"Shake-Up" Chapter 3/5 (PG-13)

[pc32_fics]

Fandom: Mighty Morphin' Power Rangers
Rating: PG-13 (language)
Characters/Pairings: Entire first season team, pre-TommyKim
Summary: When Tommy joins the team, the repercussions spiral out from the small group of friends and throughout Angel Grove. The Power Team has to face several challenges - in and out of the spandex.

3 - Back to School

Kimberly peered out from under her blanket, glaring darkly at her alarm clock. She was warm, she was comfy, and she'd finally managed to get to sleep.

School really needed to start several hours later.

Despite her fervent wishes, though, time stops for nobody (well, except maybe Rita) and she finally hauled herself out of bed. There was primping to do and she really had to find Billy before the bell rang; taking off from their group practice wasn't the smartest thing she'd ever done... neither was leaving her homework behind. Trini had shown up hours later to make sure she was okay, return her stuff... and tease her about Tommy.

She couldn't help herself, though. Things were so weird now. She'd really thought there was something there... and then Tommy had turned out to be evil. Sure, it was against his wishes, but she couldn't help but wonder if he'd meant what he said.

Nonetheless, he was still unfairly gorgeous, a major hunk, and when he touched her arms to move show her how to properly block, her stomach had tied up in knots. She couldn't help herself. She wanted to throw herself at him - and boy, would Jason be unimpressed if she did that! Not to mention, Tommy would probably think she was insane...

So she ran.

This, she realized later, probably made her look even more like a nutcase. 'Way to go, Kimberly!'

Kim got dressed almost on auto-pilot, straightening her hair and putting on a light bit of make-up before the all-important task of picking out her shoes. Not too tall (it was kind of sexy how Tommy seemed to tower over her sometimes, despite her usual irritation at her lack of height), not too impractical (putty attacks could happen at any time), not too expensive (Rita loved her disgusting, usually slimy monsters)...

'Sometimes I really hate being a superhero,' she pouted as she passed over one of her favorite pairs.

"Honey, you'd better get a move on!"

With a sigh, she grabbed her cutest tennis shoes and slipped them on before tearing down the stairs. "Love you, mom," she said, kissing her on the cheek as she grabbed a granola bar. "I'll be back late."

Once down the road, Kim slowed to a walk. It wouldn't do to arrive all red-faced and looking like something the cat dragged in.

It was early enough that the moon still hung in the clear sky and she scowled at it, wondering when Rita was going to attack again. It wasn't like her to stay quiet for so long... especially considering they'd thwarted her evil plan to keep Tommy as hers. Would she try to get him back, or would she consider it a lost cause? Kim wondered what it would be like having Tommy on their side of the battlefield. He'd been a powerhouse for Rita, and the Dragonzord was way cool.

"Hey, Kim, wait up!"

Kim spun, pasting a smile on her face. "Morning, Jase!"

Huffing and puffing, her friend joined her at the corner. "No car today?"

"Mom has to work a double," she explained. "Where's yours?"

Jason blushed, and her interest was piqued. "I was late getting home again last night... and after last week, dad read me the riot act and took my keys."

She sympathized. Life would be easier if she could tell her Mom that she was a Power Ranger; it would definitely explain all her absences. Then again, her mom would probably freak and lock her in the basement for a year.

"Why were you so late?"

"Tommy and I were at the Command Center. I was showing him a couple things and he told us what he could of the Lunar Palace. Zordon says we can't stage an attack - that whole no-escalating-a-battle rule, you know?" Kim nodded, and he continued, "But knowing more about the capabilities will make us more effective. Anyway, we were there for a while... it was hard for him to talk about his time up there. Even then, I think he spent most of his time on Earth or in the Dark Dimension..."

Kim was silent. She hoped Jason would leave the subject alone-

"Speaking of Tommy, why'd you take off on Saturday? I know you didn't have any plans - you told me so when you arrived."

'Figures. Of course he wouldn't drop it.' She rolled her eyes. Jason was one of her best friends - and had been her first real friend - but sometimes he could be really oblivious… or maybe stubborn was the right word.

