Thursday:

Zack looked up as an orange motorcycle with tiger stripes painted down the length of the machine, pulled up to a stop before the Youth Center. The driver removed her matching helmet, and her passenger took it as he climbed off and removed his own helmet, his painted white with black stripes. They were an odd couple, the girl of African descent, and the boy of Mexican. He had a gym bag, and the black girl smiled at him as they entered the Youth Center. Zack followed them inside, curious.

As Zack took a seat, the couple came out of the lockerrooms, dressed in practice gis, the girl holding onto a portable tapeplayer, the boy, the gym bag, and they headed for the mat. They waited at a polite distance while Shaira and Jen finished their practice, then took the two guardians' places. The girl placed the cassette player beside the gym bag, and hit play. A deep pounding beat started as the couple bowed, then dropped into matching fighting stances. The girl took the initiative in a blinding attack.

Rocky sat beside the Black Guardian, and asked, "Who's that?"

"I don't know, but they're good," Zack said. The boy came back with his own vicious attack, and the girl avoided his blows with practiced ease. She ducked behind him, and flipped him onto his back. He rolled to his feet and lashed out with his right leg, but the girl avoided his legsweep by backflipping out of range.

The boy flipped into a fighting stance, and backed up to the gym bag, and pulled out two wooden swords. He tossed one to the girl, and she caught it with one hand, spinning around to catch her partner's blows as he attacked while her back was to him.

They exchanged powerful blows, neither of them moving outside an imaginary circle. The blows came faster and harder, building up to a point where the watcher expected the wooden blades to break, but before they could, the girl knocked the sword out of her partner's hands. Then she finally spoke. "Face it, Grin, I'm better than you at sword."

"No way, Kris. I almost had you." The couple headed over to the gym bag and the tape player, never stopping their 'arguement', and the Kris turned off the music. She handed her sword, handle first, to her partner, 'Grin', and they headed for the Juice Bar. "No way, Grin-ster. I merely let you think you had me. You had a sloppy guard, that's why I was able to knock the sword out of your hands." They continued arguing over their match as they sat at an empty booth. They looked up as Rocky and Zack walked over. "May we help you, gents?" she asked.

"We saw your practice and thought we'd introduce ourselves," Rocky said. "I'm Rocky DeSantos, and this is Zack Taylor."

"I'm Kris, and this is Dale, 'The Grin-ster,' Conswelo, my brother," Kris introduced.

"STEP-brother, if you please," Dale said with a teasing sniff. "I'd rather not have them think that I'm related by blood to such a wild savage as yourself." Zack and Rocky laughed as Kris grinned unrepentantly.

"That's why I keep Grin around. Always the right quip at the right time. He's great for a giggle and a grin."

Dale glanced at his watch, and said, "I have to call the shop to see if they have my bike ready. I'll be right back." He stood up and jogged off.

Kris watched her stepbrother jog off, then saw Tommy and Alex walk in, hand-in-hand. "What's up with them?" she asked. "They look like a pair of recently love-struck teenagers. How long have they been going out?"

"A couple of weeks now," Rocky andswered. Kris sighed and shook her head. "What?"

"She's yet to have her heart broken, then. It'll happen, trust me. Someone that good looking? He won't mean to, but it will happen." She looked up as Dale returned. "Is it ready?"

"Yeah, let's go."

Alex pressed her back to the DeSantos front door and giggled as Tommy leaned in to kiss her. Before their lips could meet, an annoying six beeps went off and Tommy sighed. Alex's face fell, and, monotone, said, "Go on, they need you." She slipped inside before Tommy could say anything.

Alex closed the door behind her, and leaned her back against it, holding back tears as she mentally cursed Mondo's timing. Her aunt came into the living room and asked, "What's wrong dear? A bad date?"

"Tommy had something come up a few minutes ago. But besides that it was fine." Alex sighed and wiped her eyes. "I think I just need a couple of days away. Too bad there isn't a way I could get out of town for the weekend."

"There just might be a way, Alex."

"How?"

