Ducking a kick, the Purple Ranger found herself in a sticky situation. How do I get myself out of this one? she asked herself as a punch slipped through her guard and caught her in the face. Her head snapped back and she stumbled, falling to the wet grass. Stephanie rolled onto her back and gasped. Towering over her was Goldar.

"It's time for your destruction, Purple Ranger!" he growled, triumph evident in his voice. "The beginning of the end is at hand!"

Stephanie froze and could only stare in horror as he raised his sword above his head and then plunged it down toward her heart...

Goldar was about to kill me when I woke up...again, she thought, absently playing with her birthstone necklace. "That's the eighth time in two weeks that I've had that nightmare," she groaned as she climbed out of bed and pulled on her purple satin bathrobe over her lavender-colored velvet pajamas. "What is going on?"

"Zeo Ranger Five power sword!" he yelled as the weapon appeared in his outstretched hand. Grinning beneath his helmet, he began to dispatch the numerous tengas around him. When the last bird had left, he looked up just in time to see Stephanie fall to the ground and watched in horror as Goldar swung his sword down toward his girlfriend. "NOOOOO!!!!!"

After a quick peek in Tamara's room to make sure she was still asleep, Tommy touched a button on his communicator and teleported to his girlfriend's house.

She combed in silence for a few moments. "I have got to figure out what's up here!" she groaned as she watched her reflection wince when she tried to comb through a knot in her hair.

She kept combing her caramel-brown colored locks for lack of anything else to do, and gasped when she saw a red light in her room. "What is he doing here at one a.m. in the morning?"

The red teleportation light materialized at the foot of her bed and coalesced into the form of Tommy, her boyfriend. The first thing he heard was, "Thomas James Oliver, are you out of your mind? What in Heaven's name are you doing here?"

"Well, and a good morning to you too!" he returned, one eyebrow raised. "I see that you're in a good mood!"

Stephanie flashed him a grin that just about made his heart melt. "I'm sorry. I'm just a little cranky. What are you doing here, though?"

Tommy ran a hand through his sleep-disheveled hair, which was flowing loose for once, and gave her a sheepish grin. "I could've sworn I heard you screaming, as silly as it seems. I then felt an overwhelming urge to check on you and see if you were okay," he explained, shrugging. "Just call me an overly concerned boyfriend. Why are you up so late at night?"

Stephanie had walked over to her bed during his explanation, and looked up at his last comment. Her face paled as her legs gave out on her, dumping her unceremoniously onto the bed. "Y-you said you heard me scream?" she stammered.

He nodded, his brow wrinkling in concern. "Yeah...why? What's wrong? You look like you're about to be sick."

She took a deep breath. "I did scream, Tommy."

Tommy took a seat next to her on the bed. "You did? Why? Oh...wait," he said, studying her face. "You had that nightmare again, didn't you, Steve."

Stephanie nodded. "It's driving me crazy! For the past two weeks after I've gone to sleep, I see Goldar about to kill me!" she wailed, standing up and walking around her room. "Why does it keep haunting me? What's wrong with me?"

Tommy got up and pulled her into a tight embrace. "It's alright, Steve," he whispered as he kissed the top of her head, soothing her. "Nothing's wrong with you. Do you have any idea what could've set off the nightmares?" he asked cautiously. Maybe it's just the trauma of nearly being killed by Goldar a few weeks ago that is giving her the dreams. Hell, I'm still having nightmares from the time when I was the Green Ranger! I remember Jason and me in the Dark Dimension, me under Rita's spell and destroying Angel Grove, and scaring Kimberly when she found out that I'd known all along that she, Zack, Trini, Billy, and Jason were the Power Rangers!

Stephanie shook her head, seemingly oblivious to Tommy's train of thought. "No! I don't know! I just...don't know," she finished, breaking off into tears. Her mind was whirling as she tried to process the information she had just learned. Tommy was the original Green Ranger way back in the beginning? she wondered, momentarily scared. Oh my God. Then the feeling passed, with her unaware that she had been projecting her thoughts.

Tommy felt a wave of fear as he heard the words in his mind. Tommy was the original Green Ranger way back in the beginning? Oh my God. He stopped, stunned. The voice had sounded exactly like Stephanie's.

That's ridiculous, a voice in the back of his mind said. Stephanie isn't psychic!

Yeah, but I'm pretty sure that I never told her about the history of the Power Rangers from the beginning, either! Tommy mentally retorted. Maybe one of the other Rangers told her.

Stephanie looked at Tommy as she dried her eyes. "I bet the Ranger business is just fueling my subconscious with nightmares...but the same exact dream for the past two weeks?"

Tommy shook off the eerie feeling that his mind had felt and focused on his girlfriend. "Maybe you should have Zordon and Alpha check you out at the Power Chamber in the morning," he suggested. "It could be that you're just really stressed out."

She shook her head emphatically. "No way. I was scanned by Alpha and Billy practically nonstop after that last fight I had with Goldar after I healed to last me a few lifetimes! Personally, I'd rather not see another one of those things again anytime soon. I may not be responsible for my actions," she responded.

Tommy's expression changed as he took in her shaking form and watched her climb into her bed. "Are you going to be okay, sweetie?" he questioned, concern in his eyes.

Stephanie closed her eyes as she pulled her covers up to her chin. "Can you stay with me, Tommy? I don't want to be left alone...I don't want the dream to come back..." she mumbled, apparently tired.

She wants me to stay? Tommy's mind screamed. Amazingly enough, his voice remained calm as he replied, "Just go to sleep, Steve. Don't worry about it...I'll be here when you wake up."

Stephanie snuggled into his chest as he climbed into bed with her and wrapped her in his arms. "Good night, Tommy. I love you," she mumbled before sleep claimed her.

Tommy kissed the top of her head and stroked her hair. "Good night, Steve. I love you, too."

She didn't get an answer. Frowning in confusion, Tamara crawled reluctantly from her warm cocoon of a bed and padded through the bathroom that separated her room from her brother's. Her feet slapped against the cold tile floor as she reached the other door. "Tommy, are you awake?"

Tamara opened the door to Tommy's room and let the light from the bathroom spill in, enabling her see more easily into the darkened room. Her eyes fell on the bed. The covers had been thrown off his bed, as if he had been in a hurry, and the pillows were on the floor. He wasn't there. "Oh my God," Tamara whispered. Where did he go? He was here when we went to sleep. Maybe he went to wherever it is that the Power Rangers go when they're called into battle. Or maybe, she paused, recalling her dream, maybe he's in bed with Stephanie! In that case, I don't want to know! What my brother does with his girlfriend is none of my business and I don't want it to be.

Tamara looked around the room once more, then vanished in a flash of black light.

Recalling a recent interview with Seventeen magazine that 'N Sync had done as she got dressed, she remembered the quote that had stuck in her head for the past few weeks. "'...I've seen the Pink Ninja Ranger on the news reports with her teammates, and I think she's great. She fights to protect the innocent. She's very brave, and I'd give anything to meet her.'"

