"Well, well, well, Red Ranger - I didn't think you had it in you," Lord Zedd commented. He'd tried once more to spy on Jason and Tommy, and a minute-long clearing up in the planetary disturbances had allowed him to watch the former leader of Earth's Rangers take his successor fast and furiously.

"Or rather, that Tommy gets to have you in him," the Evil Monarch gloated. "I knew he would not cut off his friends' balls to save himself, but I never imagined he'd take to his new role in life this fast! I wonder how the two Power Punks will explain their new relationship to the Pink Ranger? How heartbroken poor little Kimberly will be," Zedd mock-mourned.

He shut off his visor again; planetary rotation or whatever - Finster had repeatedly tried to explain, but Zedd wasn't really interested in the why or how as long as the end result was the same: he could no longer watch the Red and White Rangers fuck. Which was a pity, really; seemed as if Goody-two-shoes Jason had a nice little naughty trick or two up his sleeve to wear Tommy out so thoroughly, and apparently not for the first time, either - made further observation impossible, and it was time to think about how to use what he'd seen to his advantage. Muttering to himself under his breath, Zedd sat on his throne, drumming his steel-tipped fingers on an armrest. The past few days had been boring as all get-out; sure, he'd sent a few platoons of Putties to Earth, just to keep the remaining three Rangers on their toes, but there was no real challenge in taking on half a team; why waste a perfectly good monster on them?

However, reviewing the scene he'd watched up in the mountains once more, the skinless being slowly began to formulate a plan.

"Hmmm ... with good old Tommy being boinked by Jason, what will Kimberly do now? I wonder ... maybe she'll be more ... receptive ... to an offer by a real man now!" Losing himself in fiendish plans, Zedd never noticed that Baboo was slowly backing away, out of the throne room and his Master's sphere. The alien alchemist was shivering with dread under his blue-tinged fur. It had seemed so unlikely, given Tommy's relationship with the Pink Ranger, Human prejudices concerning sexual relations, and it had never worked on Muralis, the planet of origin of the sha'nach plant, because of a strong cultural taboo, which was why he hadn't mentioned the possibility to Lord Zedd ... but castration was not the only way to restore a changed Human male back to his original form; prolonged and intense sexual intercourse just might work as well. If Zordon and that cursed genius, the Blue Ranger, had figured that out ... Baboo had no desire to be anywhere near his Master if that was true. He would have preferred the other side of the Galaxy, really, but since that was out of the question, the deepest level of the moon's castle would just have to do. Stealthily, Baboo scurried away.

On Tuesday afternoon, Kimberly was a nervous wreck. Every night, she'd continued to be plagued by visions of her boyfriend and the team leader, locked in a heated embrace; while she had no real concept of what it would look like exactly, she had a very vivid imagination. After all, everybody on the team had been able to see that Tommy was just as attractive as a girl as in his male form, and Jason ... if they hadn't known each other practically since Kindergarten and considered each other almost like brother and sister, Kim was honest enough to admit that her friend was precisely the type of guy she used to fall for before Tommy entered her life. Strong, intelligent, absolutely gorgeous ... and a really nice guy to boot. It had only served to inflame her senses, so recently awakened by her deepening feelings for the White Ranger, all the more. Kimberly was torn between chagrin and embarrassment, but thinking of her two teammates together made her seek relief at her own hands every night, and sometimes even during the day when she could snatch a moment's privacy - something she'd never done before, not even in the early days of falling in love with the then-Green Ranger.

"I can't stand this anymore!" she moaned into her diet soda as she relaxed with Trini, Billy and a recently-returned Zack at Ernie's after the latest pointless Putty attack. "This is killing me!"

"What is, Kimberly?" Billy asked, momentarily puzzled. "I have to admit, Zedd's activity seems to have no particular purpose these days, but ..." he shut up abruptly as he noticed the petite girl's tear-filled glare. Belatedly, the young genius realized Kim was referring to personal problems rather than Ranger business. He lowered his gaze in embarrassment. Trini shook her head reprovingly at him and draped a comforting arm around her best friend's shoulders.

"Relax, Kim; Billy didn't mean it like that. - I'm sure Tommy will be okay; please don't fret so much. How are you holding up?" she asked, noticing the dark circles under the brown eyes with some concern. Kim sighed disconsolately, dabbing the threatening tears away.

"I ... I'm not sleeping very well," she admitted, turning weary eyes on her friends. "I'm worried about Tommy, about how this 'cure' will affect our relationship ... if it'll work at all ..."

"It ought to," Billy interjected softly when the Pink Ranger paused for breath. "I went over the data with Zordon and Alpha four times in all since last Saturday, and there is no reason why the, um, treatment shouldn't be completely effective. The only thing we couldn't determine was how often or how intensely Jason and Tommy need to, ah, apply the, er, remedy." The Blue Ranger blushed furiously; even using the most neutral euphemisms didn't help his overactive imagination. He'd been repeatedly forced to resort to self-gratification when he'd tried to calculate frequency and necessary intensity of his teammates engaging in sexual intercourse. All out of the desire to help his friends, naturally.

"Yeah, you told us," Kimberly sighed. "It still doesn't help much. Besides ..." she hesitated, unsure whether she should tell her friends about what else made her uneasy these days. Receiving only encouraging looks, she continued. "I know it sounds totally silly, guys, but ... I feel as if I'm being watched. At home. I know there's no-one; I checked, and I even contacted Alpha by communicator to scan my house and make sure, and yet I can't help this itchy feeling at the back of my neck. You know?" She rubbed her hand underneath her caramel locks to illustrate, in a gesture oddly reminiscent of Tommy.

To her relief, all three Rangers nodded understandingly.

"Sort of like in the early days, when Rita would attack us at every turn? And we just knew she was sitting up there on the Moon, spying on us?" Trini ventured.

"Exactly!" Kim exclaimed, her eyes lighting up momentarily. Then, they clouded again. "But I ... well, we got used to it, I thought," she muttered.

"It's probably just because Zedd hasn't sent down a monster all weekend," Zack shrugged. "I know I'm getting edgy when things have been too quiet too long. That, and your worry about Tommy ..." his voice trailed off.

"Very likely that is the reason for your current unease, Kimberly," Billy concurred. "The cumulative effect is playing havoc with your sensibilities to an uncommon degree."

"I guess you're right. But still ..." Kim frowned, not entirely convinced.

"You know what? You need a diversion from all this brooding," the Black Ranger offered. "And lucky for you, the Zack-man knows just the thing!"

"Oh? What did you have in mind?" Trini asked, sending an encouraging smile towards her Pink teammate. Zack grinned, bouncing in his chair like a first-grader.

"I was passing the library on my way here, and saw a few official-looking types putting up a poster," the dark-skinned young man explained eagerly. "Seems there's this international organization which is looking for candidates to take part in a Peace Conference made up entirely out of teenagers."

The three teens shared interested looks.

"I read about this in the paper the other day," Billy remembered. "A most worthy cause, and an excellent concept - to bring the future generation together early, before prejudices and habit can form barriers to free communication and interaction. If it should prove workable, it may be a true chance at world peace, maybe even within our lifetimes."

"Right. And you know what's the best part? The chosen delegates get to live in Europe to finish school and maybe even go to university there! Man, just think - London, Paris, Rome!" Zack enthused, jumping up from his chair and doing a few exuberant dance steps.

"As far as I know, the Conference is to be held in Geneva, Switzerland," Billy commented, an amused smile playing around his mouth when his friend's expression fell somewhat disappointedly. "But I agree, it would be quite an experience despite the less glamorous locale."

"Well, let's check it out then!"

Kim observed the eager gleam in her companions' eyes. Sighing once more, she deliberately shook off her funk. *Only one more night until Tommy comes back - and I hope NOT the way he left!* Searching for and finding at least a portion of her usual optimism, shored up by her friends' support, she put on a bright smile that was only slightly forced.

"Oh okay, why not? I doubt they'll pick someone from a small town like Angel Grove, but what can it hurt to take a look?"

"That's the spirit, Kim! Let's go, guys," Zack cheered, and led the way out of the Youth Center.

The sunset was spectacular as always in the mountains this time of year, but Jason doubted that Tommy was watching the lightshow Mother Nature put on. His best friend was standing at the edge of 'their' clearing again, looking out over the valley towards Angel Grove - just like he'd done when they'd arrived up here. The slumped shoulders told him where Tommy's thoughts were, and with a sigh the burly teen abandoned his packing. Instead, he made his way over to the slender figure - still female, despite their best efforts.

Jason couldn't hold back a lusty grin. His initiation into the world of sex had certainly been far less inhibited and much more intense than he'd ever dreamed. He sympathized fully with Tommy, would probably feel exactly like him if their situations were reversed, but that didn't alter the fact that he'd enjoyed himself immensely. And he'd personally hand his Power Coin to Zedd if Tommy hadn't, as well. *Nobody's THAT good an actor - and I'd swear on all I hold dear that Tommy's not been faking anything. No way!*

Ever since their tryst yesterday morning, the two had achieved a freedom with each other that surpassed everything they'd shared before. Their nightly lovemaking had been intense and satisfying from the outset, both physically and emotionally, but Jason still felt slightly stunned at what had happened in the aftermath of Tommy taking the lead for once.

*Man, we've been going at each other like rabbits!* he thought with a wry chuckle, careful his Bro couldn't hear him and think he was making light of his mood. *I actually lost count how often we did it yesterday. Let's see ... we each came twice here at the pond; the third time was when we hiked to the summit and Tommy bent over to tie his shoe and practically shoved that tight little ass in my face ... also, he took off his shirt when I did during lunch and he's still not wearing a bra or anything; how could I resist?* The Red Ranger felt his shorts tighten as he pictured his teammate's full mounds, their brown tips hard and rubbing sensually against his slick skin when Tommy had pressed himself against his back, nibbling at his neck from behind. *Then, when we came back and swam together, I fucked him in the water, with Tommy sitting on that rock over there ... there was the sixty-nine in front of the fire, and once more when he woke me at night because he had to go outside for a minute ... that's ... SEVEN times?!? Whoa! No wonder we didn't do much since getting up!* Jason whistled mentally as he came to stand behind his friend and lover.

Tommy sensed Jason as he approached; he didn't turn around, but when a large, warm hand came to rest on his shoulder, he covered it with his own, accepting the silent comfort gratefully. Neither spoke for a while, letting their physical closeness express what words couldn't. At last, Tommy sighed deeply. Still looking out over the lush mountain landscape, he searched for the right way to say what was on his mind.

"What if it doesn't work?"

There was no need to elaborate; both were all-too-aware of why they'd become intimate in the first place.

"It will, Bro," Jason soothed. "You know Zordon and Billy were pretty confident about that."

"Then why am I still like this?" the spell-changed young man asked plaintively, turning despondent brown eyes on his companion. "Ever since we came here, we've been practically fucking our brains out, and nothing has happened! Nothing!!"

His lover squeezed the slim shoulders reassuringly.

"Relax, Tommy - maybe it'll just take a little more time. Trust us, will you?"

"I do, but ... how much exactly is a little time? A week? A month?" To that, Jason had no ready answer. "It's not that I'm not grateful for what you're doing for me; I am, but ..."

"Hey, it's not as if it's exactly a chore," Jason grinned, trying to lighten the mood. "In case you hadn't noticed, I'm having a ball."

"Two, to be exact," Tommy pouted, unsuccessfully attempting to hide his own reluctant grin. "Like I used to have. I want mine back, Jase!" he added, serious once more.

"You'll get them, I'm sure. Meanwhile, I'll do everything I can to help you."

"You already have, more than I thought you could," the White Ranger retorted. In a move that was completely instinctive, he slipped both arms around the broad back and rested his forehead in the crook of Jason's neck. It seemed only right that the strong arms closed around himself and Jason rested his cheek on the long brown locks, hugging his friend warmly.

"Would you prefer a more painful cure?"

"No, of course not," Tommy sighed, relaxing into the embrace. A tiny part of his mind wondered why this was so easy, but he paid no attention. "I just wish I knew how long it's going to take. - Have I ever said thankyou?" he wondered, lifting serious eyes to the tanned face so close to his own.

"I don't remember, but it doesn't matter if you haven't," the Red Ranger soothed. "You know I'll be there for you, Tommy - always. Whatever you need and if it's in my power to give, you'll have it. I promise."

"I know. Still, let me say this just once - thank you, Jase. I don't think I could have gone through this with anyone else."

"You're welcome," Jason replied gently. Both teens smiled at each other, and then it was the most natural thing in the universe that their lips should meet and fuse together in a kiss that was very long and very, very sweet ... just two people expressing their feelings for each other. They separated just when they reached the edge of burgeoning desire; neither teenager wanted this moment of pure affection to change into something else. Slightly out of breath, they took a step backwards, both literally and figuratively.

"Later?" Jason asked huskily, loathe to let go just yet. He bent forward and brushed his mouth once more across the kiss-swollen lips in a teasing caress that suggested more to come.

"Later," Tommy acquiesced, touching his friend's cheek gently. His smile and the sparkle in his eyes made their own promises.

"Then let's finish packing up," the burly teen sighed comically. Reluctantly releasing his friend, he surveyed their strewn-about belongings. "I thought we're supposed to have less stuff now that most of the food is gone; where the hell does all that come from?"

"And where is it supposed to go?" the other added. "I know we had it all in our backpacks, but it completely beats me how we're going to fit everything and the tent and mattress ..."

"Well, Mom was rather careful how and where she packed my things," Jason admitted sheepishly. Tommy snickered. "Come on - you're not gonna tell me it was you who rolled and folded all your clothes?"

"Um, no," Tommy blushed slightly. "I mean, I did pack my own clothes myself before, but this ..." he indicated the feminine garments he'd been compelled to wear these past days. "Trini and Kim helped, since they were the ones getting 'em for me," came the embarrassed confession.

"I knew it!" the Red Ranger crowed, elbowing his best friend. Tommy shoved him away playfully. Soon, the two were roughhousing like always for a few, spirited minutes, until Jason ended the bout by tickling Tommy into laughing submission. "But, come on; let's get at this methodically. Everything was in our backpacks on the way up here; there has to be a way to get it back in, too. We just have to find it."

"Right. Can't let it be said we can't even pack by ourselves."

