higuchimon | [fanfic] Power Rangers: Seven Kisses: Chapter 7

Title: Seven Kisses
Word Count: chapter: 9,566||story: 60,608
Challenge: 7snogs: Kat x Tommy: Double Night Challenge: prompt #7: consume
Notes: This takes place some years after the previous one.
Summary: The wheel of life turns on and on.

After all that he and Kat had been through in their lives since high school, it still startled Tommy every so often to return home after a day of work, as if they were any ordinary couple. There were days when he almost expected to wake up and find this all a dream, that he was still a high school student and everything involving Power Rangers and aliens and dating and getting married hadn’t happened yet.

Normally he had those dreams after eating too much dessert or when he looked in the mirror before bed and tried to figure out if those were gray hairs or not. None of his students stressed him quite as much as his first year teaching had, but he always wondered.

One particular afternoon, he returned home to find Kat’s car already in the driveway. That wasn’t common; she tended to work later than he did most of the time. He tensed a fraction before he remembered today she’d had her doctor’s appointment.

I hope everything’s all right. That nausea of hers better not be something serious.

He headed up into the house, wondering what to do about dinner. Normally whoever made it home first cooked, but until he knew what happened at the doctor’s, he wasn’t going to expect Kat to do anything.

Maybe we can order in. That was always an interesting alternative. Reefside had a lot of good restaurants that provided delivery.

Kat lay on the couch in the living room, eyes closed, and he moved quietly once he saw her there, not wanting to interrupt her if she were napping.

“Kat?” He murmured her name, just to see if she reacted to it at all.

“Hey, Tommy.” She didn’t look up or open her eyes, and she sounded…nervous, somehow. Tommy’s tension flared up again.

“Everything all right? What did the doctor have to say?” He dropped his briefcase and jacket beside the table and moved over to sit beside her, thoughts about dinner forgotten for the moment.

Kat cracked one eye and smiled at him. “Well, I’m not sick.” She didn’t move, and Tommy’s guts twisted in the most unpleasant way. Her smiling tried to reassure him, but he wanted to hear what it was from her before he truly felt reassured. “I’ve got some news, Tommy.”

“You do?” He tilted his hand, taking her hand as he did. Her fingers tightened against his, warm and supportive. “What is it?”

He wanted it to be good news. He wanted it to be the best news.

He wasn’t at all expecting the next two words out of her mouth. For the rest of his life, he was certain he’d been more prepared to become the Evil Green Ranger than he had for this.

“I’m pregnant.”

Tommy’s jaw worked as he tried to process what she’d told him. He’d never imagined those two words being directed toward him. He took a deep breath, staring at her. “You’re…”

“Pregnant.” Her smile lit up her eyes and Tommy tried to remember what it was like to breathe air. He wrapped his arms around her as best that he could given their positions and leaned his head against her, hardly daring to believe what he felt in his arms was actually real. Surely this was a dream? How could it be anything else?

Kat’s hands crept up to touch his face, tilting his head back so they looked into one another’s arms. “I’m about three months along. That’s why I haven’t been feeling so great lately.”

He nodded, hardly thinking a single coherent thought beyond the recurring ‘pregnant’. He’d been worried about her nausea for over a week now. He’d had a thousand nightmarish ideas about what the problem could be, but to find out it was this…his grip tightened on her more.

“When should we tell people?” The idea of not telling his friends and family never crossed his mind. David would be thrilled to know he was going to be an uncle, and their parents would be grandparents. And all of their friends…this kid would be one of the most protected in the entire world, with the possible exception of Emily and Jason’s firstborn.

“Let’s wait a little while.” Kat decided, threading her fingers through his hair. He’d begun to let it grow a little, but not too much. There were certain rules he had to follow at the school. Though Elsa was starting to be a little less strict on such matters. He’d take that one bit at a time.

He nodded; there wasn’t a rush for it. So long as they let everyone know before the child was actually born, it would be all right.

“So, boy or girl? Or did you find out?”

Kat chuckled at that. “I want to be surprised. It’s kind of a family tradition. We don’t ever find out until the kid’s born. That’s how my mother did it, and hers, and so on. My parents would fly over here specifically to glare at me if I didn’t do it.”

Tommy wiggled around until they both lay on the couch side by side. “All right. Then we’ll be surprised together.” He wasn’t sure of what he wanted their child to be anyway, other than healthy and loved. He was certain they had the ‘loved’ part down, and he knew Kat would make certain about the ‘healthy’ part.

He knew it was far too soon to hear a heartbeat, especially without any kind of special equipment, but he leaned his head against her stomach anyway. He liked the idea of knowing that a small life that they’d created together lived there.

“Hi there,” he murmured, resting one hand beside his head. “Glad to meet you. I’m your… your daddy.”

Tommy breathed in as he heard himself say the words for the first time ever. He was going to be a father. He was a father.

He didn’t faint. But for the first time ever, he understood why some people did.

The announcement ended up going out the following month. Kat took the intervening time to begin the process of adjusting to the fact there would be another Hillard-Oliver in the world. Not that there were many of those in the first place, but to have another one hadn’t been something she’d expected. They hadn’t especially tried for this, but neither of them had been actively avoiding it for months, either.

It had been something mutual between them, a silent agreement that they were indeed in a position to care for someone more than the two of them, and if the whims of fate allowed for a third, then so be it. So specific methods of birth control were quietly set aside, and they’d allowed nature to take its course.

And now it had.