Kimberly pulled a brush through her hair and pulled it into a ponytail. "There. That's perfect," she said, satisfaction evident in her voice. "Now, to call Stephanie and see if she wants to go on a serious Christmas shopping spree today at Angel Shore Mall."

She picked up the phone and proceeded to dial her best friend's number, then heard it ring on the other end. When it picked up, she began to talk, not giving the Ranger a chance to speak. "Steph? Hey, it's Kim. Do you want to go shopping at the mall today? It is an absolutely gorgeous Saturday, and then later we can get Tara and the other Rangers and go to the beach. What do you say?"

"I say, suggest it to Stephanie," a decidedly male voice replied, much to Kimberly's surprise. "I like the idea, but I'm not coming shopping with you two."

"Tommy?! Oh my God. I was trying to call Stephanie. I guess I dialed your number by mistake. I'll just call her now--"

"Kim!" Tommy interrupted her quickly. "It's all right. You have the right number. Let me wake Stephanie up, okay?"

"I'm up, I'm up. Oh God, Tommy. I haven't slept that well in weeks," Kimberly heard Stephanie say sleepily. "Who are you talking to?"

"Oh my God. Tommy, you slept with Stephanie?" Kimberly gasped.

"It's for you," Tommy replied with a smile as he handed off the cordless phone to Stephanie. "You feel a little better?"

Stephanie kissed him slowly. "What does that tell you?" she responded in a sultry tone. She giggled and placed the receiver against her ear in time to hear Kimberly shriek. "Kim? God, no! We didn't do that, although it would've been fun," Stephanie laughed with a sideways glance at her boyfriend, who gave her a puzzled glance. "No, I had a nightmare last night."

"Again?" Kimberly questioned curiously.

"Yeah, but don't ask me why. I don't know. Now, what's this idea?"

"Do you want to hit the mall with me and then get everyone to the beach later this afternoon?"

Stephanie laughed again. "Do you even have to ask? I'll pick you up in, say, an hour?"

"Perfect."

"What about nightmares, my horrible wife?" Lord Zedd questioned as he walked into the main chamber of the lunar palace. "Do tell."

Rita reclined in the throne as Zedd sat on the steps leading up to it. "The purple brat has been having nightmares lately about fighting Goldar. Apparently, he's been quite close to killing her on occasion. Why don't we send her a surprise just for hert?" she explained, waiting for his response.

"Perfect!"

"Steve, do I really have to come with you two?"

Stephanie turned to the passenger seat and grinned at Tommy, who apparently didn't appreciate being included in Stephanie and Kimberly's "little" shopping trip. "Stop whining, Tommy...it's not attractive. Maybe when you were five it worked, but not now. Besides, you wanted to keep an eye on me, so now you're stuck with following me and Kim around the mall all day long! Get over it and deal," she responded good-naturedly as she kissed him full on the lips. The kiss evolved rapidly from an innocent peck to an all-out, steaming-up-the-windows, soul-shattering slow kiss.

"I think I remember why I surrendered now," Tommy told her between kisses, tracing her curves with one hand. "I love you, Steve."

"Mmm...I love you too." Stephanie inhaled sharply and began to giggle as Tommy nibbled at her neck. She couldn't help it-for as long as she could remember, she had always been extremely ticklish. Then she tensed as she realized that Tommy's hand was under her shirt. "Tommy..."

Tommy kept kissing her, giving no indication that he'd heard her. "Tommy, stop," she spoke up a bit louder than usual.

Tommy released her immediately, looking contrite. "I'm sorry, Stephanie. I just lose myself when I'm kissing you," he explained, bringing a smile to his girlfriend's face.

Stephanie nodded. "It's okay, Tommy," she responded quietly, "but there's something we should talk about anyway. I love you with all of my heart, but I just want you to know that I'm not ready for sex or anything like that."

Tommy listened to her, then nodded in agreement. "You know I won't pressure you to do anything you don't want to do, sweetie. It's all up to you what we do." Although I would love to be the one to marry you someday, he mused silently.

Oh my God. He wants to marry me someday? That's so sweet! Now if I could just figure out why I can tell what he's thinking... Stephanie jumped as the car door opened.

"Hey, Steph! Oh, God. You pulled off the impossible...you convinced Tommy to come. I'm impressed, girl!" Kimberly greeted them. "Even I couldn't get him to come with me whenever I went shopping!"

Stephanie shrugged nonchalantly, an impish grin on her face. "What can I say? It's a gift," she giggled.

"Well, what are we waiting for? Let's go!" Kimberly squealed as she fastened her seat belt.

"I'm doomed," Tommy groaned as the car pulled away from the curb and headed into town.

She examined the technology more closely, recognizing things that would've been more at home in NASA's laboratories. "What is this, a bad remake of 'Mystery Science Theater 3000?'" she commented as she spied the viewing globe. "Next thing I know, I'm going to be up on a movie screen and three weird guys will be commenting on my acting ability!"

"WELCOME, TAMARA OLIVER," a voice boomed suddenly.

Tamara spun around, searching for the owner of the voice. Finding no one, she looked up...and screamed. "Oh my God! I've got to be seeing things," she murmured in disbelief. The shock became too much for her, and she passed out.

"ALPHA, CONTACT TANYA, KATHERINE, ADAM, AND JASON. I FEEL THAT THEY MAY BE THE MOST LIKELY CHOICES TO EXPLAIN TO TOMMY'S SISTER WHAT THIS PLACE IS," Zordon ordered the little robot, who had observed the spectacle that had just taken place.

"Right away, Zordon," Alpha responded as he pressed a button on the teleportation console. Within seconds, yellow, pink, green, and red streaks of light touched down in the Power Chamber and revealed Tanya Sloan, Katherine Hillard, Adam Park, and Jason Scott.

"What are we doing here, Zordon? Are Rita and Zedd attacking?" Tanya addressed the floating head.

"LOOK BEHIND YOU, RANGERS," Zordon commanded the four teens, who did as he said.

"Tamara?!" the four chorused in surprise. They raced to her side immediately and kneeled down, checking to see if she was all right.

"Tara, can you hear me? Wake up," Kat urged Tommy's sister. "What happened, Zordon?"

"SHE TELEPORTED HERSELF HERE, KATHERINE. I WAS EXPECTING HER TO REALIZE HER POTENTIAL EVENTUALLY, BUT NOT SO SOON," Zordon explained to her.

"Potential?" Jason questioned curiously. "What do you mean?"

Adam stood up and looked at their mentor. "It's her necklace, isn't it?" he asked, eyebrows raised.

Zordon nodded once. "YOU ARE CORRECT, ADAM. HER NECKLACE IS THE BLACK ZEO SHARD, ONCE THOUGHT LOST THOUSANDS OF YEARS AGO. I DID NOT REALIZE IT UNTIL THE COMPUTER RAN THE SIGNAL THROUGH AND FOUND A MATCH, HOWEVER, THAT TAMARA HAD IT."

"So you're saying that she has a piece of the Zeo crystal?" Tanya spoke up.

"YES. YOU ARE LOOKING AT THE BLACK ZEO RANGER, IF SHE AGREES TO IT WHEN SHE WAKES UP."