Together, they started to sort through their belongings, separating utensils and laundry and other sundry items. Idly Jason tossed a chartreuse pair of panties at Tommy, who caught it with a scowl; the lace edging the legs had irritated him mightily when he'd worn them and he remembered wondering how on Earth Mrs Taylor could stand the scratching near so sensitive a part of her anatomy. Not bothering to hide his smirk, Jason scooped up two of his balled-up red t-shirts, trying to fold them into as small a bundle as possible.

"Tommy?"

"Hmm?"

"You think folding and rolling things, like my Mom and the girls did, might help?"

"It's worth a try."

Night fell, and Jason and Tommy had indeed succeeded in putting everything away but what they needed for the night and the next morning. They'd earlier caught a couple of fish in 'their' pond to augment their depleted food supplies and were watching the flames of their small cooking fire die down one by one. When only softly-glowing embers remained, their eyes met and held under the starlight.

"Shall we give it one more try?" Jason asked quietly, holding out his hand towards his best friend.

Tommy placed his slender fingers into the warm palm without hesitation. "Maybe even two or three," he smiled, mellowed by the camaraderie he had shared with his teammate.

"Three?" the dark-haired young man laughed gently. "You have a lot of faith in my stamina!"

"In you and in Alpha's injections, yes," Tommy said softly, gazing deeply into the midnight eyes. "Besides, we haven't done anything today."

"Not since we got up, in any case," Jason agreed, dousing the last glowing log with a cupful of water. "But, I think I could be persuaded ..." The deep voice rumbled sensually, barely audible over the nightly sounds of the forest.

"Oh? How?" Tommy's lighter voice was a seductive whisper.

"Can't you think of anything?"

"Hmmm ... how about this?" the White Ranger pretended to think, then sidled up to his larger friend, slipping both arms around the strong neck and dusting several feather-light kisses over the tanned face, ending with a playful lick across the firm lips.

"You're definitely on the right way," Jason murmured, pulling Tommy close. They kissed deeply, letting their tongues duel until they were both out of breath and moaning with anticipation. Since they had a lot more room outside than in their tent, they undressed each other languidly, caressing each newly-bared inch of warm skin with hands and lips until they were shivering with more than just the nighttime chill in the air. It was a mutual decision to slip inside the red-and-green tent, where they stretched out next to each other on their sleeping bags. Jason reached over into the far corner and switched on a lamp they'd brought but seldom used. The batteries were already low, and the small dome filled with muted yellowish light, just enough so Jason could see the stiff peaks crowning Tommy's breasts, begging to be fondled, and Tommy was able to admire the silky steel of Jason's erection, lying hard and ready against his washboard stomach. He touched the pulsing length with a questing finger.

"You're bigger than I am," he murmured.

"Yeah?" Jason traced teasing circles around the quivering mounds, coming closer to the oh-so-kissable nipples, but not yet touching them. He hissed and shuddered pleasurably as Tommy used his thumb and forefinger to form a ring around his glans. The fingertips were barely touching when

Tommy twisted his hand carefully. "In what way?"

"Mmm hmm. I'd say I'm just as long but not quite as thick as you."

"We'll have to compare once you're back to normal," Jason muttered, only half-serious. He didn't notice Tommy's wide-eyed surprise at the suggestion since the temptation of those brown kernels of flesh was becoming irresistible, and he lowered his head to draw first one, then the other into his mouth, suckling them until Tommy arched into him in mute supplication. Words became superfluous and everything else was forgotten as the two Rangers lost themselves in increasingly heated exploration, until the only sounds were their ecstatic sighs and whispered encouragements. Jason slid into Tommy easily, rocking gently inside the warm sheath, leading both to a shared explosion into bliss.

Afterwards, they held each other close until the last tremors faded from their limbs, exchanging more kisses and bolder caresses until their bodies were straining for fulfillment once more. Tommy spread his slender thighs eagerly when the warm, wet mouth of his lover moved from his heaving breasts down his belly to his aching sex. The first teasing lick along the moist slit made him throw back his head in ecstasy, and he pressed the dark head deep into his pussy once Jason found the hidden kernel and latched onto it with gentle lips, a demanding tongue and careful teeth. Feeling the tide of lust rise higher, Tommy thought hazily that nothing could ever feel better like this, when his best friend proved him wrong by inserting first one, then two blunt fingers into the spasming channel.

"Ooooohhhhh," he moaned loudly, only to nearly scream in frustration when Jason lifted his head. "Don't stop now," he pleaded desperately.

"Don't worry, I won't," came the panted reply. "I just need to catch my breath a little." The dark eyes were sparkling brilliantly, hot gusts of air teasing Tommy's exposed clit. A playful lick down towards the finger-filled opening caused another needy moan.

"Jaaase ...!"

"Right here," Jason whispered, bending once again to his delicious feast. He drank of the free-flowing juices until the tangy taste seemed to flood his whole being, pumping his fingers in and out of the tight canal. Tommy went wild under his demanding mouth, writhing sensuously to prolong the exquisite torture. As was probably inevitable, a particularly intense gyration caused Jason's fingers to slip free of the wet hole, and Tommy whimpered with need. Grinning wickedly into the soft folds he was tonguing so avidly, Jason didn't re-insert his digits right away; instead, he started to dance up and down the hot cleft, tickling and teasing and driving his partner nearly mad with lust. He lifted his eyes up, letting them sweep across the smooth, quivering belly and saw that Tommy had already started to knead his own breasts, plucking at the stiff knoblets in rhythm with his own fluttering tongue. It was time to bring his lover off, and he knew just the way to do it.

The Red Ranger sought out the throbbing pleasure pearl once more, clamping his lips around the sensitive tissue and started to suck in a steady cadence. Simultaneously, his left hand lifted the smooth ass just a little, parting the rounded cheeks, and the fingers of his right hand dived deeply into the needy pussy. Before Tommy could react, he withdrew again, trailing moisture down the slick crack until he met that other entrance to the trembling body. There was no time to think; the strong muscle guarding this last mystery was clenching spasmodically, and as soon as it relaxed momentarily, Jason thrust a finger inside.

Time seemed to stand still as Tommy felt the intruder open his ass. It was strange, being penetrated there, but there was no pain, just a sense of stretching, of wanting to expel the digit and yet ... deep down, in his innermost recesses, there was that which desired to draw more and more of Jason inside. Torn with indecision, Tommy groaned. He was still trying to decide what to think, what to do, when the pleasure from his lover's mouth on his clit sent a fresh rush of desire throughout his body. The resultant quiver allowed Jason to delve even deeper, and the sensation was overwhelming. When he started to pump his finger in and out of the so-tight hole, shockwaves radiated outwards, meeting and merging with the electrical currents flowing from Jason's tongue to Tommy's clitoris. It was too much.

Abandoning himself to his body's demands, Tommy relaxed and let Jason have his way. Senses spinning, he felt a second, then a third finger enter his ass, fucking him as deeply as the thick cock had fucked his snatch before, and all else fled before the frantic run towards orgasm.

Jason was getting lightheaded with the need to breathe, but he knew it would be cruel to stop now, even for the few seconds it would take. Closing his eyes, concentrating only on his partner, he licked harder, faster, thrust his hand more deeply into the tight ass and joined inwardly in Tommy's cry of release as the slender body stiffened in the throes of a devastating climax. Only when the quivering limbs were still at last did he lift his mouth from the silken folds, licking up the last of his lover's nectar when he moved to lie beside his friend. He withdrew gently from the hot channel, wiping hand and face on a handy tee, and gathered his exhausted teammate against his broad, sweat-slick chest. Jason was rock-hard himself, but he could wait a little until Tommy had recovered; he wanted that talented mouth on his prick again!

"Uuummm," Tommy purred when he had breath enough to speak. Reaching up and kissing Jason deeply, he looked at his best friend with slumberous brown eyes. "That was ... wow."

"Glad you enjoyed it," Jason murmured back, glossing his hands over the smooth back, down to the firm butt and up and over to the soft globes. The brown nipples were still hard, although not quite as much as before, showing the young man that his Bro might not be completely sated.

"How could I not? You were driving me up the wall! Whatever made you do that?"

"What? This?" Teasingly, Jason slid a finger into the cleft and tickled Tommy's hind opening.

"Uh huh .... oohhhh!" Tommy moaned and wiggled under the caress. "That's ... aaahh!" An impudent fingertip once more thrust inside the hot muscle, which gave way eagerly. "Will you do me like that again? Please?" he asked coyly, brushing his own hand across a sculpted pectoral muscle, twisting the hardening nipple in a way he knew Jason liked.

"If you want me to," Jason promised, stretching sinuously under the sexy assault. "First, though ... how about I get some little bit of action in return?"

A cocky grin lit the chocolate eyes. Placing both hands on the broad shoulders, Tommy pushed Jason over onto his back and scooted to lie over him. His long hair fell over his shoulders, brushing the smooth skin as he nibbled along the beard-roughened jawline.

"Did you have anything specific in mind?" Tommy asked, letting his left hand wander down the washboard abs to the dark patch of curls surrounding the straining cock. He avoided the steel-hard shaft and instead scooped up the twin globes shifting in their crinkly sac, rolling them between his fingers. Jason sighed ecstatically and spread his thighs to give better access.

"Mmm ... I've wanted to feel that awesome mouth of yours on my dick all day," he confessed over another heartfelt moan when Tommy bit gently into his earlobe. "If you don't mind, that is."

"Not at all. Lie back, and enjoy." Tommy sat up and prepared to kiss his way down the muscular body.

"Wasn't that 'lie back, close your eyes and think of England'?" Jason quipped, dark eyes sparkling with mirth and arousal. He thoroughly enjoyed baiting his friend, knowing Tommy would retaliate by an even more intense onslaught - if only to shut him up. It worked like a charm.

"Whatever. You can think of fucking Rita, for all I care." Tommy covered the smirking lips with his own, forestalling further comments. When he let up from the intense tongue duel, Jason was panting hard. He grasped Tommy's head between his hands and tried to push him down towards his hips, which were already humping against the so-soft belly. Jason felt he was about ready to explode.

"Suck me, Tommy. Take my cock into your mouth and make me come," he begged.

"You sure? You really want me to give you a blowjob? Or should I wait until you've got all the smartass remarks out of your system?" Tommy wasn't above some baiting of his own - never mind that his mouth was nearly watering at the thought of swallowing that impressive length as deeply as he could.

"Now who's being a smartass?" Jason grumbled, but he was smiling when he drew his friend into another hot, intense kiss. "I want your mouth on me. Bad," he whispered.

Tommy flashed him another grin, then, straddling the strong thighs, bent over the tanned flesh without a word. Paying loving attention to the sensitive nipples, he worked his way down the rippling abs to the throbbing shaft excruciatingly slowly, alternating brief, teasing licks with broad swipes of his tongue. Jason was moaning almost continually by the time he reached his goal, and the needy sounds mingled with the soft sucking and slurping as Tommy went down on his lover. It didn't take much; although he tried to make it last, Jason had been too excited to hold back his climax overly long. Still, this time Tommy managed to ease down nearly all of the considerable length into his throat, playing his tongue over whatever else he could reach, when the thick cock swelled even more. It pulsed once, twice, then a hot gush of salty cream spurted into the willing mouth. Tommy swallowed what he could, licked up what spilled over and only when the frantic heartbeat he could feel under his fingertips slowed down did he release the softening flesh from between his lips. Scrambling upwards, he settled himself comfortably on a smooth, muscular shoulder.

"How was that?" he asked cheekily when the midnight eyes turned towards him.

"Awesome. Even better than yesterday," Jason told him, kissing his friend. The salty taste of his ejaculation lingering in the sensuous mouth was an exciting novelty, and it made his pulse quicken. Again.

"Well, I do have more practice now," Tommy said demurely, but he felt a pleased glow at the praise spread through him.

"You can put in some more later," Jason replied with an innocent expression. "You, ah, mentioned wanting a third time earlier?"

"What makes you think I'm going to blow you again?" his lover demanded to know. Jason grinned, pinched the firm butt playfully and laughed outright at the outraged yelp that evoked.

"I'm not Superman. Alpha's injection or not, I may need a little help to get it up once again. And I can't imagine a better way ...."

"Oh, okay." Tommy agreed somewhat off-handedly. "I'll do it ... if you'll eat me, too?" He looked sideways at his best friend, eyes half-shielded by long lashes, trying not to show his eagerness. He couldn't fool Jason, however.

"It's a deal," the Red Ranger leered teasingly. "Nothing like a late-night snack ..." chuckling, he dodged the pillow Tommy threw at him.

"TOMMY!!!"

With a cry she barely managed to muffle, Kimberly convulsed around her own furiously-working fingers. Riding out the waves of her climax, she finally relaxed on her pink-sheeted bed. It took her several minutes to regain enough strength to pad over to her bathroom and wipe down her sweat-slick body with a cool washcloth.

"This has got to stop," she muttered to herself as she slipped into a fresh nightie. "I've been fantasizing about Tommy before, but never this much, or to this extent. Does that mean I want to sleep with him?

"Yes," she answered her own question as the covers settled over her. *As soon as he's back - and back to normal - I'll take the first real opportunity and we're going to make love! I know he wants it, too ... and that's the best way to make him forget he's ever been with Jason,* was her last thought before she succumbed to only partially-sated slumber, to dream of her tall, long-haired boyfriend locked alternately in an embrace with her or with his smooth-chested best friend.

Kimberly never knew that she was squirming in her sleep in an unconscious imitation of making love, nor that there was someone far above the Earth, watching her every move with greedy eyes hidden behind a silver visor.

"I don't think so, Pink Ranger," Lord Zedd hissed. "Even now, Finster is working on a monster that will not attack the Rangers, as usual, but capture you and bring you to me."

The Evil Ruler turned away from his balcony and sat on his basalt throne. He detested having to use the dog-like creature, preferring to animate appropriate objects himself, but for the life of him, he couldn't find anything suitable this time. Hence, Finster was in charge of making a new menace to fit the double purpose.

"Once I have you in my power tomorrow, you will either consent to become my Queen, or I will make you into my pleasure slave. Either way, you will soon be begging for my touch - and what a sweet victory that is going to be!"

A sinister laugh filled the echoing throne chamber of the Moon Citadel.

"Let Jason enjoy his mercy fuck with Tommy as long as he can; it won't do them any good, anyway - once you are mine, Kimberly, the Rangers will go down!"

