Title: The Merriest of Christmases
Summary: Every year, during the week before Christmas the Rangers all get together to celebrate the holidays with each other. For seven years this has been their tradition, and for just as long Tommy and Kimberly have had a little tradition of their own. Unfortunately, this year brings confliction to their tradition, making them both wonder if the path they're going on is the right one.
Timeline: Takes place the year after Dino Thunder
Rating: M (a teen version to this story is being posted as well)
Chapter: 4/5
Original Posting Date: December, 2008
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Tuesday, December 20, 2005
Tahoe City, CA
7:40 am
With his arms wrapped around Kimberly's waist and his face buried in her hair, a smiling Tommy was currently in the midst of a sleep so deep that he could have made it through an air raid without being stirred from his slumber. This was more than fine with Kimberly who had been laying on her side, wide awake for just over half an hour.
She relished being in Tommy's arms, loved every waking moment that his body touched hers, but on the same token they had been spending so much time together that she'd barely had any time at all to think about everything that had happened over the last four days. For six years they'd had their secret, week long encounter and neither she nor Tommy had ever even given serious consideration to a real relationship.
But then he hadn't been able to come the previous year and she'd missed him so badly, something that she had not at all been prepared for. Deep down, she knew it was his absence that had awoken all the feelings she was currently trying to sort out in her head. Well, maybe not just his absence.
If she was honest with herself, little by little she'd been growing more attached to Tommy ever since the first time that they had slept together eight years ago while on winter break their junior year of college, in the very same room she was currently sleeping in. She'd gone back to Florida that year and within three weeks she was casually dating someone she had met in one of her classes. But every year after that it had taken her just a little bit longer to move passed Tommy until finally she'd found herself not wanting to date at all.
That was right after she'd returned to Florida after last year's trip, when she had first started to wonder about her feelings for Tommy. At first it had been just physical attraction and perhaps a deep seeded desire stemming from what might have been; but now? She would be lying through her teeth if she said that she didn't want to be with Tommy beyond just this one week.
So then why couldn't she just come out and say it? Tommy had already pretty much told her that he wanted a relationship without actually saying it, so it wasn't like she would be taking some huge risk by telling him that she wanted the same thing. She knew he'd never hurt her, neither physically nor emotionally, so she didn't have that to be afraid of either. But if it wasn't those things that were preventing her from seizing that which her heart desired most, then what else could it possibly be?
Letting out a sigh, Kimberly slowly turned herself in Tommy's arms, careful not to stir him as she gazed upon his sleeping form. He seemed so peaceful, so utterly happy and content. More than a decade after the fact it still pained her to know that she'd taken away the thing that had always made him that way.
And that's when it hit her, like a vicious kick to the stomach coupled with the force of a Mack truck barreling into her while doing eighty miles per hour. Tears started to brim in her eyes almost instantly as she reached out and gently stroked the side of Tommy's face with the back of her hand.
"I can't hurt you again, Tommy," she murmured quietly, trying to bite back the tears which threatened to escape her eyes at any given moment. "I'd never be able to live with myself if I hurt you like I did before."
When Tommy suddenly started to stir she pulled back slightly, thinking she might have woken him, but he just smiled and readjusted his head on the pillow. Then a single tear escaped each of her eyes, slipping down her face with the realization that she'd never find another man who made her feel the way Tommy did. All he was doing was sleeping, but just watching him do this gave Kimberly an undeniable sense of happiness.
She loved being near him; loved holding him and kissing him. She loved the way he made her smile even when she didn't want to, the way he could always make her laugh, the way he whispered her name ever so sweetly while making love, and the way he treated her like she was the most important thing in the world to him. But more than any of that, she loved how she knew that he meant it with every fiber of his being when he told her that he loved her.
His love for her was unconditional, just as it always had been. He loved her despite her flaws, of which she had her fair share. He loved her when she was happy and loved her just as much when she was sad. She'd hurt him in one of the worst ways imaginable, but that had never stopped him from loving her, either. Even when she felt like she didn't deserve his love he continued to give it to her, regardless.
He was everything she had ever wanted in a man, yet at the same time she found herself incredibly fearful of pursuing an actual relationship with him. Had it been any other man but Tommy she wouldn't have hesitated in the slightest to enter a relationship, but Tommy wasn't any other man. They had history; almost all of it was good, of course, but it was that one bad event, that big glaring blemish in a twelve year friendship that had her second guessing what she was feeling inside.
She couldn't even begin to imagine what would happen to them if she somehow ended up hurting Tommy again. Surely, there friendship would end in an irreparable mess and that was something she absolutely dreaded thinking about. Tommy was a staple in her life now; they'd been exchanging emails and phone calls regularly for quite awhile, and he was always there to listen when she needed someone to talk to. If they tried again and failed because of her, something that she did wrong…could she really expect Tommy to be so forgiving the second time around?
It was a question she did not know the answer to, and that was something that had her scared beyond belief; so much so that she suddenly felt the need to put some space between herself and the man sleeping beside her. She needed to think, preferably with a clear head, and that was becoming harder and harder to do with each passing moment that she was forced to look at his smiling face.
Swallowing hard she gently started to pry her body from Tommy's embrace until she was finally able to slip out of bed entirely. She picked up her pajama bottoms and a tank top from the floor, quietly getting dressed before slipping out of their room without even the slightest bit of stirring from Tommy.
As soon as she stepped out into the hallway though, she froze, not really knowing where it was that she was heading. But then she looked towards the staircase leading to the third floor and suddenly knew exactly where she wanted to go.
Tiptoeing up the stairs, she made a u-turn around the staircase to enter one of two hallways on opposite ends of the third level. Cleverly designed to muffle outside noise in the bedrooms, all the common rooms were on one side of the floor while the bedrooms were on the other end. She entered the middle room and quietly closed the door behind her, smiling as she looked around at a plethora of musical instruments.
Along with two couches there were four guitars—two acoustic, an electric, and a bass—with four amplifiers, a full drum kit, an electric keyboard in one corner of the room and a piano in the other. Usually she, Adam, Zack, Tanya, and Katherine got together for a little jam session at least once during the trip, but they had yet to use the room this time around; at least not in a group setting, anyway.
Picking up one of the acoustic guitars, Kimberly carried it with her to the piano where a ceramic ashtray filled with guitar picks rested. After retrieving a pick and sliding the piano bench in front of one of the couches, she flopped down on said couch with the guitar in her lap and her feet on the bench. Taking a deep breath, she leaned back against the couch with her eyes closed and just started playing.
From the first strum she was all smiles. Long before gymnastics had ever come into the picture, the guitar had been her first love. She reveled in its sound, loving the way it tickled her ears so perfectly sweet after having not played the instrument for nearly three months. It was a calming sound, one she desperately needed at a time when her thoughts and feelings were in such a tumultuous state.
