped or her fingers at his chest.

"Uh huh," he agreed thickly. Kim suddenly stepped closer, and Adam's arm slid around her waist. Then, his senses went into overload as her mouth closed over the nipple she had just been teasing. His arms tightened around Kim as he felt his knees get weak. Kim didn't linger long over the tiny, sensitive bud. She slowly kissed her way up his chest until she reached his neck. Adam found himself shivering as she drew inexorably closer to the spot where neck and shoulder met. However, before the scorching heat of her lips could sear him in that most sensitive area, Kim slipped around behind him. Adam felt her taut nipples pressing into his back as she slid her arms around him. Her fingers wandered up to toy with his nipples while her mouth went work on his neck.

"Oh my God!" Adam sighed with a sharp intake of air. He couldn't believe this was happening. It was just like when Tommy... Kim's mouth and hands were just as good... Kim's? No, that wasn't right; he shouldn't be... not with Kim... Tanya... oh God, what was he doing!

"Kim... please... stop!" Adam cried out. He spun around and grabbed Kim by the shoulders, shaking her roughly. She stared up at him in amazement. "What are you doing?"

"I just wanted to show you... I did the same things Tommy did to you, and you responded the same way," she answered, but her tone made her sound like a frightened child. "Don't you see, Adam; you don't have to be worried about being gay or anything like that. You got hard the moment I slipped my dress off; you wouldn't have done that if you had no interest in girls. You don't have to worry about what happened with Tommy; you're just a naturally responsive person."

_"... lean, smooth, clean lines, responsive...."_

Adam noticed that her eyes were filling with tears as she all but willed him to accept her words. Adam realized that he was gripping her shoulders very tightly, and he let her go; there were red marks where his fingers had dug into her soft skin. Without a word, he collected her dress and handed it to her. He understood what she was trying to do for him. She had tried to show him that he was still into girls; well, she had accomplished that. However, that didn't make his dilemma any simpler.

"Kim, look, I appreciate what you tried to do for me, and you were right," Adam said in a rush. "You got to me, so I guess this means I still like girls. It's just that... it's not that simple." Adam suddenly felt very lost and cold inside.

"I'm sorry, Adam; I guess I shouldn't have...." Kim stammered as she slipped her dress back on. It was her turn to be unable to look at him.

"Don't be sorry...."

"I've made a mess out of this...."

"No you haven't...."

"I'll go...."

Adam reached out and caught her arm. "Kim, don't. You didn't do anything wrong. You were only trying to help; I know that. Please, don't feel badly. Okay?"

"Okay," Kim responded, her lower lip quivering. A tear trickled down her cheek, and Adam smiled kindly as he brushed it away.

"It's all right, Kim."

She nodded; however, as soon as Adam let her go, she hit the button on Tommy's communicator and vanished.

"Damn," Adam muttered, looking about his room helplessly. He expected a snide comment from his bodiless tormentor, but the voice was strangely silent.