Kat found she spent at least part of her day staring at her stomach. There wasn’t any swell to see there yet, but she knew what was in there anyway. She read all of the literature that she could find on development and how to keep herself healthy and all of it rushed around in her head, clashing and confusing her more than anything else.

But at the same time, she found herself comforted. She wasn’t the only person in the world who had ever gone through this. More than enough people had that she knew she’d make it through fine.

So, once she’d settled all of that in her head, the announcement was made up and sent off to friends, relatives, and anyone else who had a reason to know about their first child being born in another six months.

And as happened so many times before, someone who had no business finding out did just that.

“Interesting.” A golden-armored hand held the scrap of paper between strong fingers. Scorpina hadn’t been on Earth in years, not since shortly after the defeat of Astronema and Dark Spectre. But now she thought there might be a reason for her to return.

What is it you’ve learned? The voice whispered through her mind, dark and terrifying, especially to anyone who might’ve thought the speaker was dead.

He somewhat was, but with the greater powers of evil, dead didn’t mean they were completely unable to communicate. Or to function.

“It seems two former Power Rangers are having a baby together.” Scorpina’s lip curled as she spoke. The idea of children didn’t horrify her; there always should be someone to take on the new mantle of evil. The idea of Power Rangers having children infuriated her. Didn’t they have anything better to do with their time?

Excellent.

Scorpina turned to stare at the small chunk of flesh and evil that rested underneath a sphere of glass. “What?” Her only interest in this offspring would be to see if she could somehow destroy Kat or Tommy. Or possibly both of them. She wasn’t that particular.

This is what I have been waiting for.

She stepped closer, eyes narrowing. “What are you talking about?” She knew they’d searched for a way to restore him to his full strength for years, but what did an unborn child have to do with it?

Here. There was a faint moment of tension, the world around them flickering for a few moments. Then a heavy tome appeared before her and Scorpina snatched it out of the air before it could fall. She frowned more at it. Spells weren’t her forte; that had always been Rita’s work, or Zedd’s. She’d focused her energies on fighting.

The book fell open even as she touched it, pages spinning by until they arrived at the place they searched. Words, runes, and diagrams lay before her and she had to read through it three times before it clicked in her mind.

“You want to possess the child’s body when it’s born?” Well, that would likely put him in the position that he wanted, but it wasn’t one she would’ve enjoyed. She’d already spent centuries growing up. Why go through it all over again?

Once I have possession of it, I can shape it to my will. This is what I’ve searched for all this time. The parents have both been touched by evil. Their child will have the residue of that within its aura. I will be able to use that. But only if I take it in the moment of its birth.

Scorpina knew what that meant. “Is there any other way?” The whole idea revolted her on some level. But she’d made a bargain with him, and this was part of her side of it, to find a way to have him achieve full power once again.

None that would work as swiftly, or that has the best chance of success.

As much as she disliked the notion, Scorpina knew that she would do as he desired. It would take time before the child was ready to be born, but that meant there was time to get everything that would be needed. Some of the ingredients for the potions involved were rare almost to the point of being extinct. She would have to spend a great deal of time looking for them all.

Perhaps in that search she could also find another way, one that wouldn’t involve drawing the wrath of virtually every Power Ranger, active or otherwise, in the universe. She’d spent the last few years hidden away from them all, refusing to let them so much as know that she existed, and this would finish all of that, one way or the other.

You need not fear. And of course he knew what was going through her thoughts. He always did. There is no way that this can fail.

“Do I need to remind you of everyone else who ever thought that and where they all are now?” She had a list. She’d memorized the list. It was much, much longer than the opposing list of ‘villains who succeeded in their goals after the Power Rangers knew what those goals were’.

Scorpina. He didn’t need a face for her to know the way he would look at her if he had one.

“I’ll do it.” She’d agreed to this when she’d first found him anyway. She just hadn’t had any idea that it would involve something so hazardous. She’d imagined that they would find a way that would involve them erupting out of the darkest part of the cosmos where the Rangers couldn’t find them and destroying them all without giving them the chance to fight back.

She looked over the spellbook again, starting to chart out what she had on hand and what would need to be bought, stolen, or acquired from the current owner. What she wouldn’t do for the cause of evil.

Kat hadn’t made up her mind if she genuinely liked being pregnant or not. The cravings weren’t all that interesting, nothing like what she’d read in the magazines, and the swollen ankles and backache as her center of gravity shifted made moving around more than a little difficult. She liked the idea of having a child, but the idea of carrying one hadn’t yet grown on her.

“At least it doesn’t last forever?” Kim suggested as they got ready for the baby shower. “Imagine if it were longer than nine months!”

Kat groaned, slouching down halfway at the thought and halfway to ease the stress on her back and shoulders. “I don’t even want to think about it.”

Kim patted her shoulder comfortingly, checking out the spread of food. They had enough for everyone who was coming and a little more besides. There were games and puzzles and a place for gifts. This wasn’t the first baby shower that the ex-Power Rangers had thrown for one of their own, or close to one of their own. Emily hadn’t ever been a Ranger, but being married to Jason made her close enough. They knew how to do this now.

“Still not going to try to find out what flavor you’re getting?” Trini asked, peeking around the corner from the kitchen. Kat shook her head at once.

“Family rule.” Kat rather liked the idea of being surprised. She and Tommy spend at least part of most evenings coming up with names for their child. She leaned a little toward ones that weren’t gender specific, having something of a slight preference for those. She hadn’t yet noticed anything in Tommy’s choice to indicate a preference, but thought he favored female names a little.