"I just needed some time by myself," she prevaricated. 'As in, not near Tommy until I can figure out how I feel about him.'

Jason looked like he wasn't buying it, and she quickly asked, "What about you? Did you invite Zack to come up with you and Tommy? Or hang out with him afterward?"

He glared at her. "No. Zack had family over for the weekend; he spent yesterday with them."

She would have pursued the subject, but they'd arrived at school. "I have to go talk to Mr. Caplan about next week's charity event," Jason murmured. Kim wished him a good day and watched him stroll off before going to her locker. None of her friends were in sight; then again, somehow, she and Jason had made really good time on their walk to school. She was still pretty early... early enough to try and hunt down Billy. He'd probably be over in the science wing.

At her locker, it was hard to push down the memories. Was it really only a week ago that Tommy had scared off Bulk and Skull? 'It feels like it was forever ago.' His smile, the hopeful look in his eye when she introduced herself and invited him to the Youth Center...

Then her mind flashed back to approaching him the following day, remembering his cold demeanor. "Newsflash, Kimberly. You are not the center of everybody's universe."

But that was under Rita's influence, right? He'd been so adorably shy when he'd first approached her... so why were things so awkward now?

She was Kimberly Hart, darn it, and she feared no man!

-xxx-

As the bell rang for the end of the day, Billy smiled. A day so far without any monster attacks – without anything from Rita, absent of even Goldar and the putties – was one that thrilled him, especially given the previous week.

'Perhaps Rita's powers were overtaxed controlling Tommy, magically inducing the eclipse, and creating access into her Dark Dimension,' Billy mused. No matter; whatever the reason, it was time he could use to bring the zords back up to full strength. Alpha's drones were a great help in restoring them to their original glory, but he had some necessary changes planned.

He really wished he could violently rend whoever had chosen to fuel them via solar power. It was a ridiculous notion; green and economical, yes, but as had been proven earlier, it was a danger to the team to sudden have little reserve to draw on. The scientist also wondered how he'd managed to overlook that particular flaw while researching the Command Center's systems. He'd done extensive research on the zords' capabilities; the lapse in judgment was embarrassing and he felt as though he had a lot to make up for.

As Billy reached his locker (handily dodging Bulk and Skull, who were lurking near Kimberly's locker yet again), he heaved a sigh of relief. He had few classes with Trini, and he wanted her assistance in working on the new circuitry for the zords. There were a few options he could choose from – balancing power, reliability and plausibility would be important, considering his friends were not exactly scientifically- and mechanically-inclined, so it would be up to him, Alpha and Trini to keep the equipment in top shape once everything was installed.

He caught a glimpse of Tommy at his own locker and grinned in what others would probably refer to as his "geek-in-heaven" look. The Green Ranger's zord was the one he most wanted to get his hands on. The Dragonzord managed to rest at the bottom of the harbor and still work as well as any of the others; no rust, no strain on the controls. Tommy somehow controlled it with music, although Billy was certain there was more to it than that. Zordon had explained to Billy early on that The Power was, to put it simply, an intriguing mix of magic and technology, some of it unquestionable.

That didn't stop Billy from searching for answers anyway. Just to think of the endless possibilities, what that sort of technology could mean for the human race, thrilled him to no end.

"Tommy!"

The teen looked up as Billy approached. "Hey, Billy. What's up?"

"I was wondering if you were planning on accompanying us for refreshment and calisthenics now that the school day has ended."

Tommy tilted his head, "Uh… yeah. I was going to go to the Juice Bar. Is that where everybody's going to be?"

"Of course. Jason has a class to mentor; Kimberly will no doubt run through her balance beam routine before perhaps choosing to work her choreography for her floor routine. I have a project to put forth to Trini, and would like your input as well."

Tommy looked shocked. "My input?"

"Certainly. It has to do with our metallic friends," Billy hinted as a large pack of schoolmates rushed past toward the door. Tommy nodded his understanding.

Seeing his new friend still appeared uncomfortable, Billy endeavored to ease the tension. "Were you more able to easily follow Mr. Fewler today?"

"Hey, yeah!" Tommy smiled as he shoved that particular book in his bag. "I wanted to thank you. It was a bit easier, but now-"

"You guys coming?" Jason hollered to be heard from over by the door.

