Author's Notes: I've had this nearly done for over a year now but today I am going to actually finish this chapter so I can work on the next one of all my other stories that I have been working on.

Once again I own nothing and one last note:

Kimberly's monologues will be in Italics.
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Chapter 2: Must we Go Through This Again?

I guest Tommy had changed more than I thought. Well besides the whole missing ponytail and earrings, which on a personal note I adored but I not that the spikes aren't a total turn off don't get me wrong.

I'm getting off topic now, bad Kim bad!

Anyways besides Tommy's physical appearance it appears that he has actually picked up the skill to be on time. I wonder how that happened especially since the gang tried everything we could think of to try to break the habit. I even went as far as talking his parents to set every clock in their house an hour fast just so he would leave early. Somehow doing that just made him arrive to wherever he was going to even later. Not sure how that happened, but I now I've just chalked it up to Tommy being Tommy. I'm pretty sure poor sweet Miss Applebee was at her wits end with him by the time he graduated. I wonder if she went out and got smashed when she realized that Tommy was out of her classroom. I know I would have.
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"How do you know my boss?" Tommy asked still trying to wrap his head around seeing his first major girlfriend hugging his cold blooded boss like they were the best of friends.

"Elise and I were stationed in Russia for two years together, the trouble we used to get into…" Kimberly dreamingly sighed remembering the time that they kidnapped a corrupt general, stripped him down to his boxers, and tied him to a flag pole in the middle of winter. "Good times, good times."

"Care to elaborate?" The former multi-colored ranger asked as he followed the petite woman down the steps of the high school.

Kimberly thought for a few moments before replying in a sing song voice "No, I don't think I will." She took a moment to examine her manicure before adding. "Now, I know you want answers but I have someplace to be." She paused to look into his eyes. "I'll just pop by your place before I leave, okay? Bye Tommy. " With that she started crossing the parking lot without a second glance.

"Kimberly wait!" Tommy called out.

"I'm going to regret this." The petite woman mumbled to herself as she stopped and turned around. "Yes Dr. Oliver." She sighed.

"Can I at least give you a ride?" he asked sheepishly knowing full well the old Kimberly could never say no when he gave her the patented Oliver puppy dog eyes.

"No, it's okay I just got some girl stuff to do." She lowered her sunglasses so he could see her eyes as she smirked. Her expression telling him that she knew what he was trying and that it she was immune to his pouty face. " Nothing I can't take care of myself." The moment that she finished her last syllable she pushed her sunglasses back into place and continued on her way leaving the good doctor completely dumbfounded.

Being a spy it had become necessary to block out your weaknesses. If you are afraid of heights, they will throw you out of a plane without a second thought. If you're allergic to shellfish you better learn how to work around it. In my case it was pouty faces, took a few near mess ups to be able to overcome that weakness but being trapped in freezing waters tied to a chair would break that habit pretty damn quick with the small re-lapse from when I woke up in town not counting. Being that cute to someone after they have been in a small drug infused coma should be outlawed.

Ah Moscow, such fond memories.

Kimberly took her time exiting the high school grounds partly to not look too suspicious as she left and the other part to be able to check if a certain ex-ranger would actually listen to her not to subtle hints on not following her. Even though she knew full well he was going to try. It was just half the fun to see how he was going to do it. She couldn't help but let a small silent giggle out when she saw a black jeep slowly driving behind her at ten miles an hour. 'Does he seriously think that I can't see him?' she mused and slipped into a clothing shop. "Seriously?" she mumbled to herself.

An hour passed while the rainbow ranger sat in his car waiting for the petite woman to re-immerge and Tommy was getting pretty restless as sat in his car eyes trained on the shop that Kimberly went into. Patience was never one of his strong suits especially when it came to the pink loving brunette that was in the currently in the store. By the second hour he had had enough of this waiting game and entered the small store. He wasn't even three steps into the store before one of the sale people asked if he was Dr. Oliver. He paused for a moment in confusing before confirming that he was they gave him a folded piece of paper and returned to their previous spot of lounging behind the cash register. Curious, he unfolded the note and read.

I've seen better tailing from Bulk and Skull.

Better luck next time Handsome.

XOXO

~KH 3

Crumpling the paper Tommy walked to the register and all but demanded to know where the person who wrote this note was.

"She left like an hour ago." the casher popped her bubble gum.

"Do you know what way she went?" the former ranger asked.

"Chya, she like went towards downtown totally. I think." The sales clerk pointed.

"Thanks." Tommy called over his shoulder and was in his jeep and heading towards downtown.

"He really makes it way too easy." Kimberly muttered to herself as she watched her ex-boyfriend speed away finished of her burger in the Burger King across the street.

When someone is tailing you no matter how incompetent they are the first thing you want to do is find a way to change your appearance. If they're looking for a five foot two inch secretary; some baggy clothes, backpack, and a hat then suddenly no more Miss Secretary and hello middle school boy skipping school.

I know when I was younger I would have thrown a hissy fit if anyone mistaken me as a boy but now it sure does come in handy. Ah, the joys of being vertically impaired...