Kim glanced out the window. “They should start getting here soon.” The party was supposed to begin shortly, and not quite everyone had arrived yet. The three of them had done their best getting everything set up, with Trini and Kim doing the most of it since Kat tired easily these days.

Kat settled herself onto the couch and closed her eyes. The doctor told her that everything was in order and both she and her baby were perfectly healthy, but it still took a lot out of her to do most things. She mailed in most of her work to the office for now. It was easier for her to focus while at home than in her office anyway. She couldn’t help but look forward to going back, though.

Even without her eyes open, she could hear the other people as they started to arrive, by multiple means of transportation. Cars and teleportation for the most part were the rule of the day. She fought off a yawn and opened her eyes, smiling at her guests.

“Glad you all could make it.” She waved briefly, not yet in the mood to stand up, and accepted a drink when a round of them passed by.

“As if we’d miss this.” Aisha gave her a fond look and Kat smiled back at her. “You look great, Kat.”
“Thanks.” Kat managed to straighten up enough so she didn’t feel like falling asleep if she closed her eyes. She sipped the drink; it was something she and Tommy got a constant supply of from Mirinoi. It wasn’t like an Earth-based energy drink, but it contained something more than ordinary water, something that kept her going a little more these days. Their doctor had checked it out and made certain that it wouldn’t harm her or the baby, for which Kat was grateful. She enjoyed the taste of the drink and didn’t want to give it up, even for a few months. It even kept her more alert than coffee ever had, and tasted better.

The various attendees settled in, chatting about a multitude of subjects. None of them were active Rangers at the moment, but that didn’t give them any lack of topics to cover. By Kat’s request, they didn’t keep everything to pregnancy and babies. This was a baby shower, but they could talk about anything else that came to mind.

Despite not being active Rangers, the topic of ‘work’, so to speak, wasn’t one very far from any of their minds.

“Has anyone noticed anything stirring up?” Kat wondered. There hadn’t really been that much going on for a while; a few groups of villains popped up now and then, but there were always Power Rangers who turned up equally quickly to take care of them. They were generally pretty efficient, taking care of the issue inside of a year or so. Kat couldn’t help but be impressed, thinking of how long it had taken her and her friends to get their own enemies under control.

“Nothing very spectacular.” Karone nibbled at one of the cakes, leaning back in her chair. “I’ve heard a few rumors coming from Onyx, but nothing serious.”

Even after Zordon’s sacrifice, Onyx remained a center of activity for those who walked on the darker side of the cosmos. Nothing close to what it had been before, but there would always be evil and those who needed, or chose, to work with evil, for whatever their reasons. At least with Onyx, they knew what to expect and mostly where to look.

“I wonder if things are actually calming down?” Kim suggested. No one said anything for a few moments, then the entire group burst out into laughter. As if that would ever happen. It might take years, if not decades, but evil would always rise up again. They all knew that, some more intimately than others.

Eventually, games played and riddles and jokes told, food eaten and the remains cleared away, gifts given and happily squealed over, all of the guests headed away, most with admonitions for Kat and Tommy to let them know if anything at all was needed for any reason. Kat promised that she would do just that, and like virtually everyone anywhere when such a promise was made, didn’t think there would ever be a time when she’d need them. She was having a baby, not going off to defend the world from the forces of raw evil again.

The last person to leave was Rita, no longer Repulsa, and she paused at the door, looking at Kat. “I’ve got another gift for you,” she said, her voice low and hesitant. She’d been quiet throughout most of the party, as if still unsure of her place among them even after all these years. But now she lifted one hand and twisted it, sending a spray of pale blue sparkles through the air that gathered and solidified into a sapphire-blue pendant hung from a chain of gold.

“Among my family, there’s a certain traditional gift given to someone expecting, to protect them and the unborn.” Rita looked down at the pendent, shaped like a flickering flame. Her lips quirked as she looked back toward Kat. “Traditionally it’s meant to be protection against good, but I made this one to protect against evil.” She touched one fingertip to it before she offered it toward the former Ranger. “Will you accept it?” She hesitated before she spoke again. “If you don’t, I understand.”

Years ago, Kat would never have trusted a single thing coming from Rita’s lips. These days were different, not just in the passage of time, but in the fact she knew Rita could be trusted now. She reached out to accept the pendant. “I will.”

I don’t think there’s anything I need to be protected from, but it is pretty anyway. And the thought definitely warmed her heart.

Tommy arrived home shortly not long after Rita left and found Kat lounging on the living room couch once again. The Mirinoi water helped, but she still needed to rest after something like a party.

“Did you have a good time?” he asked, settling next to her. He could see the pile of gifts over on a side table and wondered at the use of some of them. He’d visited Jason and Emily since the birth of their child, but he hadn’t paid much attention to what the kid played with.

“Yeah. It was good to see everyone again and not have to worry about getting jumped by anything.” Former Rangers seldom got together in numbers like this unless danger threatened. They would both keep an eye out for any lurking monsters for the next couple of days, just for the sake of safety. Some people might think they were paranoid. These people had never been Power Rangers, or lived in one of the cities where anyone could get jumped by a random monster or grunt.

Tommy nodded, kind of wishing that he could lie next to her as he liked doing. The more she grew, however, the more difficult it became for them to cuddle on the couch. At least there was still room on the bed.

