Title: Reclaiming His Crane
Author:
Mykkila09
Chapter:
3 of 5
Chapter Title: The Interloper's Mistake
Settings: during ZEO and then TURBO; starts out with that atrocious episode, "There's No Business like Snow Business" and that God-awful letter and ends with T: APRM.
Story Summary:
Tommy gets the letter and after thinking things over, he decides not to let things end that way and to follow his heart.
Chapter Summary: After Kim spoke with Danny, he decides not to let things end that way and decides to prove to Kim that he's the one for her, but he ends up making a big mistake.
Chapter Word Count:
10,519

Disclaimer: Power Rangers and all its affiliates belong to Haim Saban; no copyright or trademark infringement is intended. If you didn't get that...I do NOT own and I am NOTmaking any money off of this.

A/N: this chapter is like three weeks over due. So sorry about that; the thing is, I already had most of the chapter written and then I deleted what I had and re-wrote the entire chapter. And after reading the reviews and being hit by my muse, I decided to add on about two more chapters which will cover the two major episodes of the ZEO and TURBO eras. Read and review so I can know what you think.

'Thinking'
"Speaking"

O.P.D.: Saturday 18th June, '11.


Danny stood still as he watched Kim walk away. He couldn't believe what had just happened. He had thought that things between he and Kim were finally working out, that the two had a chance to finally be together. He had liked her from the moment he had met her back in January and knew he had to be with her. When he had heard about her boyfriend, he had been heartbroken, but was determined to still have some place in Kim's life, so he became her friend, silently hoping he'd somehow have a chance with her in the future. And determined to make that happen, he knew he'd have to get rid of her boyfriend and he had found the perfect plan.

He had filled her mind with thoughts on being fair to Tommy; he had shown her just how much they had in common, more than she did with Tommy. At first, she had been resistant to what he was saying, but he had noticed that some of it had started to sink in until finally, she had believed his words and had ended her relationship with Tommy. He had been so excited when she had told him that and even though she had said she had needed a little time, he was willing to wait because as far as he was concerned, nothing was going to stop them from being together; she was his.

But that's not the case now. Yesterday, out of nowhere, her ex, Tommy, had shown up and he wasn't anything at all like he had pictured him to be. Tommy was slightly taller than he was, with an olive skin tone, dark, brooding eyes and shoulder length dark hair. He was also muscular. When he had thought about her boyfriend, he had never imagined Kim would have gone for that kind of guy. Apparently he was wrong.

And if that wasn't enough, the freaky thing the guy did with his eyes. There was no way a person's eye could change colours like that. It just wasn't natural and there was a sense of danger surrounding the guy when he had tried to talk him down. All of his instincts had been screaming at him to get away, but he had to stay to protect Kim...not that it made a difference because she had left with him anyways and when he had watched them leave, he knew that things would change and he was right.

Somehow, Tommy had managed to change Kim's mind about them being together and now, he was the one with the broken heart. He couldn't understand it; he had thought that he had finally gotten the girl. So what happened? How was he able to change her mind in the few hours they spent together?

"And where is he now?" Danny asked himself out loud. "He shows up out of nowhere and then disappears just like that. What the hell is going on? Who is that guy? And why does he get the girl I want...the girl that belongs to me?"

Danny started pacing. "Kim deserves to be with me. Me! Not him. I was the one that has been here these last few months. I was the one she was talking to and hanging out with. We had-have a connection, damnit! He can't just show up here and just take her back! She's not his anymore. She's mine!"

He stopped pacing and smiled, but it wasn't a nice one. "I'll just have to make sure she knows that, that's all."

~...~

The rest of the day, Danny stayed away from the girls' gym. He kept to his own, lost within his thoughts as he went through his routines, almost vigorously. A few of the other gymnasts would call out to him or try to get him to take a break, but he didn't stop. By the time he had finally stopped though, it was already dark outside. Saying goodnight to the few guys still hanging around the gym, Danny left.

As he headed back to the dorm building, his thoughts drifted to Kim and what he was going to do to show her they were meant to be. He couldn't give her flowers or anything as he had done that when they were friends, so he had to come up with something different.

"But what?" he mused out loud. "What can I do to show Kim I'm the one that loves her...that she belongs with me? How can I prove that?"

Shaking his head, Danny looked up and noticed he was alright at the entrance; sighing, he made his way inside and to his dorm, which was on the first floor.

"Hey Dan," his roommate, Seth Michaels, greeted him. "You were gruelling at practice today. What's up?"

"Nothing," Danny replied curtly. "My mind was on something all day."

"Have anything to do with Kim?" Seth asked. He knew how his roommate felt about the girl, but he had thought he was wasting his time as almost everyone at the training centre that Kim had a boyfriend back home.

"Maybe," Danny shrugged. "I thought things were going good between us. I mean, she had broken up with her boyfriend to be with me."

"Seriously?" Seth turned wide eyes to him. "When did that happen?"

"A few days ago," Danny answered. "And I thought I was finally going to get my chance with her, but now that's not happening."

"Well, why not?" Seth asked.

"The guy showed up out of nowhere to talk to Kim," Danny scowled. "I didn't think they should, but Kim said they needed to, so I let her go. Next thing I know, she's coming up to me today telling me they decided to get back together."

"Wow," Seth shook his head, "Sorry man."

"Whatever man," Danny waved his hand, "it aint your fault. I just don't get it. I mean, I know there was a connection between me and Kim. We could be good together; I could be good for her. I just wish she'd see that."

"I don't know what to tell you man," Seth said as he turned the TV off and stood up. "I feel for you, I do, but if Kim went back so easily with the guy, then maybe she never meant to break up with him in the first place."

"Yes she did!" Danny growled at his friend. "She wanted to be with me! If he hadn't shown up, we'd be together."

"Whoa!" Seth held up his hands in surrender. "Dude, chill; I didn't mean to make you mad. Look man, why don't you just forget about it? I mean, from what you said, Kim's back with her ex and why would she do that if she really didn't want to?" Seth walked into the kitchen for a bottle of water before coming back out. "You can't make Kim love you."

Danny looked away and clenched his fists.

Seth sighed before he started to his room. He opened his bedroom door before turning back to Danny. "You know if this was a movie, then something would happen where Kim would get hurt and then you'd save her life and she'd be so grateful for that that she'd fall in love with you and you guys would live happily ever after." He paused and laughed. "But this isn't a movie because life doesn't work like that and you wouldn't be so lucky. If I were you, I would just accept that Kim's not going to be with you and move on."

