Disclaimer: This is another Power Rangers story. This is about Jason and Kimberly, after they decide to take a break from each other after college. They of course get back together, but I wanted to try a story where they had to fight for each other. I've never written a Jase/Kim story where that happened. So enjoy their journey back to each other, and anything that is known to be someone else's isn't mine. Anything else is. PS. The pairings of Jason/Kat and Kimberly/Zack I have always wanted to tentatively try out, but since I am a fervent Jason/Kim fan, this will probably be the only existence of those pairings. I would enjoy reviews, b/c I worked really hard on this, I wanted it to be as good as possible. So review away! If you want to, there's no pressure. Plus, I know the new pairings seem to just bolt right out of the gate, just bear with me, folks. The use of the song ""No Mercy" by Ty Herndon is done without permission, and anything else that is known to be someone else's is not mine.
Dream Come True: A Living Fairytale
By Julia
Jason Scott was standing in his girlfriend's dormroom, looking around at all the boxes. They had just gradutated from Florida State, and they were supposed to get married in a year. They had been dating since their early teens. Jason loved Kimberly Hart to death, but they had been together for nine years, and he was wondering what else was out there. Plus, there was this weird energy between him and his friend Katherine, aka Kat, Hilliard. She was his best friend Tommy Oliver's ex, and one of Kimberly's best friends. That he felt bad about, but he couldn't help his feelings. They had been there for awhile now, and they weren't going away. (He didn't even know why they had broken up. Kat could still be into Tommy and wanting him back. He hated for hoping not, but he did.) He was only twenty-three years old, and he had already been in a relationship for nine years.
Kimberly walked back into the room, carrying her toiletries. She had kept them in the adjoining bathroom. She was twenty-two years old, and she was so in love with Jason, she could hardly see straight. But she wanted to see other people for awhile, because she wanted to make sure Jason was really the one. They had been dating since she was thirteen years old. She loved him so much, but she didn't want to keep on dating him when she had these doubts.
She put her stuff into a box and closed it up. She pushed back a lock of her caramel colored hair. She asked, ''Jason, could you hand me the packing tape, sweetie?''
Jason handed it to her. ''Listen, Kim, I know that you waited patiently the other day, when I packed up my things, but I need to talk to you. Keep going if you want, I just need you to listen for a moment.'' He took a deep breath. ''Kim, I think that we need to take a break from us. I think we need to try dating other people, just to make sure that we're it for each other.''
Kimberly turned around. She was smiling. ''I was totally thinking the same thing! I love you so much, Jason, but I really need to make sure that I experience some other things before we get married. I want to make sure that this relationship will work with us as adults. We've been together a long time. I'm not sure if we'll still be able to make it work unless we take a break. And date other people, to get different experiences.''
Jason nodded. ''I'm so glad you agree! I'm going out to LA, of course, and you're coming back to Angel Grove with me before you go to San Fransisco, right? You never told me the final plan.''
Kimberly shook her head. ''No, I'm going straight to San Fransisco. They want me to start right away at my fashion job. So, help me carry everything out to the car?''
They each grabbed a box and carried it downstairs. Then they went their seperate ways with a long hug and kiss. Each felt a pang, as they realized that it could be the last one they would ever share. Jason got into his Jeep and drove off. He was heading back to Angel Grove for the summer, and his job started in the fall.
It took a few days to get there, but when he did, his family was very happy to have him back in the house. His twin brother Bailey and his sister Julia were still coming home from school, so they weren't there. It was just Charlie and his wife Kirsten, and Owen. He was eight years old, and he was very happy to have his big brother home. Claudia had gotten in a huge fight with the family over some friends she had been hanging out with, and was no longer living in the house. She was eighteen years old, and supposedly in her first year of college, but they didn't know if she had actually accepted her scholarship.
Jason took his things up to his old room that he had shared with Bailey and smiled. He poked his head into Claudia's old room, which had been Julia's before hers. None of her things were there, but her furniture was. Jason hadn't seen her in three years. He loved his sister, and wished that she would come home. He'd been at school when the falling out had happened, and he hoped that Claudia knew he didn't care what kind of friends she had.
He went back out to his car and headed out to the Youth Center. He was hoping to run into one of his old friends, and while he wasn't going to hope it, Kat was one of them.