"Oh, you're good at this," Tommy sighed as Jason lapped his way from one straining, throbbing nipple to the other. The two had rested in each other's arms, enjoying the quiet afterglow until their young, healthy bodies had recuperated. Right now, they were both simmering on the edge of arousal once more, coaxing forth reactions with playful caresses of lips and hands, moving freely and uninhibitedly to dive one last time into desire.

"I know," Jason boasted, pausing a moment in his attentions to the succulent mounds. Teasing grin met outraged stare, then the two teens snickered simultaneously. Jason nuzzled a soft/firm globe, licking playfully around the underside. "I hope you're taking notes for Kim."

"You think she'll like this, too?" The slim body arched up, to entice the warm mouth back onto the pebbled tips. Jason obliged happily.

"No reason why she shouldn't. Haven't you been doing to me what you like to feel on yourself?" the young man commented once his moth was free again, parting the slender thighs with sure hands while delicate fingertips danced along his aching cock. "Ooohhh, yeah, do that some more!"

Tommy repeated the gentle pumping motion up and down the thick shaft he held loosely as he thought his lover's remark over. "I guess so," he finally admitted. "Kim and I never went quite this far, though." Sharing confidences and intimate details of what little love life they'd had 'before' had become natural. "Are you saying it's just a question of anatomy?"

"Mostly; with individual preferences, I'd say," Jason confirmed. "I dunno how Kim would react, but I do know that you like this!" Without warning, he bit into a throbbing nipple and thrust two fingers into the sopping-wet channel. Tommy cried out with pleasure and writhed in his friend's arms, vacillating back and forth between the two pleasure points. He was out of breath when the merciless stimulation let off a little after several minutes.

"You devil," he panted. "Just you wait!"

Quick as lightning, he extricated himself from Jason's arms, turned around and swallowed the pre-come-oozing shaft as deeply as he could in one continuous motion. Bobbing his head up and down frantically, he was practically fucking his mouth with Jason's cock, moaning around his mouthful of hot male flesh as his lover lifted his hips into position for a sixty-nine. Jason's agile tongue on his clit was sending arrows of arousal all through the undulating body above him, and Tommy nearly climaxed there and then when strong fingers entered both of his openings, gliding in and out in perfect sync with his own sucking. However, he needed something bigger to fill him.

"Not like this," Tommy gasped, tearing himself reluctantly away from the weeping cock. "I need you in me!"

"Yes," Jason growled, desperately aroused once more despite his two earlier orgasms. He, too, wanted to sink his prick into a tighter, wetter orifice than even Tommy's glorious mouth. Rolling out from under the slim body, he scrambled onto his knees behind his friend. Tommy was still on all fours from their mutual blowjob, and in a perfect position to be taken hard and fast - just the way Jason wanted to. He grasped the round hips firmly, scooted as close as he could and by touch alone guided his throbbing pole to the eager hole.

Both caught their breaths as the purplish cockhead entered the hot channel, then sighed ecstatically when Jason slid home in one long, smooth stroke. At first, Tommy had been surprised and a little shocked that his friend would mount him from behind; he liked seeing the myriad expressions of lust and affection on Jason's face when they were joined. However, whatever misgivings he might have had soon melted under the onslaught of sensation. Jason had never delved so deep, or hit the walls of his vagina at exactly this angle, bringing Tommy to unexpected new heights. Even though it seemed hardly possible, his pleasure increased when the large hands glided up his body to heft his swaying globes, kneading them, then capturing his aching nipples between thumb and forefinger, pinching them in counterpoint to the hard thrusts.

Jason had swiftly changed his mind about the way he was taking Tommy. Riding him like this was too delicious, too exhilarating to rush it, and so he took the opportunity presenting itself to thoroughly fuck Tommy like this, relishing the freedom the position brought to caress other parts of that sexy body. He abandoned the bouncing breasts after a while, instead letting one hand dip between the wet folds clinging so tightly to his pistoning rod. He sought and found the clit, pinching it in time with his thrusts, until he felt the walls surrounding his dick contract in preparation for orgasm.

He stopped all movement. Buried to the root of his seven-inch length inside his best friend's pussy, Jason gasped for air. He wasn't ready to come quite yet; his balls were not ready to give up their load of semen, and if at all possible, he wanted them to reach the pinnacle together. Jason ran his hands comfortingly up and down the smooth back, feeling the slick skin quiver under his fingertips.

"Don't stop now," Tommy moaned, waiting for the deep, delicious thrusts to resume. He bucked backwards, but Jason wouldn't cooperate, holding himself in check ... albeit it took all of his control.

Jason tried to get his fevered mind to think, even as he murmured soothingly to his friend, trying to calm both of them down to a less-intense level of arousal. There was something Tommy had said before, something he'd hardly dared fantasize about, something they hadn't tried ... Absently, his hands came to rest on the pale asscheeks, glossing over the perfect roundness, tickling along the crack. Tommy inhaled sharply, and he clenched his inner muscles around the cock filling him. Curious about the reaction, Jason parted the firm cheeks and looked closer. Further down, he could see a quarter-inch of glistening skin where his cock disappeared inside Tommy's sex. The view nearly drove him over the edge, and he inhaled deeply in order to quiet his boiling blood. But, directly above that, there was another opening, a rosy-brown puckered hole he'd breached earlier with his fingers.

*Is that it? Does Tommy want me to touch him there?*

He didn't dare ask out loud, but let his forefinger circle once around the tight muscle.

"Aaaahhhhh!!!"

Tommy's excited exclamation was all the answer Jason needed. His heartbeat sped up as he moistened his finger between the juicing folds, then placed it once more against the clenched orifice. Using very gentle pressure, he cautiously eased his fingertip inside, to Tommy's needy moans and his own delight as he could feel his own hard length throb behind a thin membrane of skin. Jason had to exert all of his willpower not to just ram his fingers into Tommy's ass; as it was, every little shiver or the most minimal shift in position made both teens nearly sob with the excruciating pleasure they caused.

"I need to move!" Jason wasn't sure if he'd groaned out loud, but Tommy heard him.

"Yessssss," he hissed sharply. "Fuck me!"

"Right." Clenching his teeth, Jason withdrew his finger from Tommy's anus and stroked once into the wet snatch. It was heaven ... and it wasn't enough. He thrust once more. Again. And again. Tommy rocked against him, meeting him so that he penetrated as deeply as possible, but for some reason, it did nothing to soothe the fire raging in his veins. Staring down at their joining, watching his cock glide in and out of the pink flesh, Jason became aware once more of the darker, tighter orifice directly above. Suddenly, he knew what he wanted. Pausing on the backstroke, leaving only the tip of his penis inside his lover's sex, he bent forward and placed his mouth next to a shell-shaped ear.

"I want your ass."

The hot whisper sent chills up and down Tommy's spine. He was desperate for release; his body screamed at him to have Jason continue, but his mind balked at giving up that last bit of himself that hadn't been possessed by Jason.

"Let me fuck your ass, Tommy," Jason cajoled. He didn't want to push his friend into something he didn't want to give, but neither was he above a little wheedling. "It'll be good for you - as good as for me. Your hole is so tight; I can feel it when I have my fingers inside you. You know you enjoyed it when I had my hand up your ass before. Remember?"

The sexy murmur and the graphic words made Tommy shiver and relent slightly. He relaxed marginally, not quite as reluctant as his mind indeed played back images and sensations of their earlier lovemaking. Could he let Jason do this?

"I'm going to fill you so completely, you'll forget everything but my cock in your ass, riding you long and slow," the deep voice promised, coming from behind out of the semi-darkness. Somehow, even though they were plastered together chest to back, it had a disembodied quality, almost like a phantom lover, and it was an incredibly exciting sensation. Tommy moaned, caught on the brink as he was. The cockhead he was still holding between his pussy lips twisted slightly as Jason moved behind him. It did nothing more than open a great big emptiness in his lower body. The White Ranger knew, if he said 'no' Jason would just start fucking him until they both came, but suddenly, a part of him that he hadn't known he'd had spoke up in the depths of his mind.

*Say yes. You know you want it - want him. This is maybe your one, your only chance to be with Jason as TOMMY; your ass is the same, whether male or female. It's the one thing you can share, besides your mouth, where it doesn't matter if you're changed or not.*

Tommy knew the voice was right; he didn't know where it came from, but he was suddenly convinced that it was the thing to do. His hungry-for-release body agreed enthusiastically. The matter was clinched when Jason once more teased his anus with his fingers and whispered "Please, Tommy!" into his ear.

"Yes."

Jason drew a deep, shuddering breath as he heard the soft surrender. The silky body under him began to tremble, though, and he gathered his friend close, drawing him upright on his lap, but still impaled on his hard organ. Running soothing hands up and down the perspiration-moist, silky skin, he pressed a line of kisses across one smooth, slender shoulder.

"You won't regret this," he vowed huskily. "I'm going to make it good for both of us."

His only answer was a faint sigh, but Tommy didn't resist when Jason sought out his pleasure points, bringing him slowly but surely back to that fever pitch of desire. Only when Tommy started to squirm impatiently on his throbbing perch, rocking his hips up and down, did Jason ease him back into his former position. Enough of Tommy's natural lubrication coated his penis and had run into the sensitive cleft, easing his way, so that Jason saw no need for artificial help if he was careful. He withdrew reluctantly from the clinging folds, both teens moaning with the sudden feeling of bereftment.

"I'll be right back, you'll see," Jason whispered. "I'll just have to prepare you a little first."

So saying, he placed a teasing kiss on the smooth cheeks on both sides of Tommy's sphincter. There was a brief impulse to lick at the clenching hole, but this was where Jason's adventurousness ended. For now. Instead, he dipped once more between the wet folds below, briefly diddling the pulsing little pearl, before inserting first one, then two fingers into the tight muscle. As before, there was a second or two when it seemed Tommy's body would expel him, but soon the hot channel relaxed. Jason started to move his hand back and forth, finger-fucking the quivering ass, loosening Tommy up as much as he was able and finding it curiously exciting to see his digits disappear almost completely in the darkness of his friend's body.

All too soon, his own momentarily neglected anatomy began to clamor for attention, and the young man brought himself up to the upturned cheeks. He scratched lightly across the round glutes, leaving faint pink trails on the white flesh and calling forth another delicious shiver that travelled outward to engulf Tommy's whole body.

"Ready?" Jason asked, alerting his lover to his intention as he brushed his leaking cockhead down Tommy's crack.

"I ... I think so," Tommy groaned, barely capable of coherent thought. "Do it, Jase - now!"

"Okay ..." Carefully, slowly, Jason pressed himself against the puckered opening. There was a moment's resistance, then something gave, and with a surprised "OH!!!" Jason felt and saw his cockhead disappear in his lover's ass. He never heard the slight hiss of pain Tommy couldn't suppress at finding himself suddenly stretched and filled to the limit; instead, every instinct screamed at him to sink himself lower into the incredible heat and tightness. Oblivious to the tensed muscles, he pushed his pelvis inexorably forward in small jerks, sinking deeper and deeper into Tommy's bowels until his thighs met the backs of Tommy's trembling legs and his balls rested against the underside of the upturned ass. The deathgrip around the base of his cock felt like a vise.

"I'm in, Tommy," Jason whispered hoarsely, incredulously. "My cock is all the way in your ass!"

The thought alone was mind-blowing; reality was almost more than both could handle.

"I know," the long-haired teen moaned back, caught between unexpected pain and pleasure. His sphincter muscle hurt from being forced open by Jason's girth; it was so different from having two, or even three fingers inside! However, the pulsing, throbbing length filling him seemed to send concentric waves of pure pleasure into all parts of his body, radiating heat and shafts of indescribable sensation all through him. Tommy felt his nipples contract to stone hardness, his breasts ached and his mouth went dry. Then, unable to stand it any longer, Jason withdrew almost all the way, and Tommy sobbed once. The first thrust back in nearly overwhelmed him with a fresh surge of pain/delight ... and suddenly, all pain was gone and only pleasure remained.

Jason was nearly delirious with lust, forcing himself to go slow with everything he had to avoid injuring his best friend, when all of a sudden the tightly-coiled muscles under his hands relaxed, became fluid, smooth, pliant, and the back-and-forth glide of his aching dick inside the hottest, tightest place he'd ever imagined turned into sheer bliss. There was no more resistance, no more effort ... just this melting-together of their bodies that drowned out everything but their mutual delight.

The two teens rocked together in a rhythm as old as time itself; giving and taking freely until it didn't matter who was inside whom, who was submitting or conquering. They were unaware of their moans and sighs crescendoing to animalistic cries, didn't hear the wet slap-slap of flesh on flesh or noticed that they nearly managed to tear down their tent when they came close to dislodging one of the poles. Jason and Tommy only knew that their shared passion was taking them places they'd never been before, sent them to unimaginable heights that were scary and yet safe, because they were scaling them together ... and together they fell off the highest summit, locked into an embrace of friendship, trust and love that was their safety net and caught them both just before they crashed down, burning and cooling simultaneously when both climaxed one after the other, extinguishing the flames of their lust when gushes of Jason's seed mixed with a new flood of Tommy's juices.

Tommy opened sated, exhausted eyes to find himself held securely against Jason's broad chest. He had no recollection of when or how his lover had withdrawn from his body, but it didn't matter; what counted was the awed look in the midnight pools. Jason kissed the swollen lips lovingly.

"Thank you," he whispered, still overcome by what they'd shared.

"You're welcome," Tommy mumbled back, yawning. He felt the chuckle Jason couldn't suppress reverberate in the sleek muscles under his cheek.

"Go to sleep," the deep voice rumbled amusedly, and Tommy did just that, too drained and comfortable to argue; he closed his eyes and snuggled contentedly into the warm embrace. Within seconds, he was breathing deeply and evenly, lying loosely relaxed in the strong arms. Jason smiled to himself. His own eyelids were growing heavy, and he didn't fight the pleasant lassitude stealing over him in the wake of the most intense orgasm he'd ever experienced. His lips brushed the smooth forehead a last time, then he, too, entered the land of dreams.

Hours later, just before dawn was stealing over the mountaintops, Jason was awakened from his slumber by a sharp kick against his shin.