For nearly an hour she picked at the guitar, playing around with different notes and chords while simultaneously penning lyrics in her head. Once she'd developed something that was roughly complete she started playing it from the top, completely oblivious to the fact that she had a one-man audience in the form of Tommy who was currently leaning against the wall, just inside the door as he watched and listened in pajama bottoms and a tee shirt.
Got so scared it made me cry.
The world took me for a ride.
Got so scared it made me laugh.
And tickled my pride.
Now I'm dancing in-between.
Cause I've got nowhere to hide.
Romancing the seams of my battered up inside.
Tommy knew that when Kimberly wrote a song there was always some level of personal influence involved, something she'd experienced that had inspired her to express it lyrically. As he listened to her sing he did so with narrowed eyes, forced to wonder if he was the cause of her sense of "in-between."
Wonderful is the falling down of a broken dream
Written on the cover of a New York magazine
Stomp my hands, Jo baby I'll clap my feet.
'Cause there is always another first man to beat
Dancing in-between because I got nowhere hide
Romancing the seams of my battered up inside.
Oh, dancing in-between
Dancing in-between
I'm the fool, got no scene
Tangled up in this God damn in-between
Made the break so baby pass the wine
Just wasting all this precious time
Dancing in-between
Dancing in-between
Got so scared it made me cry
As the guitar slowly faded out Tommy didn't know whether to applaud or cry, and truthfully felt like doing a bit of both. He'd always loved her sing, and having already had one song written for him in the past, he was almost positive that he had influenced this new one, as well. Replaying the lyrics in his mind, it was clear to him now how much she was genuinely struggling with her own feelings and conflictions.
"That was beautiful," Tommy croaked, stifling a laugh when Kimberly jumped in her seat.
Visibly startled, Kimberly slowly turned around to face him. "Thanks," she murmured, smiling softly as Tommy started walking towards her. "I, uh, I didn't know I had an audience."
Tommy just smiled, not saying anything until he'd made his way around the couch and taken a seat next to Kimberly. "Can we talk?" he asked, the look on his face conveying to Kimberly that it was a serious matter he wanted to discuss.
"Of course," Kimberly answered, nodding as she leaned the guitar against the couch and turned to face Tommy with her legs crossed Indian-style. "What's on your mind?"
"You," said Tommy honestly, Kimberly smiling as she rubbed his knee. "Hearing you sing just now…it made me realize that maybe I've put you in a tight spot with all the talk about the future and everything. I'm sorry if I made you feel like I was putting unfair pressure on you, or anything else like that."
Kimberly sighed. "You don't have to apologize, Tommy; you didn't do anything wrong. In fact, I'm glad you want to have everything out in the open. I'm just not ready yet, but that isn't your fault," she replied with a reassuring smile, Tommy nodding silently. "One of these days I just know that I'm going to wake up and have everything make perfect sense. I wish I could tell you right now exactly what I wanted, but the truth is that I can't. I just…I'm afraid that if I take too long to figure things out you'll get frustrated and give up on me."
"Kim, I've waited over a decade to reach this point with you," said Tommy, rubbing the side of her leg with his socked foot. "After all that time, the only way I'm giving up is if you tell me no. Even then, you might need a restraining order and a change of address and phone number to keep me way."
Kimberly laughed, shaking her head at the playful grin on Tommy's face. "You know, there aren't many guys out there who would be this patient over a confused girl. It means the world to me that you're different"
"Well, first off; you're welcome," Tommy replied, his fingertips running up and down the sides of Kimberly's legs. "Secondly, though; you've got it all wrong. It's not that guys are impatient, it's just that there's a severe lack of girls worth waiting for. You, my dear, are one of the few exceptions to that rule."
Rolling her eyes, Kimberly smiled. "How come every time someone tries to compliment you, you take it and find a way to flip it back on them? If I said that you looked handsome you would tell me that I was the most beautiful girl in the world, even if you were in a suit and tie and I was in pajamas with no makeup on."
Tommy shrugged. "You mean like now?" he questioned, sharing a laugh with Kimberly who nodded her head when she remembered that she was indeed wearing pajamas without any makeup on. Smiling, he took her hand, raised it to his lips and kissed it, his eyes remaining locked on Kimberly the entire time. "The thing you have to realize is that I'm not in love with just part of Kim, I'm in love with all of her. It doesn't matter to me if you're wearing a cocktail dress and heels or jeans and a baseball hat. Either way, I'm still going to love you the same."
Kimberly felt a new wave of tears brimming in her eyes at the point. He was only confirming what she already knew, that he loved her unconditionally, but actually hearing him say it aloud had an effect on her that she was not at all ready for. When Tommy reached out and gently wiped at her face she forced herself to smile through her tears.
"Someone must really be looking out for me, 'cause I feel like I'm the luckiest girl in the world right now," Kimberly admitted in a quiet murmur. "Ahh! God, I'm such a crybaby sometimes, I swear!"
Tommy chuckled softly when Kimberly brushed her tears away in one long, aggressive rub with the sleeve of her sweatshirt. "Everyone cries, Kim," he replied, winking as he continued, "Even fearless White Rangers do it every once in a while."
Kimberly laughed. "You mean fearless Green, White, Red, and Black Rangers, right?" she retorted, Tommy joining her laughter as he nodded. "You know, I could barely believe it when you told me you were giving up racing to pursue your doctorate. And then when you told me you'd found a way to create new Ranger powers and that you were active again, I could barely believe that either. It's like, no matter what any of us are doing in life we can always count on you to keep us surprised."
"Speaking of surprises," said Tommy, smiling at what she'd said even though he wasn't entirely sure if it had been a compliment or not. "I was thinking maybe you and I could go out and do something by ourselves tonight. Lady's choice, of course."
Kimberly smiled. "Is that your way of asking me out on a proper date?"
Laughing, Tommy shrugged and nodded helplessly. "Hey, but at least it didn't take three months and multiple conversations with Jason and Zack to convince me to do it this time around. That's gotta count for something, right?"
He looked at her with such a hopeful expression on his face that she doubted she could have said no to him even if she had wanted to. "Well that depends, I guess, 'cause the only way I'm saying yes is if you agree to a condition, first."
Tommy furrowed his brow. "I'm listening," he replied, eyeing Kimberly carefully.
"No lady's choice. I was in control the last two nights," Kimberly murmured with seductive crypticness. "Tonight, I'm just following your lead."
"Deal," said Tommy, leaning in for a kiss only to be surprised when Kimberly pushed him back and shook her head.
"I doubt you want to kiss me considering the fact that I haven't brushed my teeth this morning, yet," Kimberly told him with a smile.
