--

“I don’t suppose we could ask you to take this party outside, could we?” Conner asked as he tightened his grip on his Thunder-max saber.

Elsa just sneered. “And why would I do something like that, Red Ranger?” she asked. “Especially when all the invites are already here?” And with that she raised her sword and pointed it at the four Rangers. “Attack.” she said in a calm yet commanding tone. Instantly the White Ranger clone, Felectro, and the Tyrannodrones took their battle stances and charged at the foursome. As they fought, Conner, Ethan, Kira, and Trent tried their best not to wreck everything as they fended off Elsa and company, but if a Tyrannodrone, or one of Mesogog’s generals tried to hurl a chair or a cooking pot at them, they had to dodge. In about less than two minutes there was pretty much a mess all over the place: leftover food on the floor and tables, ripped paper plates, spilled soda on the floor and other things as well.

Man, Hayley’s insurance company is gonna be breathing down her neck for this. Ethan thought as he slashed at a nearby drone, leaving a nasty gash across its torso. He then kicked the drone square in the gut, knocking it onto a nearby table that had leftover food. The resulting crash caused the food to fly off the table and land right on the drones’ face.

Now that’s what I call just deserts. Ethan thought as he then quickly drew back his forearm, hitting another nearby Tyrannodrone with the back of his fist. Needless to say, the drone dropped to the ground like a Jenga tower.

Conner had just taken out another Tyrannodrone when he saw himself face-to-face with Felectro. Eyes narrowing in determination he then struck at the hybrid with his Thunder-Max saber but Felectro blocked the blow with his right forearm. Conner then struck a second time but Felectro blocked it again, this time with his left forearm.

But the hybrid wasn’t through by a long shot, for once he blocked the second blow Felectro then grabbed Conner by the neck with his right arm, all the while using his left arm to keep a vice grip on Conner’s right arm so he couldn’t move his arm, much less use his saber.

“If I remember correctly, I believe you had said something about taking the party outside.” Felectro sneered. “And interestingly enough, I agree with you. After all, what’s a party if you can’t make it bigger than it is? And in fact, seeing as how you were the one who made the suggestion, and since I’m in a semi-generous mood, I’ll let you start things off with a bang!”

No sooner did he finish his sentence that he then drew back both his arms to his right and threw Conner right through a window helmet-first, using his magnetism to prolong the throw. As a result Conner smashed right through the window and hit the ground with a thud at about 15 yards.

Conner only had time to raise his head somewhat when he saw Felectro leap through the large hole in the window and come at him in a very panther-like way. Acting quickly Conner then propped himself up on his arms somewhat and tried to get up but couldn’t. Then when Felectro growled his panther growl and leaped at Conner with his sharp teeth bared and claws outstretched, Conner then spun 180 degrees on the ground, raising his leg and executing a high foot sweep as he did so. The blow connected with Felectro’s left jaw, knocking him off balance and sending him spiraling to the ground. Conner then took advantage of this and used the momentum to get back up on his feet.

However, Felectro wasn’t down at all, for as he was spiraling to the ground he then drew his legs back like Conner had and used the momentum to get back up on his feet as well.

Conner then adjusted his Thunder-max saber back to its blaster mode and put it back in it’s holster by his belt. Once he saw Felectro get up about as quickly as he was kicked down he then took his battle stance and braced himself for anything the hybrid might dish out. At the corner of his visor Conner saw a jeep in the distance that was heading in their direction. Now for some reason, Conner found himself not wanting or even needing to think twice or do a double take, for once he saw the jeep he just knew right then as to whose jeep it was and who was driving it.

Dr O! You’ve got some splainin’ to do! Conner thought to himself just as Felectro flung two energy boomerangs at him. Conner quickly jumped and somersaulted in the air, dodging the boomerangs as they flew around and returned back to Felectro.

“That was strike one and two, pal.” Conner said as he activated his Tyranno staff. “Wanna try a third time?”

Suddenly the front door to the cyber café opened and Elsa, the White Ranger clone, and several Tyrannodrones were sent flying out the door with Ethan’s Tricera shield shooting horn “stingers” at them.

“Come on, you posers! Want some more?” Ethan asked as he fired another round of stingers with Trent and Kira right behind him.

Elsa, already feeling irritated beyond words, drew her sword and deflected the stingers with it. “Actually, I was just about to ask you the same question.” And as she said it she then aimed her sword and fired an energy beam at Ethan, Trent, and Kira, knocking the three of them to the ground.

“Guys!” Conner yelled as he forgot about Felectro and rushed over to where his teammates were. “Are you all right?”

Everyone either nodded or said, “Yeah,” as they tried to get to their feet.

