Impossibly Possible

by White-Knight-1988

Things haven't always been easy for Tommy and Kim. When Tommy tries to make things right between them, will Kim listen to what he has to say and forgive him, or just push him away? Can anything good ever come from a relationship twice failed?

AN: This is just a little something I wrote a few weeks back and never got around to posting. Hope you guys like it...

Just off 14th Street, downtown in a small, coastal, California city known as Reefside, stood a popular coffee shop and local teen hotspot known as Hayley's Cyberspace Café. The day was a dreary one; the wind was howling and rain had been beating down on the city for the better part of the day. Inside, however, there was a very different story being told.

Hayley's Cyberspace was bustling with people trying to escape the awful weather on this December afternoon. Teens and young adults were strewn out everywhere, some playing video games, others chatting online, and three twenty-something's sharing a couch with two men seated across from them on a couch of their own who looked much too old to be in this type of an establishment.

Of the two men, one was wearing a crisp pair of blue jeans, a red t-shirt, and black leather bomber jacket. The other was dressed comfortably in a form-fitting black t-shirt tucked into a pair of black wind pants. He kept a black baseball cap pulled down over his eyes, hiding them as he typed feverishly on the laptop resting on the table in front of him. His counterpart, whose usually wavy black hair was now closely cropped, was tossing a red plush soccer ball back and forth across the couches with a younger man in red track pants and a red hooded sweatshirt with the words "Surfside Wildcats" emblazoned in gold down both legs and across the chest of his sweatshirt.

To his left, sat a young woman about the same age as he, in a shredded denim skirt, black stockings, a yellow turtleneck, and a black Van Halen t-shirt with the sleeves obviously having been unceremoniously removed by a pair of scissors. Her hair was shoulder length, curly, in various highlights of blonde and black. She had an acoustic guitar over her shoulder and would stop playing every few moments to write something down in a notebook she kept tucked in between the couch cushions.

Seated on his right was a young, African-American man who seemed to have thrown on practically everything he owned that was in the color blue. Everything from his t-shirt and jeans, to his jacket and tennis shoes, were all the same shade of royal blue. He too was on a laptop, although his "work" was much more recreational in nature compared to what the man in black seated across from him was doing.

"Dude," the young man in red commented, tapping his neighbor on the shoulder as he tossed the ball to the man across from him. "You're like, a walking poster child for giving us all away. Seriously unnecessary amount of blue, dude."

"Oh really, Conner? Is that how it's gonna be, Mr. Head-To-Toe-Red?" he fired back, not even lifting his eyes from the computer screen. "Check yourself before you come at me next time, Oh-Great-Master-of-Way-Too-Many-Power-Ups."

The African-American boy let a smirk creep across his lips as the young man identified as Conner looked down at the outfit he had on. Insistently, as if trying to prove a point, he grabbed at the material of his sweatshirt and practically shoved it in his friend's face.

"This isn't red, Ethan. It's burgundy. Burgundy, Ethan. Not red," Conner said adamantly, his words coming out sounding far more pleadingly than he intended. Ethan just rolled his eyes and kept on playing his computer game. In desperation, he turned to the young woman on his left and did the same thing. "Kira, would you please politely tell your friend Ethan that this sweat suit is burgundy and not red?"

"Sorry, Conner," Kira shrugged after momentarily stopping from her guitar strumming to check out his ensemble. "But it looks red to me."

"Great, some help you are. I thought girlfriends were supposed to stick up for their boyfriends not throw them under the bus," Conner grumbled in retort. Kira simply rolled her eyes and went back to her guitar. As a last ditch effort, Conner looked across the table at the two men. "Dr. O? Jason? What do you guys think? Burgundy or red?"

"I don't care," the man behind the baseball cap grumbled. This was Dr. O, better known to his other friends as Tommy Oliver. Conner lowered his eyes at Tommy and then shot a questioning look across the table to Jason.

"What new species of dinosaur life crawled up his shorts and died?" Conner asked, snatching the small ball out of the air with reflexes best described as way-too-fast-to-be-even-remotely-human. Ethan and Kira had both looked up at Tommy's grumbled reply and were now, like Conner, looking at Jason as well. Jason shrugged his shoulders and Conner tossed the ball back to him.

"He's still debating over whether or not he wants to go to our ten-year high school reunion this summer back home in Angel Grove, or not. I think he's leaning towards not," Jason answered as Tommy shot him an icy glare. Jason chuckled and slapped Tommy lightly on the shoulder. "What's your problem, man? It's just a reunion. I don't understand why you're making such a big ass deal out of this whole thing, bro."

"You know why," Tommy said coolly. The three young adults kept their eyes trained on Jason but the smile he was wearing immediately left his face. Jason looked to Tommy like he was measuring him up for a fight, then slowly shook his head.

"I can't believe you're seriously not thinking of going because ofthat," Jason muttered in disbelief.

Tommy opened his mouth for an immediate reply but fell silent, thinking about what he wanted to say before he actually said it. In his younger days, Tommy had been notorious for his act first, think later attitude, and it had almost gotten him in trouble on quite a few occasions. Now, however, his years on the battlefield as Earth's greatest living Power Ranger had erased those traits from him youth. When he finally did speak, his voice was low, raspy, and with a certain edge that hadn't been there before.

"That, Jason, in case you forgot, is the reason I am where I am right now," Tommy hissed. "That came back into my life and I gave that a second chance and look where it got me. Why would I ever even want to think about being around that again!?"

At the first sign of potential conflict between the two best friends, the three youngsters had put everything on hold and were now clinging to Jason and Tommy's every word. Jason noticed this and thought about moving their discussion to a more personal venue but then changed his mind. Putting Tommy on the spot, possibly embarrassing him in front of his students and teammates, was potentially the leverage he needed to get Tommy to attend the reunion.

"That was scared. You wanted a serious commitment that that wasn't prepared to give you," Jason said exasperatedly and then sighed, rubbing his temple. He was quickly growing tired of referring to one of his closest and oldest friends as that. "Jesus Christ, Tommy. You guys were barely out of college when you asked her to marry you. Neither of you had gotten steady jobs yet and, even though you had graduated, neither of you even had half a freaking clue what you wanted to do in life. What the hell did you expect her to say?"

"I expected her to say yes," Tommy growled and the kids ears perked up just a little bit more. Their former teacher and mentor having a love life was something completely new to all of them and they wanted the details.

"She did say yes!" Jason snapped, his voice raising to the point that he quickly drew the attention of many other customers to him. He smiled embarrassingly at them until they went back to whatever they were doing, then scowled at Tommy and lowered his voice. "She did say yes, Tommy. She just wasn't prepared to do it on Tommy Oliver's almighty, stupid, freaking timeline therefore it wasn't good enough for you."

"I had to know that she was serious this time around, Jase. I had to know that she wasn't going to walk out on me like she did before," Tommy sighed, not entirely in defeat, although Jason could tell that he was starting to give in. Slowly, but giving in nonetheless. "But she did walk out on me. When push came to shove, she packed up and left just like I expected her to."

"Yeah, Tommy, she did leave, but this time around, it wasn't her fault," Jason returned bitterly. Tommy's eyes widened in astonishment. This was the first time that Jason had ever really taken sides on this issue before. He always tried so hard to remain neutral in these squabbles and it had worked up until just now. "Whether or not you're willing to be a man and admit it, you put Kim in a really unfair position. She felt smothered by you giving her that bullshit one-year ultimatum. You wouldn't give even an inch on it. You know Kim just as well as I do, man. You knew she wasn't just gonna take that kind of crap from you rolling over."

"So she ran. Instead of trying to talk the whole thing out with me like an adult, she ran. Just like she always does," Tommy replied in a near whisper. Jason could feel the onset of a headache at this point and was clearly starting to get irritated with Tommy. Still, he took a deep breath and tried his best to formulate a reasonable response.

"Tommy, you and I both know there wasn't ever much talking going on between you two in that particular situation. You pretty much spelled it out for her; marriage in a year or nothing. I'm not saying you were wrong for wanting a serious commitment," Jason let out, ignoring the kids across from him who looked far too interested for their own good. "But don't you think you might have been a little unfair putting her under that kind of pressure? She came back to you, Tommy. Shouldn't that have been enough for you? To know that she still wanted to be with you?"

It was at this point, when he turned to look at the kids, that Tommy finally realized that they had heard every word of the conversation, a conversation he had never wanted to have in the first place but especially not in front of them. Immediately, they tried to go back to whatever it was they had been doing in the first place, acting like the hadn't been listening the whole time, but it was too late; Tommy had caught them.

"Sorry to interrupt this little Ranger Gossip Circle we apparently have going on, but this is a conversation I'd rather not have in front of you guys," Tommy said in a completely neutral tone that displayed no emotion whatsoever. He stood up, pulled a few bills from his pocket, tossed them on the table, and then looked to Jason. "We, on the other hand, need to continue this elsewhere. Preferably somewhere with a bar that serves more than espresso if you catch my drift."

