A/N: I'm back everyone! Thanks to everyone who reviewed the previous chapter. I thoroughly enjoy reading everything that you guys have to say, whether it be positive or negative. Believe it or not, you guys all influence which direction I'd like to take this story in. So keep those reviews coming.

Now, a lot of you voiced your concerns with how Tommy reacted to Rocky supposedly sleeping with Kim, but just remember that when you read, you have to keep an open mind. Just because you would react to a situation in one way, that doesn't mean someone else wouldn't react in a different way. So yeah...stay open minded guys!


REMINDER:

- This story is an AU. It follows the events of the series; but for the sake of my O.C. Molly, the time frame in which each season of Power Rangers has lengthened. So yes, this story does take place during the season of Dino Thunder, but everyone's ages have been altered to better fit this original idea of mine. If you can't accept that, you might as well click away now.

- I have switched Tommy's profession to history at this point because I am HORRIBLE at science & chemistry and felt that writing about history would be a lot easier. Plus, I think that studying dinosaurs and fossils leans more towards the history side of the educational world.

- Tommy x Kimberly are the main pairing of this story, but there are SEVERAL other pairings that will be used during the course of this story as well. For starters, Hayley and Tommy are a couple when this story begins. As with most romances, theirs is going to take a while to blossom. So don't expect things to be all "sunshine and rainbows" in the beginning.

- Although I edit this story frequently, I do tend to make a few mistakes. So if you spot them, KINDLY let me know and I will take care of the issue immediately. Insulting my intelligence or skills as a writer for such minor mistakes is not only rude, but I will not tolerate it.

- Most importantly, I have made this story a personal challenge for myself and have written it ENTIRELY in the present tense so it seems like the story is happening right before your very eyes. It has proven to be a difficult challenge, but fun nonetheless. So I hope you guys like it too.


Disclaimer: I do not own the popular television series Power Rangers, which is based off of the Super Sentai series that air in Japan. I do not own the rights to any of the show's characters that are used in this story. Both aspects are being used for entertainment purposes only. I am the creator of Molly Hart, Samara and Austin Scott, and all other original characters featured in this story. The plot of this story was also developed by me. DO NOT REPRODUCE ANY ASPECT OF THIS STORY. Thank you.

I also do not own the lyrics to "The Game of Love" performed by Carlos Santana and Michelle Branch. The song was written by Gregg Alexander and Rick Nowels, and was produced by Clive Davis and Carlos Santana. The lyrics are being used for entertainment purposes only and aren't intentionally being redistributed or reproduced in any way.


"Run Like the Wind"

Kimberly and Tommy are silent as the gymnast gathers her papers from off the floor and stacks them neatly on her desk with a sigh. The two of them have barely said a word to each other in the ten minutes since Kimberly had told him the truth, and with good reason. They both needed time to calm down and level their heads before they could begin the hard task of telling Molly the truth. She is still so young and it would undoubtedly be a struggle trying to relay the truth to her without getting her worked up. Still, it had to be done.

"Would you like me to tell her?" Kimberly asks suddenly, pulling Tommy from her thoughts. "I am her mother after all and I know her the best. She's going to be so angry and I'd rather her direct her anger at me than to direct it at you. I am at fault for this situation after all."

"No." Tommy says with a sigh as he rubs the back of his neck to soothe the tension built up between his shoulder blades. "I'd like to have some part in telling her. I may not know her on the level that you do, but think I deserve the chance to tell her why I couldn't be there for her growing up."

The sound of knocking at the door interrupts the conversation. Kimberly does her best to look presentable before calling out at whoever it is to come in. When Trent steps into the room, a look of surprise crosses her face.

"Trent, what are you doing here?" Kimberly asks. "I thought you and your friends were going to be hanging out with Molly?"

"We are supposed to hang out." Trent says as the door closes behind him. "I've been waiting outside the gym for almost twenty minutes now and she still hasn't come back. I went to check the front office and even stopped by her locker, but there's no sign of her."