“Yo, Red Ranger,” Felectro said as he joined Elsa, the White clone, and the Tyrannodrones as they gathered their wits and locked gazes with the Rangers. “Just in case you still had that question in your head, the answer is yes.”

--

“Uh-Tommy?”

“Kat, what is it?”

“What’s that up ahead?” Kat asked as she pointed up ahead to where the Rangers were facing off against Elsa and her flunkies.

Tommy then looked in the direction she was pointing. “I have no idea.” he replied as he tried to sound as surprised as she was. He then brought the jeep to a stop at a safe distance and saw his students facing off against Felectro, Elsa, the Ranger clone, and the Tyrannodrones.

“Oh, man…” he said to himself as he got off his jeep and looked closer. He then looked at his left wrist and then at Kat, not really wondering what he should do.

“Miss Hillard?”

Kat then turned her head as she looked for the source of the voice. “Krista?” she asked as she stepped out of her side of the jeep and saw the auburn-haired girl head towards them.

“What are you doing here?” Kat asked.

“Well, I thought I’d stop by for the party and see what was up, but not too long after the party started, those freaks popped up again.” she answered as she gestured to the villains fighting the Rangers. “Oh yeah, what are you and Dr. Oliver doing here?” Krista asked as she noticed both Tommy and Kat and realized they had come to the cyber café together.

“Well, out of all the food we had for the party, the only thing we were missing was fruitcake, so we had to leave for a bit and get one.” Tommy answered. “Now I know anyone who wanted to come to this party was more than welcome to show up, but I don’t remember seeing mutant dinosaurs on Hayley’s list of invites, though.” He continued. “Krista, is everyone still inside or were they able to get out?” Tommy asked.

“As soon as Conner and I were out, we pretty much saw everyone else head into their cars and such.” Krista said. “So from what I could tell, the place looked pretty empty.”

“Where’s Conner?” Tommy asked, even though he already knew where he was.

“After we were out, Conner asked me if I had seen Trent, Kira, or Ethan. I told him no, I hadn’t. Conner then figured they were still inside so he sent me to call for help while he went in and got them. I didn’t want to let him go in there alone but he insisted. So I went to a pay phone to call for help, and the dispatch said they’ll be on their way here.” Krista then looked in the direction of the cyber café. “Although I would’ve thought that Conner and the others would’ve been out here by now.”

CLANG!

Tommy, Kat, and Krista then turned and saw a Tyrannodrone get on top of the hood of Tommy’s jeep, and leap at them.

“Get back!”

Not hesitating, Tommy quickly leaped into the air and did a double high kick, stopping the Tyrannodrone and knocking it down in midair.

Suddenly more started to appear and begin to surround the threesome.

“Kat, get Krista out of here.” Tommy said.

“But what about you?”

“Don’t worry, I’ll be fine, just go and get her to safety.” Tommy insisted as he tornado-kicked one Tyrannodrone into one group of drones, knocking them down.

Kat hesitated. She didn’t want to leave Tommy alone to fend for himself, but at the same time she knew Krista did not have any moves to defend herself against any of the drones.

“Krista, come on.”

“But what about-?”

“I’ll try to go in and get Conner, but you get to safety.” Tommy said to Krista as he charged into the fray of drones.

Be careful, Tommy. Kat thought as she and Krista broke into a run and took off down the road, not knowing that a few Tyrannodrones had broken off from the group that were fighting Tommy and began following them.

As Tommy fought off some of the Tyrannodrones he then saw that things were getting a little bit more intense than usual and the drones weren’t going to stop for anything. Making a quick decision he then roundhouse kicked one drone onto a whole bunch, knocking them all down. Once they were incapacitated Tommy then dove behind the left side of the jeep. He then quickly looked around and saw no prying eyes at all. Acting fast he then activated his morpher, which appeared on his left wrist.

These guys picked the wrong party to crash. he thought as he tightened his grip on his morpher key. “Dino-Thunder, power up!”

Once he was morphed completely, Tommy then leaped into the fray of Tyrannodrones that were mobbing Conner and the others.

“Dr. O, I know this isn’t the time to ask, but what kept you?” Conner asked as he floored one drone with his Tyranno staff.

“It’s kind of a long story Conner, but I promise I’ll explain later.” Tommy replied.

In no time at all the Tyrannodrones were disposed of pretty quickly, leaving the five Rangers only Elsa, the White Ranger clone, and Felectro to deal with.

“You know Black Ranger, I really have to say that these last-minute upsets you keep handing me are starting to become…somewhat more than irritating.” Elsa snarled as she eyed Tommy with a menacing glare.

“Yeah, I know, I seem to have a knack for that.” Tommy quipped.