"Goodnight Seth," Danny said pointedly.

"Night Dan," Seth rolled his eyes. "Kim's a good friend. Wouldn't you rather have her as a friend than as nothing at all?"

Danny scoffed and stomped off to his room, opening and slamming his door. He angrily stripped from his gym clothes before throwing himself on his bed. As he laid there, Seth's words came back to him;

...Kim would get hurt...so grateful...she'd fall in love with you...happily ever after...

Over and over, the words repeated themselves until Danny found himself actually thinking about it.

'I can't seriously be thinking about this, can I? I mean, there's no way I can hurt Kim. I love her too much. But...what choice do I have? I know I can be better for her than Tommy. I just know it. And I'll show her. I'll show that I'm the one she can depend on.'

With a satisfied smile, Danny drifted off to sleep, his dreams filled with the images of him saving Kim and her declaring her love for him.

~...~

(Next day at the Girl's Gym)

"Kimberly," Denise walked over to where her friend was doing her floor routines.

"What's up Dee?" Kim stopped what she was doing and looked up at her.

"Well," Denise smiled, "I'm just wondering if I'm going to be properly introduced to that gorgeous boyfriend of yours."

Kim froze and her eyes widened slightly. She had no idea what to do. Tommy had already teleported back to Angel Grove. She had no explanation as to his sudden appearance and disappearance. She never thought that someone would actually really question it or that her roommate would want to meet him. She had no idea what to do; she needed to talk to Tommy.

"Gorgeous, huh?" Kim deflected. "I wonder what Tonio would do if he heard you say that."

"Nothing," Denise giggled, "because he knows I love him, but that doesn't mean I can't look. I'm sure you've heard the phrase 'just because I've got the main dish, doesn't mean I still can't look at the menu'."

"Who hasn't heard that?" Kim laughed, but inside she was scrambling through her thoughts to figure out an excuse. When a thought flittered across her mind, she latched onto it. "Anyways, about Tommy, he's at his hotel room sleeping. He spent the whole day yesterday at the hotel pool and then we talked later that night, but he's sleeping today. I think the jetlag finally caught up with him and when he goes down, he's down for the count." That wasn't true...at least not completely. Yes, Tommy was a deep sleeper, but not when it came to her. Sometimes he would sleep so deeply that not even their friends or his parents could wake him, but a slight touch from her and he would wake.

"Oh," Denise nodded sympathetically. "Totally understandable, I'll just meet him another day."

"Yeah," Kim grinned, wondering how she was going to pull that off. She looked around the gym, frowning slightly when she didn't see Danny. "Hey, have you seen Danny?"

"No," Denise shook her head, "not since yesterday when you left to talk to him."

"I haven't seen him since then either," Kim said. "It's not like him."

"Well, the guy was hoping he'd be your boyfriend," Denise pointed out, "only to find out that you and Tommy decided to try again. He probably just need time to get over that."

"You're probably right," Kim smiled.

"Of course I am," Denise grinned, "now come on, the sooner we get these routines done, the sooner we can get out of here."

"I am all for that," Kim laughed and the two girls continued on with their practice. All their work had paid off as Schmidt had given the rest of the afternoon off. Wanting to enjoy the day, the girls decided to head to the beach.

Kim had fun with her roommate, her mind free from her worries for a short time, not realizing she was being stared at by Danny.

Later that night, after they had gotten back to their dorms, Kim went to her room and called Tommy.

"Hey Beautiful," Tommy greeted.

"Hi Tommy," Kim smiled and settled on her bed. "I called to see how things were going and because I really need to talk to you."

"Things are fine," Tommy said, "the others are doing ok and said to tell you hi, Rocky especially."

"What about the extra job?" Kim asked, "everything ok on the front?"

"Yep," Tommy nodded, forgetting for a second she couldn't see him. "Just the same as always. Nothing's really changed."

"Good," Kim said, "I'm glad to hear that."

"So what'd you need to talk to me about?" Tommy asked.

"We kinda have a problem," Kim sighed.

"What kind of problem?" Tommy sat up a bit straighter.

"Well," Kim started, "Denise asked about you and it made me realize that we never thought about what would happen if someone questioned your sudden appearance and disappearance in Florida."

"Shit!" Tommy cursed as he stood up and started pacing.

"I know," Kim fell back on her bed. "What are we going to do?"

"I'll talk to Zordon," Tommy said, "I'll figure something out."

"I told Denise that you spent yesterday at the pool and that you were sleeping in your hotel room today because of the jetlag," Kim told him.

"Alright," Tommy nodded, "that sound plausible." His communicator started beeping and her cursed. "Kim, I have to go. But don't worry, I have an idea, but I need to talk to Zordon. I'll talk to you later."

"Ok," Kim nodded, "I love you Handsome. Bye."

"Love you too Kim," Tommy smiled. "Bye."

Kim hung up and sighed, hoping that whatever his plan was, he would figure things out soon. Getting up, she turned off the light and went to sleep.

~...~

Later the next afternoon, Kim was sitting on a bench watching Denise when she saw Tommy walking towards her. Shocked, she could only stare at him.

"What are you doing here?" she asked.

"I told Zordon what you told me," Tommy smiled, "so, we had Billy and Alpha mess with the computer of a hotel close to here and made sure my name was registered to a room. This way, I can teleport home if there's trouble and be here to prevent people from asking questions."

Kim's eyes widened in joy and she jumped up to hug him. "I love you so much, you know that?"

Tommy laughed and squeezed her waist lightly. "I know, I love you too."

"Now can you introduce us?" Denise's voice broke them apart and the two smiled at her.

"Of course," Kim grinned.

~...~

Danny got up that morning with a determination to win Kim's affections. He was prepared to do anything. Even though all through the night, his dreams had been filled with the different situations Kim could be in so that he could come to her rescue, he had dismissed those thoughts when he woke up. He wanted to get Kim another way without looking crazy.

With a smile, Danny walked up to the girls' gym and opened the door. He greeted some of the other gymnasts and headed inside. He turned to go where he knew Kim would be only to stop short in shock and disbelief; standing with his arm around Kim's waist, was none other than Tommy.