A feeling of uneasiness fills Kimberly's gut as she begins wracking her brain for some kind of explanation for her daughter's absence. She slides her drawstring bag off her shoulders and begins fishing for her cell phone. Once in hand, she dials Molly's number and holds it up to her ear, tapping her foot impatiently as it rings. Tommy and Trent watch her closely as she hangs up and redials again. After the third call back, Kimberly begins pacing back and forth, a look of nervousness on her face.

"Kim, what is it?" Tommy asks, suddenly growing worried.

"She isn't answering." Kimberly says breathlessly as she hangs up.

"Try again." Trent suggests. "Maybe she just didn't hear it?"

Kimberly shakes her head, her hands shaking. "No Trent. Molly always answers her phone regardless of when you call her. Something's wrong. Something's very wrong."

"Kim, just relax." Tommy says as he places a hand on her shoulder. "I'm sure she hasn't gone too far."

"Oh my God Tommy...what if she overheard us talking?" Kimberly realizes, her face draining of color. "What if she knows?"

"Knows what?" Trent asks, confusion on his face. "I don't understand."

Tommy sighs as he rubs at the not in his neck again. "I really don't know how else to say it Trent, but I just found out that Molly's my daughter."

"Wait a minute, your daughter?" Trent says incredulously as he blinks a few times. "I don't understand though...I thought you hadn't met Molly up until yesterday."

"Trent, I'm a little new to this whole situation myself. We can focus on all the details later. Right now, we need to find Molly."

Trent nods before heading out the gym to begin his search.


Down in Arizona, things are tense as well, although not on the same spectrum as the situation in Angel Grove. Zhane sighs, his shoulders slumping with exhaustion as his fingers hurry across his keyboard. When an error sign begins flashing onscreen, he groans before leaning back in his seat and glaring up at the ceiling.

"Why can't I crack this code? Damn, I'm not getting anywhere."

Andros looks up from his own computer monitor and nods in agreement, his loose hair draping over his shoulders. "I'm not having any more luck than you are. The barrier surrounding Lord Zedd keeps repelling my signal every time I try and access its contents. Maybe we should try a different tactic to break through?"

"Do you think the Megaship's computer could emit a signal strong enough?"

Andros nods. "There isn't a doubt in my mind, but the Megaship is still with the Galaxy Rangers; and after their last battle on Mirinoi, the ship took a lot of damage. I never bothered to ask Leo whether or not they got it working again. Being that it's held together with Karovian technology, I doubt the crew on Terra Venture could repair it properly."

The two of them grow silent for a moment as they begin thinking over alternatives for their current crisis. Zhane's face suddenly lights up as he leans forward and rests his forearms on top of his desk.

"Maybe Tommy has a computer strong enough? His girlfriend is a technical genius after all, and I'm pretty sure her computer managed to break through that barrier's signal already."

"Last I checked, Tommy hadn't found anything useful either." Andros says. "He and Hayley are still conducting research. They promised to let us know the minute they found something."

"Which leads us back to square one." Zhane groans again as he runs a hand over his face.

The metal doors leading into the lab slide open as Karone steps in wearing her white lab coat. Her Blonde hair now reaches her mid back, the tips a striking purple as a symbol to her days as Astronema. Zhane smiles at his wife as she crosses the room and moves to stand behind him. She snakes her arms around his shoulders before leaning her cheek against his head.

"Well, well, well, if it isn't my beautiful wife." Zhane says with a smile.

"Yeah, yeah." Karone says as she nudges him playfully. "Did you forget what your beautiful wife asked you to do before she left for work this morning?"

Zhane began wracking his brain for some sort of indicator of what she could be referring too. Suddenly, he remembers the two trash bags sitting outside the door. With a nervous chuckle, he stands to his feet before heading out the room. Andros laughs at his friend before turning his attention back to his computer monitor.

"Anything new to report?" Karone asks, all playfulness pushed to the back of her mind. Andros shakes his head, earning a frown from his younger sister.

