This fic is entirely written for nightlancer6000, the winner of the contest held for Unlucky Clover. She was the 200th reviewer for the story back in August I believe. Her prize was a story written by me, with a choice of pairing between Tommy/Kimberly or Katherine/Kimberly. She chose the first one and I chose the story. However, school drastically got in the way of writing much of anything and I haven't been able to start this until last month. This is the first chapter of the story, and ultimately there will be three in the end. I hope to finish this by the end of the summer, and possibly work a little on Unlucky Clover. I know I have been greatly neglecting that story, but as my college time nears its end, my focus is on my school work. Come fall it will be on my student teaching.
The title for this fic and the song used throughout is the song "Running Out of Pain" by 12 Stones. I do not own Power Rangers, as always. I just write as I am inspired.
Anyway, please read and review. A final congratulations to nightlancer6000, to whom this story is for. I kinda went all out since I'm so late in doing this for her. I do hope you'll enjoy.
Running Out of Pain - Chapter 1: No More
As he raises his hand you begin to understand
That no love is worth the hate that you feel
Now you're running out of pain
And all these feelings feel the same
So you close your eyes and wish it all away
She lay in bed, blankets pulled tightly about her body. It was late, after midnight she knew. She wanted to be asleep before he came home, and knew he'd be drunk, as he always was on Thursday nights. He was never any better drunk than he was sober; always angry, always yelling, always painful. She was expected to be something she could not with him, no matter what she tried. She'd given up everything for this man, and it had gotten her nothing in return, only the pain she felt inside. She wasn't sure what she could take anymore; everything felt the same. She was going through the motions of each day, hoping to avoid creating a new riff, a new tear between them. She'd cried so many tears that she wasn't sure what she had left to cry about.
There had been love and attraction when they'd met those years ago. It started out as all relationships do. He had romanced her, made her feel like the most special girl in the world. Her friends had warned her then about Jared; they knew his history, but she wasn't inclined to believe their stories. They never matched what she saw in him, or what he did for her. She dismissed the stories as mere rumors and continued in the relationship, bent on showing everyone that Jared was not what they said. A few years had passed and they had moved in together. He gave her everything she wanted and she had no want for a job while she was finishing a business degree. He provided, and still he was the same person she'd fallen for. Over time, little things began to change. Small things had made him angry, whether it had been something she had said or did; it really didn't matter. No longer could she remember the first time he actually hit her, or the times that followed.
Pain, that was what she recalled. Being hurt by him, emotionally, physically. He took control and made her feel worthless. She should have left long ago, but she had nothing. Because she had continued to let him provide everything, she owned nothing in the apartment and had what little money he had let her keep from the jobs she had held. Stupid, that's what it was. For all the strength and courage she used to have… he had broken her of it. Subservient and shy, that was her position and she preferred to keep that way.
Slowly, she drifted off to sleep, her thoughts tiring her and completely draining her. She was in a gentle slumber, lulled by the silence of the room into a deeper sleep. She dreamed of a place far in her conscience, one of a past time, a happier time, where her high school friends were and the closeness they all shared before everyone slowly drifted away. The times spent at Ernie's after a battle well-fought, the conversation, the friendship, everything shared between the six of them. Laughing over some girly joke with Trini while Tommy and Jason sparred. Zack danced and Billy was trying to study Tommy and Jason. Ernie would serve up strawberry smoothies and nothing could interrupt the feeling inside. She didn't have too many problems then… it was only high school, with a few baddies here and there. She reached for her strawberry smoothie to take another cool sip…
Smack! There was a sudden jarring, a blow to her side that threw her into a wakened state. She blinked in the darkness, searching for whatever it was that had waken her up. Smack! Another blow to her side and she was suddenly fully awake. She found herself staring straight into a pair of eyes, his eyes. They were angry and she heard the heavy breathing of a drunken man, vodka on his breath. "Get up," he hissed at her, spittle hitting her cheeks. She slowly sat up, pulling the blankets against her, keeping the fabric between her and him. She felt a stinging sensation across her cheek and realized that he'd slapped her because she wasn't moving fast enough for him. She watched the darkness and the shadows and was able to dodge before he gave another blow. She rolled out of the way, and off the side of the bed.