“So, come up with any interesting new names?” Kat peeked at him from underneath her eyelashes, one hand toying with the new pendant around her neck. “Everyone else had a few. Some of them I hadn’t even thought of yet.”

He managed a smile, leaning backward. “Nothing new yet. But we still have time.”

“So how are we going to decide? Roll a dice?” That was just as valid a method of choosing a name as anything else in Kat’s opinion. Picking something out of hat sounded good to her too right now. Anything where she didn’t have to stress about it ranked high on her choices.

“Let’s see what he or she looks like when they’re born. That’s what mom said they did for me. They weren’t thinking of any names when they brought me home. Dad said I just looked like a Tommy.”

She glanced toward him, a laugh ghosting around the edges of her lips. “I can’t imagine you looking like anyone else.”

“You know what?” Tommy grinned back at her. “Neither can I.” He leaned his head back and laughed for a moment. “Though if I squint, I could kinda imagine looking like a David.”

Kat rolled her eyes and swatted him before she started to lever herself to her feet. “I think I need something to eat. The party food was nice, but it’s not going to last all that long.” She gave Tommy a sharp look as he started to get up as well. “Don’t you even. I’m pregnant, but I can still cook if I want to.”

“Yes, dear.” Tommy sat back down.

Scorpina had everything she needed, with the single exception of the actual unborn child and mother. It would still take time to cast the spells, but those couldn’t be worked until she had Kat anyway.

The time is nigh.

“We don’t want to keep her very long. The sooner we get it done, the sooner it can be done before those Rangers turn up.” That was how half the plans of other evil warriors and mages had fallen apart. They hadn’t taken into account how swiftly the Rangers could react when they needed to. Scorpina refused to fall into that trap.

So, she looked into other spells, ones that would deflect detection and set traps and delays in the way of anyone who came looking for her. She’d bought what she could fairly, and if she needed to steal something, she made certain that no one had any idea that she was the one who stole it. Stealth and secrecy were the order of the day for this plan to work properly.

So far as she knew, she’d succeeded beyond her wildest dreams. She wouldn’t know for certain until they actually finished the ritual, but everything looked the way she wanted it to.

Now that I think about it, this is probably the greatest spell that’s ever been cast. Rita would never have thought about doing something like this. Given that this particular situation hadn’t ever happened before, especially during Rita’s reign, she wasn’t completely certain how much that said, but she still took comfort in the fact that if it had, Rita wouldn’t have bothered with it anyway. She would’ve been more interested in stealing power for herself than restoring it to someone else.

With all of that sorted out, Scorpina knew she had to get to abducting Kat as soon as possible. Which required an actual plan and perhaps even some help. The help would be the hardest part, since that would require money to acquire. Tengas would require time to breed and hatch, and the flocks had gone into hiding recently anyway. Piranatrons were at a premium since Zordon’s death, and Quantrons and Cogs needed construction, which would require far more money than she had access to.

If she’d ever acquired Zedd’s treasury, she would’ve had all the money she wanted, but apparently being reformed into a good human didn’t mean he lost his memories of where his wealth was stored, or the desire to have it. When she’d managed to locate it and get through the defensive spells, she’d found the treasure stripped clean to the bare rock beneath it. Rita’s vault had been much the same. She’d never located Master Vile to find out what happened to him, though she’d heard he’d survived Zordon’s purge somehow, just as she had.

He’d probably decided that staying out of the Milky Way was the better idea, given what happened to everyone who’d worked with Dark Spectre before. The thought had occurred to her as well, more than once, but she couldn’t do it, not now. Once this plan worked, she’d think about relocating, at least for a while.

Once I am restored, there will be no need. Her ally reassured her. Scorpina refused to react to that. She’d survived Zordon’s wave because of planning ahead and being out of the galaxy when it happened. She wasn’t going to break her habits now.

She turned her thoughts back to acquiring help. There were still mercenaries who might lend her a hand, for the right price. She might not have access to Zedd’s old treasury, but she had a few choice items of her own that she was a little reluctant to give up. But if she did win…it would be money well spent.

It was time for a visit to Onyx.

Kat made herself as comfortable as she could in the backyard seat. Cushioned and plush, with a small footstool at just the right height for her, she considered this the best place for relaxation as the long days of her pregnancy ticked themselves by. She ran one hand over her stomach, awe filling her that it wouldn’t take much longer before this was all over.

Another week. There still wasn’t any way to be absolutely certain of when the child would be born, but her due date was the next week, and her doctor told her to keep a cell phone near her at all times, just in case. Not only did she do that, but she kept her communicator on at all times as well. Billy made them waterproof these days, and the general rule of thumb among ex-Rangers was ‘better safe than sorry’. No villain had yet attacked while they were in the shower, but there was always the first time.

If she were in the professional villain business, she was certain she would attack during showers. And at night. And any other time when her enemies couldn’t fight back properly. She’d discussed this with other people who’d spent time on the other side, and they all agreed that for the most part, their enemies weren’t as good at being evil as they should’ve been. And no one wanted to complain about that.

She tilted her head back and relaxed under the warm summer sun. She hadn’t spent as much time as she would’ve liked outside like this since finding out about the impending child, but now looked like a good time to fix that. Tommy would be staying at work late tonight, thanks to some parent-teacher conferences, and he’d promised to pick up dinner on the way home, so neither of them had to cook. She’d protested, just a little, but her heart hadn’t been in it. Today felt more like a day to just laze around and get caught up on her reading as opposed to doing anything more strenuous than sweeping the floor.

