Disclaimer: The various characters belong to BVE and VRP. The plot kittens have stopped orbing. Thanks.

Authors' note: This is a side story, inspired by a comment Dagmar made. Building Family should be back soon ? we just have had another couple of aggressive DT plot bunnies.

Trini got off the bus at the Reefside bus stop. She'd regretted not being able to see more of Cam, but the two of them would find some time to be together later. She understood the importance of family.

And, in Cam's case, possibly the needs of a new team as well. She craned her eyes, looking for Tommy and Hayley. She looked vainly for a red car, but it wasn't until the man folded himself out of a car of an entirely different color did Trini start in that direction.

As she was heading that way, Tommy grinned and waved, and Hayley smiled. Her former teammate swept her up in a hug.

"Black? Tommy, you're slipping," Trini teased, looking at the car.

Tommy shrugged at her comment. "I've had an attraction to the color black the last few years," he said.

Trini raised an eyebrow. Colors were important to Rangers, more important than anyone could imagine. Tommy going to black was unheard of; last she heard, he was still attracted to the color red, the last color he'd held. "How are you two settling in? Your business going well, Hayley?" she asked, giving her former college roommate a hug.

"I enjoy it a lot more than when I was a wage slave," Hayley replied, smiling mischievously.

Trini chuckled, remembering when Hayley had first established her cybercafe. "Sounds like you made a good call, then."

"I've got a few regulars," Hayley said casually. More than a few regulars, based on what Tommy had told her, but she didn't correct the other woman.

"Even better," Trini grinned. Her roomie was practically glowing when talking about her business. It was a far cry from when she'd last seen Hayley--she'd sat quietly at the table, leaning against Tommy for support and not saying much, her face etched in a near frown.

By contrast, the woman in front of her was more her vibrant, college days self. Though slightly less hyper. Clearly, she hadn't been hitting the caffeine she sold.

"How's Cam?" Tommy asked, the throbbing veins on his shoulders making it clear that the man was making an effort to modify his tone. Tommy had never been very thrilled with Cam deferring graduate school to go home to Blue Bay Harbor. And this was the closest he'd ever come to managing to hide those feelings.

Hayley lightly thudded him.

Trini smiled. "He's good." She considered briefly mentioning that he might be part of a Ranger team, but decided against it. She had no proof, after all.

"What is it?" Tommy asked, brow furrowing in concern.

Trini looked around. "Not here." She sighed. She should've known better than to try to keep something from a former teammate.

"Right," Tommy said, catching her tone and instinctively moving towards her baggage, the better to get somewhere private to discuss whatever was going on. "That all you brought?"

"I'm not going to be here that long," Trini said, indicating her small suitcase and backpack. "Surprise trip, remember?"

"Good point," Tommy said, frowning slightly. It was like he remembered what the main purpose of her trip was.

"How much of the backpack's electronics?" Hayley teased, attempting to lighten the mood.

"A lot," Trini confessed, thinking of how much gear she carried nowadays.

Tommy shook his head, his frown turning into a grin.

"Don't let him give you a rough time 'til you see the lab," Hayley whispered conspiratorially.

Trini grinned. "Trying to recreate our old hide-out?" She knew Tommy was preparing a set of Powers and a Ranger team against some kind of dinosaur creature.

Tommy rolled his eyes and headed back to the car.

"Remind me again why I ended up with a paleo major?" Hayley asked, threading her arm around Trini's.

"He's a sweetheart?" Trini said with a wink. "And he was always hanging around our room, and he wasn't exactly my type."

"That could be it," Hayley replied thoughtfully.

Trini grinned and the two women followed Tommy to the car.

Tommy loaded Trini's stuff into the trunk and unlocked the doors, slipping inside. "Cam still a sore subject?" Hayley asked as she buckled her seatbelt.

"I don't think so," Trini said, doing likewise.

"That's kind of ambiguous," Tommy said, frowning. He was visibly containing himself, even here, not to ask what was going on.

"And a long discussion," Trini said. One, she knew, that would not be resolved in the time she had to visit her one-time teammate. How would he react to her possible news?

"Try me," Tommy frowned. He had a bad feeling about this, especially when it came to Trini's sometime boyfriend, who he wasn't sure he liked. Or actually, he'd thought was okay until Cam insisted on staying home.

"How much do you know about the Ranger team in Blue Bay Harbor?" Trini asked, catching Tommy by surprise.

"Not much," Tommy admitted, thinking hard. Cole and the others hadn't come in contact with them, so nothing was known about them. "Why?"

"I have this feeling..." Trini said, hesitant to bring it up. What if she was wrong about what she'd seen? She'd raise his hopes up, and then dash them.

Tommy raised an eyebrow. "And?"

"It's just..." Trini paused, taking a deep breath and trying to organize her thoughts. "OK, Cam hangs out with these teenagers," Trini said. "Two of them wearing red, two blue, one yellow, and Cam... well you know his fascination with green. They wrapped his presents in the same colors they were wearing, and all the decorations were green."

Both eyebrows went up. "You think they might be Rangers?" Tommy asked. He pulled the jeep over so he could turn around to face Trini. "Is that all you noticed? I mean, the color MO matches, but it's not out of the realm of possibility. Is there more?"

"I think they are Rangers, and yes, there's more," Trini replied, rearranging her hands in her lap nervously. "There was something about an attack on the news the evening after the birthday party--at about the time someone's watch beeped and everyone but Cam and I split for a few minutes. And one of the reporters commented that the Green Ranger didn't make an appearance."

Tommy grinned slightly. "Figures you'd end up dating a future Ranger."

