Disclaimer: I don't own the rangers.

(I'm puttin' them at age twenty-five)

(Pretend Jase wasn't in Forever Red. He left for Chicago at eighteen and has been there ever since).

(Zack, Trini and Aisha returned to AG six years earlier. Kim returned four years earlier).

Where You Belong

(During the third week of June)

(Chicago, Illinois)

"Sweetie! I'm home," Dawn Russell called after entering the apartment she shared with her boyfriend of two years. They'd been living together for six months. She'd just come from her job at an ad ageny. The blonde-haired woman walked up to the couch and dropped her things on it.

Jason Scott came into the room, wearing a grin and a towel around his waist. Whew! He'd just gotten out of the shower. "Hey, baby," he said before kissing her softly on the lips.

Dawn grinned at the sight of him. "Hey, there. Now, this is a sight I could get used to coming home to," she said.

"Who couldn't? I'm a god," he said, mock arrogance. She rolled her eyes and he laughed. "How was your day, babe?"

"Mind-numbing. How 'bout you?" she asked, heading for the kitchen. He followed.

"It was cool. Remember that student I was telling you about- Todd Warren?" he asked. She nodded. "Well, he's really improved." Jason ran a dojo with his friend Steve Nelson.

"That's good to hear," Dawn said as she took a bottle of water out of the fridge. "We really need to hit the grocery store ASAP."

"No kidding," he said, grabbing a bottled water for himself.

"So when are you going?" she asked.

He frowned at her. "Going where?" he asked before downing some water.

"HELLO in there. The grocery store, silly," she said, leaning against the counter.

"I'm not," he said with a laugh.

Her eyebrows shot up. "Excuse me?"

"Yeah. You should go," he said.

Her green eyes flashed. "Why? Because I'm the 'little woman'? Look, Jason, don't start that macho sexist crap with me, okay? This is the 21st century and it's called 'equal rights.' Why don't you join the rest of us in the real world? Don't-" she was saying.

"Whoa. Slam on the brakes, will ya? Geez," he said, shaking his head. He'd learned that Dawn was a high-strung, emotional person. She was kinda oversensitive and overly defensive at times. She sometimes tended to go off about the most ridiculous things. Kinda famous for starting arguments about, well, the stupidest things. Jason wasn't in the mood right now.

She glared at him. "I'm not gonna play Marian Cunningham for you," she snapped.

"Nobody asked you to, Dawn. Chill. I just meant you should go because I've gone the last five times. Even though you're the one who suggested we take turns. I've also cooked dinner and washed dishes every night for the last three weeks. Hell, if anybody's a 1950s housewife, it's me," he said in irritation.

"Oh, you're complaining," Dawn said, folding her arms over her chest.

"No. Because that's your job," Jason said harshly.

Her jaw dropped. "How dare you? I had the worst day today! I don't need this shit," she said, sudden anger in her voice.

"Neither do I. Everything was fine when you first walked in and now you're jumping down my throat. What the hell's your problem, Dawn?" he demanded, glaring at her.

"Sexist pigs! The laundry, dishes, cooking, cleaning and shopping aren't my jobs. It's supposed to be 50/50," she said hotly.

"It is and you damn well know it. I'm not gonna do this right now, all right? I'm not gonna fight with you about this crap," he said in a fierce tone.

"So women's rights is crap to you," she said.

"I'm a lot of things, but, a chauvinist sure as hell ain't one of 'em and you know that. You know what kind of person I am, so, why the hell are we even going at it like this? Huh?" he said.

She opened her mouth to snap a scathing reply, but, was cut off by the ringing of the phone. She rolled her eyes and snatched up the cordless. "What?" she snapped, without checking the caller ID.

"Um, Dawn?" came Rocky DeSantos' wary voice.

"Yeah, what is it?" she snapped.

"Well, is Jase around?" he asked carefully.

Dawn rolled her eyes again and tossed the phone at Jason. "It's Rocky," she said bitingly.

Jason put the phone to his ear. "Hey, bro," he said to his old friend.

"Hey, man. Everything okay over there?" Rocky asked. "I mean, geez, who pissed in her cornflakes?"

Jason couldn't help chuckling at that. "Good question. What's up? Everything okay with ya?" he asked.

'Yeah, I'm good. So is Aisha. And the guys are good, too," Rocky said. He and Aisha'd been a couple for three years and engaged for three months. Totally expected. Also, Rocky ran a dojo with Adam. "Whatcha been up to, stranger? Long time, no hear," Rocky said.

Jason felt a twinge of guilt. He hadn't associated much at all with his friends during the last few months. "Yeah, I know. I'm sorry about that. Things've been really hectic lately, bro," he said. Personally and professionally. "But I'm gonna start keeping in touch again. Believe that."

"I will. Anyway, I was calling because Kim suggested we should have sort of a get-together including the first eleven rangers. She thinks we should do it on Fourth of July," Rocky said.

Jason lifted his eyebrows slightly. Huh. He hadn't been in Angel Grove in seven years. He loved Chicago, but, he'd missing his hometown more than ever lately. And his former teammates. This would be great. He'd bring Dawn- since she'd never met the most amazing friends a guy could have. 'Of course, if she's actually still mad, I'll leave her here,' he thought. Who needed a bad vacation?

"You know what, Rocko? That's a great idea. I'll talk with Steve about running the dojo solo for a couple weeks," Jason said.

Dawn's eyes widened. What? "Wait a minute. Why?" she asked.

"Just a sec, Rocky," Jason said. He looked at his annoyed girlfriend. "Kim thinks-" he began.

"Kim?" Dawn said, looking at Jason as if he'd sprouted a second head.

"Right. She suggested a sort of reunion and I was telling Rocky it's a great idea. And it is- considering it's been almost ten years since I've seen any of 'em," Jason said. "Rocko, I'll be out in Cali next week, man."

"Sweet. I'm gonna head, bro. Later," Rocky said.

"Later," Jason said, then, hung up the phone.

"I can't believe you just made a unilateral decision," Dawn snapped.

"What? Dawn, I agreed to visit my friends for a couple weeks. It's not like I told a doctor to tie your tubes or something," Jason said.

Dawn glared at him. He was supposed to talk with her first. She had a job and life just like him. He'd just chosen to go to California without asking if she even wanted to go. Not that she had a problem with meeting his friends. Well, she wasn't too thrilled about meeting Kimberly Hart, actually. Jason was incredibly close to all his friends, but, his relationship with Kim seemed a little different. He hadn't exactly said that, but, Dawn'd gotten the feeling it was. She'd chalked it up to paranoia... til she overheard him tell Steve once that he'd secretly crushed on Kim all throughout junior high.

And she knew for a fact that Kim was single right now. 'Whoa. Slow down, girl. It's only two weeks in Cali. Jason's not moving back or anything. Nothing's gonna happen. And even if we were moving to Angel Grove, it still wouldn't matter. Because she's a friend, a former crush. Jason loves me like crazy,' she thought, nodding slowly.

Jason sighed. "Look, Dawn, if you don't wanna go, I won't force you. But my friends are really looking forward to meeting you and I'd like you to meet them," he said. She was an important part of his life and so were they. Naturally, he wanted them to meet.

Dawn stared at him for several moments, then, half-smiled. "So would I," she said, stepping up to him and wrapping her arms around his waist. Things would be fine.