Kat hadn’t turned more than half a dozen pages in her current novel before a far too familiar beeping began to echo from inside the house. She sat up, eyes narrowed.

Why is the intruder alert going off? No one could get into the underground base, not without being linked into the security system. They’d all made certain of that. Only someone whose DNA matched the proper parameters could get in there.

For that matter, it dawned on her that the alarm wasn’t the one for the base. It was the one for the house and grounds. Kat started to scramble to her feet, when a voice she’d heard only a few times, and those all in recordings, spoke.

“Don’t stress yourself, my dear. It’s bad for the baby.”

Kat whirled around, folding her book closed and slamming it toward the new arrival with all of her strength. “Like you care what’s bad for me or my baby, Scorpina.”

“Oh, but I do.” Getting hit upside the head with a book, even one as thick as what Kat had, didn’t seem to bother the warrior woman at all. Kat decided her helmet had protected her and made up her mind to get it off before hitting her there again. Scorpina smiled as she moved closer. “You and your baby are exactly what I care about right now.”

There were few words Kat had ever heard that sent such a chill down her spine. She didn’t stop to think about what Scorpina could’ve meant; she didn’t care about what Scorpina meant. There weren’t any proper weapons out here and she decided right away that needed to change. Since redecorating wasn’t an option right now, she hoped she could outrun the evil warrior and get inside to where she could get to her blaster.

Why didn’t I bring that with me? She swore visciously to herself even as she started to move. The door inside wasn’t that far away; she thought she could make it. She’d kept hold of her book even after smacking Scorpina with it and if hitting her against the head didn’t work, then maybe a good smack directly to her face would.

She’d scarcely taken three steps before slamming hard into a tall armored body that wasn’t Scorpina. Whoever it was stood much taller than she did, and Kat caught her breath even as the other caught her wrists, holding them tightly.

“Keep a good grip on her, but don’t hurt her.” Scorpina said from behind, reaching over to pluck the book out of Kat’s hands and toss it to the side.

Kat strained as hard as she could to get away but to no avail. Scorpina’s thug’s grip tightened almost to the point of breaking her wrists. She grit her teeth, refusing to give either of them the satisfaction of hearing her in pain.

“Where’d you pick up the new friend?” So far as Kat knew, Goldar had fallen into dust during Zordon’s purge, while Finster had moved to a distant planet and started his life over, this time using his sculpting talent for art instead of mayhem. No one had seen Squatt or Baboo since the invasion. Not that very many people would’ve missed them in the first place. So Scorpina had to have hired this one from somewhere.

“Onyx, actually. You’d be surprised at who might still be willing to work for the right price.” Scorpina looked Kat up and down, then glanced toward her thug. “Let’s go. Tommy could be back any second and we don’t need him knowing we were here.”

The thug said nothing at all, but a heartbeat later, Kat could feel the energy of teleportation wrapping all around her, and the world went dark.

The moment he heard the alarm coming from his bag, Tommy stood up. “We’re going to have to finish this another time,” he told the parents he was currently talking to. “Something just came up.” He didn’t wait around another moment, but hurried to the office where Elsa stood talking to one of the other teachers. “Something’s up at home.”

He’d scarcely said the words before the principal nodded, granting permission for him to leave. She knew he wouldn’t ask if something wasn’t dreadfully wrong, and the alarm that he heard said clear as anything that something was dreadfully wrong, especially when it continued for more than five minutes. If it had stopped, he would’ve just called Kat to see what was going on, since she would’ve turned it off. As it was…

As it was, something was not right and he had to get home.

Even as he drove, he pulled his cell phone out and dialed Kat’s, thick and heavy tension rocking all through him. Five rings and no answer, and his heart twisted. Something was not right and he sped up.

The alarms took only a moment to turn off once he got home and he took a quick check around to see if he could find Kat. All that he could see was the book he knew she’d been reading, tossed to one side in the back yard. That wasn’t like Kat at all. Her cell phone sat on the table beside where she usually rested as well, and that only made matters worse for him.

He hurried to the underground chamber and reran the security tapes. Billy had made certain they recorded constantly, unless he or Kat in particular turned them off. He breathed a bit of a relieved sigh to find out that Kat hadn’t done so: relief that turned to raw fury when he saw what happened.

“Scorpina.” He wasn’t surprised to find her alive. She was the type of person who would turn up after a few centuries no matter what happened.

He sent a message out, one set to go to the Astro Rangers and to as many of their close friends as possible. He didn’t know where Scorpina had taken Kat, but that was only a minor difficulty, one he could easily solve.

Kat groaned, lifting up one hand to try to touch her aching head. Her arm only rose a little ways before stopping short and she realized after a few seconds that chains held her down. She blinked at them, then frowned, memory surging back through her.

“Where am I? Scorpina?” Part of her could not help but be relieved to see her stomach as round as ever, given what Scorpina had said before they left Earth. Even without understanding it, she knew it couldn’t bode well at all.

“Be quiet.” Scorpina stepped out of the shadows, holding something in her hands that Kat couldn’t see very well. The aura of evil that dripped from it told her she didn’t want to.

Welcome, former Power Ranger. The voice wasn’t one that she’d heard before but it twisted into her mind, digging into parts of her that she’d hoped vanished years ago. I am Dark Spectre: what remains of him, at least.

Kat paled, straining harder at the chains in the hopes of a miracle happening. She’d never seen Dark Spectre before, but Karone’s tales had been more than enough to know she didn’t want to.