"Yeah, yeah, I get it," Jason grumbled, standing up as well. As a close friend to both parties involved, he was constantly being pulled in both directions by Tommy and Kim. Each wanted his support but neither was willing to admit what Jason had been saying since they broke up for the second time. He gave the kids apologetic looks then slumped his shoulders in defeat. "Sorry, guys. We'll catch up with you later."

"No worries, Jason," Conner replied, tossing his ball high up in the air only to have Kira snag it and stick her tongue out at him. Conner growled in mock anger and Kira returned the growl, snapping at him so that their faces were just inches apart. "Oh, I'm gonna enjoy having a month off from school with you, Miss Ford."

Ethan made a lurching noise and Kira's cheeks started to turn a vibrant shade of red. As she fell back on the couch, blushing, Tommy shook his head at them, and Jason smiled. Both waved their goodbyes and then made their way from the café, out into the rain, and towards the small café parking lot where Jason's red Chevy Avalanche was waiting for them.

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"She hated that you put her in that position, bro," Jason muttered, taking a swig from his beer glass. Absentmindedly, he picked at the oversized plate of hot wings in front of him but didn't eat any. "She was so happy that you guys had gotten back together and were actually making it work. The whole thing just kind of caught her off guard."

"How so?" Tommy asked, biting into a wing of his own.

That surprised Jason a little bit. It surprised him because Tommy appeared to be willing to actually listen to him, have an actual conversation about what had happened without completely losing his cool in the process.

"She never thought you'd take her back. When she moved back home to go to AGU after the Pan Global's, all she wanted was to be your friend again," Jason explained, then took another drink. "Then you guys started hanging out more and pretty soon after that, going to see a movie and have dinner or going out for drinks turned into serious dates. My birthday party was just icing on the cake."

"I never meant to sleep with her that night, man. We were both so drunk…" Tommy trailed off, remembering the night of Jason's 21st birthday, when he had been intimate with Kim for the first time, and their relationship had taken a sudden and unexpected turn into something more than just friendship. "When I woke up next to her in her bed that next morning, I thought we were both going to regret it, and that everything would be awkward between us again but it wasn't. The more time we spent together, the more I found myself falling for her all over again…"

"She wanted to be with you, Tommy. I mean, she moved in with you for God's sake, and you and I both know how much Kim loves her independence," Jason commented and Tommy slowly nodded his head in agreement. Jason had to conceal the smile threatening to form on his lips. He was finally getting through to Tommy! "I just think that you pushed her a little too hard, that's all. Kim's her own woman and she won't let anyone go around making decisions for her."

"I know. I know," Tommy muttered, staring into his almost full glass of beer. He shook his head and downed the cold liquid in one quick gulp, much to Jason's amusement. "I think I'm finally realizing that it was my fault this time. She didn't run away, I pushed her away. She wasn't the one who was scared, I was."

"We all get scared, bro," Jason replied, ever quick to defend his best friend. "Hell, I was scared to death when I asked Katherine out. It was four years after you guys broke up and I still felt like I was stealing my best friend's girl."

"Yeah but you knew I wouldn't mind. How are you guys, anyway?" Tommy asked now that the topic of conversation had changed, even though both of them knew it wasn't going to be long before they were back on to talking about Kim.

"Same ol', same ol'," Jason shrugged.

"That good, huh?" Tommy questioned sarcastically. Jason rolled his eyes and let out a lighthearted chuckle. Things between he and Katherine had recently been rocky to say the very least.

"We're still together but you know how it is with us. Stay together for a few months, break up for a week, get back together," Jason muttered and Tommy nodded knowingly. His relationship with Katherine Hillard had followed much the same outline as Jason's was taking. The only difference was that Jason really loved Katherine. Tommy's heart had always been elsewhere. "But we aren't talking about me and Kat. We're talking about you and Kim and how you're going to get her back."

"Get her back?" Tommy sputtered, dribbling beer down his chin. Jason gave Tommy an amused smile and nodded his head. "Bro, getting back with Kimberly is the la-"

"What? The last thing on your mind?" Jason interrupted. Tommy nodded sheepishly and Jason let out a belly laugh. "Come on, man. We both know that that's not true. Why can't you just admit that you miss her and try to make amends."

"I do miss her, Jase. I miss her everyday. Having her waiting for me when we came back from scrapping Serpentera was one of the best feelings in the world. You don't think I would have liked having her around when I was the Black Ranger?" Tommy asked, pausing for a moment to let Jason ponder his question. "Man, I would have loved to have her around to share that experience with, and everything else that's happened in between, but the fact of the matter is that it's been almost five years since we broke up. Even if I tried to get her back, I'm sure she's more than moved on from me by now."

"That's not the buzz in the Ranger community," Jason replied, leaving Tommy to formulate his own theories as to what that meant. He watched Tommy as he thought it over, knowing that Tommy's constant thirst for knowledge would eventually take over. Then, the questions were going to come pouring out in rapid succession. The first one came sooner than he had anticipated but he was still prepared for it.

"Who said what?" came first in Tommy's line of questioning. It came out as more of a demand than an actual question, though.

"I don't know, man," Jason answered, raising his hands in defense. "Trini just emailed me the other day and said she went and had lunch with Kim and that Kim still had a bunch of pictures of you guys together in her wallet. Trini said when she questioned Kim on it that she got really defensive and changed the subject. If you ask me, it sounds like our little Pink Ranger still has a soft spot for you."

"No way, bro. Not possible," Tommy retorted, not believing a word of it.

Tommy knew all to well what his fellow Rangers thought of his relationship with Kim; that they were the perfect couple, meant to be together forever, and all that fairytale stuff. At first, he believed it too. But with every moment that he and Kim spent apart, he began to lose faith in their theories and started to believe that maybe, just maybe, he and Kim weren't really meant to have a happy ending.

That was where his mind was heading, had been heading for quite sometime until this very moment when Jason chose to whisper a phrase to him that he hadn't heard spoken in any context for over a decade.

"To those that possess the Great Power, all things are possible."

Almost instantly, Tommy was taken back to when those words had come from his mouth. Zordon had taken his last breath, was physically gone from them but Tommy had refused to give up hope. The utterance of the words he hadn't heard in so long shook him deeply for he knew them to be true. At that very moment, Jason had offered him a glimmer of hope that hadn't been there before.

"You think…" Tommy started, looking down into his now half-filled glass. Half-filled, he smirked, not half-empty. His eyes stayed on the amber colored beverage for a few silent moments. The smile on Jason's face when he finally looked up at him simply helped to reinforce in him that maybe it wasn't such a lost cause after all. "Do you really think she'd take me back? I mean, so much time has gone by, and I was such an ass to her."

"I think she owes you one," Jason replied.

"What do you mean?"

"Think about it this way. She messed up and you took her back. Now, you messed up and want to be taken back," Jason answered, chewing on a hot wing as Tommy began to piece it together. "Now, don't get me wrong here. I can't speak for Kim and tell you what she's going to do but if you do things right, I think that you just might have a chance at her still. If you do things right, that is."

"And just how do I go about doing things 'right?'" Tommy asked, actually using his fingers to make quotation marks. Leaning back in his chair, he took a sip from his glass, waiting in quiet anticipation for what Jason managed to come up with next.

"Kim appreciates honesty so, first and foremost, you have to go in there and admit you were wrong but you don't want the first things out of your mouth to be real serious," Jason explained. Though Tommy's demeanor and facial features didn't show it, he really was taking Jason's advice to heart. "If things get too serious, too fast, you'll more than likely just push her away. See if you can't get her to lighten up and just have a semi-normal conversation with you. If she's willing to talk regularly with you, than she's probably going to be willing to at least listen to what you have to say. After that, you're on your own."

"Okay. That all sounds well and good but if that's the case, why shouldn't I march down to Angel Grove and do it right now?" Tommy questioned, clinging to any hope that he could find a flaw in Jason's plan but so far there had been none. "How is doing it now going to be any different than if I was to wait for the reunion?"

Jason rolled his eyes. Just when he was finally starting to get through to him, Tommy's hardheadedness was coming back to bite him in the butt. Honestly, he didn't know why it would be any different, he just had a gut feeling that, if Tommy wanted to get back with Kim, then their home turf was probably the best place to try. However, he knew that wouldn't fly with Tommy. His friend would want a legitimate reason, something more concrete that would make him question his own beliefs.

That had always been the kicker with trying to get something important through to Tommy. He was so used to relying on himself to get by that he rarely listened to the input of his friends. But if you could find a reason, a good solid reason, as to why he was doing things wrong, it was like the walls just came down and he actually listened.

Now, it was up to Jason to find one of those reasons before Tommy completely bailed out on the idea of getting back with Kim. He knew far more than he was letting on. He knew that Kim missed Tommy, had missed him since Day One of their separation, but that she wasn't going to be the one to reach out to him to make things right.

She was firm in her belief that she had done nothing wrong in this case, unwilling to budge even an inch. It had kept her away from him for almost five years but it had also kept her pride intact. In her eyes, if she had given in and gone back to him like she had done the first time, it would have been like admitting fault. She didn't have a problem admitting when she was wrong--hell, she had already proven that once by making amends with Tommy before--but in this case, she wasn't wrong.

