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That Girl

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"If you want to live a happy life, tie it to a goal, not to people or things."

-Albert Einstein

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"Do you remember that terrible double date we had with Zach and what's-her-face?" asked Tommy, his eyes on the road, but his focus centered on the girl beside him.

Smiling at the thought, she answered, "Her name was Angela and yes, I remember the day well. In fact, I particularly enjoyed seeing you, oh great leader, covered in cake!"

"Aw man, I forgot about that. Though I wouldn't say it was all over me. Just that hideous jacket of mine."

Laughing, Kimberly responded, "We still managed to have fun that day...even with Rita and her evil cronies, not to mention none of us could speak French. It was more pathetic than anything else."

"Yeah, I'll second that. Though, I still remember another date of ours fizzling. Remember? It involved a purse and—"

"And Angel Grove Park. Yes, I remember that one too. You looked so cute then...with your long hair. Why'd you cut it?"

Running a hand through his short spikes, Tommy replied, "I kept it for a long time. It was my trademark, but...I don't know, something came over me in college. I needed a change in my life and I decided the easiest route would go through the appearance. I had a friend chop it off and I've been wearing it short ever since."

"I like it," she told him, forgetting anything other than their conversation for a moment and ran her small fingers through the gelled spikes; "it looks good on you."

Tommy took his eyes off the road, momentarily, to stare at her. Their dark eyes met, stopping one another for a single second; stopping time. Nothing else needed to exist, much the way it hadn't back when they were sixteen and just starting to fall in love. It was a second to pass all too quick. Kimberly pulled her hand back and hastily muttered, "but then again, you'd look good wearing a paper bag and some string."

Tommy didn't miss the hesitancy, the way she pulled away. He realized he'd have to accept her acting that way toward him, her reluctance to let him in her life, and inability to open up about the most minute of incidents or ideas. Keeping this in mind, he laughed at her comment, trying to ease the tension which had flooded his jeep. Kimberly seemed to calm some, assuaging Tommy's worries. The last thing he needed was for her to stay quiet the rest of the ride to Reefside.

"So...what are the Rangers like?" she asked, a hint of extreme curiosity in her tone.

"They're a great group of kids. Smart, daring, and...I think a lot like we were back in the day. You know, completely different yet the same due to the common bond. Before this happened they wouldn't have been caught dead hanging out together."

"That different? How extreme are these kids?" she asked with interest.

Tommy went on to tell her about the Rangers, and his friend Hayley, for the rest of the drive to Reefside. Before she knew it, he was pulling up to a very nice house in the backwoods, one she could only assume was his.

"Before you say anything," he told her quickly, "I want you to know that I have a spare bedroom. It's downstairs and you'll have your own bathroom and space and anything else you need. You don't have to worry about anything, alright?"

He felt a hint of pain as she gulped noticeably, obviously trying to not let anything get to her. The sight of the house and a mixture of worried anticipation had her feeling slightly overwhelmed.

"I know. I'll be fine, Tommy," she tried to assure him, giving him a real, if not a little small, smile.

Tommy went on to grab their bags, denying her the option of carrying her own in - "I can handle that myself, you know," she'd mumbled in a low voice - and heading up the steps into his home. He had to admit, it felt nice to finally be back in his own territory. He loved his house, spent a great deal of time in the place, and, even more so, hated staying in hotel rooms. Plus, the present company certainly was a welcomed change.

"Wow, Tommy, it's great," she gushed, staring around the living room with wide eyes. Having been used to her small place for so long made her forget life existed differently back home in California. The place was positively gorgeous.

Setting their bags down in the entry hall, Tommy led her into the living area, allowing her the opportunity to linger for a moment as he went into the kitchen to call Jason. He didn't blame the man for being paranoid. Tommy knew, just as he had back when Kim first entered his life, the girl was a treasure.

Kimberly's eyes scanned over the pictures all over his home. Mr. and Mrs. Oliver were frequent participants in his photos, always smiling and hugging their only child. Jason appeared in several, the two growing more and more handsome with age. Kimberly even found herself laughing over Jason's attire, the man surreptitiously sneaking red into his wardrobe. She wondered if it was intentional or not. Tommy, on the other hand, differed when it came to his clothes. Then she remembered just how many colors he'd been through before. And now black.

She felt herself trembling just at the thought of it.

Shaking her head, Kimberly continued to look over the pictures. A pretty redhead belonged in quite a few and she figured that must be the famous Hayley...his best friend.

Tommy had this life, this big life, and she didn't belong in it. Unlike her, whose house had nothing but pictures from her teenage years with the Rangers, Tommy present in nearly all of them, he appeared to have moved on nicely.

A twinge tugged at her heart. She couldn't exactly tell which emotion it was, but she knew it wasn't a good one—

KNOCK, KNOCK, KNOCK!

