Eighteen Years Later

"Gracie, Aiden get up!" Kim yelled up the stairs as she fixed breakfast. Lizzie and Jared were already up and in the kitchen, but their oldest children often had a hard time getting out of bed, especially after the holidays. With it being their final year in school, things were getting tense around the Oliver household and not just from the college applications and SATs, it was the deeper secrets that were starting to surface. "Liz, go get them please."

"Mom, Aiden just got in the shower," Gracie said as she walked into the kitchen with her hair carefully done and make up in place. Kim could remember back when she was like that, but nowadays she got dressed, took the younger kids to school and then headed to the dojo. Although their children knew about them being rangers, Gracie and Aiden didn't know about their own future. One of them would be the ranger to take their mantle, but neither of them wanted to add that pressure to them before it was necessary. The kids needed to be able to be kids as long as they could, because Kim and Tommy knew the day was coming when they would no longer be able to do that.

"How long did you take this morning?" Kim asked as Gracie folded her arms.

"Not that long Mom, I just had to fix my hair and do my make up good today. Leo and I are going on a date this afternoon," Gracie said as Kim folded her own arms as Tommy walked down into the kitchen. He could feel the tension as he walked into the room, but he still was fuming about his own issues this morning. It had been a very long time since he had had to take a cold shower and back then it had been by choice.

"Someone care to tell me why I had to take a cold shower?" Tommy asked as he looked around the kitchen and was surprised when Aiden came running down half dressed and glaring at Gracie. "How long were you in the shower Grace?"

"Not that long," Gracie said as Kim rubbed her face and then looked over at Gracie. "Okay, about forty minutes."

"You'll be taking the last shower tomorrow," Kim said as Gracie stared at her mother.

"But Mom, I have to look good for Leo!" Gracie yelled as Kim looked over at Tommy, wondering how he had ever dealt with her when they were teenagers and she felt that she must look her best for him at all times. He had proved just how much he didn't care during her battle with cancer.

"Then I suggest you learn how to fix your hair faster," Kim said as Gracie plopped down in a chair and picked up a piece of toast as well as some bacon. "Tommy, what classes do you have this afternoon?"

"I've got the babies and the advanced class. What about you?" Tommy asked as he picked up his bag and then gave her a quick hug.

"I'm working with my mid level group today after school and I have the toddlers during the morning. The advanced girls are hitting the mats every other day this week, they've got to have a break," Kim said as Gracie looked over at her.

"Every other day?" Gracie asked as Kim nodded her head yes. "Why?"

"Well, you've got to consider the fact that there is a competition in a couple of weeks and you have to work out the kinks from having a couple weeks off. If you don't want to be in the competition, I'll let you take off," Kim said as Gracie stared at her mother. She had never offered something like this in the past, but she hadn't had to, up until recently Grace had loved gymnastics. "It's time that you choose Grace, I can't make you care about the sport."

"Mom, are you okay?" Gracie asked as Kim looked over at her.

"No, you seem to be throwing everything away for this guy. If he cared about you, you wouldn't be giving up so much; he'd understand why this is important," Kim said as Tommy and Aiden exchanged a glance. While Kim and Gracie were a lot alike, Gracie was much more like her grandmother than she was like Kimberly and they had all seen some monumental explosions as Gracie had gotten older.

"Mom, not everyone can find someone like Dad," Gracie said as Kim crossed her arms and the younger children scrambled for the car. Lizzie and Jared knew when there was about to be an explosion and although Aiden would have liked to flee, he knew he would probably have to grab either his sister or his mother.

"Just don't settle Grace, that's all that I am asking of you," Kim said as they heard a car horn outside and Kim's eyes narrowed.

"That's Leo," Gracie said as she grabbed her books and went to leave, but found the door blocked by her father. "Dad, let me go."

"Grace, come home after school today," Tommy said as she stared at him. He thought that Leo was a nice guy, so she didn't understand why he was like this.

"But we have a date," Gracie said as Tommy looked over at Kimberly. She looked mad enough to fry the girl up and serve her with chips and he wanted to prevent that from happening.

"Bring him here Grace, I know he's a good guy, but you've got some convincing to do with your mom," Tommy said as Gracie looked back at Kim and cringed. She had never been too good at taking her mother's looks, while Aiden had no problem handling it.

"Bye Mom," Aiden said as he gave Kim a hug and then went out to his car.

"Is it okay Mom?" Gracie asked as Kim nodded her head yes.

"I just need you to pick up Jared from school this afternoon since he's not coming to the dojo this evening," Kim said as Gracie nodded that she would make sure that Leo dropped by the middle school to grab her brother this afternoon.

"Thanks Mom," Gracie said as she gave her a hug and was then herded from the house with the rest of the family.

"I don't know how much longer we're going to last Tommy," Kim whispered as he reached over and wrapped his arm around her.

"We'll be fine Kim," Tommy said as she looked over at him. "Okay, so we probably only a few more months before one of them becomes a ranger, but we'll make it."

"But will they?" Kim asked as he gave her a hug and then tucked her hair behind her ear.

"They will, that's why we're here," Tommy said as Kim smiled and then gave him a quick kiss. "I have to get going, although I'd much rather stay here with you."

"Our kids will kill us if they hear that," Kim said with a smile as Tommy laughed and then nudged her towards her car. "See you tonight."

"Love you," Tommy said as she looked back and mouthed the words back to him and then jumped in her car. They both knew that their days were numbered where their children could still be just children, they just didn't know how short of a time they had left.