And Jason supported her fully on that. But that didn't change the fact that he knew just how much Kim really cared about Tommy and he refused to sit idly by while so much love still clearly existed between the pair. It took him a few moments of deep thought but eventually he came up with an answer that he believed Tommy might actually buy into.

"Because, knowing you, you'll alternate between a dozen plans of attack and that'd just be on the drive to Angel Grove. You'd make yourself go nuts just on the drive alone," Jason answered, looking to see if he was having any effect on Tommy. No reaction meant he'd have to press on. "By waiting until the reunion, you give yourself almost until the middle of June to figure out the right way to do things. You have to have a plan for this, man. You have to go in there knowing just how far you're really willing to go to get her back. If you do it too soon and without being prepared, you run the risk of screwing up and blowing it. You don't want that, do you?"

Jason knew it was a long shot, that testing Tommy's own self-confidence probably wasn't going to work. Tommy was full of self-confidence, probably enough for the both of them to share. Having confidence just came naturally to the one that every single person to ever don the spandex looked up to.

Retired from his last tenure in spandex for close to three years now, Tommy was still very active in the Ranger community. His hands had touched bits and pieces of every Earth-based Ranger team created in the present to ever follow him. In the background, he had helped Andrew Hartford create the Overdrive team and he had been the one to recommend Adam, Kira, Tori, and Bridge to the Sentinel Knight when the Overdrive team was out of commission. Whether anyone noticed it or not, Tommy had never actually gotten the retirement Dimitria had talked about when he had been forced to choose T.J. Johnson as his successor to the Red Turbo Powers.

Still, Jason reasoned, Tommy has never been very confident when it came to Kimberly. Maybe he'll actually realize that I'm trying to help him and actually listen to my advice for once. Probably not, but still…

Tommy seemed to roll the idea of waiting for the reunion back and forth in his head. On one hand, he didn't see why he should wait when it was just as easy to drive the two hours to Angel Grove and do it now. But on the other hand, Jason made a good point. The extra six months would give him plenty of time to sort things out in his head and make sure he went about getting her back the right way. He didn't want to risk screwing things up, especially if Jason still thought he had a real chance to make things right between he and Kim.

"The reunion it is, then," Tommy sighed, surprising both himself and Jason. Jason opened his mouth to reply but quickly snapped it shut, narrowing his eyebrows at Tommy as his lips curved into an almost-frown.

"Seriously?" he asked, unable to fully fathom that Tommy was actually listening to him for once.

"Yeah, you're right. I need some time to figure everything out," Tommy replied to Jason's absolute delight. "From what you said about your email with Trini, it sounds like Kim might still care about me, at least a little bit. I can't run the risk of rushing in there like a damn fool and ruining whatever small chance I think I might have of getting her to take me back."

"Unbelievable. Unbelievable," Jason muttered, smacking his palm to his forehead and shaking his head. "I have been trying to explain this to you for the last five years and you mean to tell me all it took was a pitcher of beer and some freaking hot wings?"

"Nah. I think it's the girls," Tommy commented, pointing to the waitresses all throughout his local Hooter's. "Kim wore that outfit to a Halloween party either our junior or senior year of college. Even with her less than huge boobs, I've never seen a woman look sexier in a Hooter's uniform than Kim did that night."

"Okay, okay, too much information," Jason replied, waving his hands animatedly. "I really don't want to hear about my two best friends who are practically my brother and sister, doing the nasty."

"Oh contraire, my friend. We weren't even together then so that was before we did the nasty," Tommy chuckled, watching as the color practically drained from Jason's face at the mere thought of it. "I seriously think she knew that that costume would get a rise out of me and wore it just to tease me."

"Yep. That sounds like the Kim I know," Jason supplied as they both started to laugh just thinking about the tiny woman that they had both dubbed their 'little pink fireball' for no reason other than to piss her off.

"I'm gonna get her back," Tommy said suddenly, the determination in his voice catching Jason off guard. "No bullshit this time, man. Right here, right now, I'm telling you that I'm going to do whatever I have to do to get her back."

Tommy slammed his fist down hard on the table, shaking it and garnering a few stares from the other patrons of the restaurant but he paid them no mind. He was far too excited about the prospect of having Kimberly back in his life to care what they thought about him. For him, five years had been far too long to go without Kim in his life. Now that he believed he could get her back, he felt happier than he had in years.

She was a part of him that he had twice tried to let go of without success but he hadn't realized how important she truly was to him back then. He understood, now, that Kim was someone, one of those people everyone has in their lives, that they just can't live without.

Jason could see a look of determination in his eyes, determination that he hadn't seen from Tommy in a very, very long time. In his heart, he knew that they both desperately needed each other but Tommy and Kim were both very stubborn people. By some miracle, he had gotten Tommy to shed his stubborn exterior and things were actually starting to look up for them. It gave him hope that maybe, with a little bit of luck, things would all work out for his two best friends after all.

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Long into the night, after Jason had retired to the guest bedroom to pack his things and get a few hours of sleep before he had to drive home in the morning, Tommy sat in his basement amidst countless amounts of Ranger archives. There were boxes from each team represented by team logos tucked against every wall and arranged in chronological order. At his feet rested an open container, the lighting bolt on its side delegating it as part of the Morphin' Era. However, the pink marks Tommy had made on the top with a highlighter reminded him that it was much more than that.

Aside from the photo of a younger Kim and Tommy at the state fair during their second go which he kept locked in his desk at Reefside High School, every memento he had of his relationship with Kim was in this box and another just like it. This was the place he would come when he wanted to remember what it had been like when he and Kim were still together; when everything had been so much easier.

One particular picture caught his eye and made him do a double take. They were at a Dodgers game in L.A. just a few months after getting back together. They were in their seats, heads pressed together, and both were smiling brightly. Tommy, a lifetime Dodgers fan, had his pair pulled back in a tight ponytail sticking out the back of cap while Kim had done the same thing only with a San Diego Padres hat instead. His face was still completely clean shaven, boyish even, and it surprised him just how much older he had gotten both physically and emotionally in the last five years.

Looking at the picture, it made him give cautious wonder to whether or not Kim still had a place in her life for the new Tommy. He wasn't the same person he had been the last time they had been together. How he had gone from being so excited a few hours earlier to outright questioning himself now, was beyond him. He had the sudden urge for information and once that happened, nothing stopped him from getting it.

Nothing except Jason, that is. His words at the restaurant still were playing back in Tommy's mind. He didn't want to mess things up, that much was certain but perhaps he could…test the waters a little bit, reach out to Kim in a more subtle way, she how she responds, and then go from there.

Without giving it a second thought, he reached into his pocket and pulled out his cell phone. He opened up a blank text message screen and let out a small groan. Text messages were by no means his favorite way of communication. They felt impersonal to him but that was what he was going for with this. He wasn't trying to put himself completely out there, not just yet, anyways.

Hey, Beautiful, he typed then backtracked and deleted the 'Beautiful' part. Long time no talk. Just wanted to see how you were doing. Hope you're doing good.-Tommy.

He tossed his phone on his desk and started to go back through the box of memories. A few minutes later, the sound of his phone vibrating made him jump from his seat and knock the box over, spilling everything all over the floor.

"Shit," he grumbled, lifting his legs so as not to step on anything as he spun around in his chair to retrieve his cell phone. He flipped it open, his heart going faster than it had ever gone before, and saw that Kim had sent him a reply.

Hey! Wasn't expecting to hear from u :-) I'm good, tired tho. Just got home from work. Looooong day. U going to the reunion?

Was he going to the reunion? That was indeed the million dollar question that Tommy was still trying to find an answer to. At Hooter's, Jason had all but convinced him of going then he had started having second thoughts.

I don't know. Haven't decided yet, Tommy typed back. Jason said Kim appreciated honesty so he was being honest with her. He thought about just sending that but decided to add something and fish a little deeper. Why? Are you planning on going?

Tommy went back to cleaning up his mess but a reply came almost instantly. He mused that Kim must not really be that tired if she could answer him that quickly. Instead, he was surprised to see that his newest text message wasn't from Kim but from Jason which made him frown curiously.

Kim texted me saying you texted her and then told me not to say anything to you. Just wanted to say you're an idiot.

Love you too, Tommy replied, sending it to Jason with an eye roll just as a new message from Kim arrived.

Probably. Aisha & Trini are really harping on me 2 go. W/them, I'll end up getting sucked in2 it 1 way or another so it's probably good if I just go peacefully.

Tommy chuckled to himself, knowing that it was more than good for Kim's sake to not put up a fuss to her yellow counterparts. Seeing as how he had fought with the more fierce of the yellows in Trini, Aisha, Tanya, and Kira, Tommy knew better than to argue with them when they had their mind set on something. Hell, they were probably worse than he was when it came to giving into someone.

