A/N; Oh hey. So, I'm not really a fan of this chapter. It's pretty long (which is good, because I think the next one miiiight not be that long) but there is very little action. Tons of random fluff that I have NO idea where I came up with, and lots of drama drivel, long talks and tears, shit that had to be said, that sort of thing. I was trying to make the T/K relationship plausible. But since I have yet to be blessed with a romantic relationship of that caliber, there's a fair chance it is less than believable. Hah. Oh, and there's also a ridiculous PR Dino Thunder plug in here for absolutely no reason. I just can't bring myself to delete it. Pathetic, I know. Anyway, sorry for the update wait, but I really wrote this over the span of like, three nights. Usually I write a chapter in an hour, but this one took FOREV. Almost like this note. Kbye.

Disclaimer; I don't own K.Clark or the MMPR. ):

When Kimberly came to, she blinked hard, staring at the night sky. Or, what looked to be the night sky. She realized she was on the floor of the Command Center, looking up at the ceiling that was adorned with tiny lights. She sat up quickly and then regretted it, holding her head in her hands, feeling woozy.

"You left me on the floor?" She asked incredulously to Jason, who she knew had to be around her somewhere.

"Where did you want me to put you?" He laughed out, "It's not my fault you faint at the mere thought of Tommy."

"Okay, first of all, that was more than a thought of Tommy, and second of all, the floor is gross!"

"Do not worry Kimberly, the cleaners scrub the floors every night."

"What cleaners?" She asked curiously. "You let people in here?"

"Hah," Alpha did his interpretation of a laugh, "no, Kimberly, the cleaners are not people, they are bots."

Suddenly, four white things shot of a small hatch in the wall near her.

"Ah, there they are!" Alpha said and pointed to the things.

They were about four inches high and maybe a foot wide, circular objects, with features much like a robot dog would have. They circled Kimberly and nudged her playfully, emitting what almost sounded like...whimpers.

"Whoa," Kim said in awe as she picked one up. It seemed to purr in her hands. She looked on the underside of it and sure enough, there were scrubbing bristles, and a small soap dispenser.

"I like them!" She said as she put it down and it continued to nudge and rub against her.

"Ah, they like it when they are talked about, that is why they came out. They are very playful, as you can see."

Kimberly could only laugh as she patted them each once and stood up. They continued to nudge for a few more moments, then proceeded to zoom back off to their hiding place. She looked to Jason with an awestruck look. He just shrugged.

"Neat."

Kimberly shook her head.

"Awesome." She brushed herself off and walked over to where Jason was standing. "How long was I out for?"

"Meh, maybe five or ten minutes. Wasn't counting." Kim shot him a disbelieving look. After all, it was not mystery how much Kim meant to Jason, and she couldn't imagine him simply not caring while she was unconscious. He let out a large sigh at Kimberly's look.

"Seven minutes and forty seconds, okay?"

"Gotcha." She replied with a smile.

She looked around the Command Center, and saw the battle the Rangers were in on the viewing globe. She couldn't stand to watch it, and she looked down at her feet for lack of anything else to do. Seeing that Alpha and Jason were watching the battle avidly, she turned to Zordon.

"You don't mind if I..."

"Of course not, Kimberly. This will not be the last time I see you."

"No way. But, I can't teleport by myself anymore, and can't contact Alpha without a communicator, so I'll have to hitch a ride."

"We will work something out." He answered cryptically.

Kimberly smiled at him and went to Alpha, asking him if he could teleport her to Angel Grove Park.

"Do you want me to come?" Jason asked, concerned. She shook her head.

"Nah. I just can't be here. I'll be fine though - promise." Jason looked like he was about to object, but then thought better of it.

"Prepare for teleportation." Alpha's robotic voice sounded out. Kimberly closed her eyes and felt the familiar rush. When she next opened her eyes, she saw the serene lake and the trees surrounding her. She went and sat by the lake, reflecting on what happened in the short time that she had come back to Angel Grove.

Is this a dream?

If it is, please don't wake me from this high

I've become comfortably numb

Until you opened up my eyes

To what it's like

When everything's right

I can't believe

"How did I ever live without them?" She murmured aloud, thinking about just how at home she felt with the other Rangers. Being back in Angel Grove was like a dream to her. She knew she couldn't stay with Jason forever, but was unsure of what her next steps would be. Could she live in that huge empty house all by herself? Knowing that Duncan was still out there? She couldn't be sure. She liked to think that she was brave enough, but she knew that there was a large possibility that she wasn't.

She didn't realize that a few stray tears had made their way down her cheeks until they splashed on her hands, which were holding her knees up against her chest tight. She also didn't know how long she had sat there, staring at the lake, tears falling from her eyes, wondering how her life was so wrong yet so right.