"You just pack you things tomorrow. I'l take care of the rest."

Friday:

Alex looked around to see if there was anything she forgot, then placed her laptop computer in the bag. She zipped it up, then placed it beside her bedroom door as Tommy knocked. "Hey, Rocky said you were up here." He saw the bag, and asked, "Going somewhere?"

"Yeah. Rocky's mom pulled some strings so I can have a cabin up in the woods for a week or so. I just need to get out of town for a bit."

"Why?" The wounded look on Tommy's face almost made Alex change her mind. "Is it something I did?"

"No..., well, sort of. I want you so bad, I can taste it, but everytime we get together-" Tommy's communicator went off. "That happens," Alex spat angrily. "Go on. I promise to check in at the Power Chamber every evening."

After Rocky and Tommy headed for their next battle, Alex finished strapping her bag to the back of her motorcycle. She hugged her aunt and uncle, said her goodbyes, then headed for the mountains. But unknown to Alex, she was watched during her entire road trip.

Mondo watched greedily as the Shadow Mage-in-training drove along empty roads, completely alone. "This is too perfect. Dear Alex, alone? KLANK!" he roared. The major domo cowered before his leige, and Mondo said, "Send Cogs down to capture Alex."

"But, sire," Klank said in his Scottist burr, "I canna send Cogs down to where she is. The mountains interfer with teleportaion. Plus there seems to be some sort of sheilding around the entire area. I canna even get Cogs near the mountains."

"WHAT!?" Mondo's oil pressure rose three notches, and steam started coming out of his ears. The rest wasn't pretty as he proceeded to dismantle every Cog around him.

Alex parked her motorcycle, then killed the engine, and looked at her lodge. An uncle of Rocky's, she forgot which one, owned it, and loaned it to Alex on the promise that she'd take good care of it. She smiled and headed inside. She immediately dropped her bag off in her room, then raided the fridge.

As she put her things up, she smiled at a photo that she hadn't realized that she had packed, then put it back in her bag. _Maybe here I can regain my concentration,_ she thought. _I wonder if I should tell Tommy the real reason I went up here is becasue whenever he's around, my concentration goes downhill._ Alex giggled as she imagined his expression, and then finished off her sandwich, and pulled out her practice weapons. Heavier than the real ones that she wielded, she stuffed them into the now empty bag, and got dressed in a black practice gi. She pulled on a pair of tennis shoes that were so worn that she could slip in and out easily.

That done, she headed outside, locking the door behind her. A lifetime of LA enforces the locking the door as you leave, and she pocketed the keys before following a nature trail.

Kris and Dale were walking along a different part of the trail, and Dale stopped when he heard something. Kris stopped and looked back, puzzled, and asked, "What's wrong?"

Dale held a hand up for silence, and after a moment, said, "Come on!" He ran ahead and Kris followed at top speed.

Beside a pond, in their practice clearing, a girl in a black gi practiced with what looked like a wooden dagger. Her brown hair, hanging to the middle of her back even in the ponytail it was pulled back into, hung in waves, as if still coming out of a perm. Her entire being was concentrating on her next move, and she moved with a fluid grace that spoke of lots of pratice. When the girl stopped, she bowed to her two watchers, and said, "I didn't notice you approaching."

"You were really concentrating," Kris said. "This is our normal practice clearing, so we know all the routes here."

"I'll leave if you want to," the girl said.

"No, please, stay. Dale and I have been practicing alone too often. I'm Kris."

"Alex. My uncle is letting me use is cabin for a week."

"What about school?" Dale asked.

"My aunt managed to get me out for a week, like I'll be missing anything. We're building up to the mid-term exams, and I don't have to take them, although, I'll probably wind up taking them anyways."

"Well, Alex, care to join our practice?" Kris asked.

"Love to. Let me put up my practice weapons, unless you have some?"

"Yeah." Kris looked over at Dale, and said, "Let's show her." She unsheated her pratice katana from where it had been strapped to her back, and Dale followed suit. She lunged for him, and he parried easily.