--

Katherine and Krista hadn’t gotten too far when the Tyrannodrones finally caught up to them.

“Okay, these things really need a hobby.” Krista said disgustedly.

Kat kept Krista by her as best she could as she sized up the drones in hopes of seeing a gap for them to escape. Unfortunately, there wasn’t.

One drone then came at Kat and swiped its claw at her. Luckily though Kat was able to quickly intercept the blow and stop it almost effortlessly. Then in one quick move, she was able to send the drone rolling forward, then flat on its back before it knew what happened.

“Miss Hillard!”

Kat then turned around and saw two Tyrannodrones grab Krista from behind and start to drag her away.

“Let me go, you lizard freaks!” Krista said as she struggled to get free, but the drones kept their vice-grip on her. Krista then slammed her foot down on one of the Tyrannodrones’ feet, making the drone lose its grip on her, but the other one tightened it’s hold, almost putting Krista in a sort of head-lock.

“Let her go!” Kat yelled as she ran towards Krista’s captors. Then as she got close she then leaped into the air, executing a flip as she did so. Once she landed on the ground she then did a backward roundhouse-kick that made the drone lose its grip on Krista and fly on it’s side until it hit the ground.

“Krista, go!” Kat yelled.

Now it was Krista who hesitated this time. But she knew she couldn’t do much to help, so as soon as she saw her chance she then broke into a run. A few Tyrannodrones tried to go after her, but Kat quickly cut them off by doing her flip-jump and landing in front of them. The drones then tried to move around her to get to Krista, but Kat pretty much intercepted them and started taking them down one jump-kick/roundhouse kick at a time. Once they realized the human woman wasn’t about to let them past her, the drones then changed tactics and converged on her.

--

Trent parried with his Drago sword as the White Ranger clone slashed at him viscously. The two Drago swords connected in a shower of sparks, but luckily, Trent’s sword held up against the blow. Seeing his chance Trent knocked the clone’s sword arm away from his torso then kicked the clone square in the gut, knocking him back a few feet. Acting fast Trent then did his dash-attack before the clone could get his bearings and have a chance to counter.

Meanwhile Conner, Ethan, and Kira were facing off against Felectro and neither of them were doing well. Conner leaped at him hoping to slam the head of his Tyranno staff at the hybrid but Felectro grabbed the staff effortlessly with his right claw, then he twisted it in a way that made the Red Ranger spin 180 degrees, causing him to land flat on his back. Once Conner was down Felectro then kicked him like a forward making a penalty shot at a goal.

“Conner!”

Tommy had just blocked one of Elsa’s blows when he saw Conner get kicked away at what looked like a distance of 20 yards.

“Worry about your own life, Blank Ranger.” Elsa said steely as she struck her sword up, knocking Tommy’s arm away from his chest and almost knocking him off balance. Then the cyborg made two quick slashes across Tommy’s chest, then followed it up with a tornado-kick that sent the Black Ranger flying right to where Ethan, Kira, and Trent were. Once the three Rangers had seen Conner get kicked away they hurried over to help. They had just finished helping Conner to his feet when they saw their teacher get kicked by Elsa and was sent flying in their direction.

“Okay, this bitch and her flunkies are really starting to piss me off.” Conner said as he helped his teacher to his feet.

“Z-rex time?” Trent suggested.

“Oh, yeah.” Conner agreed.

So all five Rangers took their respective weapons and combined them into one.

“Z-rex blaster super mode!”

“Ready!”

“Aim!”

Conner was just about to push the trigger when an invisiportal opened and a Tyrannodrone appeared out of it, dropping Krista right by Felectro and disappearing into the portal just as quickly. Felectro then raised his left arm, activating his magnetism and drawing Krista close to him.

“Ah, ah, ahhh. Somehow I wouldn’t push that trigger if I were you, Red Ranger.” Felectro said as he kept his “grip” on Krista. “Well, on second thought, go right ahead. Besides, I’ve always wanted to see what a human looks like with her arms and insides splattered all over the place.” He then took a moment to picture it in his mind. “Mmm. Now that would be a work of art.”

Conner was twitching like a madman. In all honesty he wanted nothing more than to just fire the Z-Rex blaster and barbecue Felectro, fur, feathers and all. But as long as he had Krista in front of him, he couldn’t-wouldn’t fire.

Felectro sneered and snickered. “All too easy.” He said as he raised his right arm and brought it down on the ground in front of him. Instead of fissures forming like before, electricity began to travel from his claws to the ground. Once the electric streams reached the ground, they then moved at a breakneck speed towards the Rangers, electrocuting them with immense force.

“No!” Krista yelled.