"Don't start, Jared. Let's just go to bed," she stated softly, trying to coax him away from whatever idea he had in mind.
She heard a grunt, and then the soft creaking of the bed as he sat on it. She breathed in and out slowly, thinking he'd lie down and pass out as he usually did. Just as she was about to breath easy and get back into bed, she felt him grab her arm, pulling her back into bed. He threw her down and climbed on top of her. She looked up at him, somewhat fearful. She could easily knee him; his frame was medium sized, but he was an angry drunk; she'd only make him angrier by doing so. No, she had to bide her time, she had to get away when it was safe. He fumbled with her shorts and his pants. She closed her eyes; this she didn't want to do. "Jared, go to sleep. It's late—"
"Shut up, b-bitch. I'm gon- gonna fuuuck you…" he slurred.
Kimberly squeezed her eyes tighter and prayed it would end soon. She only heard silence echoing in the darkness. She slowly opened her eyes, finding that her body was weighed down. Jared had passed out, and was currently slobbering on the bed. Kimberly easily pushed him off of her and onto his side. She lay there, staring up at the ceiling. She couldn't go on like this anymore. She'd put up with it long enough. She sat up, contemplating the same thing she'd contemplated doing the past year. Could she really do it this time? She threw the blanket aside. Why not? If she didn't do it, it'd be like any other night. She'd chicken out just like any other time. She took one last look at Jared, who was slobbering onto the sheets, reeking of vodka.
Within an hour, she found herself at the Greyhound bus station. It was almost two in the morning, but there were still a good many people in the station at this hour, waiting for buses that were never on time. She glanced around and found the ticket counter to be empty, one person working it. She made her way to the counter, her duffel in hand. "Excuse me," she called when she stood in front of the counter.
"May I help you?" asked a soft spoken middle aged man.
"I'd like to purchase a one-way ticket to Stone Canyon," replied Kimberly, recalling the closest station to Angel Grove from her teenage years.
The man began typing away on his computer, calculating the routes and cities that her ticket would include. "That will put you arriving there in two days and fifteen hours if you leave on the next bus at three. That includes three transfers- one in Houston, one in El Paso, and one in Los Angeles."
"That'll be fine," answered Kimberly, hoping that two days was enough time for her to get away and for Jared to not get smart enough to find her. She pulled out a credit card she'd gotten a few months ago, in case she had to run. Jared knew nothing about it and she hid the bills from him.
"That'll be 224 for the ticket, ma'am."
Kimberly balked at the amount and looked down at the credit card. It cost more than she had thought… would it be worth it? Would she be able to get away from him? If it failed, she'd be out the money it cost…. She handed over the piece of plastic before she could consider any other options. She received the card back shortly and signed the receipt. "All right ma'am, here's your ticket book. Will you place your bag in the square below so I can weight it and tag it for you?" Kimberly placed her duffel on the scale. It barely weighed twenty pounds. She watched as the man tagged her luggage with her destination, and hoped that the time would pass quickly. She couldn't afford delays. She had to get to Angel Grove or else. "Your bus will leave from Gate 8 at three."
Thanking the man, Kimberly took her duffel and looked at her watch. It was now 2:15 and she had forty-five minutes before the next bus. She looked around for gate 8. She found that a small line was beginning to form and decided that it'd be best to join the line before it grew any longer. She made her way across the room and to the line. From what she could tell, there were a few college students in line, along with a couple and a man traveling by himself. Kimberly set her duffel down and sighed. "Long night, sweetie?" came a soft, feminine voice from behind her.