Kat Hilliard was sitting at their regular table in the Youth Center, looking through an old photo album. It was filled with pictures of Jason. Some of them had her in them, but they were mostly single shots of Jason. She had such a crush for him, it wasn't even funny. She had lost him to Kimberly before she even really knew him. She looked up. Speaking of the devil, that looked like Jason. He was buffer than he used to be, and he had a very sexy goatee, but otherwise, he looked the same. Kat waved her hand. ''Jason! Come on over!'' She called.
Jason smiled and walked over to her. ''Hey, Kat, it's really great to see you. How's everything going?'' He gave her a hug, and tried not to smell her hair.
Kat grinned back. ''I'm so glad you're back! Did you graduate college OK? How's Kimberly?'' She asked, hoping against hope that they had broken up and feeling awful for it.
Jason shrugged. ''Well, I may as well tell you now, Kimberly and I are seperated. We still love each other very much, but we wanted to see what else is out there before we go and get married. I wanted to make sure that she's the one.'' He tried not to blush as he said it, since he didn't want to make it too obvious that he had a crush on Kat.
Kat said, ''That makes sense. Did she agree with you, then?'' Kat tried to keep her excitement bridled. She hadn't dated anyone since she had broken up with Tommy, and she was ready to. Plus, she really liked Jason a lot. Working with him on the Zeo team had started her crush, even though she'd been with Tommy then.
Jason nodded. ''Yeah, she did, and I'm kind of glad she did. I didn't want to hurt her or anything. I still love her very much, and she loves me very much. We've just been in our relationship for nine years. I want to see if she's the one for me by having new experiences, and she said she wanted to make sure that it works with us as adults, and we wouldn't be able to do that unless we've dated other people.''
Kat said, ''Well, that sounds very healthy. Well, Tommy's still in New York, Tanya's doing some journalistic investigating overseas, Adam's still here in Angel Grove running the orphanage, Billy's still on Aquitar, and Rocky's still at college in South Carolina. He's getting his bachelor's or master's or something, so it's taking a bit longer.'' She was talking of Tanya Sloan, Adam Park, Billy Mitchell, (one of Jason's best friends since he was a kid) and Rocky De Santos.
Jason nodded. ''What about Zack, Trini, and Aisha?'' He asked, as he settled into the seat next to her, and brushed his leg up against hers. He was hoping she'd think it was on purpose.
Kat did notice the leg brushing, but chose not to mention it. ''OK, so from what I know, Zack's making his way back here from New York, where he was going to NYU, but you knew that, Trini went to China to dig with some archelogists for school, and Aisha still hasn't come back from Africa.'' This was Zack Taylor, Trini Kwan, and Aisha Campbell.
While Jason was chatting Kat up in Angel Grove, Kimberly was just arriving in San Fransisco. She was getting out of her car and had popped the trunk when she saw Jason's youngest sister Claudia exiting the apartment building just up the street from the house she was renting. She was shocked, and not sure if she should approach Claudia or not. She hadn't seen her for three years. She also wasn't sure if she should call Jason and tell him she'd found his little sister, because Claudia had made it clear that she didn't want to be found.
Kimberly was still making up her mind when Claudia saw her. The younger girl made her way over to her brother's ex-girlfriend. ''Hi, Claud. I wasn't sure if I should approach you or not.''
Claudia shrugged. She'd grown her brown hair and it had blue and red streaks in it. She wore totally punk clothes, and she had a nose ring. ''I haven't seen you in a long time. How's my brother?'' She asked.
Kimberly said, ''Your brother's back home, he and I have taken a break from each other. I still want to end up with him, and he still wants to end up with me, but we had to explore some new options. We both need to see what's out there before we get married.''
Claudia said, ''I never thought I'd hear one of you say that. College has definitely changed you, Kim Hart. That's good, though. I am a firm believer in what is meant to be will happen. If you and my brother are meant to be together for all eternity, then it will happen. I totally think you are. You're not together for nine years without hardly any fights if you weren't. Anyway, I've been here in San Fransisco for two years, I have a girlfriend named Lauren, we've been together for a year and a half now, before I moved here, I was in LA. I didn't like it there, so I ended up moving here. I really like it here. Lauren's my age, and we both work at this new age store. She's a practicing Wicca, but I'm not. She's been trying to recruit me, though.''
Kimberly said, ''That's great, Claudia. Have you called your sister and brothers? They really miss you. Jason, especially. He wants you to know that he doesn't care what kind of friends you have, and I'm sure that he will love the new changes in your life as long as you're happy. And you obviously are.''
