A.N. The true beginning of this weird mesh of stuff. Lmao.

Change

Life had changed, and nothing was the way she had planned. She'd gone off and returned a different person than she had been in high school. It seemed like only yesterday she was morphing into the pink ranger and fighting putties after school. Even the one thing she had cherished most about those days, her friends, was mostly gone out of her life. That was partially her fault, she knew. She'd been the fourth to leave, and she had tried very little to stay in contact after a while. She was busy, they were all busy. Tommy was the only one she'd held onto when she left to further her training. His letters were far longer and more in depth than hers ever were, and it was not long before she realized that it just wasn't going to work between them anymore.

Although Tommy was the last to join the original team, he was the only one still hanging on so tightly. Other members came and went, both enjoying the experience and eager to move on, and yet Tommy couldn't let it go. That was okay, though, because Tommy was great at what he did. He was like that with her, too. His love and desires were powerful and all consuming, even from a distance, and yet Tommy had nothing on Brandon.

With a perpetual Florida tan, lots of dark wavy hair, and the taste of an accent, it was easy for anyone to find charms in that man, and he also happened to be ten years older than her. Brandon pursued her vigorously, and eventually he succeeded. She scribbled out one last note, and effectively severed all of her ties to her past, or so she thought. One month past, and the world turned upside down.

Aside from being older, Brandon was also married. The jewels and pretty things he bought her were coming out of his rich wife's pocket, but the instant she returned from her stint in Europe, it was over. Distraught and friendless, Kimberly sent a desperate plea to her mother and hid herself away in France. She never would return to Florida, not really, and she would never see the Olympics.

Kimberly thought that France was far enough away to escape her old life, to leave everything behind, and start all over. Not so much. Paris was a beautiful place to live, plenty of places to shop and fine foods to try at her leisure, but it was the very last place she expected to meet someone from her past.

"Skull!" she squealed, launching herself at him.

The guy in question stumbled under her attack, nearly toppling to the ground. She was grateful that he didn't, instead wrapping her in a slightly awkward hug as he regained his balance.

"What are you doing in France?" she asked, sliding out of his grasp.

"A special assignment," he said proudly. "Bulk's over there." Kimberly followed his finger to her other classmate, standing on the opposite sidewalk talking to a mustached man.

Bulk had never been one of her favorite people, but she wasn't the least bit surprised that these two were still running around together, terrorizing people on a global scale now, apparently. "That's nice. Do you ever have any down time?" she asked, not even bothering to think of the consequences of such a statement.

Skull shrugged. Maybe he hadn't got what she was asking. She could back down and be content with her life, or she could ask again. "We should hang out then! Can't you dump Bulk somewhere for a little while? I haven't seen anyone in ages; it'd be great to catch up."

He gave her a wide-eyed look. He didn't seem to believe what she was asking him, but she persisted. "There's a great little shop around the corner. We could have lunch."

Skull looked back over his shoulder at Bulk, but he was busy with something else and hadn't even noticed that he had abandoned his station. "Sure. Lunch sounds good."