"Wha-what?" he muttered sleepily, unwilling to rouse just yet. He'd been having an awesome dream of himself and a lithe redhead, involving a hot tub and a bowl of chilled strawberries-and-cream, and was understandably reluctant to let go. However, an elbow jarring his ribs painfully tore the fantasy apart in an instant. Jerking up into a sitting position, the Red Ranger forced his eyes open.

"Tommy, are you mad? What do you think you're doing?" he growled angrily, feeling his bedmate thrash around wildly on their shared mattress. Still only half-awake, he reached for a naked shoulder, to shake some sense into his oblivious, softly moaning friend. "Stop hitting me; it hurts!"

His hand made contact with the sweat-soaked skin. To his horror, Jason felt the bones in his grip give and shift.

"Tommy?!? What's the matter?"

Fully alert now, Jason registered that the muted groaning grew louder. Anxiously, the young man scrambled for his backpack and a strong flashlight; the batteries of their camping lamp had given out at some point during their heated lovemaking. His guts were clenching into hard knots as he found the torch; flicking it on, he then directed the bright beam onto Tommy.

"Oh shit!"

The exclamation was both horrified and awed. Because it was truly a strange sight that was right before the Ranger's eyes - Tommy was twisting and whimpering in his sleep, his naked, sweat-slick limbs tangled in the sleeping bag as he unconsciously fought the changes happening in his body. Jason watched, fascinated, as Tommy's form seemed to blur, stretch, deform and realign itself in some kind of bizarre metamorphosis.

*I think this is how it'd look if we could morph in slow motion,* Jason thought. *Sometimes it does feel as if my body transforms itself from Red Dragon into Warrior Mode ...*

A louder moan, almost a shout, distracted the young man from his musings. He let the circle of light wander over his best friend, whose writhing seemed to diminish gradually. The face and hair didn't change much, but then Tommy hadn't looked all that different as a girl. But the rest of him ... the pain obviously seemed to be related to his bones, judging from the way he stretched and moved; Jason thought it made sense, since the White Ranger had been both taller and broader in his original form. That particular phase of his change seemed almost over. Sighing in his sleep, Tommy rolled onto his back, to lie somewhat restlessly, but much more quietly than before.

Jason guided his flashlight lower. With a pang of acute regret, he saw that the luscious mounds were flattening out, disappearing gradually until only the familiar, smooth-muscled chest remained. *Damn! I'm gonna miss those tits!* He grinned ruefully to himself. *Better not tell Tommy, though; he'll kill me for sure!*

Still further south the torch went. Smirking, Jason watched as Tommy's hand fumbled blindly between his thighs, searching for something that was v-e-r-y slow in re-emerging.

"It never took me that long to get it up, Bro," he whispered cheekily, but he still observed, with a delighted grin for his best friend's sake, as the moist slit parted to let out a little round head which gradually increased in size, lengthening and smoothing out, forming a perfect erect penis on Tommy's rippled abdomen that was indeed a close match to Jason's own in length, if not quite in width. As soon as the full length was reached, the labia seemed to fuse together; there was an instant where Tommy's sex seemed to pulse with a life of its own, then all the blood gathered in the hardened cock left the veins throbbing under the reddened skin and flowed into the hairy mound.

The young man bucked his hips sharply upward, still fast asleep. A muffled cry burst from his throat, and Jason could almost see how the testicles rose from whichever bodily cavity they'd been hidden in to fill the thinning skin. He held his breath, waiting for further changes, but none came anymore. Tommy's transformation was complete.

The whole process had taken maybe an hour, from the moment a stray kick had woken Jason up to now - but who knew when it had begun? Saturday, with their first kiss? Or tonight, when Jason had taken his best friend in all possible ways? Nobody could tell, least of all the Red Ranger. *Who cares, anyway? Tommy's back!*

"Whoa," Jason breathed, awestruck, as he watched Tommy sigh deeply once more, curl up on his side and fall into exhausted sleep. *We did it! YES!!!*

Tommy's chest rose evenly with every inhalation, and almost in a daze, Jason switched off his torch and lay down next to his friend, looking over the relaxed form. It was Tommy as he'd always known him, tall, leanly muscled, handsome ... as if nothing at all had happened to him - and them - over the past five days. However, deep inside, a nagging little voice raised itself, telling Jason things he didn't want to hear, wasn't prepared to deal with at all; he only knew that the whole experience had changed something indefinable between him and Tommy.

Too tired still to solve that particular puzzle, Jason stretched out, close but not touching, momentarily saddened that now he no longer could lie spoon-fashion with his teammate, the way he'd gotten used to lately. While he was trying to figure out exactly why that made him sad, Jason fell asleep again, to dream once more of limbs intertwined ... though this time not of some sexy nameless, faceless stranger, but of himself and his best friend.

Tommy woke to bright sunlight streaming into their tent, an errant ray tickling his nose. He sneezed.

"Bless you," Jason's voice, deep and laced with suppressed laughter, came from his right. Tommy opened his eyes to see his best friend lying next to him, dark head propped on a hand, naked chest gleaming gently in the morning light as if oiled. Memories of their passionate, sex-filled night swamped Tommy's sleep-befuddled mind, and without thinking further he looped an arm around the strong neck and drew Jason down into a heated good-morning kiss that was intended to be full of promise.

For a brief moment, the full firm lips caressed Tommy's own as enthusiastically as usual, but then, instead of running large hands over erogenous zones eager to be stimulated anew, Jason stiffened against his best friend - all over, not just in the place Tommy's also-awakening libido was most interested in. Their kiss had a rather abrupt ending.

"If I were you, I'd think twice before doing that; it might give people ideas about us, Bro," Jason said with forced lightness. The dark eyes wouldn't meet Tommy's fully.

"Huh? What are you talking about?" The White Ranger was confused.

"Have you looked at yourself recently? Kimberly may think you're the hottest thing ever to don a gi, but you're not exactly my type."

The flippancy hurt, in ways Tommy was not prepared to acknowledge, but he did take Jason's suggestion and looked down his chest. What he saw - or rather, didn't see any longer - drove every other consideration out of his mind.

"It worked!!!"

Running curious hands all over his own body, Tommy took stock of the changes in his form with mounting delight. Checking out one particular part of his anatomy under cover of his sleeping bag, he did his best to ignore Jason's wicked snigger, but couldn't help the hot blush creeping over his skin.

"Don't worry, everything's present and accounted for, Bro," Jason told him, eyes dancing devilishly.

"How would you know?" Tommy challenged, refusing to back down. For some reason, he felt strangely reluctant to shove back the sleeping bag corner draped over his hips. *This is ridiculous! I've never been shy around Jase before - well, except when I got first changed! But that was different ... I've never minded him seeing me naked like this ...*

"Because I saw how it happened."

"Y-you did?" Tommy gulped, unaccountably embarrassed.

"Uh huh. After you'd woken me up by kicking and hitting me," Jason informed his teammate drily, feeling some of his own uneasiness recede in the face of their usual banter.

"Oh ..."

"It's okay, Bro," the Red Ranger soothed his teammate. "You were asleep, and didn't know what was going on. You didn't hurt me."

Gratefully, Tommy sent a smile towards his best friend. However, he still felt the need to get away from Jason - if only for a little.

"Well, um, good. Hey, let's get dressed and outta here!" Scrambling to his feet, Tommy managed to dart out of the tent without giving Jason more than a glimpse of his still-nude body. When the other followed more slowly, Tommy was already waist-deep in the shallow pool, wishing the cold water would subdue his unexpected reaction to the sight of his naked friend standing in the clearing, stretching the kinks out of his back. Failing that, Tommy was willing to settle for obscurement.

Jason was fighting his own reactions to seeing the water beading on the smooth, tanned skin as Tommy splashed his face with a double handful of the clear liquid. Before his body could betray him, he, too waded out into the small stream, cursing under his breath as the glacier-fed brook chilled him down from the outside in.

"Before we freeze our balls off, let's break camp and go back home," Jason suggested with chattering teeth after a few minutes of vigorous washing. He might have hated the procedure, but it had certainly been effective - his cock was shrunk to its smallest size, and not even the erotic view of Tommy's wetly-gleaming ass as he climbed out of the rock-lined basin was enough to make him react, he was that cold.

"Great idea," Tommy agreed, deliberately not looking at Jason, lest he be tempted to warm the chilled flesh with his hands and mouth like the other day. "The others must be going out of their mind with worry by now." *Especially Kimberly,* a small portion of his mind reminded him of his girlfriend. Tommy blushed; ever since he'd discovered he had his own body back, he'd been more concerned about keeping his hands off his best friend rather than how the petite girl's doe eyes would light up with joy at his return - in more than one sense.

Wolfing down a couple of trail bars for breakfast while taking down their tent and stowing the last of their equipment, Jason and Tommy confined their conversation to the bare minimum. Finished at last, they surveyed the small clearing a last time before heading down the mountain once more. Nothing remained to remind of their presence except for the charred ring of stones where they'd had their campfire and the flattened area of grass where their tent had stood. There was no indication at all of the changes having taken place here, both inwardly and outwardly in the two visitors.

"Let's go," Tommy finally decided, not knowing what else to say. He wished he could talk to his best friend about what had transpired between them, especially since his ass smarted lightly with every movement; a delicious, slightly guilty reminder of last night. But, Jason was strangely uncommunicative, and part of Tommy was glad for the reprieve; both knew they would have to address the issue eventually if they wanted to remain friends. However, it could wait. A little while, at least.

Shouldering their bulging backpacks, the two Rangers turned and took the path away from their isolated hideout, back towards their homes and friends.

Humming to herself, Kimberly entered Angel Grove Park and made her way to the Rangers' favorite spot, near the lake. It was the last day of their unexpected school break, and Tommy was coming home! She skipped a few steps. After a near-sleepless night, she'd finally convinced herself to believe in Billy and Zordon's reassurances. Concocting a long, involved, dreadfully romantic fantasy about herself making love to Tommy on an exotic tropical island, surrounded by orchids and sweet birdsong, had helped her fall asleep at last, and she felt ready once more to take on the world. Smiling at her own whimsy, the Pink Ranger sang the first few lines from an old Broadway musical.

"Oh what a beautiful morning - never mind that it's afternoon already - oh what a beautiful day; oh what a beautiful mo-orning - everything's going my way!"

"That's what you think, Pink Ranger! Goldar, send down the Putties! Finster, is the monster ready?"

Lord Zedd stood at the balcony, his hidden eyes fixed hungrily on the pretty girl.

"In a second, Your Evilness," the little monster-maker called from his lab. "Just a final adjustment, a last refining touch, and ... there he is! I give you Tentacrawl, my Lord!"

Zedd nodded approvingly as he surveyed his henchman's creation.

"He should do." A red beam from his staff gave temporary life to the monstrosity - a seven-foot-tall creature with no head, but a band of eyes spaced around the top of the writhing mass of tentacles that comprised most of its body. The leathery skin had an unhealthy yellowish-gray cast and was covered in rough scales. Some of the bigger tentacles served as legs of sorts; all the others waved in a dizzying array up and down and around its upper portion.

"Go down to Earth, Tentacrawl; your mission is to capture the Pink Ranger and bring her back to my Palace. Do not harm her, or you will face my wrath!"

The monster made a semblance of a bow, and disappeared in a puff of red-tinged smoke. Zedd took up monitoring the park again.

"Soon you'll be mine, little Kimberly," he growled, evil pouring off him in waves. "I wonder which fate you will choose - to become my Queen, or to serve my body? No matter; I'll have you in my bed, no matter what, come the night!"

"Oh, what now?!?" Abruptly torn out of her daydream, Kimberly cried exasperatedly as the first half-dozen Putties materialized directly in her path. "Doesn't Zedd ever get enough of this? Keep your hands off me, claybrain!" A well-placed jab with the heel of her hand to its Z-spot destroyed the first creature. The five remaining Putties meanwhile had formed a circle around the petite Human; not that numbers meant anything. Even unmorphed, the trained gymnast was more than a match for the mentally-challenged footsoldiers. The girl balanced on her left foot, right leg bent backwards at a right angle towards her body.

"I'm ... So ... Sick ... Of ... This!"

Every angry word was accompanied by a precise kick at the center of each Putty's chest, hitting directly at the big "Z". Kimberly had always admired the near-balletic quality of a series of snap-kicks, which is why she'd had Jason and Tommy coach her until she was almost as good at them as the two champion Martial Artists. She watched her opponents shatter with a satisfied look. Only slightly winded, she dusted her hands.

"I wonder if Zedd'll ever learn those mudheads are useless against us?"

Turning around to continue on her way, the pretty Ranger stopped in her tracks at the unwelcome sight greeting her.

"Ew, gross!"

Beep-beep beep-beep beep-beep!

Three communicators in Angel Grove went off simultaneously.

"Rangers, Kimberly is alone in the park and being attacked by one of Zedd's monsters! You must go and help her immediately!"

"We're on our way, Zordon!"

From various places in the city - the Library, the Youth Center and a back yard in a residential disctrict - beams of bright yellow, sparkling blue and deep black formed, shot up high to jet over the rooftops and descended into the park.

Up in the mountains, Jason and Tommy meanwhile had reached the parking lot and were driving out of the State Forest, sitting silently in Tommy's car, when suddenly the Red Ranger heard an all-too-familiar sound over the running engine. It came from the back seat.

"Pull over," he instructed Tommy tersely. Accustomed to Jason's command voice, Tommy killed the engine at the closest appropriate place without argument. He watched, mystified, as his best friend bent over to the bench in back, fumbling at one of the outer compartments of his backpack. Comprehension dawned when he plopped back into his seat, red-banded communicator in his hand. It was crackling faintly, emitting an occasional beep-beep! in a familiar sequence.

"I can't get clear reception," Jason groused after a few seconds of vainly trying to adjust frequencies. "But I have this sudden feeling ...."

"... that there's trouble back home," Tommy agreed, his own leader's instincts, as yet less honed but equally strong as Jason's, kicking in. He turned on the ignition. "Good thing you brought your communicator."

"Yeah; I'm always the boy scout," Jason grinned fleetingly. "You better step on it, Bro. As long as communication's out, so's teleportation. We may have to leave the car and come back for it later as soon as we're in range."

"No prob. Keep trying to find out what's going on!"