"All we know is Lord Zedd is inside the barrier and the barrier is serving as both a healing pod and a protective barrier. We don't know who sent the barrier or who revived Zedd, nor do we know if there are other pods located throughout the galaxy. If only we could break through the firewall surrounding the barrier, we could find out more."

"Let me have a look." Karone says as she pulls out Zhane's chair and takes a seat. Andros slides over in his own chair to watch his sister work. Her hand guides the mouse through her husband's research before she opens a program Andros has never seen before. Four different windows open, displaying a font that Andros doesn't recognize, as Karone begins inputting codes into a provided entry box.

"Karone, what are you doing?" Andros asks with a raised eyebrow.

"Be quiet Andros. I need to concentrate."

Andros holds his hands up in defense before standing from his seat to give her some space. He decides to pass the time by glancing at the various photo frames and paintings placed throughout the room. Most of the pictures are oil paintings that Karone had done a few years back, but the photo frames hold snapshots of Andros and Zhane's lives since they made earth their permanent residence sixteen years ago.

After defeating Ecliptor and Astronema and restoring peace to the planet earth, Andros and Zhane had gone back to KO-35 to begin the restoration of their once abandoned home planet; but at that point in time, Andros's love for Ashley had grown beyond a mere crush and leaving her and the other Astro Rangers would have left him lonely and miserable. So after saying goodbye to their friends and family once more, the three Karovian natives decided to leave the space colony and join the former Turbo Rangers of earth to begin living new lives. The three of them had registered in school and gone off to college while easily adjusting to the planet earth and its customs. Karone had gone off on a journey of self-discovery following the end of her days as Astronema and wound up taking up the mantle of the Pink Galaxy Ranger. After returning the Pink Quasar Saber to its pedestal on Mirinoi, she returned to her boyfriend and brother to live out the rest of her days in peace. Now years later, Zhane and Karone were happily married with a ten-year old son and Ashley and Andros were starting a family of their own. Now with Lord Zedd's sudden appearance, Andros can't help but to feel like a cloud of doom is looming over his life.

"Done!" Karone exclaims in excitement as she finishes typing.

"What?" Andros says as he shakes his thoughts off and moves over to his sister's side. His eyes scan over the information being displayed on Zhane's computer screen, his mouth falling open in disbelief as all kinds of information runs across the screen. "Karone, how did you...?"

"Hey, I used to be Astronema, Princess of Darkness." she says with a shrug. "When you work for the dark side, you learn how to hack computers and recognize magic coding on day one. Looks like I managed to retain something useful from the bad days, huh?"

Andros smiles as he gives his sister a sideways hug, making her giggle. "So what did you find out?"

"The barrier is protecting Zedd as a way to prevent people from getting close to him. The energy surrounding him is definitely negative and its out of this world, meaning the power doesn't originate from earth. The barrier also has a time limit of sorts guarding it. I'd give it two weeks tops before Zedd's ready to be released."

"I've got to warn Tommy." Andros realizes as his stomach drops.


Tommy turns a sharp corner in his jeep while Kimberly looks up and down the street at the random pedestrians walking about. After searching the school grounds for nearly an hour, there hadn't been any sign of Molly, leading Kimberly to believe that her earlier suspicions had been correct. Molly undoubtedly overheard her talking to Tommy and now, she is probably off sulking somewhere.

"I don't see her anywhere." Kimberly says as her anxiety begins to build to a boiling point.

"Me neither." Tommy says as he eases his foot on the brake. Just then, his phone begins vibrating noisily in the cup holder he'd placed it in. With a sigh, he snatches the razer up and answers.

"Hello?"

"Hey Tommy, it's Andros. My sister managed to find out some breaking news about Lord Zedd and-"

"Andros, that's great really, but I can't talk right now. I'm kind of in the middle of an emergency."

"I understand. Just call me back as soon as you get a minute."

"I will. Bye."