Yeah, you're probably right. Haha. So what do you think? Should I go to the reunion? Think there will be anyone there worth seeing?…

It took Tommy a few minutes to get all the pictures cleaned up and put back in the box. They were all over the floor and by the time he had gotten everything put away, his phone vibrated again and he snatched it off his desk with catlike quickness, grabbing it and opening it in one fluid motion.

That depends on who u want 2 see, doesn't it…

Tommy smirked to himself. At the very least, he had Kim engaged in conversation which was nothing if not a good start for where he wanted things to go eventually. Just the fact that Kim was communicating with him firmed it up for him that he was going to go to the reunion. He just wasn't going to tell her that, quite yet.

Touche, Ms. Hart. What if I said that I wanted to see you?

No noises came from his phone for close to fifteen minutes. In that time, he had logged onto the reunion website and electronically confirmed his attendance for the event in June. When he realized that it had been almost twenty minutes and Kim hadn't replied, he started to wonder if he had possibly crossed the line but he breathed a sigh of relief when he got another message from Kim a few minutes later.

Sorry, I was taking a shower…Tommy's stopped reading as his lips curled up thinking about the many showers he and Kim had taken together. Whether he realized it or not, Kim was playing right along with him and he was loving every minute of it as he read further. Guess if u want 2 see me, you'll just have 2 come 2 the reunion, won't u?

Guess so…he replied, only having to wait a couple minutes this time before Kim's reply came through.

So, I'll see u in June then?

Tommy nodded to himself, as if confirming his attendance to someone else in the room. He still was having a hard time believing that Kim was willing to have a conversation with him. Even if they were only sending text messages back and forth, in his eyes it was better than having no contact with her at all. He'd had enough of that for the past five years to last him an Eltarian lifetime.

I'll go if you go and promise to save me a dance.

He really hoped he wasn't pushing the boundaries. He knew he was probably getting carried away but once he got his heart set on something, controlling himself was never a very easy task. That's what he had Jason for. Jason knew how to keep him under control better than anyone else he knew except for Kim. The next text message he got would also be the last but the first word of it gave him hope, something he was looking for anywhere that he could find it at this point.

Deal…but listen I'm really tired & I have another long day 2morrow thats gonna kick my ass so we're gonna have 2 continue this some other time. Nite Tommy.

He didn't know if she was ending their conversation because of the direction it was heading or because she was legitimately tired. The truth of the matter was that he simply didn't care either way. That little bit of interaction between them had been a small step, a tiny little victory, in bridging the gap that he had so forcibly, carelessly, foolishly, stupidly, idiotically--and a bunch of other negative adjectives that he couldn't quite think of at the moment--managed to drive between them.

With a smile on his face, he sent her a simple text of Goodnight. Sleep well :-) in reply, put the boxes back against the wall, and found himself lying in his bed, drifting off to sleep and feeling truly happy for the first time in as long as he could remember.

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Time had flown by faster than she imagined was possible. It seemed like only a few days prior when Tommy had so randomly text messaged her and now it was the day of the reunion. To say she hadn't been expecting his out-of-the-blue correspondence would be a vast understatement. Having Tommy reach out to her had been like the shock of the century, something she never thought he would do.

She had to admit, it had been a nice surprise and they had stayed in contact ever since. Through email, text messages, and the occasional phone call, their friendship had slowly rebuilt itself to the point where Tommy had felt comfortable enough sending her flowers and a card on her birthday.

The two dozen pink carnations sat in a vase in her living room until they started to wilt and she had been forced to throw them out. She had surprised herself by shedding a few tears when she tossed them into her trash can. By no means was she back together with Tommy but that didn't stop her from cherishing them nonetheless. The flowers were just a nice, simple gesture that she happened to have truly appreciated.

It wasn't easy for her to understand why they had been talking for just about six months and lived in such close proximity to one another, yet they still hadn't seen each other at all in that time. Hard as it was on her pride, she was beginning to realize just how much she missed Tommy having a more active role in her life. For all his faults, she knew Tommy was really a good man, one who had loved her more than any other man she had ever been with.

Part of her wished that she hadn't been so adamant about them not getting married. She just didn't like being pressured into something she didn't feel comfortable doing. That was a big part of the reason why she had moved back to Angel Grove after the Pan Global Games.

The demand of being a high-profile gymnast was too much for her to deal with. Kim was too much of a free spirit to put up with always being told where she had to go, when she had to be there, what she could and couldn't eat. To her credit, though, she had kept it bottled up inside and put on a smile for the duration of the Games but after that, she just up and quit one day, surprising everyone she knew in Florida by leaving the state and vowing never to look back.

Moving back to Angel Grove, much to her surprise and delight, had been nothing short of an absolute blessing for her. Most of the old gang had either stuck around, like Rocky and Adam who had opened a dojo together, or moved back like Jason, Trini, and Zack who were all taking classes at Angel Grove University. Aisha was still in Africa and Billy on Aquitar but, for the most part, they were all together again and that included Tommy.

When she had left Tommy for the second time, she hadn't truly believed that it was actually over between them. For the longest time, she held onto the hope that he would simply realize he had been wrong and come back to apologize so they could just bury the hatchet and move on. She would have forgiven him in a heartbeat, was prepared to, too, and still would have for a long time after the fact if it hadn't taken him five years to put aside his foolish pride and just reach out to her.

Five years seemed like a long time to put behind you in hopes of moving forward. A lot of time had passed for them and neither was the same person they had been in college and the few months they had spent together after graduation. Tommy dug up dinosaur bones and taught high school kids, now. She was having a hard time envisioning herself fitting into the world of this new Tommy as more than just a friend.

Who are you trying to kid, Kim? He's always had a place for you in his life, she silently chided herself. When you came back from Florida and made him talk about the breakup, he forgave you and found a place for you in his life even though you were both going in different directions.

That wasn't entirely true. It had taken Tommy a little while to completely forgive her and allow her access to his life, again. Still, he eventually let his guard down and letting Kim jump back into his world had been one of his best decisions, both on and off the battlefield.

Hell, Kim. Not only did he let you back in as a friend but he even fell in love with you again. You know he's always loved you. You guys were just looking for different things at different times. What is it that you're always telling Aisha and Trini? I'm ready for serious? Well, girlfriend, here's your chance at serious right now. You just have to be willing to let bygones be bygones if Tommy's willing to step up and admit that he was wrong.

Sitting behind the wheel of her vintage '67 Mustang, white with pink racing stripes and a PNKCRN vanity plate to boot, Kim gazed out the window, eyes locked on the Angel Grove Marriott where, inside, her ten-year high school reunion was taking place. It wasn't that she didn't want to go in and see her friends, including Tommy, because she did. The fact of the matter was that she didn't really feel like she belonged in this place.

She hadn't graduated from Angel Grove High School in the typical sense of graduation. She hadn't been there with Adam, Rocky, Tanya, and Katherine to receive her diploma. Instead, just like Jason and Tommy, she petitioned to graduate absentia. Jason and Tommy were granted permission almost immediately; Jason because he had spent a good part of his senior year at AGHS and Tommy because he had never really left the school. He had gotten all his credits taken care of at AGHS but needed to graduate in absentia in order to race for his uncle.

It took a lot of pressing, both from her and her mom but eventually Principal Caplan and the district superintendent gave in. They agreed that her three years at AGHS and devotion to the school through the likes of clubs and other extra-curricula was enough to get her name on an official AGHS diploma even though her last year of high school had been with a private tutor at the gymnastics training facility where she lived in Florida.

For the better part of twenty minutes she had been sitting in her car, debating on whether or not she should go inside. She had just decided that she was going to turn around and go home--consequences with Tommy be damned!--and had her key halfway in the ignition when she heard a tapping on the driver's side window. Scared to pieces, she jumped out of her seat and hit her head on the ceiling.

Rubbing her head, she looked out the window and saw the last two people that she was expecting to see. Seeing Bulk and Skull standing outside her car, looking at her with concern actually put a smile on her face. It also made her think twice about going home. Dropping her keys in her purse, she signaled for the dynamic duo to back up so he could get out. They gave her just enough space to get out comfortably and when she did, she threw her arms into the air and let out a high-pitched giggle like they had seen her do so many times in the past whenever she got excited.

But Farkas Bulkmeier was not prepared for the five-foot-two, one-hundred-and-five pound frame of Kimberly Hart to launch herself at him. He managed to catch her in something of a half-hug but only after having to stagger back a few feet and bumping into another car while doing it.

"Bulk, I never thought I'd hear myself say it, but it is so good to see you," Kimberly gushed, much to Bulk's embarrassment. His neck was red as she patted him on the shoulder and looked at Skull whose legs were shaking so much he felt like he was in severe danger of wetting himself if Kim got any closer. That wasn't going to stop her, though. She threw her arms around the neck of Eugene Skullovitch and gave him a tight squeeze. "And Skull. It's great to see you, too."

"Haha, you hear that Bulky?" Skull asked nervously, his right eye twitching every few seconds. Kim simply smiled at the embarrassed pair. They were just like she remembered them in high school. Both tried to play the stereotypical bully but where they failed was that they were both softies at heart and she knew that. "She said it was great to see me but only good to see you. That means she likes me more."

