Thanks to everyone who reviewed. Apparently, you guys weren't content with one chapter either. I'm not sure where this is going-- right now, I'm following the characters. I predict one or two more chapters. Don't expect any ranger action-- they're retired. But the story shouldn't be without drama. Let me know what you think!
Yellow Roses
Part Two
Tommy and Kim drove a few miles in grieved silence before Tommy ventured to break it.
"I have resources back at my house to contact Billy. Would you like me to drop you off and then call him? We might be able to wrangle a teleport from Aquitar."
Kim shook her head vehemently at that suggestion; her grip on his hand tightened just slightly. "I'll... uh... I'd rather stay with you, if that's okay."
Tommy didn't know whether to be concerned for Kimberly's apparent fear of being alone... or pleased that she wanted to be with him. He tried not to grin.
"Okay."
They were quiet for the rest of the drive to Tommy's house; he found he wasn't uncomfortable with it. He didn't let go of her hand either.
When they got to the house, Tommy came around the car to open Kim's door and helped her out. She seemed slightly unsteady on her feet, probably due to jet lag. As he led her into his house, he explained about the Dino Thunder rangers, his role, and the lab he'd had to rebuild after the enemy had destroyed it. Kim walked through his home silently, not incredibly surprised when he showed her the hidden lab. In fact, she murmured, "I knew you were paying more attention to Billy that it seemed."
Tommy smiled slightly, and began to set up a connection to Aquitar. As he worked, Kimberly let her eyes wander over the walls of the lab, where newspaper articles dating back from the mid-nineties to the present were hung around pictures of various ranger teams. She noticed that the original team and the Dino Thunder team seemed to have slightly more mention than the others. Since Tommy's focus was arrested by technology, she took the liberty of searching with her eyes for any sort of picture of she and him... or, dare she acknowledge her pathetic jealousy?... Kat and him. She found no pictures of he and Kat alone together, but group pictures were easy enough to find. But when she meandered over to his desk, she spotted, nearly hidden by ungraded botany tests, a small picture of she and him together.
It was just after Ivan Ooze had been defeated, and Aisha had snapped the picture when neither was looking. Fireworks were exploding in the background; Tommy's arm was tight around Kim's shoulders, and her head was comfortably resting on his arm. He was gazing down at her, and her eyes were closed in a blissful smile that took up her entire face.
She felt tears of regret beginning to pool in her eyes and frantically blinked them away. When Tommy said, "It's ready," a second later, she couldn't meet his eyes.
"Kim?" He wasn't sure what he was asking.
She shook her head, fighting for composure. After a moment of tense silence, Billy's voice interrupted them.
"Tommy? Kimberly?"
Kim was immediately distracted from her self-loathing; she whirled to face the screen. "Billy!" she whispered. "I can't believe it's really you!"
Billy looked just as stunned, but Tommy was willing to bet that he and Kimberly being together was perhaps the most startling.
"Hello, Kim. It's been too long." The two locked eyes for a moment before Billy finally shook himself out of the stupor and addressed Tommy.
"What's going on?"
Tommy decided blunt was best. "Billy... the Kwans have asked that Jason, Zack, and the three of us join them for dinner tonight. We're contacting you to see if we can arrange a teleport."
"The original team members," Billy noted aloud, biting his lip. "Trini's family must be expecting us to reveal the verity of our pasts, now that she's..." He trailed off, looking miserable. Kim sighed.
"Come on, Billy. We need you here, just for a few days. We have to be together, as a family."
Billy nodded, letting rationale take over. "I told Cestria I would probably be going to Earth. Let me bid her farewell, and then I'll help you navigate the teleport."
Billy was off-screen for a few moments, and Kim was distracted, so Tommy took the opportunity to figure out what had upset her so much. He glanced over to his desk, and saw the picture.
"Okay, Tommy. I am ready."
Kim let the world go for a moment as the two of them started to speak in technical jargon. Maybe she would wake up. Maybe she would wake up, Trini would still be alive... and she'd still be alone and miserable in Florida? Not on speaking terms with Tommy?
She started to cry. "Trini, you devious little matchmaker..." she whispered to herself, then lost all awareness to anything other than her own agony. She didn't even realize she was sobbing.