Tommy ends the call before tossing his phone back into the cup holder and hitting the gas again. Kimberly leans back in the passenger seat and holds a head to her forehead as she tries to fight of the headache starting to form. Tommy rests his right hand on her thigh, causing her to jump in surprise. When she looks at him, his eyes are focused on the road ahead.

"Don't worry Kim, we'll find her."


Trent runs through the entrance gate of Reefside's Central park, his heart thumping hard in his chest as he frantically looks around for any signs of the pretty brunette. The park is definitely the next place to search on his list being that he and Molly were supposed to rendezvous with Ethan, Conner, and Kira before going to Tommy's house that evening. When he spies his three friends sitting around a picnic table while Kira plays her guitar, he wastes no time running over to them.

"It just takes a little bit of this, a little bit of that, it started with a kiss now we're up to bat." Kira sings. "A little bit of laughs, a little bit of pain. I'm telling you my babe it's all in the game of love. It's all in the game of love."

Kira stops playing the minute Trent reaches her and the others. With a raised eyebrow, she lays her guitar flat across her lap.

"Trent, you okay dude?" Conner asks as the other two wonder the same thing.

"No, I'm not okay." Trent says in between pants. "Molly's gone rogue."

"I thought she was with you." Kira says. "You guys were supposed to come here together. You telling me she ditched you or something?"

"No she didn't ditch me. Well she did, but not in the way you think. I was waiting for her outside the gym while she went to ask her mom if she could hang with us, but she never came back. I went to check on her and found Doctor O and Ms. Hart glaring at each other. Apparently the two of them had gotten into a huge fight and Molly overheard that Doctor O is actually her father."

"What?" the other three shout simultaneously.

"Doctor O couldn't be her father, could he?" Ethan says in disbelief. "I mean...how is this possible? He never mentioned Molly up until we told her about her transferring to Reefside High."

"Look, I don't know any more than you guys do at this point. Doctor O promised he'd explain everything later; but right now, we need to focus on finding Molly. She's got to be going out of her mind right now."

"Right." the others agree.

Ethan and Trent take off for the front gates while Conner waits on Kira to pack up her guitar. The two of them then follow after.


Kimberly races up the wooden steps of her front porch while Tommy follows close behind. She wastes no time getting the door unlocked before running through the front hall and calling out her daughter's name. Tommy enters after her as he heads into the adjoining living room in search of the brunette, but he doesn't find her.

"Oh, where could she be." Kimberly cries as she starts to panic. Tommy walks over to her and places both hands on her shoulders before looking into her eyes.

"Kim, you've got to get a grip. I know you're scared okay? I'm scared too; but we can't allow our fear to get the best of us. Molly is fine okay? We just have to find her and talk to her."

Kimberly sniffles and wipes the tears from her face as she nods.

"Now think for a second. Are there any places she likes to hang out?"

Kimberly shakes her head. "We've only been in town for two days Tommy. She hasn't really gotten out of the house much."

"Okay, why don't you check the pool house I saw when we pulled into the driveway? I'll take a look upstairs."

Kimberly nods before running down the hall towards the back door. Tommy hurries up the steps, but slows his pace when he notices the pictures lining the walls. There are dozens of them hanging up, neatly framed on the sky blue walls. The left half of the frames hold pictures of Kimberly and the right half holds pictures of Molly. The pictures are all different ranging from baby pictures of Molly's first bath, to Molly blowing bubbles in Jason's back yard. There are also pictures of Molly wearing a white and green gymnastics leotard, her junior high school graduation, and her first school dance. Tommy smiles at his little girl as he feels her happiness radiating through the photographs. No matter how angry he is at Kimberly, it is more than obvious that she had managed to give their daughter the best life she could have possibly had growing up. Still, he can't help but to feel a little envious over the fact that he hadn't been included on any of those life changing moments.

"Tommy, she wasn't in the pool house." Kimberly shouts as she comes back through the back door. "I even checked the yard. There's no sign of her."

