Disclaimer: I don't know who owns them anymore, but I sure as hell don't.
Notes: I just had this idea when I was driving one night. It hasn't been betaed and isn't anything special. Long live
-- CS, Tommy/Kim. November 2003.
We Were Rangers Once… And Young.
Tommy tossed his keys on the table. They landed with a 'clink' and slid across the smooth, wooden surface. It was good to be home, he thought, not bothering to stop and take in the familiar surroundings. He knew where everything was by instinct now. And that was what kept him from noticing the humanoid anomaly seated on his couch.
"Tommy!" cried the anomaly.
He whirled around to face the sound. He saw a whirl of pink and brown rush forward to greet him, and felt it throw its (soft, he noticed) arms around his neck. "You're back! I was worried!" it said; its voice was obviously female and filled with relief.
After returning a cursory hug, he pushed her backwards to get a good look at her. Kim. Former Pink Ranger. Gymnast. Shopaholic. His ex-girlfriend. That Kim. He had only seen her briefly a handful of times during the years since she had quit the Power Rangers. That was six years ago, he thought vaguely. She was virtually unchanged by the passage of time. Small, energetic; she could still pass as a high school student.
"I'm fine, Kim," he said, serenely. Then added: "It was just one mission."
"I know but… it's been awhile…" she looked somewhat embarrassed at his nonchalance.
"How'd you even know about it?" He wondered aloud. Only the Red Rangers had been contacted for mission, himself included. "Did Jason tell you?"
She smiled enigmatically. "I have my sources. And no, not Jason. I was worried about him too."
"But you didn't wait for him in his apartment," he murmured, puzzled. "How'd you get in here anyway?"
"Oh!" she exclaimed, pleased with herself. "I got the spare key from old Mrs. Reynolds across the hall. She's very nice, introduced me to her cats."
"So… you heard that the Red Rangers had been called on a mission after nearly ten years out of the saddle and you came to my building… and conned Mrs. Reynolds to giving her the emergency key?!" And he thought the most bizarre part of his day was going to be called to defend Earth one more time, but surely this was stranger.
"I told her you meant to give me one. But you forgot. You know how forgetful you are!" She blushed. "I had to tell her I was your girlfriend…"
"You lied to Mrs. Reynolds!" he cried, mock accusatory. "You're going to burn in hell."
"Well!" she threw up her hands. "I'm sorry if I was concerned about you, Tommy. And I was your girlfriend once."
Tommy chose to ignore that last part, since it was too complicated to address. "Apology accepted." He grinned. "It's nice to see you, Kim."
She smiled, really smiled, and he felt a flutter in his heart that he hadn't felt for years – not since he had been in high school.
"What was it like?" she asked.
"It was the same – but not. There were ten of us. All former Red Rangers. And, Kim, you should see some of the new ones. They're so young!" He made a gesture with his hand, indicating about three feet off the ground to underscore his point of how little they were. "Were we ever that young?"
She closed her eyes and rocked back and forth on her feet. "I think so. Maybe. I vaguely recall."
They were quiet, thinking of past exploits, of friends and times long gone. Kim kept her eyes closed. Tommy chose to stare, unseeing, at the top of her head.
"They acted like I was some kind of hero," he said, finally. "Like they had grown up hearing of me. It was strange."
"I bet you're glad to be home then," she replied.
He sighed. "Yes and no."
She nodded. "I understand."
"Thanks for that…" he smiled at her. "And thanks for being worried about me."
"Anytime!" she cheered. And then added, more seriously: "I've missed you."
Tommy responded, just as seriously: "I've missed you too."
He didn't add that he had missed her with a painful ache in his chest since she had left for Florida or that his heart had broken into two pieces and never truly repaired when she had unceremoniously dumped him in that letter. That wasn't the type of thing you said when an old friend paid you a visit.
"I… uh… watched you during the Pan Globals," he said. "I'm sorry. I thought for sure you were going to win a medal."
"It's okay," she replied, not losing any of her trademark cheer. "I'm glad I did it – just to know that I could do it. I didn't have to win. You know? The medals weren't important. To stand out on the floor with that huge crowd cheering for you. It was intense."
"Sounds cool," he said, thinking of his time as a race-car driver.
"I'm glad I did it," she repeated, trying to convince herself that she wasn't sorry for leaving Angel Grove – and him.
After a long pause he said: "You know, I'm glad you did it too."
Kim grinned widely. "But it's good to be back home."
At that, Tommy couldn't help but smile. "Where you belong," he said as he reached out to draw her into another, more powerful, hug.