Tommy heard Kim's sniffs begin as he was initiating the teleportation. It killed him not to respond. By the time Billy had materialized in front of him, she was crying outright and the sound brought back every old instinct he'd ever had regarding her, and he would have swept her into his arms, but Billy beat him to it. Tommy watched as the original pink and blue rangers clung to each other and wept.
XXX
Some time later, Kim, Tommy, and Billy were piled into Tommy's jeep headed for Angel Grove and the Kwans. Tommy was listening as Kim and Billy caught up, throwing in his own two cents when he was so inclined.
"Cestria must really be something," Kim was saying with a bit of a smile. "To get a hydrophob to move to a aquatic planet."
Billy smiled back. "She is. But I like to think I conquered my fear of water and fish long ago."
"We all conquered fears when we were Rangers, didn't we?" Kim mused. Her smile turned sad. "I'll never forget the day Trini made it to the top of the rope."
"Nor the time when she fought that fear of heights to rescue me," Billy added quietly.
Tommy considered mentioning the time when Trini had been solely responsible for saving Kimberly from the Bloom of Doom; her accuracy with her Power Daggers had brought Kim back from the Dark Dimension and broken the jealousy spell on her. But, then, when he realized that his memories of Trini were bonded to memories of Kim, he remained silent, lost in his own thoughts and attempting to quell a pathetic swell of jealousy.
Kim's voice and the image, however platonic, of her wrapped in Billy's arms and crying into his neck was permanently etched in Tommy's mind.
When they reached the Kwan home, Tommy barely had time to open his car door before Zack exploded from the front door and came running to the three of them. Kim was hardly able to climb out of the jeep before Zack engulfed her in a bear hug. Jason was right behind him, and when he saw Billy, the two men eagerly clasped hands then hugged. Tommy felt a bit out of place for a moment when the four were greeting each other, remembering that he hadn't been one of the original five. But that feeling was immediately shaken when Jason slapped his back and Zack gripped his hand in a tight handshake. Everyone was talking at once before silence slowly overcame them, and they were standing quietly in a circle. Kim was standing between Tommy and Jason.
"We should have gotten together before now," she whispered. "So Trini could have been here."
They all nodded solemnly; Jason reached over to squeeze Kim's hand, glancing over to the door where Trini's parents were watching.
"The Kwans are expecting us to reveal Trini's past identity; I wanted to get everyone's input before Tommy and I make a decision."
Tommy's head snapped up, and he met Jason's eyes. Jason smiled slightly.
Billy spoke up first. "I have no objection to revealing Trini's identity, but obviously, her family will want to know more. Where can we draw the line? I personally don't wish to explain about Cestria and all the circumstances that led me to Aquitar."
Zack nodded. "I understand where Billy's coming from. If we tell them, yes, Trini was a Power Ranger, they'll want to know everything about it. But we can't reveal our own identities, because we can't put ourselves and our families in danger. I say we let her family draw their own conclusions and swear them to secrecy about Trini's identity."
Kim frowned. "It's true that former rangers are targets for new enemies; Jason and I know all about that. But once Trini's family knows that she was a Power Ranger, they might want the world to know. Just knowing that your child once defended the planet has got to make you proud enough to burst. It's a hard secret to ask them to keep. Besides, we swore to Zordon, always to keep our identities secret."
Jason paused for a moment, then mused, "But we also took that vow knowing that being a Ranger would always be a risk, even after we resigned the power. Zack and I can't morph any more, but we're hardly defenseless. And the three of you, from what I understand, will always be Ninjetti. The Power joins and protects every ranger; I think we can handle the risk of Trini's family knowing."
Tommy shook his head. "We can handle the risk, but can our loved ones? Billy has a wife, Jason has Emily, we all have family. We can't make them targets too. I say that we confirm that Trini was a Ranger, but neither confirm nor deny that we were. They can draw their own conclusions, like Zack said. It's not impossible that she was a Ranger and we weren't. But should the Kwans ever be forced to tell, they wouldn't know for sure. And we won't betray our vow to Zordon."