Alex stood back, watching the siblings, and was soon swept back to when she would pratice with another brother and sister pair. Alex shook away the memory, and surprised both by jumping in with only her wooden dagger to defend against the wooden swords.

Kris was startled at first, and was startled even more when Alex disarmed not only Dale, but Kris herself as well. The trio stepped back, and bowed to each other. "Where did you learn that?" Kris asked. "I didn't know you could do that."

"Well... uh, a friend taught me, after some bad experieces not this last Halloween, but the one before. Where did you learn your swordsmanship?" Alex asked.

Dale snapped his fingers before Kris could answer. "Now I know why you seem so familiar. You and your boyfriend were at the Youth Center yesterday afternoon."

"Yeah. I didn't notice either of you." She turned back to Kris, "Well?"

"Well, what? Oh! Well, it's been in Dale's family for generations, and when his uncle taught him, he taught me. Would you care to learn it?"

"Sure! And I can teach you a few things about the dagger. Sounds fair?"

"Fair deal. Come on, and I'll show you the basic moves." Kris grinned, and handed her 'sword' to Alex, handle first.

Alex took it as carefully as if it were the real thing, and said, "Thank you."

"You know how to handle a blade?" Kris asked.

"Broadsword, and katana mainly, but I preferr the dagger. It's smaller, lighter, and easier to hide. But my boyfriend and cousin, and their friends want me to know how to defend myself, since I live in Angel Grove."

"Flexibility?" Kris asked, a grin quirking her lips. Alex nodded, and then the two girls burst out laughing. Dale just shook his head and chalked it up to another female thing.

Saturday found Alex, Kris, and Dale sitting before the fireplace, a cheerful fire going. "I can't believe how cold it gets up here," Alex said.

"Don't worry. You won't be snowed in," Kris said confidantly. One of the first things that Alex picked up on was Kris' weather sense, which was always accurate. Earlier today, the trio had been saved from a surprised soaking becasue of it.

Dale excused himself to get a snack, and Alex leaned towards Kris. "Has there ever been someone that you've wanted so bad, you could taste it?" she asked. Before Kris could get any ideas, Alex said, "Not Dale, it's my boyfriend. Everytime we get close, my wits scatter to the four winds, and before we even go anywhere, something pops up."

"Ouch!" Kris said, wincing in sympathy.

"You're telling me. Next time that dang com- watch of his goes off, I'm thinking about taking it and smashing it."

"And it's his 'watch' that tells when something comes up?" Kris asked. She hadn't missed the near slip. But Alex had her right to her secrets.

Kris jumped as her watch went off, and said, "Dale, we gotta go!" Dale came out of the kitchen, and they gave hurried goodbyes, and Alex stood in the doorway as they walked out into the night.

Alex's communicator, left on the fireplace mantle when the siblings had dragged her swimming, beeped and Alex glared at it. She thought about ignoring it, but then remembered her promise to check in. She sighed and closed the door behind her as she headed for the mantle. She picked up the communicator, and said, "Hey. What's up?"

"Just the usual evening check-in," Tommy's voice floated out of the tiny device. "Who were your guests?"

"Friends. They're teaching me a few things about the sword." Suddenly feeling defensive, she asked, "Why?"

"No reason, I was just wondering who was keeping you from calling us."

"You weren't listening in on our coversation, were you?" Alex accused.

"No, I wouldn't do that."

_No, but Jen would, then blab to Angela, who would blab to Tommy._ "Well, I checked in. I had a long day, so I'm going to bed. 'Night." She started to put her communicator on her wrist, but stopped and put it back on the mantle. She yawned and started getting ready for bed.

The next day, she woke up feeling a phantom warmth on the bed and almost expected to find someone in the cabin with her. Everything was as she had left it last night, and the cabin was locked up tight, so she shrugged it off to her imagination.

Dale and Kris pulled up in the tiger-cycles, as they jokingly called them, and Kris called out, "Hey, Alex! We need to go to town for supplies. Want to join us?"