Adrenaline rushed, two pairs of brown eyes locked and started to sparkle. Each in his own way was spoiling for a fight, anything really to dispel the tension between them; an attack by Zedd was the perfect excuse.

"You got it. Go, Tommy!"

With a loud roar, the white jeep's engine roared to life again. Tires squealed, but with a sure hand the Ranger leader guided his vehicle down the mountain road as fast as possible, to aid their friends in defending the world.

"Let go of me, you ... you ...!" Kimberly yelled, still more angry at having her perfect day disrupted than frightened. So far, she'd been able to evade most of the writhing tentacles trying to wrap themselves around her. It was difficult, given that the monster's eyeband gave it near 360° vision. She knew she ought to morph, to gain more speed and greater strength, but had been too distracted by the weaving mass of tentacles which were wont to lash out unexpectedly to block her path as soon as she thought she found an opening to escape to a safe distance. The arrival of three rainbow flashes a few yards off were a welcome distraction for the mute monster, giving Kim a moment to catch her breath.

"Hang on, Kim, we're coming!" Trini shouted at her best friend.

"Right .... ick!"

Sadly, Kim had let herself be distracted by the Rangers' entrance as well, and Tentacrawl managed to snag her around the waist with a thick ropy limb, pinning her left arm against her body. The monster started to draw closer, or drew Kim in; it was hard to tell the difference.

"Aaargh! Help, guys!"

"Of course, Kimberly," the Blue Ranger stated confidently, summoning his Power Lance. He stabbed at the tall monster holding his friend captive. A couple of tentacles veered off, towards this new threat.

"Don't worry, we'll have you out of there in a jiffy," Black Ranger added, twirling his Power Axe jauntily. "Chopped squid, anyone?"

"Oh no, you don't, Power Pipsqueaks! Goldar, get yourself down there and keep the others away from my monster! I will NOT be deprived of this second chance to capture the Pink Ranger!"

"I hear and obey you, Lord Zedd!" In a flash of malevolent red light, the golden-armored simian teleported towards Angel Grove.

"Take this, you disgusting ..." Before Zack could complete his taunt, his Axe clanged noisily against a bit of serrated steel that hadn't been there a millisecond earlier. To his dismay, he found that Goldar had inserted himself between him and the monster still trying to ensnare Kimberly.

"Uh-oh."

"That's right, Black Ranger," the winged ape gloated, brandishing his sword menacingly. "You will have to go through me to stop Tentacrawl from doing his job!"

"And what exactly might that job be?" Trini asked cautiously, sending her daggers back into their subspace pockets. She could slash with them at the monster's limbs a little, but dared not get too close; she loved her Power Weapons and the deadly accuracy they had if thrown just right, but they were totally ineffective against a sword. And Tentacrawl's hide was too tough to sustain much damage from her thrusts.

"Why, to bring your Pink teammate to our Master, of course," Goldar crowed. He deflected Billy's and Zack's attempts to disarm him easily; while both Axe and Lance had the necessary reach to be a challenge to his weapon, their wielders weren't. Unfortunately, both boys knew it, too. "Tonight, the Pink Ranger will warm Lord Zedd's bed. In the meantime, you're welcome to try and stop me!"

"Um, guys, I think we have a problem," Trini muttered. Her attempt to tear a clinging tentacle off of Kim had almost resulted in getting herself captured, too. Through her visor, she could see Kim blanch and her frightened brown eyes widen at Goldar's pronouncement. Not that she blamed her friend. The thought of being completely in Zedd's clutches, to know he had designs on more than their Powers went beyond being scary.

*"Problem" is the understatement of the decade,* Kimberly decided, struggling to free at least one of her hands. Tentacrawl was wrapping more and more of his limbs around her, coming dangerously close to immobilizing her completely. *I can't even reach my morpher!*

Suddenly, an early conversation among the Rangers floated back into her consciousness. Striving to catch the elusive memory, the Pink Ranger slacked in her fight. Another, stronger tentacle started to creep stealthily up her back towards her throat. Ignoring it for the moment, Kim recalled what might just be the chance she'd been waiting for.

"I don't believe that we really need to stance and hold up our morphers," Billy had theorized, after an extended conversation with Zordon about the nature of their Powers of which the other newly-made Rangers had barely understood a third. "It is merely a means to focus our energies and help us to tap into the Morphin' Grid, a psychological crutch if you will, just like calling out loud for our energy animals. As long as the morphers are kept somewhere on our persons, we should be able to morph without the ritual."

It had sounded very plausible, and Zordon had certainly never contradicted Billy's hypothesis. However, events had interfered before the discussion was concluded; hence they'd never put it to the test, finding a comforting security in the stylized words and gestures.

"Well, I guess there's no time like the present to find out if you're right, Billy," Kim muttered through gritted teeth. The darned tentacles were tightening all around her, and she felt herself being dragged across the turf towards the monster; it was only a matter of mere moments until it'd be too late to do anything. Focussing her thoughts exclusively onto the image of a soaring bird trailing pink fire, praying this would work, the young Ranger called for her Power.

*Pterodactyl!*

In a surge of flashing Pink Energy, her helmet and uniform coalesced around the struggling girl's petite form.

"Yes!" Kim exulted. The infusion of Morphin' Power had singed a few tentacles, causing them to relent a little and she was able to wiggle one arm free. She wasted no time on calling forth her Power Bow; with one arm, there was no way she could wield it, and it was useless as a weapon in close quarters, anyway. However, she could reach her Blade Blaster. Deed followed thought, and the Pink Ranger started to slash and hack at the restraining tentacles with all her enhanced strength, thinking that using an energy blast this close to herself might be a BAD idea.

"Way to go, Kim!" Trini encouraged her from the sidelines. The Yellow Ranger was furious at being unable to help, but maybe now ... she summoned her Power Daggers again and cautiously approached Tentacrawl from behind, trying to gauge which of the multiple eyes were trained on her - or not. Zack and Billy were still doing their best to fend off Goldar, who seemed almost bored with the Blue and Black Rangers' efforts, he was batting away at their weapons so casually. Starting her own series of slash-and-run tactics, Trini struck where and when she could, unfortunately causing only minimal damage to the monster's scaly hide. A strangled cry from her best friend made her look up. Horrified, the Yellow Ranger jumped back. Kim had stopped fighting; instead, both her hands were clamped around a tentacle that had managed to coil around her neck, slowly but surely cutting off her air supply. Already, her legs were hanging limply, ensnared in several tangles.

"KIM! NOOO!!!"

"Static's gone; that should mean we're within range. Barely," Jason reported to Tommy. "I still can't get anything beyond the general alert, though."

"Doesn't matter; I'm going in," Tommy declared grimly. All their personal problems had been forgotten as the two drove as fast as they dared back towards their hometown. Silently, Jason agreed; the prickling at the back of his neck had increased the longer it took. He knew, without having to ask, that Tommy felt the same.

"There's a spot you can leave the car!" the Red Ranger exclaimed suddenly, pointing towards a small opening among the trees. Tommy hit he brakes, and his jeep skidded to a screeching halt. Quickly maneuvering the vehicle towards the side of the narrow mountain road - it wouldn't do to endanger unsuspecting civilians who might run into it if left in danger's path - the two young men jumped out. Off duty or not, they had both taken their morphers along.

"Ready, Bro?" Tommy glanced at his best friend. Receiving a confirming nod, the new team leader called for their Powers. "It's Morphin' Time! Tigerzord!"

"Tyrannosaurus!"

Two flashes of light, one gleaming white, the other a brilliant scarlet, descended on the two Rangers, forming their uniforms around them.

"Let's go!"

"Right with you!"

Twin streams of energy rose from the mountain side and flashed towards Angel Grove.

"Say good-bye to your teammate, Rangers!" Goldar gloated as he fended off yet another ineffectual attack by the Blue Ranger. The boy was truly pathetic; yes, he had a few good moves, certainly potential, but as he was, he was no match for the master swordsman. And the Black Ranger ... Goldar grinned evilly, disconcerting Billy. Zack was struggling back to his feet, wheezing hard; he'd opened his defense too far in a sweeping attack, and had been unceremoniously thrown against a tree for his efforts. It had taken him a good two minutes to catch his breath. "I told you, come the morning you will bow to Zedd's new Queen - or admire his newest pleasure slave. Whatever," the gold-armoured alien dismissed Kim's intended fate with a negligent shrug. Tentacrawl was slowly, inexorably cutting off the Pink Ranger's air supply; he could afford to bait the Rangers a little.

Kimberly felt her senses starting to swim. She knew with cold certainty that if a miracle didn't happen in the last minute, this time there'd be no escape for her. This time, there was no failed spell to let her bluff her way out of her predicament. Icy terror threatened to overwhelm her as she fought for yet another breath.

*NO! I won't let that slimy monster touch me! Zedd can't ... he won't have me! Or my Power Coin,* she thought defiantly even as the tentacle's grip around her neck tightened another notch. Her gloved fingers scrabbled weakly, ineffectually at the literal stranglehold. *To be with ZEDD ... ewww! Not in this lifetime! I only want to be with Tommy!* The thought of her boyfriend gave her a last spurt of energy, but she spent it in vain. Tentacrawl's limbs were too numerous, too strong ... Trini's attacks from the outside too weak. At last, Kimberly froze, paralyzed by fear.

*Goodbye, Tommy,* were her last conscious thoughts. *I wanted to be with you so much ... why did I tell you 'no' ... Tommy ... love you ... Tom ... meee ...*

Everything went dark for the Pink Ranger.

An invisible signal from the mute monster told Zedd's master warrior that their mission was almost accomplished. He flicked his sword arm, and the Blue Power Lance was jerked out of Billy's hands, to be flung aside.

"Our work here is done, Rangers; say farewell to little Kimmie!"

Before Goldar could utter another word, he was hit in the back by a powerful flying kick.

"Ooof!"

"I don't think so, Monkeyface," Jason said, his voice icy calm and menacing. He'd regained his balance quickly and was standing between the winged alien and the monster, brandishing his Power Sword. He cast a quick glance at the White Ranger.

"Can you handle Ugly, there?"

"Sure. Just keep Goldilocks off my back," Tommy snarled, fear and rage for Kim's sake warring within him. A quick-as-thought motion, and he had unbuckled Saba to hold the saber in his outstretched hand. The sentient weapon took in the situation with a look and the jewel-like eyes began to glow from within. "You ready, Saba?"

"Always, Tommy."

With a feral gleam in his eyes that transmitted itself even through his visor, Tommy began a flurry of swordstrokes at the creature ensnaring the Pink Ranger.

"Let go of Kimberly!"

"Rangers?"

The Black, Yellow and Blue teammembers gathered behind their first leader, weapons at the ready.

"Let's give Goldar here a taste of true teamwork, shall we?" Jason suggested almost casually, watching with barely-hidden disdain as yet another bunch of grey creatures materialized behind the golden-armored warrior. "Seven to four ... pretty good odds, I'd say."

"About the usual," Zack agreed, clearly out for some retaliation. He'd hated being slammed into a tree! "Piece of cake!" He dove head-first into a couple of Putties, bringing them to the ground. The ensuing fight was very much one-sided, with Black trouncing grey quite thoroughly.

"That is not quite what I'd call the situation, but I agree with your assessment that we should have no undue problems in subduing Lord Zedd's minions," Billy observed, entering the melée with only slightly less enthusiasm. To be handled so casually by Goldar had been very bad for the Blue Ranger's ego, and he needed to regain at least some of his self-esteem.

"Boys!" Trini sighed, but had to grin inside her helmet. Knowing that Jason was a far better match for Goldar than any of them except Tommy, she followed her teammates into the fray with Zedd's Putties, but keeping an eye out for both the Red and White Rangers, ready to come to their aid in an instant if necessary.

Jason held his Power Weapon in capable hands.

"Well, Goldar?" he jibed. "Ready to take on someone your own size?"

"Don't overestimate yourself, Red Ranger," the tall creature growled. "I nearly killed you once already! You are no match for me!"

"'Nearly killed' isn't dead, Monkeybreath. I'm still here, as you can see. Besides, if I remember correctly, both Tommy and I managed to defeat you in Human form. What does that tell you about our fighting abilities, huh? Maybe you should ask yourself if you're a match for either of us!"

Jason was well aware that he was looking at a vicious fight if he drove Goldar too far, but he needed to do something to keep his old nemesis from helping the monster. Tommy was busily hacking away at the tentacles holding Kim captive, but he needed time. Well, that was something he could give him, even if it meant needling Goldar a little more.

"What is it, Goldar? Squatt got your tongue?" he jeered. "Or are you ready to admit I'm right - that Tommy and I are better fighters even unmorphed than you'll ever be?"

It was enough. With an inarticulate growl of rage, the winged ape snatched up his sword and engaged the Red Ranger into a violent display of swordsmanship, forgetting everything around him but his desire to finally pay back this Human youth who had done so much damage to his reputation as the greatest swordfighter the Alliance of Evil had ever seen.

"I will see you grovel at my feet, defeated, Jason," Goldar hissed menacingly. "Prepare to die!"

Jason just laughed, knowing he had Goldar. A furious enemy was less controlled. Besides, he had his own frustrations to work off - only he managed to keep his head, since they did not personally concern this confrontation with Goldar. Just the same, he focussed on his Karate training and mentally tuned out the venom Goldar was spouting, about the things Zedd would do to Kim first and then what he himself would do to the Pink Ranger once his master tired of her. Jason parried the first attack elegantly.

"Is that the best you can do, Goldie? You're getting worse instead of better!"

With a bellow of pure rage, Goldar ran at the Red Ranger.

"Kimberly!"

Out of the corner of his eye, the White Ranger saw his girlfriend fall to the ground. He would have loved to hurry to her side, but all of his attention was taken up in keeping the dozens of tentacles from snaring Kim again, besides evading those which tried to trip himself up.

"Don't worry, Tommy, I have her!"

Trini's voice reached him clearly through their helmets' comm system. She'd watched her team leader's fight and been ready to dash in and drag the motionless Pink Ranger out of harm's way as soon as possible.

""How is she?" Tommy slashed off another writhing appendage, only to see it replaced by a new one almost faster than the eye could follow. "Damn!" he shouted, frustrated. Would nothing cut this beast down to size?!?

"Just unconscious and recovering nicely," Trini reported after two endless minutes. "She's going to be good as new."