Throwing a hand over her chest, her breathing skyrocketing, Kimberly turned around toward the door, utterly shocked at the unexpected interruption. Her mind raced over what she should do. It wasn't her house, and she barely knew the person the house belonged to.

KNOCK, KNOCK, KNOCK!

Biting her lip, Kimberly called out in a soft voice, "Tommy?"

When nothing sounded, Kimberly moved toward the door, unaware of her feet's movement. Whether someone wanted to believe her or not, this normally wasn't a dilemma for her. She only had the occasional neighbor coming over asking her to feed the cat for a weekend. Who better than the weird chick who never went anywhere? But this...this was something else. She didn't enter her house to immediately have the door bombarded by an unknown source.

"Tommy?" she called again, more urgently than before. Faintly she could hear his lilting voice talking to Jason, but she couldn't bring herself to call out to him with more gusto.

KNOCK, KNOCK, KNOCK!

Sucking in a deep breath, Kimberly slowly unlocked the door and peered through, stopping short when she saw four teenage kids standing in the doorway.

"You're not Doc O," noted the boy dressed in a red t-shirt, bewildered expression on his face.

The only girl present stood in the middle, several inches shorter than the boys, smacked the boy behind the head. Kimberly might have smiled if she didn't feel so overwhelmed. The girl cleared her throat, "Sorry, but um...is Doctor Oliver here?"

"Um..."

In the back of her mind she knew she was being childish, acting like a stuttering little girl at her own ruined birthday party, but she couldn't bring herself to say anything else. Thank goodness Tommy arrived and stopped her incoherent mumbles, as if sensing her discomfort.

He pulled the door open entirely, standing tall next to Kim and smiling at the Dino Thunder Rangers on his porch. He shot Kim a quick if furtive glance of reassurance before he said, "Hey, guys! I wasn't expecting you just yet. Is something wrong?"

Kimberly listened and watched as the girl responded, "We um...well, we knew you'd be home around the time school got out so we all came directly from there to see you...um, is this a bad time?"

Tommy realized Kira was subtly giving him an out. She didn't realize Kimberly already knew everything about their alter egos.

"Um...I was actually going to wait on this for a while, but why not? Come on in, you guys. Kimberly, can we talk in the kitchen for a minute?"

Mutely acknowledging him, she followed him into his kitchen while the young kids got situated in Tommy's tidy living room. She could sense his agitation in his body language - any idiot could - but she figured it was from his worry over her rather than anything else. He faced her once they were alone, the concern and apprehension mixing in his gaze.

"I didn't plan on introducing you all just yet. I figured we'd at least have one day here first, but I guess...I hope you're okay with this. Please tell me if you aren't and I'll take care of it, I promise."

Smiling wanly and shaking her head, she told him, "It's okay, Tommy. I'm not going to freak out."

"I didn't say you would. I just don't want you to be uncomfortable."

The softness in his voice, the gentle quaver she heard, made her feel...safe. Safe? Only Jason ever made her feel safe and now someone else had the ability too. Immediately she clung to the feeling, pulled it to her like someone grasping a blanket in a blizzard. His protection of her felt palpable and that in itself felt remarkable.

"Like you said, I had to meet them eventually so why not now?"

Tommy nodded and for a split second, Kimberly thought he was going to lean forward and kiss the top of her head. She could only imagine feeling those sweet, soft lips pressed against any part of her. She remembered him doing it often, back when they'd been dating at sixteen. Sometimes Kim would notice him doing it randomly, his focus and attention on something else. Knowing he did it absentmindedly, without thought, always elicited a smile from her. She craved that. She missed that. She desperately wanted it now. However, hesitancy turned into him stepping back and beckoning her to follow him. Suddenly she felt foolish, thinking it silly to even imagine such things happening anymore. Perhaps she desired that sort of intimate contact because he was familiarity. He'd been her only one and true boyfriend, love, and whatever else they could consider themselves. Kimberly never experienced anything else in her twenty-seven years of life and at least with Tommy...she knew him. She still trusted him, though he often times made it hard to.

Is that why I want this? What the hell do I even want? I barely let him touch me and yet I'm craving a kiss? What is wrong with me?!

Shaking the thoughts away - not completely, but for her to fret over at another time - Kimberly followed Tommy into the living room, her eyes falling on the four kids squished together on one couch.

Again, another thing she might have laughed over if she wasn't feeling so overwhelmed.

"Hey guys," began Tommy, his voice tentative, "I'd like you all to meet someone. Kimberly—" he addressed her first, turning his eyes on her—"these are the Dino Thunder Rangers. Rangers—" he turned back to them, though his arm was still pointed out to her, a stance of introduction—"this is Kimberly Hart. The—"

"The original pink Ranger!" shouted Ethan, his eyes nearly bugging out of his head.