"What?!"

Katherine, Jason, Tanya, and Adam all jumped and turned to look at Tamara, who was fully awake and standing up. "Me, a Power Ranger? No way. I can't do it. I'm not one of those heroic types," she explained.

Jason walked toward her. "Come on, Tara. You've got the training for it, and the crystal has obviously already accepted you as its guardian," he pointed out.

"I'm sure you would make a great Ranger," Adam added.

Tanya grinned. "We need some more girls on the team, Tara," she told her.

Tamara shook her head. "I don't know. Me, a Ranger? I'm sorry, but I just can't picture it," she repeated. "I don't want to do it. If you guys need me someday, though, I'll be there."

Katherine nodded. "I guess we can't ask for any more than that," she agreed as she placed her hand on the girl's shoulder.

Tamara smiled, fingering her necklace. I can't believe it. Maybe one day I'll decide to join them, but not now. This is just too much for me to handle at one time!

Kimberly looked up from where she was checking out a baby pink tank top with a rosebud trim along the neckline to where Stephanie stood a few feet away, modeling a sleeveless lavender button-up vest and a flowered skirt. She nodded in approval and whistled. "Has Tommy seen you yet?" she asked in amazement.

The girls had dragged Tommy with them into Nordstrom once they had arrived at the mall. As Kimberly and Stephanie picked out outfits to try on, Tommy had taken advantage of a chair sitting by the dressing rooms and had fallen asleep.

Stephanie focused on something just beyond Kim's shoulder and motioned for her to turn around. "I don't think so, no," she giggled, her eyes twinkling as she kissed Tommy on the cheek gently, causing him to wake up.

Tommy opened his eyes and smiled sleepily. "What a nice way to wake up," he commented. Then he saw what Stephanie was wearing. "I like. I most definitely like."

Stephanie blushed and straightened up as she realized that she was providing him with an excellent view down her shirt. Tommy noticed this and clarified his comment. "I love the outfit, Steve. It's definitely you." Then he pulled her close and added in a whisper, "but I love your body, too."

Stephanie blushed. "Thank you. So, I should get them?" she questioned, gesturing to the clothes.

Kimberly rolled her eyes. "Girl, do you need to ask?" she scolded her.

Stephanie flashed a grin at them. "I'll take that as a yes. I'm gonna change out of these clothes. Be back in a second!"

"Can I come?" Tommy called after her.

Kimberly turned to stare at Tommy. "Thomas James Oliver, I don't believe it. You're starting to sound like Rocky!" she exclaimed. "Are you hungry now, too?"

Tommy snapped his teeth shut at her. "Maybe," he shot back. "It's lunchtime."

Stephanie came back out of the dressing room, shaking her head as she walked up to the cash register to buy the clothes she had tried on. "Did you two know that I could hear you all the way in there?" she giggled. "You two sound like a couple of little kids!"

A salesperson came to ring up Stephanie's clothes. "And how will you be paying today?" she inquired politely as she began to fold the clothes and place them in a shopping bag.

"Check," Stephanie replied.

"Your total comes to one hundred and one dollars and ninety-seven cents," the lady responded. Stephanie wrote out the check and handed it to her, who gave her the clothes in return.

"Thank you." Stephanie turned to her friends, who were mercilessly teasing each other again. She felt a twinge of jealousy as she watched them, so comfortable and at ease together, and felt a tug of self-doubt as well. Do Tommy and I ever look that comfortable together? she wondered. Kimberly whispered something in his ear, and Tommy laughed. Does Tommy even love me? Or is he still in love with Kimberly? Stephanie felt tears stinging her eyes and she turned away, unable to watch her friends.

Tommy laughed with Kimberly as they waited for Stephanie to buy her clothes. "If you don't watch it, soon you'll be Little Boy Blue!" Kim jibed, poking him in the side. She was referring to Rocky, of course.

Tommy opened his mouth to reply and felt a wave of jealousy and self-doubt wash over him. Then he heard Stephanie's voice and the pain that was in it. Do Tommy and I ever look that comfortable together? Does Tommy even love me? Or is he still in love with Kimberly?

Tommy looked up and around for Stephanie and found her staring off into space, her eyes glassy. "I'll be right back, Kim."

He walked over to his girlfriend and slipped his arms around her. "Stephanie, I do love you. Not Kimberly, not anyone else. I love you."

Stephanie spun around, a look of absolute shock written across her face. "I didn't...what...how did you--Oh, God. How did you know what I was thinking?" she blurted out frantically.

Tommy shrugged his shoulders, his confusion evident. "I don't know, Steve," he confessed. "I could've sworn I heard you talking in my mind."

Before she heard the screams of the people at the mall on a beautiful Saturday afternoon, she knew what was happening. A flash of metal was imprinted on her mind as she closed her eyes and took a deep breath. "Guys, there's tengas and cogs headed our way. Let's try and get them to the park," she told Kimberly and Tommy quietly.

Kimberly looked perplexed. "I don't see any," she replied before a hand grabbed her shoulder and spun her around. Reacting instinctively, she lashed out with a kick and disabled the cog that had tried to sneak up on her. "Let's move it!" she yelled to her teammates as she grabbed her purchases and bolted out the door, Stephanie and Tommy close behind.

Jason nodded in agreement. "I'm with you. It is scorching."

Zack pushed the play button on the CD player and forwarded it to track number 2. "I figured I'd play this one in honor of the heat," he called out over the beat as he began to dance.

Rocky rolled his eyes. "Zack, you're taking all of my ideas!" he complained. He pulled out a water gun from behind his back--one of the really big ones. "Take this!"

Jason and Kat groaned as Rocky soaked Zack with water. Over the noise, 98 Degrees played their song, 'Heat It Up.'

Baby let me love you
To the 98th degree girl and heat it up
I'm down, girl let's heat it up, I'm down
I can give you all my lovin'
If you're only down for me, girl
Let's heat it up, I'm down
Come on heat it up, I'm down boy

Late at night I fantasize, girl
That you and I, yo you were rockin' my world
I can't deny the way I'm feeling
Think about you girl, again and again yeah
Whenever I'm with you my fantasies come true
So tell me what you want to do
Just hold me close, don't let me go
Baby show me how the 98 will flow
I want to know how it can be
With 98, you gotta know
I'm down for you, baby show me what the 98 can do
Boy lead the way to ecstasy
But only if you're down for me

Baby let me love you
To the 98th degree girl and heat it up
I'm down, girl let's heat it up, I'm down
I can give you all my lovin'
If you're only down for me, girl
Let's heat it up, I'm down
Come on heat it up, I'm down boy

This urgency of what I'm feeling is killing me
When will this lovin' begin
I wanna be the one you run to
Girl you know there is nothing I wouldn't do So tell me what you want to do, yeah
Baby show me how the 98 will flow
I want to know how it can be with 98 degrees
You gotta know I'm down for you
Baby show me what the 98 can do
Boy lead the way to ecstasy
Baby come get down with me

Baby let me love you
To the 98th degree girl and heat it up
I'm down, girl let's heat it up, I'm down
can give you all my lovin'
If you're only down for me, girl
Let's heat it up, I'm down
Come on heat it up, I'm down boy

Heat it up just a touch
Are you down for my love
Heat it up just a touch
Are you down for my love
Heat it up just a touch
Are you down for my love
Heat it up
Only if you're down

Baby let me love you
To the 98th degree girl and heat it up
I'm down, girl let's heat it up, I'm down
I can give you all my lovin'
If you're only down for me, girl
Let's heat it up, I'm down
Come on heat it up, I'm down boy

Rocky had turned the water gun on the others and they were all laughing as they tried futilely to avoid the icy spray. Suddenly a blur of purple crossed their field of vision and executed a few flashy dance moves mixed with a combination of martial arts moves, effectively taking out a few tengas.