Anger and hurt coursed through him and he clenched his hands into fists. He glared at the happy couple and turned and walked out the gym. As he got to the doors, he looked back once more and his anger intensified when he saw Tommy kiss Kim. Glaring once more, he left the gym, pulling out his cell phone as he crossed the parking lot to his car.

"Hey, it's me," he spoke into the phone. "Remember I told you I'd need a favour? Well, I'm cashing it in. I need you to do something for me." He paused and listened before he grinned. "Good. Meet me in twenty minutes." He hung up and smiled. "Soon Kim, soon you'll see that I'm the right guy for you."

~...~

After they were done at the gym, Kim took Tommy out to show him around the town. Of course, the mall was one of the first places they went and Kim did some shopping, before they headed to the beach. They spent two hours there before they went back to Tommy's hotel room where they spent the rest of the night.

The next morning, Tommy teleported back to Angel Grove—to avoid suspicions with his parents and to spend some time with the others—while Kim went back to her dorm to get ready to spend the day out as it was their day off from practice.

She hadn't seen Danny all day; in fact, she hadn't seen him since she had told him they couldn't be more than friends. She was upset of course that she was losing a good friend, but she also understood how he'd need time to accept that nothing was going to happen between them and if avoiding her helped him get over it, then as much as she didn't like it, she'd let him do it.

Kim left the dorm and head off the compound to meet Denise at the mall. She was excited for their day off because for the first time in months, she felt truly relaxed. As she was passing the compound, she had no idea her life was about to drastically change.

She had just passed an alleyway when she felt someone grab her arm. Before she could say anything or turn around, she felt a blow to the back of her head. The last thing she saw before she fell into darkness were two figures standing over her; one unfamiliar, the other very familiar.

~...~

Staring down at Kim's unconscious form, Danny felt a twinge of regret. He hadn't wanted to do this, but he had no choice. He loved her and he desperately needed her to see he was the one she belonged with.

"Dude," his friend, Alexander Michaels, looked at him before looking back at Kim. "You never said she was this hot."

"Don't talk about her like that," Danny glared at Alex. "Help me tie her up."

"Alright man," Alex said and he walked over to where some rope lay and grabbed it, walking back over to where Kim's body was. They had brought her body to a nearby abandoned and run-down building and had placed her in a chair in the back of the building; the windows to the room were boarded up, letting in little no light and only one door. Silently, the two boys tied her up; Danny was too busy being careful of hurting Kim to notice the way Alex's eyes trailed over her body.

"What do you plan to do now?" Alex when they were done. "How are you gonna play this?"

"We'll leave her here for a day or two," Danny said. "Everyone will look for her and then, I'll "find" her."

"You'll be a hero and she will be grateful to you for saving her life," Alex finished with a nod.

"She'll realize that I'm the one she should trust because I did what her boyfriend couldn't do," the word boyfriend was sneered. "I saved her."

"Whatever man," Alex snorted. He turned back to look at Kim and once again, his eyes travelled her body. Starting at the top, he took in her long hair, slim body, flat stomach, toned arms and legs and the slight flare of her hips, giving her small curves. He could see why his friend was so taken with the girl; though she was short, she had a banging body. 'Must be because she's a gymnast,' he thought. 'I wouldn't mind tumbling with her.'

"Let's go," Danny's voice cut into Alex's thoughts. "We don't want anyone getting too suspicious."

Alex shook his head and nodded. Taking one last glance at Kim, he followed Danny out the room, closing the door behind him, and out the building. As the two boys walked away, Alex vowed to spend some time with the girl before Danny took her. He couldn't wait.

~...~

Denise wasn't someone that was prone to panic attacks. She was usually calm, cool and collected in any situation, except this one. She could handle anything life threw at her; she rolled with the punches and didn't let anything freak her out too much...except for this. What was this? Simple; Kim was missing.

Kim was supposed to meet her at the mall almost two hours ago and the brunette never showed. When the first fifteen minutes had passed, she had been patient; she had figured that Kim had just gotten caught up with Tommy. Ok. Then, a half hour went by and her patience started to evaporate and was readily replaced by slight worry, but she brushed it off. She told herself Kim had to go back to the dorm to shower and dressed...a reasonable explanation, one that would explain why Kim wasn't answering her phone.

When another half hour went by, making it an hour since Kim was supposed to meet her, the worry shifted to dread. But now, almost two hours had passed and she was having a small panic attack. Denise quickly left the mall and headed back to the compound, all the while praying Kim was there and that she had just gotten caught up doing something.

Walking into the gym, she spotted a few of the girls on the floor and went over to them.

"Hey guys," she greeted.

"Hey Denise," one of the girls, Sasha Nichols, replied. "What's up?"

"Nothing much," Denise said, "I'm just wondering if any of you guys saw Kim?"

The girls exchanged looks and Michelle Davenport answered. "Well, last time I saw her, she was dressed and leaving the dorm. She said she was going to meet you so you guys could do some shopping."

The small panic attack was getting bigger and a distressed look entered her eyes. "Guys, she was supposed to meet me over an hour ago, but she never showed up."

The girls looked at each other once more before they all stood up.

"What do you mean?" Tamieka Christopher asked Denise.

"Ok," Denise explained, "Kim and I had plans to spend the day at the mall. She was supposed to meet me there almost two hours ago, but she never showed up. I called her cell, got no response, but I left messages."

"Maybe she forgot," Sasha suggested, though inside, she was starting to feel panicky.

"This is Kim," Denise shook her head in denial. "She would've called me to let me know if she wasn't going to come or if she was running late. She did neither."

"What about her boyfriend?" Michelle asked. "Maybe she's with him?"

"And if she's not?" Denise countered. "You guys, we know Kim. She wouldn't have let an hour—let alone two—pass without calling or texting. Something is wrong."

"I'll let the coach know," Tamieka said, "we don't want to panic yet, but maybe some of the guys can ask around and see if anyone's seen her."

"I'll call Tommy," Denise said before she winced. "I really hope she's with him."

"Let's go girls," Sasha said, "if, God forbid, if something did happen to Kim, we need to act now."

Denise sighed as she watched the girls walk away before she pulled out her cell phone, about to make one of the hardest calls ever. She dialled the number that Kim had given her and held her breath as she heard the ringing.

"Hello?"

"Tommy?" Denise said, "it's me Denise, Kim's roommate."

"Oh hi Denise," Tommy was confused. "Is everything ok?"

