Disclaimer: The only things I own in this story are Tommy's mom, Carlene, and his stepfather, Harold. Brief explanations will be given in the story. All you really need to know is that in my universe, Tommy's brother David Truehart doesn't exist. I apologize to any David fans. Everything else is not mine.

Author's Note: Here is my rewrite of "The Letter." I hope it will better than my previous version. There's no real action in this. This is basically my lame excuse for Kimberly to break up with Tommy, so that I can pair Tommy with Kat later down the road. Sorry to Tommy/Kim fans out there, but I need some reason for Tommy and Kat to eventually get together, even if it's a lame one. This "season" may be alternate, but I want to stay as true to the show as I possibly can.

THE LETTER

It was a warm spring day in Angel Grove. Ever since the Orb of Doom's effects were reversed the week before, the Power Rangers haven't seen much action. They were grateful for this respite, but remained vigilant, knowing that Lord Zedd and Rita Repulsa could strike at any moment.

At the Angel Grove Youth Center, Tommy was at the weight bench with Adam spotting him. As Rocky watched, he clapped his hands together and said, "Alright, man, you got two more sets. You ready?"

"Yeah, I was born ready," answered Tommy.

As Tommy was lifting weights, Billy, along with Katherine and Aisha, approached. Billy was holding an envelope.

"Come on, Tommy, one more," encouraged Adam as Tommy tried to make the last lift of his current set. He did it, and Adam put the barbells back in place, saying, "Good job."

When Billy, Kat, and Aisha reached their friends, Tommy said, "Hey, guys, what's up?"

"Hey," greeted Kat in her sweet Australian accent.

Billy then spoke up. "Tommy, since your parents are out of town today, I got your mail like you asked me to. A letter came for you today. It's from Kimberly."

"Alright, cool," said Tommy with glee. Kimberly Hart, his girlfriend and former Pink Ranger, was in Florida training for the Pan Global Games. It had been a dream of hers since she was a child. As he lay down to start lifting again, he said, "Hey, Billy, will you do me a favor and read it? I still have one more set to do."

"Sure, no problem," answered the Blue Ranger.

"Thanks, man."

Billy opened the envelope and began to read aloud.

Dear Tommy

Everything is going great here in Florida. Coach Schmidt has me as ready as I'll ever be for the competition.

Rocky interrupted and said, "Man, Kimberly is going to do great!"

As everyone else expressed their agreement, Aisha asked, "What else does she say?"

After finding his place, Billy continued. What he read next was something he never expected.

Tommy, this is the hardest letter I've ever had to write. You've always been my best friend, and, in some ways, you're like a brother. But something has happened here that I can't explain. It's been both wonderful and painful at the same time. Tommy, I've met someone else.

Everyone had looks of disbelief on their faces, but none more than Tommy.

"What?" asked Kat. "That can't be right."

"Tommy, maybe you should finish this another time," said Billy.

Having just finished his set, Tommy took the letter and said, "Let me see." He continued to read it aloud himself.

Tommy, you know I would never do anything to hurt you. But I feel like I've found the person I belong with. He's wonderful, kind, and caring. You'd really like him.

Everything would be perfect if it weren't for hurting you. But I have to follow my heart. I will always care about you, Tommy.

Please, forgive me.

Kimberly

Tommy folded the letter and placed it back in its envelope. The others just stood there speechless. Finally, Aisha asked, "Tommy? Are you okay?"

Tommy sighed and said, "I just want to be alone right now." With that, he stood up and left.

Tommy went to Angel Grove Park and looked out over the lake. He thought about all that he and Kimberly had been through together, both as Power Rangers and as high school sweeties.

As he continued to look out over the lake, Kat slowly approached. "Tommy, are you okay?"

"I don't know, Kat," he answered. "I'm just trying to figure out what went wrong. Was it something that I did? Who exactly is this new guy anyway? Does he have something that I don't? Then again, I've heard that long distance relationships don't work out. Could she have hooked up with him because of that?"

Several moments passed before Kat finally spoke up. "Tommy, if I knew the answer, I'd tell you. You believe me when I say that, don't you?"

Tommy turned to her and finally answered, "Yes."

Choosing her next words carefully, Kat asked, "Would you like some company? Or would you rather me leave?"

Sighing, Tommy answered softly, "Go. Leave me alone." Kat walked away without another word.

Five days later, the Rangers jumped out of the Ninja Megafalconzord, having just destroyed another monster. After making sure they were clear, Tommy touched his belt buckle while the others touched the Morphers on their belts. All six Rangers cried, "Power down!"

Once demorphed, Rocky asked, "Man, who's up for something to eat?"