Her body started to hum, almost as if she was pleasantly in tune with him. She heard a step behind her and knew she was right.

"You know, I can feel you when you're near." She said softly, almost sadly.

"I feel it, too." Tommy said as he took a seat next to her, looking at the lake. His eyes drifted over to her and he saw the tears. "What's wrong?"

All of a sudden, Kim felt all of her barriers break down.

"What isn't?" She sobbed out. She allowed Tommy to gather her in his arms, letting her cry into his shirt, bawling her eyes out for everything she had experienced in the last few months. Finally, her sobs subsided, and just lone tears fell from her eyes. She sat back up, trying to brush them away. She tried to inch away, but Tommy pulled her back, resting her back on his chest, in between his knees. She protested at first, then relaxed into his embrace.

They sat there for minutes, never saying a word. They were both content to just sit and think for the time being. Finally, Kim broke the silence.

"It wasn't what I expected." She managed to get out.

"Florida?" Tommy asked, already knowing the answer.

"Yeah," she replied pensively. "I've always wanted to be a gymnast. It's what I thought I was made for. And then, I became a Power Ranger. And for the first time, it was like, I had this opportunity to be so much more. But no one knew that. I couldn't tell my parents, I couldn't tell my old friends, I couldn't tell anyone.

"It wasn't until my power coin got stolen when I started to realize I wasn't going to be a Power Ranger forever. Coach Schmidt was offering me an opportunity to be someone, and I knew in my heart that my time as a Power Ranger was coming to an end. And who would I be after that? No one. I'd be no one."

"Once a Ranger, always a Ranger." Tommy whispered in her ear, sending shivers down her spine.

"Easy for you to say when you're still a Ranger." She felt Tommy tense up behind her and she rushed to continue. "And you can't deny it, either - when you lost your green Ranger powers, you didn't even think you'd still be our friend, let alone part of the team."

"You're right. I can't deny it at all. What you're saying - I've felt every ounce of it. Before the Rangers, I was the karate guy. And, sure enough, I never felt more important, more alive, than when I joined the Rangers. And, like you, I backed off on the karate. I still practice, but I don't go to competitions anymore. I'm not sure if I could jump back into it if I were to not be a Ranger tomorrow. It's like-"

"Nothing can compare." Kimberly's voice overlapped Tommy's. "I tried in Florida. I really did. But my heart wasn't into it. The other girls were so much more dedicated to it, and all I could think about was, 'yeah, this rush is good, but it's nothing like being in battle.'"

"You could've come home, Kimberly." She sat up straight and turned her head to look at him.

"Could I? Tommy, you told me to go!"

"No, I told you to follow your dreams! If your dreams led you back to Angel Grove, then so be it! That's where my dreams always led you!" His voice rose with his anger and he instantly regretted it as Kimberly's lip started to quiver.

"You also said to make you proud!" She shot back, trying to fight the tears. "How proud would you have been if I gave up? If I quit? Is that something a Ranger does?"

They had only moved a few inches away from each other, yet it felt like a continent separated them.

"If you think for one second that I was never," he swallowed thickly, "am never," he amended, "proud of everything you do, or have done, maybe you don't know me at all."

Kimberly bit her lip at this. He was throwing her own words right back at her, and, frustratingly enough, they made sense.

"You shouldn't be," Kim said. "You saw the slideshow, too, didn't you? Everyone did. I'm not exactly a pride-making machine." She quipped sadly.

She didn't really want to talk about what they witnessed on the viewing globe. But, she knew Tommy did, and she knew that she had to come completely clean with him if they were going to be...whatever they were going to be. It all of a sudden seemed like they had so much to talk about, and that just frustrated Kimberly to no end. She had known it wasn't going to be easy, but did she really want to divulge all of her demons to Tommy? Yes, you do, she found herself thinking. With that, she stood up and offered Tommy a hand.

"Come on." She said in a small voice, somewhat unsure of him actually taking it and following her. After all, he hadn't said anything after the slideshow comment.

"Where?" Tommy asked as he took her hand, yet didn't use it at all to pull himself up. He continued to hold it as they started to make their way back through the park.

"I just want to show you something."

Tommy drove the two of them back to her house, as large and empty as it was. The ride was made in silence, neither of them knowing exactly how to start such an epic conversation.

Kimberly unlocked the doors and led Tommy in, instinctively going upstairs to her bedroom. She sat down on the bed and Tommy followed suit, although making sure to keep about a foot of space in between them. She took the familiar photo in her hand - the one of her and her parents, the one that she had coveted for so long.

"What kind of mother lies to her own daughter?" She whispered, slowly taking the photo out of the frame and into her hands.

"I...don't know." Tommy replied, a bit unsure.