"Uhm...I'm not sure," Denise swallowed, "Tommy, is Kim with you?"

"No," Tommy answered, "she left my room this morning to go back to the dorm building to get ready for a shopping trip with you." He paused. "Is something wrong?"

"Yeah," Denise's panic attack built even more, "Kim never showed up and no one has seen since she left the building this morning."

"What?"

~...~

Tommy was all smiles as he made his way to the youth centre. He had teleport to his house from Florida, eating the breakfast his mother had, before he decided to join his friends at Ernie's. He was beyond ecstatic that he could be near Kim. When he had spoken to Zordon a few days ago, he had almost expected the being to say no, but to his delight, he hadn't. Zordon had understood and had allowed him permission to teleport to and from Florida; with Billy and Alpha's help, they had been able to hack into the hotel's computer to register as a guest there.

He had spent the last few days by his girlfriend's side and it was beyond wonderful. Now, he was going to meet with his friends. Pulling into the parking lot at the youth centre, he got out and headed inside. He saw his friends sitting at their normal table and jogged over to them.

"Hey guys," Tommy said as he joined them.

"Hey Tommy," everyone replied.

"How was Kim's?" Rocky asked with a smile.

"She's good," Tommy grinned as he sat down. "We spent the time hanging out and now she's out shopping with Deedee."

"Deedee?" Adam asked, looking at his friend in confusion.

"Kim's roommate Denise," Tommy answered.

"And her gymnastic?" Kat asked.

"Really good," Tommy nodded, "she's got even more amazing."

"That's good to hear," Billy smiled at the image Tommy's words created. The friends talked some more before they decided to head to where the exercise equipments were. Kat went and changed into her leotard while Tommy, Rocky and Adam were on the weights while Billy and Tanya sat at a nearby table. Half an hour later, their communicators went off and the rangers looked at each other before they quickly found a secluded place to teleport.

After fighting cogs from the Machine Empire, the rangers made their way back to the gym. The fight had taken longer than expected and they were just looking forward to some downtime. That was not going to happen, as they were about to enter another battle, one a lot more personal.

The friends were talking when Tommy's phone went off.

"Aww, you're girl misses you," Tanya teased Tommy as he pulled his phone from his bag.

"Whatever," Tommy laughed before he answered. "Hello?"

"Tommy?" Denise said, "it's me Denise, Kim's roommate."

"Oh hi Denise," Tommy was confused. "Is everything ok?"

"Uhm...I'm not sure," Denise swallowed, "Tommy, is Kim with you?"

"No," Tommy answered, "she left my room this morning to go back to the dorm building to get ready for a shopping trip with you." He paused. "Is something wrong?"

"Yeah," Denise's panic attack built even further, "Kim never showed up and no one has seen since she left the building this morning."

"What?" Tommy sat up straighter and the others looked at him. "What the hell do you mean no one's seen her?"

The others exchanged looks.

"Ok," Denise said, "Kim was supposed to meet me at the mall, but she never showed up. I thought she was either with you or she got caught up at the dorm or something, but I talked to some of the girls and no one's seen her since she went to our room to get dressed. Tommy...that was about two hours ago."

"Alright look," Tommy stood up from his seat, grabbing his bag and throwing it over his shoulder. "Let me get dressed and I'll be at the compound in about ten minutes."

"Alright," Denise sighed, "I'll see you then." She paused, "maybe we're overreacting and she's ok."

"Do you really believe that?" Tommy almost growled out.

"No," Denise shook her head, forgetting he couldn't see her. "I think something's wrong."

"Ok then," Tommy nodded, "I'll be right there. If something happens to her, whoever did will regret the day they were born."

"See you soon Tommy," Denise said and then she hung up.

"Tommy," Rocky grabbed his friend's arm just as Tommy was about to jump into his jeep. "What the hell is going on?"

"Kim's missing," Tommy replied.

"What?" the rangers looked at each other.

"What do you mean she's missing?" Tanya asked.

"Exactly that," Tommy ran a hand through his hair. "She was supposed to meet Denise at the mall, but she never showed up."

"Maybe she got caught up doing something," Kat suggested.

"For two hours Kat?" Tommy looked at her and shook his head. "Even if she had, Kim would've called Denise to let her know she was going to be late. She never did. Something's off...I can feel it."

"What are you going to do?" Billy asked.

"I'm going to teleport back to the hotel room," Tommy answered. "And then I'll head over to the compound to get some answers."

"We're coming with," Adam said.

"You can't," Tommy stopped him.

"Tommy, she's our friend," Adam argued, "you can't expect—

"No," Tommy cut him off. "I know that, but don't you think it's going to be a little suspicious if all of us just show up in Miami? And what if there's a monster attack? Look, I'm your leader and I know I don't give orders unless we're in battle, but I'm giving you orders now. You guys are going to go to the Command Chamber where you'll tell Zordon what is going and you're going to get on the globe and monitor things from there."

"If you're sure," Tanya said.

"I am," Tommy nodded.

"Alright," Rocky turned a serious look towards him. "Just go and find out what's happening with our sister. Get her back safely."

"You know it," Tommy smiled briefly before he started his jeep and headed towards his house. The moment he left, the others found a spot and teleported to the Command Chamber.

~...~

Tommy pulled into his driveway fifteen minutes later. He ran inside, locked the door behind him and after checking to make sure his parents weren't home, he headed up to his room and teleported back to the hotel room in Florida. When the light cleared away, he wasted no time in leaving his room and headed to the gym.

When he got there, he saw almost all the gymnasts—both male and female—inside and around the building. He pushed his way through the crowd and made his way further inside.

"Tommy!" he heard his name and looked up to see Denise waving him over. He quickly made his way to her.

"What's going on?" Tommy asked the moment he reached her. "Did they find her?"

"No," Denise shook her head. "We told the coach what was going on and he called all the gymnasts here to question them, but no one's seen her."

Tommy clenched his jaw and balled his hands into fists. Inside he was filled with terror at the thought of something happening to Kim. They had just made things right between them...he couldn't lose her now!

"What about the cops?" Tommy asked.

"They said they couldn't do anything because Kim hasn't been missing very long," Denise sighed, "it hasn't been twenty-four hours as yet."

"And in twenty-four hours she could be seriously hurt or worse!" Tommy growled out. "We need to find her now."

"We will Tommy," Denise reached out and touched his arm. "Don't worry; Kim is strong. She won't give up easily. We will find her and whoever took her will pay."

