Author's Note: This story accompanies my other story, A Divine Conspiracy. Consider it a deleted scene of sorts, posted by request of PsycoChick32.
This takes place between Chapters 16 and 17 of A Divine Conspiracy, when Kimberly sneaks into Tommy's bedchamber late at night in a last-ditch effort to convince him not to leave on his quest. There is sexually explicit content in this scene (which was the reason for cutting it in the first place), so if that isn't your thing you may want to steer clear.
If you are expecting this scene to contain a lot of romantically idealized, mind-blowingly perfect sex, you may also want to steer clear. You will be disappointed.
A Bid Farewell
Kimberly made her way, heart pounding, down a darkened hallway. She was far from her own quarters, but did not even carry a lantern or candle with her. Instead, she trusted her lifelong memory of the castle to guide her.
The soft leather soles of her slippers barely made a sound as she walked; with each step, she prayed that she would not be caught before she reached her destination. For once, the dark and sparsely guarded hallways of the castle worked in her favor, rather than just serving to totally creep her out.
She arrived at her destination almost before she knew it: Tommy's room.
It was tiny, a far cry from the suite he had enjoyed before, and wedged into a corner not far from where the kitchen servants were housed. And it was across the castle from where Kimberly slept.
She recalled Trini's words - you should let him know how you feel - and felt a pang in her heart for what could probably never be.
Drawing on all her courage, she gripped the skeleton key tightly in her hand and unlocked the door. For a moment the old key stuck in the lock and she feared that she had gotten herself all worked up for nothing. And then it turned and the lock clicked open. Kimberly took a deep breath and stepped inside, closing the door quietly behind her.
It was pitch dark inside the room. She mentally cursed her own stupidity as she fumbled to lock the door from the inside, wishing she had thought to bring a lamp with her. But it had not occurred to her. Who slept without even a candle lit?
As if in response to her grumbling, a lamp flared to life toward the back of the room. "Whatever you want, you're not going to..." a sleepy looking Tommy Oliver threatened, trailing off in surprise when he realized just who the intruder was. "Princess Kimberly?"
While his look of wide-eyed astonishment was certainly cute, she wished he would just call her 'Kimberly' again, without all the damned formality. She hated seeing him look so guilty and torn, horrified by the things he had done under the sorceress Rita's control. It seemed that everyone knew that what had happened wasn't his fault... except for him. It was plain to see that he feared a relapse at any moment, even though the spell that had bound him was well and truly broken. But no matter what anyone said, that haunted look remained in his eyes. And so it had come to this.
"Hi Tommy," she said, keeping her tone as conversational as possible, as if she had not just broken into his bedchamber in the middle of the night.
"You shouldn't be here," he said warily. He relaxed out of his defensive stance and set the lamp down on a small side table, watching her closely all the while, but made no move to come any closer.
"But I am," she pointed out, after taking a moment to fully appreciate the beauty of this man. His long hair was loose and slightly rumpled, and he was wearing only a pair of loose pants that rode very low on his hips, leaving most of his chiseled torso bare. She had the sudden urge to run her hands all over those strong muscles.
"Please tell me I'm dreaming."
"Come over here and find out."
"Even I know that's a terrible idea."
"Are you going to disobey a direct order from your Princess?" she asked sweetly.
His eyes narrowed as he glared, but he did obey, even if he stopped to pull on a shirt first. When he was close enough that she could have reached out and touched him, he put a stern look on his face and asked, "What are you doing here?"
Trying to talk some sense into you, she thought, irritated. "We need to talk."
"Talk? About what?"
"You." She sighed. "We need to talk about you. And Rita. This stupid quest of yours." We need to talk about you and me.
She wondered briefly if she could get him to sit down somewhere. It would make it that much easier to lecture him if she didn't have to look up at him to do it... but it was already too late for that.
"No, we don't," he was saying. He shook his head, as if that could make his words more true. "There's nothing to discuss. I have to do this. I have to prove that I'm not under Rita's control anymore."
Kimberly frowned. "No, you don't." Tommy, why can't you just... understand?
"I'm pretty sure I do."