"We thought you dropped off the planet or something," started Connor, looking at her with a dumbfounded expression. Tommy shot him a look making Connor continue, "Well, she's like the only Ranger we've never heard about. You tell us what's going on with everyone else, but never her."

"Perhaps cause it's none of your business," growled Tommy, not unkind but authoritative. "I don't discuss every Ranger with you."

"Yeah, but at least we knew about them or met them. She's like...the phantom Ranger. I was worried you didn't even exist."

"Connor, shut up," scolded Kira, her wild hair falling out of her ponytail; "I'm always pleased to meet a fellow Ranger, especially a female. And you're one of the originals! It's an honor, truly."

"Plus," continued Connor, once again forgetting to have any tact, "I don't even recognize you. You don't look anything like the girl you did in those pictures Doctor O showed us."

At this Kimberly felt a little self-conscious, her eyes casting down. It was one thing to worry about her fears (much like she constantly hoped she still had Tommy's love) and another to have someone actually confirm the truth of the matter (now she knew otherwise - she just knew he no longer loved her).

However, before she could dwell, Tommy yelled, "Enough Connor! Where in the hell are your manners?"

Realizing he'd said too much, Connor blushed, a red hue tinting his cheeks, and sunk down in his seat more. Tommy still glared daggers for a moment, inwardly terrified the comments had hurt Kim. He promised her this trip, this excursion back to the Rangers would bring her some release, some reason. The last thing he wanted was for her to realize she wanted nothing to ever do with this life again.

"It's okay, Tommy," she said in a low voice, a hint of sadness in there. Tommy figured the Rangers didn't notice it, but he sure as hell did. Connor's words had hurt her. Well, if she wanted to forget about then he'd drop it...for now.

"Well, let me actually introduce all of them. Let's start over there with the man on the end. That would be Trent Fernandez, white Ranger...if you hadn't already guessed."

"Still wearing colors, I see," she commented, smiling for the first time. Trent simply smirked and nodded, waving at her as a friendly gesture.

"Moving on...we've got Ethan James, computer wiz and the current blue Ranger." Tommy couldn't help but feel proud over Ethan at having known Kim based on name alone. He took his standing as a Ranger seriously.

"It's very nice to meet you," he said, giving her a soft-hearted smile.

Kimberly returned it, albeit it too came out small, before Tommy drew her attention toward the girl. He said, "This would be Kira Ford, respectively the only female on the team and the current yellow Ranger."

"It's nice meeting one of the bravest chick Rangers. I mean...you were an original. You helped start it all."

Tommy smiled inwardly at Kira's comment. The girl had no idea what her words meant to him. She also didn't know what her words meant to Kim. She didn't find them wonderful. If anything, it made Kim feel like a liar, a fraud, a nobody. She used to be brave. Brave, today, was a thing of the past.

"Thanks," she muttered, trying to sound appreciative.

Tommy finally cast his eyes on Connor, the one he felt the most worry over. He gave him a no-nonsense look, the kind informing he better not say anything stupid.

"The leader of the team and current red Ranger is Connor McKnight." Tommy almost slipped out that he was also the resident idiot, but he thought better of it and bit his tongue. I'm an adult, he reminded himself, not some silly teenager defending his girl. Kim isn't even my girl, after all. Not anymore...

His train of thought came to a halt when Connor rose to his feet and opened up his arms. He stepped toward Kim, saying, "As a peace offering—"

"Don't touch me," hissed Kimberly, stepping back and wrapping her arms around herself. Connor stopped dead in his tracks, his eyes wide and confused, silently asking what he'd done wrong. Kimberly realized how harsh she sounded, slammed her eyes shut, and apologized, "I'm sorry. I'm uh...I'm really sorry. I-I didn't..."

"Kim, it's fine," Tommy whispered to her, putting a hand on her back and turning her away from his students. His better nature won out and made him momentarily forget about his students. "You all right?" he asked concernedly.

Shaking her head, still hugging her torso, she walked to the front door and let herself out, leaving a bewildered group of teens in their teacher's living room.

Tommy, well aware he still had to say something to his team, felt everything breaking down. This trip was to help her, to make her see good things still existed, and how she didn't need to live in mortal fear of every man in existence. It pained him knowing how one man altered her perception on each one. It wasn't fair.

"I'm sorry," said Connor from behind, the remorse present in his tone.

Facing the Rangers, Tommy shook his head, "Don't worry about it, guys. Um...Kim...she's been having a tough time lately, precisely why she's staying with me for a while. Um...just cut her some slack."

"I don't want to pry, but..." started Kira, obviously uncomfortable about getting involved in her teacher's life in such a manner. It was one thing to know him as their leader, but he definitely drew a line when it came to private matters.

"I'll explain more later, but for right now let's get back on our feet. Head down to the command center and you guys can catch me up on what I've missed. Hopefully Hayley will be here by then. That is unless you guys didn't include her in on this little ambush." He raised his eyebrows, amusement playing at his face.

