Disclaimer: I own the concept, the rest belongs to Saban and or Disney.
A/N: Takes place during Fighting Spirit. Ready the tissues, Tommy fans.
It had been his idea to use his dino gem. To regain his visibility. It had worked. But none had imagined he would fall into a coma. Or what would happen next.
It was then the Dino Rangers first met the woman their teacher had been having a slightly long distance relationship with for the past few years.
They had all hated that was how they met, but it was how it was.
Hayley had called Kim when it happened, telling her to meet them at the hospital. But there had been accidents all over the road due to Mesogog's newest monster. She hadn't gotten there in time.
Tommy had died and she hadn't even gotten to say goodbye. Hayley had taken her back to the lab, trying to console her. But there was no way.
Especially not when she saw all of the things Tommy had kept from their Ranger days. Pictures of the old teams. Some of them of together during happier times. With each new image a new tear fell, her eyes becoming redder than most of his Zeo Ranger days' wardrobe.
She had nearly lost him so many times over the years. Sometimes to Rita and Zedd, other times to monsters, to Kat while she was in Florida. But this was worse than each time before because this time it was real.
The Power Ranger legend, the love of her life, really wouldn't be coming back this time.
"How is she?" Conner asked Hayley when she had come up to get Kim a bottled water from Tommy's fridge.
"Conner, she knew Tommy better than nearly anyone. Not even I know their entire history, but I know there were times that weren't easy for either of them. It was complicated, but they managed to work things out. Now she's lost him and there's nothing anyone can do to bring him back."
"But weren't there times the Rangers managed to bring others back before?" Kira asked.
"No. Kendrix hadn't really died. Yes, the Mighty Morphin Rangers managed to bring Zordon back twice, but that was very different. Zordon wasn't human and now no one can bring him back either."
"Zordon died? For real?" Ethan asked sadly.
"Yes. Andros, the Red Space Ranger, killed him and he did so to save many. I'm sorry, but I need to get back to Kimberly."
The Dino Rangers were all sitting on Dr. Oliver's sofa, none really able to comprehend what all had happened today.
"We just saw him today," Ethan had said. Forgetting that at the beginning of the day they hadn't literally seen him.
"I didn't think this could happen to a Power Ranger," Conner had said, trying to keep up his strong front though even he was on the verge of tears at their teacher's demise.
Kira had cried already, Trent having been the one to comfort her. He hadn't known what to say, feeling he was to blame for what had happened.
"If I hadn't been under Mesogog's control. If I could've fought the gem. If I'd been stronger, I could've fought it!" His 'if's' wouldn't end. The others had tried to tell him it wasn't his fault as they didn't blame him, but he still disagreed.
Even Elsa had been rendered saddened by the turn of events, but knew better than to show her feelings to her master who was as overjoyed as he got.
Though the man behind the beast was racked with more guilt than he knew what to do with. If it hadn't been for his research and need to further his experiments his friend would still be alive.
"I still can't believe it," Kim said as she took the water from Hayley's hand. "We talked last night. He told me that soon he'd be out of the suit and he'd take me out to dinner and then we'd - " A choked sob escaped her throat and she couldn't finish as she burst into tears again.
"Have you talked to Jason yet?" Hayley asked. "Or any of the others?"
She shook her head no. "Do they know?"
Hayley nodded. "Some do. Adam and Rocky didn't know what to say. I think I heard Jason crying when I told him. Kat, Aisha and Tanya all got really quiet before they asked about you. Billy cried, too, I think. Even Bulk and Skull were moved to tears. None of them can believe it, but they're all really worried about you."
It took long hours of her lying in bed to begin to fall asleep that night, having finally cried herself to sleep. She couldn't bring herself to leave Tommy's home, remembering the nights they had spent there that none of the others knew about. Just like how they hadn't known how many nights they had shared this very bed.
"Hey, Beautiful," Kim soon heard an all too familiar voice say to her.
"Tommy?" she asked, seeing a tall, muscular man walking towards her.
"It's me," he answered as he coiled his strong arms around her petite frame. "I swore I'd never leave you and I never will."
"But you did," she told him as her tears returned.
