Disclaimer: Power Rangers aren't among my earthly possessions.

Author's Note(s): Well, I decided to start a new story. I hope this one is successful- seeing as how it co-stars an OC. We all know that those can be kinda tough to pull off, but, ya know what? I'm just gonna try to do my very best.

Pairings: Adam/Tanya, Rocky/Katherine, Billy/Trini, Zack/Aisha, Jason/Kimberly. A few others may appear.

A Dangerous Kind Of Love

By: CoolDiva

(Nice To Meet You)

It was the second Friday in September and on this particular evening, twenty-six-year-old Tommy Oliver was having dinner with two of his closest friends- Jason Scott and Kimberly Hart- in Kimberly's apartment. They'd began the meal almost ten minutes earlier- which was also when Kimberly had began trying to play matchmaker for Tommy. It probably should have seemed a little weird since she was his ex-girlfriend, but, Kimberly was Kimberly. Besides, their relationship had ended a long time ago.

"Come on, Kim. Give the poor guy a break," Jason said with a laugh.

"I will- after he agrees to go out without her," Kimberly replied. She and Jason had been a couple two years. They'd gotten engaged three months earlier. As far as occupations went, Kimberly worked as a personal shopper and Jason ran a dojo with Adam Park.

Tommy laughed. "That's not gonna be happening, Kim."

"Why not? It's just what you need after all those bad dates you've whined about lately," she said.

"I don't whine," Tommy said, pretending to take serious offense.

She smirked. "You'll really like her."

"I think I'll pass," he said.

She threw her hands up in frustration. "You're unbelievable, you know that?"

"Thanks," he said lightly.

"I wasn't being complimentary, Oliver. Why won't you go out with her- just this once?" she asked.

"Because it could be a disaster," he said.

"Or it could be fantastic," she said.

"Or disastrous," Tommy said.

"Or fantastic," she said.

"Or disastrous," he said.

"Or fantastic," she said.

"Or disastrous," he said.

"Or fantastic," she said.

"Well, this is fun," Jason said dryly- causing Tommy to laugh and Kimberly to roll her eyes.

"All right. Forget about her. What about Hayley? You guys already have a great friendship going," Kimberly said, smiling.

"That's exactly the way we wanna keep it," Tommy said.

"Tommy, I know that friends don't always make the best lovers, but, Jason and I- along with our friends- are proof that it can work," she told the teacher.

"The thing is, Hayley and I prefer to be friends, Kim," he said honestly.

"Then, there's no reason you can't go out with Sandra," she said.

"Sure, there is: I don't want to," Tommy said- eliciting a snicker from Jason.

"Jason, instead of encouraging him, how about helping me out a little here?" Kimberly said, raising an eyebrow.

"I would, Pinky, but, if he doesn't want the date, there's not much we can do about it," Jason said to his fiancee.

"I'm a woman without a country," Kimberly said, sighing. "Tommy, I know I'm being kind of pushy, but, that's only because I just want you to be happy."

He gave her a genuine, grateful smile. "I know you do, Kim, and I appreciate it. But I'm just not up for blind dates right now."

"Okay. I'll back off," she said.

"For about a week," Jason said under his breath.

"What was that, sweetie?" Kimberly said, a note of warning in her tone.

"I was just saying how great this food is," he said lightly.

"Isn't it, though?" she said sweetly.

"It's the best," he said.

Tommy simply smiled and shook his head in amusement.

"Yeah, Tanya. I'll be there soon," Tommy said into his cell phone that Saturday afternoon. He'd just pulled in at the gas station. "I'm pretty sure I don't have enough gas to make it to Angel Grove and back- again- so, I'm gonna fill up the tank, then, I'll be on my way." He was going to meet Adam and Tanya- whom had been married two years- at a cafe for lunch. He'd been spending a lot of time with his friends the last couple weeks. It wasn't anything to complain about, of course. "Okay. See ya," he said before ending the call.

'Kim sure was entertaining as all get out in her matchmaker mode yesterday. The woman's probably gonna try to auction me off soon,' he thought with a silent laugh as he climbed out of the Jeep.

The former ranger leader returned to his Jeep a minute later and walked up to the gas pump. 'Why didn't I just get gas on the way home last night?' he wondered with a sigh. Oh, well. Moments later, when he was filling the tank, he heard a car door open and looked ahead to see a woman around his age emerging from a black Jaguar. She had curly, blond hair and appeared to be around five-five or five-six.

She caught his eye as she was heading off, then, stopped and smiled at him. He smiled as well. "Hi," she said, taking a few steps towards him. He saw that her eyes were coffee-colored.

"Hey," he said.

"Cars, huh? Am I the only one that wishes they ran on air?" she said.