Jason nodded, conceding, especially when his fiance Emily was mentioned. "Are we all in agreement?" he asked, taking charge again. He waited for everyone to nod. "Okay then. Then let's go in."
At dinner, Tommy placed himself next to Kimberly, who sat directly beside Trini's mother. He felt Jason watching him throughout the meal and knew he was in for an interrogation; after all, Kim might as well be Jason's little sister.
The discussion around the table revolved mostly around Trini-- they shared stories, memories, focusing on all the good she'd done and everything she'd accomplished. Trini's mother mentioned that Trini's boyfriend, Craig, would be at the visitation the next day. The conversation stayed on Trini and occasionally drifted to the present lives of the five present throughout the meal. But when they were done eating and conversation dwindled, Jason took this as his cue.
"Mr. and Mrs. Kwan... Trini's gone, but there's something you should know about her." He took a deep breath. "We know that at one time, Trini was a Power Ranger."
Trini's parents seemed stunned by the words being said aloud, but not very surprised. Mr. Kwan smiled slightly. "We... we always had our suspicions. She was always disappearing at all hours... and when we saw footage of the Rangers on TV... we recognized her style in the Yellow Ranger."
Mrs. Kwan turned her focus on to Kimberly. "How can you be sure?" she asked, very quietly. "Unless..."
Kim interrupted, taking Mrs. Kwan's hand. "Unless we were the closest of friends. We were, Mrs. Kwan. We had no secrets."
"But..."
Jason anticipated her next question. "She didn't tell you because she couldn't risk your safety."
Mr. Kwan sighed, and Mrs. Kwan studied her plate, apparently resigned that the Rangers would not admit to anything else. Kimberly squeezed Mrs. Kwan's hand, and turned so that she faced both of Trini's parents.
"Mr. and Mrs. Kwan... I know how proud you must be of Trini, to know that she helped defend our city, our whole planet against evil. But you must never tell anyone that she was a Power Ranger or you yourselves might be put in danger. You must promise never to tell anyone."
The older couple looked at each other, then back to Kimberly. Mrs. Kwan had tears running down her face and Kim's eyes were misting as well. Tommy bit his lip and put a hand on Kim's shoulder as they waited.
"We promise."
The subject was closed.
After the five former rangers said goodnight to Mr. and Mrs. Kwan and promised to be at the visitation the next evening, they stood outside for a moment, hovering between Jason's red pick-up, Zack's black SUV, and Tommy's white jeep.
"What now?" Zack wondered, leaning against Tommy's jeep. Billy stood to the side with his arms crossed, Kim leaned against Jason whose arm was firmly around her shoulders, and Tommy hovered close to them, watching Kimberly's face.
"Why don't you all come stay with me for a few days?" Jason offered. "I'm the only one that lives in town; it'll make everything easier, right? Kim, you can have the guest room, and you guys can crash in the living room, if that's cool. What do you say?"
Billy cracked a small smile. "I have little choice, but I'm very grateful for the offer."
"Yeah, thanks a lot, man," Zack enthused. "I feel like we should stick together these next few days."
"Definitely," Tommy agreed. He held out his hand for Jason to take; Jason removed the arm he had around Kim's shoulders to clasp Tommy's hand. Soon all four guys were looking to Kimberly. She seemed lost in thought.
"Kim? You okay?" Zack asked quietly, touching her arm. Kim blinked, gave a weak smile.
"Yeah," she whispered. "Morphenomenal. Let's go." She didn't realize every guy waited to see which vehicle she chose; when she took her spot on the passenger side of Tommy's jeep, Tommy clicked the unlock button his key chain so she could get in and have a seat. When she shut the door, he turned back to the guys.
"Tommy? Care to explain?" Jason asked. The moonlight cast an eerie shadow across the original ranger leader's face. Billy and Zack also leaned forward, curious.
"Kim called me in the middle of the night last night and told me about Trini. She said I was the first one she called. We talked, and I couldn't stand that she was alone, so I flew to Atlanta to meet her plane and we flew back to Angel Grove together. We... talked."
"And?" Zack pushed.