Claudia pushed back a lock of hair, and to her friend's surprise, she didn't clam up and change the subject. ''I don't want to talk to them. They haven't tried to find me, Kim. I haven't been far from home the whole time I've been gone. I've been gone for three years, and they haven't tried. They've probably just been sitting at home saying that they wished I hadn't ran away, and waiting for me to come back. I don't want to see them anymore. I'm sorry, Kim.''
The girls were interrupted by a familiar voice. ''Kimberly Hart! Claudia Scott?'' The latter was said with surprise. It was Zack Taylor, on his way home to Angel Grove.
Kimberly ran to him and gave him a huge hug. ''I'm so glad to see you, Zack!'' She really was, too. She loved this man she had known since she was a young child. She might even be feeling more for him than just friendship. She hoped that Jason wouldn't freak out if she got to give it a go with Zack.
Zack said, ''Looks like you need some help moving in. Would you like me to give you a hand?'' He smiled at her, his chocolate brown eyes twinkling merrily.
Kimberly smiled. ''That'd be great, Zack. I'm so glad I ran into you! I'll take you out for pizza when we're done. Claud, you wanna help? I totally understand if you can't.'' She said.
Claudia said, ''Actually, I've got to go meet Lauren. We're getting lunch before we go into work. So I'll see you later. Maybe I'll bring Lauren by to meet you. Sound OK to you?''
Kimberly nodded. ''Sure, Claudia. I'll see you then.'' She gave the girl a hug and turned back to Zack. She waited until Claudia had turned the corner, then said, ''Claudia has really changed since she was younger. She's a lesbian, with a Wiccan girlfriend, she's got a nose ring, as you could see, punk clothes, and blue and red streaks in her hair. She and her girlfriend work at this new age store. Isn't that wild?''
Zack nodded. He himself had changed since he was eighteen. He had a goatee and long dreadlocks. He was also much buffer than he used to be. He was hotter than ever. He'd had to fight the girls off with a stick. He'd had someone else in mind, and hadn't felt like dating anyone in New York. He hadn't dated anyone since Angela, really. He had wanted to ask Aisha out when he first met her, but he hadn't had the guts to. He said, ''I bet Jason's siblings would flip. Jason wouldn't, though. He's the most tolerant person I know.''
Kimberly nodded as she picked up some boxes from her trunk. ''I know. That's what I told her. Jason really wants her to at least visit them. He hasn't seen her in three years. Everyone else is really close-mouthed about it.'' She headed up the walk with her boxes. She had gotten a one story house instead of an apartment. It was cheaper, and all the utilities were paid, because the woman who was renting it to Kim was trying to keep her soon-to-be ex-husband from getting ahold of it. Just the fact that she had rented it out was making him crazy.
Kimberly got her keys out and opened the door. ''So are you moving back to Angel Grove? 'Cause Jason's going to be there for the summer before he goes to LA.''
Her friend was confused. ''Wait a second. You're here in San Fran, and Jason's going to LA? What happened? Did you guys split up? I don't know if I could stand it if you guys weren't together.''
Kimberly walked into the house and down the hall, to take the boxes to her room. She'd already seen the house a couple of months ago on a school break and already knew what room was going to be what. ''Jason and I still think we're going to end up together, but we have to try some new things. I didn't want to marry Jason and then have to end up divorcing him because I had been with only him my entire life.''
While Zack was helping Kimberly move her things into the house, Jason and Kat were getting reaquainted. They had gone to Kat's new apartment and were sitting on the couch, all over each other. Kat stopped the kissing when they laid back on the couch. She could hardly believe that she was doing this, but she couldn't help it. It was moving a bit fast for her, too, even if she and Jason had known each other for years. ''Jason, I have wanted this for a long time, but I don't want to get into something complicated. If I'm going to be with you, I need to know that I'm not a rebound girl. I can handle it if you and Kim get back together, but I need to know if you actually have some kind of feelings for me.'' The blonde Austrailian was being very serious.
Jason took her hands in his and kissed her lightly. ''Kat, I have loved Kimberly Ann Hart for almost my entire life. We were together for nine years, but I loved her almost as soon as I met her. It's going to be hard not to imagine a future without her, despite what we decided. However, I have had a crush on you for awhile now, and I really want the chance to explore it.''
Kat's grin was from ear to ear, and she attacked Jason and pushed him back on the couch and kissed him with renewed ferver.
At two-thirty in the morning, Jason lay awake to find Kat lying next to him. He had a moment of panic, like what was he gonna tell Kim? Then he remembered he wasn't with her anymore. He watched her sleep, and he remembered the first time he'd realized he'd been getting feelings for her...