Rocky, Zack, Jason, and Kat all realized what was going on as Kim and Tommy appeared as well, each fending off a couple of tengas and cogs apiece. "You guys ready?" Jason asked the other three water-soaked Rangers.

"You know it."

"You guys really know how to make an entrance!" Zack joked as he, Jason, Katherine, and Rocky threw themselves into the fight.

Stephanie grinned back as she flipped a tenga over her head. "I know!" she yelled back. "Isn't it great?"

The Rangers fought in sync for a few moments, the occasional tenga or cog flying through the air. Tommy looked up for a moment and realized that they were severely outnumbered. "Has anyone else realized that we are hopelessly outnumbered?" he called over the frenzy.

His comment caught Kim's attention, and she glanced over the battlefield. "Damn! Where are they all coming from?" she gasped in disbelief, then executed a perfect back-handspring as a tenga attempted to knock her out.

"It seems that Zedd's either getting smarter, or that he's teamed up with Mondo to get rid of us," Jason grunted with every punch and kick. "Either choice sound appealing to any of you?"

As the other Rangers tossed comments back and forth, Stephanie and Rocky found themselves back to back against a huge squadron of tengas and cogs. "So, Steph. Got any ideas?" Rocky asked as they attempted to defend themselves.

Stephanie dropped to the ground as a punch to her stomach knocked the breath out of her. "Anyone for fried tenga?" she growled, gasping for breath as she stood up.

Stephanie glared at the tengas that surrounded her and Rocky, her temper climbing. Her curly hair began to whip around her face as a harsh wind came out of nowhere. Suddenly, a light shot out of her hands and flung the tengas and cogs every which way. "Just get out of here!" she screamed, tears streaming down her face as her adrenaline rush subsided and she dropped to her knees, shaking like a leaf.

The tengas and cogs did as she said and disappeared, leaving the Rangers alone in the park. Rocky turned to Stephanie and knelt down to face her. His face registered surprise and shock, as did Kimberly, Katherine, Tommy, Jason, and Zack's faces as they rushed to their teammates' sides. "Stephanie, how did you do that?" Rocky questioned the shaking woman.

Stephanie shook her head. "I-I don't know," she spoke up, her voice barely audible. "I just got so angry at the stupid idiots that I must've channeled some sort of energy from my Zeo crystal and scared them off." Her body, exhausted from the amount of energy she had expended, caused her to pass out.

Tommy glanced around at the assembled Rangers. "We should get her back to the Power Chamber and have Billy examine her. Maybe then we can figure out how Steve did that," he suggested.

Katherine nodded in agreement. "That's a good idea, Tommy," she answered. "Let's get going."

In unison, the teens pressed the teleportation button on their communicators and melted into their respective streams of light, Tommy holding Stephanie gently in his arms.

Billy crawled out from underneath a console. "What's the problem?" he asked the assembled Rangers. He observed Rocky's pale face with concern. "What's wrong?"

Tommy stepped forward and laid his girlfriend down on a nearby medical bed. "Billy, is there any way that Stephanie could've possibly channeled the power of her Zeo crystal?" he asked.

Billy opened his mouth to respond, but Zordon beat him to it. "TOMMY, I AM AWARE OF WHAT HAPPENED WITH THE TENGAS BY THE LAKE. HOWEVER, THERE IS NO WAY STEPHANIE COULD HAVE CHANNELED THE ENERGY OF HER CRYSTAL SHARD. THE RAW ENERGY IS ENOUGH THAT IF SHE MANAGED TO TAP INTO IT WITHOUT THE CRYSTAL THERE TO FOCUS, THE POWER WOULD KILL HER INSTANTLY. THERE MUST BE SOME EXPLANATION FOR THE PHENOMENON THAT OCCURED, HOWEVER," Zordon replied quietly.

"Where am I?" a soft voice spoke up.

Katherine and the other Rangers turned to find Stephanie sitting up. Her eyes were unfocused, and she seemed to be talking to herself. "Stephanie?" Tommy questioned softly, moving to cradle his girlfriend in his arms. Much to his surprise, Billy prevented him from reaching her side.

"Don't, Tommy. Leave her alone for a minute," Billy advised him.

Tommy's eyes widened in disbelief. "Billy, she doesn't know where she is," he reasoned. "Let me hold her."

"No. Adam, Rocky, please restrain him."

Adam and Rocky looked at each other and took a deep breath before they each grabbed ahold of Tommy's arms.

Almost immediately, Tommy began to struggle, his anger evident. "Let go of me, dammit! NOW!"

As the Rangers watched in silence, Stephanie's facial expressions went through a series of changes. First, she wore a mask of confusion, then one of realization. Finally, she became absolutely terrified. "TOMMY!" she screamed in terror before she began to cry.

Billy gently pushed Stephanie back down onto the medical bed as her eyes closed and her breathing resumed its normal rate. Jason crossed his arms across his chest and took in the unusual scene with concern. "Bill, what's going on?"

Tommy kept a watch on Stephanie out of the corner of his eye as he took on a bunch of tengas that were intent on ripping him apart. As he executed a roundhouse, he heard his girlfriend's voice at the back of his mind, reminding him of a faint tickling sensation. Cute, Tommy. Real cute. You're such a showoff! she teased him. My hero!

The Red Ranger merely grinned beneath his helmet. Funny, Steve. Real funny, he projected back to her. I'm gonna get you for laughing at--what the hell?

Stephanie fended off the tengas with quick kicks and jabs. The cogs that had attacked her had long since retreated back to the Machine Skybase. "Here, let me give you a hand!" she yelled as she swung an unlucky tenga around by its wings and sent it flying. Then she felt Tommy yell in pain at the back of her mind. Instinctively, she glanced in Tommy's direction and was met with the sight of Tommy taking a hit from a laser beam from the monster of the day full on in the chest. The force of the blast sent the Red Ranger flying back a good twenty feet and headfirst into a brick wall, effectively knocking him out. Terrified, the Purple Ranger waited anxiously for him to rise to his feet.

"Tommy!" Stephanie screamed.

"I can tell what she's thinking. The last time that happened, she freaked out. The thing was, I could've sworn I heard her voice in my mind," Tommy answered, calming down after Adam and Rocky released him.