Alex poked her head out a window, and said, "Sure! Let me get dressed!" She dressed in record time (for her), and was soon revving her motorcycle, ready to go. "Let's go," she said, strapping her helmet down, and the trio took off.

The town wasn't more than a couple of stores lining the mountain road, but there were enough houses to have it called a town, and that was the closest sourse of food and cooking supplies. Kris and Dale had a long list to shop for, and Alex waited outside most of the stores.

But at the food store, Alex felt uncomfortable enough to head into the store with the two siblings, and they split the list three ways. They split up, and met up at the counter, each with the items on their list and only the items on their list. As the cashier rang up the brother and sister's purchases, Kris asked, "Why did you come in, Alex?"

"Oh, it was nothing." She didn't want to explain that she felt as if someone's eyes had been on her. Kris shook her head, and said, "You are just too weird."

She turned and walked away, and Alex said, under her breath, "You have no idea." She followed her two friends outside, and climbed onto her bike. "Where to now?" she asked.

Kris looked up at the sky, and said, "Home. Rain's coming, and we probably won't make it." She pulled the luggage hood over the bags of groceries strapped the her bike, and made sure that Dale did the same.

They didn't make it home. Halfway up the mountain, the clouds opened up on the trio, and at the cabin, Alex waved her friends on to their home. They could talk later. She headed inside, and removed her helmet. She took off her riding jacket, and shook it out in the entranceway, then noticed that she had a visitor. "Tommy?"

Tommy stood from squatting in front of the fireplace, and moved over to Alex. "I had to see you," he whispered, and as he pulled close, their lips met. Alex forgot about her jacket and helmet, letting them slip to the floor.

They made love in front of the fireplace. The storm turned into a thunderstorm, but neiter noticed, lost in the sensations of their joined bodies. For some time, the only sound that filled the cabin, besides the occasional crash of thunder, was Alex's gasps and Tommy's groans of pleasure.

When Alex woke up, Tommy was curled up behind her, and she smiled, snuggling closer. "Good evening, Alex," he said, cheerfully, and Alex giggled. "Yes, it is, isn't it?" she asked, and then turned to kiss her. He stood up, and in one motion, got Alex from the floor to standing, into his arms. He carried her into the bedroom, and they started all over again.

So lost in each other, they didn't notice the sound of two people entering the cabin. They missed the newcomers' comments to each other, and they didn't notice the bedroom door opening. "Alex?"

Alex gasped, and rolled off the bed onto the floor, using the bed as a cover, then asked, bewildered, "Tommy?" She glanced from the one at the door to the one on her bed, and then heard him chuckle evilly. He disappeared in a swirl of shadows, and then Alex did the most logical and utterly feminine thing possible. She fainted.

Monday:

Kris paced in Alex's cabin the next morning, shortly after noticing that Alex wasn't in. She and Dale had been given a copy of the key in case Alex ever locked herself out, and they had let themsevles in. Now they were waiting impatienly for Alex to get back.

"Look, Kris, she didn't take her bike, and her things are still here. How far could she have gone?" Dale pointed out.

"I know. It's just that.. well, something doesn't seem right, Dale. That storm last night didn't feel right."

"You noticed it to, huh?" Dale walked over to the mantle, and picked up Alex's unusual watch. "Have you ever seen something like this, Kris?" he asked, handing it to her.

"No," she started to say, but then it struck her. "Rocky, and Zack had ones just like this. Her boyfriend to, if I remember correctly." She looked it over, and said, "It looks like a watch sized walkie-talkie, but what about thi-"

She was about to push the teleport button, but Dale grabbed her hand and shook his head. "Don't. It'll lead to bad things." Kris, used to following Dale's premonitions, shrugged and pocketed the watch in her jacket pocket. They shrugged, and Kris said, "Let's leave a note, telling her to meet us at the usual practice place." She found a scrap of paper, and scrawled the note down.

Dale saw her writing, and asked, "Gads, Kris, can your writing be any worse?" Used to this old jibe, Kris stuck her tongue out, and put it on the mantle. They left, and didn't notice that the breeze casued by closing the door swept the note into the fireplace. The embers burned the note to ashes.