"Great," Tommy sent back, then turned his full concentration on his opponent. A sweeping arc with his saber cut off half of a tentacle, but that, too, didn't seem to faze the monster.

"Any bright ideas, Saba?" he panted, lithely somersaulting over a sneak attack by several more of Tentacrawl's limbs.

"Hmmm ... yes, I believe so," the tiger's head replied. "Try cutting a tentacle off, then turn me so I'm facing the wound."

"You got it, little buddy."

As soon as the chance presented itself, Tommy did as suggested, and watched Saba cauterize the cut with energy beams from his eyes, thereby preventing new growth.

"Yeah! Way to go, Saba!"

"I thought so," the sentient saber said smugly, emitting another bright twin ray of energy when Tommy repeated the successful procedure. "It's always the Hydra principle with these multi-limbed creations. And they never think to redesign the solution! Why, I remember a time when ...."

"That's all very nice, Saba, but could we please get rid of this misbegotten squid first?" Tommy asked his 'assistant' somewhat acerbically. Saba was great, much more versatile than his Dragon Dagger had been, but he did have a tendency to get sidetracked at times. *They should never have taught him to talk,* Tommy thought to himself with a secret grin as his Power Weapon huffily agreed to do as asked. He'd heard Kim come to over his helmet comm; she was disoriented, but fine, according to Trini. Jason was busy trouncing Goldar, Billy and Zack were mopping up the last Putties; time to do his own job.

"Let's rumble, Ugly," the White Ranger suggested pleasantly, methodically reducing the monster's tentacles to a mere eight. He twirled Saba meaningfully around.

"Uh-oh - tough luck, Goldilocks," Jason panted, watching the glittering arc Goldar's sword made against the trees as it tumbled end-over-end into the lake, torn out of the giant ape's grasp by a perfectly-executed maneuver with his Power Sword.

"Now Goldie can't play anymore," he mock-pouted, catching his breath. The fight had been exhausting, but just what he needed to ground himself in the here and now again. Jason met his enemy's angry stare with glittering eyes, knowing that somehow, the space alien could read his expression even through his dark visor. "You'll have to go home to Lord Zedd and get yourself a new toy!"

"Mock me now, Red Ranger," Goldar growled, furious. He was a good fighter even without his sword, but not so foolish as to take on an armed enemy. "This isn't over yet!"

"For now, it is," Jason declared firmly. He sent his weapon back into its subspace pocket. "I don't fight an unarmed opponent. Come back when you've gotten another kebab sticker!"

Shaking with rage at having been bested by the young Human - again! - but unable to counter in any way, the simian creature balled his right fist and struck it against his chest in a peculiar gesture. Without his usual sound or light effects, he vanished from the park. Jason's shoulders sagged in relief. Despite his bravado, there had been a few moments during the fight ... he shook the memory off and faced his friends.

"Everybody okay?"

Four voices answered in the affirmative, one of them still slightly hoarse, but full of pluck nonetheless.

"Good. And another one bites the dust," Jason commented, satisfied. "Let's help Tommy close up shop."

"Not so fast, Red Ranger," Zedd grunted from his vantage point high above Earth. He barely could hold his fury in check. "I don't know how you did it, but somehow Tommy is back to his usual gutless form; well, that doesn't mean he'll get into little Kimmie's pants!"

From out of thin air, the Lord of Evil summoned a ball-shaped object that gleamed like dull silver. Taking aim, Zedd threw it unerringly towards his creation.

"Grow, Tentacrawl; fulfill your mission and bring the Pink Ranger to me!"

Tommy waited, his saber held at the ready, for the monster's next move, when one of the tentacles shot upwards towards the sky. He tensed, but there was no immediate attack. Instead, the tentacle returned, its tip curled tightly around a metallic ball. With incredible force the creature slammed the orb to the ground, then immediately ballooned into immense proportions in a gust of flames.

"Shit," the White Ranger muttered. He'd hoped to finish this for once without calling on their Zords. What good did all their awesome arsenal do the Rangers if they couldn't use it? The Pyramid Formation, the Power Blaster ... all of it nearly obsolete, just because Zedd insisted on feeding his growth potion to the monsters at the earliest opportunity.

"Time to get serious, guys," he called out to his team. Holstering Saba, he summoned his Zord.

"Right!" All five Rangers called on the Thunderzords and teleported into their respective cockpits. As soon as Tentacrawl's transformation was complete, the evil creature found itself face-to-face with both the Thundermegazord and Tigerzord in Warrior mode. Nevertheless, the monstrosity tried its best, or maybe worst, to disable the giant machines. But, hampered as it was by Tommy's earlier reduction of the number of its limbs, the remaining eight snake-like appendages weren't enough to withstand the combined Zords.

"This is getting really old," Tommy said to no-one in particular, firing a second energy ball at Tentacrawl. "Get out the Thundermegazord Saber and send him back where he came from, Jase!"

"My feelings exactly, Bro," Red Ranger transmitted back. "Let's do it, guys!"

"Wait!"

Kimberly's voice was still slightly strained from being near-strangulated earlier, but hard and determined.

"That ... that ... thing ... was sent by Zedd directly for me; I want to be the one to finish it off. Let's join the Thundermegazord up with Tigerzord!"

Rather taken aback at the petite girl's vehemence, the others exchanged surprised glances. Kim wasn't normally vindictive. On the other hand, having had to listen to Goldar's rather graphic descriptions of the fate awaiting their teammate once she was in Lord Zedd's power, they couldn't really blame her, either.

"Your call, Kimberly," Tommy agreed. "Go for it, Beautiful!"

"Thanks, Tommy."

The Zords separated, re-formed, and Jason watched approvingly the exciting sequence when the Firebird launched from Megatigerzord's arm in a spectacular display of pyrotechnics, spun around and flew directly into the stories-high monster. The energy set free by the collision was too much for Zedd's creation, and it exploded into a million pieces, while Firebird soared away unscathed, winging triumphantly into the sky.

"Curses! How do these brats manage to spoil even my most perfect plans?"

Zedd stomped through his throne room, the very walls of the edifice taking on a crimson hue as his rage poured off him in roiling waves.

"This would have been the ideal solution ... Tommy eliminated by becoming a girl, Kimberly warming my bed, the other Rangers demoralized ... only no, they had to go and destroy what was supposed to be a foolproof way to their destruction!"

Suddenly, the Lord of Evil stopped in his tracks.

"Wait ... how in the name of all that's Evil did Tommy get turned back, anyway? He certainly didn't cut anyone's balls off as Baboo suggested he'd have to - instead, he let himself be fucked by his friend Jason ..."

The skinless being's thoughts whirled. Zedd might not be a genius, but neither was he stupid. His exposed brains were quite capable of putting certain facts together when they were presented openly.

"...unless that's another way of reversing the effects of the herbs and my spell! And that idiot Baboo either didn't know - or neglected to tell me! Well, let's find out! BABOO!"

The stubby-winged alien cowered in his hiding place as Zedd's furious voice boomed through the Citadel. He'd hoped it wouldn't have come to this; now his only chance to escape severe punishment was that either Zedd would vent his rage on enough breakables in his path as he stormed through the corridors before he found him, or to hide just long enough until his Master's anger died a natural death. Or he was distracted by another attack on the Rangers. Baboo trembled with fright as he listened to the distant sounds of his overlord's wrath. What if Squatt or one of the servant Putties had seen him? Would they betray him? Quite likely ... For the first time since his cubhood, he began to pray to the Lord of All Evil that nobody knew his whereabouts as metal-shod footsteps strode down the steps to his hideaway ...

"Very well done, Rangers," Zordon commended his team as six streams of rainbow-hued light shot into the Command Center, to reveal his team. However, his words went unheeded when the White Ranger removed his helmet, demorphed and the Pink Ranger launched herself again, this time against the once-more broad, smooth chest of her boyfriend.

"Tommy, you're back!" she squealed, joy vibrating in every fiber of her being.

"Sure am, Beautiful," Tommy laughed, catching the 5'2" missile with eager arms and lifting her high. "Just as good as before!"

"Mmm, I can see that," Kim murmured, running possessive hands down her boyfriend's torso, clad in a tight white tank top. The sultry look she sent him earned her a brief but passionate kiss, only barely controlled.

"I take it the cure Jason devised worked," Billy commented drily to Zack and Trini as they powered down as well. He was grinning almost as broadly as the team leader, though.

"Looks like it. A good thing, too; I was NOT looking forward to having to explain to my folks why I suddenly had a girl at my end-of-summer sleepover next week!" Zack jigged excitedly. "We're all still on for that, aren't we, guys?"

"Sure." "Naturally." "Yes."

All three male Rangers assented readily, but only Trini noticed that Jason's smile wasn't quite as enthusiastic as was his usual wont. Unable to read the dark eyes watching Kim and Tommy smooch and cuddle with a somewhat distant expression, she dismissed her sudden worry as probably just a reaction to the afternoon's excitement. Instead, she chose to divert everyone's attention.

"Zack, you really should tell Jason and Tommy about the lecture we attended at the library yesterday," she suggested with a smile. "I'm sure they haven't heard anything yet."

"Heard anything about what?" Jason asked, glad for the distraction. He was truly happy for Kim and Tommy, that they could be together again without awkwardness and difficult explanations and near-impossible adjustments, he knew he was ... but then, why did it almost hurt to see them embrace? Why was he tempted to step between them? He didn't know, although a tiny part of him was beginning to suspect.

Zack eagerly jumped into the breach, still all fired up about his new pet project.

"Well, you see, there's this International Peace Conference thing going on, and they're looking for candidates ..."

"I can't believe you're really going," Tommy said for maybe the fifth time as he sat on the windowsill in Jason's room, watching his best friend pack. "How can you leave everything here? The gang, school ... the Rangers ..." Me, he wanted to add, but didn't dare. Although they used to talk about everything, those five days they'd spent in the mountains had been carefully avoided by all of them. Tommy suspected the others hadn't brought it up because they were embarrassed; even Zordon had contented himself with accepting the obvious - the 'cure' had worked. He'd only scanned both teens for aftereffects, but had declared them hale and sound soon enough. For his own part, Tommy hadn't talked to his best friend about what they'd shared because he was too confused. He'd experienced things, felt things he'd never expected, at least not like that, and certainly not with Jason - another guy. Truth to tell, even weeks later, the White Ranger simply didn't know what to feel ... especially about his best friend. So, he just went with the flow, waiting for Jason to hopefully make the first move. Only, he didn't.

Events had happened with frightening speed after he and Jason had returned from their camping trip. Summer break had come and gone, Halloween was already over ... they'd all signed up for the Youth Teen Summit once school began, believing it to be a cause worthy of support, but none of them had ever seriously considered that one of their group would be chosen. Now, not one but three Rangers were going to Switzerland, had already been replaced by Rocky, Adam and Aisha. The replacements were great people, fitting in well with Billy, Kim and himself, and yet ...

"I can't believe you're really going," Tommy repeated, unable to face that fact.

Jason didn't answer for several seconds, continuing to sort through clothes, books and personal mementoes. He took a pile of shirts and laid them on his bed to pack along with pants, underwear ... blue, black, green, white ... only one or two glimpses of red were to be seen in the multi-hued array of clothes. That was another thing Tommy found very hard to accept - Jason wasn't wearing a single speck of red, hadn't done so in fact since he'd passed on his Powers to Rocky. Not that the blue jeans were that unusual; the plain grey sweatshirt, though, was.

"Maybe because I have to," Jason replied finally, not looking at his best friend. He'd wrestled with his thoughts and emotions in the aftermath of their experience for a long time, and was slowly coming to a conclusion he couldn't deal with. Not yet, anyway, while things were still too fresh.

"Huh? Why? Whaddaya mean, you have to?" Tommy asked, puzzled.

His best friend sighed, let the books he was sorting fall to his desk and turned to look at him.

"Tommy ... I don't want to leave the team, or any of you, but maybe it's time for me to move on. I don't know. For what it's worth, I think Rocky and the others are good choices, and I believe you'll do great, leading them. That's one reason why I think I have to go - you need to make your own decisions, not let me take over out of habit." He grinned fleetingly. "And don't tell me you haven't resented it sometimes when I couldn't let go, couldn't let you do things your way instead of mine!"

The long-haired young man grinned back.

"Um ... maybe 'resent' is a bit strong, but ... I know what you mean. Guess I wouldn't be any different in your shoes. It wasn't too bad, though, and I think we were on our way to iron all the bugs out. But Jase, that's no reason for you to leave Angel Grove altogether, is it?"

"At least not the only one."

"What's the other?" Tommy asked, suddenly afraid that somehow, at some point, he'd betrayed the fantasies he couldn't suppress to his best friend ... fantasies born of his memories that were nothing more than maybe a quite natural aftereffect of their closeness up in the mountains, weren't they?

Jason sighed again. He'd hoped to get around explaining this, but ... apparently not. Leaning against the door, watchful that his mother shouldn't surprise them, he fixed serious dark eyes on the White Ranger.

"Tommy ... I know we never talked about this, but maybe we should have." His look told exactly what he was referring to.

Tommy blanched. "That time in the mountains," he whispered.

"Yes. More precisely, the fact that we ..." made love, Jason wanted to say, but didn't "... became intimate.Only, I didn't know how, or even what to say to you. What I do know is that those five days, and what we shared, changed things. Changed me, anyway."

"Changed you ... how?" Tommy wanted to know. He was incapable of anything but a hoarse mumble.

"That's one of the things I need to find out, Bro," Jason explained. He summoned a faint smile as he moved across the room to stand close to his friend. Both were unhappily aware that neither reached out to touch the other, the way they'd used to - before.

"I can't find that out here, Tommy. Everything's too close. Going away all the way to Europe may be a bit extreme, I admit, but since the opportunity presented itself ..." he shrugged deprecatingly.

Deep within, Tommy had to concede Jason's reasons were powerful ones, matching his own jumbled thoughts perfectly as usual, and were most likely the right reasons, too, but he couldn't see his life without his best friend and teammate at his side  every day. He suspected he was wallowing in self-pity a little, but couldn't stop himself.

"You said you'd be with me always," he muttered plaintively, blushing.

"And I will be. Bro, there's mail, and the internet ... and in a real emergency, I'm only a phone call away, if we ever manage to figure out the time differences. Just because I'm going to the Peace Conference does not mean I'll stop being your friend!"