Kimberly jumped, turning to look at who could be behind her. She found a small older woman her height, who stood there smiling. "Oh… why yes," she answered back. The woman continued to smile at her and Kimberly turned around, creeped out.
Forty-five minutes later, she found herself boarding the bus and stuck beside said creepy woman. She yawned, waiting for the bus to simply leave. She was anxious, nervous that Jared had already discovered that she was gone. The sensible side of her knew that once Jared passed out, he was out until at least eight in the morning, usually later. And she'd covered her base with that, knowing that he'd go into work a little later than usual, as it was a Friday. She simply left a note that said she'd gone grocery shopping for the weekend. He wouldn't question this, and couldn't call her, as she had no cell phone. He'd simply go to work and then out to drink. She'd be more than halfway across the country by the time he discovered that she wasn't at home at all. However, her nerves were still on high alert. She knew she needed to sleep, but her nerves kept her from resting in such a manner.
"… Texas. Please take your bags from the bus and refer to your ticket for the next bus you will be boarding. Destinations are posted above the gates. Thank you for going Greyhound," announced the bus driver.
Kimberly roused herself from a restless sleep to hear the second half of the bus driver's announcement. She didn't even know how long she'd been on the bus anymore, or what day it was. She'd gone from bus to bus; she was functioning on automatic. Any sleep she could grab was restless and full of hellish nightmares. She rose from her seat and waited until a space in the aisle opened up so that she could exit the bus. She grabbed her duffel bag from the side of the bus and entered the terminal. She found from the sign above the door that she was in El Paso and from her ticket found that she had an hour wait before the next bus. She was so close… only one more transfer in Los Angeles. She found her gate number to be 17 and glanced over. There wasn't much of a line just yet so she decided to go to the bathroom to freshen up and then grab something to eat.
As she glanced at herself in the mirror, she saw how terrible she looked. Her hair was all over the place, little hairs sticking out here and there. There were large dark circles under her eyes. She knew her breath was terrible and that she couldn't smell the greatest either. She sighed, using the water to pat down the hairs that stuck out at odd angles. It was pointless so she grabbed her bag and left the restroom; she couldn't look any worse than some of the people she'd seen along the way. Some of them seemed to be rich hobos, jumping from bus to bus with only the clothes on their backs. She dropped her duffel at gate 17 and sat beside it, hoping that she wouldn't be bothered or even noticed. It was at that point that her stomach started to rumble with hunger; she unzipped her duffel bag and looked inside from any of her snacks from the previous station she'd stored there. All she found were empty potato chip bags. She sighed; bus station food was expensive and to leave the station to explore restaurants nearby was dangerous, as the bus stations always seemed to be in the worse part of the cities. She double-checked the clock, noting that there was still 45 minutes left to wait. She left her duffel in the line, it becoming her placeholder, and made her way to the station restaurant.
Five minutes later, she had a plate that held chicken tenders and French fries. She balked at the greasy food, but knew it'd be the only thing she'd be eating until the bus stopped at some gas station along the way. She made a mental note to get something really healthy to eat to balance it with the greasy food. She found a table to herself and began to eat her food, hoping that no one bothered her or decided to make it an opportune moment to recognize her from Pan Globals. She hoped that everyone would have forgotten her, but every now and again there was some die-hard fan that seemed to find her. Her mind then drifted back to Jared; she knew he had figured out she was gone. She just didn't know how long it would take before he'd find her. She hoped that she'd covered her tracks well so far. Kimberly only wished there was a way to check on when he found out that she was missing. She figured there would be quite a few people she could call, but knew she couldn't take that risk. All it would take would be one slip up and then her escape and the money put into it would be in vain.