Tommy rolled his eyes. "I've dealt with some pretty bad morning breath," he countered, kissing her just the same. When he pulled back, though, he looked at Kimberly like it had been the most awful thing ever. "Oh, God, you're right; that is funky," he laughed teasingly. "It's like something died in there."
Kimberly sneered at Tommy as she reached behind her back, grabbed a pillow and then blasted him in the face with it. "You're such a jerk," she muttered, Tommy laughing the whole time as she crawled across the couch in search of his embrace.
She started touching him seductively, her fingertips dancing along his chest and arms as she slowly slithered her way up his body until their faces were mere inches apart. Just when Tommy thought she was going to move in for a kiss she opened her mouth and blew a steady stream of terribly strong morning breath right into his face, causing him to wince visibly as she laughed in delight at his expense.
"Serves you right," she teased when Tommy faked like he was going to vomit. "Maybe that'll teach you to listen next time."
Shaking his head, Tommy laughed. "Alright, that does it!" he replied, looking around the room as he rose to his feet. "Where's Detective Scott so I can file charges against you for assault with a deadly weapon?"
Kimberly rolled her eyes as she stood up. "You're such a goofball sometimes," she chuckled, wrapping her arms around Tommy's waist.
"Says the girl who just blew morning breath in my face," Tommy countered, smiling as he held her close to his chest.
"If it ever makes it to court I'll just turn on the waterworks and plead temporary insanity," Kimberly murmured.
Resting his chin atop her head, Tommy laughed. "Temporary insanity?" he questioned, winking when Kimberly pulled back and glared at him. "Let's be real here, Kim; there's nothing temporary about it."
"Hi Pot, it's nice to meet you. My name is Kettle," Kimberly replied with a laugh. "I can't believe that the man who has raced stock cars professionally, created dinosaur foot soldiers and Zords, gone to the Moon, and served as a Power Ranger and leader on four different teams is calling me insane. Ahh, the sweet, sweet irony."
"Au contraire mon fraire," said Tommy, shaking his head. "Those things don't make me insane, they just make me an adrenaline junkie with crazy French skills and an affinity for getting into unnecessary trouble."
Kimberly laughed. "One phrase and you've got crazy French skills?" she asked. "You're gonna have to do better than something eighty percent of America knows if you want to impress me."
Tommy smiled. "I thought I didn't have to impress you," he replied defiantly, waiting until Kimberly opened her mouth to speak before continuing over the top of her. "Vous êtes beau. Voulez-vous coucher avec moi?"
"Telling me that I was beautiful was a good start, but asking me to sleep with you before we've even had our first date?" questioned Kimberly, shaking her head. "Just what kind of girl do you think I am, Tommy?"
Tommy pecked a quick kiss to Kimberly's forehead and then lifted her off her feet and onto his hips, her arms encircling his neck with her legs wrapped around his waist. "The kind of girl who likes when I do this," he answered, dipping her back as he buried and rubbed his face in the soft pillows of her breasts.
The rumbling noise that filled the room when he blew a raspberry against her skin moments later had the former Pink Ranger laughing heartily. "Oh, gross, Tommy!" said Kimberly, playfully slapping the back of his head. Her joking disgust, however, quickly turned to a pleasured moan when Tommy started kissing his way around her chest. "Mmm…that feels nice."
"I bet it does," Tommy murmured, setting her down and backing away with a smile as Kimberly stared at him in disappointed confusion. "It's just too bad I don't go the distance with stinky-breathed short chicks."
Before Kimberly could reply Tommy was running out of the room in laughter so she settled for throwing a pillow that hit him in the back before giving chase. Jason was in the midst of stumbling out of his bedroom when he saw Tommy blow passed him, rushing down the stairs with Kimberly hot on his heels.
"I'm gonna kill him, Jase," said Kimberly as she hit the steps. "They're not gonna be able to identify the body at the morgue when I get done with you, Tommy!"
"Don't forget who the black belt is, Kim!" Tommy shouted back, turning into the second floor hallway en route to their bedroom.
"Belt or no belt, I'm kicking your ass!" Kimberly shouted, skidding to a stop when the bedroom door slammed in her face. Irritated, she reached for the handle only to find that the door was locked which turned her irritation to anger, expressed by beating her fist against the wooden barrier. "Tommy Oliver, you let me in right now! You have until the count of five before I kick this door in and beat you with it!"
Then she heard the lock click.
"Goddamn right," she muttered, pushing the door open. Entering the room she found Tommy standing in front of the bed, shirtless with a bottle of mouthwash in his hand.
"The cure for your ailment, my dear," said Tommy, smiling as he extended the bottle to her.
Kimberly snatched the bottle out of his hand and cocked it behind her head as if she was going to hit him. Tommy, however, stood stoic and fearless with his arms folded across his chest, silently daring her to do it while knowing that she wouldn't. With an exasperated groan, Kimberly twisted the top off the bottle and took a drink to Tommy's chagrin, swishing the liquid and rolling her eyes at him as she headed for the bathroom.
"I should so kick your ass for the stinky-breathed short chick comment," Kimberly muttered upon emerging from the bathroom a minute or so later, Tommy laughing from where he sat on the edge of the bed as she walked towards her. "But what does it say about me if all I want to do is screw your brains out?"
Tommy smiled up at her, wrapping his arms around her waist as she stood between his legs. "It says that you're a perfectly normal adult with a healthy sexual appetite," he murmured, pulling her down with him as he fell back on the bed and kissed her. "And it also says that great minds think alike."
Laying face to face, as soon as their lips met once more their hands immediately started to explore the other's body. Inch by inch Tommy lifted her shirt up, breaking their kiss for only the briefest of moments to pull the tank top over her head. She moaned against his lips when his hands went to her breasts, his thumbs grazing ever so gently across her nipples as he slowly guided her onto her back.
"Get them off," said Kimberly, frantically tugging at the waistband of Tommy's pajama bottoms. Tommy obliged, wiggling his way out of his pants as he moved his kisses across her cheek and down to her neck. Once he'd been disrobed his hands went to work on Kimberly's pajamas, sliding them down her legs as she raised her ass to help him. "Mmm…I want you to fuck me so bad right now."
Tommy chuckled. "Slow down, Beautiful," he murmured, returning his lips to hers as his hand slowly made its way down her body. "Let's get the oven warmed up first."
Kimberly smiled, biting down on her bottom lip when she felt Tommy's fingertips brush ever so gently across her sex, rubbing in a slow and steady rhythm. "Damn, that feels good," she whispered against his mouth, her hands holding onto the back of his head and neck.
A quiet moan escaped her lips moments later as Tommy slipped a single digit inside her, his thumb moving to her already swollen clit. "I'm gonna make you cum so hard, Beautiful."