"You won't?" Even to his own ears, Tommy sounded for all the world like a very small boy, reaching for the tiniest shred of hope.

Jason grinned. Confused or not, that was something he was very sure about.

"No. We may not have known each other all that long, but I know one thing - we are, and always will be, best friends."

"Yeah."

Gratefully, Tommy held out his hand. Without a second thought, Jason put his own into the other's - just like they'd done not all that long ago, on a wind-swept beach. Then, briefly, awkwardly, they hugged, separating again before they did or said something neither was ready for.

"I'm still going to miss you, ,though." Tommy had to clear his throat twice before he could form the sentence.

"Me, too, Bro," Jason agreed wholeheartedly. "Now, didn't you come over to help me pack?"

"Sure." Tommy obligingly scooped up a load of folded shirts and followed Jason to the door. "I still can't believe you're really going, though."

His best friend groaned.

"Where is he?" Kimberly fumed, having searched what seemed like half of Angel Grove for her errant boyfriend and team leader. He wasn't at the Youth Center, not with Billy or any of the other guys ... she was by now relegated to wandering aimlessly through the park, hoping to catch a glimpse of Tommy. So far, that hope had been in vain.

It wasn't that she needed him for anything in particular; it was just that the weather was unusually nice for early winter, even in California, and she'd thought they could just do something together, no matter what. This Saturday afternoon was about made for couple-type things.

"Ever since the guys left for Geneva, Tommy's been moping," she muttered to herself when even the park yielded not a trace of the tall White Ranger. "It's almost worse than when he lost his Green Ranger Powers - only now he can't have gone to his uncle's cabin in the mountains, because we're in school all week." Huffily, she sat down on a bench, propped her elbows on her knees, her chin in her hands, and thought hard.

*Now, if he were Jason, I'd know where to look - Jason would be on top of the cliffs, looking out to sea when he wanted to be alone,* the slender girl reminisced with a nostalgic smile for her absent friend and 'big brother'. Sometimes, she missed the three former Rangers so much ...

"Waitaminute!" Kim exclaimed, as suddenly a few things went 'click' in her mind. *Mountains ... Jason ... missing him ... cliffs ...* "I know where Tommy is!"

Some time later, the Pink Ranger had indeed found her boyfriend - leaning against a rock down on the beach far away from town, in the small cove where Jason had destroyed the Sword of Darkness, broken Rita's spell over Tommy and where they'd both always claimed their friendship began ... the instant they first shook hands.

"Oh Tommy," she whispered, seeing how much he hurt in the way the broad shoulders slumped, how he didn't care that the breeze whipped his long hair into a tangled mess ... and how his eyes stared unseeingly out across the ocean, looking for someone half a world away.

As silently as possible, Kim climbed down to the narrow stretch of beach. It was pleasantly warm behind the larger rocks, where the wind didn't reach. She needn't have worried about noise, though; Tommy was so absorbed in his thoughts that he only noticed her presence when she put a small hand on his forearm. He flinched, but recovered almost immediately.

"Huh? Oh ... hey, Kim," Tommy said, blushing. He looked away quickly, but not before his girlfriend could read the pain in the chocolate eyes.

"Hey, Tommy," she only said, though. "I've been looking all over for you."

"You ... you were? Er, was there something you wanted? Or, um, did I forget something?" the teen stammered, now thoroughly flustered.

"No, silly. I just missed you," Kim declared lightly, bestowing a bright smile on her boyfriend. "I thought, since the weather's so nice and all, we could do something together."

"Oh." His phenomenal lack of enthusiasm wasn't lost on Kimberly, who refused to let it touch her. Instead, she sank down next to Tommy, sparing only a fleeting thought for her new pair of pale pink jeans. But, Tommy was worth them, and more. Slipping an arm around his waist, she leaned her cheek against a muscular shoulder, thankful that Tommy didn't hesitate to draw her closer against his lean body. The two sat quietly like that for quite a while, lost in their own thoughts, when Kim decided to break the silence.

"I miss him, too, you know," she whispered. "So does Billy."

"Wh-what are you talking about?" Tommy replied, aghast. He'd believed he had hidden his misery over Jason's absence from everybody, especially Kim. To know that she'd noticed ... he felt his face change color repeatedly.

"Jason, of course," Kim answered matter-of-factly. She'd come to terms with the fact that her old childhood friend meant just as much to Tommy as she herself quite a while ago. "Tommy, he's your best friend. You two were closer than most brothers. I've known Jase since second grade; we've always been thick as thieves. It's only natural that we both miss him. You maybe even more than me or Billy, but that's okay."

It was far more than that, Tommy was slowly coming to realize, but he was grateful for Kim's understanding of the situation as she saw it.

"Thanks, Kim," he sighed only, though, squeezing her slim body gently. "I knew it was going to be hard, and I'm trying, but ... I didn't know what it'd be like. I was so used to him being there every day ..."

"I know." A faraway look entered the doe eyes, and now it was Kim's turn to gaze out at the horizon.

"How can you?" Tommy wondered.

She looked at him searchingly for a moment, then relented in the face of his pain and confusion. Even if it hurt ... for Tommy, she'd let the memories come back.

"It was like that when my Dad left us," she confessed finally. "He and Mom both talked to me and my brother once they'd decided to separate and get divorced, and I'd thought I'd understood their reasons - surely anything had to be better than their constant fights - but I didn't expect to miss Dad so much, didn't know how much a part of my life Dad had always been, despite him being away so often," she explained. "Even though we talked on the phone regularly, and we wrote letters, it just wasn't the same as having him live with us."

"That's exactly how I feel," Tommy sighed, smiling gratefully for having someone understand. His parents certainly didn't; sure, they'd liked and approved of Jason and their friendship, he knew they loved him, but ... "You'll make new friends" wasn't what Tommy wanted to hear - he wanted his Bro back! Any way he could get him ... the young man sighed again. "Jase said he had to go ... he gave me his reasons, and I thought I'd accepted them, but ..."

"Why would he think that? Tommy ... does it have anything to do with what happened between you when Zedd had you under that spell?" Kimberly asked, following her intuition which had had her seek out her boyfriend in this secluded space in the first place. "You never told any of us what happened between the two of you ..."

Tommy deliberated for a minute what, if anything, he should tell Kim. She already knew the basic fact - that he and Jason had been intimate - but it had been so much more ... and he didn't, couldn't betray what exactly had gone on in that mountain clearing.

"It has a lot to do with it," he admitted cautiously. "Jase thinks it's changed us ... and maybe he's right ... only, I didn't - don't want us to change!"

"Change is only natural, and doesn't necessarily have to be a bad thing," Kim said wisely. She'd learned that lesson through her parents' divorce, through becoming a Ranger ... through falling in love. Curiously, she looked at the tall young man holding her.

"Tommy ... you needn't tell me any details, but ... when you were a girl, did you and Jason really have sex together to change you back?" Her blush was only partially due to asking a very personal question; she also couldn't forget the fantasies she'd woven during that time, and how she'd relieved her own arousal while letting her imagination run riot.

Tommy took his time to answer.

"Yes." It had been far, far more, but that was something he couldn't tell Kimberly - not without hurting her. Instead, he settled for superficial things. "Any way you can think of, and others I bet you never have."

At her surprised "But how could you ... with a guy ... what ...?", he elaborated, shocking her deeply.

"We did everything. It was weird at first, getting started ... I mean, I'd never looked at Jason as ... as a lover before, but once we got into it ... we had one hell of a good time. There was a lot of plain old lust involved, along with a good dose of feeling." He smiled at the memories, a sensual expression that sent shivers down the Pink Ranger's spine, then looked down into the hurt brown eyes. Tommy kissed them gently. "Kim, don't look at me like that. It took me a long time to accept all of this, to reconcile me with all the things I did with and to Jason, but that doesn't make the memories any less good, and it's why I miss Jase so much now. We shared too much. I'll get over it eventually."

"What about me ... us?" Kim asked, choking back tears. This was not what she'd wanted to hear; she could deal with Tommy having had sex with Jason for a practical reason, but to know it had been something else for her boyfriend ... something she'd wanted to share with him for both their first times ... in a very inexplicable way, Kimberly felt cheated. "You said you wanted to share your first time with me ... now you're telling me you've already done it all - with Jason?"

"Beautiful, I will have my first time with you. Just like you said, you'll be the first girl I'll make love to - whenever you're ready. I can wait. If nothing else, being with Jason has taught me this can't be rushed. What happened up in the mountains ... in some weird way, I almost feel as if that wasn't really me. I mean, it was, but at the same time, I wasn't ..." helplessly, Tommy broke off. He was at a complete loss to explain this dichotomy to Kimberly, but a cautious glance into the lovely eyes showed him that her tears had dried up while she thought about his words.

"I think I know what you're getting at," she finally replied slowly. "You watch yourself doing something, knowing it's you, and at the same time, it's as if you're watching a movie of someone else, with someone who just happens to look exactly like you."

"Yeah," Tommy answered, chewing her explanation over in his mind. At times, it had been like that ... and at others, it hadn't. But, Kim didn't need to know that. He kissed the top of her head. "Thanks for listening - and for understanding," he told his slender girlfriend tenderly.

"I'm not sure I really do," Kim said. "But, I guess it'll do for now."

"Uh huh."

The two sat in a close embrace for a long time, holding each other while they let the gentle surf soothe their troubled minds. The sun shone warmly, the wind was hardly noticeable in their secluded corner of the cove, and eventually, their comfortable silence engulfed them, wrapping them in a cocoon of loving togetherness.

"I love you, Tommy," Kim whispered eventually into the still air surrounding them; it wasn't a specific declaration, just a voicing of her thoughts and feelings in that particular moment.

"I know, Beautiful. I love you, too," Tommy murmured back, pressing his lips once more into the sweet-smelling caramel locks. That was the only thing he hadn't shared with the Red Ranger - his feelings. *But you wanted to, at the end,* that insidious voice in his mind whispered, calling up memories of how it had felt to hold Jason close, of being held by him, but Tommy shushed it impatiently. This was not the moment to deal with his confused emotions; this moment in time belonged to the sweet reality in his arms. Kimberly ... the one person who had captured his heart from the first, before Rita turned his life upside down. He would not take anything else from her.

Kim lifted her face to Tommy's at his softly-spoken declaration, brown eyes full of trust and emotion too powerful for words. He accepted the offering gratefully, giving his own feelings freely in return, and kissed the petal-soft lips, gently, tenderly, until they yielded under his mouth and their tongues touched, exchanging taste in an ephemeral dance that lasted a long, long time.

Afterwards, neither knew how it had happened, but somehow, Kimberly came to sit crosswise over Tommy's lap, his strong arms cradling her body and her hands tangled in the long brown locks. Their kisses were still sweet and tender, but had deepened to the edge of passion, and Tommy's hands had started to wander from simple holding into more exciting territories. His body had grown first tense, then hard with wanting, the longer he held her - and there was no way Kim could be unaware of his erection, not when she was nestled so close to him. They'd ventured here before, but always there'd been uncertainty, a little fear even whether they were doing things right ... or doing the right thing. Whatever it was, it was gone now. While Tommy took nothing for granted, accepting every liberty Kim allowed him gratefully, they were sure about each other.

The White Ranger lifted his head to look at his girlfriend, taking in her sultry smile and dreamy expression with a feeling of absolute rightness. He liked the position they were in, the way he was holding her ... and mostly the way Kim responded to everything he did. Tommy had one arm draped around Kimberly's back when he released the kiss-swollen mouth for a breath of much-needed air, but his other hand rested just under the pert swells.

"Kimberly," he whispered hoarsely, half-questioning.

"Yes, Tommy," she answered, not a trace of hesitation in her voice.

He hardly dared believe, but his instincts seemed to know; he found his fingers exploring the gently-rounded contours of her breast, tracing the edge of her bra under her shirt with the most delicate touch, feeling the center of the firm globe harden against his palm. Tommy brushed a thumb over that tiny kernel of sensitive flesh, and heard Kim suck in an excited little breath. Bolder, he then placed his whole hand over the treasure he longed to see, to nuzzle, squeezing carefully. When that produced only an encouraging smile, Tommy reluctantly released Kim with a parting brush over and around her fullness and holding his breath, slipped his fingers under the hem of her tee, skittering over the soft flesh of Kim's abdomen upwards, until he encountered the lacy prison that confined her breasts. Suddenly, just feeling wasn't enough anymore.

"May I?" Tommy asked, lifting the hem of the pink-striped garment.

Nervously, Kim nodded; she'd let Tommy touch her before, through her clothes, but he'd never seen her less than fully dressed. Well, he'd seen her at the beach wearing a bikini, or in her exercise clothes, but somehow, this was different. She blushed slightly as he pushed the pink-striped shirt upwards, exposing her cream-colored brassière with its tiny pink rosebuds woven into the lace to his intent gaze. The admiration lighting them did not escape the petite girl, though, and she couldn't help the tiny smile quirking a corner of her mouth.

Oblivious of everything but the sight before him, Tommy uttered a soft "Wow." It dispelled any doubts Kim might have had about her desirability for her boyfriend, and the sensation was curiously liberating; it made her feel ... powerful. Her smile grew.

Returning her smile, Tommy dipped his head and kissed her right in the valley between her mounds. Next, he mouthed his way towards the dusky tips, enclosing first one, then the other in the warmth of his open mouth. Daringly, he licked once over the lace-covered flesh, the fabric rough against his tongue. The sensation was strangely erotic and Kimberly didn't protest, so he repeated it. Again. And again, switching sides often until he could feel the pebbled nubs throbbing against his lips.

"Ohhh ..."

The soft, needy moan sent the young man's heartbeat skyrocketing - as did the involuntary arching-up against his chest that Kim did next, as if she was begging for more. He granted it unstintingly, caressing the smooth skin of her belly and back, cupping her firm buttocks and cuddling her against himself until Kimberly started to squirm. Tommy made himself stop to gaze at her questioningly. She was tight as a bowstring, had her eyes closed, a tiny frown on her face and was biting her lower lip, whether from anxiety or tension, he couldn't say. Tommy soothed the soft flesh from between her white teeth with teasing licks and nibbles, until the pouty mouth opened once more under his own. They kissed long, and deep, until both were breathing hard. When they had to part, Tommy slid just the tip of one finger under the scalloped edge of Kim's bra cup, then sought the smoky brown eyes.