"Why don't you try calling her again?" Tommy asks as he finishes his ascent up the stairs. Tommy walks down the hall, opening every door he passes in hopes of finding Molly's room. When he reaches the last door at the end of the wall, he realizes he's reached his destination. The walls are a lime green and posters are covering nearly every inch. There are also a few shelves mounted here and there holding trophies and prize ribbons, a queen-sized bed pushed up against the farthest wall with fuzzy blue and lime green pillows on top of it, a white dresser with a vanity mirror, a small TV, a hamper, and a desk where a desktop computer is sitting all by its lonesome. Tommy notices that the monitor is switched on and makes his way over, taking a seat in the desk chair.

To his shock, a webpage for the local bus station is pulled up with departure times and ticket prices. Tommy's eyes scan the pages in search of the destination, his eyes freezing when he spies the words 'Angel Grove' in the bottom right hand corner.

"Kim!" he shouts as he stands to his feet. He can hear Kimberly's footsteps as she runs up the stairs. She appears in the doorway a few seconds later, a look of hope on her face.

"What is it? Did you find her?"

Tommy shakes his head before pointing at the computer monitor. "No. She purchased a bus ticket for Angel Grove."

Kimberly feels her legs shaking as she suddenly grows lightheaded. Tommy rushes over to her and holds his hands on her shoulders to steady her. "Kim, get a hold of yourself."

"Get a hold of myself?" she says in disbelief. "Our daughter is on her way to the bus station to head back to Angel Grove Tommy. I think I'm well past the point of holding myself together."

"Kim, her bus doesn't leave for another forty-five minutes." Tommy points out. "Molly's probably on her bike right? Meaning we could possibly beat her to the bus station before it the bus leaves the terminal."

Kimberly takes a deep breath to calm herself just before Tommy pulls her into a hug. "We'll catch up to her Kim. I just know it."


Molly chains her bike to the bike rack just outside Reefside's bus station before wiping at the tears staining her cheeks. After taking a shaky breath, she slings her backpack over her shoulder and heads inside. The bus station is crowded, she notes, as she makes her way to the main desk. The receptionist smiles at her, not bothering to comment on her disheveled appearance.

"How can I help you miss?" she asks cheerfully.

"I need a one way ticket to Angel Grove please." Molly says as she forces a sad smile.

"Might I see some I.D. please?"

Molly nods before reaching into her back pocket to pull out her small wallet decorated with frogs. She shows the woman her state I.D. and waits impatiently as the woman enters her information into the computer. After five minutes of standard questioning, the receptionist passes Molly's I.D. back before handing her a freshly printed bus ticket.

"Alright dear. Hang onto your ticket and give it to the driver once you get on your bus. Have a safe trip."

"Thanks Molly says." as she adjusts her backpack again and heads for the seating area. She makes a quick stop at a vending machine to grab a bottled water before finding a seat in a secluded area where she's sure no one will bother her. After sparing a glance at the clock to see she only has twenty minutes left before her bus leaves, she pulls her cell phone out and quickly dials Michael's speed dial. He answers after just two rings, much to her delight.

"Michael, I'm glad you picked up." she says as she manages to laugh through her tears.

"Hey babe. Sorry that I've been M.I.A. recently. I've just been really busy focusing on track season and all. I promise, I wasn't ignoring you purposefully."

Molly shakes her head quickly. "You know something? I really don't care about all of that right now."

"You sound upset. What's going on?"

"Well, I'm sitting in a bus station right now. I'm waiting on the next bus back to Angel Grove. I have to come back Michael. Everything here is so screwed up."

"Wait a second Molly. What's going on?"

"My mom's been lying to me for my entire life, that's what's going on. I was just starting to get used to the idea of living in Reefside only to find out that she and my history teacher are ex-lovers who have a lot of anger and hatred for each other. That's not even the worst of it though. As it turns out, the guy is my long-lost father."

"Oh...wow..."