"She wrote the letter." Whatever Tommy was expecting her to say next, that was not it.

"What?"

"Well, okay, she dictated it and I wrote it, but still." Kim explained. "It makes sense now, I guess. I had wanted so badly to keep in touch with you, to maybe remain friends, if only to have you in my life at all. But she told me not to. All because of a stupid forged picture." Tears were starting to well up in her eyes, but she continued. "You must hate me, huh?"

"What?" Tommy repeated, genuinely shocked. "I could never hate you. Yeah, I was hurt, but that was because I thought it was coming out of left field. Kim, I saw the picture and it could've fooled anyone."

"But I'm not anyone, Tommy! I was supposed to know you."

"And you do know me. Better than anyone in this entire world. I have no doubt in my mind that if she wasn't there, you and I would've made the relationship work. I don't understand why you didn't tell me everything that was going on down there before we broke up, though. Why didn't you tell me about what you were going through?"

Kim gulped. She didn't meet his eyes, only continued to stare at the photograph in her hands. She knew they were going to have this conversation, yet she didn't feel prepared at all.

"I don't know," she shrugged, trying to avoid his gaze.

"Kim."

"It was so hard, Tommy." She said suddenly, turning to look at him. "They were so mean to me! And I didn't do anything to them. I swear!" She looked like she was trying to convince him. Tommy leaned over and took her in his arms.

"I know you didn't. You would never."

"They hated me," she sobbed into his chest, "for no reason! It wasn't the family that it was supposed to be. They made me feel bad about my gymnastics, my friends, my body..."

Tommy pulled her back a little bit, only so he could look into her eyes.

"Is that why you...?" He didn't know what to say. How did he broach the subject of her actually throwing up her own meals? She only gave a noncommittal shrug in response. "Kim, you are always perfect to me. To everyone. I don't know why you felt like you had to do that."

"I lost a lot of weight when I broke up with you. I just didn't want to eat. My performance at the gym was slipping, I could barely concentrate. The only good thing to come out of it was that when I stopped eating, I finally made weight. So I just did what I had to to keep it off."

Tommy was taken aback by Kim's flippant attitude towards it. It angered him, much like her comment in the Command Center had. He didn't want to be her father, but he couldn't stand to see her hurting herself.

"Kim..."

"It's no big deal, Tommy. It's not like I really do it anymore, so-"

"What do you mean it's 'not like you really do it'?" Kim shrunk back at Tommy's anger. "Kimberly, this is a big deal! It's not something you just blow off!"

"I don't need you-"

"To be your father, yeah I know, Kim." Tommy tried to level his voice. "I'll leave that to Zordon. But I want to be your friend. I want to be able to help you when you need it. And it's clear that you need it, Beautiful." Tears were steadily streaming down Kim's face.

"You wouldn't call me beautiful if I were overweight."

"I wouldn't call you beautiful if you were a pile of bones, either." Tommy rubbed a hand over his face. He didn't know what else to say to get through to her. The two sat in silence.

"I know." Kimberly said finally, her voice barely audible. "Jase has been looking out for me. I'm getting better, really. It's just hard sometimes."

"I'll help." Tommy said instantly. Kimberly nodded.

"I think I could use it."

You found me

When no one else was looking

How did you know

Just where I would be?

Yeah, you broke through

All of my confusion

The ups and the downs

And you still didn't leave

I guess that you saw

What nobody could see

You found me

You found me

The two sat in silence, although this time is was companionable.

"I don't know what I'm going to do with this place." Kimberly said as she rested her head on Tommy's shoulder, his arm wrapped firmly around hers.

"The house?"

"Yeah. I know I always said I wanted it, and I do, it's just...it's so big. Too big for me, I think."

"You always wanted to live here, though. You wanted to raise a family here." Kimberly snorted at this.

"Family? I don't think so. I've experienced what being a family is all about, and I'm not sure it's for me." This time it was Tommy's turn to snort.

"You've always talked about having kids, and how you wanted to raise them in Angel Grove, and how you wanted them to be able to hang out at the Youth Center when they got older... you always wanted that."

"I don't want to be like my mother." Kim confessed. She had never said that aloud, but it's truth spoke volumes. Of everything Kim was afraid of, that took precedence.

"You won't be." Tommy assured her softly. "You aren't like her, Kim. You have the heart of gold. You're not spiteful and it's not in your nature to be jealous. And most of all, after being through what your mother put you through, can you really see yourself doing that to your own kids?"

"No!" Kimberly answered. "I don't think I could ever treat another human like my mother treated me, let alone my own children."

"There's your answer," Tommy whispered in her ear, "you are nothing like your mother. You will never be. So our kids will grow up happy and loved." Kimberly smiled until what he said actually sunk in. At this she jerked her head up and turned to him.