Alex landed in the cabin a few minutes later, and, grabbing the keys to the cabin, headed outside. She began muttering in Spanish about possible painful, but definately biologically improbable things that she wanted to do to Tommy. She reached the practice clearing, and was surprised to see Kris and Dale warming up. Dismayed, she went ahead and greeted them. "Hey, guys. What's up?" Alex asked.

Instead of answering Alex's question, Kris narrowed her eyes, and asked shrewdly, "What's wrong?"

Alex sighed, and decieded that honesty was the best policy. "Last night, when I got home, someone I thought was my boyfriend was in my cabin."

"Uh-oh. Thought?"

"Yeah. Well, anyways, we..." Alex blushed, and Kris said, "And after that?"

"Well, my real boyfriend comes barging in, and his double leaves. And then he had the gall to blame me. Me! I thought it was him. What else was I supposed to think?"

"I don't know. Was that where you went this morning? To see your boyfriend?"

"Yeah. When did you stop by? Didn't you leave a note?"

"On the mantle. Didn't you see it?"

"No."

Kris and Alex continued on that same discussion for Alex to blow some steam, then Kris said, "Feel calm enough to practice?"

"Sure." Alex got out of her jacket, revealing her gi on underneath, then held her practice broadsword at the guard point.

That afternoon, it was a different matter as Alex was alone on her walk through the woods. She started muttering in Spanish again, and the further along she went, she switched to English and the louder her voice got. "It's not enough that everytime we get together, something comes up. No, when your double appears, exactly like you in every detail, I'm to blame, becasue I should have had better control of my hormones. Well, YOU CAN TAKE YOUR OVER-CONTROLED, HORMONE-STAGNANT BODY AND STUCK UP MORALS, AND STUFF THEM IN THE DEEPEST PARTS OF HELL, THOMAS OLIVER!!! AND GET THE HELL OUT OF MY MIND!!" Finally having expelled her anger, she closed her eyes, dropped to her knees, and started to cry.

The sobs took up all of her awareness, so she didn't hear the teleportion of someone, and jumped when someone placed their hand on her shoulder. Jen sat beside her old friend, and asked, "Want to talk about it?"

"No," Alex said. "You'd probably take his side anyways."

"No, I wouldn't," Jen said. "C'mon, Al. This is Jen. Your best bud and confidant. We know more about each other than we should. You can tell me anything."

"I said, NO!" Alex snapped, then stood up, and ran off. Jen watched her best friend run off, worried.

"Uh-oh. Looks like Jen's angry at you. I'm splitting." Rocky and Tommy had just finished sparring, and Rocky, having once been on the receiving end of Jen's anger, made himself scarce. Tommy swallowed at Jen's expression, and moved over slowly.

As soon as Tommy was in snatching range, Jen's right hand snapped out and grabbed his ear, twisting it. "What did you do now, Thomas Oliver?" she demanded. "What did you do to Alex?"

"Ow! Nothing! Ow! I swear!" Jen snarled and yanked, pulling Tommy closer, and he said, "We had an arguement this morning."

"About what?" She twisted his ear some more to get the answer.

"Last night, when she didn't check in, Rocky and I went to the cabin, and she was in bed with someone that was my double. She rolled off the bed, and the thing disappeared like a Shade."

"In bed as in...?" Jen asked, leaving it open. When he didn't answer, Jen gave the ear an added twist. "Yeah, ow!" "You idiot! And you blamed her!?" That was more statement than question.

"Well...," Tommy said, trying to avoid an answer, but Jen yanked on his ear. "Ow! Yeah!"

"Moron!" Jen said, releasing Tommy so he fell back. He winced and rubbed his ear, and Jen said, "You're lucky that's all I did, Oliver!" She stood up and stormed out. Shaira took Jen's chair, and grabbed Tommy's other ear.