His fingers worked absolute magic on her, shivers running up and down her spine as he covered her mouth in a passionate French kiss. Their tongues clashed hot while Tommy slipped another finger inside her, quickening his pace and in turn causing Kimberly to writhe beneath him.
He could see the pleasure written all over her face, knew exactly what he was doing to her with just a few simple movements of his fingers. She was his; no matter who she had been with before this or who she was going to be with after, she would always be his.
"You do that so good. So…fucking…good," she groaned, bucking her hips to meet the motion of Tommy's fingers as they slid in and out of her ever moistening sex. "I need you now, Tommy," she continued, kissing him full on the lips…her hand reaching out…pumping his hardening cock. "Fuck me, please."
Tommy just smiled as he positioned himself between her legs, his hands on either side of her with his cock aimed at her dripping entrance, her legs wrapped tightly around his waist. In one long, slow thrust he sank his entire length inside her, causing Kimberly to whimper at the way he filled her so perfectly.
For a few short moments Tommy kept his strokes slow and methodical, so much so that when he suddenly quickened his pace it nearly caused Kimberly's head to slam against the headboard. His strokes were piston-like, quick and expertly efficient, further enforced when Kimberly started clawing at his back, dragging her fingernails down his spine as she moaned his name over his lips.
He'd only just been getting started when something captured his attention in the corner of his eye. Continuing to drive his throbbing cock deep inside her sex, Tommy turned his head to the bedside nightstand where the screen of his Blackberry had just lit up as the device started to vibrate, garnering Kimberly's attention as well.
"Don't you even think about answering that, Tommy," Kimberly muttered, slamming her hips back to meet his powerful thrusts.
"Wasn't going to," Tommy whispered on the wingtips of a kiss.
The magical work of Tommy's fingers had left her so close to orgasm that it didn't take long at all for Kimberly to feel nirvana rapidly approaching. "Harder, Tommy," she whimpered, using her ankles to pull him in as deep as he could go. "I'm almost there."
When it hit, it hit hard, Tommy with a front row seat to the show that was her orgasm. She threw her hair back with one of the most erotically-charged expressions he'd ever seen before, crying out so loudly that he was certain the entire house had heard it. Then he kissed her; hard, continuing to drive his cock inside her slick depths even as she trembled beneath him.
Gazing down at her as she came so hard for him, always for him, Tommy smirked. "It's time for the real Dragon Zord power now, Beautiful," he whispered with a wink, his pace staying strong throughout her orgasm.
Somehow, in the heat of it all, she found the strength to roll her eyes at him. "I can't believe you just said that," she moaned, grinding her hips against his cock.
"Full of surprises, remember?" Tommy countered, panting as he engaged Kimberly in a French kiss before she could formulate a reply. "I'm almost there, Kim."
"Me too," she murmured, smiling up at him with fluttering eyelids.
She'd never really come down from that first orgasm. It just sort of slowly faded away, but right before she'd returned from the outermost reaches of the atmosphere she felt it hit again, just as hard as it had the first time. She latched onto Tommy, grasping him tightly as his cock started to swell even more inside her.
"Oh God, I'm cumming," Tommy breathed, thrusting frantically as he felt his cock explode, the throes of orgasm overtaking every ounce of both his body and mind.
He needed not to hear her say the words to know that Kimberly was experiencing the exact same thing, nor did he care how loudly she screamed his name. If their friends heard, then so be it. He wanted the entire world to know that he was the one doing these things to her.
Kimberly was dripping wet around his throbbing cock, her body arched high with her eyes rolled back in her head. He captured her lips in a long, sweet kiss as little by little their bodies began their floating descent back to Earth. When he flipped himself onto his back a few moments later they were both breathing heavily, staring up at the ceiling with bright smiles on their faces.
"I think my left leg is still shaking," Kimberly muttered, laughing quietly.
As his chest rose up and down rapidly, Tommy reached out and took hold of her legs. "Yep, it is," he replied, smiling at her. "Is it just me or does it seem like each time we do this is better than the time before?"
Unable to contain her grin, Kimberly nodded her agreement. "Are you going to check who called you earlier?" she asked, eyeing the phone on the other side of the bed.
Tommy laughed. "Interested in who's calling me, are we?" he replied, shaking his head as he reached out for his phone. "Don't get too excited. Everyone who would be calling me is here. It's either Anton or one of my parents," he continued, checking his missed call's list with a chuckle. "Yep, it was my mom. She left a voicemail and sent me a text message."
"What'd she say?" Kimberly questioned, her fingertips dancing across Tommy's chest as he read the message aloud.
"It says, 'Don't worry about calling me back. I just want to know if Kim's coming and what her favorite side dish is so I can make it for Christmas dinner if she is. Hope you're having fun. See you this weekend. XOXO, Mom.' What do you want me to tell her?"
Kimberly smiled. "Tell her that I'm coming, definitely looking forward to seeing her and your dad, and that she doesn't have to worry about making anything special for me. I'm fine with whatever she usually makes."
Tommy shook his head. "Sorry, but that's not gonna work, Beautiful. If I tell her you don't want anything special she's just going to hound me to hound you until you finally give in. Please save us all the hounding and pick something."
Laughing, Kimberly nodded. "Do you guys usually have macaroni and cheese, or no?"
"Nope," Tommy answered. "Is that what you want me to tell her?"
"Yep," said Kimberly.
"Alright, then," Tommy replied, typing out the reply text message to his mother as he continued. "I hope your not expecting that blue box stuff, though. On Thanksgiving and Christmas, everything gets made from scratch no matter how long it takes."
Smiling, Kimberly scooted her body in as close to Tommy as was possible, using her fingertips to trace unrecognizable shapes across the hardened planes of his chest. "I'm glad you decided to invite me," she whispered.
"And I'm glad you accepted that invitation," Tommy replied, kissing her sweetly.
--
Tuesday, December 20, 2005
Tahoe City, CA
6:50 pm
Nearly nine hours later, Tommy almost felt awkward as he stood with Jason in the third-story bathroom that the original leader of the Power Team shared with Katherine. She'd been his first physically intimate relationship, and while he was grateful that hadn't caused a divide between himself and his best friend, just being around all her personal things made him feel weird inside.
Unfortunately, Kimberly had banned him from their bedroom almost as soon as she had returned two hours prior from a four hour excursion with Aisha to find a new outfit for her to wear on her date this evening. She'd barely even given him time to get his own clothes for the date before she had kicked him out, forcing him to spend the remaining two hours leading up to the date elsewhere.
He'd played video games with Adam and Rocky, shot pool with Zack, and helped Katherine with a crossword puzzle. It had been a painfully long two hours, but now that the time for their date was almost here Tommy found himself feeling much the same way as he had prior to their first date nearly fifteen years ago. He was incredibly nervous, butterflies in his stomach as he cinched up his white necktie, the only part of his ensemble that wasn't solid black.