Ethan piped up, "Don't worry, we called her. She told us she had to finish a few things up at Cyberspace, but she should be here any minute."

Nodding, Tommy dismissed them and told him he'd be down in a minute. First, he had to talk with Kim.

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Tommy didn't have to travel far; he found her standing on the edge of his porch, overlooking his woodsy property. Though, from behind, she appeared calm, he could still see the tensity in her shoulder blades and the clenched muscles of her back.

"I'm sorry," she whispered, nearly inaudible. Had he lived in a city, a place filled with everyday noise, he never would have heard her.

God, who was this girl? Kimberly Hart used to speak so loudly people could hear her from across vast distances. Clarity used to be her middle name. She used to speak to people as opposed to away from them, meeting them eye for eye. Kimberly used to be a lot of things.

"You have nothing to apologize for," he told her, meaning it.

"I'm so-fucking-skittish. I can't even handle some kid trying to hug me as a greeting. I can't..." She broke off, knuckling her tears away, her back still facing Tommy. "Damn it, it was ten fucking years ago! Ten...years and I'm still—"she exhaled audibly, her breathing oddly constricted—"haunted by it. Everyone says you eventually get over it, that you move on and you learn to breathe again, but I...I can't. I don't even know what I'm doing anymore."

Tommy felt helpless, something he'd never been before. Tommy Oliver isn't mean. Tommy Oliver isn't immature. Tommy Oliver isn't helpless. Well, until Kimberly Hart came into the picture. The realization struck him like a hit on the head - she turned his life upside down before and now she was doing it again. Oh, how different the circumstances were this time.

Sighing, Tommy ran a hand distractedly through his hair as he approached her from behind, making sure his steps were loud enough for her to hear. Placing his hands on the wooden porch railing, Tommy stared forward, gazing at the same sight. He loved the view. One of the reasons he found the property absolutely perfect for him.

"Something like that doesn't dissolve. It doesn't ever just go away and you don't need to think you're abnormal...or wrong for still reeling from it. Kim—" he faced her, placing a hand on her shoulder, compelling her to look at him—"I'm so proud of you. Think about all you've accomplished, Kimmie. Before this trip, you'd told one other person and now you've not only told another...but you're talking about it. This is all new for you. This is progress, Kim, and that you're moving on. This is just the next step, one of the biggest hurdles, in fact, and you're doing it beautifully. Please believe this."

Biting her lip, only her sheer willpower making her keep composure, Kimberly managed to look up and meet his eyes.

"Tell me what you feel?"

"I want to lie," she admitted, softly brushing her own tear away, "I want to say that it wasn't a big deal. I want to say I'm being a baby over it, that I'm...buying into it too much. These are the things I want to say and, more importantly, I want to feel."

Tommy waited, allowing her to move at her own pace.

Wiping another tear and letting out a deep sigh, she continued, "I can't do that, though. It was a big deal. I'm not...I don't think I am being a baby over it. I don't think I am buying into too much. I do, however, think I should have been saying this a long time ago."

He took initiative then, and a chance, by wrapping his strong arms around her, letting her rest her head against his shoulder. Holding her tightly against him, he listened to her release her anguish; her feelings.

"I want to go back. I want to go back to that night and just do everything differently. I want to go back and fight harder. I want to go back to that day when I chose to give up my power coin to Katherine. I want to take it back and stay with the team...with you."

"Aw man," he sighed, rubbing her back in soothing circles, his arms tightening convulsively.

"I don't want to be me anymore. I don't want to be that girl who...goes home to a dog and a TV dinner every night. I don't want to be that girl who nobody knows in her office. I don't want to be that girl anymore."

She pulled back and looked up into his eyes, tears still running down her flushed cheeks. Swallowing hard, Tommy lifted up a hand and brushed away some of her tears, trying to find the right words to say. Here Kimberly was, laying it all out for him, giving him what he wanted.

Licking his lips, tightening the muscles of his stomach, he told her, "Kimmie, you're on your way. Like I said, this is the next step. You'll get everything out, you'll learn to feel something over it, whether it's good or bad, and then you'll move on to the next one. Stop worrying about anything else other than getting yourself to the next step."

"What is the next step?" she asked, her eyes still boring into his.

"Forgiving yourself."

Hmm...Tommy obviously has some high hopes for Kim. Question is - can she forgive herself? Well, time will tell. I'm on a short break from school so I had time to finish up this chapter. Hopefully I'll get the opportunity to start on the next one so I can get an update out quickly for you. Don't hold your breath though - finals are about to ruin my life. Lucky me, eh?

Hope you enjoyed the chapter. Oh and thanks grits for pointing out the error - my friend's name is Kyra (pronounced the same way, too) so I spell it with a y. I, however, remembered the i in her name for this chapter :)