"Listen closely, Tommy," she said in a threatening tone. "What you did was a big mistake. Alex couldn't help that she thought it was you, if it was a Shade. So you find the lady and apologize, before I hurt you. Do you understand!?"

"Ow, ow, ow, yeah! Ow!" Shaira gave Tommy's ear one last twist and yank, and then let him go. He massaged his other ear, and watched as Shaira, followed by the other girls, left, Kat pausing to glare at him before leaving.

"What was that about?" he asked, as Adam and Jason walked up.

"In this instance, I have to side with the girls, Tommy. You did kinda take it out on Alex." Tommy stared in disbelief at Adam as he followed the girls.

"Isn't anyone going to back me in this?" he asked

"If you weren't being so pigheaded, you'd see that it was a compliment, Tommy," Jason said. "I mean, it took a Shade taking your form. If I were you, I'd have been insulted if it had taken someone else's shape, but it took yours." Jason followed Adam and the girls, and was followed by the other rangers and guardians.

Tommy dropped down into the seat, and thought about what Jason said. It did make sense. He sighed. "Hey, Zordon, do you have Alex's location?" he asked into his communicator.

Alex stood at the edge of the cliff and looked stright down. The drop had to be at least fifty feet. "Seventy-six feet, actually." Alex jumped and spun around to face Him.

"What do you want?" Alex demanded. "Isn't it enough that Tommy and I have broken up?"

"No, it's not. I want YOU, Alex. And one way or another, I will have you." He stalked towards Alex and cupped her face with one hand. He chuckled when Alex jerked her face out of his hand.

"No, you won't." Tommy stepped between Alex and his double, and was startled to see his own reflection on another body again. They started circling, Tommy keeping Alex behind him.

"Come on, bro. You can't fight yourself. It's a losing battle."

"You may have my face, but you're not me," Tommy said, flatly.

"Oh? And what do you have that I don't?" his copy asked.

"Me." Alex stepped from behind Tommy, a silver and black dagger appearing in her hands and glowing softly with her magic. She sliced through the double, and it disappated exactly like a Shade. Alex dropped the dagger, exhausted, and Tommy caught her, then lowered her to the ground.

"Alex, about what I said earlier," Tommy started to apologize, but it was interrupted by a rift opening, and Shades boiled out. The Shadows circled the teens, and Alex struggled to sit up.

"Stay down!" The two teens obeyed the command, and a shot sped past where Alex's head would have been, and the Shade it had been aimed at shrieked, and disappeared. When everyone looked where the shot had come from, two guardians, one white and male, the other orange and female, stood on a ledge overlooking the cliffdrop. In their hands were katanas with handles matching their outfits. They jumped down, and the Shades turned their attentions to the newcomers.

"They can't handle this alone," Alex said. "Help them." Tommy nodded, and said, "It's morphin' time! Zeo V- Red!"

"Shadow Zeo- Morph!" When Tommy turned, where Alex had been there was now a ranger, completely black from head to toe, with a featureless helmet. "Come on," Alex said.

"Alex?"

"The fight isn't getting over any sooner," Alex said, then charged into the fight. Tommy shook his head, and followed the Shadow ranger.

After the good guys trashed the Shades, the guardians faced the rangers and bowed. Alex had a grin under her helmet, and said, "Tommy, I'll meet you back at the Power Chamber." Tommy looked at her, and she said, "Please. Don't ask any questions. Just go."

Tommy sighed and said, "All right." He teleported out, and Alex said, "Thank you, Kris, Dale." She removed her helmet the same time as the two Power Guardians, and the trio smiled at each other.

"How did you know?" Kris asked.

"Oh, come on. How many people know your combos, Kris? I'm dense, but I'm not stupid." Alex grinned, and said, "Thank you, very much so."

"So that was Tommy, huh?" Dale asked. He smiled and said, "He better take good care of you, my newest sister." He held his hand out, and Alex took it. And when their hands touched, they powered down,and bare hand met bare hand.

"Family?" Alex asked.

"Family," Kris said, taking their clapsed hands in both of hers. "No matter where or when, if you need us, Alex, we'll help."

