Chrysalis

Disclaimer: For the last time, Power Rangers isn't mine.

:: It honestly surprised me when I saw the last time I updated this fic was more than two months ago. I guess time flies when you have so many things keeping you in your toes. Anyway, I didn't get my vacation till last Wednesday and while I know I should be writing, I got addicted with a Japanese Drama, Gokusen, which imo is a really great entertainment. Maybe some of you have read the manga or watch the anime, but this is a live action drama and it's awesome. Alright, OT, I'm sorry.

This is the last chapter and I hope it satisfies all of you. Thanks a lot for everyone who has been reading and extra thank you for those who have kindly left your reviews. You just don't know how much your opinions mean to me.

Enough babbling. Sorry for the long AN. Now on to the story!


Final Chapter.

For the third time, Tommy re-read the email that he just received a couple hours prior. It had been almost two weeks since Kimberly found out about the secret that he had tried to keep from her and also almost two weeks since she went missing. At least from his life.

He had gone to her apartment a few times and even nearly come close to camp outside until she returned, but later thought it wouldn't have been the smartest idea since the door boy downstairs had given him a look when he came for the seventh time that week. The cell phone was working, but he got the feeling that Kim purposely did not want to accept his calls. Wonder why…

Everything was driving him crazy to the point that he almost put up an ad in the paper, using big bold letter that said 'Kimberly, please forgive me'. For some people, like Lea, she might think it was a brilliant idea and that it was such a romantic way. However, knowing Kim the way he did, it most likely would only scare her off and that was the last thing that he wanted to happen right now.

Fortunately, someone from Kim's office had kindly informed him that Kim hadn't returned from LA and that there was a big possibility that Kim would move from California, now that she had been offered a better position. Calling it a bombshell would have been an understatement. Given the situation, he was terribly pleased when he checked his email and found a message from the petite brunette waiting from him.

It was a short, simple, straight-forward email. Hi Tommy, how are you… I'm moving to LA next week… what we had was wonderful but it's a shame it had to turn out like this…

Of course, it's not that he could blame her for not trusting him and not wanting to see him ever again. But if what they had was indeed special, why couldn't she at least fight for them? Talk to him? Listen to his explanation?

He hated that he had lost her trust, her friendship and her love. She might haven't told him the L word directly, but she was talking in her sleep and had surprised him when she mumbled it at 3.30 in the morning. Not wanting to embarrass the hell out of her, he simply kept it to himself.

I need time… If we're meant to be… Bye, Tommy… 'till the day we meet again.

There's no address, no information about her new place and definitely there's no 'talk to you later'. She needed space…. And if that's what she wanted, he would give it to her. He just wanted to her to know that he might not always be around, but he certainly would always be there.

Turning off the computer, Tommy moved his chair backwards and opened the drawer, looking for an old photo album. His mouth curved into a bittersweet smile when he flipped through the pages, looking at the smiling faces of Fiona and him. Everything had been perfect and he had been ready to ask her hand in marriage. She was his first love and it was difficult to forget her. For the first couple of years, all he did was compare every woman he tried to date with the missing figure of his former girlfriend. And then he met Kim.

When he finally got his hand on the confidential record, all he wanted to do was just to see the person that carried something left from Fiona. Of course, the initial plan got ruined when Kimberly accidentally hit him and not to mention the unexpected meeting at the hotel reception months later.

Maybe knowing that she had Fiona's eyes, he felt responsible to take care of her, to make sure that she's alright. To know that she's happy. It was a feeling that he couldn't explain. Maybe he was sick because he was practically 'stalking' Kimberly, but he really could care less. Especially when he finally realized that he had fallen for Kim… let's not talk about that now.

Setting the photo album down, Tommy leaned back and covered his eyes with his arm.

A loud honk brought Tommy back from his daydream. Nineteen months had passed but he still couldn't get her out of his head. Shoving his hands deep into his pocket, he waited for the light to change. Tommy shifted his weight to his other foot when the light finally turned green and he started walking with the rest of the New Yorkers and tourists. He was so caught up in his thoughts that he didn't really pay attention to where he was heading and bumped to a redhead.

"Geez, watch it, will you," She protested and leaned down to pick up her fallen stuff.

Mentally kicking himself, Tommy turned around and made a move to help the lady. She brushed a strand of hair from her face and looked up at him. The pair of doe brown eyes that still haunted his dream reflected the surprise in his darker brown orbs. It took a perfect ten seconds for him to finally find his voice.

"Kimberly," His voice was above a whisper and with all the buzzing noise around, he nearly didn't hear his voice.

It seemed that she hadn't found her voice yet and her mouth hung open with no words coming out. Time seemed to stand still as the two gazed at each other's eyes and it only ended when a sudden honk snapped both of them back to reality.

Startled, Tommy glanced at the semi pissed driver and realized that they're the only people standing in the middle of the busy road. The light had long turned red. Without paying much thought and more out of a habit, Tommy grabbed Kim's hand and pulled her along with him.

