A/N: Hi everyone! Thank you for clicking on here to read. This is a quick oneshot companion piece that goes with Break Up In The End. This is told in Kimberly's POV about their time together and their breakup. I guess you could consider it a letter story. It's something that I felt I needed to do after doing Tommy's. Read both if you get the chance and let me know what you think!
Disclaimer: I do not own the rights to Power Rangers (C'MON HASBRO!) nor the rights to the song, I Still Love You by Alexz Johnson.
I Still Love You
A Power Ranger Fanfic
I know rocks turn to sand
And hearts can change hands
And you're not to blame
When the sky fills with rain
But if we stay or walk away
There's one thing that's true
I still love you
I still love you
The soft warm breeze blowing in the window told Kimberly Hart that a storm was blowing in. She had seen the lightning on the horizon earlier when she was coming in from the car. Now, the wind was picking up and was tossing things around in the yards around Aisha DeSantos' house. Her host and her husband, Rocky, had gone to bed hours ago. Kimberly couldn't find sleep though. She knew if she laid down and closed her eyes, those thoughts that have been haunting her for the last ten years would swarm back. She wasn't sure she could handle that on top of everything else.
"I'm Tommy."
That smile. That damn smile. It's the first thing that drew her into him that morning. Well, besides the fact he had been flexing his muscles at the tournament the day before. He was only eye candy at that point, just something nice to look at. Her and Trini had a habit of doing that at all of the matches, whispering out of ear shot of the boys. When her eyes landed on Tommy, something in her couldn't help but wonder what his story was. Who was he? His moves were fast and she had the chance to see them up close when he chased away Bulk and Skull that morning.
"I guess I'll see you after school then."
Kim could still remember the butterflies she had in her stomach the whole day during school. The idea of hanging out with Tommy Oliver was exciting and nerve wrecking at the same time. She had grilled her friends to be nice to him all day, afraid that they might say something that would think he didn't belong in their group. She knew that wasn't the case but she couldn't help but make sure everything was perfect. It didn't matter anyway. He never showed up, thanks to Rita and her spell. Him becoming the evil green ranger was the few times in her life that she could remember feeling completely useless. There was nothing she could do to save him.
"You have been warned, Pink Ranger."
Never in her life had Kimberly felt so torn. She had loyalty for her friends and Zordon. They had done so much for her and she made an oath to protect the Earth with everything she had in her. On the other hand though, Tommy was held captive by Rita with her magic. Kim could still recall that feeling of helplessness, especially after she spoke to him after they discovered it was him. He had so much rage and hatred in his eyes that she felt for sure he would win. He stirred something inside of her even then though, something she always felt guilty for. She didn't know how to explain it. Simply put, she knew that there was a connection between the two of them that she needed to keep intact before the spell ruined him completely.
"You guys were a team long before I showed up."
When Tommy joined the team, Kim couldn't help but feel that they had finally found the right mix of teamwork. He brought new powers to the team that were stronger than any of them in the beginning. As they started to drain though, Kim started to fear what would happen to him. There was a chance that he would die when his powers ran out and that was her biggest fear. After everything they had been through to break Rita's spell, she couldn't imagine him dying because of his powers. They had grown close over that time he spent on the team wearing the green mantle. He was her best friend, the person she told everything. Finally, when his powers were finally gone for good and he was alright, she feared about what would happen to their friendship. She knew that they could stay friends but she secretly hoped for more.
"I've been wanting to do that for a long time."
He clearly had no clue how much she wanted to as well. She had envisioned kissing him a million times. Or just telling him how she felt. She could never bring herself to do it. That day at the pond though, something came over her that she still can't figure out to this day. Admitting she missed him was what he needed and when he kissed her, she realized what people meant when they say they found their true love. Sometimes when she is feeling lonely, she'll think of that day and how happiness seemed to explode in her chest during those moments their lips touched. The time they spent together that night and at the dance was some of her favorite times to daydream about. Then he went away to spend some time with his uncle to adjust to not having powers. That time away from him was hard, especially with everything that happened at the Command Center at the same time.
"Hey beautiful, it's time to wake up."
Smiling, Kim could feel the blush that crept into her face when she thought about the day Tommy become the white ranger. She couldn't recall much before fainting but waking to him calling her his favorite nickname for her was one of the highlights. Seeing him in that white suit with that amazing smile made her want to pass out again. She couldn't believe that he was here, that he was a Ranger again and that they could continue being together in all aspects of their lives. By then, Kim knew that she was in love with him. She had known since they first spoke in the hall way at school that very first day. Nothing made her happier knowing that the man holding her was the person she was prepared to spend the rest of her life with. He was back, and he was all hers.
"Merry Christmas, Kimberly."