"You look like you're gonna blow chunks, bro," said Jason, arms folded across his chest as he and Tommy looked at each other via the mirror.
Gripping the sink, the former White Ranger checked his reflection and laughed. "Man, it's like I'm fifteen years old all over again. Honestly, Jase, you know that I've dated my fair share post-Kim, but no one except her has ever been able to make me feel this nervous before a date."
Jason smiled. "I know the feeling well, bro," he replied, clasping his friend on the shoulder. "That's exactly how I felt before my first date with Kat. It was three years ago, but I can still remember it like it had happened yesterday. I was such a blubbering, nervous wreck that I couldn't believe it when she agreed to see me again. It was like…here was this girl that I'd been eyeing for years and the fact that I was actually getting my shot was a little too surreal for me to understand at the time, I guess."
Sizing himself up in the mirror, Tommy checked his tie and shook his head. The knot wasn't big enough. "Son of a bitch," he grumbled, hurriedly fumbling with the knot. "But yeah, I know what you're saying. I feel like I've been chasing her my whole life and now's my time to really reach out and catch her, you know?"
Watching Tommy hastily retie the knot, Jason nodded. "She's going to come around eventually, bro," he murmured, Tommy sighing as he completed the knot to his liking. "If you really think about it, it's kind of fitting that it happened this way."
Tommy raised a curious eyebrow at that. "What are you talking about, man?"
Jason laughed. "Well, you guys were the original couple and everything. Everyone else in the group got together after you two had already broken up, and now you guys are just getting started again once the rest of us are all either married or engaged. You and Kim found love first, but in the end you were the last to find your endgame."
Rolling his eyes, Tommy chuckled. "First off, thank you for telling me it's fitting that I had to go without her for a decade while the rest of you were happy. Is that like my punishment or something? Sorry, Tommy, you were the first one to get a girlfriend so now you have to live miserably without her for ten years while all your friends are falling in love?"
"Man, I didn't mean—" Jason started.
Tommy shook his head. "I know you didn't," he interjected, cutting his friend off. "Secondly, and more importantly, what in the world makes you think that Kim is my endgame?"
Smiling, Jason shrugged. "I don't know, man. I don't think you really notice the way she looks at you when we're all together. It's like, me or Rocky or Tanya could be talking and Kim would still listen, but at the same time you can tell that you're the most important thing on her mind. And the way you look at her, bro? You might as well walk around with 'I © Kimberly Hart' written on your forehead."
Tommy rolled his eyes. "Oh, whatever, Jase," he laughed, elbowing his friend in the side playfully. But as he did so, his sleeve rose up his wrist and he caught sight of his watch. "Crap man, it's 6:58, Kim said to be downstairs at seven o'clock sharp, and I still have to get her corsage out of the fridge. I gotta book it."
Before Jason could reply Tommy was off, doing a full search of his person to ensure he had everything he needed as he rushed out of the room, grabbing his suit jacket from the bed on his way out. He ran right passed their bedroom where he was certain he'd seen the door start to creep open, pulling on his jacket and jumping from the third step to the floor of the first level.
Pumping his legs as fast as they would go he through the living room en route to the kitchen, passing Adam, Rocky, Aisha, and Tanya. "Hi guys," he muttered with a wave. In the kitchen, he threw the refrigerator door open and found the plastic box on the bottom shelf right where he had left it three hours earlier. Running back through the living room, he waved to his friends once more. "Bye guys."
Skidding to a stop in front of the stairs, he looked at his watch just as the hour hand struck seven o'clock.
"Whew, made it," he breathed, wiping his brow on the back of his hand as he turned and looked towards the top of the staircase where Kimberly would be making her grand entrance at any given moment.
From the second she appeared less than five later he found himself staring, struggling to keep his mouth from hanging open as she slowly started down the stairs towards him. Her hair was done up in a stylish bun, and she wore a strapless black number that went to her ankles with slits up each side to mid-thigh and a black shawl wrapped around her shoulders. She had on matching high heels, her makeup had been done with the utmost care and precision—courtesy of Aisha—and what little accessories she wore and carried he recognized almost immediately.
The diamond earrings were an inheritance from her great-grandmother, an accessory she'd long ago told Tommy that she always kept with her but only wore for extremely special occasions. And the purse she carried was one that he was more than familiar with. It had belonged to Kimberly's mother and she'd taken it on her first date with Kimberly's father. Caroline Hart had allowed her daughter to take it on a date with Tommy only to have it seized by Lord Zedd and transformed into the Pursehead monster. It made him smile and his heart warm to know that she considered their date worthy of wearing the earrings.
"You look…amazing, Beautiful," Tommy whispered with a bright smile, reaching out for her hand when she reached the bottom step.
"Thanks," Kimberly murmured, blushing slightly as she took his offered hand and stepped down in front of him. "You're looking pretty spiffy yourself tonight as well, Handsome."
For a few silent moments Tommy just stared at her with a smile on his face that seemed content on being a permanent fixture. Then he realized what he was doing and quickly shook his head clear. "Here," he replied, popping open the lid on the plastic box to show her the corsage; half a dozen small white roses accentuated with baby's breath in white and pink.
Kimberly smiled as he removed the corsage from the box and carefully slipped it onto her wrist. "Thank you, Tommy. It's beautiful," she said softly, holding it to her face for closer inspection. Turning to Tommy, she couldn't help but laugh with a shake of her head. "God, I feel like we're going to prom or something."
"Well, it's more than ten years overdue and there's no limousine, but I guess you could consider this our prom seeing as how we never got to have one together," said Tommy with a smile and a subtle wink. "Are you ready to go?" he continued, offering Kimberly his arm.
"Absolutely," Kimberly answered, smiling as she wrapped her arm around his.
"Then off we go," Tommy replied, opening the front door for her. No sooner had they stepped outside, though, then Kimberly immediately started to shiver. Stopping as soon as he felt her shaking, he removed his jacket with a smile and wrapped her in its warmth. "How's that?"
"Much better," said Kimberly, her smile turning to a slight frown as they started down the driveway towards Tommy's SUV. "I just hate having to cover up when I spent all this time making myself look extra-special for you."
Opening the passenger side door for Kimberly, Tommy chuckled. "Don't worry, Beautiful; it's not like you have to wear it for the entire night," he replied as Kimberly climbed into her seat with a murmured thank you. "Just wear it outside. When we're inside you can take it off."
Kimberly nodded her head with a smile, her eyes never wavering from Tommy as he closed the door and quickly walked around to the driver's side of the vehicle, opening the door and climbing in next to her. "So where are you taking me, tonight?" she asked, the slightest hint of a twinkle in her eye.
