Summary: After learning they can't have child of their own and learning Kermit doesn't want to be connected to Maya, Tommy and Kimberly realize that they can finally turn their dream of adopting Maya into a reality. After releasing their newest power ranger bear, trouble starts in Reefside. To make matters worse, Kermit shows up claiming he never wrote the letter and wants Maya.
Every time Maya Hart appeared the day never ended and smiles never faded. She had crystal blue eyes that sparkled like diamonds. Her prefect wavy golden locks draped down to her shoulder blades. Each strand moving freely in the warm breeze. She was tall for her age, but in her Aunt Kimberly's eyes she was a siren to sudden happiness, no matter how bad a situation could get.
Maya stood at the shore as she felt the waves rolling in with a soothing sound stopping at her feet. Scrunching her toes, she felt the softness of sand, wet and soggy from the retreating tide. Today, it looked like the beach was more people than it was sand. People sat on towels or beach chairs, while some also had a large beach umbrella giving them extra shade. Almost every color she could think of was present all right there with no though of color coordination.
As she stood there she felt something wash up and brush up against her feet. Maya kneeled down and picked up a seashell. It was nothing like the semi-clam types with of beige to beige. It was much bigger than a starfish and a snail shell that had been crafted by an artist. This shell was spiny and its whorl was elongated and beautiful. The inside was a soft shade of pink, smooth and glossy to touch, but the outside was rough and plain with chestnut brown on white. Maya weighed it in her hand and it was light compared to a stone of the same size.
"Kimberly will like this," Maya smiled when she spotted a pink figure with Carmel hair sitting under a large purple beach umbrella.
Before she headed back, she got her water shoes out of her tot and slipped them on. Never again was she going to have a repeat of what happened last year. Dashing through the sand, sink, and burning was not an option. The scorching sanded numbed her feet, she picked up speed. Maya remembered jumping, hopping, tiptoeing, speedily. Different methods of getting past the sand was tried giving it a new meaning to a game she never wanted to play again "Escape the Lava Sand."
Kimberly sat on her wide pink beach towel looking out at the view. Kids were building sand castles, while others were swimming in the crystal-clear water. A lot had happened since Tommy and Kimberly graduated high school. Maya and Kimberly's power ranger collection expanded and they created more power ranger costumes. They had even released a white ranger bear, a red zeo ranger bear, and a red turbo ranger bear. After graduating, Kimberly and Maya designed a bear after the red mighty morphin power ranger and Finster. Tommy got an internship and got to go study on an island. But, the island exploded and Tommy barely escaped the island. Anton Mercer was nowhere to be seen. But, they also had their hardships as well.
From out of now where came Maya running towards her. She ran as her golden locks fluttered in the hair, her purple swimsuit clung to her body. "I found you a sea shell," Maya smiled weakly when she gave Kimberly the shell.
"It's beautiful," Kimberly answered when Maya took a seat next to her. "Thank you. Have you enjoyed your day at the beach?"
"Not really," Maya admitted wiping a tear from her face. "I decided that I'd much rather be with you."
Kimberly stretched out her arms and legs to look like a starfish, a weak smile started to grow on her face when golden locks brushed up against her shoulders. Maya wrapped an arm around Kimberly's stomach and got nice and comfortable. "Why don't we lay out and get a tan? Kimberly suggested when she draped her arm around Maya's shoulders.
"We could lay out here until Tommy gets here in a few hours," Maya purred.
"I'd love the idea of laying on the beach with my niece," Kimberly beamed. "It's very comforting, especially after the miscarriage last week."
"Are you going to try to try again?"
"No, Maya. Tommy and I talked about it, since I've had several other miscarriages in the last few years," she started. "We don't think we could go through another heart break again. I had my tubes tied last week."
"I wish it could have been different for you," Maya comforted when Kimberly started to stroke her hair. "I wish I could have done more than stay at your bedside."
"Maya, just having you with me was more than enough," Kimberly assured her.
"I wish you could adopt me," Maya blurted out.
"Tommy and I would love to be able to do that," she explains. "We tried it once, but Kermit wouldn't sign the adoption papers and he said we'd have a big court battle deciding who got custody over you. We love you too much and don't want to lose you. But, we would love to adopt you if we could."
Meanwhile, Kermit Hart sat down at his desk. He hadn't been a father to Maya since he left her and knew he had done wrong by helping the villains his mother tries to cause trouble for his daughter, sister, and brother-in-law. If he hadn't have helped, maybe they wouldn't have gone through so much hurt a few years back. He never had a relationship with Maya and he didn't even want her. But, he knew that his sister had several miscarriages over the last few years and couldn't have a child. When she wanted to adopt Maya, he refused because he knew that Kelly would give him trouble if he allowed that to happen. Look at his mother. She didn't like her step-daughter and granddaughter either. He wanted to make up for all of the trouble that he had caused his sister. Kermit pulled out a piece of paper and a pen, so he could do one decent thing for his daughter.
How could he write a letter to his sister? It had been years since he had last written her a letter. What if she didn't open it and just tossed it away? That was big chance that could actually happened. "I'll just not give a return address," Kermit thought as a smile appeared on his face. "She'll be more likely to open it."
He started to write.
Kimberly stretched out her legs as she continued to lay out in the sun with Maya. She missed the days when Maya was small enough to sit in her lap and read stories too. But, a few years back, she turned into a pink ranger bear and stayed that way for a few long months. And Tommy came up missing shortly after she was stuck in her build a bear form. That was something that she hoped would never happen again. Those days were still fresh in her mind. Not being able to go to school and having to pretend that she was toy when other people were around other than rangers, Maya, and Tommy weren't around. She couldn't say it was all bad, because Maya took good care of her. Maya sat her in her lap while Tommy or one of his parents would read to them. At night she got to cuddle with her niece, until they woke up the next morning. And she couldn't forget that Maya never left the house with her. Even as a toy, she still got to do some of her favorite activities and she even got to go to preschool with Maya. She could forget those days. One time, Maya showed her to the class when they had shown and tell. Maya had told the class that her pink power ranger bear was special to her because her aunt Kimberly, who was also her best friend gave it to her. Then Maya switched topics and told that she had grown to love her aunt because she took her when her mother passed and loved her like her own child. There were no words that she could describe how much Maya's words meant to her at show and tell that day.
She glanced down at Maya who would soon be turning 11. That was another thing she got to share with Maya, her birthday. Many times, she had offered to get Maya a cake of her own. But, she always refused and said she loved sharing a birthday with her best friend and also wanted to share a cake with her. "Have you, thought of which power ranger bear we're going to design?" Maya asked letting out a yawn.
"No, Maya, I haven't," Kimberly sighed wiping a tear from her face.
"Thinking about Trini too?" Maya questioned.
"I have," Kimberly confessed when she sat up dusting the sand off her body. "She was a wonderful friend."
"We could design a yellow power ranger bear," Maya suggested. "She saved me from Zeltrax, when he tried to attack us last week. Someone like her should be honored."
"Maya I love your idea," Kimberly smiled.
Author's note: Kermit's Letter will be revealed in the next chapter.