"We talked about the letter; she told me why she sent it." Here, Tommy favored Jason with an intense stare. Jason nodded, understanding. "There wasn't another guy. But the farthest we got in our discussion was admitting we were both single."
"So what was her reasoning behind the missive?" Billy wondered.
Tommy glanced back at his jeep. Kim was already asleep in the front seat. "I think it's her story to tell." A glance at Jason revealed his approval of the answer. The four men were quiet for a moment.
"Okay, then," Zack ventured. "Billy, why don't you ride with me? We can follow Jason back to his place."
"Good idea."
"See you guys there!" Jason called, jogging over to his truck.
Tommy shook his head, amused, as he walked back to his jeep and climbed in. Though he tried to shut the door gently, the sound woke Kimberly. She stretched, and attempted to wake herself up.
"Stupid jet lag."
Tommy smiled. "It's okay, Kim," he murmured. "Go back to sleep and get what rest you can."
She closed her eyes, smiling, slightly delirious in her exhaustion. "Trini would laugh if she knew I was spending the night with you, Tommy."
Tommy's eyebrows shot up. "What?"
She was asleep.
When he pulled up to Jason's house a few minutes later, it was closing in on midnight, and the jet lag was really starting to get to Tommy. Nevertheless, he walked around to Kimberly's side of the car, released her seatbelt, and gathered her into his arms.
Jason saw him coming and jogged up to open the door. Normally, Tommy knew, the guys would definitely rag on him about carrying her to bed, but not today. Jason went as far to smile, but that was it.
"Guest room is up the stairs, first door to your right."
Tommy found the room easily, and almost laughed when he noticed it was decorated primarily in red and gold. The colors really did stick with a ranger; he was loathe to admit his own bedroom was primarily white with hints of green and the tiniest bits of red. Black had come later, so he hadn't added much of it.
He kicked the covers back on the bed with his foot, and laid Kim gently into the bed. Images of her on a rotating table with the life being sucked out of her, then of him staggering to the ground with her in his arms, laying her on the grass flashed through his mind, and he grimaced, forcing the memories back.
He made sure her head was resting on the pillow, slipped off her sandals, and pulled the covers up to her shoulders. She sighed haggardly and curled onto her side, pulling the blanket to her chin. Tommy felt his throat close, and hastily kissed her hair before fleeing the room.
He was hardly sure how he made it down the stairs without stumbling.
When he got there, Zack tossed him a beer, which he gladly accepted.
"How is she, Tommy?" Jason asked, looking up. He was lounging on the floor with a throw pillow, Zack was stretched out in the recliner, and Billy was sitting on the corner of a red sofa. The former blue ranger was the only one not nursing a beer. Tommy dropped down beside Billy and buried his head in his hands.
"She's exhausted, didn't wake up for a second. But Jase, I'd keep your door open. She'll probably wake up in the middle of the night crying."
Jason nodded grimly. "Kim and Trini were like sisters; she's trying to hard to be strong, bottling everything up-- we have to make sure she gets everything out sooner or later."
The four men were quiet for a moment before Zack blurted out. "It just isn't right, damn it! Trini lived through God knows how many battles-- to get taken down by some drunk... it's not right. Where was the Power when the car was coming at her, huh?"
Billy looked utterly miserable. "It seems illogical, doesn't it? That Trini could cheat death so many times as a Ranger but fall victim as a civilian... to another civilian. It reminds us that no matter how invincible we feel... we are still human."
Jason let the silence ruminate for a while, shifting into a more comfortable position on the floor. Then, he glanced up at Tommy.
"So... what do you think will happen with you and Kim?"
Tommy lifted his head, and his bleary eyes found Jason's. "I don't know. It's too much; I can't even think right now. Trini's gone and on top of that, Kim's back in my life. I mean, I know everyone gave her a bad name for writing that letter... but you know, I didn't go after her. I didn't call. I gave up on her. It's not all her fault. If I hadn't pansied out, the past ten years would have been totally different. I mean..." he paused for a minute, getting choked up. When he'd swallowed the lump in his throat, he continued.
"We might have been married by now. God knows I thought about it all the time, even after we broke up. But now... now's not the time. We lost a Ranger; we lost a friend. To even... mention... anything... it would just be wrong."