“There isn’t much left of him, sad to say.” Scorpina stroked what Kat could now see was a hideous, oozing chunk of something. “Thanks to Darkonda, he’s going to have to start over from scratch.”

Kat’s breath locked in her throat. They couldn’t mean…

From the way Scorpina smirked at her, that was exactly what they did mean.

“No.” Kat shook her head. She would not allow this to happen. She would fight until the last bit of breath in her body to stop it.

Scorpina moved to one side. “It won’t be that difficult to accomplish. We have everything that we need and there’s no way that anyone will find us before the ritual is complete. So just relax and let us take care of everything.”

“If you think I’m actually going to let you do this, you’re insane!” Kat spat, straining against her bonds even harder. There had to be something she could do to get out of here. Something that would stop all of this from happening.

Scorpina paid no attention to her at all now, setting the piece of Dark Spectre down on a nearby table and looking through a large book, murmuring words under her breath that Kat couldn’t hear very well.

What can I do? She refused to just let this happen. But no matter how hard she tried, the chains didn’t give an inch. If I could still turn into a cat…

She hadn’t thought about those days in years but the memories were clear now. Agile, strong, able to fit into places where her human self never could…

Warmth glowed around her neck and she had just enough time to realize it was the charm Rita had given her before everything grew around her and she found herself sliding downwards. It took her a few seconds to reorient herself, and even then, moving wasn’t as easy as she’d remembered it. Even as a cat, it seemed, she was pregnant, and she spared only a few seconds to think about how this might affect her child. Whatever Scorpina wanted to do would be a thousand times worse, and now at least she had a chance to get out of there and find a way to contact Tommy or Andros or someone who could get her out of here.

“And now…” Scorpina turned toward where Kat had been and for the first few seconds, her mouth hung open and one hand was raised in a dramatic pose. Then her eyes narrowed and she snapped, “Where did she go?”

Kat didn’t wait around for Scorpina to find her. Instead, she darted as far from the golden-armored warrior as she could, trying to get the hang of moving on all fours once again, and searching for a door out of the room. She could see legs, ones that had to be Scorpina’s and another set that belonged to her goon. She’d never managed a good look at the goon’s face, since he, she, or it bore a smooth-faced mask that concealed all of their features. At the moment, Kat wasn’t especially interested in what they looked like, either. Getting out filled her every desire.

“Catch her!” Scorpina’s voice rang out from above, and Kat scrambled even harder toward a dark area that could have been a door. If she’d had the time to get used to using a cat’s senses again, much less how to manage herself like this, she might’ve had a better chance of escaping. She did all that she could, though, darting this way and that while still aiming for that one particular area.

Smooth armored hands wrapped around her and she yowled, slashing with her claws as hard as she could. The one who held her said nothing at all, but carried her back toward the table where Scorpina stood, eyes bright with fury.

“I’d forgotten about that little trick of yours. I didn’t think you could still do it.” Scorpina stared at her intently, then reached out one clawed finger to the pendant that still hung around her neck. “Why didn’t I see this before…Rita’s work.”

Kat swiped at her, but Scorpina paid no attention, getting a firm grip on the pendant’s chain and starting to pull on it. Kat tensed, expecting it to snap at once. Instead, the chain stretched until Scorpina dropped it, acting more like spandex than gold.

“I see. Definitely Rita’s work there. You’re the only one who can take it off, and I know you’re not going to.” Scorpina stared down at her, and Kat made up her mind that once she was out of this, she would invite Rita to the most expensive restaurant in Reefside that she could afford as thanks for this. “Well, it won’t change anything in the long run. Dark Spectre can change his form to whatever he wishes once he’s in his new body.”

That didn’t make Kat feel any better about the situation at all. She stayed in her feline form; changing back would only disorient her even more, and that was the last thing she wanted right now. Besides, maybe it would stop Scorpina from doing this. She didn’t know and she thought it was worth trying to find out.

“Will the spell need altering because of this?” Scorpina addressed the chunk of Dark Spectre where it sat radiating evil. Kat could not imagine staying anywhere close to that for the next few days. It made her sick just to think about being there right now.

Not very much, as her soul is still that of a human. Magic such as this cares nothing for the outer form.

That really didn’t help Kat feel any better about all of this. She flexed her claws, waiting for Scorpina’s hireling to put her down so she would have another chance to get out of there, one she’d do better at this time.

The hireling did nothing of the kind, but remained holding her as if unable to do anything else. Scorpina paid no attention to it, turning back to the spell and going over various small details on it. Kat wriggled, but to no avail. The way the hireling held her kept her from getting down, but wasn’t painful at all. She might’ve preferred pain. It would’ve been something she expected from someone like this.

“I’ve heard a couple of rumors from Onyx that Scorpina was there not that long ago.” Andros told the group gathered on the Megaship’s bridge. Tommy, Jason, Kim, Billy, Adam, Rocky, Rita, Zedd, Aisha, Tanya, and the other Astro Rangers all waited to hear what else he had to say. “She was in the market for some kind of a henchman. I didn’t pay any attention to it at the time since it’s not that uncommon for people to look for warriors there.”

Various nods came from almost everyone. Tommy remained tense against the farthest wall.

“Do they know where she’s at?” Dark rage colored his voice and Jason reached over to squeeze his friend’s shoulder reassuringly.