Billy nodded. "That's what I thought. The scan I just performed revealed something very interesting. Tommy, the reason that you heard her voice in your mind was because she was projecting her thoughts. Stephanie is telepathic," he explained. "She's psychic. But that's not all. She also has telekinesis powers. That's how she sent the tengas packing. The Zeo crystal will enhance those abilities when she is morphed. We just need to figure out what it was that she saw. When she was sitting up, she wasn't awake. She was seeing the future."

"So what you're saying is that she had a vision? A prophecy?" Rocky asked Billy.

"Yes. She yelled 'Tommy' before it ended, so I'm assuming that she saw something happen to him," Billy responded carefully, glancing in Tommy's direction.

Tommy had tuned out Billy's explanation about what had possibly happened to Stephanie on the battlefield and covered his girlfriend's hand with his, which lay motionless on the diagnostic table. "Stephanie, are you okay? Wake up. I need you."

"Is Stephanie okay?" Tanya asked Billy.

Billy nodded, confirming Tanya's question. "Yes, she is completely fine. She is merely resting. The amount of power she used exhausted her. Stephanie will wake when ready," he told her.

"Anybody have any aspirin? I feel like the football team used my head for practice."

The Rangers turned to see Stephanie grinning weakly at them. "What, no 'Stephanie, oh my God! You're awake?' God, what's a girl got to do to get a little love around here?" she teased them.

Tommy wrapped her in a hug and held her tight, oblivious to everything but her. "I'm so glad you're all right."

Stephanie smiled. "Well, now this feels like love!" she replied. She hugged him for a few seconds more, and then grimaced, "Ease off a little, hon. I can't breathe. You forget I'm a little smaller than you."

"Stephanie, can you tell us what happened to you while you were out?" Billy interjected quickly, drawing her attention.

Stephanie drew away from Tommy and bit her lip. "I can try," she said hesitantly. "But are you sure you want me to?"

Tommy nodded. "Tell us everything."

Stephanie drew in a deep breath. "I'll tell you everything that I remember," she responded.

Tanya saw Stephanie hesitate for a second. "Steve, it's okay. You don't have to tell us," she interjected quickly.

"No, I-I have to tell you. Especially Tommy," Stephanie spoke up, her voice as soft as a whisper.

Kim put a hand on Stephanie's shoulder, squeezing gently. "Are you sure?"

The brunette nodded. "Yeah." Making an effort to calm herself, she exhaled deeply.

"You can start whenever you're ready, Steve," Billy told her.

Stephanie waited as everyone made themselves comfortable. Kim and Tommy sat down on either side of her on the diagnostic bed; Adam sat on a chair with Tanya in his lap; Jason and Katherine sat on the floor; and Rocky and Zack sat on a couple of consoles.

"The first thing I noticed after I opened my eyes was that we were morphed. that wasn't strange or unfamiliar to me, but I couldn't for the life of me remember how I got there. "I called on the Starblade, and I vaguely remember tossing off some smart remark to Tommy simply by 'thinking' it at him, and he could tell what I had thought, like before, but it didn't scare me. I was comfortable with it. I think I said, 'Cute, Tommy. Real cute. You're such a showoff. My hero!'"

The Rangers snickered at that.

"I think that Tommy said something to the extent of 'Funny, Steve. Real funny. I'm gonna get you for laughing at me,' but he never finished his sentence. Instead, I heard him say 'What the hell?!'"

Rocky fell off the console laughing at that. "Thomas Oliver, what language!" he mock-scolded the Red Ranger. "What would your mother say?"

"His mother would freak out that he's a Power Ranger and then ground his sorry butt for life!" Zack quipped.

Stephanie looked at Tommy while the two boys laughed. "They'll laugh at anything, won't they?" she questioned, rolling her eyes.

Tommy nodded. "I'm afraid so. Sorry." Then he turned his attention to his friends. "Rocky, Zack, can we let the woman finish her story?"

Stephanie mock-glared at the two as they shut up. "Sorry," they chorused meekly, like two little boys caught with their hands in the cookie jar.

"So what happened after Tommy's PG-13 language bit?" Jason asked, bringing everyone's attention back to the matter at hand.

Stephanie swallowed nervously. This was the part that had scared her and that she didn't want to recall. "Someone hold my hand, please," she requested, her voice breaking.

Kimberly and Tommy each grabbed one of her hands, and felt Stephanie grip them as if she were hanging on for dear life. She took a ragged breath and continued her tale. "I looked up after his language and saw him shot at by a monster that Zedd sent. The monster was made of a mirror. His name was Reflector...he hit Tommy dead on in the center of the chest with a laser attack and sent him flying headfirst into a brick wall twenty feet away.

"I screamed at Tommy to get up," Stephanie sobbed, tears running headlessly down her cheeks, "but he wouldn't. I didn't know if he was unconscious or dead. That's all I saw."

Tommy caught Billy's eye. "Billy, maybe you should tell Steve what's going on with her," he suggested with a slight nod of his head.

Billy nodded slowly in answer. "That would be a good idea. Steph, do you remember the tenga fight in the park by the lake?" he queried gently.

Stephanie nodded, her deep brown eyes clouded with fear. "I remember the fight. Those tengas just don't know when to quit," she muttered darkly.

Billy grinned as his friend's smart mouth began to return. Steve's just as bad as Rocky with her smartass comments! he noted wryly. "Do you remember what you did?"

The question hung in the air for an indeterminable amount of time until the Purple Ranger answered. "Yes."

Her shoulders shook as she continued. "Tommy's been able to tell what I've been thinking for the past few weeks as well. How is he able to do that?" she asked.

"The only reason that he's been able to tell is because of you," Billy answered her as he shot a look at Rocky that clearly meant shut-up-and-don't-make-a-sound. "Stephanie, do you see this ball in my hand?"

Stephanie nodded, resting her chin on Tommy's shoulder. "Yeah, I see it. Why?"

"Watch it with your eyes and try to see if you can will it to stop and change direction, throwing it at Rocky," Billy explained.

"What?!" Rocky complained.

"Rocky, be quiet!" Kat shushed him, smacking him on the back of his head.

"You're kidding around, right?" Stephanie queried, a skeptical expression on her face.

"Try it."

Stephanie watched the ball as her friend threw it into the air. She concentrated as the ball began its downward descent. I can do this...I know I can...

Kimberly watched in awe as the ball slowed down and came to a stop, then snuck a peek at Stephanie's face. Stephanie was surprised as well, her eyes wide open. Then her lips twisted into a mischievious grin. The ball was rotating slowly in the air, waiting for the Ranger to give it a push. Stephanie used as much power as she could and gave the ball a hard mental shove.

Rocky cried out in pain and surprise as the ball connected with his side. "Ouch! That hurt, Stephanie!" he gasped, holding his side.

"Did you ever think about trying out for the baseball team?" Tanya giggled.

Stephanie stared in shock. "H-how did I do that?" she whispered.

"Billy, tell her," Katherine advised, bringing Stephanie out of her reverie. "She needs to know, or she'll go crazy."