"Tell me about it." Molly says as she lets out a sarcastic laugh. "I was just calling you because I'm feeling so alone right now. I have to get out of here and away from the both of them before I do something I'm going to regret. I'm so mad at the both of them for lying to me for all these years. I mean, I accepted the fact that I didn't have a father, you know? I was perfectly content being an only child living with my loving mother like we're best friends on top of the world...but things are different now Michael, and I don't think they'll ever go back to being the same."

Michael is silent for a moment as he thinks over the right thing to say. Meanwhile, Molly tries to distract herself and focuses on a elderly couple sitting together while sharing a bottle of coke.

"Look babe, are you sure you're doing the right thing? I know you're mad at your mom, and I don't blame you, but think about what your leaving will do to her. You're all she has in this world Molly and she cares about you a lot. You leaving would kill her."P

"Are you seriously trying to make me put her feelings into consideration?" Molly snaps. "They're the last thing I care about right now. She lied to me about my father for my entire life and made me feel as though he walked out without wanting anything to do with us. The worse part is that I believed every word she said. I should've asked more questions, if not from her then from Uncle Jason or Aunt Trini. The point is, had I not stopped searching for the truth, maybe I wouldn't have felt such a strong absence in my life for all these years."

Molly lets out another laugh as she rubs at the tears running down her face. "You want to know something else? I kind of look like him. We have the exact same eyes. He's so nice and he welcomed me into his class with open arms. I don't get the vibe of a teacher from him, but the vibe of a kind and caring man who just wants me to fit in and enjoy my time at a new school. My new friends also go on and on about what a laid back guy he is and how he would do anything for them if they asked. This whole time I thought I was just meeting a one of a kind teacher, only to find out that I've met my father. I just can't wrap my head around this."

"Molly, I don't think you're thinking this situation all the way through. You just bought a ticket out of Reefside to escape your mother, but by doing so, you're also running away from the father that you've wanted to know for your whole life. Are you really willing to leave him behind right after you've just found out about him? I know that deep down, you want to have the chance to get to know him better, and I would bet money on the fact that he feels the same way about you. Don't run away Molly, not when there's so much at stake."

"But Michael, what if he doesn't like me? What if he really is this huge jackass that my mom's painted him out to be? Then what?"

Michael chuckles on the other line and Molly rolls her eyes as she pictures his lopsided grin. "Babe, why must you overthink everything? Look on the bright side of the situation for a change. You were just telling me what an amazing guy you think your dad is. Why don't you stay and find out for yourself if what your friends said is true?"

Molly gives his words some thought as an image of a smiling Tommy fills her head. "I'll think about it."

"That's all I ask of you babe; and hey, if things don't work out, just know that I'll be right here in Angel Grove waiting for you."

"Thanks Michael. I love you."

"Love you too Dolly."


"Conner would you please speed up?" Kira begs as her fingernails dig into the leather seat cover beneath her. "Doctor O said that Molly's heading to the bus station and we have to get there before she leaves!"

"Kira, have you forgotten that I just got a speeding ticket last weekend." Conner groans. "If I get another, the cops will take my license."

"Pull over." Kira demands, earning a surprised look from Ethan and Trent.

"What?"

"I said pull over. I'm driving."

"Oh no, no, no, no." Conner says as he shakes his head. "You are not driving my baby."

"Conner!" Kira protests as she slams her hand down.

"Fine." Conner says, opting not to argue as he turns the wheel and parks right outside the flower shop. As he hops out on the driver's side, Kira climbs over into the driver's seat and buckles her seat belt. Ethan and Trent follow suit before leaning back. Just as Conner takes his seat, Kira slams her foot down on the gas, peeling away from the curb.


Kimberly and Tommy rush through the front doors of the bus station, doing their best to maneuver through the large five o'clock crowd flooding the halls. The receptionist announces that the bus for Angel Grove can now load just as the two of them pass by the greeting station.

"We aren't going to make it in time." Kimberly cries out in fear.