"Well, first we're going to have dinner at a place not too far from here called Christy Hills," Tommy answered as he slowly started to back the car down the driveway. "Billy looked it up for me earlier, and apparently the San Francisco Chronicle has named it the most romantic restaurant in California a couple different times."
"That sounds nice," Kimberly supplied with a smile, reaching out for Tommy's free hand as they headed down the mountain on a series of winding streets that connected with one of the town's main roads at the base.
Tommy nodded. "It should be," he replied, giving her hand a squeeze. "And after that, I was thinking that we could head over to this little coffee shop down in Old Town. Billy looked that one up for me, too. It has the best desserts in town and a great, live, jazz band to boot."
Kimberly looked at Tommy with an expression that clearly stated how overly impressed she was. "Wow, Tommy, you really put a lot of thought into this; above and beyond anything I could have expected."
Smiling, Tommy pecked a tender kiss to the top of her hand. "There's more to it than that, but the rest is going to have to be a surprise for now."
The vibrant smile on Kimberly's face as she nodded her understanding was one that was perfectly content with having to wait to be surprised. Normally she would try to needle him into telling her what he was planning on doing, but tonight she had no desire to do that. Tonight she was just going to go with the flow, wherever that happened to lead her.
--
Four and a half hours later…
The grin spread across Kimberly's face as she and Tommy quietly crept back into the house was one of pure and utter delight. The night that had started off so wonderfully had nearly ended as soon as she'd seen the menu at Christy Hills, Kimberly none too happy with the idea of Tommy spending nearly seventy dollars just for her to have dinner. He'd talked her down, though, and from there the night went about as perfectly as it could have gone if it had been scripted that way.
They'd enjoyed quiet, carefree conversation, sitting close and stealing the occasional kiss over dinner and a bottle of wine that Tommy had declined to hear the price of. Dessert at the coffee shop had held more of the same, only mixed in with nearly two hours of dancing to one of the best live jazz bands either had ever heard.
Everything Billy's research had provided had been exactly as described. Christy Hills was nothing short of elegant, overlooking Lake Tahoe and screaming high class in a way that Tommy could have never enjoyed on a regular basis despite the fact that he was wealthier than everyone else in the entire restaurant. The strawberry cheesecake and double fudge pie at the coffee shop had been divine, and the band had provided more than enough music to keep them dancing until neither could stand any longer. After all of that, though, there was still one more surprise; one very important detail to their evening together that Tommy had yet to inform Kimberly of.
The house was surprisingly dark as they entered, odd considering that most nights in the house lasted well into the wee hours of morning. Then again, Tommy reasoned silently, Jason's Suburban hadn't been in the driveway when they'd pulled in. They'd probably all gone off to do something on their own.
"I don't think anyone's home," said Tommy, flipping on a few lights as he did a quick look around of the first floor before returning to where Kimberly was standing in the foyer. "Yeah, there's no one down here."
Kimberly shrugged. "That doesn't surprise me. It's not like they were going to put their lives on hold and stay home doing nothing just because we weren't here with them."
"Very true," Tommy replied with a laugh, running his hand through his hair. "Alright, so like I said before, I have a surprise for you tonight."
Smiling, Kimberly shook her head. "Oh, thank God," she murmured. "For a second there I thought you'd gone old school on me and forgotten all about it."
Tommy chuckled. "Nope, I definitely didn't forget," he told her, winking subtly. "But it's still not ready yet. I need you to go upstairs and wait in the game room while I get everything taken care of, okay?"
Kimberly nodded and allowed Tommy to lead her upstairs, leaving her with a kiss as he closed the door behind her. Flopping down on one of the couches, she smoothed out her dress and let out a sigh. She had been waiting a long time—almost five hours—to find out what Tommy's big surprise was, her anticipation growing throughout the night until she'd started to feel like she might burst at any possible moment. Now, though, she knew that it was only a matter of minutes until the surprise was revealed to her, a moment she waited for with an anxious smile.
It was nearly ten minutes later when she heard her cell phone vibrating insider her purse resting beside her on the couch. Lightning fast, she retrieved the device from her bag and flipped it open to find a new text message from Tommy.
"Come out," it read simply.
Smiling the entire time, Kimberly walked to the door and found herself shaking when she reached out and grasped the handle. Now that the moment was finally here, she was almost nervous to actually see what it was. Still, her desire to be surprised severely outweighed her feelings of nervousness.
Taking a deep breath, she pushed the door open and saw nothing but empty hallway. But then she lowered her eyes to the ground and found a single petal from a red rose lying at the foot of the door. A few inches beyond that was another, and another, and another until she realized the petals formed a path she needed to follow.
Not surprisingly, the path led right to their bedroom door which she quietly pushed open before slipping inside. In the room, however, the path of petals forked; one lead to the bed where a bouquet of white roses rested and the other went to the bathroom, the faint sound of music coming from beyond the door.
Smiling brightly, she shook her head and started for the bed. She picked up the flowers and brought them to her nose, inhaling deeply their sweet scent as she noticed a simple white card tied around the plastic wrap.
"For my Beautiful," it read.
Setting the flowers back down on the bed, she turned for the bathroom and stepped inside with nervous anticipation. Her hands immediately flew to her mouth, a shocked gasp escaping her lips when she saw what Tommy had done.
Several lit, deliciously scented candles she couldn't quite identify surrounded the room, resting everywhere from the sink counter to the ledge of the bath tub that had been drawn with bubbles an array of rose petals shaped like a heart in the water. Stevie Wonder's "My Cherie Amour" played from Tommy's iPod which he'd done his best—albeit unsuccessfully—to tuck out of sight in the far corner of the room. Completing it all was a tray that sat atop the sink counter holding two empty champagne flutes and a sparkling white plate with a dozen chocolate dipped strawberries, a bucket of ice right next to it with a bottle of Cristal champagne inside.
But for as wonderful as this all was, so much so that she felt tears brimming in her eyes, there was still something missing; Tommy. No sooner had his name entered her mind then she felt a strong pair of hands fall softly on her shoulders, causing her to jump slightly.
"How do you like it?" Tommy whispered in his ear, his shirt now untucked and his tie discarded.
Grinning from ear to ear, Kimberly slowly turned around to face him. "It's…incredible, Tommy. I honestly don't know what to say."
Tommy smiled. "You don't have to say anything," he replied, turning her back around as his hands went to the zipper of her dress. "Let's get you out of this and into the tub while the water is still hot."
Kimberly just nodded, allowing Tommy to slowly pull the dress away as she kicked off her heels until she stood there in nothing but a lacey black thong. "Mmm…very sexy," he admired from behind, Kimberly smiling over her shoulder at him. Alas, the thong was quick to go as well, Tommy taking care of this while placing tender kisses all over her naked back.