Furious, she stepped toward him suddenly, managing to catch him off guard for all of a second. Maybe she could shake some sense into him -
And then his hands caught her by the shoulders and would not let her come any closer.
"Stop it," he said, though he did not push her away. For a moment he simply held her at arm's length. She stared at him, uncomprehending. Was he pleading with her? "Rita's spell made me evil. I did terrible things to your friends. Don't you get it? I wanted to do terrible things to you. And it could happen again."
"It won't," she promised.
"I don't want to hurt you."
"Then don't." It was that simple, really, if only he would see it. She couldn't explain it; she simply knew. As long as he stayed here, stayed near her, then he would be safe from whatever Rita had done to him. But if he left...
She couldn't protect him if he left.
"There's only one way to make sure I don't hurt you, and that's to stay as far away from you as I can. But if I can find a way to safeguard myself from Rita's magic -"
"You're safe here!" she burst out. He did try to pull away then, but she clamped her hands over his wrists and held him where he was.
"The magic here didn't stop Rita's spells before," he pointed out gently.
Kimberly bristled. He was right, for all that she did not want to admit it. The shields that were supposed to protect the castle and its people from magic had not stopped Rita from controlling Tommy or creating monsters in the past. But she was certain that something had changed when the spell over Tommy broke. It was as if her determination to have him back had somehow reinforced the kingdom's failing shields. If only she could make him see.
Logic was having no effect on him, but Kimberly realized that she was not without recourse. She was the Princess, after all.
"I don't care," she said, tightening her grip on him and meeting his gaze with a fierceness that surprised even her. "I am your Princess, and as such, I order you to stay."
She could practically see the war going on in his head, between his obligation to his Princess and what he felt was the right thing to do. And she could just as easily see her sovereignty losing out to his sense of righteousness.
"I'm sorry, Kimberly," he said, and this time he had the decency to look guilty. "But I can't obey that order."
She wanted to shout at him for being such a hard-headed idiot. She wanted to strike him, to see if she could knock some sense through that thick skull of his. But those desires fled in an instant. There was really only one thing left to try: let him know how you feel.
So she shrugged out of his grip and kissed him. It was an awkward, sloppy kiss - she'd taken him by surprise, after all - but she still felt the same jolt of energy as she had when they had kissed before. It felt like coming home. It felt like everything was right with the world. Like she could do anything and all her dreams would always come true.
But Tommy was having none of it.
He pulled away from her kiss. He gently pushed her away, though she refused to let go of him. "I... I don't know if this is the right thing to do."
She looked into his eyes and wanted to melt and cry at the same time. Where was the bold, self-assured, seductive young man she had fallen in love with? Breaking free of Rita's spell had shaken him, made him fearful of what he might do and the trouble he might cause. And Kimberly was beginning to realize that it would be up to her to help him reclaim what had once been between them. "What does your heart say?" she asked.
He considered that for a long time before finally lowering his head to kiss her. This time, their kiss was deep and lingering, as if he couldn't get enough. And when at last he pulled back slightly, he confessed, "My heart says 'yes'."
"Then there's no problem," she breathed. He let her come closer then, to press herself against him, but she could still sense his reluctance. She wanted more than just a few kisses, more than for him to hold her close. She suddenly had a very clear idea of exactly what she hoped to achieve in coming here tonight. But he...
"Tommy..."
"I don't want to hurt you."
She looped her arms around his neck and pulled him tighter against her; just being this close to him was making her heart race, and causing her body to react in a number of... interesting ways. "If I thought for even a second that you would willingly hurt me or anyone else, do you think I would be here right now?" she asked.
"I..." He hesitated. "No?"
"Good answer."
He seemed to have suddenly lost his grasp of logic; Kimberly reflected that this would probably be a good time to lecture him, but found she had little interest in talking when she could be kissing him instead. And it felt so good to kiss him after so much time apart, that she was perfectly happy to just keep doing it. It felt so very very right...
Until Tommy said, "Kim, stop."
She stopped immediately and stared up at him, searching for any sign of acceptance. Fear and anticipation had her wound up so tightly that she feared she might snap, but she found no reassurance in Tommy's eyes. He had a pained look on his face, like he was fighting a losing battle within himself.