“Yes. She went to a lot of trouble to keep most people from following her, but if you know where to look, there’s almost always someone who knows something.” Andros didn’t precisely meet anyone’s eyes as he spoke. Tommy didn’t care if he were getting the information from Goldar’s long departed soul, so long as it meant they could find Kat before Scorpina could do whatever it was that she had in mind.

“So where is it?”

A star chart appeared behind Andros, one area glowing. “Here. It’s an asteroid belt, not a planet, so it’s very well protected from most ships trying to come through the area. It will take us about three days to get there, even with the MegaShip going at its fastest.”

The sound of Tommy’s teeth grinding echoed throughout the bridge. Andros turned kind eyes on the former Ranger. “If we go any faster, we risk Scorpina’s security system picking us up and she could leave, taking Kat with her. This is our best option.”

Tommy nodded, but every feature of his face said he didn’t like the information. None of them did. No one knew what Scorpina had in mind, but the thought of anyone being in her clutches for three days was more than enough to give them all nightmares.

“Let’s get going.”

Kat wasn’t sure how long she’d been here, only that the time stretched out interminably. It seemed she’d only been needed on the table for the initial spellcasting, and the actual infusion of Dark Spectre’s essence with her baby wouldn’t take place until the actual birth of her child. She’d woken up screaming more than once because of that.

She’d spent most of her time after Scorpina finished the casting caged up. She had room to move around, and all the proper facilities and nourishment were provided. She still hated it. She still refused to change back into her human form. She could do that much to defy her captor, if nothing more.

Something shifted inside of her, a slight tightening of her muscles more than anything else. Kat tensed; she did not want to think about what that was. She remembered what Scorpina’d said before.

Once the child is born…

No. She would find a way out of here, no matter what. That wouldn’t happen. She wouldn’t let it happen.

Footsteps sounded; Scorpina’s minion. She still hadn’t heard Scorpina address them by any kind of name, nor did they speak a single word. But Kat knew the sound of their footsteps now, since they brought her food and water and let her roam around a little, in a carefully sealed up room. Scorpina wanted her healthy, at least until afterwards.

This time, however, instead of opening the cage, the minion lifted it and carried her to the room she’d first woken up in. Scorpina stood there, Dark Spectre’s piece beside her as usual, and the most unholy of smiles wreathing her features.

“It’s started.”

Kat didn’t need any further explanations. She only winced and flexed her claws more, and hoped for an answer she couldn’t yet see.

“There it is.” Andros gestured to the asteroid belt now visible ahead of them. Most of them looked much like all of the others, but one shimmered a pale gold, thanks to DECA. “That’s the one we’ve picked up life signs from. Only three of them so far.”

Tommy nodded; three would be Kat, Scorpina, and Scorpina’s henchworker. So the child hadn’t been born yet… he hoped. There were other options that he didn’t let himself think about.

“We can teleport in there, but teleporting Kat out is going to be a problem. Scorpina has a shield up so we can’t just yank her out right now, and even if we could, it’s risky to teleport someone who is pregnant.” Ashley reported from her station. “Especially when we don’t know what Scorpina might’ve already done.”

From the way Tommy paled, everyone wished Ashley hadn’t said anything about that. But he said nothing, only ground his teeth a little more.

“We’ll get the Megaship down close enough for you to bring her out,” T.J. threw in. “Shouldn’t take too long.”

“Come on, then.” Andros headed out; he’d provided all of the former Rangers with blasters. He suspected Tommy would’ve welcomed a tactical missile of any kind if it helped to get his wife out of there. Unfortunately, tactical missiles were not only difficult to come by, but wouldn’t have left much of Kat to rescue in the first place.

Finding their way through the stone corridors wasn’t easy. It would’ve been worse without Rita there; she and Zedd had worked hard to recover access to their magic in the years since Zordon cleansed them of evil, and only recently had they begun to achieve any proper skill in it again. Granted, it was good magic, as opposed to the evil they’d worked before, so for all intents and purposes they were starting from scratch anyway.

“How are you doing this?” Tanya murmured, her blaster held firmly in one hand as the group searched. “Wouldn’t you need…I don’t know, something of Kat’s for this?”

“Normally. But Kat has something that I made for her, and that works just as well.” Rita stared down into the crystal held between her fingers and pointed which way they were to go, following the small spark of light reflected from nowhere that glowed within it. “We’re almost there.”

Tommy gripped his blaster even harder, glad that the weapons were made to stand up to much harder pressure than even he could give at the moment. He’d done his best to memorize the way in so they could get Kat out faster. She was getting close to her due date and the last place he wanted their child born was a place like this.

“It’s started.” The voice wasn’t Kat. It wasn’t any of theirs. But enough of them recognized it that the whole group hurried along, ready to take back the one stolen from them.

Kat breathed harder, tensing in every muscle. She could feel the movements inside of her and she wasn’t really worried about the birth itself. Scorpina’s spellworkings worried her, as did the growing presence of Dark Spectre. It still came from that one chunk of flesh and not inside of her, which was a small blessing, but one she welcomed while it lasted.

Scorpina began to chant in a language Kat didn’t understand, and the designs drawn around her began to glow a dark, sooty shade of orange. Kat hissed, her back rising upward, her claws scraping against the bottom of the table where she was once again chained, this time by her four paws and a collar around her neck. She had room to lay down if she wanted, but she kept herself from doing so. Any defiance, no matter how small, was one she would cling to.

There is no need to fight, human. This will all end soon.

That was exactly what she didn’t want.

