"You know what your problem is," she yelled, "For someone that fights evil repeatedly for decades, you never could fight for what you wanted. You accept it and you settled for what was convenient because deep down, you know that you could have but letting go was a whole lot easier. And you settled for the first thing that happened to show interest. You fight but you fight for all the wrong reasons."
"You walked away from me, Kim,"'he yelled, "you walked away. Not me. You found somebody else and you walked away."
"Do you really think that is what actually happened? Or was it just easier to accept? To not question why on God's green Earth I sent a Dear John letter to the fucking Youth Center and not your house! Give me a break," she spat, turning away from him and leaning on her palms on the edge of the piano on the stage in the small, empty club.
"Why did you send it there," he asked, really considering her words. She looked up at the ceiling and fighting the tears threatening her eyes.
"Go home to your wife, Tommy," she said without looking at him, "There's nothing here for you."
"Answer the question, Kim," he growled, the dominant leader in him showing his side and she whipped around and glared at him. She really was beautiful, even when she was angry. She stood there in her dark jeans and knee high black boots and her oversized, off the shoulder black sweater, dark brown hair falling side swept over her shoulders.
"Because I didn't send that letter, Tommy," she responded, "I didn't write it. But you didn't even question it and when I came home with Jason after a year, you made your assumptions and went on with life. I thought, well I must not have meant that much to you then anyway and that was it." He stood there, stunned and hurt. Here they were, arguing about a twenty year old letter but the wound felt fresh having learned that she didn't even write it. He was angry.
"Why didn't you say anything," he asked.
"Because Aisha told me how cold I was for breaking up with you in a letter. Then she told me how happy you and Katherine seemed to be. So I just let you go," she said, "I wasn't going to ruin your happy little life." He shook his head with an irritated smirk and put his hands on his hips, pushing the black leather jacket he wore out of the way to reveal a well toned body underneath a black T-shirt and dark jeans.
"You know what," he said, licking his bottom lip," you're just as much a coward as I am if you couldn't open your mouth and say something."
"Did you even want to be in a long distance relationship like that? Be honest, Tommy, we were doomed from the moment I took the offer to go to Florida," she said, sitting on the edge of the stage, the metal edging cutting into her palms as she looked down at her feet. He came over and lifted her chin to look at him, knowing full well that she was blaming herself for following her dreams instead of choosing them. His eyes looked at her full of love and longing, for her and she knew it.
"Don't," she said, pulling her face from his fingertips, "you're married. You don't get to look at me like that anymore." His eyes fell and he turned and leaned against the stage next to her.
"How did we get here," he wondered out loud. She let out a sarcastic laugh.
"You know how we got here," she said, "And if you're honest with yourself, Tommy, you know you won't do anything about it. And neither will I. We've led very different lives and it just wasn't meant to be."
"I've always loved you," he admitted, tears coming to his eyes.
"I've always loved you too," she said, looking straight ahead over the empty club room, "but it doesn't matter anymore. Love wasn't enough. Go home." She hopped off the stage and walked through the empty tables toward the back of the club. She got halfway across the room before he raced after her. He grabbed her arm and turned her into him and kissed her with passionate fire. She was stunned by him. His hands in her hair, his lips on hers, his immediate touch giving her a hurricane of butterflies in her stomach. She felt herself press her palms flat against his chest and let him explore her mouth in a way that he had never done in high school. She ran her hands up his chest and along his jawline until they stopped just behind his ears, wrapping around the back his head. Tears fell down her cheeks as she kissed him back, missing his nearness and missing his tender love. She was the one to pull away.
"We can't do this," she whispered against his lips. Her fingertips swept down his jaw and she tapped his chin once with her finger and looked up at him.
"I love you, Tommy," she said, enjoying the way he was holding her but knowing that it had to end here, "but she does too. I'm not going to be the other woman. Don't throw away twenty years just because she made one mistake. She took what she wanted and it was bold. I'll never be over you but I'm over that. Go home. Be with your wife. Let me go." She didn't wait for an answer, she just walked away. The fleeting feeling of his fingertips in her hand gone far too quickly. She left him standing there, hurt and a little broken, torn between two choices. He admired her for her strength to walk away from them. He admired the way she had respect for his marriage. He admired her for far more than just that though. He sensed that her heart ached just as much as his did but he knew she was right. He ran a hand threw his hair and turned toward the exit next to the stage and he walked out.
Tommy walked to his jeep and sat inside it for a while, tears falling down his face. It broke him to know that she'd loved him all this time and stayed silent to preserve his happiness with someone else. What broke him even more was knowing that the woman he'd married and had started a family with might be the very reason why his relationship with Kim had ended.
"Oh God," he said to himself, wiping the tears from his face as he thought about what he would do.
Four hours ago, he'd come to this club for a show with his best friend, Jason Scott. He didn't expect the performer to be the former love of his life and he certainly didn't expect things to take the angry turn after the fact. Or the passionate one after that. She sang beautifully. He wondered now, knowing the truth of that letter, how many of her songs were about him. One thing was for sure, he had to go home and talk to Katherine about what really happened here.