"Did you just say-"

"Yes."

"Tommy, you can't forgive and forget that easy, and all of a sudden want to start dreaming up our future again..."

"What's there to forgive and forget, exactly?" He questioned. "You didn't do anything wrong. If anything," He blew out a loud sigh, "I should be the only apologizing."

"For what?"

"For the way I treated you after we made love." Hearing him say those words - just calling it making love instead of sex - was enough to melt Kim's heart. "It was rude and callous of me. It was my way of protecting myself from getting hurt, and I didn't take into consideration at all at how you would feel by my actions."

"Tommy..." Kim started, but was silenced by a finger against her lips.

"I just want to finish, okay?" Kim nodded.

"I was just worried about what you would say. After all, you had spent the better part of the hour beforehand informing me of all the reasons we couldn't be together, blaming me for your impure thoughts," he flashed a grin to her at this, "and you declared that you were going to start forgetting me. I was so nervous that you and I...it was just one last hurrah for you. I know you wouldn't do that, but I wasn't really thinking right and-"

"It sort of was that way." Kim cut him off.

"Huh?"

"Well, I knew it wasn't going to work. But, even though I came over with pretensions of telling you that we were just going to be friends, and how a platonic relationship was the way to go, I think a part of me knew, in the back of my mind, that I was going over there with a..uh..specific purpose in mind." Tommy raised his eyebrows at this. "I just thought that maybe if you and I...you know... then I would, I don't know, get you out of my system. Or something. Like after all that dreaming and fantasizing, maybe real life wouldn't live up and I could leave without wanting more."

Tommy's face fell at the living up comment. Didn't Kim think-

"It was amazing." She spoke his thoughts out loud. "Just like I always knew it would be. I knew that even if it was terrible, there wasn't really anything that could make me leave afterwards. Until, well..."

"Until I fucked it up beyond repair, huh?" Tommy asked, his eyes downcast. Way to go, Oliver, he thought to himself, You finally get the girl back and you do everything you can to make her stay until BAM! you have to open that mouth of yours.

Kimberly bit her lip.

"I hope it's not beyond repair."

So, here we are

That's pretty far

When you think of where we've been

No going back

I'm fading out

All that has faded me within

You're by my side

Now everything's fine

I can't believe...

"Do you mean...?"

Not verbally responding, Kim rose from her spot on the bed and went to her windbreaker, lying on the bench that sat in front of the windows. She unzipped an inner pocket, pulling out a piece of paper, folded in fourths. She unfolded it and handed it to Tommy.

"Do you remember when you drew me that?" She asked, pulling a laugh out of Tommy.

"Yeah, you were nosy back then." He said with a smile. Kimberly huffed.

"I can still be nosy given the right opportunity!" This only caused Tommy's smile to widen. Leave it to Kim to get angry over being called not nosy.

"You keep this in your windbreaker?" He asked softly. She shrugged, looking embarrassed.

"I like to look at it. Reminded me that true love existed."

"Even after you thought I cheated on you?" Tommy was thoroughly confused.

"I thought you had fallen out of love with me, not the other way around, Tommy."

"Give me a notebook."

"What?"

"Just give me a notebook." He insisted.

Kimberly scrounged around in her desk drawers for a second, and then gave it to Tommy with a pencil. Kimberly didn't bother to try and look as he scratched the pencil into the blank page, as she knew he wouldn't let her anyway. The finished product caused her eyes to water.

The page was divided in half, with the ever familiar stick figures adorning both sides. On one side was ten stick figures all standing in a line, each with a name above their heads: Kimberly, Tommy, Jason, Trini, Zack, Billy, Kat, Aisha, Rocky, Adam. Above that was a single word: FAMILY.

On the other side were five stick figures. Two were labeled Kimberly and Tommy, and they were...kissing, or what appeared to be kissing. It was hard to tell with stick figures. The other three were little kids, labeled Conner, Ethan, and Kira. It resembled the picture Kimberly had just shown Tommy, only there were key differences. The kids were no longer labeled 1, 2, and 3, and the background was different - no longer the scene of Kimberly's backyard, this time it was clear to Kimberly that they were at Angel Grove Lake - complete with a picnic blanket and basket on the ground. Above that picture, as well, was the word FAMILY.

Kimberly looked up at Tommy who was looking slightly proud of himself, and slightly self conscious, wondering if Kimberly was as ready for the future as he was.

"How did you know?" Kimberly asked, gesturing to the three little kids.

"Jase told me he heard you and Trini talking about it over the phone one time when they were in Switzerland. Sent me an e-mail the next day, saying that he thought I should know what my future kids names were." Kim laughed at that. She remembered the conversation she had with Trini vividly. The fact that Tommy did, too, was...