Fighting on the same team was something that Tommy and Kimberly did well together. She had to admit that they were closer when Jason, Trini and Zach left, leaving them and Billy as the only original Rangers on the team. Their bond grew stronger and stronger in more ways than one. On the battlefield, they worked like a well-oiled crime fighting team. Off the clock, they spent every minute they could together. By the time their anniversary rolled around, they were inseparable. It was the main reason why she stayed here while her mother went to France to live. She couldn't picture leaving him behind or her responsibilities to the rangers. When Christmas came, she hoped for a perfect romantic moment for the both of them. It was why she had bought the mistletoe after all. Of course, Zedd and Rita had to butt in but trying to stop Santa. Their moment came though, another sweet kiss to add to their collection of moments that made her heart skip a beat. The added bonus of her mother surprising only helped make it that best Christmas of her life. It was the last one she would spend with Tommy.
"We'll make this work."
Oh, how she believed him at the time. When she opened the acceptance letter, she could hardly believe she had been selected. She was excited but scared too. It would mean leaving Angel Grove. Leaving her friends. Leaving Tommy. How could she do that to him? When she told him, she hoped he would beg her to stay. To not go. He didn't though. He was supportive and told her that no matter what, they would make it work regardless of the distance. When she passed her Power Coin to Kat, she prayed that something would help make her feel better about this. He did. He held her hand the whole way to the airport and held her close during their goodbye. That plane ride was filled with tears but she also wrote him their first letter then. They had made a pact to write each other every other day, something she stood by.
"I'm meeting Kat for lunch."
At first, Kimberly didn't think much of Tommy spending time with Katherine. She was on his team after all and she was her friend. They would need to get to know each other if they were going to work together. She noticed though that after awhile, he always seemed to be meeting her and just her for stuff. He would be at her house when Kim would call or he would mention her in his letters. Aisha had even told her that the two of them were getting really close. Kim was worried then. She knew she could trust Tommy to not go behind her back. He wasn't that type of person and never could do that to her. He promised her that they would be together forever. Before she left, they had even talked about their futures together after he was finished with high school. The plan had been simple; finish school, retire from the Rangers and spend the rest of their forever's together. Something about his friendship with Kat just made her uneasy though.
"The team is doing well without you."
She knew he didn't mean it in the way she was hearing in her head. He wasn't like that. The distance was making her bitter though. She missed home. She missed being a Power Ranger. She missed her friends. She missed Tommy. Kat was there, living the life she had just handed over without so much as a second thought. Tommy and Kim started missing each other with their phone calls and the letters began to lessen. She wasn't sure if it was because they both had gotten so busy or if it was because of the tension on her end. She tried to hide it but they would sometimes fight over the phone about little stuff. Sighing, Kim closed her eyes and tried to block out those fights. They would sometimes get so loud, her roommate would ask her to hang up the phone. The fights never lasted long though and soon, he would tell him all she needed to hear; that he loved her still.
"I'll always love you."
Then one day, everything seemed to stop. It had been a few days since they had spoken on the phone and his last letter had been a week before that. She knew he was busy with their new powers but something was just different now. She laid awake at night thinking about it, trying to deny it. She couldn't anymore. They had grown apart. At least he had. He was living his life in California while she was here, pining for a dream that might never happen while clinging to a man that had someone else there he could be with. She cried the entire time she wrote the letter, telling herself not to do it at least a hundred times. She knew she had to though. IF she didn't, she would just be dragging Tommy down where he could be living happily. Once it was mailed, she waited by the phone for his phone call. This had to work. He had to think he could win her back. That she was worth fighting for.
But he didn't though. Those days turned to weeks and then a month passed. She made sure he had received it by asking Aisha. He had and had spent that weekend skiing with Katherine. Her answer was there, she told herself. A single tear slid down her face as she opened the door to the porch. Her hail Mary had failed her. He had ran off to be with the person he wanted to be with, leaving her with her doubts that were no longer doubts. Life went on and she made the Pan Global team just barely. She won a few medals and decided to travel to France for a bit afterwards. She received a certificate to train in gymnastics and set up shop in Florida. She even tried her hand at dating but there wasn't much to tell there. No one measured up to the man she left behind. The man that still held her heart.
A week ago, she received a phone call that changed her life. Trini had been killed in a car accident. It was something that shattered her soul right to the core. Everything moved in a blur then, the plane ride here and getting settled with Aisha and Rocky. It wasn't until she was back in Angel Grove that the thought of seeing Tommy again came to her mind. She hadn't seen him since the time she was kidnapped by Divatox. Then, she thought about admitting her feelings to him, telling him that she had made a mistake. But, he was with Kat then. There was no point in trying to ruin something she caused and he looked happy. Now, she would be forced to face it.
And face it she would. At the funeral tomorrow, she was going to wait until the gathering afterwards to speak to him. Maybe ask him to take a walk with her to the old pond where she had done it the first time. They could sit on the rock he loved to practice on and she would spill her heart out to him. She didn't have much to lose, she told herself. He would either tell her she felt the same way or that he wanted nothing to do with her.
Until then, all she could do was hope.
Can you search down inside
Let go of your pride
If I forget trying to win
And just let you in
I didn't travel this far
To watch it all fall apart
So give me your hand
And take a chance
I know rocks turn to sand
And hearts can change hands
And you're not to blame
When the sky fills with rain
But if we stay or walk away
There's one thing that's true
I still love you