Tommy looked down at her and nodded tightly. None of them noticed Danny watching them smugly across the room.

~...~

Danny stood between the other gymnasts and watched Tommy and Denise with a smug smile on his face. 'You won't be the hero Tommy. I will and Kim will want to be with me again.'

After watching the two for a few more minutes, Danny moved through the crowd and made his way outside. He looked around to make sure no one was looking at him and then he quickly headed to where he and Alex had Kim stashed.

When he walked in the room, Kim was moving around in the chair, trying to wriggle her hands free. He laughed and she heard it and she glared at him as she started yelling behind the gag.

"I want to take the gag out," Danny said as he walked over to, "but I can't because if I do, you'll start screaming and it's not time for you to be found as yet."

Kim glared him.

"Don't be like that Kim," Danny said as he stopped in front of her and reached out a hand to touch her face, only to have move her head back. He dropped his hand smiled. "It's ok. You'll like my touch. You should know that Tommy's at the gym with everyone else. They're all wondering where you are and if anyone has, who that person is." Danny grinned at her, "but don't worry. They won't find you, at least not yet. You see, I'm going to be the one to find you; I'm going to be the hero and then, you'll dump Tommy and come to me when you see I'm the one that you belong with."

He leaned down and grabbed her head so that he could press a quick kiss to her forehead. "I have to go before someone gets suspicious, but don't worry, I'll be back."

He smiled at her walked back out the room and out the building. He never saw Alex come out of the shadows and head to the room where Kim was tied.

As Danny was walking pass the building, he saw Kim's phone lying on the ground and an idea came to him. Picking it up, he walked a block or two in the opposite direction of the compound before he made his way back to the gym. Placing a horrified look on his face, he quickly moved through the crowd, calling out to his coach.

"Coach Schmidt!" Danny said as he hurried over to where the man was. "Coach Schmidt?"

"What is it Daniel?" Günter turned to the gymnast.

"I found this a few blocks away," he held out the cell phone. "I think it's Kim's."

His words drew gasps from everyone and Tommy and Denise quickly made their way to the two.

"That's Kim's!" Denise pointed to the phone in Schmidt's hands. "Where'd you find it?"

"I was walking to clear my head," Danny said, "Kim is a really good friend and the thought of something happening to her makes me sick. I was a few blocks away when I saw the phone lying on the ground near an alley way."

"Oh my God," Denise's hands flew to her mouth. "Someone did grab her and they must've done it when she was on her way to meet me at the mall."

Tommy could feel fear and anger warring for control inside of him and the periodical clenching of his fists were the only evidence to it; there was no expression on his face or in his eyes that gave way to the emotions. But even with all that, he couldn't help but to look at Danny. There was something about the guy that had warning bells going off in his head. He didn't trust him and Tommy couldn't help but to feel that Danny knew more about Kim's disappearance than anything else. 'Nah...he couldn't have done something to Kim...he loves her...maybe I'm overreacting or something.'

"I'll talk to the police," Coach Schmidt's voice broke Tommy from his thoughts. "This has to be some kind of proof that Kimberly was taken."

The coach walked off while the gymnasts talked amongst themselves. Denise stood near Tommy's side, clutching his arm in her hands, terrified for her friend and roommate.

Tommy for his part wasn't aware of anything but Danny. He really couldn't shake the feeling that the gymnast knew more that he was letting on. He knew that Danny was somehow involved in Kim disappearing; how, he didn't know. Shaking his head, he forced his thoughts from Danny and to Kim. He needed to find her; if anything happened to her, he'd never get over it. He loved Kim more than anything and he couldn't imagine not having her in his life.

Tommy closed his eyes in despair and to hide the sudden tears. 'Where are you Beautiful?'

~...~

Alex grinned as he watched Danny walk away. When Danny closed the door, he moved from his hiding spot and headed to the room Kim was in. His grin widened when he saw the fear on her face when she spotted him.

"Hello Kimberly," Alex walked up to her. He placed a hand on both sides of the chair and leaned in close to Kim, sniffing her hair. "You and I are going to have some fun together."

Kim whimpered and tried to move away, but the rope around her body prevented that from happening. She was completely terrified out of her mind. She couldn't believe that Danny had kidnapped her. She thought they were friends, but what he did and the things he said, showed her they weren't friends and that she didn't really know him.

And this Alex guy, she didn't like the look in his eyes; it scared her more than anything ever had. Not even being kidnapped by Zedd had terrified her this much. Immediately her mind flew to her boyfriend; she wondered how he was feeling right now. 'Scared, terrified, helpless...same way I'm feeling right now...'

"Hey!" Alex backhanded her and her head flew to the side. "Pay attention."

Tears stung Kim's eyes from the blow.

"Danny-boy wants to keep you for a day or two and then "rescue" you," Alex told her, "he'd be the hero and you'd fall in love and dump that boyfriend of yours for him. But I have a different plan."

He leaned in close again, close enough that Kim could feel his breath on her face.

"You see," Alex started, "I think Danny is wasting his time because you and I know there's no way you're going to fall in love with him. So he should just get rid of you instead."

Kim's eyes flew to his and the horrified look in them made him chuckle.

"Oh don't worry," Alex leaned back and moved his hand, running over her body. "I'm not going to kill you, after all, there's a much, much better use for you. And after I'm done, you'll probably wish for death anyways."

Kim whimpered and cried silently as tears filled her eyes and spilled over onto her cheeks. She knew what he planned to do and a part of her couldn't help but to wish he'd kill her instead. She looked at Alex, pleading with her eyes for him to not do what he planned and to just let her go.

Alex laughed when he saw the look in Kim's eyes. "No way am I letting you go. Not until I sample that sweet body of yours."

Kim's body started shaking with her cries. She couldn't believe this was happening to her. She had to wonder if this was her punishment for leading on Danny, for the way she broke things off or rather, stopped them before they began.

Alex leaned up and took a step away. "Ok. I won't be able to do what I want here as the cops might look here sooner or later, so we'll have to leave. And I know just the place to go."

Alex grabbed a board, one just slightly smaller than a baseball bat, and walked up to Kim. "This is going to hurt."

Kim shook her head and screamed behind the gag.

Alex grinned and lifted the board, brought it down heavily and whacked Kim across her head, knocking her unconscious with blood running down the side of her head. He untied her and lifted her into his arms, shifting her body so that her bleeding head fell against him and out of sight.