"I can't believe that you did all this, Tommy," Kimberly whispered as he quietly led her over towards the bathtub. "I have honestly never had a man do anything for me in my entire life that even comes close to this."
"You only deserve the best, Kim," Tommy replied, helping her into the tub with a kiss. The quiet moan that escaped her lips as she slid down into the water had Tommy smiling like a love struck teenager as he turned around to retrieve the glasses and bottle of champagne. "How's the water?" he asked, popping the cork on the bottle.
"It's perfect," Kimberly purred, closing her eyes as she laid her head against the wall. "You should join me."
Filling the glasses with champagne, Tommy smiled to himself. "Maybe later," he said softly, moving the glasses down the counter as close to the tub as they could go. Then he slid the plate of strawberries down next to their drinks, picked the glasses back up, and carried them to the ledge of the tub where he sat and held the glass out for her. "Here you go, Beautiful."
Kimberly's eyes fluttered open as she reached out and took the glass with a smile. "Thanks," she murmured, Tommy holding his own glass just inches away from hers. "So what are we toasting to?"
"Us," Tommy answered, his grin never wavering. "Our success, our health, our happiness, and being able to spend a few extra days with each other."
"I'll toast to that," said Kimberly, clinking glasses with Tommy. As she took a sip of champagne she looked around the room at everything he was doing for her while silently remembering everything else he'd already done throughout the night. "I still can't get over this, Tommy. This whole night…dinner and the coffee shop would have been more than enough, but this? I just don't feel like 'thank you' is good enough."
Tommy merely smiled, thrilled that she was enjoying the evening so much, but at the same time not really knowing what to say to that. So instead, he leaned towards the sink counter and grabbed the plate of strawberries, setting them on the floor next to him. "Here, try this," he murmured, offering Kimberly a berry dipped in milk chocolate with a white chocolate swirl.
She graciously allowed Tommy to feed her, taking a careful bite of the sweet concoction to ensure no debris found its way into the water. "Mmm, that's delicious," Kimberly replied. "You should try it."
As Tommy raised the berry to his lips, he found himself more and more wanting to be closer to her than this. He'd planned on dragging this out as long as possible, feeding her strawberries and refreshing the water as needed. Now, though, he didn't know how much more dragging he was going to be able to accomplish before he finally gave in to his desires.
"Why don't we run a little more hot water and then you can get in with me," Kimberly continued, almost as if she'd been reading his mind.
"You know," said Tommy, smiling as he rose to his feet and started unbuttoning his shirt, "I think I'm going to."
While Tommy disrobed Kimberly reached out for the handle that controlled the faucet. The water that came down was cold at first, causing her to flinch slightly, but it warmed up rather quickly. By the time it was hot, Tommy was in the midst of climbing into the tub next to Kimberly, sliding down the wall and into the warm bubbly water with his champagne glass in hand. Almost instantly, he started to laugh.
"What's so funny?" asked Kimberly with a confused expression.
"Nothing," Tommy chuckled, shaking his head. "I just haven't taken a bubble bath since I was like seven or eight, that's all."
Kimberly smiled as Tommy's arm found its way around her shoulder, their toes waging war with one another underwater. "Thank you, Tommy," she whispered, snuggling up close to him. "For everything. I can't say that enough. I mean this from the bottom of my heart; this has been one of the most amazing nights of my entire life."
Tommy was all smiles as he placed a gentle kiss to the side of her head. "You're welcome; and I'm glad you're enjoying yourself so much," he replied, his fingertips dancing along the side of her arm. "But I have to be honest with you. When I planned this all out, I did it with just a little bit of selfish intentions in mind."
"What do you mean?" asked Kimberly, raising a curious eyebrow.
"Well," said Tommy, shaking his head slightly as he finished off his glass of champagne and set it on the floor. "Everything from the time we got home has been something I've always wanted to do for someone. I guess you could call it a fantasy that I never lived out, mostly because I never had anyone I cared enough about to do it for. But in the way I imagined it, the night doesn't end until I do one last thing."
Kimberly furrowed her brow. "Oh yeah? What's that?"
Tommy just looked at her and smiled, slowly kissing his way around her neck as he repositioned his body in front of her. Kimberly moaned against his ear, Tommy dragging his lips to hers for a fiery, passionate kiss. While their lips clashed he gently pried the half-full champagne glass away from her hand, setting it on the floor next to his empty one.
"Trust me when I say that this," Tommy breathed over her lips, kissing her softly, "is something I have always wanted to do. Just lay back and enjoy yourself, Beautiful."
Kimberly did as instructed and leaned her back against the tub, watching Tommy slowly descend under the bubbles. At first she wasn't sure what he was doing, but the way her body suddenly seized and the gasp that escaped her lips moments later were clear indication that Tommy had found what he was looking for. Her eyes fluttered shut almost instantly, a bright smile crossing her face as she bit down hard on her lip.
For nearly three minutes Tommy's lips and tongue mixed with the sensation of being underwater did things to her body the likes of which she'd never experienced before. Only when the need for air became too much did Tommy emerge from beneath the water, causing Kimberly to smile at the mound of bubbles gathered atop her head.
"You're not done yet, are you Tommy?" she asked softly, craving so much more.
Tommy chuckled as he shook his head slowly, his face covered in bubbly water. "No way," he breathed, wiping the foamy liquid away from his eyes and mouth. "We're just getting started here, Beautiful."
And then he was gone once again, Kimberly smiling down at him as she watched the top of his head descend into the bubbles.
--
Wednesday, December 21, 2005
Tahoe City, CA
2:00 pm
Tommy was all laughs as he entered the house with a shopping bag in hand and the guys close behind, joking about how they'd left the all-you-can-eat buffet table at a nearby pizzeria empty for nearly fifteen minutes while the staff had scrambled like madmen to catch up with the Rocky and Zack's ungodly ability to devour massive quantities of food in a short period of time without feeling a thing or gaining a pound.
"Thirteen slices in ten minutes," Billy muttered, shaking his head in the foyer as he looked at Rocky. "I've never seen anything like that before."
Chuckling, Rocky shrugged nonchalantly. "They were small slices. You need to hang around more often if you wanna see the good stuff, Billy-man," he joked, clasping his friend on the shoulder. "Ask Adam about the time we bet on the World Series a few years back."
When Billy turned to Adam, the former Black and Green Ranger rolled his eyes. "We bet lunch on the Giants and Angels back in 2002. I took the Giants, lost, and had to buy Rocky lunch. In hindsight, if I knew buying him lunch meant almost a hundred bucks at Taco Bell I wouldn't have taken the bet."