Aisha answered his question with a question of her own. "Rocky, we just finished off our first monster in almost two weeks, and you're thinking about food?"

Smirking, Adam teased, "When was the last time he didn't?"

Tommy managed a small smile while the others laughed. Finally, he said, "Well, whatever you guys plan to do, go on. I'll catch you later."

As Tommy walked away, Kat wanted to go after him. Billy held her back, saying, "Kat, don't. It's still not a good time to try to talk to him."

"Billy, I don't mean to rush things," said Rocky, "but when will it be a good time to talk to him? He's barely spoken a word to us sent he got that letter. And the only time we even see him is in school or when there's a monster attack."

"I know," said Adam. "He hasn't even shown up to teach his karate class. Rocky and I can't cover for him forever."

"I agree," said Aisha. "Billy, Tommy has to talk to somebody."

Billy thought about it and finally said, "You're right. If he won't talk to us, maybe he'll talk to his parents. If any of us see them, tell them what's going on. Chances are, he may not have told them about the letter."

The next day, when Tommy got home from school, he saw his mom in one of her dresses trying to take care of some last minute errands. Seeing her son, she said, "Hi, Tommy."

"Hi, mom," Tommy greeted politely. Seeing how she was dressed, he asked, "Why are you dressed up so?"

"Harold and I are going out to dinner for our anniversary," she answered. "I told you about that this morning, remember?"

"Oh, yeah," said Tommy, slightly embarrassed by his faulty memory. "It must have slipped my mind." The man he called his father was actually his stepfather.

Stopping, Carlene Oliver-Simmons remembered, "Oh, Tommy, before Harold gets home, I need to talk to you."

"About what?" asked Tommy curiously.

Taking a seat on the couch, Carlene took a deep breath and said, "It's about the letter."

As he sat down, Tommy asked, "How did you know?"

"I ran into your friend, Billy, today. He spilled the beans. I'm sorry to hear that Kimberly broke up with you. I always thought you two looked so good together."

Tommy shook his head. "Please, mom, don't make this any worse than it already is."

"Tommy, please," said Carlene. "I know this is rough for you, but you can't just avoid everybody all the time. Your friends are worried that they're losing touch with you."

"I'm sorry they feel that way, mom," said Tommy. "But this is something that I have to deal with on my own."

Patiently, Carlene asked, "Tommy, do you remember when your father died?"

Several seconds passed before Tommy answered. "Remember? How could I forget? The two of you were on your way home when he was killed by a drunk driver. You almost died with him."

Carlene nodded and said, "Yes. If you think you're feeling bad now, just try to imagine how I felt. As you know, I went into a deep depression and later put both you and your sister up for adoption. For a long time, I thought your father's death was the end of everything. When I finally met Harold, well. . . you know the rest." Tommy nodded before Carlene continued. "Tommy, my point is I know your heart has been broken. And I can tell you first-hand that it's not something you get over easily. But you can, and I believe you will."

"But, Kimberly and I. . ."

"I know how much she meant to you. I'm sorry to interrupt you, but I know. One of my teachers once said to me, 'If you love something, set it free. If it comes back to you, it's yours. If it doesn't, it never was.' Tommy, you're a strong, kind, decent young man. And trust me when I tell you there is somebody out there for you. Whether that's Kimberly or even the girl next door, trust me, she's out there. Who knows, maybe you and Kimberly will find your way back to each other? Whatever the case, you will find that certain someone. Just promise me you'll think about it, okay?"

Tommy took in everything that his mom had told him. Finally, he said, "Okay. Thank you, mom. I'm glad we had this conversation. You've given me a lot to think about."

Carlene smiled and said, "I'm glad I could be of some help." She then stood up and gave her son a kiss on the forehead.

As his mom made her way out of the room, Tommy started thinking of his sister. He said, "Mom?" Seeing her turn to face him, Tommy said, "Speaking of Jenny, do you think we'll ever see her again?"

Carlene smiled and said, "I've been making arrangements to regain custody of her. When or if I succeed, it will likely be after the school year is finished."

Tommy nodded. He still had two weeks of eleventh grade left before summer vacation. "Thanks, mom." As his mom left the room, Tommy reached to his side and picked up a picture. It was one of himself, his mom, his dad, and his sister. Tommy had his dad's dark hair, while his sister had his mom's dark red hair. It was the last time they had been photographed together. He would be keeping his fingers crossed that he would see his sister again.

Just then, the front door opened as Harold Simmons, Tommy's stepfather, walked in. "I'm home! Hey, Tommy, where's your mom?"

"She just went upstairs, dad," he answered. Although Harold was his stepfather, he still referred to him as dad. "I hope you two enjoy yourselves tonight."

Harold smiled and said, "Thanks, Tommy."