Jason had been the Gold Ranger for a little while now, and he was enjoying the new friends he'd made. Kat and Tanya were great, and Adam and Rocky had proved to be really great guys. He had been feeling a little weird around Kat lately, and he couldn't figure out why.
She and Tanya were putting on a ballet about King Midas, and they were making Jason and Adam dance in it. Jason and Adam were trying to follow along with the little girls, and not having an easy time of it. Kat was trying to help them figure it out, and she was helping Jason first. She put his arms in the right position, and as she did, he caught a whiff of her shampoo. He took it in and breathed out very slowly. He caught himself and watched her put his legs in the right position. She said, ''Come on, just follow me.''
He relaxed and watched her dance, watching the beautiful limbs move, and felt a sinking feeling in his stomach. He was still dating Kimberly, and here he was, getting a crush on Kat. His best friend's girlfriend. He stepped back from her and knew he had to get out of there if it was possible. He found himself mumbling some nonsense syllables. ''I've gotta go, guys.''
Jason left the Youth Center and started walking up the street. He could hardly believe that this was happening. Kimberly was in Florida, waiting for him, and he was developing feelings for Kat. He didn't know what to do...
Jason was blasted back to the present. Kat was moving around in her sleep. He pulled the blanket back over her and got up, slipping on his boxers and a tee shirt. He could hardly believe that this had happened. He still loved Kimberly with all his heart, but he had just had sex with Kat Hilliard. He stared out the window of Kat's apartment. He had never had sex with anyone but Kimberly. He had never imagined his life without Kim before. As umimaginable as it was, his future was starting to morph a little in his mind. He could see himself with Kat instead of Kimberly. He tried to shake the thought from his head, but it wouldn't go away. He needed to talk about this. He hoped Tanya had meant it when she had said to call her anytime.
Tanya Sloan picked up the ringing phone on the fourth ring. She had caller ID, so she knew it was from Kat's. ''Hey, Kat, what's going on?'' She asked, sitting up in bed. She was on a bus that was on the way to Paris. She was heading there from England. She was of course, in a totally different time zone, but she hardly ever got a chance to sleep anymore, she was so into her job.
Jason Scott's baritone voice came back at her. ''Hi, Tanyn. It's Jason. I really need to talk to you about something.'' He was pacing in the living room, trying to keep calm and quiet so he didn't wake Kat.
Tanya was confused. ''Jason, it's like, three in the morning. Why are you...OH MY GOD! Did you sleep with Kat?'' She was shocked to her very core. They could have just been hanging out, but Jason and Kat had never hung out until the wee hours of the morning.
Jason nodded, then remembering that Tanya couldn't see him. ''Yes, we did, Tanyn.'' He explained his and Kimberly's breakup. ''I still love Kimberly so much, but now the Kat stuff is even more complicated. Now I can see two futures for myself. I've had a crush on Kat since I was the Gold Ranger, I just never acted on it. And once I was with Kim in Florida, it didn't matter anymore, until recently. I knew I was coming back here for the summer before I went to LA, and I don't know, they just started resurfacing, because they never really went away. Tanyn, we just started something, why can I already see a future with her?''
Tanya wasn't sure what to tell him. ''Jason, you're rushing things a bit. You and Kat have just slept together, and you haven't even had a first date. I mean, yeah, you guys were already friends, but you need to treat this like any other relationship. You just broke up with Kimberly, and you still love her. It may have been a mutal situation, but it wasn't because the love was gone. If you're going to be with Kat, I would suggest taking it slow. Especially since I happen to know that Kat really cares for you. She was practically in love with you the whole time she and Tommy were dating. Why do you think that they're not together anymore? He knew how she felt. He was crushed, and broke up with her.''
Jason felt badly about that, especially since he knew that Tommy had had feelings for Kimberly when he had first come into town, but she'd been with him, of course. He seemed to be keeping Tommy from being happy, even though none of it was really his fault. He and Kimberly had already been involved in a serious relationship, and he had no control over Kat's emotions and feelings. She felt what she felt. ''I'm sorry about that, even though I can't help what Kat feels for me. I can't now, and I couldn't have then. Especially since I didn't even know about it at the time.''
Tanya said, ''Jason, that's really not your fault. You can't help what Kat felt for you. But you and Kimberly've got a good idea. I mean, it's OK if you want to go back to her. I think that you need to see what happens with Kat. Kimberly herself might be harboring a crush on someone. Call her if you need to feel better about it.''