"Yeah, dimwit, but she came to me first and with the most excitement," Bulk snapped, glaring at his longtime partner in crime who looked pissed and ready to fight over who Kim actually liked more. "That means that she likes me more than she likesyou."

Skull started to formulate a reply but Kim cut him off before he could go any further. She didn't need to be stuck in the middle of a Bulk and Skull fight when she was trying to consider whether or not there was a serious place for her in Tommy's life. He had to know that she wasn't going to play second fiddle to him, that he wasn't going to be making any decisions about their future without talking to her first. If she got trapped between Bulk and Skull it was going to make the rest of the night a lot harder so she decided to squash the whole thing before it could manage to get started.

"No, it doesn't. It's great to see both of you," Kim interjected, looking from Skull to Bulk and smiling at both of them. "Now, what do you say you two boys kiss and make-up and then escort me into the party."

Both Bulk and Skull lowered their eyes like they were afraid to look at one another. They both turned in unison to look at Kim but she just stood there with her hands on her hips, her face telling them that defiance would not be tolerated. Defeated, it was Skull who decided to make the first move.

"I'm sorry, Bulky," Skull muttered.

"I'm sorry too, Skull," Bulk replied softly.

"There, now that wasn't so hard, was it?" Kim asked. Twirling around to face the hotel, she offered each one of her arms. After a few moments of nothing happening, she turned around to look at them and saw that they were just standing there in dumbfounded shock. "What are you two doing? I said I wanted you to escort me into the party not stand around looking like you've been turned into monkeys or something."

"Duh…duh…duh," Skull sputtered, pointing a finger at Kim.

"You know about that?" Bulk asked in disbelief.

"Know about what?" Kim questioned, growing less and less patient with the duo by the moment. She was starting to remember why she had had such a hard time being friendly to them in high school.

"Tommy said he and the other Rangers were the only ones that knew," Bulk started. "That must mean that you were a Power Ranger, too!"

"Woah, woah, woah! Slow down a minute there, Bulk!" Kim replied, waving her hands in the air dramatically. "First off, I don't know what you're talking about. I was never a Power Ranger. Second off, Tommy said what!?"

She didn't even care about the whole Bulk and Skull being turned into monkeys thing, anymore. Now she wanted to know why Tommy would have even thought about revealing his identity as a Ranger to anyone, but especially why he would do it to Bulk and Skull. Then she remembered something he had said from their high school days and Bulk's reply no longer mattered. She still listened to it but it was irrelevant.

"Uhh…well, you see, in our more, uh, troublesome days, Skull and I went exploring in the outskirts of town. We had heard that was where the Power Ranger's base was at. It was after the Turbo team went into space so, since there was no real team on Earth, we decided to go look for the base," Bulk explained, nervously twiddling his thumbs. "I don't know how we did it but we got in. We found everything on the Zeo Rangers and both Turbo teams but we couldn't find anything on the original team."

"We took it to Tommy and he didn't deny it," Skull jumped in. "He admitted he had been a Ranger since moving to Angel Grove but wouldn't tell us who his teammates were on the first team. He told us to think about who he hung out with and form our own opinions."

"Yeah, and now that I think about it," Bulk started, pointing an accusatory finger at Kimberly. "You spent quite a bit of time around Tommy, Jason, Rocky, and Adam, and they were all Rangers. I think you're holding out on us Kimberly. I think you were the first Yellow Ranger and you just don't want to admit."

"Dammit, Bulk, I was not a yellow!" she growled, reaching out and grabbing him by his shirt collar. "I was born a pink and I will die a pink." Her tiny little body was furious at being called a yellow but little did she know that she had played perfectly into Bulk's hand. He had baited her and she had gone for it eagerly.

"I know. I just wanted you to admit it," Bulk replied, chuckling as Kim's shoulders sagged in defeat, realizing what had just transpired. She looked ready to cry and Bulk immediately felt bad. He walked over to where she was standing with her head down and laid a hand on her shoulder. It was an uncanny gesture of kindness people rarely saw from Bulk and it did not go unnoticed. "I'm sorry, Kim. I wasn't trying to make you upset. Look, if it's any consolation, Skull and I have kept this secret for a long time. Tommy even bought Bulkmeier's for us to run since we kept our mouths shut for so long. I promise, no one will ever hear your secret from either of us. Right, Skull?"

Kim raised her eyes and looked at Skull who nodded sheepishly. Skull had always had a crush on her and, even though she never told Tommy, she found Skull kinda cute in his own weird way. Not cute enough to leave Tommy for, but still cute nonetheless.

"Right," Skull confirmed. "Not one peep out of me."

"Thank you both," Kim sighed in relief. "But it doesn't really surprise me that much that it was you two, of all people, that managed to break into the Power Chamber."

"Why is that?" Bulk asked.

"Well, you can't tell Tommy I told you this but, when we were younger, he always said that if anyone ever found out who we were he'd want it to be either you guys or Ernie," Kim replied, smiling at the looks of puzzlement on the faces of Bulk and Skull. "Ernie because he was always so understanding when we were always running off with half-eaten food and unpaid bills, and you guys because you just tried so damn hard to find out who we were. Even when, on the rare occasion one of your schemes worked and you found your way to us, you never believed me and the others could actually be the Power Rangers. You guys have no idea how funny it was for us to watch you go on all these wild goose chases and always come up empty-handed."

Kim stood there waiting for one of them to say something but neither spoke. Their eyes simply went wide and their mouths fell open for no apparent reason. She was just about to ask what was wrong with them when she felt a firm pair of hands fall on her shoulders. She didn't even have to look up.

"Kind of ironic, isn't it?" Jason asked, smiling down at Kimberly who instantly spun around and threw her arms around her big brother.

"What's ironic?" she asked after breaking the hug.

"That they went on all those wild goose chases and never found anything then they go out on one last chase and find out almost all of our secrets," Jason supplied, winking at Bulk and Skull. He had never really been a fan of the pair in high school but Tommy had vouched for them after they found out, and he quickly realized that the new Bulk and Skull were a lot easier to get along with than their younger selves had been.

"So, uh, we going in or what?" Skull questioned, looking to Kim and Jason to decide his fate. Jason couldn't help but smile when he noticed Skull held his look to Kim for just a few seconds longer than he looked at him. At that moment, he knew Kim could have told Skull to jump into the lake, naked, and he would have.

"What do you think, Kim?" Jason asked, his eyes twinkling like he knew something that she wasn't made privy to. She didn't like that, knowing that he and Tommy had probably talked about their relationship at length and, most likely, had done so on more than just a singular occasion.

"I don't know. We might as well," Kim shrugged, then stepped closer so that only Jason could hear her. "I know that you and Tommy have talked about me and I just want you to know that I don't appreciate it one bit."

"Kim, of course I talked to Tommy. He's my best friend," Jason admitted without hesitation. He had nothing to hide from her. "I was staying in Reefside for a couple days on business, looking for a new location to expand my dojo. It just so happened that Tommy happened to be deciding on whether or not to come here that same night. I may have given him advice and I may have talked to him about you, but make no mistake about it, Little Miss Attitude, I always, always, had your back. I was the one who convinced him that he had been an asshole and that he needed to try and make things right with you so don't come at me all up on your high horse when you don't even know half of the facts."

His voice had gotten exponentially louder as his anger level increased, enough to the point where Bulk and Skull had been able to catch a few things he said. They had heard just enough to know that Kim and Jason were most likely talking about her strained relationship with Tommy. Judging by the tears slowly forming in her eyes, they were pretty sure that they were correct in their assumptions.

"You're right. I'm sorry, Jason. I shouldn't have snapped at you like that," Kim whispered sincerely, giving Jason her best puppy dog eyes until she got him to break down and smile at her. She willingly stepped into his offered embrace and all was forgiven. "Is he in there? I know we're going to have to talk and I'd kinda like to get it over with sooner rather than later."

"Yeah. He's inside. Been talking about seeing you since he got here," Jason answered to Kim's delight. "He's really sorry, Kim, and, as a close but impartial friend to both of the parties involved, I really think you should consider taking him back. The poor guy is practically lost without you."

"It's been five years, Jase. As much as I'd like it to be that simple, it just isn't," Kim replied. Jason didn't buy it though. Her eyes practically lit up when he said that Tommy was waiting for her. He knew how they felt about each other. He'd been saying it since the day they met each other that it was just a matter of them actually being willing to put aside their pride and admit to their feelings. "There's a lot of history between us, history that can't just be looked over or erased."

"I don't see why not. He took you back after what you did to him," Jason supplied, noting the small look of defeat on Kim's face. Every button that could be pushed with Kim, he knew about and was willing to push, for her sake and for Tommy's. "Why can't you just admit that you still love him? I don't get you sometimes, Kim. Five years apart shouldn't matter to you when you never stopped loving him in the first place."

"It's just…" Kim paused, chewing on her bottom lip. "It's just not that easy. Seeing as how you've never had your heart broken by someone you love, I don't really expect you to understand."