As the two teens hurried to join their friends, Billy realized there was something off about the group. Jason stood with his arms crossed; Kimberly looked put out and Trini appeared exasperated. The two girls stood between the Red Ranger and Zack, who had an indecipherable look on his face as he watched Billy and Tommy walk up.

"Is everything okay?"

"No-"

"It's fine," Jason said, cutting Kim off quite quickly. "Let's just get going. I have a larger class today since last week's Monday class was canceled."

The walk to the Youth Center was quiet – not a comfortable silence, either. As Billy didn't consider himself very socially-savvy, he wondered how bad it truly was that he was picking up on the problem. By the way Kim kept eying Jason, he suspected it had to do with the falling out between Zack and Jason.

Perhaps the problem was larger than he'd expected on Saturday.

They cut through a corner of the park on the way, Trini and Billy discussing their plans (Trini was, as he'd expected, more than willing to help him) while Jason and Tommy listened to their technobabble, occasionally asking for clarification. Behind them, Kimberly was discussing choreography with Zack; Billy found her discussion almost as confusing as she found his.

They'd just arrived when Kim pushed between him and Jason with a murmured apology and grabbed Jason by the arm.

"I need to talk to you." Without waiting for a response, she dragged him aside. Tommy's brows narrowed.

Zack snickered, sing-songing, "Busted!" while Trini giggled.

Billy continued his trek into the Youth Center, wanting nothing to do with a Kimberly dead-set on helping her friends whether they liked it or not.

-xxx-

"Are you sure you don't want to talk about this? It's not healthy to keep things bottled up."

Zack stared down the Yellow Ranger before remembering that engaging her in any such contest was futile. "I'm sure, Trini. Look, I appreciate what you're trying to do, but there's no helping this. I have my feelings, Jason has his, and they're not exactly compatible." He was talking softly but quickly, hoping not to be overheard by Tommy, who was coming back over to their table.

"Look, I understand your concerns, Zack. It's wise of you to keep them in mind, but-"

"Sorry; I gotta go." Cutting her off, he leapt from his seat and wandered over to where Angela was working out, clearly hoping to talk her into a date.

Trini watched him go, frustrated, and let out a sigh. Sometimes, her friends were just far too unbending for their own good. It wreaked havoc on her sanity. The clatter of a tray being placed on the table drew her attention to her right. "Hey, Tommy."

"Hey. Everything okay? You look kinda bummed out."

He may have beaten them several times, but he could really be a sweetheart. Trini hoped Kim would get over whatever strange hang-ups she had. He needed a girl like Kim to bring the light back to his eyes.

"As okay as it could be, considering certain people keep pushing away my attempts to help," Trini grumbled, giving in to a rare moment of venting.

Tommy shifted in his seat, pulling out his science book again. "Well, if you're offering free help…" he trailed off, looking sheepish, and her heart went out to him. "Want to lend another hand in my physics homework?"

She nudged Billy, who'd been filling out complex equations regarding his new plans for the zords, and the genius looked up. "We'd be glad to help. Right, Billy?"

The three worked quietly, slowly helping Tommy make sense of the numbers and formulas.

"So, how are things?" she asked as they took a break. When he looked at her questioningly, she elaborated, "after everything that happened…" She didn't want to pick at healing wounds, but Tommy looked like a wound coil. He needed to talk about these things. Jason had mentioned their trip to the Command Center, and they both knew that Tommy fighting with them would help assuage some of the guilt – it would never fully go away – but he really needed to talk through what he was thinking.

Jason had the same habit of keeping everything locked inside. It made her and Kimberly want to scream. Zack was better – well, had been, Trini reminded herself silently. Why did he pick now to be as stubborn as his friend?

With a sigh, Tommy wilted under her stern look. "I'm dealing, I guess."

"What do you mean?"

"I'm focusing on my schoolwork and karate," he explained. "And I'm trying to… well, to fit in here without pushing anybody aside." He hung his head, peeking up through his lashes. It was unfair for a guy to have such pretty eyes. "Jason and you keep pushing and pulling me into this, and I really haven't had a lot of friends before now. It's actually a lot harder than being a loner."

