Disclaimer: Saban owns Power Rangers and the characters within, not I.
"I'm Here"
Jason Scott squeezed his way past a group of fellow mourners. Plenty of "excuse me's" and "I'm sorry's" were exchanged as he cleared the last one to search the cemetery for the girl he had just caught a glimpse of. He scanned both directions but frustratingly he saw no sign of her anywhere. He knew he had not imagined her nor the way he had felt when he she smiled at him. He made his way by some tombstones before stopping in his tracks.
"Kim.." He said as he caught glimpse of the person he was searching for. She was just about to get into her car on the far side of the cemetery. He thought about calling to her but suddenly realized that the time and location did not lend themselves to yelling. So instead he picked his pace and quickly covered the distance between them. He reached her just as she had gripped the handle on her car door. "Hey.."
"Jason." Kimberly spoke, slightly startled by his voice behind her. She turned to see him standing there damp from the rain and slightly disheveled from his run.
"You're here." He said a little breathlessly but with a big smile.
"I'm here." She agreed with a smile to match his. "Did you run over here?"
"Umm.. yeah I guess I did." Jason responded a little embarassed at the fact.
"Why?" She inquired as she turned to face him fully. She reopened the umbrella that she had just closed moments before he came over.
"I don't know... just wanted to make sure you were really here?" Jason searched for reasoning.
"Of course I am.. why wouldn't I be?" Kim asked. Jason glanced around for a moment before his eyes settled back on Kim.
"I wasn't sure if any of you guys would come..." He confessed.
"Oh.. well I can't speak for the rest of the guys but I felt like I should be here." She responded. She motioned him forward to stand under the umbrella with her as the rain began to come down harder. He moved forward to oblige her, leaving very little personal space between them.
"I'm.. glad you came.. it means a lot." He said, softer now due to their newfound closeness. She nodded up at him. She didn't get a chance to speak though before someone else spoke Jason's name from behind them. She looked to her left to see his family standing there.
"Hey Jason.. we are heading home." His father said to him as he stood a few feet away holding an umbrella over himself and Jason's sister. Jason turned to him.
"Oh.. okay dad." He replied before turning briefly back to Kim. "Hey.. um.. I'm gonna catch a ride home with Kimberly if that's okay?"
"Fine with me if it's okay with your mother." His dad responded before turning to Jason's mom. She nodded in the affirmative and gave both Jason and Kimberly a smile. They then continued on to their car as Jason turned back to Kim.
"Is that okay... that I go with you, I should have asked you first.." Jason asked her.
"It's fine Jason." She assured him with a smile. He breathed a small sigh of relief and returned her smile.
"Let's get out of this rain." Kim said as she opened her car door and released the umbrella to him so he could go around the car and get in on the passenger side. Jason quickly made his way around and hopped in next to her, closing the door behind him. He looked over to see Kim staring out the window in the direction the funeral had taken place. He was about to say something, when she spoke up first. "What we are doing is very dangerous isn't it?"
"Yeah.. yeah it is.." He agreed as his words prompted her to turn back around to him. He saw the look of concern on her face and began to search for words of comfort.
"She will try to kill us too." Kimberly surmised of their newfound foe.
"She will try." Jason agreed again. "But... she won't."
"How can you be so sure?" She questioned, seeking to tap into his hope.
"Honestly?" He began. "I'm not sure... but it's what I feel and I'm going with it."
"We've got to morph." She stated as her eyes locked with his.
"We will." He responded. "We'll morph... we'll stop her.. and then maybe things will return to normal around here."
"I don't know Jason... I don't think things will ever go back to the normal we had." She replied. "Honestly.. I'm not sure I even want them to."
"Yeah... I think I know what you mean." He told her with a small smile. They sat in a contemplative silence for a moment before she reached to start the car. His hand on hers stopped her from doing so and she turned to him. "Wait..."
"What is it?" She questioned with a puzzled expression on her face.
"I.. um...uh.. nevermind." He said releasing her hand and sitting back in the seat.
"Jason.. what?" She pried, very curious about what he was going to say.
"It's silly.." He responded lowering his head.
"Hey... I'm up for silly." She stated with a grin.
"I guess I'm just.. I was thinking about how... months ago if you had told me that we would be sitting in a car together like this.. I would have imagined that entirely different if not impossible altogether." He confessed, his eyes darting up to hers briefly before moving to the dashboard. She let out a small laugh, which prompted him to turn to her.
"Yeah.. I guess I agree, if you had told me months ago that any of what's happening now was going to... I'd have thought you nuts." She agreed. He studied her for a moment before speaking.
"I don't just mean all of the stuff with the powers.. I mean just here with you.." He clarified. This prompted Kim to turn to meet his gaze and furrow her brow. She suddenly was very interested in what direction he was taking the conversation. "You know... I almost asked you out once."
"What.. when?" She asked, shocked by his revelation. She had known of Jason for years, and they had crossed paths at many parties, football games and school activities, but they had never spoken anything other than brief small talk. Somehow in all of that though, he was going to ask her out? She had to hear more.
"Last year, right before you started dating Ty.." He began. "I saw you standing by the bleachers after a game.. you were on your phone so you didn't notice me, but I started to approach you when Ty beat me to it."
"Jason.." She responded. "Why were you going to ask me out, we didn't even know each other."
"Yeah.. I know, but when I saw you there... you um... you looked... well what I mean to say is that I suddenly really regretted that I hadn't spoken to you before." He confessed. She shifted in her seat to face him more fully.
"For what it's worth..." She began. "I wish you had gotten to me before Ty."
Jason found himself grinning now. He felt his pulse quicken at her words and a wave of warmth washed over him. He started to respond but found he had to clear his throat first. For her part she was still holding his gaze and smiling as well.
"Why... are you telling me this now?" She asked, beating him to speaking.
"I.. I don't know, I think I just wanted to get it off my chest... and you know... seeing you here today, like I said it meant a lot to me." He searched for words to adequately answer her question. "I thought with us on the same team now... maybe I shouldn't keep things like this from you."
"Oh.. okay." She responded. She considered his words and could sense he was holding back on his response. She didn't pry though, because she was still digesting what he had revealed to her. His words had prompted her to realize something that up until now she had not admitted to herself. She was feeling something for Jason. From their first conversation she had felt herself being charmed by him. It was not something she had expected at all. She had not until this point really been able to consider what she was feeling due to all of the distractions surrounding them.
"What are you thinking?" He asked as he studied her expression to tell she was lost in thought. His voice snapped her out of it and she turned to face the windshield.
"I.. was just thinking that... I'm glad that we can talk now." She responded.
"Me too.." He agreed.
"And I was thinking that hopefully.. when we figure all of the craziness around us out.." She continued. She hesitated for a moment before turning back to him. "That maybe we can figure out whatever is happening between us."
Their eyes locked once more. Jason reached over to place his hand on hers in her lap. He gave it a gentle squeeze and offered her a smile. For her part she was swimming in his blue eyes and didn't care if she drowned right there right now. He was caught up in her words and what it might mean for them. He knew though that she was right, they had other things to focus on at the moment. They needed to come together with the others to become Rangers first. Then, he hoped like her, that they could focus on coming together just the two of them.
"I look forward to that." He said as he reluctantly let go of her hand and sat back in his seat. She nodded in agreement and relucantly broke their eye contact before reaching over to start the car.
"I guess we should get to training." She spoke quietly as she put the car into drive and drove them away.