Noise came from outside, and under other circumstances, Kat might’ve written it off as nothing to fret over. But now, stressed out, furious, and in the first stages of labor, along with a cat’s much more sensitive nose and hearing, she focused on it without thinking.

She knew that scent…those scents. One and all she knew them, and her heart soared with delight. She didn’t stop to think, but shifted back to human, ignoring the confusion that rippled through her for the first few seconds.

“Tommy!” He was there! They were there!

Her chains had moved and shifted with her, but a sudden blaster shot shattered them off her. She wriggled to her feet, stumbling as a sharp pain moved through her, and did her best to stand back up properly.

“Kat!” Tommy rushed in, followed by a small army of Rangers and ex-Rangers, most of whom kept their attention on Scorpina and her henchman. “Come on, we’re getting you out of here.” He didn’t even spare a look for the other two, but started to hurry her along.

“No!” Scorpina’s furious cry cracked through the air. “I’m not going to let you interfere with Dark Spectre’s rebirth!”

Utter silence reigned. Karone was the one to break it. “I think that’s something we’re going to interfere in whether you let us or not.”

“Also, if that’s him? He has really gone downhill from the last time we saw him.” Zhane added.

Kat paid no more attention to whatever else they had in mind, but walked with Tommy toward the exit. Scorpina screeched even harder, more so than Rita ever had at her worst, and sliced one hand toward her, Kat catching the movement out of the corner of one eye. A beam of crystal blue light shot toward Kat, too quickly for any of them to stop, striking her hard on the side. Kat gasped, leaning closer into Tommy, tensed more and waiting for whatever was to happen…

“What went wrong?” Scorpina murmured, brow furrowed in confusion. “That should’ve finished the spell.” She looked from Kat to Dark Spectre, then toward Rita as the former evil sorceress laughed.

“My amulet, Scorpina. I’ve always been better than you at magic. She’ll always be protected from whatever you’re trying.” Rita waved one hand at Tommy. “Get her out of here. We’ll finish this.”

Neither Tommy nor Kat argued about that, hurrying through the twisting corridors until they reached where the Megaship rested. Kat could hardly move very well by the time they got inside, and Tommy took her right to the medical bay.

Ashley and Zedd followed them only a few steps behind; Tommy didn’t ask why, so long as they could do something to help. Apparently they could, as they got her settled down, and started preparing for a birth. Tommy stayed by Kat’s side, keeping one hand in his, a small whisper in his mind telling him if he looked away for so much as a second, she’d vanish again.

He didn’t look away and she didn’t vanish, and by the clock on the Megaship and his own watch, it was the deepest part of the night when Ashley brought a small wrapped bundle up to the two of them.

“Kat, Tommy, meet your daughter.” The Yellow Astro Ranger spoke softly. “Zedd’s given her a clean bill of health so far as magic is concerned, and DECA agrees that physically, she’s absolutely fine. And so are you, Kat.”

Kat and Tommy both looked down at the bundle, which stared back at them with large infant-blue eyes. A few streaks of hair, still damp from being born and color uncertain for the same reason, poked out from the blanket. Kat took a deep breath and leaned back on the pillows behind her.

“So, what should we call her?”

Tommy considered it for a few moments. They’d made so many lists and tried so many options. While caught up in the birth, Kat managed to tell him what had happened, mostly to keep her mind off what was going on at that moment. There was so much he wanted to ask her about that, and Rita as well, but for now, one small part of it caught at his attention and offered a suggestion.

“What do you think of Caitlin?”

“Caitlin.” Kat tasted the name. “Caitlin Hillard-Oliver.” A small smile touched her tired face. “I like it.”

“Yeah, me too.” Tommy agreed, leaning over to kiss Kat softly. “And I bet she’s going to have a lot of adventures ahead of her.”

Kat chuckled at that. “Kind of hard to beat the one she started out with, though.”

“I bet she’ll try.” Tommy started to settle back down, when he looked over at Caitlin, whose wide eyes turned this way and that as she took in the world around her.

Wide eyes, that for a single moment became the green and slitted eyes of a cat. Tommy jerked in surprise, a word falling from hi slips that had Kat giving him a sharp look, before she saw it too.

“What in the…” Tommy got to his feet and leaned out the door. “Hey, Zedd, I thought you said she had a clean bill of health for magic!”

Their former enemy stepped back into the room, confused. “What do you mean? She does. There’s not a trace of evil magic in or around her.”

Kat kept her attention on their daughter. “Her eyes. They’ve changed back, but they looked…like a cat’s eyes, just for a few moments.”

Zedd frowned, a ripple of concentration forming on his forehead before he whispered a few words under his breath. Then he relaxed, a small hint of amusement flickering over his features. “There isn’t any evil magic there. However, I think the best way to say this might be…congratulations. It’s a werecat.”

The two stared at each other, then at him. “Werecat?” Kat said it first, not sure of what else to ask. Tommy looked as confused as she was.

“It’s likely because of how you changed while in there. Rita’s amulet sparked the old spell on you, and because Caitlin was a part of you when you changed, she did as well. And it stuck for her.” Zedd did his best to explain. “This isn’t something that’s happened very often, and it might be something she grows out of.”

Kat nodded, too tired to argue or even be upset by it at the moment. Tommy felt much the same, trying to stay awake despite how exhausted he was. He’d not closed his eyes for more than a few minutes during all the time they’d searched for Kat. His will didn’t last forever, though, nor did hers. Soon enough, Kat, Tommy, and Caitlin all slept, one family together.

The End