"Never had my heart broken? Never had my heart broken!? You don't think it tears me up inside every time Katherine and I split up and I go weeks without seeing her or hearing from her!?" Jason's voice rose.

His face turned beet red and his nostrils started to flare just enough to give Kim a half-decent scare. He looked at Bulk and Skull, and didn't even care that they could hear every word he was saying. After finally convincing Tommy to try, he didn't have the physical or emotional strength to do the same thing with Kim, too.

"It kills me, Kim! It's tearing me up piece by piece but I can't talk to anyone about it because I've been stuck in between you and Tommy for so long that I don't even know which relationship I'm actually fucking in! But right now, I don't even give a damned shit about me! All I care about is the fact that Tommy's inside waiting to talk to you, and has been talking about this day non-stop for months! He's willing to do whatever it takes to get you back but for whatever reason, you just don't seem to care!" Jason shouted, then turned around and started to storm off.

Kim watched him go, shaking at the knees, and actually jumped back a step when he stopped and spun around to face her. He was glaring daggers at her that reminded her eerily of Murianthis and being sacrificed with Jason into Maligore's pit. For just a fleeting moment, she could see Jason pinning Tommy down, choking the life out of him, and trying to force him into the pit.

Now,I'm the one with the muscles and the power, Jason had growled, letting out on his most pent up frustrations with his best friend. Even then, in her evil state of mind at the time, Kim had still feared for Tommy's life; she had just been too possessed to act on her emotions. Tommy never quit on her that day, and though neither Lerigot or Zordon ever confirmed it, she was pretty sure the love he still had for her played a big role in helping her to break free from Maligore's hold over her.

Jason started to speak but stopped. He didn't want to yell anymore. Closing his eyes, he used an old meditation trick Tommy had taught him after learning it from Sensei Watanabe of the Wind Ninja Academy. It helped to calm his nerves, just enough to where he could get in one calm reply before losing his cool again.

"You need to figure yourself out, Kim," he said as calmly as he could muster. "You need to figure yourself out, and you need to do it fast before both of you lose the best thing that ever happened to either one of your stubborn, self-righteous, asses."

With that, Jason spun on his heels and headed back towards the hotel, leaving Kim alone with tears in her eyes and a rather dumbfounded Bulk and Skull. She took one look at them, saw them standing in the shadows, shaking and clinging to each other, and realized they were a lost cause. Letting out a sigh of defeat, she too turned and started to walk in the direction that Jason had gone.

She made her way towards the hotel lobby, not knowing what it was that she was going to do once she was finally face-to-face with Tommy. One thing she did know, though, was that Jason was right. Tommy really was the best thing that had ever happened to her. She needed to figure out, in the time it took to get inside and get all checked in, whether or not she was willing to live without him.

The mere thought of her life without Tommy in it made her heart ache. Those five years had been a long time but her most recent contact with him made her remember why she had always loved him so much. It seemed like at least three or four days a week he would send her text messages in the morning just to wish her a good day at work. No other guy had ever done that for her before. No other guy sent her flowers on her birthday, either. Not even Jason.

Only a sigh escaped her lips as she stepped up to the registration desk to check in. The blonde at the desk, a woman Kim didn't recognize, asked her name and Kim gave it to her. She used the time it took for the woman to find her name and make her name tag to scope out the area and see if she recognized anyone. When she was finally asked to sign her name on the registrar, she had only spotted a few people she knew but no one of any importance.

She watched as most people flocked towards the ballroom where the dance floor obviously was and, she assumed and hoped, the bar as well. After her little run-in with Jason, she needed a stiff drink to help calm her nerves if she was expected to face Tommy. With her nametag stuck to her pink halter top, she took a deep breath, and started following the crowd into the ballroom. What she found was, well, surprising…

The whole inside of the ballroom was decorated just like the gymnasium at AGHS had been for Senior Prom. She hadn't been there and had only seen it from a few of the photos Tommy had shown her. The walls were adorned with banners that read "Heaven in '97" and "Ain't It Great To Not Be '98?" It wasn't lost on her that those banners happened to be white and pink, the chosen colors for the event. Tommy had moved on to red at that point but seeing those two colors together still made her heart flutter.

Noticing the giant sized yearbook with the Zeo Rangers on the cover made her remember that the theme of the Senior Ball was Power Rangers Masquerade where everyone was encouraged to wear the mask of their favorite Ranger. In one of the pictures Tommy had shown her, he wore a plastic mask of the original Pink Ranger and Katherine had worn a Zeo Five one.

Why did you wear the Morphin' mask? Why not wear a Zeo One mask, instead? Kim had asked him upon seeing the picture. Tommy had been with Kat then and Kim was interested into why he had made that particular choice in costume.

Because, even though I was with Katherine, a big part of me at that time was still wishing that I was with you. I lied and told her the costume store didn't have any Zeo One masks in my size so I got the next best thing instead. Even when Katherine wore the Morphin' suit, I always looked at her and saw you in it. I guess, in some weird way, wearing the pink Morphin' mask was me trying to find a way to still stay connected with you.

"Why do you have to make this so damn hard on me, Tommy?" Kim asked to no one in particular, staring up at the larger-than-life Zeo Five on the even bigger Papier-mâché

yearbook.

With every ounce of energy in her body, she wanted to believe in giving it another shot with Tommy. Her heart was telling her to stop being an idiot and go for it, but her brain was trying to reason with her, remind her of how bad it had been the last two times things had gone sour between them. They ended up spending years apart because of it and, after going through it twice, she didn't know if she could honestly deal with it if they were to get back together only to break up again.

He's willing to do whatever it takes to get you back but for some reason, you just don't seem to care!

Jason's words shook her to the core. Of course, she cared! Part of the reason this was so hard for her was because she trusted Jason when he told her that Tommy still cared for her. From the sound of it, Tommy really wanted to give them another shot. She just couldn't bear the thought of going years without speaking to him again if they decided to give it another go and things didn't work out.

She loved Tommy and, even in his absence, had never stopped loving Tommy. That much she was certain of. But love was supposed to get people through anything and, so far, their love for each other had given them just as many, if not more, bad years than good years.

But what if the old saying held true? What if the third time actually was the charm? What if they got back together and everything all worked out? Could she really pass up on all of those potential years of happiness just because she was too afraid to try?

If Kim was nothing else, she was, and would always be, a risk taker. She had taken a risk by becoming a Power Ranger, by moving to Florida, by breaking up with Tommy, by coming home, by getting back together with Tommy, by breaking up with him again. Her life had practically been defined by taking risks!

So there she was, a twenty-eight year old woman who had saved the world more times than she cared to count; who had braved the spotlight of international gymnastics only to walk away from fame to be with the people that truly mattered to her, and now she was afraid. She was afraid to take a risk even though she had lived her whole life throwing caution to the wind.

Thank the Great Power that she had already started on her second margarita when she saw him for the first time from across the ballroom. He was standing off in a corner of the room, play fighting with Adam and Rocky. She didn't get a good look at him but she saw enough to notice that his face was clean shaven and his hair was in a tiny ponytail. It wasn't nearly as long as it had been in in high school but his current appearance was a far cry from the pictures Jason had shown her from his trip to Six Flags with Adam, Tommy, and Rocky the year before.

The moment she saw him was when it finally started to become clear to her just how serious Jason had been when he had told her that Tommy was willing to do whatever it took to get her back. She knew for a fact that Tommy liked his soul patch and spiked hair. Apparently, Jason had accidentally let it slip to Tommy that she preferred his old look to the new one.

Speaking of Jason, Kim thought to herself as her eyes wandered across the spacious room to where Jason was having a pretty animated conversation with Katherine. She watched on in horror as her oldest friend was rapidly garnering the attention of everyone in the room. She could tell it was bad when Jason didn't even look at the people watching him.

To her credit, Katherine was remaining pretty calm, and was trying to help Jason in doing the same thing. She thought about going over there to aid her sister in pink only to change her mind when she saw Jason flailing his arms in the air. However, when Tommy suddenly appeared out of nowhere and planted himself firmly in between Jason and Katherine, she decided to creep close enough to hear what was being said.

The smile that formed on her lips was unavoidable as she watched her White Knight jump into the heat of battle, just like he had done so many times before. She shifted nervously for a moment when Tommy looked in her direction. She thought she had been spotted but he quickly put his eyes back on Jason and she let out a sigh of relief.

"Bro! Bro!" Tommy shouted, trying to grab hold of Jason's shirt to stop his pacing.

Jason went back and forth, back and forth, right in front of Tommy's face, shaking him off every time he tried to stop him. Eventually, Tommy got bored playing around with him and dove at Jason, tackling him to the ground. From there, they proceeded to wrestle each other onto the dance floor, rolling around in circles as each tried to gain the upper hand.

At this point, Kim didn't know whether to be amused or horrified so she decided to be a little bit of both. She smiled and laughed on the outside but cringed on the inside to make up for her joyous exterior. Their impromptu wrestling match finally came to a close after they barreled into a couple on the dance floor, knocking them over, and setting off a chain reaction which ended with five other couples being taken to the ground, and Tommy seated on Jason's chest pinning Jason's arms to the ground despite his struggles.