He laughed. "No. You're definitely not alone."

"Maybe they'll be around in five years," she said.

"You never know. Everything seems to be possible these days," he said as he finished filling his gas tank.

"Tell me about it. We'll probably end up with talking ketchup soon," she said.

"And mustard that laughs," he said.

"Bread that sings," she said, amusement dancing around in her eyes.

"Apples that smile," he said.

"Well, if the Kool-Aid Man can..." she said in a mock serious tone. He laughed and she grinned. "I've gotta thank you. This is the best time I've ever had a gas station ."

"I get that a lot," he quipped- causing her to laugh.

"I guess I'd better let you go. It was nice meeting you..." she said, lifting her eyebrows expectantly.

"Tommy," he supplied.

"Trisha," she said.

"It was nice meeting you, too," he said. She gave him another smile, then, turned to walk away. "Trisha, wait." The words were out of his mouth before he realized it. She turned to face him again and he cleared his throat. He was thankful he'd gotten better at communicating with the opposite sex over the years. "I know this may seem pretty forward, but, are you seeing anyone?" he asked.

"Actually, no, I'm not," she said.

"Well, would you like to find out what annoy us besides gas stations- over dinner?" he asked.

She stared at him for what felt like an actual minute, then, nodded and smiled. "Sure. I think I'd like that a lot."

"Me, too," he said. "What night would be good for you?"

"Next Saturday. Does that work for you?" she asked.

"Yeah," he said.

"I guess the phone number exchange should happen now. It'll be a relief to call someone new on my lunch break," she said, freeing her cell phone from its clip.

Tommy reached for his own cell. Several minutes later, he was in his Jeep- heading for Angel Grove. He'd called his friends to apologize for being later for lunch than he'd intended. He certainly hadn't expected to meet someone today. A smile appeared on his face. He'd met someone. A woman that didn't seem to have "disaster date" written all over her. That hadn't happened in awhile.

'Looks like Kim's gonna have to find a new client,' he thought, chuckling.

Trisha stood in front of the door to her apartment a couple hours later. She was holding six shopping bags. 'I haven't treated myself like that in awhile,' she thought with a smile as she sat her purchases down. She was proud of herself because, over the last several months, she hadn't been a spending machine.

'I should've gone to the grocery store- even though that would've been a wasted trip,' she thought as she unlocked her door. She considered herself a stove's worst nightmare. 'Learning to cook things nobody's scared to eat should probably be next on my list.' She grabbed her bags and was about to enter her apartment...

"You know you can't get involved with him," a low but steely-hard voice said behind her.

Trisha tensed and her eyes narrowed immediately. "You followed me," she said, her tone laced with annoyance. Then, she turned to glare at him. "That has gotta stop and I mean it."

Anthony "Tony" Moretti was leaning against the wall next to the apartment across from her, arms folded over his chest and ankles crossed. There was a dark look on his face. He stood up straight and walked up to her. "You know you can't get involved with him," he repeated, his eyes boring down into hers.

"Hell didn't freeze over today," she said calmly.

"What are you talking about?" he asked in an irritated tone.

"Well, that is when I'll let you run my personal life," she said.

"Don't start with me, Trisha," he said, shaking his head slowly.

"Stop following me," she snapped. It was strange and a little disturbing because she hadn't even noticed him at the gas station.

"I'm just doing my job. He wants you protected," he said.

"I don't need or want his protection," she said. "And we both know it's more than that. He wants to keep tabs on me. Control me."

"Somebody has to. You made a dumb move today and you know it. He's not gonna like this," he said.

"That's not my problem, Tony," she said.

"You can't get involved with that guy. Because of who you are," he said.

Her eyes flashed. "How many times do I have to say this? That's not who I am. If you and Mike had any brains at all, you'd both-"

"Like it or not, you can't run away from it. Ever. The big man won't let you," Tony said.

"I've spent so much time, so much of my life, trying to be the opposite of... . I'm not gonna be what he wants," she said. "He's lucky I still talk to him."

"Here's what's gonna happen, Miss Barrett. You're gonna cancel on that guy or it'll be handled for you," he said.

"It's one date," she said.

"Then, it's two, three, four... . You know what? On second thought, go ahead. Go right ahead and have your date," he said.

"Leave, Tony," she snapped.

"I'm not just here because it's part of my job. I'm here because you're my sister and I care what happens to you," he said, then, turned and walked away.

Trisha stared after him, anger swirling around in her. What was it going to take? When would they back off? She rolled her eyes, her annoyance returning in full force. 'Like I told Tony, it's one date. Even if there are a few more, it won't be a big deal because I'm not gonna get serious about Tommy... I can't risk that.'