Later that evening, Tommy sat on his front-porch swing, thinking about all that his mom had said. He was deep in his thoughts when a white teleportation beam caught him by surprise. Tommy was shocked by whom he saw. "Kimberly?"

Kimberly smiled a weak smile. "Hi, Tommy. I. . . I need to talk to you."

Tommy motioned for Kimberly to join him, which she did. As his now ex-girlfriend sat next to him, she said, "First off, I just want to say I'm sorry."

"For what?" asked Tommy although he already knew the answer.

"For hurting you," Kimberly said softly. "Tommy, I know this probably isn't what you want to hear, but I did want to break up with you. I just wish now that I hadn't sent that letter."

"Wait, how did you get here anyway?" asked the White Ranger.

Kimberly answered, "I kept my old communicator when I left for Florida. I was able to convince Zordon to teleport me here so I could talk to you." Tommy nodded in understanding. Kimberly continued, "As I said, I wish I hadn't sent that letter. If we were going to break up, I wish now that I had said it to your face. I know that doesn't make it any easier, but I wish that was how I had done it. A few days after I sent the letter I knew I'd made a mistake. It ate away at me until I finally decided that I had to talk to you face to face. For closure, if nothing else. You see, Tommy, the reason I broke up with you is because our relationship was starting to go south. I mean, we got along great, we were always there for each other, but I just had a gut feeling it wasn't going to work. I don't know if you loved me, but I knew I didn't love you anymore. I didn't happen overnight. It just gradually. . . happened. The realization just came to me slowly until it was staring me in the face. I hope you understand what I'm saying. Do you?"

Tommy thought long and hard about what Kimberly had just said. Every word she said made sense. Sure, it still hurt, but he at least understood why she did what she did. Finally, he said, "Kimberly, I understand what you're saying. And I'm more than willing to forgive you for what you did. But one thing I don't understand is, who's this new guy?"

Kimberly swallowed nervously. Finally, she answered, "If you want the honest truth, Tommy, there was no other guy. That was the only thing I lied about in the letter. I hope that makes you feel better, at least a little bit."

Tommy gave a weak smile. "It does, Kim. Believe me, it does." He then wrapped his arms around her and kissed her on the top of the head. "I'm glad we had this conversation. I wish you luck in Florida, Kimberly. Show the world that you're the best."

Once Tommy let her go, Kimberly smiled once again. "Thank you, Tommy. I'll make you all proud of me. But promise me we can still be friends?"

Tommy smiled one more time. "Of course, Kimberly. We'll always be friends. No matter what."

The two of them hugged one last time. Kimberly slowly stood up, her hand leaving his hand last. She spoke into her communicator, "I'm ready to go back, Zordon. Teleport me when you're ready."

The two friends smiled and waved at each other one last time before Kimberly finally disappeared in a streak of white-colored light.

The next day, Tommy's friends were seated at Ernie's outdoor cafe when he approached. "Hey, guys."

"Hey, Tommy," said Adam. "Are you okay?"

"I am now," answered Tommy as he took a seat. "Not completely, but getting there. Guess who I talked to last night? Kimberly."

"Really?" asked Aisha. "Over the phone?"

Tommy got low and whispered, "No, actually, Zordon let her teleport here and talk to me face to face."

As he explained to his friends what had happened, Bulk and Skull approached, with a box containing some. . . interesting stuff to say the least. "What are you two up to?" asked Rocky.

"Yeah, aren't you supposed to be at the police station?" asked Billy.

"Actually, Lt. Stone gave us the day off today," said Bulk. "So we've been building some stuff to help us eavesdrop on crooks."

"Yeah, eavesdrop on crooks," repeated Skull.

Bulk took a small dish-looking thing out of the box. "This little doo-hicky here will allow us to listen in on a conversation from a mile away."

"Yeah," said Skull. "Like, take those two over there." The Rangers looked to where Skull was pointing. Two girls were talking to each other. Bulk turned on the device and it started spinning. He tried to listen in on their conversation. At first, they couldn't hear anything. Bulk turned it up and there was only static. He turned it up some more, and faint whispers could be heard. The more they turned it up though, the faster the dish spun.

Noticing this, Billy asked, "Um, guys, don't you think that thing's going to gyrate itself apart if you turn it up anymore?"

"We're Junior Police Officers, remember?" asked Bulk.

"Yeah," said Skull. "We know what we're doing. Besides, Bulky's almost got it."

Bulk turned up the device one more time. Then, just as Billy predicted, it exploded, leaving Bulk and Skull's faces blackened.

The six teens laughed, including Tommy. If felt good to laugh again.

As Bulk and Skull walked away, Tommy said, "Man, it's good to see some things never change."

THE END