"Figures?" Trini asked. "Can I point out you've been convinced..."

"That Cam's been avoiding going to Oxford with you," Tommy finished. "I know. I'm sorry. I thought he was chicken."

Hayley frowned, she opened her mouth to say something, hesitated. Then spoke. "The Green Ranger's a fairly new addition to the team."

"Yeah, but this is *Cam* we're talking about," Tommy said, regarding Trini's boyfriend in a far more positive light in the last few minutes. "Ok, we don't know him as well as you, Trini, but what do you think the chances are that he's been maintaining the Rangers' mecha before now?"

Trini nodded, knowing Tommy's train of thought. "He has the skills."

"It's not proof positive," Tommy said, grinning, "but it certainly seems fairly likely."

"I agree," Trini said. She took a deep breath. "But I don't want to confront him with it."

"Why not?" Hayley asked. "I mean, these are Rangers. Don't all of you instantly get along?"

"What if I'm wrong?" Trini asked, doubt starting to nag at her once more. "Then how do I explain how I knew what to look for?"

Hayley looked from her friend to her boyfriend. "Tommy told me," she pointed out.

"Yes, but he doesn't know that either Tommy or I were Rangers," Trini said, twisting at the edge of her t-shirt uncomfortably.

"Yes, but I do know because Tommy told me," Hayley said stubbornly. "What's wrong with telling Cam?"

"I don't know if he's ready," Trini confessed to her lap.

"Ready?" Hayley echoed, the pitch of her voice rising on the last syllable of the word.

"I think what Trini means is she's not sure she can trust him," Tommy said, glancing at Hayley meaningfully.

"He's new at being a Ranger," Trini argued, knowing in his mind, Tommy was now regarding Cam as a Ranger instead of Trini's unfaithful boyfriend. "Plus, he's green."

Tommy frowned, speaking softly. "Bad memories?"

Trini nodded. She hadn't had the time to analyze it, but why did Cam have to be green?

"I'm sorry," Tommy said quietly. "I know...."

"Rita's the one who needs to apologize," Trini said vehemently, cutting him off before he could start on a guilt trip.

"I know," Tommy told her, understanding in his eyes. "This going to cause problems?"

"I'll get over it," Trini said, recovering and steering the topic of conversation away from Cam's color. "It's just... I'm presuming if you know nothing about them, Cole and his team haven't met them?"

"Nope," Tommy said. "As far as Cole can sense, there hasn't been any Org activity that would require his team's help. Which is just as well, given their morphers were confiscated." Tommy shook his head, as if resolving to never do that to his team.

"So they don't exactly know there are other teams out there," Trini pointed out. "Unless they've been reading that newsgroup that Zack's so fond of."

"Probably not," Tommy agreed, pulling back into traffic. "Most of us have been wondering who they are. Assuming you're right, that solves that question. But meeting a completely new team can be a bit interesting. Ask Cole sometime."

"I'd love that opportunity," Trini said. One problem with being in England was usually missing the annual Ranger Beach Parties.

Tommy grinned. "Next time you're in town, I'll have to introduce you." He paused. "So, who are our hypothetical Rangers?"

Trini rattled off their names.

Tommy nodded, as if memorizing every one. "I'll have to update the database."

"There's a database?" Trini asked, regretting that she hadn't been talking to Tommy as much lately, mostly because of Cam. "And if we haven't confirmed it..."

"I thought it was a good idea, and so did Billy," Tommy said defensively. "And I'd put them in tentatively, at least until I could find some way to talk to your boyfriend."

"You've never met," Trini pointed out.

"And therein lies the problem," Tommy said, clearly forming plans as he drove. "Wait, we did meet once--remember? Both of us came to your room to pick you two up for the dance at the same time?"

"That was what, three minutes?" Trini asked, wondering how Tommy thought he was going to pull his plan off.

"I could still argue that we've met," Tommy pointed out.

"Enough to call him out of the blue?" Trini asked. "Cam's smart, Tommy. He'd be suspicious."

"Good point," Tommy said. "But if he's a Ranger, he'll understand."

"And if he's not?" Trini asked.

"Face it, Tommy," Hayley added, "there's not very much reason for you to meet."

Tommy sighed in resignation. "I know. You're right. I just don't like a Ranger team out there not knowing there's back up available, is all."

"They always seem to find out when they need it most," Trini pointed out, patting Tommy's shoulder. "Zordon would say the Power provides help where and when it is most needed."

"I know," Tommy said with a nod. "Maybe this is its way of doing it."

"Then wouldn't I have found out their identities for sure?" Trini asked, biting her lip.

"Maybe," Hayley said thoughtfully, "this is just a first contact. To make us aware that there are some people out there who coincidentally act a lot like Rangers."

"Maybe," Trini said, wishing she'd never brought the subject up.

Tommy sighed, clearly torn. "I wish I could get you right back to Blue Bay Harbor so that you could ask."

Trini thumped her head against the window. "I knew I shouldn't have said anything."

"Tommy, calm down, you're stressing out the vacationing grad student," Hayley admonished, thudding him on the shoulder.

"Sorry," Tommy said, clearly preoccupied with something that wasn't the road.

"So any more word on Mesogog?" Trini asked, clearly anxious to try to change the subject. Or at least shift it to a different team.

"Zero," Tommy said, sounding much happier about it than Trini would've thought. "The gems are at my place, but if I'm lucky, I'll never need them."

"That would be nice," Trini said, trying to keep the doubt of that ever happening out of her voice.

"Your lips to God's ears," Tommy prayed fervently.

The End

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