Elsa then drew her sword and held it up horizontally by Krista’s neck. “Oh, don’t worry, sweetheart. Once we’re done with them, we’ll be more than happy to give you the same treatment.”

“Oh, no you don’t!”

Elsa turned around just in time to see a foot connect with her face. It caught her off guard and sent her staggering back a little bit towards Felectro. Her bumping into the hybrid caused the latter to lose some of his concentration, thus braking his magnetic grip on Krista.

Once she saw she was free Krista then turned her head to her right and saw Katherine standing nearby in a defense position. Relieved she then took a few steps forward, only to have the White Ranger clone dash right up to her with his Drago sword pointed at her. “Going somewhere?” he asked.

Confused, Krista looked over to where the Rangers were and saw the White Ranger trying to get up very slowly alongside his teammates.

“Just in case you were wondering, yes, I was created from that idiot’s gem. But I’m the real deal as far as I’m concerned.” The clone said in a matter-of-fact tone.

Elsa got up as she wiped some blood that was dribbling down her lip somewhat. Once she saw that the White clone had Krista she then looked in front of her and saw Kat facing her with a determined look on her face.

“You.” Elsa said, her voice practically dripping with venom as she tightened her grip on her sword.

Kat readied herself just as Elsa got ready to strike. However, Felectro, who had recovered quickly, grabbed her sword arm. “Let’s not be hasty, sweetheart.” Felectro said. “The game just got a little more interesting.” And with that he then shot electric bolts at both Kat and Krista. But instead of electrocuting them, he then used his electricity to magnetize both of them together and bring them to him.

Now by this point the Rangers had already gotten to their feet and were trying to take battle stances again. Because the electrocution had quite a mean kick, their Z-rex blaster had deactivated and disassembled back into their respective weapons.

“Yo! Rangers!” Felectro crowed out.

Now as Tommy faced Felectro he didn’t need to look twice to know that Kat was being held along with Krista; he just knew.

“Apparently it seems that thanks to the selfless yet futile attempts by this young woman, we now have two hostages for the price of one.” Felectro said as he gestured to Kat.

“Let them go! They don’t have anything to do with this!” Kira protested.

“Au contraire, sweetheart.” Felectro said. “They have everything to do with this by simply being here.” He then snarled wickedly. “Now drop your weapons, that is, unless of course you really wanna see these vixens sizzle.”

Tommy muttered a curse as he adjusted the handle on his Brachio staff. Unfortunately, Felectro heard it.

“Ah-ah! Don’t even think about it, Black Ranger.” Felectro said.

Under the helmet, Tommy seethed a little bit as he saw Kat struggle against Felectro’s magnetized grip. He then looked at his Brachio staff and merely adjusted it back.

“Okay, you know what? I must be talking Japanese because it doesn’t seem like I’m being clear.” Felectro said as his claw began to glow a little more brighter. “Drop ‘em.” He said again. This time a little more fiercely.

Realizing it was hopeless Tommy gestured to the others to drop their weapons. Conner went first, throwing his Tyranno staff in front of him. Even though he was supposedly the leader, Dr. Oliver was their mentor, and he wasn’t about to go against him.

Ethan chucked his Tricera shield to where Conner’s staff was, followed by Trent and then Kira.

Lastly Tommy then threw his Brachio staff in the air, but as he threw it, he threw it in a way that was making it spin as it flew in the air. Then as it landed, it landed on it’s top, causing a surge of wind to kick up and start to make everything blow out of control.

Felectro struggled as he tried to maintain his magnetic grip on the two girls but as before, the chilling wind that the staff was emitting was breaking his concentration, so it didn’t even take two seconds for his magnetism to break and free Kat and Krista, in addition to knocking him, along with his allies flat on their backs.

For a brief moment Kat and Krista were feeling the blast of wind as well as Elsa and the others, but then no sooner were they freed from Felectro’s “grasp” did all of a sudden it stopped. Kat then looked in the direction where the staff supposedly was and saw the Black Ranger holding it in his hands.

“Girls, get to safety, quickly!” he said.

Once again there was something in the Black Ranger’s voice (while not recognizable and yet distinct,) that seemed to resonate in Kat again. She quickly brushed the feeling aside, nodded, and ran with Krista over to the parking lot. As she turned her head in the direction of the parking lot Kat saw cop cars heading in their direction.

As soon as he saw that Kat was safe Tommy then wasted no time as he leaped at Felectro and used his staff to create an energy orb, which he then fired point-blank at the hybrid. Conner, Ethan, Kira and Trent picked up their respective weapons and followed their teacher’s attack up with their own, and not just against Felectro, but Elsa and the White Ranger clone as well.