"This is a bad idea. We shouldn't be doing this," he protested finally.
"Why?" She stood on the tips of her toes to whisper (in what she hoped was a suitably seductive tone) in his ear, "I want this. I want you."
He wrenched his face to one side, refusing to look her in the eyes. He even tried to pull himself out of her grasp, but she held firm. "Tommy..."
"Kim, look," he said, his voice strained. "I'm not going to pretend I don't want to do this. But there are parts of me I'd really rather keep intact, and I don't think your friends would be particularly understanding if they found out that this happened."
Nobody ever seemed to have any faith in her. Did it count for so little that she was the Princess and this was what she wanted? With a sigh, she let her arms drop to her sides. "Tommy." Tears suddenly pricked at her eyes as dejection washed over her. She steeled herself against it. "Tommy, in the morning you are leaving on an idiotic quest that will most likely result in your death." He nearly flinched at that, but now he met her glare head on. "And if you think I am going to let you run off and die without ever getting to experience what it is to be with you, in every possible way, then you're an even bigger idiot than I thought."
"Idiot?" he said, clearly confused.
Kimberly sighed. She was not sure how any of that had been unclear.
Well, if he didn't get it when she told him with words, she knew she would just have to find another way to make him understand. With that in mind, she slipped out of her robe, then undid the laces at the wrists and collar of her nightdress and let the garment fall to the floor. She immediately blushed, shocked by her own boldness, but forced herself to turn her face up to look him in the eyes. Send me away now. I dare you.
For his part, Tommy stared. Or perhaps gaped would have been a more fitting term. The man was obviously at a complete loss for words, but after a while Kimberly stopped being impressed by his reaction to her and began to worry that he might actually forget to breathe. "Tommy? You okay?"
At the sound of her voice, he suddenly seemed to recall himself. "I..." He swallowed hard and started over. "This is really what you want?"
Emboldened by his rather obvious distraction, she quirked a brow playfully. "I'm standing naked in your bedroom in the middle of the night, and you have to ask?"
He made an indignant sound, and the next thing she knew he had swept her up into his arms and carried her to the bed. It was not as soft and comfortable as hers; she made a mental note to lure him to her bedchamber next time, and then she had no more time to think about the bed. She was caught up in being so close to him, in the thrill of his lips and tongue against her own as he kissed her deeply.
She wrapped her arms around him and clung to him, feeling the mattress shift beneath her as he laid her down and climbed on top of her, half fearing that her heart might burst from sheer excitement. Dimly, she realized that he was still clothed and that this needed to change. He could at least take that stupid shirt off so she could explore that amazing chest of his.
When he made no move to read her mind and do what she wanted, she groped around with one hand until she found the bottom edge of the offending garment, and gave it a determined tug. He finally got the idea, and climbed back off the bed to shed shirt and pants. She stared at him dumbly for a moment as she slowly realized he hadn't been wearing anything underneath.
She let her gaze wander, taking in his strong arms and muscled torso. To her chagrin, her gaze kept flitting back to his groin and his obvious arousal. And, even more embarrassingly, he'd noticed. When she managed to look back up at his face, it looked like he might even be preening under her attention.
But she couldn't help her interest. Her parents had always sheltered her carefully. And while Trini had told her the essentials and showed her a handful of crude drawings long ago, Kimberly had never had the opportunity to see that particular part of a man in that particular condition before. Feeling incredibly awkward, but determined to push past the staring, she sat up and moved closer for a better look.
It was bigger than she had imagined, and she had a momentary, idiotic fear that it might not fit inside her. She almost laughed at herself for such foolishness. She was doing this with Tommy. Somehow she just knew they would fit together perfectly.
"Can I touch it?"
He almost choked, but managed to retain at least a little composure. "Please do."
She ran a finger experimentally along the length of it; it twitched, startling her. "It's supposed to do that, right?"
He took her hand in his and wrapped it all the way around the shaft. "That just means I'm, uh, excited," he explained.
"I see," she said, moving her entire hand up and down as he seemed to want her to do.
He shuddered and, after a moment, tugged her hand away. His fingers skimmed up her arms, urging her to scoot over and lie back as he moved over her. She was only too happy to oblige him, leaning back to rest against the mattress and tentatively allowing her legs to fall open. Tommy settled himself over her so that his hips and chest were flush with hers, propping himself up on his elbows so as not to completely crush her.
He was breathing hard; so was she. This was it: they were about to become one flesh.
After a moment of fumbling, Tommy pushed his length inside her.
It hurt. It hurt a lot more than she had ever thought it would, a sudden unpleasant stretching deep within her. She gasped and squirmed, fighting against tears as she sought any way to make this better. It had all felt so very good up until this point.
She was aware of Tommy saying something. "I hurt you," he murmured regretfully. She struggled to look at him, rather than simply squeezing her eyes shut against the pain. "I'm sorry, Kim," he went on soothingly. "I'm so sorry. But you have to relax, or it's just going to hurt more no matter what I do."
She knew he was probably right, so she let her head tip to one side and closed her eyes, taking deep breaths in an effort to calm herself.
"That's it," he said, his voice an encouraging whisper, his breath hot against the lobe of her ear. He rocked his hips gently against hers, drawing an involuntary whimper from her. It still hurt, but it wasn't the sharp, torn-asunder pain from before. Not by a long shot. That had been shockingly painful. This was merely unpleasant.
Tommy pressed a trail of kisses along her jawline until he found her mouth. It was easier to forget the pain when he was kissing her. He seemed to notice that, too, and kept kissing her as he moved. He kissed her mouth, her neck, the line of her jaw, pausing only to breathe or make some wordless sound of appreciation. But all the while, and in spite of a couple falters, he kept up that rhythm, pressing himself against her. In and out, in and out.
And the longer he kept going, the easier it became. After a while Kimberly could feel herself beginning to relax into it, and it even started to feel good. She let the rhythmic motions and flowing sensations consume her, allowed her head to fall back against the mattress and her eyes drift shut.
For a few sweet moments it was as if nothing existed in the world but the two of them and their joining.
She was just becoming aware that Tommy had increased the pace when he shuddered over her and thrust his hips hard against hers several times. He withdrew from her, breathless and shivering, a few seconds later and as he moved to lay beside her she realized that he had climaxed. The thought made her feel warm all over, and somehow pleased.
"Are you okay?" he asked after catching his breath a bit.
Kimbelrly smiled. "Yes."
"I'm sorry I hurt you."
There was some lingering pain, it was true, but... given the chance, she suspected that a second encounter would be far more pleasant. And besides, the physical discomfort was nothing to the thought of never seeing him again. "I'll survive."
He made no response to that, simply folded her in his arms and held her. She let her head rest against his chest, listening to the reassuring sound of his heartbeat, and sighed. They lay cuddled together for a time after that, silent, content to simply enjoy each other's company. Although Kimberly was exhausted from the long night, she found it was impossible to sleep. She knew that all too soon dawn would come and then she would lose him, possibly forever. And, knowing that, she wanted to savor every last moment together.
But she must have dozed off, because it wasn't long before Tommy was gently shaking her awake and telling her it was time to go.
She watched him get up and pull his clothes on, and wished that the night could have lasted longer or she could have convinced him to give up this foolish quest.
"Don't go," she said almost without realizing she was speaking.
"I have to."
Kimberly sighed. Stupid, stubborn man. "Then just promise me one thing."
He actually looked worried. "And that would be?"
"That you'll come back."
She could see the determination in his eyes when he looked at her. "I'll do my best."
Kimberly nodded. It was the best she was going to get, so she had little choice but to accept it. Taking a deep breath, she got out of the nice warm bed and put her clothes back on. "If you're determined to leave," she said as she tugged her robe on to hide her nightdress, "the least I can do is see you off."
By the time she was suitably attired, Tommy was ready and waiting, regarding her with an affectionate smile on his face.
And when he left his small bedchamber to go face his destiny, he went with her hand in his. His lady, beside him for this one brief morning, at least.