Now with tall, dark, and spikey out of the way I need to go see good ol' Ernie.

Kimberly took her time wandering down to the port side of the city to where the seedier side of town. Partially to get a good look at her surroundings and the other part being lost in her thoughts on how she has changed over the years. She was now longer the perfect pink princess people thought she was she was as far from that as she could be. She mused on what the other rangers would think if they saw her now. No doubt that Tommy had already called the others and let them in on her little secret. Jason would probably be go into the overly protective big brother role. Zack, Rocky, and Adam would be dumbfounded. Billy, he would see the logic in my choice but wish that I came to him so he could formulate a way out of it. Kat would have felt some guilt in the whole mess which Kim knew if she was in her shoes she would have felt the same. Kimberly suppressed a shudder at the reactions that Trini and Aisha would give. She knew that she would never want to cross those two rangers. They had tempers as bad as hers. Heaven help the fool dumb enough to get on the bad side of the original female rangers.

When she arrived at the address that Elise gave her she had to do a double take. It seemed that Ernie still had a fondness of the blinding neon colors of the nineties. The building front was littered with various neon colored abstract diamonds and splashes of abstract flowers. The place looked as if one of Ernie's old Hawaiian shirts puked up acid. Upon looking at the colorful building in the midst of dull grey made Kimberly miss the good old days of fighting monsters and the biggest worry was 'Would this skirt clash with the pink army boots'. She missed those boots almost as much as she missed her old life. Shaking the thought away from her prized shoes she quietly entered the closed night club and went in search of the owner.

The inside of the club was even more retina burning neon if that was even possible. Kimberly was beginning to wonder what Ernie was smoking when he came up with the design of this place. 'Speak of the devil.' Kimberly smirked as she saw a very familiar Hawaiian shirt sitting at one of the booths apparently doing the books. Taking care to be as quiet as possible the former spy crept to the booth that her old friend sat and plopped down in the seat directly in front of him. "Hey Ernie, can I get a strawberry smoothie." Kimberly smiled as she acted like the Kim of her youth.

"Who the hel- KIMBERLY!?" Ernie held his chest.

"Long time no see." She smiled and removed her baseball cap.

"Yes, yes, long time…" he paused to get a good look at one of his former favorite customers. She was dressed in a multiple layers of baggy t-shirts and jeans. The backpack and chain wallet finished off the wannabe gangbanger look. "What on earth are you wearing?" Ernie exclaimed.

Kimberly took a moment to check out her clothing before looking up with the most serious expression she could "What, you got a problem wit da threads?" she threw in a couple gang gestures for good measure before bursting into giggles. "I had to shake off a ghost in both of our pasts."

"Tommy" the former Youth Center owner stated.

"How'd you guess?" she rolled her eyes.

"Kimberly, I may not be a genius but I do recognize the moves of someone who practiced martial arts at my center for four years. I mean seriously, another color?" Ernie joked as he stood up and made his way to behind the bar.

"I had a good laugh when I found out too." Kimberly followed the man that she once thought of as an uncle and sat in one of the bar stools so they could continue their conversation.

Chuckling as he sat a smoothie in front of the onetime ranger. "So what number of color does this make him now?"

"Four." She laughed.

"Four, are you sure? I figured it would be more by now." Ernie tilted his head in thought.

"Nope it's been four." Kimberly said without a doubt. "Green, White, Red, Red, Black." She counted the colors off with her fingers.

"I forgot about him being red twice." The elder man laughed "No wonder I thought it was more." He shook his head in remembrance of the long haired teenager he once knew. "So, haven't seen you since Argentina, what brings you back into this neck of the woods?" Ernie decided it was time to get down to business, not that he didn't mind chatting with Kim; he just had clients coming around in an hour.

"I need a place to stay and Elise said that you had a room available." Kimberly put on her most lost little puppy dog face.

"You mean here?" Ernie questioned making sure that he heard her right. "I mean no offence Kim, but the upstairs loft is not what you are used to. I got a drug dealer next store that I can't stand and you would not be able to get a descent night sleep with the noise this place makes at night."

"I can handle the noise and if you want I can handle your neighbor as well." Kimberly looked at her friend dead in the eye. "I just really need a place to stay that is off the radar and where Tommy wouldn't think to look for me. By now I am sure he's hitting every hotel down town asking anyone if they have seen me."

The Hawaiian shirted man looked at the young woman in front of him and seeing the desperation in her eyes. He has known for years the mess that her life has been in and understood why she came to him. Taking a breath he said "You can stay in the loft." He watched her face morph into a bright smile that reminded him of the carefree youth she was once. "But on one condition." He paused.

Kimberly's smile quickly faded. "Which is?"

"You got to do something about the drug dealer next store. He keeps on trying to solicit my customers and while I am a crook, I'm a clean crook with morals." Ernie shrugged.

"You got yourself a deal!" and with that she quickly launched herself into her old friend's arms.

Why yes I do like to pick on Tommy… How can you tell?