"Are you sure of this, Kim?"

She lifted a small hand to his cheek. To her surprise, she saw that it trembled slightly, but her voice was steady.

"I've never been more sure of anything, Tommy. I want you. Please don't stop now."

Relieved, he kissed her once more. Looking around, he knew they were alone on this mostly-deserted part of the beach, but he was aware that Kim might prefer a safer, more private location. His own fantasies, after all, always involved his or her room - with darkness or soft light surrounding them, a nice, comfortable bed, or at least a couch.

"I won't, but ... we can go someplace else, if you want? My folks are out for the day ..."

Kimberly sent a brilliant, sultry smile at him, relaxing in his arms.

"That's sweet." She kissed a fingertip and placed it briefly against Tommy's lips, transferring the kiss playfully to his mouth. She shuddered when he drew her finger in, licking sensually across the pad, biting gently. "What's wrong with here and now, though? Unless you need to go someplace first? For, um, you know?" she asked, suddenly anxious. In the heat of the moment, of revealing herself to him this far, she hadn't thought about protection; there was a small packet of condoms hidden in her nightstand, just in case, had been there ever since she started wanting Tommy, but she didn't carry any with her ... Kim breathed out again when Tommy smiled at her, following her train of thought perfectly.

"No need. I may be forgetful about anything else, but never about your safety, Beautiful," he murmured, sliding his hands once more around to her back, caressing her spine. Endearingly unskilled fingers sought the closures of her bra. She shivered deliciously. "I'm prepared."

"Thank you," she whispered back, running both hands through his wind-blown hair, drawing him down into another, more heated kiss. "Don't make me wait any longer, Tommy ..."

"I couldn't, anyway - not if you continue to kiss me like that," he teased, breathless with arousal and sudden need.

"I like kissing you like that," she replied, boldly reaching for him once again. This time, both moaned into each other's mouth, sending their pulses even higher.

They started to undress each other then, shedding their clothes leisurely, helping each other without haste, until they were both naked. Tommy had spread his flannel shirt onto the ground as a sort of makeshift blanket for his girlfriend, and was gazing at her slender body with unabashed appreciation. The autumn sun was warm on their skin as he followed her tan lines with a questing finger, making her tremble. There were other parts of her body he wanted to touch, but he could wait a little longer ...

"You really are beautiful, Kim," he whispered, overcome with awe. No fantasy or stolen glance at magazines could have prepared him for the impact the peaches-and-cream skin was having on his senses - touch, sight, smell - he could hardly wait to add taste to it, as well. And he positively longed to hear Kim sigh his name, the way she sometimes did when they'd ventured beyond kisses before.

"Thank you," the young woman blushed, pleased by the compliment. She was busy taking her own visual inventory of her soon-to-be lover's fit body. Of course she was familiar with his leanly-muscled chest, the rippling abdomen, the strong, muscular thighs ... Tommy went shirtless often enough, after all, or wore shorts. Kim smiled at the memory of how she'd almost started drooling the first time she'd seen him in his football uniform. The silvery-white pants had clung to his butt so enticingly ... and it was precisely that part of his anatomy that now held her fascinated eyes.

Kim had expected the tan line riding low on the lean hips; she'd tried to imagine the patch of dark curls, almost the same color as hers, at the apex of his thighs. But nothing in her experience had prepared her for what the first sight of Tommy's erect organ was doing to her senses. Biology lessons only went so far, and sneaking peeks at her mother's occasional copy of 'Cosmo' was nothing compared to reality. Fascinated, she reached out.

"May I?" she asked, just as Tommy had done earlier.

"Sure," he rasped, holding his breath in anticipation of her first touch. When it came, tentative at first, then more sure, gaining confidence with every inch of exploration, Tommy groaned in sheer bliss and sank back to lie flat on the beach.

"Oh Kim ...!"

"You like that?" she asked diffidently, closing her small hand carefully around the hot, pulsing length. It fit just right, not too wide or too slender, and Kim slid her loosely-held fist up an inch. Tommy instinctively pumped his hips upward, into the caress.

"I love it," he moaned, reaching for her. "God, Kim, I need to touch you ...!"

"In a minute," the petite girl demurred, getting bolder. "I'm not done getting to know you yet." She lifted sparkling eyes up to his, doe brown meeting melted chocolate. "Please, Tommy?"

Groaning with need, Tommy forced his body back down onto the sun-warmed sand. Every muscle was coiled, waiting, wanting ...

"You're killing me, you know that?" he grumbled, but let her hear the warmth in his voice.

"Oh, I think you'll live," Kim whispered, her normally light voice a sultry purr as she pressed a kiss against his heaving chest. Quick as lightning, she nipped at a hard brown nipple, laughing delightedly as Tommy arched and sighed. Her own tender nubs were erect and straining, just like his manhood she was fondling, but she wanted to make him squirm a little - the way she did when she masturbated, dreaming of this moment.

Kimberly sat up slightly, not caring that Tommy was watching her as she explored his sex. Tommy's cock was long, but not overly so; it rose from his body to lie flat against his washboard abs, quivering as she ran curious fingers along the shaft, tracing the veins, marvelling at the satiny skin.

"You're so soft, so smooth," she murmured, awed. "Like silk. And yet, at the same time you're hard ..." her fingertips touched the purplish-brown head, outlining the ridge.

"I know," he moaned, exerting every ounce of willpower he had not to pounce on the sexy body bent over him. He returned Kim's sassy grin with a rueful one of his own. "I'm often hard when I think of you," he confessed suddenly. "It's been like that from the start - ever since you first kissed me."

"Oh." To cover her pleasure and slight embarrassment, Kim let her hand stray towards the hair-covered sac, cupping the shifting twin globes in her hand and memorizing the different textures. She noticed elatedly that Tommy closed his eyes ecstatically and let his legs fall open, as if to invite her to explore further. However, that would have to wait for another time; she wasn't that adventurous yet. Instead, she grasped the throbbing length once more, pumping gently up and down. Tommy started to jerk his hips upward, into her grip. Apparently she was doing something right - a quick glance at his glowing, sweat-streaked face confirmed it. Kim wished she dared kiss the smooth organ gliding through her fingers, but before she could make up her mind, Tommy's hand reached out to still her own.

"Stop, Beautiful," he rumbled, breathing hard. Seeing her confused pout, he explained, grinning a bit shamefacedly. "If you don't, this'll be over before it has really begun."

"What do you - oh." Kimberly colored again and almost snatched her hand away. Tommy laughed, making her scowl. He lifted her fingers to his lips and kissed them gently, tickling the palm with his tongue.

"Why don't I try to make you feel as good as you made me feel just now?" the young man suggested, pulling the slender body down on his. Both shivered with pleasure at the skin-to-skin contact.

"Mmmm," Kim purred, pressing herself more closely against the hard body holding her securely, her momentary funk already forgotten. There was no trace of shyness or embarrassment left; it felt right to be in Tommy's arms like this. "Please do."

"It'll be my pleasure, Beautiful."

The time for words was past; Tommy bent over his girlfriend intent only on giving her as much pleasure as possible. Recalling everything he'd felt and experienced at Jason's touch, he let his hands and lips roam, charting every inch of creamy skin until Kim came electrically alive in his arms, moving with and into his every touch without inhibition.

"Oooohh, yes," she moaned, shivering delightedly as he nip-kissed his way from her mouth down her slender throat, pausing at the hollow for what seemed like ages. At last, just when she thought she'd go mad with frustration, Tommy moved onwards, towards her heaving breasts. His mouth on the soft flesh felt heavenly, and Kimberly issued a small cry of pleasure as he closed his lips around a straining nub and began to suckle.

Sensations began to overwhelm her when he moved to her other breast; impatiently, she shifted in his arms, gasping as his hardness pressed hotly into her belly. Kim wound her arms around the strong back, touching where she could while Tommy explored her body with hands and lips, learning which places he needed to kiss to make her sigh, or what areas to touch with feather-light fingers to make her tremble. Skin began to get slick with sweat as the two aroused each other further, eyes grew heavy with desire as Tommy gently parted the slim thighs, to seek out Kim's most sensitive spot.

"Tommy!"

It was half-squeak, half-scream what issued from Kim's throat as soon as he touched her clit. Instinctively, the girl tried to press her legs together before she could control herself. Nobody had ever touched that place but herself, and to feel another's hand there, however welcome, was ... disconcerting.

"Easy, Beautiful," he soothed her, mistaking her reaction. The White Ranger patted the damp curls, running a fingertip along the puffy slit to coax her to open up again. Kim sucked in a sharp breath, surprised at the tingles darting from her sex deep into her belly. "I'm not going to hurt you, just trying to prepare you."

"I know," the gymnast murmured, exhaling deliberately to loosen tensed muscles. She looked up into the warm brown eyes, recognizing the heat in their depths. "It's just ... for a second ..."

"You're not afraid of me ... of this, are you?"

"No." Kim kissed Tommy. "Never."

"Then let me love you, Kim," he pleaded. "Let me inside ... in every way. Please?"

"Yes ..."

It was just a breath of sound, barely audible, but Tommy heard nonetheless. Giving his petite lover a grateful smile full of promise, he then set out to make this first time everything it could be. Delving into her slippery heat, he coaxed forth wave after wave of sensation, feeling her folds grow slick with her juices. The surf splashing against the rocks became a soft melody that provided the rhythm to which he led Kim into desire, the distant cries of seagulls harmonized with their moans as she surrendered to his gentle seduction. His hand was drenched with moisture as he opened her up as far as possible, his tongue stroking hers in time with his fingers gliding in and out of her spasming opening. Kimberly held nothing back, responding freely while exciting Tommy with her own body, claiming his mouth, neck, chest with lips and careful teeth as her hands alternately skimmed and gripped his shoulders, back and buttocks. Tommy was hard where she was soft, big where she was small, but their blood simmered at the same temperature under hot, silky skin. Even though they were lying down, their entwined bodies swayed together until the need grew to be too much, until both were poised on the brink of release ... and still they waited, teased, kissed, touched ...

"Now, Tommy," Kim whispered when she could stand the suspense no longer, lifting her legs and wrapping them around his chest. She wanted - no, needed - to know all of him. By now, Tommy lay cradled between her thighs, his cock pulsing hotly against the entrance of her body. They had taken care to sheathe him with a condom some time before, together; while both regretted the necessity, they knew it'd be foolish to take chances. He shook his hair out of his eyes, lowering his mouth to hers a final time.

"Are you ready for me, Kim?" Tommy needed to know, although he'd felt her heat, tested her wetness.

"You know I am." Trustingly, she looked into his eyes, letting him see her need. "Come to me."

He did. Slowly, carefully, he eased himself into Kimberly, inch by inch, until he was buried as far as possible in the tight channel. There had been an instant of discomfort when he'd breached her maidenhead, but it was over almost before they'd realized it, and after that ... there was only bliss.

"Tommy ..." Kim sighed, overcome.

"Kim ..." Tommy murmured, awed.

Both smiled as they realized they'd spoken simultaneously. Of their own accord, their lips met once more, and when Tommy began to duel tenderly with Kim's tongue, their loins started to move together as well, fanning the flames of their mutual desire into a fire that burned and consumed them, but didn't hurt - instead, they fell into the inferno joyously, together, to emerge from the blaze unscathed, exhausted, but delirious with a new, different joy as only glowing embers remained and their heartbeats slowed.

Tommy lifted himself up from Kim, reluctantly leaving the haven of her body, but he knew he could not crush her with his weight. Instead, he settled on the sand next to her, cradling the slight body in his arms.

"I love you, Beautiful. Thank you," he whispered, brushing a stray lock of caramel hair out of her eyes. Kim forced her lids to open; she was feeling deliciously sated as the afterglow slowly drained from her limbs. She smiled at her lover, a sexy, sensual expression that made Tommy catch his breath anew.

"Thank you, Tommy - for making my first time truly wonderful," she murmured back, stretching sinuously in his arms.

"Ditto here." For a while they drowsed, cuddling close while they exchanged languid caresses and tender kisses, savoring the experience.

"Will it always be like this?" Kim asked softly after a while.

"I sure hope so," Tommy smiled at the tiny Pink Ranger, resting her head so trustingly on his shoulder. He gave a teasing squeeze to a firmly-rounded buttock. "I'll certainly try my best to make it so for you."

"Mmm. Me, too," she answered, then lifted glowing brown eyes to his. "But will you say the same when we're old and grey and wrinkled?" Kim laughed at his mock-horrified expression, then grew serious. "I can't imagine ever being without you," she admitted.

"Me neither, Beautiful. And if I have anything to say about it, we'll be together forever."

"I'd like that," the gymnast whispered, before their lips met in a tender kiss full of promise.

"Hmph!"

Lord Zedd grunted, coldly furious. He was more than angry that the White Ranger had succeeded where all his carefully-laid plans had failed - twice now. Even punishing that snivelling fool, Baboo, hadn't improved his mood much. Well, at least he wouldn't have to put up with any more clever 'suggestions' from that incompetent cretin for a good long while - he'd made very sure his minion had learned his lesson about giving him incomplete data.

"Forever is a very long time, Power Brats. And you won't live to see it, if I have anything to say about it!"

The evil being sent a last look down to the beach, imprinting the sight of a lithe, naked Kimberly writhing under her youthful lover's hands on his memory. He'd wanted to be the one to make her moan and cry out in ecstasy, submitting her to his twisted desires; instead, he'd had to watch how that irritating fool Tommy took once more what should have been his by might, if not by right.

"Enjoy fucking your precious Kimberly while you can, White Ranger," Zedd snarled, disgusted with the situation and himself. "I doubt you can hold her as long as you wish. She's too passionate to be satisfied by only one man, and it'll serve you right if you lose her. And I'll be there to celebrate your downfall at her hands." Resolving to put his near-obsession with the lovely Pink Ranger behind him once and for all, Zedd returned to his stone throne. Far better to think up a new plan to obliterate the whole team.

"Women are overrated, anyway," he grumbled, dismissing an uncomfortable thought about the Human adage of sour grapes. "I might just as well marry that old witch Rita, if she were still around. Ha! Not in another seven thousand years," Lord Zedd vowed. "Nothing this side of the known universe would ever make me do that!"