The other guys just laughed, not at all surprised to hear yet another story that simply proved further that Rocky could eat more than should have been humanly possible. It was then that Tommy decided to slip away, feeling a bit tired after trying and failing miserably to keep up with Rocky and Zack. He'd known better than to try, but of course his competitive spirit refused to back down from a challenge.
"Where are you going, bro?" asked Jason upon noticing that Tommy was halfway up the stairs.
"To lay down for awhile and try to prevent my stomach from exploding," Tommy replied, laughing with a shake of his head at the look of fake disgust on Jason's face as he continued on towards the bedroom. He frowned when he reached the door, finding it odd that it would be closed unless Kimberly was taking a nap so when he pushed it open he did so extremely quietly.
"It's okay, you can come in," Kimberly called out to him, smiling at Tommy from her position on the floor as he entered the room. "I'm just wrapping a couple presents."
"Then I take it there isn't anything down there for me, otherwise you wouldn't have let me in," Tommy teased, slowly sitting down next to her as he set his shopping bag behind him.
Laughing, Kimberly shook her head. "No, yours is already wrapped and put away."
"Who's name did you draw for the gift exchange this year?" asked Tommy, his fingertips dancing along the small of her back as he reclined on his elbow.
"Rocky," said Kimberly.
Looking at the gift she was currently wrapping, Tommy furrowed his brow in confusion. "You got Rocky vanilla scented lotion and skin moisturizer?" he questioned with a laugh, resisting the urge to make a joke about exactly how Rocky would end up using the lotion.
Shaking her head, Kimberly chuckled. "No, this is for Trini. We just get each other something small every year," she answered, reaching into a nearby bag where she pulled out a packaged box set of DVD's and handed them to Tommy. "Those are for Rocky."
"The Ultimate Kung Fu Collection, huh?" Tommy replied, eyeing the box before handing it back to Kimberly. "He'll love that."
Smiling, Kimberly nodded. "I thought so, too," she murmured, looking at Tommy somewhat expectantly. "When I'm done with these do you want to do our gifts for each other?"
"You don't want to wait until tomorrow like we usually do, or on Christmas morning at my parent's house?" asked Tommy, truthfully not really caring when they exchanged their gifts for one another. Either way he was ready—albeit, in true Tommy fashion, just barely.
Thinking about what she wanted to do, Kimberly shrugged her shoulders. "I don't know. I guess we can wait if you want to. I just thought that it would be nice to do it when it was just the two of us."
Looking up at her, Tommy smiled as his hand slowly drifted into the small bag next to him. He pulled out a single wrapped package, no bigger than a DVD case and handed it to Kimberly. "Merry early Christmas, Beautiful."
"You want me to do it now?" she asked, taking the gift with the slightest bit of hesitation.
"Sure, go for it," said Tommy, grinning.
Kimberly nodded, Tommy watching her trembling fingers as she attempted to tear away the wrapping paper plastered with cartoon images of Santa Claus driving his sled of reindeer. Eventually she was able to get his present unwrapped, her hand going to her mouth when she saw what it was.
"Oh my God. Tommy…" she murmured, her voice trailing off as tears started to well in her eyes.
His gift was but a picture, held safely within a shiny black oak frame. It was the picture itself, though—or rather, two pictures compressed into one—that had Kimberly struggling not to cry. The two pictures were blended together seamlessly, one showing teenaged versions of she and Tommy in a restaurant on their first date, and the other having been taken in their booth by their waiter at Christy Hills the night before. In both pictures Tommy had his arm around her, each of them wearing bright smiles.
"Do you like it?" he asked, gently rubbing her back.
Turning to face him, Kimberly looked at Tommy and smiled through her tears as she nodded fiercely. "I love it, Tommy," she answered, throwing her arms around him tightly. "How did you get this done between last night and today, though?"
"Billy," Tommy answered with a laugh. "Originally it was just going to be the old picture of us, but then I took it to him this morning with the new picture on my camera and asked him if he could somehow shrink the old one and combine the two. I'm not exactly sure how he did it, but he did."
"It's perfect, Tommy. Thank you," Kimberly replied, smiling as she gave him a grateful kiss.
The vibrant smile on Kimberly's face was so bright that Tommy simply couldn't help it but to beam on the inside a little bit as he nodded. "You're welcome," he murmured, stealing another kiss from her.
"Wait right here," said Kimberly, pushing herself onto her feet. She quickly crossed the bedroom to their closet, opening the door on her side and extracting two wrapped packages. One was similarly sized to the gift Tommy had given her, while the other was big and square; she carried them back over and sat down next to him, setting them in front of him with a smile. "Merry early Christmas, Tommy."
The former White Ranger grinned while he picked up the smaller of the two packages. "Great, now I have to buy you something else," he teased, kissing her cheek as his fingers tore at the wrapping paper.
Rolling her eyes, Kimberly laughed. "No you don't. What you did was just fine," she replied, shaking her head. "Besides, the small one is more of a joke than anything else."
Tommy just nodded as he finished tearing away the paper. "Oh jeez," he muttered with a laugh, staring at the slim DVD case he now held. The cover had a picture of him, shirtless and on his knees in the midst of singing karaoke at Turn 3 two nights prior. "Is this what I think it is?"
Kimberly just smiled. "Open it," she replied.
Chuckling, Tommy shook his head as he popped the case open to find a burned DVD on one side and a small handwritten note on the other. "'To my lead singer,'" he read aloud with a smile. "'I'd throw my panties on stage for you any day. Always, Kim.' Aww, how sweet."
"Billy filmed the whole thing without you guys even knowing it," Kimberly explained, sharing a laugh with Tommy. "Now you can relive that one amazingly embarrassing moment anytime you want to for the rest of your life. Or at least until technology sends DVD's the way of the Atari and VHS tape, that is."
"Thanks," said Tommy, the slightest hint of sarcasm in his voice as he kissed her. "Should I open the other one now?"
Kimberly just smiled and nodded, watching Tommy as he removed the paper from a coffee table book with the words "The Complete History of the Martial Arts" written at the top and a picture on the cover of two men battling in a room surrounded by weaponry traditional to the arts Tommy loved so much.
"Oh wow, Kim; this is awesome! Thanks!" Tommy exclaimed, grinning as he started to slowly flip through the pages.
"Really?" Kimberly questioned somewhat hesitantly. "I honestly wasn't sure what to get for you. It's pretty much impossible to shop for the guy who could have everything and wants nothing."
"That's not true. I've never stopped wanting you," Tommy replied, both of them smiling as they shared a kiss. "Besides, this is perfect. You did a great job, Beautiful."
Kimberly beamed. "You like it then?"
Tommy shook his head. "No," he answered seriously, leading her on for just the briefest of moments before he turned to her and smiled. "I love it."
--