With a smile, Alex carried Kim out of the room and out of the building. He headed to where his car was parked—about two buildings below—and tried to fish his keys out of his pocket without jostling Kim's body.

"Need some help man?" a male voice asked and he turned to see an older man standing just a short distance away.

"Sure," Alex smiled disarmingly, "could you grab my keys from my pocket and open my door for me? I'd greatly appreciate it."

"Alright," the man nodded and walked up to him, carefully pulling the keys out. "Is she ok?"

"Yeah," Alex chuckled, "she's been working hard nonstop all morning, despite my many attempts to get her to rest. Her body finally gave into exhaustion."

"I understand that," the man laughed as he unlocked the doors. "My wife is the same way sometimes. Here you go."

"Thank you," Alex nodded and he placed Kim's body in the backseat.

"Is that blood?" the man gestured to where he saw the blood on Kim's side of her head.

"Unfortunately," Alex's smile dimmed a bit, "I wasn't able to catch her in time and she hit her head on a side table when she fell to the floor."

"Ouch," the man winced in sympathy. "Clean it out with some peroxide and she should be fine. If it's worse than it initially looks, just take her to the hospital."

"Will do," Alex nodded as he straightened. "Well, thanks for all your help."

"No problem," the man waved his words away. "I hope the lady feels better and listens to you from now on."

"Hopefully," Alex grinned, "if she knows what's good for her."

The man laughed and walked away and Alex scowled briefly before he quickly got into his car and pulled out into traffic, making his way to his house. He glanced at Kim's body in his backseat and couldn't stop the smirk from curling on his lips. He was going to have fun with her and the bonus, Danny would be freaking out when he saw that both he and Kim were gone. He couldn't wait.

~...~

Danny scowled as he lay on his bed in his dorm room. After Schmidt had called the cops informing them of finding the cell phone, the cops had shown up and all the other gymnasts were on lockdown—meaning, they couldn't go anywhere without an escort and their only places to go were their dorm building and the gym. Hence the reason Danny was pissed; he had wanted to check on Kim.

He glanced at the clock; it was just a little after one. Three hours since he had last seen Kim and he really needed to go to her. Sighing in frustration, Danny got up and left his room.

"Hey man," Seth greeted.

"Hey," Danny groused as he headed to the kitchen.

"It's so bad about Kim," Seth continued, "I hope she's ok and they find her."

"I know," Danny agreed.

"That boyfriend of hers though," Seth shook his head, not seeing Danny's eyes narrow in anger or the way his hands balled into fists. "He looked ready to rip someone a new one. I think if he finds the guy who did this, he's gonna kick his ass real bad."

Danny seethed as he stood in the kitchen. Seems everything was about Tommy and how he was feeling. 'It doesn't matter. When I "rescue" Kim, everyone will be grateful and Kim will fall in love with me and I'll never have to see Tommy again.'

Danny said nothing to Seth though and headed back to his room, where he spent the rest of the night tossing and turning.

~...~

It was late the next morning when Danny woke up, but he didn't mind. As he got dressed, he thought on the next part of his plan. He left his room, noticing Seth wasn't there and figured his roommate was already at the girls' gym, so he headed there himself. When he walked in, he saw everybody there and decided to put his plan into action.

Arranging his expression into disbelief and hope, he quickly made his way to Coach Schmidt's office.

"Coach Schmidt!" Danny yelled as he moved through the crowds. "Coach Schmidt! I have-I have something to tell you."

"What is it Daniel?" Schmidt turned to look at him as did others.

"I saw something," Danny panted like he had just run a long distance. "I was looking out my window and I think I saw something in that old, abandoned building."

"What?" Schmidt stared at him before looking at the other coaches. Excited whispers moved through the room like a blaze of fire.

"I'll show you," Danny said and turned to head out, Schmidt and others following him. He was unaware of the intense scrutiny Tommy was looking at him.

Smiling inwardly, Danny quickly made his way to the building where he and Alex kept Kim.

"In here," Danny said as he entered the building. "I saw someone duck in here."

"Spread out and search," Officer Cain, the cop who had stayed at the compound, ordered.

Danny knew his chance was now and headed to the room Kim was in. He opened the door, shouting. "I've found—

He stopped short when he realized that Kim wasn't tied to the chair. 'What the hell? Where is she?'

"What did you find?" Schmidt asked. When he came up behind Danny, he stopped and stared in shock before yelling for the cop. "Over here!"

Others made their way to the pair and Officer Cain forced his way through and into the room. They all saw the chair and the rope.

"My God," Cain murmured. "I think this is where they had her."

"But not anymore," Schmidt shook his head. "What Danny saw was probably whoever took her moving her."

"But," Denise asked as she looked around the room with tears in her eyes. "Wouldn't someone have noticed a guy walking out with Kim? I mean, even if she was gagged."

"No they wouldn't have," Tommy's body was tense as he stared at the ground.

"Why would you say that son?" Cain asked.

"Because of that," Tommy gestured to the blood covered board lying on the ground.

"Oh God," Denise's hands flew to her mouth.

"Alright," Cain turned to everyone. "Everyone out. This is now a crime scene. Do not touch anything and be careful of the way you walk out. We need to preserve this as much as possible."

"That's kind of a moot point since we already disturbed the scene," Seth muttered as he and others turned to walk away.

Tommy wasn't listening to them. He was too busy staring at the board. It was covered in blood, Kim's blood, and he knew that his girlfriend was seriously hurt. They needed to find her.

"Tommy?" Denise walked up to him and touched his arm, but got no response. "Stay strong, ok? We will find her."

Tommy said nothing as his chest heaved. He could feel the ranger powers inside him reacting to his emotions. If his eyes had been visible to anyone, they would've seen the way the glowed green. Lifting his head, he looked at Denise before he looked around the room. His gaze caught on Danny and his eyes narrowed as he took in the male gymnast.

Danny was panicking. 'No! No! No! Where the hell is she? This was supposed to be my moment! Alex, damnit! What the hell did you do?'

He resisted the urge to start pacing as he didn't want to look guilty. He didn't realize his racing eyes already gave him away.

"You!" Tommy's voice shook him from his thoughts and he looked up to see the guy coming towards him.