Billy nodded, drawing in a deep breath. "I know." Then he turned to look at Stephanie, who looked at him anxiously. "Stephanie...you've been unconsciously projecting your thoughts to Tommy lately because you have a special bond with him. You can project them to anyone, though. There's no easy way to tell you this, but...you're psychic. You have premonitions, which explains your dreams. The thing with the ball and you speaking with your mind also proves that you're telepathic and know telekinesis."

Silence followed Billy's announcement for a minute. Then a squeak cut through the silence. "What?" Stephanie questioned shakily. "You can't be serious."

Tommy wrapped her gently in his arms. "It's true, Stephanie."

Stephanie stiffened in his embrace as the images from her vision came back to her. She pulled away and looked at him, something akin to fear in her eyes. "If it's true, then you're staying here when the attack from Zedd and Rita begins," she told Tommy.

Tommy shook his head. "I can't, Steve. I'm sorry," he apologized gently, "but I'm a Power Ranger too. I need to help fight."

"But I don't want you to get hurt! I don't want anything to happen to you."

"Nothing will," he reassured his girlfriend as he kissed the top of her head. Then the alarms began to wail.

Rita felt a tingle at the back of her mind as she fought to clear her husband's anger from it. She found what she was searching for and let out a groan. "Stephanie is psychic!" she shrieked.

Zedd glared at her. "You'd better be kidding," he growled.

"I wish I was! And it gets worse! She's a telepath and knows telekinesis!"

"REFLECTOR!"

"Yes, my lord."

"Get down there and destroy them!"

"As you wish, my lord."

Stephanie's shock over her talents hadn't completely worn off yet, so she was unprepared for the image in the globe. "Oh my God. Reflector."

"Reflector?" Kimberly asked her.

Stephanie nodded slowly. "That's the monster I saw. Along with the tengas and whatever cogs are with him."

Tommy nodded, absorbing the information. "Okay. Let's get going, guys."

"Should we contact the ninjas?" Adam questioned.

"Not yet, but Jason, Zack, Kim-you're coming, right?"

"You got it."

"All right. It's morphin' time!"

"ZEO RANGER I, PINK!"
"ZEO RANGER II, YELLOW!"
"ZEO RANGER III, BLUE!"
"ZEO RANGER IV, GREEN!"
"ZEO RANGER V, RED!"
"PURPLE RANGER POWER!"

"Ninja power, power up!" Jason called.

"BLACK NINJETTI POWER!"
"PINK NINJETTI POWER!"
"BLUE NINJETTI POWER!"
"YELLOW NINJETTI POWER!"
"RED NINJETTI POWER!"
"GREEN NINJETTI POWER!"

"MAY THE POWER PROTECT YOU ALL, RANGERS," Zordon spoke up as he watched those whom he called his children teleport to the battlefield.

"Where are the tengas?" Adam added. "They were here before."

A slight creak was the only warning the teens had before they were attacked. "Everybody out of the way!" Kimberly yelled at the top of her lungs as the Rangers scattered in different directions before the tengas dropped down from the trees.

Stephanie suddenly had a feeling of deja vu. The tengas were everywhere, attacking Rangers and innocent citizens alike. "Just what I needed. There's nothing quite like fighting tengas on a daily basis!" she shouted to her friends.

"Let's get them, guys!" Tommy yelled before they jumped into the fray.

Billy and Kimberly stood back to back and locked arms as tengas closed in on them. Straightening up, Billy held the petite woman up and began to swing her around. Locking her legs out in a pike position, Kim impacted with one tenga, who fell into another, and created a domino effect.

"You're only as strong as your weakest link, boys!" Kim giggled as Billy set her down.

Kat, Aisha, Trini, and Tanya fought together, fending off the tengas effectively. "HYAH!" Aisha cried, flipping a tenga onto its' back.

Kat and Tanya played keep away with two other tengas. "Come on, you two can do better than that!" Tanya admonished them as they flipped from one place to another.

Trini swung a tenga around by its' feet. "Bombs away!" she cried as the overgrown bird crashed headlong into a tree.

Tommy and Jason faced off against Goldar. "Two against one, Goldar. You ready?" Tommy taunted him, enraging the warrior.

"Ready, Tommy?"

"Let's do it, Jase."

"HYAH!" they cried as they flipped over Goldar's head.

Goldar sliced at them as they hurtled into the air, bringing them down with ease. "It would be nice to play with you, power punks, but if you'll excuse me, I have a score to settle with the Red Ranger's precious girlfriend," he growled as he disappeared.

"Damn it, Goldar! Get back here!" Tommy yelled as he got to his feet.

Jason came up behind him. "Come on, man. Don't worry about Steve. She can take care of herself. We've got to get rid of the tengas right now."

Tommy nodded in agreement. "I know, man, but I can't shake the feeling that something bad is about to happen."

Stephanie found herself completely surrounded by tengas. Rolling her eyes, she placed her hands on her hips. "You just don't know when to quit, do you?" Stephanie asked as they charged toward her.

Ducking a kick, the Purple Ranger found herself in a sticky situation. How do I get myself out of this one? she asked herself as a punch slipped through her guard and caught her in the face. Her head snapped back and she stumbled, falling to the wet grass. Stephanie rolled onto her back and gasped. Oh, God. I'm trapped in a nightmare, she prayed as her eyes closed. I'll open my eyes and I'll be asleep in my bed with Tommy holding me...

Stephanie's eyes widened in horror as Goldar towered above her. This is real. I saw a prophecy--a premonition--in my dream.

"It's time for your destruction, Purple Ranger!" he growled, triumph evident in his voice. "The beginning of the end is at hand!"

Stephaniewas speechless as he raised his sword above his head and then plunged it down toward her heart.

"Zeo Ranger Five power sword!" he yelled as the weapon appeared in his outstretched hand. Grinning beneath his helmet, he began to dispatch the numerous tengas around him. When the last bird had left, he looked up just in time to see Stephanie fall to the ground and watched in horror as Goldar swung his sword down toward his girlfriend, intent on killing her. "NOOOO!!!" The cry left his lungs as he knocked Goldar out of the way a split second before the sword connected with Stephanie's neck.

"I'll be back for you, Rangers. You can count on it!" Goldar snarled as he disappeared.

Tommy's voice was filled with disgust. "We'll be waiting." Then he kneeled next to Stephanie, who was shaking after her near-death experience. "Come on, Steph. Let's take care of the tengas and get out of here. You still want to go ahead with that picnic you and Kimberly planned after we're done?"

Stephanie smiled as he helped her get to her feet. "Definitely. But we'd better help out the others first."

Tommy surprised her as he took off her helmet and then his while they were in the middle of the battlefield. Slowly, he leaned down and then gently kissed her. With great reluctance, they disentangled themselves. Stephanie grinned. "I must say, Mr. Oliver," she complimented him in a British accent, "you do know how to make a girl melt."

Tommy flashed her his sure-to-make-girls-sigh smile. "Why, thank you. Want to experience it again?"

Stephanie laughed as she put her helmet back on and they reentered the fight and were immediately separated.