Billy nodded. "A wise decision, Tommy. You're both emotionally vulnerable right now; you have to wait and see what can be made of your relationship after you grieve."
"Right," Jason agreed, solemnly. Behind that one word, Tommy sensed another message.
If you hurt her, you're dead.
"Don't worry, Jase," Zack said. "Tommy knows."
"All right," he said, standing. "I'm bushed, and I know Tommy's about to fall asleep from jet lag. Guys, make yourselves at home. There's blankets in that closet, and a pretty good sleeping bag somewhere on the top shelf in there. I'll see you guys in the morning."
With that, Jason stumbled up the stairs.
Tommy snagged the sleeping bag from the closet and tucked himself in it. He turned over, looking at the other two men.
"Zack, it's good to have you back, man. Billy, same for you. I wish it was for better reasons."
The other guys murmured their agreement, then Zack hit the lights, and they each lied still for many dragging moments before sleep took them, one-by-one.
XXX
Jason Scott knew better than to ignore advice about Kimberly from the only man who might know more about her than he. Before he yanked his shirt over his head and collapsed onto his bed, heedless of the comforter or pillow, Jason made certain that his door was open and that the pathway from his threshold to Kim's room was clear.
It felt like only moments passed from the moment he was lying on his side, staring blanking and thinking of Trini, to the instant the back-arching sound of a scream tore into his ear drum.
He caught sight of his glowing red LED clock as he scrambled out of bed: amazing. Two hours had passed. Jason's sheets were coiled around his ankle; he stumbled a bit in his lunge for the door, losing precious seconds.
After a gasp, another long scream pierced the air.
Just as he burst from his room, Jason heard pounding footsteps. Tommy Oliver was barreling up the stairs at full speed, white-faced.
Even still, Jason didn't slow his pace. The two men ran into Kim's room together. Jason stopped a step earlier, so Tommy seized Kim's upper arms and shook her, calling, "Kim! Wake up, you're dreaming!"
Jason, too: "Kim, we're here!"
She blinked, drew back from them at first, but Tommy's grip was unyielding. Streaks of white ran through her skin beneath his hands. She recognized Tommy, then Jason, breathed, then heaved forward and buried her face into Tommy's chest, crying quietly. Tommy's arms immediately went around her, and Jason wondered if the two even realized 10 years had passed.
XXX
With the next morning came a newspaper tossed at Jason's front door; it bore Trini's obituary. At first, no one wanted to read it. But when Kim came down, hair disheveled and eyes puffy, she quietly asked for the newspaper, took it to a corner, and thumbed through it for a moment before finding the right page. The guys watched her while Zack attempted to cook something that might have been eggs and bacon at one time.
Kim's expression remained morose as she read. Her eyes widened slightly when she reached the end. She was tearing up and passed it to Tommy, who was always close by.
Even Tommy's eyes misted as passed the paper to Jason. Jason took a deep breath, glanced briefly at the photo of Trini, dressed in a pale gi and holding a trophy, happily posing with her boyfriend. He couldn't bear it, and moved on to the text.
A tragic car accident claimed the life of 27 year old Trini Kwan Thursday September 6, in Sacremento, California. A drunk driver crossed the double yellow and hit Kwan head-on; medical authorities say she died instantly.
Trini was graduate of Cambridge University with a degree in engineering. She was working as an Environment Protection officer with a firm in Sacramento. She remained diligent in her studies of kung fu throughout her life. She leaves behind her parents, Kenji and Soo Kwan, and fiance, Craig McAlister.
Trini Kwan was a devoted daughter, caring girlfriend, brilliant mind, and selfless friend. The good she did during her lifetime bettered lives all over the world, but most may never be known to more than a few. She will be missed forever.
Visitation will be Friday evening at 7. Graveside services and internment will be at 9 am Saturday at Angel Grove Community Funeral Home.
"I told you," Kimberly whispered. "It's a hard secret to keep."
"They're doing it, though," Jason murmured back. He was unconsciously tearing the paper in his tight grip.
Silence reigned until Zack mumbled an offering of breakfast. No one was very hungry.