"Unbelievable." She murmured aloud as her eyes continued to roam the page.

"I'm sorry?" Tommy asked, rubbing the back of his neck nervously.

"No, no, it's not bad, it's just...you really are amazing." Kim said without her eyes leaving the drawing.

"Amazing in a...good way, right?"

"Amazing in every way possible." Kim said, her eyes finally meeting his. "And none of them could ever be bad." Tommy exhaled the breath he didn't realize he had been holding.

"Kim, I know you're going to want to say something about being sensible and not rushing back into things and how we should take this slow," he didn't notice how Kim's eyes widened at the thought, "but you should know that I love you. And I always will. Nothing can change that. And while I'll take you in any way that I can get you, I don't want to take it slow. I don't want to be sensible. I want to feel that stupid, crazy, head over heels feeling every time I think of you. I want it to be like it was. I don't want to be worried about seeing things on the viewing globe that will scare me. I don't want to be worried about what you're doing across the country. I want you here with me, all the time."Tommy couldn't believe he had just blurted all that out to Kimberly. Yes, he had thought about saying it, and wanted to say it, but perhaps not in that exact way, and maybe a little later...say, when they were actually in a confirmed relationship.

In response to this, Kimberly leaned over and awkwardly linked her arms around his neck, although her position made it hard to do so properly. Tommy quickly rectified that by pulling her to him, onto his lap, with her straddling him. She hugged him properly now, burrowing her head into his neck, inhaling his comforting scent.

"I don't know how I ever lived without you, Tommy Oliver." She said into his neck, her voice somewhat muffled.

"Hopefully you never have to experience that again." He said hugging her tightly to him. She eventually pulled back, resting her forehead against his. A tear dripped onto Tommy's lap and he wondered why she was crying. He was under the impression they made progress.

"Kim?"

"I'm scared I'm not the person you fell in love with anymore. What if Florida changed me?" She asked in a voice barely above a whisper.

"Hey," He said, nudging her face until her eyes met his, "I will always help you find yourself, if you get lost. You've always done it for me."

"I know," she whispered, the tears still falling, "I know."

And with that, she leaned in and kissed him. Even though both lips were tinged with saline from tears, it was a kiss that neither will ever forget.

You found me

When no one else was looking

How did you know

Just where I would be

Yeah, you broke through

All of my confusion

The ups and the downs

And you still didn't leave

I guess that you saw

What nobody could see

You found me

You found me

Kimberly felt that she did in fact find a missing part of herself in that kiss. It wasn't overly passionate, it wasn't a let's-get-naked kiss, but it was comforting. It was love.

The two kicked off their shoes and laid in bed, the lights were off and it had started to rain. They gathered a blanket over themselves and Tommy pulled Kimberly back to him, her back against his front. They remained like that, just talking, sneaking an occasional kiss, but just generally getting to know each other all over again. Tommy rehashed some of the more memorable battles he had gone through while she was away, and Kim told him some of the more heartbreaking stories she had of Florida.

Kim's phone rang, interrupting one of her stories, and she grabbed it from the nightstand, knowing who it was without looking at the Caller I.D.

"Hey Jase." She said, not moving from her position curled into Tommy.

"Hey there, Kim-babe." He replied nonchalantly, not knowing what kind of mood Kim would be after a talk with Tommy. He had instructed the white Ranger where to go after he returned from the battle, but he hadn't heard from either of them since. And Zordon was being all pesky with his "morals" and refused to put an image of them on the viewing globe. Jason understood why he wouldn't, but still...it would have been nice.

"What's up?"

"Eh, nothing, just wondering where you are. You coming back soon? 'Cause the storm is really starting to kick in."

"Um, I'm at my house, actually."

"Really?" Jason questioned. "You staying there?"

"Yeah, I think so..." she snuck a look at Tommy who nodded, being able to hear the entire conversation. "Yeah. I am." She confirmed.

"Hm." Jason mulled that over in his head. "Do you need me to come or...?" He let the question hang.

"No, I'm okay. Really."

"Alright," Jason said reluctantly, somewhat disappointed that he couldn't get more information out of her. "I'll see you tomorrow, then, right?"

"Of course, Jason." She smiled into the phone. "Goodnight."

They hung up and Kimberly turned to Tommy.

"I'm sorry, I didn't even ask you if you could, I just thought-"

"It's okay, Kim." Tommy smiled at her. "My parents are gone, remember? It's no big deal." Kim shot him a grateful smile.

"Thanks. I mean, you don't have to, it's just... I'm not too comfortable with this big house and it's so stormy outside and..."