"Hey honey," Katherine said when Tommy came in, "Did you have a good time?"
"Yeah," he said and came in and sat next to her, "but I need to talk to you about something."
"What's up," she said, closing her book and turning to face him.
"Did you write that letter that supposedly came from Kimberly to break up with me," he asked her point blank.
"Excuse me," Katherine blurted, blinking at him with an expression that Tommy couldn't quite read.
"I have to know Kat," he said, "I deserve to know. Please, just tell me the truth." Tears brimmed in his eyes and she set her book on the coffee table and sighed. She looked down at her hands for a moment and then looked at him, her own tears spilling down her cheeks.
"I was jealous," she said, fighting back the tears but failing, "I wanted so much what the two of you had. I wanted you all to myself. I was angry that she walked away from someone like you so easily and I hated that you let her go like you didn't matter."
"You had no right," he said, the hurt and anger apparent on his face.
"I know that," Katherine cried reaching for him, "I know that. I was a stupid, jealous teenager and I am so so very sorry. But please, Tommy, please you have to know that my love for you has always been real. I love you so much. Please, can you forgive me?" Tommy sat there, staring at his beautiful wife with blue eyes that were usually crystal clear like the ocean but we're now puffy and red from her tears. He loved her. She had been his rock after that letter and now it made him sick knowing that she had planned it all along.
"I need some time," he said, standing up, "but you should know, I saw her tonight. She was the performance Jason and I went too. I didn't know that until we got there. I saw her afterwards and we kind of got into an argument about it. She told me she knew. She knew it was you that wrote it and she never said anything. She just wanted me to be happy, even if it wasn't with her. I kissed her. She told me that she loved me but then she said that she knew you did too and she told me to go home to you. Be with you and let her go." Katherine sat on the couch and cried, despite her shock. Her blonde hair falling over her shoulders as she cried into her hands.
"Kat," he said, and she looked up at him, "I do love you. I've always loved you but now, I feel like you took that choice from me. If it had been meant to be, we would have found each other anyway but I feel like you just took it into your own hands instead of letting it happen on its own. It wasn't fair and it wasn't right. I don't know if I can forgive that." With that he turned from her and walked through the house to the back door and stepped out on to the porch.
Katherine sat for a long time by herself on the couch. She picked up the phone and dialed a number.
"Hello," came the answer.
"Can I see you? Tonight? Please," she asked the person on the other end of the phone.
"Yes," came the reply and then the line was dead.
Kimberly sat at the bar and the bar tender set a shot of Jack Daniels down in front of her. She threw it back and set the shot glass down upside down. The door to the bar opened and the tall blonde with puffy eyes walked in and toward Kimberly who sat at the bar. Kimberly turned I her seat as she picked up her purse and as she looked up, a fist connected with her face knocking her off her chair and making almost everyone in the bar stare and make ridiculous noises.
"Hello Kat," Kimberly grumbled in her heap on the floor.
"How dare you," Katherine growled, "How dare you open your filthy mouth to MY husband about things you really know nothing about?" Kimberly stood up, brushed off her jeans as everyone stared at the two women. Kimberly whipped around just as Katherine threw another punch in her direction but Kimberly caught Katherine's fist, swung backwards and pinned Katherine's arm behind her back and pinned her to the bar top.
"You have two choices; we can discuss this outside like civilized human beings or I can kick your ass all over this bar," Kimberly said quietly in her ear.
"You can try," Katherine spat.
"Oh there will be no trying about it," Kimberly whispered, "You might have married the best but you aren't as badass as you think you are. Believe me when I say, I will kick your ass."
"Outside," Katherine whispered back.
"Good choice," Kimberly said and patted her shoulder and let her up. Kimberly picked up her purse and started for the door and then turned to the crowd.
"Nothing left to see here," she said, "Please carry on about your business." She continued out the door and felt Katherine's presence close behind her.
Kimberly continued around the corner into the ally where she whipped around and faced her predecessor.
"Explain yourself," Katherine spat.
"There's nothing to explain," Kimberly said, crossing her arms.
"You has no right to say anything to him," Katherine said, her voice shaking as she turned to walk away.
"And you had no right to kill my friend and end my relationship, Rita," Kimberly said. Katherine stopped in her tracks and slowly turned toward Kimberly.
"Excuse me," she said, her brows furrowing.
"You heard me," Kimberly said, dropping her arms and walking closer to the blonde.
"How could you possibly know," Katherine growled. Kimberly smiled and walked toward her and as she reached Katherine's shoulder, she whispered, "The same way I know that you killed my brother and replaced his soul with Zedd's. I promise you this, for what you did to the people I love the most, I will end you." With that Kimberly continued to walk away but stopped just before she turned the corner and said, "Oh and tell my dear brother I said hello when you see him tonight."