“Tyranno staff, energy orb!”

“Tricera shield, horn drill!”

“Ptera grips, crescent strike!”

“Drago sword, wing blade!”

All five attacks worked, making all three villains reel even more as explosions rocked all around them. Once the smoke cleared Elsa, Felectro, and the clone looked and saw the Rangers eyeing them down.

“Have you freaks had enough or do you want some more?” Trent asked as he tried to stay on his feet, even though he, like the others, was exhausted.

Elsa moved her mouth as if to respond, but when she looked behind the Rangers she saw police cars already showing up on the scene. She wanted to stay and duke it out with the Power Rangers, regardless if there were cops or not, but she was exhausted herself, and judging by the way Felectro and the White Ranger clone looked, they looked like they were about ready to fall apart, if not collapse. Elsa then gritted her teeth as she slowly rose to her feet and faced the Rangers defiantly.

“The only thing the five of you have done is just prolong your demise, nothing else.” Elsa said. “So you can just gloat and enjoy your little moment of reprieve for all I care, but don’t expect to be able to catch your breaths the next time around, for it won’t just be overtime, it’ll be killtime.” And with that an invisiportal appeared above her and she, along with Felectro and the White Ranger clone, jumped into it and disappeared.

We’ll see whose killtime it’ll be. Conner thought.

Tommy then turned around and saw some police cars already arriving on the scene.

Bee-oo-eep!

“Guys, it’s me.” Hayley said.

“Hayley, where are you?” Tommy asked.

“I’m in the back room of the cyber café monitoring the whole thing, and unless I’m seeing things, I see some cop cars not too far from where you are.”

“Yeah, I know, I see ‘em.”

“Cop cars? Where?” Ethan asked.

“Over there.” Trent said as he sheathed his Drago sword.

“Uh, I don’t know about you guys, but I think I wanna make myself scarce.” Ethan said.

“Ethan, we can’t just disappear and leave Hayley as the only witness.” Kira pointed out.

“Not to mention Krista.” Conner said firmly.

“If you guys can get into the back room and demorph, you should be okay.” Hayley said.

“All right.” Tommy said.

“Okay, I think I got an idea.” Conner said. “Trent, how far can your camouflage extend?”

“Not far.” Trent replied. “Just one other person besides me.”

Damn. Conner thought. “Okay, then in that case you and Kira pair off, and Ethan, Dr. O and I will zoom along behind you.”

“Uh, Conner? Somehow I don’t think you’ll have to worry about carrying three people.” Tommy said as he suddenly disappeared in front of them.

“Oh yeah, that’s right.” Conner said as he remembered his teacher’s invisibility.

“Well then, come on. Let’s make like cats and slink our way out of here.”

No sooner did Ethan say “cats” did Tommy’s body then freeze for a moment as he remembered Kat.

“Guys,” Tommy said.

“Yeah, doc?” Ethan asked.

“You guys go on ahead, there’s something I need to take care of.”

“Like…?”

“Just…something.”

“Dr. O…” Conner began.

“Look, I promise I’ll explain later when I get back, all right?”

Conner sighed impatiently. “Okay, fine. But you better tell us the whole nine yards the minute you get back, all right, doc?”

“Okay.” Tommy said nonchalantly.

“All right, let’s go.” Conner said to his friends.

Kira then got close to Trent and slid her arm around his waist as he did the same likewise. Once her face was pretty much touching his right shoulder Trent then activated his camouflage so it was able to cover both him and Kira, even though they were still in morph. Once they were “invisible” they then made their way to the back area of the cyber café.

Conner, on the other hand walked up to Ethan and put his arm around his shoulder and Ethan did the same so to anyone, the duo basically looked like they were both limping and had to hang on to each other for support.

“Fasten your seat belt, dude.” Conner said to his friend as he activated his dino-gem power and the two zoomed along to the back area of the cyber café as well.

Even though he was invisible, Tommy waited until his students were out of sight. Although he wondered if Trent and Kira, out of curiosity decided to turn their heads to see what their teacher was up to, and seeing as how Trent had a camouflage ability, Tommy wouldn’t be able to see them.

Nah, what am I talking about? That’s more like something Conner would do.

Still invisible, Tommy demorphed and took behind a plastic snowman that fortunately was the same height as he was, so he didn’t have to worry about crouching. He then deactivated his invisibility and made his way over to where Kat, Krista, and the few cop cars were.

--

“So basically what your telling me is that it was another one of those mutant attacks again?”

“Pretty much.” Katherine and Krista both said to the cop.

“And you’re the one who placed the call?”