When they're back at the safety of the pavement, Kim extricated her hand from his grasp and he was reminded of what had happened; that he had no rights to do what he just did. As much as it pained both of them, now that the time had finally come he wouldn't let this chance slip out of his hands.

"So… you're here," Kim began, her hands swinging at her sides; a gesture that he fondly recalled from their times together. He smirked. Had it really been that long? "Tommy?" She asked when he kept silent.

Tommy blinked and his lips formed a lopsided grin. It would take him a while to get used to Kim's new hair color, but it lifted his spirit to see those eyes and smile once again. "Yeah. I'm here with Jason. There's a martial arts exhibition starting from yesterday,"

A passerby pushed Kim and Tommy realized that it wasn't exactly the best place for him to say what he wanted to say. "Why don't we go somewhere else? We need to talk, Kim," Judging from the sober expression marred Kim's beautiful face, he knew that Kim knew that inevitable fact as well.

It looked like Kim was going to say something but then nodded with a defeated look. "Sure. There's a park nearby,"

Originally Tommy would have recommended a place like a small coffee shop that he knew Kim enjoyed, but somehow he got the feeling that Kim would need all the space that she could get. Besides, it would be much easier for her to run away if she felt like it. He shivered. Not if he could help it!

"Sure,"

"So… how have you been?" Kim asked after they settled at one of the benches.

He wanted to be blunt and get straight to the point, but decided she didn't need to be given more pressure. "Just the usual, you know. The school's been doing great and we're thinking of opening a new branch,"

"That's great!" Kim replied with a smile though he noticed the light didn't really reach her eyes. They appeared dull and lifeless. Tommy nearly laughed at the situation. He just said 'her' eyes and not Fiona's. "It's a great news, Tommy, I'm glad to hear that,"

"Thanks. What's up with you? The last time I checked you're still in LA," Tommy asked with a grin and when he caught Kim's sudden tensed expression, he quickly amended, "I mean… you know, you sent me an email, saying that you'd get transferred," If it was one and a half year ago, he would gladly crack a joke about him having done a background check on her, but now wasn't exactly the right time and place to do that.

"Just about the same," Kim shrugged. "I'm here on vacation actually. I get a four day off and Aisha invited me to see her and Rocky. And before you asked, they got married last year and I'm going to be an aunt early next year,"

"You always loved kids,"

Kim smiled but not saying anything. Gathering his guts, Tommy turned to face her. Enough dancing, at this rate they wouldn't go anywhere and the tension was enough to drive him closer to madness. They were acting like old acquaintances and not individuals who had ever played big parts in each other's life. "I'm sorry. I know that nothing that I say can change the fact that I lied to you, but-,"

However, before he could apologize further, Kim raised her hand, halting his tongue. Sighing, she looked down to stare at her sandaled feet. Anything but the man sitting beside him. "Please, Tommy, stop. I… I know you're sorry; you've said that to me countless times. But that happened in the past and I'm over it," Then, with a husky whisper, she added, "I'm over you,"

Swallowing hard, Tommy moved his eyes to stare at her. She just didn't have any idea how much she had ripped him with those words. Here he was, ready to profess his feelings to her once again, only to hear that he had long been forgotten. "I understand. But I want you to know that I didn't have the slightest intention to hurt you,"

Kim's bitter smile didn't go unnoticed and Tommy's hands flew from their previous position on his sides to her shoulders, forcing her to look at him. "We used to trust each other, Kim, and I hate that it was taken from us, because of what had happened,"

"Yes, I trusted you," She snapped. "And did you see what happened after that?"

Tommy looked at her deeply, almost desperately. "I knew that I should've told you sooner, than for you to find out by yourself about Fiona," He winced inwardly when she frowned at the name. "Of course, at first I didn't think I would fall for you," Before she could make a protest, he hushed her with a finger against her lips. "Nobody intentionally wants to fall because it hurts, Kim and I surely didn't ask to finally 'fall' for you either. And yes, it did hurt, but I never regretted it, not even one time. Because it reinforced just how much you mean to me,"

She wanted to glance away but the hand underneath her chin wouldn't allow it. She replied despondently, "You know what, sometimes I asked myself whether we're going to be together if I never had that accident. Will everything be the same for us? If I didn't have Fiona's eyes, would you treat me just the same? Sometimes I even hoped that we'd never met at the first place," Her voice grew smaller and tears began to well. "And of course, there're times I wondered if you often compared me to her,"

Shaking his head at her silliness, he answered in a tight voice. "Comparing you two wouldn't be fair because Fiona and you are different, Kim, and I regret that it took me a while to stop being stupid and realize that fact. I don't want you to feel like you are just a replacement; that because I care for you because you have her eyes,"

Fiona and Kim were different in so many ways. Their basic appearance was the opposite and while Fiona was like a calm river, Kim reminded him of a firecracker. "Being in a relationship with you, I started to feel things that I hadn't felt before, not even when I had been with Fiona. You could make me laugh, angry, antsy, and god help me, cry. I had never felt more alive than I had been when I was with you," He wiped her tears streaked cheek with his thumbs. "And it has nothing to do with Fiona,"