"STARBLADE!" she cried, calling upon her personal weapon. She eyed the tengas and cogs circling her warily. "Let's get ready to rumble," she spoke up ominously as she settled into a fighting stance.

Tommy kept a watch on Stephanie out of the corner of his eye as he took on a bunch of tengas that were intent on ripping him apart. As he executed a roundhouse, he heard his girlfriend's voice at the back of his mind, reminding him of a faint tickling sensation. Cute, Tommy. Real cute. You're such a showoff! she teased him. My hero!

The Red Ranger merely grinned beneath his helmet. Funny, Steve. Real funny, he projected back to her. I'm gonna get you for laughing at--what the hell?

Stephanie fended off the tengas with quick kicks and jabs. The cogs that had attacked her had long since retreated back to the Machine Skybase. "Here, let me give you a hand!" she yelled as she swung an unlucky tenga around by its wings and sent it flying. Then she felt Tommy yell in pain at the back of her mind. Instinctively, she glanced in Tommy's direction and was met with the sight of Tommy taking a hit from a laser beam from the monster of the day full on in the chest. "Tommy, no!" she screamed as the fight came to a standstill and watched the drama unfold.

The force of the blast sent the Red Ranger flying back a good twenty feet and headfirst into a brick wall, effectively knocking him out. Terrified, the Purple Ranger waited anxiously for him to rise to his feet.

He didn't get up. Stephanie slowly turned to face Reflector, who stood ready to strike. "You're gonna pay, Reflector. You don't mess with my friends and my boyfriend," she growled as she raised her Starblade and slashed at him.

Knocking the monster down, Stephanie swung her sword in a wide arc, intent on decapitating the monster. However, Reflector was teleported out of the area just as the blade buried itself in the ground where he had been.

Trembling, Stephanie pulled her blade out of the earth and sent it back to the pocket dimension it was stored in. Then she demorphed and stumbled over to where Tommy lay motionless. She watched him carefully for a moment to determine if he was breathing or not, then dropped to her knees. "Tommy, I love you," she whispered as she brushed a strand of hair out of his face after Rocky force-demorphed him.

"He looks like he's in pretty bad shape," Jason observed. "Maybe we should get him back to the Power Chamber."

Stephanie fixed Jason with a glare. "Really, ya think?" she retorted. "He's unconscious, for Heaven's sake!"

Adam's communicator beeped, silencing Jason and Stephanie at once. "Yes, Zordon?" he responded.

"RANGERS, REFLECTOR IS DOWNTOWN AND WREAKING HAVOC ON ANGEL GROVE. YOU MUST STOP HIM. STEPHANIE, PLEASE BRING TOMMY HERE. MAY THE POWER PROTECT YOU," he advised them.

"You got it." At Stephanie's nod, Adam yelled, "Back to action!" The Zeo Rangers immediately teleported out.

Stephanie caught a flash of gold streaking across the sky as she turned and managed a shaky smile as she realized that Trey of Triforia, the Gold Ranger, had been summoned by Zordon to help the remaining four.

Kimberly placed her hand on Stephanie's shoulder. "He'll be okay, Steve," she whispered to her. "He's strong. He can make it through this."

Stephanie's eyes welled with tears. "I hope so," she responded before she teleported herself, Tommy, and the Ninja Rangers back to the Power Chamber.

Tara? Is that you? a voice echoed in her mind, surprise evident in its' tone.

Stephanie?! What's going on? Why can I hear you? Tara questioned her in a panic.

Laughter was heard in Stephanie's response, tinged with a bit of despair. It's a long story. I'm psychic, a telepath, and possess the power of telekinesis. Bluntly put, I can move things with my mind, she explained. I can talk to everyone like this, but only Tommy has ever been able to talk back...until now. I guess the others haven't tried yet.

Tara heard the slight tremor in Stephanie's voice when she mentioned his name and knew something was wrong. Stephanie, what's wrong? I know something's up, she asked.

Get to the Power Chamber. I'll fill you in when you get here, Stephanie answered.

All right. See ya in a second. Pressing a button on the black-banded communicator that Billy had found for her, she dissolved into a million sparkles of black light and teleported.

Stephanie watched Tommy breathe, his chest rising and falling, and tried to reassure herself that he was going to be okay. It wasn't working. Then she saw a black flash of light, signaling a teleportation. I knew it, Stephanie thought. She has the Black Zeo shard.

The black light faded away to reveal Tara. "Steve, what's going on?" she questioned.

Stephanie rose from her seat beside the bed in the infirmary, revealing the identity of the motionless figure on the bed. Before Tara saw them, she knew. She had known all along, but hadn't wanted to acknowledge her fear. Now she did. "Tommy?" she spoke, her voice a near whisper. She crossed the room on shaky legs to take her brother's hand and squeeze hard. "Stephanie, what happened?"

Stephanie swallowed hard. "He was struck by a magnified laser beam right in the chest," she spoke softly, tears rolling down her cheeks headlessly, "and he was flung headfirst into a brick wall. Most likely, he'll have a concussion when he wakes up."

Tara scooted the the blanket that covered Tommy off of his shoulders all the way down to his abs. Her stomach turned as she saw the reddened flesh beneath in the center of his chest. "Oh, God," she whispered as she took in the burns.

Stephanie nodded, apparently in agreement with her. "That's definitely going to leave a scar. It's already blistering."

Tara attempted to lighten the mood with a joke. "Well, we've discovered whether he wears boxers or briefs!" she jested. Tommy was wearing boxers with yellow smiley faces on them.

Stephanie cracked a smile. "True," she admitted. She placed her hand over Tommy's free hand. "But I could've stopped this from happening."

Tara shook her head firmly. "Wrong. You and I both know that Tommy is too stubborn for his own good and would give his life to keep the Earth safe. It's not your fault," she told her.

Stephanie nodded, her tears slowly drying up. "I know."

"If it's anyone's fault, it's mine," a voice broke in.

Stephanie and Tara looked at eachother. "It couldn't be," Stephanie breathed.

Tara stared at her. "Could it?"

As if the two were mirror images of each other, they spun to see Tommy with his eyes open, wincing as he tried to get up.

"Oh, no you don't, Thomas James Oliver," Stephanie told him sternly as she ran over to him and gently pushed him back down. "You nearly died out there, you've been injured pretty badly, nearly gave me a heart attack, and you're trying to get up? I don't think so."

"Steph, I'm fine. Honest," Tommy began. Then he noticed that he was missing most of his clothes, save for his boxers. "Where are my clothes?"

Stephanie and Tara couldn't help it. At his mention of clothes, Stephanie projected a mental picture of Tommy's boxers with the smiley faces to Tara as she tossed his jeans and red t-shirt to him. Suddenly, Stephanie remembered why he didn't have his clothes on and stopped laughing immediately. "Tommy, you're not okay. Look at your chest."

Tommy did as he was told and stared in horror at the burns on his chest. It all came rushing back to him. He had been hit with Reflector's laser beam. He began struggling to sit up again, determined. "I'm going to help the others."