Finishing off her greasy bus station food, she returned to her spot in line that her duffel held, untouched. She had found it really odd that people would simply leave their belongings as placeholders in line when the stations were typically large and full of people who could easily just take the bags and run. That was before she had realized that many people kept their most valuable items on them at all times and that some people were simply good and wouldn't fool with baggage. It was still rather odd. The clock still told her there was a fifteen minute wait before the next bus. It hadn't even arrived yet; she really hoped it'd be on time. Delays were not affordable. Besides, she didn't know how much longer she could bare to be in such a physical state. If the disgust of her own body and looks didn't phase her, then the lack of sleep and increased nervousness did.
Once again, Kimberly found herself staring at her slightly abused ticket packet for the bus schedule. She had to be certain she was getting further and further away from Jared. According to her ticket, there was still twenty-four hours to go until she arrived in Stone Canyon. Once she was there, she was uncertain of what to do next. She could withdraw money for a cab fare to Angel Grove, but that may or may not work. She didn't know which of her friends still lived in Angel Grove. So many had moved away, and others she'd lost touch with after the Turbo incident. She only hoped that someone still lived there, and that that someone could point her in the right direction. She knew where she wanted to go and that she'd feel safe there, even if Jared did find her. All she had to do was get there, and hope that things worked out for the best. So far, she'd gotten lucky; how much more luck would be bestowed upon her?
Twenty-four hours later, she found herself stepping off the bus in Stone Canyon, tired, dirty, drained, and uncertain. The sun was beginning to set, and it was around 6:30. She was thankful not to have encountered any delays along the way for her trip, but all she really wanted right at that moment was a hot shower and a comfortable bed to sleep in. She hadn't slept much at all; barely two hours, if that. She kept waking from nightmares of Jared finding her and taking her back home before she could find any of her old friends or make it to what she hoped would be her safety net. Her stomach growled; she hadn't eaten much either, and didn't care to spend more than she had to on bus station food again. She grabbed her duffel bag and made her way through the station. Unlike the other cities she'd stopped in, she knew her way around Stone Canyon and knew that the station wasn't in a terrible part of town. Across the street she spied three things she could use- a McDonald's restaurant, a payphone, and an ATM machine. It couldn't be so easy, could it?
She was right; it couldn't be. The ATM denied her access to her savings account that she jointly shared with Jared and she knew he'd withdrawn funds from it and cancelled the account as soon as he'd figured something out. He wasn't going to make it easy for her, and she had anticipated that. She replaced her ATM card with another; this was a special account she'd set up over a year ago, sneaking spare bits of money here and there into the account. She took out ten dollars and left the rest be; she couldn't remember how much was truly in the account. She had planned out so much that she'd forgotten to double-check the amount left in the midst of finalizing her plans.
Kimberly suddenly realized that she held in her hand a ten dollar bill, one that wouldn't do her much good to use a pay phone. She needed some quarters. Spying an older couple heading into McDonald's, she strode over to them. "Excuse me," she said, interrupting their hushed conversation. "I need to make a phone call, but all I have is this ten dollar bill. Do you have change for smaller bills?"
The woman looked at her, and Kimberly cringed inwardly. She knew she looked close to street trash. However, the woman didn't question her and pulled open her purse. Instead of handing Kimberly change for her ten, she instead dropped four quarters into Kimberly's palm. "Here you go…this is much easier than fishing for bills," she said with a smile.
"Th-thank you!" cried Kimberly. She hadn't expected the sudden charity, but it helped her to save what little money she had left. She turned to the payphone and laid the quarters on the small metal shelf. She then reached down for her duffel, unzipping a small pocket on the side. She pulled out a folded piece of paper, well worn from being folded and unfolded so much. Kimberly unfolded it once more, staring at the telephone number written there. Those 10 digits would reconnect her to Jason, if he still lived in Angel Grove. She'd been given the number over a year ago, in a letter he'd sent her, giving details of his engagement and the date for the wedding. Jared had found and promptly destroyed it, but Kimberly had written down the number if there was ever an emergency.