Tommy released her face and created some distance, enough to make her feel comfortable. Her eyes and face were red from crying and she bit her lips. "Can I make a confession?" Receiving no rejection, he continued, his eyes gazing at the buildings and skyscrapers. "After Fiona's gone, I've tried to move on, but it never worked out in the end. In a way, I felt like I would be cheating on her,"

Kim surprised him by putting a comforting hand on his arm, the way she used to do it when everything was alright with the world. "If she loved you as much you did, which I'm sure she did, she must want you to be happy, Tommy. You just don't know how much I envy her. Seeing what you did… she was so lucky to have you in her life. And if you loved me half as you loved her, I guess I was a very lucky girl as well," Her eyes glistened when she spoke and his heart fluttered.

Stunned, Tommy was graced for the first time since almost two years by Kim's luminous smile and he felt happiness growing inside him when he once again found the light in her eyes started to come back.

"I found an old issue of a martial arts magazine when I visited my dad," Kim said suddenly. "And I figured that was the first time I 'saw' you. Why you never told me you've been in a magazine? That's why I felt a strange wave of déjà vu when we met. Believe it or not, I thought it was these eyes-," Her mouth clamped shut as her face pinked. She immediately busied herself by pulling her hair up to a ponytail. But the words were said and Tommy couldn't help the snicker that he had tried to hide.

"Don't tell me that you thought it was because of Fiona's eyes that you felt like you've seen me before," He said half teasingly with a genuine smile. "Life is not a fairytale, Kim," If it was, all he needed to do was sweep her in his arms and kiss her and they all would live happily ever after in a castle with white horses and kids.

"I know that I shouldn't have told you that," Kim retorted with a pout, her hand moving to push her hair behind her ear.

"So… now what?" Maybe she had forgiven him, but where did that leave them? Were they friends once again? But now that Kim had moved to LA, things wouldn't be quiet the same with them.

Kim turned her head and it pleased him to see the matching longing in her eyes. "I don't know, Tommy… I… I guess I need time to sort everything out. So much has happened and we can't go back to what we were, as much as I want to. It's not that I don't believe you, but I just need more time,"

He nodded, understood. "We can start over again and see where that takes us,"

The moment was broken when suddenly Kim's cell phone ringing. Glancing up briefly at Tommy, she took her phone and read the text message. "It's Aisha. I need to go now,"

His throat constricted. "Alright. We can do the weekly phone calls and emails,"

"Yeah… you haven't changed your numbers, haven't you?"

Tommy was delighted to know that she hadn't banished him entirely from her life. "No, I haven't. How about you?"

Kim rummaged through her purse and picked her new business card before handing the rose colored card to Tommy. "Here you go,"

He appeared hesitant for a short moment before he finally blurted out, "I missed you, Kim," And it was the truth. She was the last thing in his mind before he went to bed and what he wouldn't give to have her by his side every time he woke up every morning.

Laughing with tears in her eyes, Kim moved to his instantly opened arms. It felt as natural as breathing to hold her in his embrace, having her head resting against his chest and her slender arms wounding around his waist. He buried his face into her hair, inhaling her familiar jasmine scent. "I missed you too,"

After long moments, he reluctantly released her, knowing she had somewhere else to be. "Don't be a stranger, alright?"

"You too," Then Kim surprised him by asking him a question that he once had asked her in what seemed like a million years ago. "Tommy, are you happy?"

"Very," He said, giving her hand a fervent squeeze. Now that he had found her again, he had nothing more to ask. "Are you?"

Kim didn't answer but the gentle smile forming in her face said it all. Tip toeing to get a better reach, she pressed a light kiss against his cheek. "Take care, Tommy,"

"You too, Beautiful," He replied thickly, fighting the urge to pull her to him and kiss her senseless.

Time seemed to go in slow motion as he watched her walk away from him. He wanted to tell her that he loved her, that he wanted them to be together again… but she was right. They had been apart for a while and rushing things off would lead them nowhere, if not driving Kim even further from him.

If you two are meant to be together, no matter what happens, you'll find your way to each other. He didn't want it to end like this…

"Kim, wait up!"

-the end-


:: I know that it's not the ending that you've been waiting for, but lots have happened between them and they can't just jump back to a relationship. But you know me, it's not possible for me to break them apart…

And I'm sorry if this chapter isn't too good. Writing scenes like this chapter isn't my specialty, I guess you know what mine is if you've been reading my stories. But well, one has to start somewhere… Anyway, I hope you like this. I might add one more chapter, but I'm still unsure.

I'll finish TSTM&TS soon and then continue NBE. Unfortunately, I have to say that the updates would come slowly. But don't worry, I intend to finish them.

Thanks for reading and don't forget to review for the last time. No flame please.

Happy holiday, everyone!

-Yuuri ;)