“No, that was me.” Krista said. “Once me and the other hostages had a chance to get out of the cyber café everyone pretty much got in their cars and vans and got out as fast as they could. Then the Power Rangers showed up and then things got a little crazy. Luckily though no one got hurt.”

“And were you inside the café at the time this happened?” the cop asked Katherine.

“No, I had just stopped by here for the first time when all this was happening.” Kat replied.

“Well, I don’t you about you guys, but I think it’s safe to say that it’s over.” Tommy said as he jogged up to them.

“Tommy,” Kat said with a sigh of relief. “Are you all right?” she asked as she stepped close to him.

“Yeah, I’m fine. Are you okay?”

“A little bruised up, but yeah, I’m all right.” Kat replied.

Thank God. Tommy thought.

“Excuse me, but you said that the mutant monsters retreated, am I right?” asked the cop.

“Pretty much.” Tommy answered.

“Well, that’s good to hear.” said another cop. “Where are the Power Rangers, anyway? I thought they were just here.”

“After those freaks left, they (the Rangers) went to go see if there were any more people inside the café, and that’s when they ran into me. Luckily though my students along with Hayley were the only ones inside and they were okay, so once they saw everything was all right, they left.”

“Wait a second,” Krista said as realization crossed her face. “Conner, is he…?”

“Don’t worry, he’s okay. He’s in the back room.” Tommy said. “In fact, he should be out by now.”

Tommy didn’t even finish his sentence when Krista saw five figures in the distance. However, because the sun was already setting and since the fivesome were in the shade they looked a little bit like shadows. But as they passed an area that still had the sunlight illuminating it Krista recognized Conner’s red sleeveless T-shirt.

“Conner!” Krista yelled as she ran over to where Conner and the others were.

“Krista?” Conner asked as he saw her running towards him. As soon she was within arm’s length she hugged him in an almost tight, desperate embrace.

“Krista, it’s all right, I’m okay.” Conner said assuringly as he hugged Krista back.

Krista then slowly raised her head to look at Conner. “Conner, could you do me a favor and try not to scare me like that again?” she asked in a half-exasperated, half-relieved tone.

Conner almost smiled his cocky smile, but then when he looked at Krista’s jade green eyes a gentle, soft smile began to replace it. “I’ll try not to next time.” He said.

“Well, you see, that’s the thing about Conner.” Ethan joked. “He always has a way of making people worry about him for a while, and then all of a sudden ba-da-bing, ba-da-boom, he comes out at the last minute completely unscathed, and with a trophy in one hand.”

“Dude, shut up.” Conner said half-sarcastically, which made everyone almost explode into spasms of laughter.

--

“Well, it looks like they seem to be okay.” Kat said as she looked in the direction of the six people who were laughing hysterically.

“Oh, yeah.” Tommy said as he looked in the same direction.

“Well, it looks like I’ve got plenty of information here, but I’m going to have to ask the teenagers to see if anything else had happened.”

“Okay.” Tommy said.

“All right. Well, have a good night, you two.” Said the cop as he made his way over to where Conner, Krista, Hayley, Ethan, Kira, and Trent were.

“Well, looks like this is one Thanksgiving I don’t think I’ll have to worry about remembering.”

“Still have your faulty memory around, don’t you?” Kat asked.

Tommy just sighed. “No matter how much I want to get rid of it.” he replied, which caused the both of them to laugh somewhat. Once the laughter died down between the two of them though, Tommy found himself once again staring right into Kat’s deep blue eyes. A deep blue he wanted nothing more than to just drown himself in…

Tommy, come on. Get back to reality, will ya?

“Oh, um…oh yeah, uh…do you have a way to get back to your suite?”

“Sadly, no. I pretty much walked all the way here from Cosmos.” Kat answered. "Why?"

“Well, um…” Good grief, why the hell am I acting nervous? “…I was just wondering…would you like me to give you a ride back?”

Kat smiled brightly. “Of course.” She said.

“Okay, great. Umm…come on.” Tommy said as he led Kat to his jeep. Once they got there Tommy went ahead and opened the right door for Kat to get in. “Ladies first.” He said as nonchalantly as he possibly could.

“Thanks.” Kat said as she stepped in.

As soon as Katherine was in the jeep Tommy then walked over to his side of the jeep, got in the drivers’ seat, and turned on the ignition.

“Dr. O!”

Tommy then looked to his left to see Conner and the others at a distance trying to walk up to where he was.

“Guys, I’ll be right back. I just have to drop a friend off.”

“Where? In San Fransisco?” Conner asked.

“Look, like I said before I’ll tell you guys everything when I get back, okay? In the mean time, stay and help Hayley clean up until I do. I’ll come back as soon as I drop her off.”