Tommy's arms instinctively tightened. He knew that even while she hadn't mentioned him, Duncan was on her mind, and he was just as worried as Kim was. He just had this terrible feeling that his display at the Youth Center wasn't going to be the last he saw of that creep.

"I will always protect you, Kim." He said firmly. "From all the bad. Even Duncan." Kim could see the pain in his eyes whenever anyone mentioned Duncan, but hadn't wanted to delve into it. But with Tommy opening the door...

"I just want you to know, Duncan and I never had sex with each other." She said quietly. "I heard from Jason that that's what you thought, and it's not true. It never happened."

"I know," Tommy managed to get out.

"You do?" She asked, confused.

"Yeah, I do. I know you would never lie to me, Kim. I always have known that. I'm just a little forgetful sometimes." He quipped.

"You'd forget what day of the week it was if it wasn't written on your boxers." She laughed.

"Hey, I no longer wear those, for your information. I've moved onto more mature things."

"Oh, really?" She pushed the blanket off them and stared at the boxers peeking out from his jeans and couldn't help the laughter that escaped her. After all of the time he spent complaining about the merchandise, she couldn't believe he was now wearing what he was.

"Power Rangers, Tommy? Power Rangers?" He smiled sheepishly.

"Hey, if you can't beat 'em, join 'em. You can find Power Ranger merchandise just about anywhere now."

"But Tommy, the Power Rangers are on your ass."

"Among other parts. I was trying to get a pair where Saba is right on my-"

"Tommy!" Kimberly hit him playfully. They both broke out in gales of laughter as Tommy tried to playfully slap her back.

"Haven't you ever heard of the phrase 'don't hit girls?'" Kimberly said in between giggles, and in an instant, the playful mood was gone. Tommy withdrew and looked at her seriously.

"I would never hit you, Kim. I hope you know that." His eyes pled with hers for her to believe him.

"I know, Tommy," She replied as she pulled the blanket back on top of them, and positioned herself half on top of Tommy, placing a kiss on the area of his neck she could reach.

"I don't think I've ever felt like that before." He said softly, kissing her head.

"Like what?" She questioned as her fingers traced over his heart without her even noticing it.

"Helpless, I guess." He confessed. "It's like, I saw it happening. Duncan hitting you, I mean. It's like I knew what was going to happen. But I couldn't do anything to stop it."

"You couldn't have known what was going to happen, Tommy. Besides, it was my fault. You didn't even want me to go, but I took the risk anyway, and went with him. I could have said no."

"He hasn't done this before, has he?" Tommy asked, suddenly nervous. Kimberly knew the risk?

"No, no," She soothed, her fingers sliding up his chest to play with his long hair which both Tommy and Kimberly loved. "But I head the rumors back at school. Everyone said he had a bad temper, and that violence wasn't out of the question. One of the wrestlers on his team even told me that he thought Duncan was mentally unstable. But, when you're on a champion wrestling team, having a short fuse and being violent isn't exactly looked down upon."

"It wasn't your fault, Kim. No man should ever hit a woman, and it's not excusable."

"I know that, but you have to know it wasn't your fault, either."

"I've never been that scared before." Tommy admitted. "I think it was different when you were a Power Ranger. I got scared sometimes, but...seeing you get hurt like that, and knowing you had no powers to help you heal, or protect you? It was like an out of body experience. Like, my body moved, but my mind didn't go anywhere. I just couldn't believe that creep hit you. I watched myself run over, but didn't think about it."

"Well you thought about it when you were wailing on Duncan."

"Well, yeah, but - hey, wait. It wasn't that bad."

"Ernie said he was nervous he was going to have to call the cops on both of you." She commented dryly. Tommy had to let out a bark of laughter at that.

"I'm sorry I didn't come to you first, I was just so mad and..."

"Hey, it's not like I remember that. I am perfectly content to lie here and pretend you came and fawned over me first, instead of Jason." She joked.

"I don't think I'll ever forget that day. You hit your head so hard, Kim. Everyone was scared."

"Hey, no harm no foul." Kim said lightly, then reconsidered. "Okay, well, in this case, that phrase isn't particularly useful since there definitely was a foul, but you know what I mean. Everything still works up here." She said as she tapped her head with a finger.

"Thank God," Tommy murmured as he pressed a chaste kiss on her hair.

And I was hiding

'Til you came along

And showed me where I belong

You found me

You found me

When no one else was looking

How did you know?

How did you know?

"It's funny, isn't it?" Kimberly's voice rang out in the dark of the room. Night had officially fallen, and they had both changed into more comfortable clothes - luckily, Kimberly hadn't taken most of the clothes she had stolen from Tommy to Florida, and he found an undershirt and a pair of basketball shorts to change into. Kimberly, who wasn't feeling particularly sexy that night, changed into some boxers and an old karate shirt of Tommy's. They climbed back into bed and were content with just holding each other for the night.