"Oh yes we are." Tommy says as he grabs her hand and yanks her through the crowd towards where a marquee sign can be seen displaying the words "Angel Grove." Just before they reach the waiting area, the two of them slam into a group of people, knocking everyone down onto the tiled floor.

Tommy rubs his sore bottom before looking up to apologize. He's surprised when he sees Kira, Ethan, Trent, and Conner composing themselves. Kimberly jumps to her feet, ignoring everyone else as she runs for the departure doors, but she skids to a stop when she sees the bus pulling away through the large faced windows just beneath the marquee sign.

"No..." She whispers as tears fill her eyes for what seems like the hundredth time that day. She can hear Tommy and the others slowly walking up behind her, a feeling of dread sweeping over them.

Tommy rests a hand on Kimberly's shoulder as she hangs her head in defeat. "I think we should skip tonight's get together." he says quietly. "Come on Kim. I'll take you back to the school so we can get your car."

Kimberly stares straight ahead of her, an empty look on her face as tears continue their descent down her cheeks and to the floor below. Conner and the others stare at their teachers in silence, none of them sure of how to approach them. Not knowing what else to do, the teens turn and head back to Conner's car, leaving the two parents alone.


Tommy sighs as he follows Kimberly's purple mustang back to her house. After taking her back to the school to get her car, he said he was going to follow her home just to make sure she was okay. Old habits seem to die hard it would seem, and Tommy can't help but to hate that he can't seem to walk away from Kimberly when she's in need of comforting.

Kimberly pulls up in her driveway while Tommy opts to park along the curb just out front of the house. He cuts his engine off before hopping out the car and heading over to the parked mustang. Kimberly is staring straight ahead, her headlights still beaming on the garage door in front of them, as tears slide down her face. She is silent Tommy notes, her hands folded gently in her lap. With a frown, he opens her door and offers her a hand which she takes before stepping out of the car. Tommy reaches in and shuts her lights off before grabbing the keys from the ignition and passing them to her.

"She should be arriving in Angel Grove in less than an hour." he says as he follows her up the front walk. "First thing's first, we should call Jason to give him the heads up. Then tomorrow, we can go after her and try and talk some sense into her."

"This is all my fault." Kimberly says, pausing as her palm closes around the doorknob. "If I had just told the two of you the truth from the very beginning, none of this would be happening now."

"Kimberly, stop it."

"Why stop when I know it's the truth?" Kimberly says as she looks up at him, the tears in her eyes glistening from the reflection of the porch light overhead. "I did everything I could to keep Molly from asking about you because I thought she wouldn't be able to handle the truth, but in fact, I think I'm the one who couldn't handle it the most. I gave her the impression that you were off chasing your dreams and that you just weren't ready to be a father. Jason and I never spoke ill of you though, but we basically acted as though you didn't exist; and with time, I believe Molly just grew to accept that she didn't need a father around to make her happy. Tommy...I truly am sorry that I never told you. I'm sorry for every decision and mistake that I've made up until this point and I pray that you can find it in your heart to forgive me. After all, if things do turn out for the better, Molly's going to need you in her life."

Tommy nods. "Come on. Let's get you inside."

Kimberly nods before reaching for her house keys. She pauses when the door gives way, opening without the need of her key.

"That's funny." she says as she narrows her eyes. "I remember locking the door when we ran out the house earlier."

"Maybe you thought you did but you actually forgot?" Tommy suggests.

Kimberly pushes the door open and gasps at the realization that the lights are on in the foyer and the living room. She quickens her pace as she walks further into the house, stopping when she reaches the archway leading into the living room. Tommy rushes to her side and also freezes when a very familiar brunette is seen staring at the two of them from the recliner directly across from them.

"Molly!" Kimberly cries out in relief.


A/N: Well, it looks like Molly didn't get on the plane after all. So, is she going to give Kimberly and Tommy the chance to explain why Tommy's been out of her life for all these years? I guess we'll find out during the next update. Until then, sit tight!

-KairiAngel13


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