X
Later in the morning, Kim seemed to realize that she hadn't called her mother. She retreated back to Jason's guest room to make the call.
When she was gone, Tommy explained to the other guys that Kim hadn't brought any clothes or toiletries with her.
"I was going to offer to take her shopping, get some essentials. Does anyone else need anything? Billy?"
"Thank you, but I believe that since I'm in town," he chuckled slightly at this, "that I'll go visit my family. I'm sure some of my clothing remains there."
"Where does your dad think you've been all this time?" Zack wondered. "Obviously, he couldn't have known about the aging spell and Cestria and Aquitar."
"I told my father and the rest of the family I was going to Greenland to do independent research. On Aquitar, I have the advanced technology to occasionally arrange audio transmissions to Earth."
"Phone calls?" Jason clarified. He was taken away for a moment to the times when Trini would translate for Billy and his eyes darkened with emotion.
"Affirmative." Billy realized it, too. His voice softened. "Hence, they are not suspicious. Even though my life was in danger and my departure for Aquitar was sudden and without warning, I didn't betray my identity to my father. I couldn't bring myself too. But then, he, like the Kwans, may have had his own suspicions since he seldom asks questions."
"You make the right choice, Billy," Jason commended quietly, giving his friend's shoulder a squeeze.
Tommy was losing focus on their conversation. He sat a distance away, hunched over on the couch while the others chatted in the kitchen. He was very aware of Kim's absence from the room. After 10 years of no contact combined with this sudden reunion made him very reluctant to spend any time at all without her. In fact, before he realized what he was doing he was halfway up the stairs.
Jason watched his blood brother retreat intently.
"It's okay, Jase. Let him go."
"I don't know, Zack," Jason responded, not looking at him. "Now's a crappy time to be rekindling the flame, don't you think? I don't want either of them to get hurt. I have to watch it happen to both of them and try to pick up the pieces."
"Jason, they're already hurt."
Both men turned to look at the former blue ranger.
"Trini's dead. It's only natural that those two would reach out to each other after such a tragedy. Years mean nothing. We can't stop it; we can't predict how it will end. We can only watch. And pray. And grieve beside them."
X
"Kim?"
Kimberly's head snapped up at the soft call and knock on her door. She'd hung up with her mother long ago. She jumped to the bureau, tried frantically to rid the signs of tears from her face before calling, "Come in."
Tommy opened the door slowly and stood in the doorway, tall and silent. Quiet stretched between them before she pointed to the chair in the corner of her room while she seated herself at the edge of her bed.
"Trini's visitation is tonight," Tommy stated. "I thought you might need to pick up some things? The two of us could get out for a few hours. I'll take you wherever you need to go."
Kim held his gaze for a moment, gaging the importance of his question. Was there some kind of line she was crossing in going off alone with him when the others were here? Should they spend much time apart from from the other guys, shouldn't the five stay together? She hadn't seen Billy and Zack for as long as she hadn't seen Tommy. Was he volunteering more than his Jeep?
"We shouldn't stay away long," she answered.
X
They left a few minutes later. Jason's eyes followed the car until it was out of side. He stood on his porch alone. He left Zack and Billy in deep conversation, excusing himself with the intention of calling Emily. She knew about Trini, knew how close the high school group of friends had been. She was giving him time.
Instead, his cell was in his pocket. Images, sounds, sloppily buried in the corner of his mind resurfaced. He heard Tommy's voice on the phone, inches from tears when he'd gotten the break-up letter. He saw Kim's shuddering shoulders, saw the terror in her eyes when Tommy came at her as the evil green ranger. He could hear her scream. He could see the rare, striking fear in Tommy's eyes when she screamed. He could feel Kim's shaking hand in his own as she sobbed out the story of the letter and her injury, saw the hardness in Tommy's eyes that hadn't been there before.
His own view of love had been jilted when Kim and Tommy had broken up. If they couldn't make it, who could? Sure, Kim was injured, depressed, and not thinking straight. Tommy was stunned and hurt, and Kat was not always subtle in her pursuit of him, but Jason still thought Tommy had little reason to take Kim at her word and not protest. But he could only chalk it up to this: Tommy thought she was happy. Kim didn't explain later because she thought he was happy.