"Thank you, Kris, Dale." Alex took a deep breath, and said, "The Shades will be after you, now, guys. You should move to Angel Grove."

Kris blew it off. "No problem. We were planning on moving there anyways. Let's go pack," she told Dale.

As the other two left, Alex waited, and looked over at the vista visible over the cliff. _Alex, how can you fight your own?_ Alex's eyes widened, and she turned and ran to follow her friends, twisted laugher following her all the way to her cabin.

Tuesday evening:

Tommy landed inside the cabin, and smiled at Alex as she placed a casserole dish on the table. "You're just in time, Tommy. Dinner's ready." She laughed as Tommy wrapped his arms around her waist, and said, "It's getting cold, Tommy. We should eat." She twisted out of his arms, and dropped into her seat.

Tommy sat down, and watched as Alex scooped a healthy serving of the ham and potato casserole onto his plate. He looked at it skeptically, and asked, "Is it edible?"

"Tommy, I'm wounded," Alex said playfully pouting. Tommy leaned in and kissed Alex, nibbling playfully on her lower lip. Alex giggled, and broke the lip lock. "Nuh-uh. Eat first, Tommy." She laughed at his groan, and started getting her own serving.

"So how'd the others take the news about the newcomers?" Alex asked.

"They all agree that the 'mysterious new rangers slash guardians' business is getting old. They really would like to know who they are," he said, looking meaningfully at Alex.

"I'm sorry, Tommy, but I made a promise to keep their secret. How would you like it if I went ahead a told the world who you are even after I promised not to?" Alex looked down at her plate, and said, "They'll tell in their own good time. It's just that it's not right now."

Tommy sighed, and said, "All right. I don't like it, but I understand."

"Thank you," Alex said, then, "What did I miss today? It's so weird to wake up and realized that there's nothing I have to do today. My aunt was right, this is what I need." Alex smiled and relaxed completely for the first time since finding out she was still a mage.

Tommy's communicator beeped, and he glanced at it. "Sorry," he said, standing up. "I have to go."

"Well, go on, Tommy. Even Zordon agrees that I need this vacation from everything. Have fun."

"I'll get a few licks in for you." Tommy smiled and teleported out. Alex smiled, but it died as the whispers began again.

_Alex, we're a part of you. Let us in, Alex. Let us show you your full potential._ "Never!" she hissed, then started getting ready for bed, ignoring the continued whipsers.

When she woke up the next morning, Alex was on top of Tommy, and she was cuddling against him, her hand splayed against his chest, the shirt having been pushed up in the night. Her cheek rubbed against his chest, and then her eyes opened. She smiled at Tommy, and said, "You know, there's one thing that should have told me he wasn't you."

"What's that?" he asked, looking down at her.

"Just this," she said, and her hands reached down to tickle Tommy's sides. He laughed and rolled her under him, and Alex asked, "Shouldn't you be getting ready for school?"

"What's school?" he teased, then latched onto her neck, kissing.

"School is where you go for learning, twin-o-mine." Angela stood in the doorway, a bag in her hands. "Here are some clothes, I'll get breakfast started." Tommy growled at his sister, but she ignored him as she left.

Alex sighed, and rolled out of bed. "Come on, Tommy. May as well get a head start on the day, and you DO have to go to school." She changed into a tee shirt and jeans combo, and said, "Before you say anything, Shaira already had me scheduled for a practice session of magic today, so I doubt I'll be alone. 'Sides, I have to meet up with my sword instructors." She leaned in and kissed him. "The only regret I have about Sunday night is that it wasn't really you, Tommy. He was so like you, it was... unreal."

Tommy chuckled and shook his head, then pulled Alex back onto the bed from behind her. She laughed and shrieked, and rolled over to face Tommy. "You fiend," she said, then clobbered him with a pillow.

Angela heard the laughter and shook her head. Alex was doing better. Maybe this getaway had been a good idea. "C'mon, Tommy! Move it! The Power Ranger School Express is leaving in fifteen minutes!"