Jason sighed. ''I don't think so, Tanyn. I think Kimberly's loved only me. She's a much better person than I am. If she'd had one, I'm sure she'd've told me.''
While Jason was talking to Tanya, Kimberly and Zack were rolling around on Kimberly's new bed, kissing feverishly. Kimberly stopped them and sat up. Zack leaned back on his elbow in frustration. She had already stopped them twice. ''Kim, I thought you wanted this.'' He said.
Kimberly sighed. ''I do, Zack, I really really do. But you don't feel even a little naughty about it? I mean, Jason's your best friend as well as my ex-boyfriend.'' It felt really weird for her to say that. Plus, she didn't even know how she and Zack had gotten to this point anyway. The whole evening was a total blur.
Zack nodded. ''I know, Kim.'' He was about to say something else, but then it dawned on him, what she was trying to say. ''OK, I get it. I see where you're coming from. He hasn't called yet to see if you got here OK.''
Kimberly nodded also. ''I know. I was getting ready to call him and see how he got to Angel Grove, but then it got later and later. It's already three-thirty in the morning.'' She fell back on the bed in exsasperation. ''Zack, I just can't sleep with you without talking to him about it first. Especially since what he means to both of us. You know that he would kick your ass if we were to sleep together and not talk to him about it first.''
Zack said ruefully, ''He's going to kick my ass anyway. But you're right. I think I'll go home, because if I stay here, I'm going to want to do stuff, and we can't. So,'' he stopped to give her a quick but passionate kiss. ''I will see you later. Maybe tomorrow.'' He did feel bad that he was feeling this way about his best friend's girlfriend. Jason and Zack had been the best of friends ever since they were in diapers. They'd played together in Angel Grove Park. He just hoped that Jason would find some way to be OK with it if he and Kimberly did become a couple.
Kimberly smiled at him and got up to get her pajammas on. She loved Zack, and she wasn't sure if it was actual romantic love, because she wasn't sure if you could be in love with two people at the same time. She slipped into a nightie and crawled into bed.
The next morning, Jason awoke to the sun streaming in the windows. He glanced at the clock. It was ten-forty-five. He had been talking to Tanya until nearly four-thirty in the morning, and then had crashed after. She'd had some good advice, though. He still didn't know what he wanted, but at least she had tried to help him out. He was going to call Kimberly and talk to her, see what she had in mind for her future, and tell her about Kat. Then he would just have to go along blindly from there.
Kat was in the kitchen, cooking breakfast, Creed playing softly. She looked angelic, with the sunlight playing on the golden strands of her hair. Jason lost his breath at the sight of her. He wasn't sure what he felt about that, but she did look beautiful. She turned around at the sound of him exhaling and smiled. ''Hi, how are you this morning?'' She asked, her Aussie accent sounding heavenly.
Jason smiled back. Her blue eyes seemed even bluer this morning. ''I'm excellent. I talked to Tanya last night. I woke up and couldn't sleep. She's doing well. She says hi.'' He kissed her softly on the lips.
Kat sensed his apprehension, and didn't kiss him again or harder. She did take his hands in hers, though. ''I have to get to work. You can stay as long as you want, breakfast's finished. It's all for you, I ate before I showered. So you'll call me later? Maybe we can make plans or something?''
Jason wasn't sure what he should do, since he hadn't talked to Kimberly yet. But he decided he could still hang with Kat as long as they didn't do anything else. ''Sure, I'll call later. I've got Owen duty today. He may be getting older, but he still needs supervision. So I'll call.'' He kissed her once more, and she left. Jason ate some breakfast, cleaned up the dishes, and showered before heading home.
It was crowded in the house, Julia was doing some work with some of her friends. She had just gotten in the night before at midnight. Bailey was due in a couple of hours. Jason kissed Julia's cheek. ''I'm so glad to see you, Jules. How are you?''
Julia smiled. ''I'm great. I've got some summer reading to do. I have to get ready for grad school. How's Kat?'' She asked, wiggling her eyebrows. Julia had chosen to do the same thing that Charlie had: they weren't going to ask Jason about Kimberly, because they felt that he was going to get back together with her. They were just going to be supportive for now. They knew that Bailey was probably going to try to help more than he really needed to, that was just Bai's personality. (She had taken so many classes that she had caught up to the twins and had graduated at the same time. Julia was really studious, and school came easily for her.)
Jason shrugged. ''I guess things are all right with her. Jules, I am so confused right now. I mean, I don't know what I want. I love Kim with all my heart, but I have had a crush on Kat for a long time, and it could turn into something more. I could really end up loving her. What do I do? I have plans to discuss it with Kim, of course, since we only seperated yesterday. But still. I am lost here.''