Kimberly sighed as she stared hard at the number. She knew this was his last apartment number. If all else failed, she could look up his business in the phone book, the one he'd opened up shortly after completing his college degree- the Aze-ki Karate Academy. She was certain to find his number there, but the chance of his academy being open so late on a Saturday was slim to none. She stared at the piece of paper once again. She only had enough quarters for one phone call; it had to go through or she'd have to beg off someone else. The quarters clinked as they slid into the machine; Kimberly dialed the digits, all the while keeping her fingers crossed. She could hear the telephone ringing, and hoped that he'd pick up.
"…Hello?" answered a masculine voice after three rings.
Kimberly felt relief wash over her when someone answered. "J-Jason?" she asked cautiously, wanting to make sure it was truly him. It sounded like his voice, but slightly deeper than what she remembered. The cry of a infant could be heard in the background, but Kimberly's brain didn't really register this.
"Speaking. Who's this?" he asked in a cheerful voice.
"Kimberly," she answered. She heard a small gasp on the other end.
"K-Kim? Why are you calling? Has Jared done something?" Jason questioned, anger seeping into his voice.
"I've run away from him, Jason. I'm in Stone Canyon. I need to find Tommy. Can you take me to Tommy?" She stated the last bit in a voice that was beginning to beg for help.
"I…yes. I'll come get you. Where in Stone Canyon?"
"McDonald's…please…hurry…" she said softly, as she hung up the phone. Fear was beginning to creep over her. She was afraid that after getting so close, Jared would find her. He knew she was gone. He might figure out where she was going to. She placed the phone back on the receiver and looked around her, just in case. A chill washed over her body as she thought she saw Jared across the street from her, but it wasn't. The man was too tall to be Jared, and his hair was a lighter shade of brown as well. Kimberly slipped inside McDonald's, first seeking out the bathroom and then the counter, lured by the smell of food.
She soon poked at the salad sitting in front of her, and took sips from the cup of water she'd gotten as well. There was no way she was buying a greasy burger and fries. A salad was just the thing she needed to calm her a bit until Jason got there. She stabbed viciously at a tomato, pretending it was Jared's face instead of a fleshy fruit in front of her. She stared at the salad, pondering her next move when she met Tommy face to face. She had to come clean, had to let him know everything. He had always been her protector, and though she'd broken away from that when she went to Pan Globals, she sought it now more than ever. Jared scared her and she needed to be with someone she felt safe with, and who she could trust. She could trust Jason and she could trust Tommy. Why she chose Tommy over Jason, she didn't know. All she knew is that Jason was her connection to Tommy. She'd trust both men as she had before. She just wanted Tommy to help her get Jared physically away from her.
Kimberly was suddenly aware of a shadow standing over her. She gasped and quickly looked up, only to find Jason with a front baby pack standing in front of her. She slowly stood, uncertain if it really was him. He smiled at her, and she smiled back. Her eyes then wandered to the pack strapped to Jason's front, and the baby cradled inside, his small tuft of black hair barely covering his head. "Ryder," answered Jason softly, so as not to wake the sleeping baby. "Laylee and I's first." He moved closer, and gave Kimberly a hug as best as he could with the pack on.
"Jason…I'm sorry…" Kimberly didn't know what to say. The fact that Jason could have had a child slipped her mind. She never meant to bring his family into this. Maybe she should have called Tommy directly.
"Kim, I know what you want and I've contacted Tommy. I didn't explain anything to him, but he knows there's an emergency. I don't know what you've told him in the past, or what he knows about Jared. He's up in Reefside for the summer. He's rented a place and is working on a project that he refuses to tell anyone about. I'll take you there and you can speak with him when you're ready, all right?"
Kimberly nodded slowly. Jason knew she'd want to get to Tommy from what she'd said on the phone. "Thank you," she mustered.