"Tommy, no! You've been hurt once today already. You're staying here," Stephanie argued, clearly panicked.

Tommy met Stephanie's gaze. "I'm going," he repeated in what the Rangers liked to call his 'leader voice.' No one had ever argued with it.

Until now. Stephanie drew herself up to her full height of 5' 3" and folded her arms across her chest. "Oh, really?" she questioned curiously, her voice taking on an odd tone.

Tara watched the couple warily, knowing that they had completely forgotten that she was there. I know that Tommy's not that stupid, she thought, so why is he insisting on getting back into the fight? He knows he could very possibly die.

"Tommy, what are you thinking? You'll get hurt even worse!"

Tommy shook his head as he sat up slowly and swung his legs to the side of the bed. Gripping his girlfriend's shoulder tightly, he gritted his teeth as pain flared throughout his entire body. "Steve, the power will protect me. I'm not worried," he reassured her.

Stephanie fixed him with a skeptical look. "And I suppose it protected you against that attack earlier?"

"It did." Tommy's words hung in the air. "If I hadn't been morphed, I wouldn't be here right now. I'd be dead."

Stephanie fell silent, the impact of his words hitting her like a ton of bricks. "Promise me you'll be careful?" she asked nervously.

I promise, Steve. I love you. I'm never going to leave, Tommy sent to her.

Stephanie smiled as she hugged him, his arms circling her waist and pulling her closer against his body. Mmmm...a girl could get used to this! she mentally projected as she snuggled into his arms.

Hello! a new voice interrupted her reverie. In case you forgot, I can hear you two, and he's barely wearing any clothes, young lady! I'd rather not be here if you two are going to jump all over each other, Tara told them.

Tommy was startled out of thinking telepathically. "How did you do that?" he asked warily.

Tara smiled innocently as Stephanie pulled away from him. "I did it just how you and Stephanie did, Tommy," she replied.

Tommy groaned. There goes her smart mouth again, he told his girlfriend as he got dressed.

Tara cocked an eyebrow at him. "I heard that." At his glare, she grinned. "Get going. I bet the Rangers could use your help."

"Right. It's morphin' time!" Tommy called.

"ZEO RANGER V, RED!"
"PURPLE RANGER POWER!"

"Shields are down to 10 percent on Zeo Zord II!" Tanya cried. "One more hit like that and it's gonna be time for the scrap heap!"

Reflector laughed at the Yellow Ranger's words. "It will be time for the scrap heap for all of you soon enough," he proclaimed. "It's a good day for destruction." He released yet another, more powerful assault against the individual zords.

"Brace for impact!" Rocky shouted over the communications line.

"I don't think so, Reflector," a new voice cut in. The Rangers looked up to see the Red Ranger's zord, Zeo Zord V, soaring above them and reflecting the blast toward the monster. "Why not try some of your own medicine?"

"All right, Stephanie!" Adam cheered. "Way to go!"

"What am I, chopped liver? Who do you think is flying this zord?" another voice spoke up indignantly.

Tommy?!" the Rangers chorused in surprise.

"That's me."

"Last time we saw you, man, you were unconscious. What happened?" Rocky questioned.

"Stephanie happened."

"Yeah, and I'll bet you didn't listen to her, did you."

"No, he didn't, as you can obviously tell," Stephanie cut in. "Are we gonna sit around and talk until the cows come home, or are we going to get Reflector? I would like to finish that picnic later!"

"You heard the lady, guys. Zeo Megazord power!" Tommy yelled. The five main zords came together to form the mighty Zeo Megazord. "ZEO ULTRAZORD POWER!"

The Zeo Megazord disappeared inside the Gold Ranger's zord, Pyramidas, and the seven Rangers appeared in the main cockpit of the ultrazord.

"You ready for this, Reflector?" Stephanie asked mischieviously.

Reflector snorted. "That doesn't scare me, Rangers," he boasted as he released a tightly magnified laser beam straight at the massive zord.

The beam reflected off of the zord and went straight for Reflector. "ZEO ULTRAZORD, POWER UP!" the Rangers cried, adding their own firepower to the beam as it streaked toward the monster, which exploded in a dazzling fireworks display upon impact.

"Tommy?" Stephanie questioned.

"Hmm?"

"Now can you please go lie down?"

The Rangers burst into laughter. Tommy shook his head. "I will at the picnic, Mother," he teased his girlfriend.

"Calm down, Zeddy!" Rita told him. "We'll get them eventually. In fact, there may be something I can use against the Purple Ranger."

"What is it?" Zedd asked, his interest piqued.

"Well, if I'm right, it could rid us of that pesky brat forever. All I can say right now is that it's a real killer," she informed him with an evil grin. "Rest easy while you can, Stephanie. Soon, your little 'problem' is going to take center stage."

"Rocko, with all that you ate, one would think that you hadn't eaten in a month," Aisha giggled.

Stephanie stood up and adjusted the straps on her purple, blue, and green tye-dyed bikini. "Anyone for a swim?" she invited.

Tommy grinned. "I will, but don't you think you should eat something first, sweetheart?" he reminded her.

Stephanie grinned. "I feel like I'm going to throw up if I eat something," she told him. "If Rocky's comment didn't already take care of my appetite. Besides, didn't you ever hear that old wives' tale about waiting for a half-hour after eating before you go swimming?"

Stephanie stuck her tongue out at Tommy, which he took as a challenge and stripped off his red muscle tank. Thanks to the technology in the Power Chamber, they had been able to lighten the scars left on his chest to a faint pinkish-white color, barely noticeable to the casual observer. Stephanie smiled devilishly as she took in her boyfriend's muscular chest. She forgot to move out of his way until he grabbed her around the waist and flung her over his shoulder in a fireman's hold. "Tommy, put me down!" she cried playfully.

"Not a chance," he shot back.

He waded out into the lake until the water was waist-deep and cradled Stephanie in his arms over the water. "You wouldn't," she pleaded, clinging to his shoulders.

"You think so?" he teased as he let her go.

Stephanie plunged into the water and resurfaced to the laughter of the Rangers still on dry land. She shot a menacing glare at Tommy, who waved at her from several feet away. "You are SO dead, Oliver," she warned him.

"Who, me?" he taunted her as she came closer.

"You know it," she confirmed before she jumped onto him, knocking him backwards into the water. She watched in amusement as he spit water out of his mouth as he resurfaced. Then she splashed water at him, which quickly escalated into a full-scale water war, as Kimberly, Aisha, Kat, Trini, Tanya, and Tara raced to Stephanie's side, and Jason, Adam, Billy, Rocky, Zack, and Trey joined the opposing side.

Stephanie winced as a sharp pain sliced through her stomach. It's nothing I can't handle, she reminded herself as Tommy grabbed her and pulled her out of the water fight.

"I love you, Steve."

"I love you, too, Tommy. I'm so glad you're okay," she whispered back before he kissed her while they were standing in knee-deep water. The pain came back, but she pushed it out of her mind and focused on Tommy's lips on hers. I'll be fine.

Little did she know that her world was about to turn upside-down.