Trini nodded understandingly, wearing an apologetic smile. "We're a team, Tommy. If we're all friends, we'll work together more effectively against Rita. And besides, you need friends."

Billy murmured an agreement.

Tommy was about to respond when Kim seemingly appeared out of nowhere and slammed her math book on the table, startling all three of them. Looking up, she steeled herself; Kim's face was bright red and she appeared ready to kill somebody.

Considering who she'd been talking with, Trini would bet a healthy amount of money that the "somebody" was Jason.

"He told me," Kim said without preamble, "that I should 'Mind my own business.'" She scoffed. "As if!"

Trini cringed. Jason couldn't possibly be thinking clearly. He and Kim told each other everything; denying Kim information in what she had labeled a crisis was a surefire way to tick her off and to make her push all the harder. What was wrong with him?

Kim hadn't stopped. "It was like, one of the most whacked-out conversations I have ever had with that stubborn boy. He kept grumbling – as if he has any reason to be upset!" She stomped a foot, either unaware or uncaring of the looks she was getting. "What in the world is wrong with him?"

"I was just wondering the same thing," Trini admitted, following Jason's figure with her eyes as he left the locker room to teach his class. His shoulders were tense, but his head was slightly bowed. He was clearly thinking about whatever Kim had said, even if he'd told her to bug off.

"Does he like, not even care? We can't have stupid fights like this, you know? It'll make us more of a target – even I know that."

Kim flopped into a chair next to Tommy; as Trini turned her head to watch her friend, she caught the confused look on his face and stifled a giggle.

"I mean, really," she continued. "I know he's all super-competitive and that oh no somebody might not agree with him… at least, that's what I'm guessing, based on the super-limited info he would actually share before he zipped his lips. But we can't have this! He and Zack keep this up, and we're pretty much doomed. He wouldn't even tell me what they were fighting about!" she wailed.

From the other side of the Center, Zack looked up. Trini watched his eyes widen when Kim's voice carried; he began to sidle toward the entrance and she had to bite back a chuckle.

Apparently, he didn't want to be the Pink Ranger's next victim.

"They need to figure this out, if I have to sit them down in my bedroom and lock them there until they kiss and make up. Well not literally, because that would be totally weird. You know what I mean. Really, though-"

Trini took a deep breath and interrupted. "It'll be alright, Kim. They'll figure it out; they're too close not to. We shouldn't panic. And you know if you keep pushing, Jason's going to just push back. He's stubborn like that."

"Yeah, he can be dumb like that," Kim acknowledged with a sigh, blowing the bangs out of her face. "Doesn't mean I have to like it, though." She looked down and realized there was a strawberry smoothie in front of her. "Uh, thanks, whoever got me this."

The table was silent, though Trini observed a blush spreading across Tommy's cheeks. She was further amused when Kim tilted her head to the side and jerked slightly as though suddenly realizing he was, in fact, sitting next to her. The girl ran a hand through with her hair, trying in vain to look nonchalant, and Trini couldn't help but tease.

"You know, Kim, you really shouldn't expose Tommy to so much Kim-logic at one time," she mockingly chided. Next to her, Billy snorted in amusement.

It would have been hard to say who was blushing harder. Tommy and Kim were looking anywhere but at each other; Tommy appearing to watch Jason's class over Kim's head while Kim shot daggers at Trini with her eyes. 'Stop it!' she mouthed.

Trini winked and tapped Tommy on the shoulder. He turned questioningly and she smiled. "Don't worry. I'm sure you'll catch on quickly. Nobody expects you to speak fluent 'Kim' yet."

Billy choked on his smoothie, and Kim's death-ray glare zoned in on him. "I must admit," he joined in to Trini's surprise, merriment dancing in his blue eyes, "that conversing with the ever-popular Kimberly Hart is akin to mental gymnastics when she is truly incensed about something. It often takes a certain amount of specious and superficial observations, combined with an erudite history of the strangely accurate leaps of reasoning, to truly follow where she's coming from."