Conner sighed and gritted his teeth in frustration. “Okay, all right, fine. But remember Dr. O, you OWE us.”

“Okay, okay.” Tommy said as he fought to keep himself from laughing. Once he switched from park to drive he then turned around 180 degrees, and then hooked up onto the main road.

“Okay, I don’t get it, what’s up with Dr. O? He’s not usually like this.” Trent said.

“I know.” Kira agreed.

“I knew it.” Ethan said.

“Knew what?” Conner asked as he turned to face his friend.

“He’s got a lady in his car.” Ethan said.

Everyone then turned around and looked at Ethan.

“What? Oh come on, don’t tell me neither one of you guys didn’t hear him say ‘her’.” Ethan then looked at Conner. “Not even you, Conner?”

Conner then thought back to what his teacher said and then after a few seconds a smile then began to spread across his face.

“Okay, NOW Dr. O is really gonna owe us an explanation.”

“Somehow I don’t think they’re an item.” Krista said.

“Who?” Conner asked.

“Dr. Oliver and Miss Hillard.”

“Her name’s Miss Hillard?” Ethan asked.

“Yeah.” Krista said. "Iremember her saying her first name was...Kathy, no, that wasn't it...Katie..."she then sighed in exasperation. "Okay, I know her first name starts with a 'K', I know that much."

“Hmm. Interesting.” Conner mused. “Well, going back to what you said before, what makes you think that?”

“Well, I mean, she just started teaching at Cosmos today, and according to her, she arrived here in Reefside quite recently.”

“Well, either way, Dr. O owes us some details, and the minute he gets back (and he better get back soon) we’re hog-tying him to a chair until he does.”

--

“Tommy, were those teenagers-namely the boy who was yelling-were they your students?” Kat asked.

“Yeah, pretty much.” Tommy said in mock embarrassment.

“Seems to me like they sound like an interesting bunch.”

You don’t know the half of it, Kat. “Oh, yeah.” He agreed. “I mean, seriously, they’re really great, all four of them and out of all the students I’ve had this year, I’d say that Conner, Ethan, Kira, and Trent (those are their names) are perhaps the most special, and there’s really no doubt in my mind that they’ll go far in their respective careers, just so long as they have the desire to do it.”

"You believe in them that much?" Kat asked.

"I do." Tommy answered.

Kat couldn’t help but stare at Tommy as they drove down the highway. Even after all these years it never ceased to amaze her how Tommy’s concern for his students and wanting them to reach their potential could still touch her somehow. And now, seeing him again, this time as a much wiser, more mature Tommy, it was stirring up feelings inside her that had been growing ever since she laid eyes on him again.

But…does he feel the same?

As Kat was continuing to stare at Tommy she then heard the commercials on the radio end and then the radio station’s DJ began to speak.

“…Thank you guys for tuning in. Well, I hope all of you are enjoying the ride home on your traffic commune. I know that on some roads it’s practically a little crazy, and on some it’s just a short breeze, but whether you’re in bumper-to-bumper traffic or just surfing the road, remember we got you covered when it comes to good music, and speaking of music I’m gonna take things down a little bit and unwind with one of my personal favorites. From hisfourth solo album ‘Can’t stop dreaming’, here’s Daryl Hall with ‘Hold on to me’.”

Now as the guitar intro began to play, Kat found herself drifting off into space as she continued to stare at Tommy. While part of her mind was telling her to stop staring, Kat couldn’t-wouldn’t pry her gaze from him. In fact, she was slowly starting to lose herself in him as the lyrics started to come out of the speakers.

I wanna know what you dream, oh baby
Am I one with your fantasy
I wanna show you my deepest feelings
Ain’t that how love’s supposed to be

So give me love…hold on to me
Give me hope…hold on to me
Give me dreams…hold on…oh baby give it up
Give me heart…hold on to me
Oh, give me soul…hold on to me
Give me your smile…hold on…oh baby give it all

I had enough of bad luck, oh baby
All those nights that I can’t replace
But none of the love in my past can claim me
Others go but you don’t fade away

So give me love…hold on to me
Give me hope…hold on to me
Give me dreams…hold on…oh baby give it up
Give me heart…hold on to me
Oh, give me soul…hold on to me
Give me your smile…hold on…oh baby give it all

Now Tommy sensed that Kat was staring at him so he turned around somewhat so he was facing her and smiled. “Kat, are you okay?” he asked.

Kat then snapped out of her trance for a moment to hear what Tommy said. “Yeah, I’m just a little tired.” She said.

“I know the feeling.” Tommy replied. “Just hang on, we should be there soon.”

“Are you sure you know where it is?” Kat asked.