"What in the hell is going on with you, Jason!?" Tommy roared, oblivious to the crowd around him.

"You wanna know what's going on!? You wanna know what makes little Jason tick!? Huh!? Do ya!?" Jason shouted back, forcing himself out of Tommy's grasp, and onto his feet. "I'll tell you what's going on!" Tommy sighed and rolled his eyes, pushing himself off the ground and following Jason to where Katherine was standing near a wall. Veins popping out of his neck, Jason looked at Kat, pointed a finger at her, and then looked back at Tommy. "You wanna know what's wrong!? I just asked Kat to marry me!"

"Ouch," Tommy muttered, wincing inwardly as he rubbed the back of his neck. He knew all too well how that kind of rejection felt, how much it had hurt when Kim hadn't given in. "I, uh, I take it she said no."

"No! She said yes!" Jason bellowed, leaving Tommy frozen where he stood with his mouth hanging wide open. Slowly, Tommy managed to work himself into a normal position again but found himself scratching his head in wonder and disbelief.

"If she said yes, then why are you shouting?" Tommy asked calmly.

"Because she wasn't supposed to say yes! All this stupid shit with you and Kim has pushed me beyond my limit and I was prepared to have a major blow up when she said no but she said yes and now I don't know how I'm supposed to freaking react!" Jason yelled.

Tommy froze again, staring at Jason in bewilderment for a few moments. He caught Kim's nervous glare out of the corner of his eye, saw her blushing, and then suddenly started to laugh louder and with more heart behind it than he had done in recent memory.

"Bro, I'm sorry, but do you have any idea how retarded that sounds?" Tommy managed to gasp in between laughs. Jason looked at Tommy for a few moments, shaking his head at his friend's reaction but Tommy's laughter was apparently infectious. Pretty soon, Jason was roaring with laughter and, before they knew what had happened, the whole gym had practically turned into a giant laugh track.

Even Kim and Katherine were having a hard time containing their laughter at this point and, soon enough, they too gave in and joined the majority of the people around them. When the laughter finally subsided, Kim suddenly had the urge to grab Tommy and drag him outside to talk. Unfortunately, he had apparently used the sudden uproar as a way to disappear without being noticed.

It was only sheer luck that she happened to look towards the exit to the balcony just as a short ponytail disappeared out the door. Wearing a look of fierce determination, she marched over to the bar, ordering herself another margarita and a Heineken for Tommy. She was all hot to trot and ready for her confrontation with Tommy until she got out on the deck and actually saw him up close.

He was leaned out over a wooden banister, staring down at the beach with his back turned to her, but he still appeared more intimidating than she remembered him. Tommy had always had a good body but seeing him for the first time in five years, he now gave new meaning to the word imposing. His black polo shirt clung to every single one of his upper body muscles in a fashion that made Kim actually have to wipe a strand of drool away from her chin. That was when she looked around for the first time and saw that, outside of herself and Tommy, the balcony area was completely void of life.

She continued to watch him for quite some time, simply marveling in how his presence and appearance could be so casual yet command so much respect at the same time. It took most people only one look at Tommy to learn that messing with him would be the equivalent of bringing a knife to a gun fight. But, to Kim's dismay and, later, her amusement, Tommy's shoulders started to deflate as if the life was just being sucked out of him only for him to take a deep breath and suck it all back in.

"Are you just gonna stand there and let my beer get warm or are you gonna come over here and talk to me like you've been trying to force yourself to do all night?" Tommy asked without bothering to turn around.

Surprisingly, Kim found herself grinning at him. He always had a way of knowing when Kim was around but it was something he could never fully explain. It was like he could just feel it coursing through his bones whenever she was close to him.

"How did you know it was me?" Kim asked, slowly walking towards him.

"I only know two people can come through a door that quietly. You and Katherine," Tommy replied, looking down at her as she stood next to him. "Seeing as how Katherine just went through what has to be the most ridiculous marriage proposal in all of mankind and is probably going to need therapy when this night is all said and done, I just figured it wasn't her and that leaves you, my little pink fireball."

Kim stuck her tongue out at the nickname, laughing when Tommy clutched at his heart in mock offense. Smiling at him, she passed his beer across the banister to him. He nodded politely, lifting the beer to his lips and taking a drink.

"Thanks for the beer," he muttered.

"No problem," Kim murmured back to him.

Instantly, it got quiet and she began noticing what seemed to her as coldness settling in between them and she didn't like it. She didn't like that she was standing so close to him yet they weren't touching. She felt like she should have been tucked away safely under Tommy's arm instead of having him just stand there like they barely even knew each other.

You might have to force the issue on this one, Hart. Even after all these years, you can still read him like a damn book. One look in his eyes tell you that he wants to say it but that he just doesn't know how. Just give him a little kick in the pants to get his gears in motion.

"Jason said you wanted to talk to me," Kim said in a near whisper, nervously twisting her hair around her fingers. She silently hoped that that was enough to get Tommy talking to her because, for as much as she wanted him to do it, she wasn't going to pressure him into it, either. It had to come from him, not her influence.

"Mmhmm," Tommy replied, looking out towards the horizon. "Funny thing is, Jason also happened to have told me that you weren't too keen on what it was that I wanted to talk to you about."

"He said that?" Kim asked, biting her bottom lip and, at the same time, reminding herself to give Jason a swift kick in the ass for sticking his nose in places that it didn't belong. She loved Jason like a brother but he had the distinct tendency to get himself involved in places she didn't think he needed to be in; like her and Tommy's relationship…or lack thereof.

"Yep," Tommy answered simply.

They fell silent for a few moments as Tommy continued to look to the waterfront, mesmerized by the way the Moon glistened on the waves of Angel Grove Lake. Kim looked at him, hopeful that he would say something but for the longest time, he didn't speak. She was on the verge of throwing in the towel when Tommy looked at her and gave her the one smile in the world that she was powerless to resist.

His smile now was not a smile like she had seen on him earlier on in the night. Those smiles had all seemed forced but this one…this one took Kim back to being a teenager when her dates with Tommy could be as simple as a quiet walk along the very beach that they were looking down at. It was boyish in nature and so very much reminded Kim of their younger days when all they had known was that they loved each other and that was all that mattered.

It was without an ounce of hesitation that Kim found herself smiling from ear-to-ear in a way that did very much the same thing to Tommy that his smile had done to her. He, too, was taken on a quick trip down memory lane, looking back on their youth. His arms opened up and Kim just sort of melted into them, allowing Tommy's embrace to envelop her tiny body completely.

"This feels right. I miss this. I miss us," Kim admitted, nuzzling her head against his chest. To hell with the rules, she'd chastise herself for breaking her sacred rules and letting her guard down later. But Tommy surprised her by almost completely breaking contact with her, only allowing his hands to hold hers lightly as he began to shake his head back and forth.

"No. Don't say that. You're not supposed to be the one to say that, I am," Tommy replied, stopping the shaking of his head to look Kim right in the eyes as he lowered his voice. "For the next few minutes, I need you to promise me that you'll stand and listen to what I have to say without interrupting me. Can you do that for me?"

Kim thought about it for only the briefest of moments before nodding her head. Tommy had given her this courtesy once before. She could at least show him the same respect in return when he asked for it.

"Of course, Tommy," Kim whispered.

"Thank you," Tommy answered. Letting go of his hold on just one of Kim's hands, he slowly jerked his head to the side then looked back down at her. "Walk with me?"

Kim simply nodded her head and allowed Tommy to lead her as they walked hand-in-hand down the balcony. Their walk was quickly shrouded in silence with Tommy still trying to fully work out in his head just what he wanted to say to her. As soon as Kim saw him take a deep breath, she knew it was coming. They came to a stop and Tommy let go of her hand, shifting himself into an uncomfortable position leaning against the banister.

"First of all, I just want you to know, from the bottom of my heart, how sorry I am for the way I reacted to the whole getting married thing. I was scared, selfish, and very inconsiderate, but in no way is that an excuse for how I treated you," Tommy started, shifting again as Kim nodded her head but stayed silent. "You were the most important thing in my life and I thought marrying you was the only way that I could keep you with me for good. It's taken me a long time to realize it but it was my fault that things ended the way they did. I should have never put you in that position to begin with and I…I guess what I'm trying to ask is if you think you could forgive me for being such an inconsiderate jerk?"

"Am I allowed to speak now?" Kim asked, causing Tommy to chuckle as he nodded his head in confirmation. She stepped forward and took one of Tommy's hands, pulling him just close enough to lay the side of her head on his chest. From there, instinct kicked in and Tommy wrapped his arms around her. "All I ever wanted to hear you say was that you were sorry. I've been waiting for this day for five damn years, Tommy."

"And now?" he questioned teasingly.

"I wish you would have said it five years ago when I wasn't so scared of forgiving you," Kim replied, causing Tommy to grimace inwardly. That was one of the last things he was wanting and expecting Kim to say. "I'm not saying I can't forgive you, or that I won't forgive you, I think part of me is already starting to. But five years is a lot of history, Tommy."