Kim and Tommy blinked while Trini giggled. Trini's amusement – proof, in Kim's mind, that Billy was using big words to be mean – only served to sour Kim's mood further.

"I don't know what you said, but I have a tendency to be right, so there," Kim asserted.

"He included that part," Trini said consolingly.

Tommy smiled. "Then it can't have been that bad… does it really matter how you arrive at the answer as long as it's the right one?" Kim didn't appear convinced.

"Basically," Trini translated for the two, "Kim-logic relies on some fairly illogical and… well, what some people would consider frivolous observations. Still, she has an uncanny track-record for being right, which just goes to show you that you can't judge a book by its cover."

Tommy seemed to mull over the description, finally managing to look at Kim as though mentally imprinting Trini's words over his original judgment of Kim. Trini wondered if he'd peered past Kim's good looks to see the person below… if he was interested, even, or if Kim would let him in after all the weirdness that happened.

Then again, they were Power Rangers. Weirdness was pretty commonplace in their lives.

Kim grudgingly accepted the explanation, though she still couldn't bring herself to meet Tommy's eyes. She quickly finished her drink and waved off Billy's offer of help on her homework for the time being, deciding to run through her beam routine instead.

-xxx-

"Well, fine then. Let me just say that I don't know what's going on between the two of you and obviously you're not going to tell me… which, by the way, does tick me off because it's not right for you to keep secrets. Anyway, the point is that you need to figure out what's got you so upset, fix it, and if you did something wrong or dumb you have to swallow your pride and just deal, okay?"

Jason hated it when she was right. Her words rang in his head as he walked out of the locker room with just a minute to spare before he was supposed to call class to order. The class had been growing since Rita had appeared; while it was rare for putties to attack people other than the Rangers, monsters could appear at any time and were often accompanied by the gray goobers. It seemed a lot of parents would rather be safe than sorry and have their children know a bit of self-defense.

'Maybe I should find out if Tommy wants to help me teach,' he thought as he watched the kids run through a warm-up kata. 'We could probably open a class for adults, too. Mothers, maybe. Not a whole lot of crime since the Rangers showed up, but it can't hurt. And extra money would be great for dates.'

Not that he was seeing anybody yet, but still. Hey, if Tommy and Kim hooked up…

The class seemed to fly by, and Jason inwardly sighed when there was no break due to a monster attack. Maybe Rita would keep going easy on them. He mentally struck that thought out after a moment of reflection. Any time it took Rita more than a day or two to attack, she seemed to be up to something pretty awful.

"Class dismissed!"

The chatter from the departing kids almost drowned out a student slipping over to ask a question. "Sensei?"

"Yes, Jack?" The dark-haired boy had just moved to the area and already seemed to idolize Jason. The Red Ranger refused to admit how much he actually enjoyed it.

"Are you gonna be in the team competition?" The boy was incredibly excited, actually bouncing foot to foot despite the tiring lesson.

Jason wracked his mind but couldn't think of one… "Wait, you mean the two-person one?" He'd seen a couple posters advertising it. He and Zack had been talking about maybe doing it; Zack wasn't as much into specialized karate competitions, preferring a venue to use his Hip Hop Kido instead. But now that Tommy was hanging with them…

"Yeah! It's going to be so cool! I wanna cheer for you but you gotta have a team-mate. I'd offer," he said seriously, and Jason had to cover his mouth to hide his smile, "but I think I'm too young. But seriously, you should do it!"

"I'll think about it; I've got a great partner in mind." With Tommy by his side, they'd be unbeatable. He ruffled Jack's hair. "Go get dressed; your mom'll be here soon."

"'kay. Thanks for the help today!"

Behind the kid, Jason saw Zack wander slowly back into the Center. He'd seen the Black Ranger make a quiet escape when Kim began ranting and had secretly wished he could do the same.

She had been right, though. They were fighting over stupid stuff – Jason had to admit that it was only his pride that was damaged. Zack had some good points… even if they pretty much moot now. The least he could have done was listen to Zack without being a kid about it-

Beep beep beep-beep beep beep…

'I'll talk to Zack later,' he told himself before moving over to the table, Zack at his heels.

Duty called – time to put the drama on the back burner.

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