“There’s only one Days Inn I know, and it’s the only one in Reefside. If that’s not it, then I don’t know which one it is.”

Kat chuckled as she leaned back a bit towards her chair so she could relax for a few moments. In no time at all the lyrics then began to float in her mind once again.

I know in my heart it’s real, so real
I know this is love I feel for you darling
If something ain’t right just say so baby
Don’t let go…don’t stay away…stay with me

Give me love…hold on to me
Give me hope…hold on to me
Give me dreams…hold on…oh baby give it up
Give me heart…hold on to me
Oh, give me soul…hold on to me
Give me your smile…hold on…oh baby give it all…

“Kat…Kat, wake up. We’re here.”

The song then began to fade and end just as Kat heard Tommy’s voice. “Hmmm? We’re here?”

“Yeah, we’re at Days Inn.”

Kat then blinked some of the tiredness out of her eyes as she looked to her right and saw the Days Inn marquee. “Man, what I wouldn’t give for a shower and then some sleep.”

Tommy chuckled. “Well, the night’s still young, you could still get a makeshift Thanksgiving dinner over at Taco-bell or KFC or something.” Tommy suggested as he got out and walked around to Kat’s side. He then unlocked the door and opened it for Kat to get out, but Kat still had some tiredness in her that almost made her lose her balance and fall out of her seat. Acting on instinct Tommy quickly grabbed her before she could hurt herself while Kat instinctively wrapped her arms around Tommy’s neck for support.

For moments that seemed to stretch into hours, the two pretty much stayed that way in each other’s arms, staring in the other's eyes. Suddenly Tommy then came back to reality and started to help Kat to her feet.

“Are you all right?” he asked.

“Yeah.” Kat said as a light blush began to spread up her neck.

“Can you stand?”

“Tommy, I’m tired, not drunk.” Kat said in mock annoyance.

“I know, I know.” Tommy said as he gently released his hold on Kat as she stood up completely.

“Well…thanks for the ride, Tommy.” Kat said.

“Anytime, Kat. Anytime.” Tommy said.

“You know, I…really didn’t think I’d see any familiar faces when I moved here to Reefside.” Kat confessed. “I was almost afraid I’d feel too way out of place.”

“I know how you feel.” Tommy said. “I’ve only been living in Reefside for a couple of months now, and other than my old college friend/study partner Hayley, I haven’t seen any familiar faces myself.”

“Well, at least it’s nice to know that at least there’s one familiar face here.”

“Yeah…” Tommy said as the two found themselves staring in each other’s eyes again. Reluctantly Tommy snapped himself out of it.

“Well, I…think I better get back before my students decide to hunt me down.”

“Oh, right.” Kat said in a disappointed tone.

“Oh, yeah! Before I forget…” Tommy then walked back to his jeep and pulled out a small piece of notepad paper out of his jeans pocket. He then took out a pen from his plaid shirt’s chest pocket and scribbled something down on it. Once he was done he then walked over to Kat and handed it to her. Kat then looked down at the piece of paper and saw 1992 Valencia Road along with his home number scribbled on it.

“If you need anything, or if you need someone to talk to, just call. Or if you just want to stop by my place, don’t be a stranger.” Tommy said, shrugging semi-nervously like it wasn’t a BIG deal.

“Okay.” Kat said softly.

“All right.” Tommy said.

“Well, I guess I’ll…see you tomorrow?”

Tommy smiled his gentle smile. “Definitely.” He said.

“Ok, great. Well…good night.”

“Good night, Kat.”

Even though Katherine was taking a few steps towards the Days Inn entrance, she felt as if though her feet were on molasses as she stepped ever so slowly away from Tommy. Once she opened the double doors, she then turned around and saw him still standing there. She smiled at him and fought hard not to stare at Tommy‘s brown eyes. She then gave mouthed “Good night” as she then closed the door and headed off to her suite.

Once she disappeared from his line of sight Tommy stood there for a couple of seconds more, then he walked back to his side of the jeep and got in. As he turned on the ignition he then looked at the double doors where Kat had just been.

“Good night, Katherine.” He said as he switched to drive and headed back to Hayley’s cyberspace.

--

AN: Ha-hah! Tommy and Kat are out of touch, but they're not out of time, but they are out their heads when the other's not around. (stops singing) Sorry, I couldn't resist. But seriously, aren't they starting to in a way? Oh, yeah here's one last thing: now unless I was seeing things, it seems there’s going to be a DT-SPD team-up next week on Toon Disney. Now I’m not sure if it’ll be good but we’ll just have to wait and see. (Although there BETTER NOT be any Conner/Kira, Jason/Kat, or Tommy/Kim in that episode.)