"What is, Beautiful?"

"It's just that...I came back here, and thought everything would be different. I didn't come back here to step back into my old life, I came to get away from the life down there. But here I am, and here you are, and, it's just weird to me how everything feels like it used to again."

"Are you happy you came back?" Tommy voiced the question that had been plaguing his mind all night.

"At first...no. I knew I had to get away from Florida, but the thought of seeing you, and Katherine, it was so scary to me. And I came back and it was so hard...even after knowing that the picture wasn't real, it was still so hard."

"And now?" Tommy bit his lip in anticipation.

"Now, I'm wondering why I ever left. I missed you so much. I don't want to go through that much pain ever again."

"You won't have to. I'm not going anywhere and I'll be damned if you leave again."

"Nowhere else to go." Kim whispered sadly. "I don't even know what to do with this place."

"Why not? I know you think you're not exactly family material, but..."

"I don't know...I don't want to sell it, but what am I going to do with a huge house?" Kim sighed. "Besides, for as many good memories are here, there's just as many bad. Maybe I need to make a fresh new start."

"Maybe," Tommy replied. "In Angel Grove, right?" Kimberly let out a laugh.

"Yeah, Tommy. In Angel Grove."

----

The next day, the gang was assembled at the Youth Center, and Kimberly knew she made the right decision in coming back. It was like her life was slowly being assembled, in the complete right order.

"You keep staring at me, Oliver, I'm gonna fall." Kimberly called out as she practiced a routine on the balance beam. Tommy blushed from the table he was sitting at, embarrassed that he was caught red handed. He let out a small laugh and walked closer to the balance beam.

"Since when has an audience ever made you fall?" Kat raised her hand.

"I can think of one time," she called out with a laugh. She was eternally glad that the Rangers and herself were able to look back lightly on her brief stint as an evil doer.

"Precisely," Kimberly said, sending a grin at Kat as she stood upside down on the beam. "Or maybe Kat's just more distracting than you are," she teased.

Tommy sent a mock glare at Katherine, who just shrugged.

"It was the fur, what can I say?" Kat joked, causing the entire group to laugh out loud.

"Fur? Is that what I need?" Tommy flirted shamelessly with Kimberly.

"Ugh, too much information," Adam called out from the area where he was lifting weights with Rocky.

"Hmm," Kimberly pretended to think about it, ignoring Adam. She uprighted herself and did a flip off the beam, sticking her landing in front of Tommy. "It couldn't hurt." Tommy placed a hand over his heart.

"Ooh, that hurts, Kim."

"Okay, so no fur," she laughed as she put her arms around his neck, threading her fingers through his hair. "This will do."

Tommy pulled her closer so that they were only a breath apart.

"I'm glad I meet your approval, Beautiful." He said as he closed the distance between them, kissing her sweetly. Kimberly parted her lips for him, and the passion increased tenfold.

"Ten bucks says they start going at right in front of us," Rocky mused. Kimberly overheard and shot him the finger from behind Tommy's back. Jason walked in right at this time from the locker rooms, and couldn't help but to laugh.

"C'mon, Kim's classier than that!" He laughed as he walked towards the group, he lowered his voice only a little bit, and leaned closer to Rocky. "Fifty bucks says she gives him or-"

"Jason!" Kimberly broke the kiss and stared at her friend incredulously.

"Thanks a lot, Kim, you're lucky no one took my bet or I'd be out fifty bucks right now." He tried to sound firm, but the grin overtaking his face was an indication of just how serious he was. Kim just smiled sweetly at him.

"Oh yeah, fifty bucks says you've never even gotten oral sex." Kimberly said defiantly, making the girls in the group snort and the guys just grin like males do. Jason chuckles loudly.

"Kimmie, I'd feel bad for taking my little sister's money."

"Really? 'Cause I wouldn't feel bad taking money from you at all." She leaned down and started to rummage through her duffle, pulling out her cell phone. "C'mon, let's call Trini right now and see how she feels on the subject." Kimberly flipped open her phone and pressed buttons, making Jason think she was dialing. He hopped over the banister separating them and quickly grabbed her phone out of her hand.

"Okay, okay, what's personal is private, I get it, I get it, there's really no reason to call Trini about anything," he rambled on, finally looking at the phone in his hand. Kimberly had opened a text message, and had typed 'GOTCHA.' He flipped the phone shut and sent a glare at Kimberly.

"Funny."

"I think so," she said as she took the phone out of his hands. Jason sulked back to the table, trying to salvage his reputation with the guys, and Kimberly turned to Tommy.

"Beautiful, that was mean." He said with a grin on his face.