"You did this!" Tommy moved before anyone else even realized it and he slammed Danny against the wall. "WHERE IS SHE? WHAT DID YOU DO TO HER YOU SON OF A BITCH?" He slammed Danny's head on the wall before throwing him to the floor, straddling him. "TELL ME WHAT YOU DID TO HER!"

"GET OFF ME!" Danny tried to defend himself. "I DID NOTHING!"

The only response from Tommy was a barrage of fists. Everyone was stunned as they watched Tommy kicking the crap out of Danny.

Officer Cain finally pulled out of his stupor and went to pull Tommy off, but found he couldn't. He gestured for help; in the end, it took five guys to wrestle Tommy away from Danny's beaten body.

"Calm down!" Cain shouted at Tommy.

"He's lying!" Tommy struggled in their arms. "He knows what happened to her. I can see it in his eyes!"

The others turned to look at Danny, some flinching at the battered face, and he looked away.

"Is this true?" Cain asked. "Did you have anything to do with Kimberly's disappearance?"

"I don't know where she is," Danny muffled out.

"Liar!" Tommy's struggles renewed. Again, no one was looking at him, so no one saw his eyes flash green.

"I'm not lying," Danny looked at them. "I don't know where she is...now." the last word was whispered.

"Now?" Denise asked. She had heard him as she had been standing right next to him. "Oh my God, Tommy's right. You had something to do with this."

"Danny?" Schmidt looked at his gymnast. "Did you have some part in this?"

Danny didn't answer and for them, that was an answer enough.

Tommy finally broke free from the men, but instead of attacking Danny like they thought, he stood still. When he spoke, his voice was soft, but it sounded so dark, that everyone in the room, Danny especially, shivered when they heard it. "I will find her, and if anything happens to her, and I do mean anything, then not even the cops will stop me from getting to you and finishing what I started."

The pure rage the radiated from Tommy's body had everyone giving him a wide berth and he quickly made his way out of the building. Finding a secluded spot, he raised his wrist and teleported back to the Command Chamber.

~...~

When he landed, he saw that the others were there.

"Tommy!" the others started towards him, but when his eyes flashed green, they all stopped.

"Billy," Tommy spoke in a controlled voice, but the rage was clearly heard. "I need you to check and see if Kim's communicator can still emit a signal."

"Ok," Billy didn't even question why that was. He could tell his friend and leader was in no mood and needed answers right away.

"Tommy," Rocky took a step closer. "What happened? Is Kim ok?"

Tommy closed his eyes and took a deep breath before he opened them again. He walked over to the console and explained everything that had happened to the others. When he was done, Tanya and Kat looked horrified, Billy looked troubled, Alpha was repeating Ai-yi-yi, Zordon was quiet and Rocky and Adam, both their eyes held a rage that almost rivalled Tommy's.

"I hope you kicked his ass good," Rocky hissed, and Adam nodded in agreement, causing the others to look at them in shock.

Only Tommy wasn't shocked as he knew how close Rocky and Adam were with Kim. It's also one of the reasons why the blue and green ranger had been so upset to know about the letter and had been so happy when they heard they were back together.

"I found it!" Billy exclaimed. "Kim's communicator is—Tommy, it's about ten blocks from the compound."

"What's the address?" Tommy asked.

Billy rattled off the address to Tommy, who nodded. He raised his wrist, about to teleport when Adam stopped him.

"Bring her back," He said. "And whoever took, make him pay."

"If you don't," Rocky added, "we will."

"Got it," Tommy said before he disappeared, leaving the others staring at the two.

"I don't think I've ever heard you guys like that before," Kat said, still looking at them in shock.

Adam and Rocky looked at each other and shrugged before Adam explained why they reacted the way they did.

~...~

Tommy teleported back in the spot he left. He saw that mostly everyone was gone—only a few cops were there with the building taped off—so he headed to the compound. When he got there, he saw Officer Cain along with the coaches.

"Tommy," Denise called out to him and left her boyfriend's side to walk over to him. "Where'd you go?"

"I had to call a friend," Tommy said. "I know where Kim is."

"What?" Micah, one of the coaches for the boys, was walking by when he heard him. "Did you just say you know where Kim is?"

His question drew attention and it travelled through the gym until it reached Schmidt and Cain, prompting the two to walk over to him.

"What's going on?" Cain asked.

"I know where Kim is," Tommy repeated as he looked at the two.

"How?" Denise asked, hope lighting up her eyes.

"You know the bracelet that Kim wears," Tommy said, "the one that looks like a watch?"

"Yes?" Coach Schmidt nodded.

"It has a GPS chip inside it," Tommy explained, "Kim used to do some volunteer with us back in Angle Grove and the guy that heads it, he gave all of us the bracelets with a chip. It was so we could know where one of us would be during our volunteer work. I was outside trying to calm down when I remembered the bracelet, so I called one of our friends and asked him to try and track the chip."

"And he found it?" Cain asked as excited whispers broke out among the gymnasts.

"Yes," Tommy nodded, "he told me the chip is about ten blocks from here. He gave me an address."

"What is it?" Cain asked and took the address from Tommy. "Everyone stay here. If this guy is dangerous, we don't want to spook him and have Ms. Hart hurt."

"I'm going with you," Tommy walked up to him.

"I don't t—

"I don't care what you think!" Tommy cut him off. "That's my girlfriend, and I'll be damned if I stay here while she needs me. Now, either I come with you, or I'll find my own way."

Cain stared at Tommy for a few seconds before he nodded. "Alright, but you do as I say, got it?"

Tommy nodded and the two turned to leave the gym.

"Be careful," Denise snagged Tommy's arm as he passed her. "Be safe."

"I will," Tommy nodded and followed after Cain. His entire being filled with determination.

~...~

Kim groaned as she slowly opened her eyes; her head was still pounding from the blow that Alex had given her yesterday. She looked around the room, half hoping he wasn't there. After he had knocked her out, she had woken later that day in this room. It seemed like a basement and she wondered if it was his house. When she had opened her eyes then, he had been sitting on the steps watching her.

He had spent the rest of the afternoon and the night touching her—her clothes were still on thankfully—and telling her just what he would do to her. With each touch and each word that left his mouth, she was filled with disgust, revulsion and fear—a fear she had never experienced before. He had even taunted her about Danny's plan in everything and she had never felt so stupid in her life; she couldn't believe she had trusted him.

She had barely gotten any sleep last night, as Alex had spent the night taunting her and whenever she did sleep, her dreams were filled with the images that he had planted in her mind. This morning when she had woken, or rather, when he had woken her, she had pleaded with him to let her go, but he refused. When he tried to touch her, she had mouthed off to him, resulting in him hitting her; the blow was hard enough to knock her unconscious again.

Now, she was in the darkened room alone. She groaned as she looked around, hoping to find something—anything—that would help her out. No such luck. She heard footsteps above her before she heard the door open; a small stream of light flooded down the stairs and she watched in apprehension as Alex walked down the stairs. When he got to the bottom, he flicked the switch on the wall, turning the lights on. Kim flinched slightly from the brightness.

"Hello darling," Alex grinned. "I hope you're going to behave today. Or better yet, don't behave, it makes things more exciting."

"Please," Kim pleaded softly, "just let me go."

"When I'm done with you," Alex sneered, "maybe I'll let you go. Time to play." He walked over to her and touched her cheek with his left hand and she tried moving her head away, but he just followed.

He brought his right hand up and Kim's eyes went wide when she saw the knife.

"Please, please," tears filled Kim's eyes and spilled over onto her cheeks. "Don't do this."

Alex laughed and used the knife to tear Kim's shirt. He leaned in to kiss her chest when the noise of sirens sounded, causing him to jerk from her and look up in disbelief.

"What the hell?" Growling, Alex left Kim's side and headed upstairs.

The moment he was gone, Kim whimpered in relief.

~...~

Tommy held on as Officer Cain raced to Alex's house. He could feel his heart pounding in his chest at the thought of his girlfriend with the guy and finding her.

Five squad cars pulled to a stop in front of Alex's house, the sirens going, drawing the neighbours out of their homes to investigate.

Tommy didn't wait for Cain's car to stop before he bolted from the car.

"Hey!" Cain yelled out as he quickly got out. "Wait, you don't know if the guy is armed."

"I don't care," Tommy shouted as he hurried to the house. Before he got close, the door opened and Alex walked out. Tommy's eyes glowed green, causing Alex to widen his own in shock, before he let out a roar of rage and leaped onto Alex, slamming him into the side of the house.

"WHERE THE FUCK IS SHE?" He yelled as he punched him, breaking his nose. "WHAT DID YOU DO TO HER?" he brought his fists down into Alex's stomach, the force behind it causing one of Alex's ribs to crack.

Cain and the other cops pulled Tommy off, but he was too enraged for them to hold him. His eyes were glowing green, evidence of the ranger power flowing strongly through his body. He went to attack Alex again, but a scream stopped him dead in his tracks.

"HELP!"

"Kim!" Tommy breathed out before he took off like a bullet into the house. "Kimberly!"

"DOWN HERE!" Kim shouted up. "I'M IN THE BASEMENT!"

Tommy moved through the house, some cops behind him and soon came to the doorway to the basement. He ignored Cain's cries of 'hold on' and quickly went down the stairs. He stopped at the bottom for a brief second before he hurried to Kim's side.

"Kimberly," Tommy whispered as he gently ran his hands over her body. He winced slightly when he saw the bruise and dried blood on her head.

"Hi Handsome," Kim whispered back with a smile before her eyes rolled into her head and her body went limp.

"Kimberly!" Tommy's eyes widened in fear and he grabbed Kim's body. He heard the cops coming closer and quickly removed his over shirt and draped it over Kim's body. "Help me."

Cain walked over with a knife and cut the ropes from Kim's body. He stepped back and watched as Tommy gently pulled Kim's body into his arms and slowly moved to his feet.

"We need to get her to a hospital," Tommy looked at Cain.

"I'll take you," Cain nodded before he turned to the other cops. "Secure the scene and get that scumbag down to the department."

"Got it sir," an officer nodded and to left to carry out the orders.

"Come on," Cain gestured to Tommy and they made their way out of the basement and out to the car.

~...~

After Tommy got to the hospital, he called Denise to let her know that they'd find Kim and then he found a secluded spot to teleport home to let the others know as well before teleporting back. He got back just in time to see Denise, Antonio and Coach Schmidt walk into the waiting room.

"How is she?" Denise asked.

"I don't know yet," Tommy told her, "they took her back ten minutes ago."

"Come here," Denise pulled him into a hug. "I knew you'd find her. I'm so glad you did."

"So am I," Tommy squeezed her briefly before pulling away.

"Do you know who took her?" Antonio asked.

Tommy launched into the tale of how they found Kim and who they found her with. Neither one had any idea of who Alex really was, but they knew he somehow knew Danny.

"Mr. Oliver," a doctor walked out from behind the double doors and headed towards the four of them.

"Yes?" Tommy turned to the man. "How is Kim?"

The doctor looked at him before explaining. "She suffered some blows to the head which lead to a concussion. Thankfully, we were able to get to her in time before it became too severe. The blood loss did worry us for a bit, but we stopped the bleeding and patched her up."

"So she's going to be fine?" Denise asked.

"She's unconscious right now," the doctor continued, "but yes, she's going to make a full recovery."

"Doctor," Antonio spoke up. "I always thought that people with concussions weren't supposed to sleep for fear of them dying from it."

"It's not that they're not supposed to sleep," the doctor said, "you're just supposed to wake them up every few hours to check on them. In Ms. Hart's case, my guess is whoever did this, kept her up most, if not all, of the night, thus preventing her concussion from becoming worse."

"Can I see her?" Tommy asked.

"Sure," the doctor nodded, "she should be in her room by now."

"Thank you," Schmidt said and the four followed the doctor back to where Kim's room was.

"Here you go," the doctor gestured to Kim's room.

They nodded and entered the room. Denise gasped when she saw her roommate lying on the bed with her head bandaged and Tommy immediately went to his girlfriend's side, easing into the chair by her bed and pulling it as close as it could go. Denise sat in the one on the other side.

"We'll keep her overnight just as a precaution," the doctor said, "and if all goes well, she'll be released in the morning, the afternoon at the latest."

"Thank you," Tommy said, his eyes never leaving Kim's.

The doctor nodded once and then left the room.

Tommy grabbed Kim's hand between his own and pressed a kiss to it. "It's ok Beautiful. You're safe now. Everything will be alright."


A/N 2: and that's chapter three. Hope you guys liked it. Again, I'm really sorry about the long wait. Remember guys, now that you've read, don't forget to review.


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