Julia had never seen her older brother so confuddled before. He had always been so sure in this department. It was Kimberly and no one else. She hadn't even known that he had liked Kat until earlier yesterday, when he had called her when she was on the road. She truly did not know what to tell him. ''Jase, I really can't tell you what to do here. That is something you're going to have to figure out on your own. What I can tell you is listen to your heart. Honestly. It will tell you what you want.''
Their older brother walked into the living room, a grin on his handsome face. ''Hi, Jase. How are you this fine morning? Sleep well?'' He teased, clapping his brother playfully on the shoulder. He had gotten even hotter in the years since he had had to become a parent basically at the age of twenty-four. He was now thirty-three, and if he wasn't married to Kirsten, he would have been fighting the women off with a stick. He even still kind of was. Some women didn't care if he wore a ring or not.
Jason smiled wearily at Charlie. ''Thanks for teasing me, Char. I really needed that. Not.'' He walked upstairs, to call Kimberly, so he could talk to her, see what she thought about the situation.
Kimberly was in the middle of her work day, working on some invoices at her desk. She was an assistant to a buyer, and she was enjoying every minute of it. She hoped to work in Paris one day, and was happy to work her way up the ladder. She looked at her phone, surprised it was ringing. No one had her private office number yet, although, she had given it to Zack the day before. Maybe it was Zack! She picked it up, though, and said, ''Kimberly Hart.'' She realized with a pang that she might not ever answer the phone as 'Kimberly Scott'.
It was her ex-boyfriend. ''Hi, Kim, it's me. I need to talk to you. It's serious, and I really need to know what you think. I kind of started something with Kat. We slept together last night. I really didn't mean for it to happen as quickly as it did. You have every right to be mad if you like. I don't want to hurt you or anything, by telling you this, I just want to know what you think of it.''
Kimberly was a little taken aback, but she wasn't mad, since something had almost happened with herself and Zack the night before. She said, ''Jase, I'm really not mad. I actually have something to tell you, too. I myself may have started something with Zack. I'm sorry, really. We didn't sleep together yet, because I wanted to talk to you. He'll be back in Angel Grove later, he even might be there now. I don't know what time he left this morning. But he and I might be trying something. I hope that's OK.'' She honestly wasn't mad that Jason had already slept with Kat, because she had known how hard it must have been for him to make the decision. Jason never did anything without overanalyzing it. She was a little hurt, but since something had almost happened with Zack, she was willing to overlook it.
Jason tried to keep his anger bridled. After all, she was being alright with the Kat thing. He just felt that Zack must have been biding his time or something. Zack was his best friend. It just didn't seem right. He bit his tongue, though, and said, ''I guess. You're being so understanding about the Kat thing, that I feel I must reciprocate.''
Kimberly was happy. ''Oh, good. I'm glad you're OK with it. Jase, just promise me something. Can you do that?'' She was going to ask him not to beat the crap out of Zack. She knew he wouldn't be able to not promise her something. He couldn't refuse her anything.
Jason groaned softly. He had a feeling she was going to ask him not to beat the crap out of his weaselly best friend. He couldn't refuse her, and she knew it. ''Whatever you want, Kim. I will keep it.''
Kimberly leaned back in her chair. ''I want you to promise not to beat the shit out of Zack. I really want you to keep it. It's totally not his fault. He was very understanding of the fact that I needed to talk to you about it. Plus, I'm the one that initiated the kissing. So please, promise me.''
Jason knew that was what it was. He sighed and said, ''On my honor, Kimberly, I promise I will not beat the stuffing out of my best friend, Zachary Taylor.'' There was no reason for the formalness, but it came out before he could stop it. Besides, they were being a little formal anyway, it just seemed fitting.
Kimberly let herself giggle for a second, then said, ''Thanks, Jason. It truly means a lot to me. Now, I have to get back to these invoices. I'll talk to you later.''
Jason felt a pang as he wanted to say he loved her, but wasn't sure that he could. He decided to try anyway, not being able to talk to her without saying it. ''OK. You're welcome. Kim, I love you.'' His eyes had filled with tears, and he couldn't believe he felt so far away from her, even though she was only an hour and a half away.
Kimberly's eyes filled with tears, but she said back in a slightly quivering voice, ''I love you back.'' Then they said goodbye and hung up the phone. Kimberly stared at it for a minute, then got back to work, still wiping tears from her face.