Within minutes, both of them were in Jason's white Taurus and heading toward Reefside, about a thirty minute drive from Stone Canyon. Ryder was in the back, sleeping peacefully still. Kimberly was starting to feel drowsy from the lack of sleep and the lulling movement of the vehicle. Her eyes became heavier and heavier, but she forced herself to stay awake. She couldn't sleep yet, not until she was safely at Tommy's…then she could sleep.
The ride passed in silence; Jason was uncertain of what to say to Kimberly. He knew of some of Jared's treatment toward Kimberly from letters she'd written when it first began. Beyond that he was clueless of what happened recently, or what had caused Kimberly to finally leave. He glanced over at her as he drove toward Reefside. No longer did he see the woman who'd once been a strong, capable teammate. All he could see was someone who was scared and broken. He only hoped that Kimberly could begin to heal among old friends.
Tommy opened the door and stood on the porch as Jason pulled up the driveway. He knew his rented house was in the middle of nowhere, but it was perfect for the research he was beginning for his dissertation. He watched as Jason got out of the vehicle, along with another woman, who carried a small duffel bag… then he realized that that woman was Kimberly. She looked as though she'd been through hell and back to get to Reefside; this was not the girl he remembered at all. Something had greatly changed and affected her. Jason walked Kimberly to the door and to Tommy. "Hey, bro," he called.
"Hey Jas. Care to stay for a bit?" asked Tommy.
Jason shook his head. "Sorry, but I can't. I've got Ryder with me and Laylee is expecting me home very soon. Ryder's already been falling asleep on me. I'll call and check on you soon though."
Tommy smiled. "All right. See you soon." Jason turned back to his car. Within seconds, his car was once again disappearing down the driveway, the taillights soon disappearing. Tommy turned toward Kimberly and gave her a small smile. "Let's go inside and maybe we can talk a little bit?"
Kimberly only nodded. The sight of Tommy was strange. He didn't look like the Tommy she remembered at all. Tommy had cut off all his long hair; it was now short and spiky. His brown eyes though, remained friendly toward her, or what she hoped was friendly. She knew that for awhile after she'd broken up with him, he'd resented her. It had been a few years…she hoped that he would be able to forgive her for what she'd done.
Tommy held open the door for Kimberly and she walked inside, her eyes observing everything around her. The house itself was pretty bare, save for the essentials and a few pictures, most of people she didn't recognize. Tommy guided her toward the couch and sat her down before taking a seat in the recliner across from her. Kimberly looked down at her feet. She felt safer now, but she wasn't sure if she wanted to talk about it, not at this point. The exhaustion was weighing down on her and she simply wanted to sleep, but she owed Tommy some explanation. She sighed and took a deep breath, looking to her feet. Tears began to well up in her eyes. "Jared has been abusing me for awhile now. I couldn't seem to get away from him; he was very controlling and made sure he knew what I was doing at all times. If I didn't do what he wanted, I'd pay the price. I left a few days ago… I caught a Greyhound bus in the middle of the night after he tried to force sex on me while he was drunk. He knows I'm gone. He's cancelled our joint bank account. I just… I couldn't take anymore…" She broke down sobbing, and couldn't say anymore.
As the impact of Kimberly's words settled in his mind, Tommy started to grow angry. Here was someone he'd loved at one point in his life, someone who'd been a different girl then compared to the broken woman who sat in front of him. He had no idea what she'd been through, or who Jared really was, but he knew Kimberly sought safety and she'd gotten in touch with two people she trusted most to help her, and who she knew who could protect her from this man. Tommy looked over at Kimberly, suddenly noticing the silence that had fallen over the room. Kimberly was passed out on his couch. Exhaustion had finally gotten the better of Kimberly. Tommy rose from his spot and guided her tired body down onto the couch. He removed her shoes, and covered her with a blanket. He wanted more answers, but that would have to wait until the morning. Locking the front door, he headed to his own bedroom; there wouldn't be anymore research tonight.
I hope you'll review and give me some feedback. It'd really make my day. I hope to have the next chapter out within a month. That's my goal at least.