"I know, Kim. And I know that I can't ask you to forgive me overnight but I am asking that you do try, in time, to forgive me," Tommy said softly. His eyes met Kim's and she saw just how much they were pleading with her to abolish him of any wrong doing. "Look, Kim, I know I'm not perfect. I know that I'm headstrong, and that I try to take too much control over everything. Things haven't always been easy for us but not for one moment did I ever stop loving you. I've tried to stop before and it ripped me up inside. I've come to terms with the fact that I'm always going to love you. It's just a matter of whether or not you're willing to take the chance of allowing me to love you again that I care about."

"Tommy, think about it. I mean really, truly think about it," Kim urged. "We've been together twice and both times we followed the same pattern. A couple years where we're together and things are great, and then five years of shit where we don't even talk to each other. You're asking me to take that risk again? Let's both be real and face the facts here, Tommy. You and I don't exactly have the best track record."

"I know that, but if we're going to be real and face the facts like you say, let's face them all. Regardless of all the bullshit that's happened in the past between us, we're both happier when we're together," Tommy replied. This was his trump card, his last ditch effort in trying to get Kim to see that they could make it work. "The proof is in the pudding, Kim. No matter how hard we both try to fight it, we always end up finding our way back to each other. And I think that, now that we've both realized that fact, there's nothing left to stop us from being together except ourselves and I'm more than willing to try if you are."

"And what if it doesn't work out, Tommy? What if we get back together and end up breaking up a few months or years down the road? You sound like you've got this all planned out but what happens then? I don't want to spend another five years hating my life just because we were both too stubborn to let go."

"Why do you sound like you're determined to see us fail? Why can't you let your heart lead you now like it always does? Why now, at the one time where you should be listening to your heart, are you trying to be reasonable?" Tommy retorted, knowing Kim would actually think long and hard about that. "Neither one of us are reasonable people, Beautiful. We're both stubborn, selfish, hardheaded, and way too set in our ways for our own good, but dammit it all to hell if we still love each other regardless!"

"Beautiful. Beautiful," Kim repeated in a murmur. It was a nickname she had not heard in over five years and hearing it again lit a newly found fire in her heart. All at once, she felt every wall she had worked so hard to put up around her start to crumble at her feet.

"Yes, Kim. Beautiful," Tommy smiled at her. He held her closely and placed a tender kiss on the top of her head. "Come back to me, Kim. I miss you so much. I've done a lot of growing up these last few years without you and I hated every day that I wasn't able to hold you and love you and be there for you but I know that we can make it work if we really put our hearts into it."

Before Kim could even think about responding verbally, her arms went around Tommy's neck, and she pressed her lips to his, kissing him passionately. Tommy surprised her by growling, cupping her under the butt, and hoisting her into the air. She responded by wrapping her legs around Tommy's back, throwing her head back, and giggling loudly as Tommy leaned in for a few quick kisses.

They stayed like that for quite awhile, smiling at each other, and giggling back and forth like they were still in high school. It felt so good to be in his arms that Kim was actually disappointed when he set her back down on her feet. There was still so much between them that had gone unsaid…

"So, you really have faith in us, don't you" Kim asked, smiling at the nodding Tommy. "I don't know what it is about you that does these things to me but I don't feel even a little bit scared anymore."

"I don't want you to be scared about being with me, Kim, and knowing that I've done that to you…it hurts," Tommy muttered. He stared off just for a moment but quickly brought his attention back to Kim.

"Look," they both started in unison.

Tommy was going to tell Kim to go ahead and talk but she was already one step ahead of him in that department. She had already started talking before Tommy could even step back and concede the floor to her.

"I know that things aren't ever going to be a hundred percent perfect between us but before we take this any further you need to understand that, too," Kim stated firmly. "We're also going to have our fair share of disagreements, as well. We both have to be willing to listen to each other and talk things out like adults, maybe even do the impossible for us and give in a little bit from time to time, if a relationship between us is ever going to work in the way that I know we both want it to."

"Kim, I understand and agree completely with everything you just said," Tommy admitted, surprising Kim just a bit. "Believe me, I know that I'm far from easy to get along with sometimes. I'm a lot moodier than any man my age should be but I've also gone through six Morphers, all of which had a crappy effect on my body, and a gem that completely fucked up my DNA so I think I deserve a little slack in that department," he smirked, needling her with his fingers until she finally gave in and smiled back at him. "Seriously, though. I've loved you since the moment I saw you. Yeah, things haven't always gone the way we hoped they would but we're still here, admitting that we love each other, and I think that says a whole hell of a lot about us, already. I'm going to do whatever it takes to make you see that us together is the right thing. I still believe in us and I want you to believe in us like you did when we were together before."

"Those days will come in time, Tommy," Kim sighed and leaned further into his embrace, laying her head against his chest. "For now, though, you'll have to be content with taking things a bit slower than we did the last time. I want to be with you but there are a still a lot of things I need to sort out in my head still, and I'm just not ready to put myself in that kind of a position emotionally, just yet."

"I understand, Kim" Tommy said softly, stroking the side of her face lightly with the back of his hand. His fingers traced so gently across her skin that goose bumps started to form on her arms. "If you want to lay down some ground rules ahead of time, I'm fine with that, but I want you to know that I would never think about breaking your trust by trying to take things anywhere with you that you didn't want them to go."

"Thank you, Tommy. That means a lot to me and staying true to that will go a long way in helping us work everything out," Kim murmured, reaching out with her left hand to palm his cheek. "I want things to work for us this time and I think we can do it. It's going to take some time for me to feel completely comfortable with everything again but this last hour we've spent together has given me a lot of hope for whatever it is that the future holds for us."

At that very moment, just when Tommy had lifted Kim's chin and given her a soft, gentle kiss, a loud cheer erupted from inside the hotel. The doors flung open and both Rocky and Adam came bursting through them, jumping onto the balcony, making Tommy and Kim both jump backwards.

"What the hell's going on in there?" Tommy asked. Instinctively, he reached out and wrapped a protective arm around Kim's shoulder, pulling her against the side of his body. Old habits died hard.

"They…just…named…the King and Queen…for the reunion," Adam panted, hands on his knees.

"Well who is it?" Kim asked, looking back and forth between Adam and Rocky. It was Rocky who decided to answer, surprising Tommy and Kim more than they had been when he and Adam jumped out at them from inside.

"You guys," Rocky replied.

"Shut the hell up!" Tommy and Kim blurted out in unison, chuckling slightly at how easy they fell back into their old ways when they were around each other.

"Seriously. It's you guys," Adam added. "They just announced it. You guys have to share a dance and everyone's waiting for you, so Jason sent me and Rocky out here to bring you guys back inside."

Tommy rubbed the bridge of his nose in between his fingers. When had Adam become so damn longwinded? The Adam he remembered never shied from talking but he had always been quick to get to the point.

"So what? We have to go in there and dance and that's it?" Kim questioned.

"Yep. That's pretty much the gist of it," Rocky supplied, shrugging his shoulders.

"What do you think, Beautiful?" Tommy asked, looking down at her.

"I think Jason probably had something to do with it," Kim replied and Tommy nodded in agreement. "I also think we should go ahead and do it, and I also think I liked that you asked me my opinion."

"I told you, things are going to be different this time around. Fifty-fifty," Tommy answered, giving her a quick wink. She smiled up at him and, turning his attention back to Rocky and Adam, he nodded. "Alright, we'll do it. Lead the way, guys."

Rocky and Adam were quick to oblige, pushing the doors open so Kim could lead Tommy back into the ballroom. As they walked inside, Tommy heard Adam make a noise that sounded like a whip cracking. When he turned around, both Adam and Rocky were making whip-crack motions with their arms. Tommy simply smiled and nodded his head, totally unafraid of denying it.

Inside, the lights had been dimmed since they had last been in the ballroom and a white spotlight was trained on the center of the dance floor. Their old student government president was standing off to the side of a small stage, holding a crown in each of her hands.

Tucked away in the corner of the room, Tommy barely managed to catch Jason in his peripheral vision. His face had a tell-all smile plastered across it. Tommy could only smile back happily at him as he and Kim walked up receive their crowns. The cardboard crowns from Burger King, turned inside out and decorated by hand, were meant more as a joke than anything else but everyone was insisting that they still go through the traditional crown presentation, anyway.

Tommy didn't object to it one bit. In fact, he relished the moment he got to stand up there with Kim by his side, in front of his friends and former classmates, living proof that two people who loved each other really could make it through anything. Hand-in-hand, they received their crowns, King and Queen, together, just like they were supposed to be.

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Let's all say it together, now. AWWWWWW! Haha. So, fellow PR writer Shawn30 posted this little survey on his website for fanfic authors to fill out. It's basically a little questionnaire about why I write fanfiction, what I like/dislike about it, etc. Check it out if you're bored, shoot me a PM, and tell me what you think. I'm going to put the link on my profile so you can find it there. Talk to you soon.

-WK