But really, they were both miserable. Now, they're even more miserable. Could it be fixed? Would they just end up heartbroken again?
Jason started to dial Emily's number.
"Trini... I hope you know what you're doing."
X
"Are you going to tell the other guys? About your back?"
Kim dropped the black skirt she'd just selected, startled. He picked it up for her. The two were walking very slowly around a Target while Kim made few modest selections. A black dress for the funeral, black skirt and dark top for visitation, a few casual outfits and other necessities.
"I don't know," she stuttered, turning her attention hastily back to the clothes rack. "It's not a part of my life that I'm proud of. They'll all be hurt that I didn't trust them with it, they'll feel sorry for me and worry all the time..."
"They love you, Kim. They don't understand what happened to us. It will help. They'll support you."
"I know..." she whispered. Just like you do. "But..."
"Kim."
She sighed, and stepped away from the clothes rack, dropping her clothes in the cart and walking away. He followed her, noting for the first times the rigidness of her posture and her careful steps. She'd never walked looking at the ground before. Her injury had her living in fear, and he wasn't sure if he could pull her out on his own.
She stopped and met his eyes. "Okay."
XXX
When Tommy and Kimberly returned, they found a note from Billy.
Tommy and Kim,
I've gone to visit my father. Zack also went to see his family. Jason is spending the rest of the time before the visitation with Emily. We planned to meet up for dinner at 6 at the Italian place across from the Juice Bar. Rocky and the others will all be in town for the funeral tomorrow. See you at 6.
Billy
They were alone in the house.
"It's already 5:15," Kim noted softly.
He glanced at her; his throat was dry. After a few moments under his intense gaze, she turned away. "I'm going to go get ready."
The grief had returned to her voice, and Trini's face came rushing back to Tommy's mind. He shook his head, furious at the turn his thoughts had taken. The air of sadness hung over them once again.
"Me too. Be ready in 30?"
"Yeah."
Tommy kept his shower cold.
X
An hour later, the five that remained from the original ranger team were gathered around a table. Kim found herself inside corner next to Tommy. Billy sat across from her next to Zack, and Jason sat in a chair at the head of the table. There was minimal eating and even more minimal talking. Kim bit her lip and dabbed her eyes with the cloth napkin every now and again. Trini's absence was painful.
Jason spoke.
"We can do this, guys. It's going to hurt; it's going to take years. But we have to get through this. Trini would... want us to keep living." He paused for a second, breathing slowly and deliberately. "But I think she'd want us to stay closer than we did before... now."
Kim took a deep breath. "And with that... we should have no secrets. So, I think I owe you guys an explanation. I was going to wait until Aisha and the others came tomorrow so I wouldn't have to tell the story twice, but I want to get it out now."
Jason's supportive smile and Tommy's hand on her elbow gave her the strength to look at Billy and Zack in the face. "I'm sure you both heard about a, uh, letter. That I wrote. Well, I feel like I owe an explanation to everyone."
x
Food got cold, tears were shed, and burdens lifted. Though she knew she would be telling the story again to Rocky, Adam, Aisha, and Kat—some of whom had actually been present when the letter came. She imagined that Kat especially would want an explanation, and she dreaded the conversation, but for now, tonight, she was okay.
And though Tommy and Kim didn't know it, Jason and Zack and Billy felt a little bit healed when they realized that the break-up between the strongest leader and the kindest heart of the power rangers could be blamed on outside sources. Each man noticed when Tommy held her hand as they walked toward the funeral home. They saw his grip tighten when her shoulders began to shake, watched him stick close to her as they went through the line of Trini's family members, saw him bite his lip when she threw her arms around Mrs. Kwan. And each man had a lump in his throat when Tommy finally crushed Kim to his chest when she lost her fragile composure when they walked past Trini's closed coffin. Tommy's own tears couldn't be lost on them, nor the way Kim's fingers curled into his shirt.
Trini's death was tragedy enough for Jason, Billy, and Zack, but on top of that pain went the agony of watching two lonely people struggle back to each other long after their idyllic love had been allowed to fade.
XXX
One final chapter remains.
rosa