"Hah, like what he said wasn't? Like the first time I did that was going to be in the Youth Center, as if." WIth that comment, Tommy pulled her tight against him, so she could feel just how much she was affecting him.

"The first time?" Tommy growled at her sensually.

"Yeah, maybe the third or fourth though..." she licked her lips at him, loving how she made him feel.

"You're playing with fire, Kim," he whispered in her ear as he lightly bit an earlobe. She responded by squirming against him, knowing exactly how he would respond. She leaned up and placed a kiss on his cheek.

"Maybe," she whispered, "but getting burned is half the fun." With that, she brushed her lips across his and flounced back to the table, shooting him a wink and grin as she sat down. Tommy just gawked at her, surprised at her blatantness, and started to make his way to the locker room.

"I thought we were sparring, man?" Jason called after him, confused.

"I have to take a shower," Tommy called back, not breaking his stride.

"You haven't worked out yet!"

"A cold shower," Tommy yelled as he disappeared through the doors, not caring about the laughter trailing after him.

Jason continued laughing as he left the group to start stretching, high fiving Adam and Rocky as they went to go sit down with the others.

"Girl, you got him wrapped around your finger," Aisha commented, a smirk on her face.

"Huh?" Kim shook her head as she broke her stare from where Tommy had been previously standing.

"Tommy! That boy has it bad for you."

"I hope so," Kimberly said wistfully, biting her lip.

"I know so," Katherine interjected. "He'd do anything for you." Kimberly snorted at this. She knew he loved her, but they both had a lot of ground to cover, a lot of time to make up for before they could be the infallible couple they were before.

"I'm serious!" Kat insisted. "Even when he thought you had broken up with him, he never let any of us say a bad thing about you. He still wanted to protect you."

"I hope I can protect him," Kim said sadly. At their confused looks, she continued, "I'm worried about Duncan, guys."

"Do you think he is still around, Kimberly?" Billy asked from across the table. "Even after how you responded?" Kim shrugged at this.

"I don't know why he was here in the first place," she confessed. "I mean, he didn't even like me. Let alone love me enough to come all the way out here and bring me back? It doesn't make any sense!" Kim became frustrated at the situation. She had tried for hours to think up reasons or explanations as to why Duncan followed her, and none of them made any sense.

"Do you need us to do anything?" Rocky asked, sincerely. It was times like these that everyone was impressed with Rocky - he was able to joke and laugh with everyone, but he knew when a situation called for seriousness.

"Nah," Kim shook her head, desperate to shake the feeling that Duncan was still lurking around. "I'll be fine. I'm sure he's back in Florida by now," she lied.

"You sure?" Adam asked, trying to read her face for some clue as to what she was really feeling.

"Yeah," Kim nodded. "Just, uh, let's not tell Tommy that I was worrying about him. I don't want him to think that one little punch is going frighten me." Her eyes widened as she noticed all the wary glances being sent her way. "I'm serious! He's a creep, yes, but nothing special. I've faced worse monsters."

"If you say so, Kim..." Aisha was unsure about Duncan, but if Kim said she didn't think Duncan was around, then she'd take her word.

"I do say so." Kim assured them. "It's nothing to worry about, I promise." Before the group could respond, they noticed Kim's expression brighten and her eyes danced.

"Kick his ass!" Kim called to Tommy as he walked out of the locker room, ready to spar with Jason. Tommy turned and smiled at her, sending a wink.

They all let the conversation drop as they settled in to watch their friend's spar. Even Kim seemed to clear her head of all thoughts of Duncan as she cheered on her boyfriend with the others. No one noticed for a second the guy shuffling through a locker outside the room, sparing as many glances as he could at the group. Kimberly didn't even feel the gaze of Duncan McKessie on her back as she relaxed with her friends, feeling more at home than she ever had in Florida.

You found me

When no one else was looking

How did you know

Just where I would be?

You broke through

All of my confusion

The ups and the downs

And you still didn't leave

I guess that you saw

What nobody could see

The good and the bad

And the things in between

You found me.

(Dun dun dun. Kind of, at least. I mean, now ya'll know it's not over with, right?! Yeah, cause you didn't see that coming. Mmkay. Also, the next chapter will be the only one that's NOT really done in Kim or Tommy-centric POV. Two guesses as to whose it is. Well, if you know the next song, you get one guess, because I know you guys aren't idiots. Anyway, that's pretty much why the next chapter isn't going to be really long, but the chapter after that should be. Hopefully be out by Wednesday!)

Also - I noticed some mistakes in some of my previous chapters, but the effing editing tool isn't available for the Safari browsers (which comes on Macs, which are all I have, of course) but ummm the next time I get the use of a Dell or something, I will fix those up. In case you noticed the errors but were too nice to tell me or something. (: