Before the Year

Chapter 3

Forgivness

Kim wiped the sweat off her brow as she left the mat from her morning exercise routine. While she had calmed down quite a bit, she was still more than angry enough to do her best to avoid Tommy altogether for the last three days. She went into the locker room at the school and caught herself staring into the mirror. Sure she had put on a couple of years, but her stomach was still well toned and firm as were her arms and legs. She knew many gymnasts that kept in shape, but she also still practiced martial arts habitually. "Maybe Tommy isn't the only one ready to step in and save the world," she said to herself as she noticed how hard she had fought to keep herself in top psychical condition. Sitting on the bench to change she though about the old days. She loved being a ranger, but when her dream came knocking she couldn't ignore it. Still, she couldn't ignore the rush she got when she morphed, but when push came to shove she was glad that she no longer had to explain the strange injuries and disappearing acts. Sure her mother moved to France when she was in high school, but there were always people who wondered. Once she moved in with Aisha it became a little easier, but there were still questions. She once again found herself weighing the benefits of being a super hero and not.

Tommy stepped onto the mat in the school gym to begin his morning routine. He had seriously been thinking on a way to patch things up with Kim, but it had been days since he had seen her and their last parting went badly. "Maybe she's right," he though to himself as he began stretching, "Maybe I am addicted to the suit." Tommy pushed those thoughts out of his head for what seemed like the hundredth time so he could focus on his workout. He could feel his heart pulling. The falcon inside him longed to be with his crane, but he had apparently alienated her even further. He looked up to see the object of his thoughts step out on the girls locker room. He knew she had seen him too because her face immediately pursed up.

"Kim," he called out but she ignored him, "Kim, I'm sorry, just talk to me."

Without speaking so much as a word to him she walked out of the gym and strolled down the hallway.

"Nice move Tommy," he said to himself as he got up from the mat and started to go after her, "Way to sound desperate."

Kim quickly took the first door she could that led to the great outside and away from a certain spandex wearing person that she was sure was going to follow her. She pictured his face in her mind, and even though years of practice had taught him to school he feelings like a master, she could still read him like a book. She knew he felt terrible, and that it was something so out of character for him that he wouldn't have thought it up on his own. She remembered him saying about Hayley. Kim knew Hayley, well she had at least met her, and she knew that she owned a business that most of the teens liked to hang out at. "I'll just pay Hayley a visit," she thought to herself as she began taking the quickest and quietest route to the parking lot.

After a few minutes of driving she found herself sitting in the parking lot of Hayley's Cyberspace. She still questioned herself for confronting this person at their place of business, but she felt it was the right thing. Throwing the shifter into park she got out and walked up to the door. It was locked. Looking at the posted hours she saw that she still had half an hour before it opened, but she caught sight of a familiar person inside.

Hayley was setting up everything to get ready for the Cyberspace to open from the day when she heard a knock at the door. Her first thought was to simply make a gesture, but she looked up and gasped when she saw Kimberly Hart knocking on her door. "Here we go," she muttered to herself as she walked over to the door to let the petite brunette in.

"I had a feeling that I'd bee seeing you before too long," Hayley said as she opened the door, "Come on in, I'll get you some coffee."

"Thanks," Kim said politely as she stepped through. Looking around she felt a pang of nostalgia run through her remembering the old juice bar. "I love your place," she said as she sat down at the bar.

"Thanks," Hayley said, "But you didn't come here to admire my cafe."

"No I didn't," Kim said with a heavy sigh, "I came to talk about Tommy."

"I figured," she responded. Hayley sighed as she walked around the bar to poor Kim a cup of Coffee, "He already yelled at me for giving him such poor advice."

"You told him to show up at my door and kiss me?" Kim asked in shock.

"Nonono," Hayley said quickly, "I told him to stop thinking about what the world needs from him and start thinking about what he wants from life... The kissing you was all him."

"So Tommy decided that he wanted me and of course went about it the wrong way," Kim said with a smile, "It's so him."

"He does feel terrible about what happened," Hayley said with just a touch of concern in her voice, "He thinks you'll never speak to him again."

"Up until this morning he would have been right," Kim said causing the red head to look at her with a raised eyebrow. Sighing sightly Kim took a sip of her coffee, "One of my ex's tried to rape me," she said, "So when Tommy went all gung ho, I of course flipped out. I shouldn't have, and the look I saw on his face this morning, my anger melted."

"So if you don't mind me asking," Hayley said, "What about..."

"Broken nose, three broken ribs, dislocated knee, and a fractured skull," Kim said flatly,"And that was just what I did to him."

"There's more?" Hayley asked as Kim nodded.

"Then Jason found out," Kim said.

"Stop right there," Hayley said, "I know what Jason can do. Why didn't you tell Tommy?"

"Because as bad as Jason and I beat him, Tommy would have killed him," Kim said truthfully.

"I see your point," Hayley said, Well your secret is safe with me on the condition that you reopen communication with him. He cares a great deal for you, and he's miserable."

"You're right," Kim said.

"Good," Hayley said, "You can start now."

Tommy couldn't finish his morning routine, his thoughts kept wandering back to Kim and the way she was giving him the cold shoulder. Not that he didn't deserve it of course, but he was hoping that she would at least give him the time of day to make amends. He reached for the door to Hayley's Cyberspace and her Hayley's voice, "Good, you can start now."

Tommy looked up from his feet and saw Kim sitting at the bar staring at him with a slightly symathetic look in her eye. She got up off the stool and walked over to him. Taking him by the arm she began leading him back out the door, "Let's take a walk." After a few minutes they found themselves walking side by side in the park. After a few minutes of walking in silence Tommy looked at her. The pulling in his heart was unmistakable, this was the one woman in the would that he could give himself completely to. "I'm sorry," he said softly, "I really didn't mean to upset you so badly."

Kim nodded slightly, "I know," she said, "And I let it get to me more than I should have. I guess I was already too upset to rationalize."

"So we're good then?" he asked her.

"Yeah," she said drawing it out just a bit, We're good."

They continued walking for a bit and neither of them noticed that they were now hand in hand. "It reminds me a bit of Angel Grove park," Kim said breaking the comfortable silence.

"It does," Tommy answered as they stopped at the bank of a pond, "Kind of reminds me of the first time I asked you out."

As they stood there Tommy wrapped his arms around her. "This is perfection," he thought as a kid who was trying to catch a football jumped for it and crashed right into the two of them and sent all three tumbling into the pond. Kim came up from under the water coughing and laughing so hard that she forgot to breathe, while Tommy helped get the kid who he had somehow managed to land on top of above water.

"Dr. O," the kid said as he coughed out the water he had inhaled, "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to."

"I know Brandon," he said, "Just be more careful next time."

He sent the boy on his way and noticed Kim still sitting there laughing in the water. He reached out to help her up, but when she grabbed his arm she pulled him back down into the muddy water.

"What was that for?" he asked as he came back up sitting next to her. She merely laughed at him, "Serves you right," she said, "The great Tommy Oliver is all washed up."

He looked sternly at her for a minutes then cracked a smile himself, "I guess it had to happen sooner or later." After a moment he stood up and one again offered his hand to her. She took it this time and let him help her up. "I missed you too," Kim said as she embraced him and their lips locked together. Tommy's world exploded as he melted into the kiss. "I take it back," he thought, "This is perfection."

They only broke apart when they heard someone yell, "Excuse me." They turned around to find Park Police staring at them, "Didn't you see the sign?" he asked, "It says NO SWIMMING, so get out of there."

"Sorry officer," Tommy said as he started wading out of the water holding Kim's hand, "It was an accident." "And then we got distracted," Kim finished.

"Well go be distracted somewhere else, and for Pete's sake read the signs," the officer said before moving on.

"So we're both sopping wet," Kim said, and with no towel.

"We'll take my Jeep, Tommy responded, "The interior will survive that."

They made their way back to the cafe and took Tommy's Jeep back to his house. Once there Tommy disappeared into his bedroom and reemerged with his old green button up shirt and a white pair of sweat pants. "There's a shower in the guest room down the hall," he said as he handed her the clothes. Once she took then and went down the hall he headed to his own bathroom.

After his shower was finished he dried off and put on a pair of training pants. He walked out of his bathroom to find Kim standing right outside the door wearing the shirt tied in a knot exposing her stomach. Slowly she stepped up to him and rose to her toes to meet his face. He wrapped his arms around her waist as he leaned in and pressed his lips to hers. Almost without thinking they moved towards the bed as Kim undid the knot holding her shirt on letting it slip down her arms and onto the floor.

A/N: Here is chapter 3. Hope you enjoyed it. Please read and review.