"Never completely," he replied as he used his thumbs to wipe away her tears. "I'm so sorry, Kimberly."
"Why? Why did you have to do this? Why couldn't you fight it?!"
"I don't know. But Mesogog hasn't won. The other Rangers - "
"They're not you!" she cried.
"I know," he told her softly, trying to calm her as he held her again. "I love you, Beautiful and I promise you, I'll be waiting here for you until we can be together again."
"But I want to be where you are now. I can't live without you, Tommy. I couldn't before, I told you that before you left for the mission on the moon with Jason and the others."
The remaining Dino Rangers weren't having an easy time with their dreams themselves.
Conner kept remembering when he was the one who was supposed to have gone to the warehouse, that he should have been the one to fight Trent when he was still under the gem's hold. That he should have been the one encased in amber, even if it had meant he would be stuck in his Power Suit.
Trent still blamed himself, dreaming of the many things he felt he could have of should have done differently.
The events just kept replaying for Ethan, still wishing there was something he could have done. Of all the times for reality to be so different than a video game. Still he didn't blame Trent, but now more than ever wanted to go after Mesogog. Despite what could happen to him.
Kira was the only one dreaming of the future. She could see herself singing at Tommy's funeral. The church was filled with his family and friends. Not a dry eye in the church as they heard her rendition of what ever song she was singing that she couldn't hear. She could tell she was crying herself though.
"I have to go now, Kim and you need to need to get some rest," Tommy told her.
"No," she pleaded. "You can't leave me again."
"You should know by now I never truly will. I just wish I could really be where you are. I'd do anything for that. Anything."
"Then don't leave," she softly begged. "I love you, Tommy."
"I love you, too, Beautiful."
With that he faded from her sight and she awoke with a start at the sound of his alarm clock.
She could have sworn she had turned it off, not wanting anyone or anything to wake her. But it was still beeping and rather loudly.
"Are you gonna get that?" a slightly deep voice asked sleepily beside her.
Absentmindedly, she reached over and turned it off. But soon something clicked in her mind. That voice. Not only was it familiar, it was Tommy's!
"What's wrong, Kim?" he asked as she quickly rolled over to face him.
He wasn't in the Power Suit, he wasn't invisible! He was right there beside her, looking like he should!
"Tommy?" she asked, still unsure of what was real and what wasn't.
"Are you all right?" His worry was increasing as she stared at him, but he could only wait for her reply.
Her reply soon came in the form of a hard, passionate kiss that he uncertainly returned. He wasn't sure what had gotten into her, but right then he had no complaints.
"Wow," he said when she finally broke their kiss and gave them a chance for a much needed gulp of air minutes later. "Mind telling me what I did to earn that?"
She didn't want to lie to him, but she wasn't sure if she should tell him about her nightmare. "I had a dream that didn't end well."
"I take it I lost a battle with one of Mesogog's monsters," he replied, remembering too many of his similar nightmares in which he lost her.
She nodded. "You hadn't just fallen into that coma. You'd - " she couldn't finish.
He threaded his arms around her and held her to him as he told her, "But I came out of it and I'm fine now. Better than fine in fact because you're here now."
"That was one of the scariest phone calls I've ever gotten. I hadn't wanted to meet the others that way."
"But you were there when I woke up. You're not gonna lose me again, Beautiful, I promise you that. I love you too much to do that to you."
"I love you, too, Tommy."
For years now they had said those words to one another and had meant them. But on the night of the Reefside Senior Prom just weeks later Kim got a glimpse at just how much he meant them.
They had danced together all night, laughing and talking with each other as they always did. Just like how they knew their prom should have been. It was perfect, she thought.
Until the only thing that could make it more perfect happened.
Tommy soon released her hand from his at the end of the final ballad of the night, soon reaching into his jacket pocket and moving to one knee just in front of her.
She gasped as he opened the black velveteen box and asked, "Kimberly, will you marry me?"
She had longed for nearly ten years to hear him ask her that. "Yes!" she told him as hot, happy tears stung her dark eyes.
Breathing a sigh of relief, he smiled and slid the pink diamond engagement ring onto her finger and caught her as she launched into his arms as soon as he stood again a second later.
This was one dream come true they knew they would forever be thankful for.