Excerpt from The Fray's "How to Save A Life"

Where did I go wrong, I lost a friend
Somewhere along in the bitterness
And I would have stayed up with you all night
Had I known how to save a life

Does Tommy have what it takes to save a life?

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I don't care who you ask or what they tell you, eighty feet is a long way to fall even if there is a large body of water underneath you to land in. Somehow, Rocky managed to convince us that it would be a fun idea to hike eight miles to the top of a huge cliff overlooking some random river and then jump from the top of it into the blue abyss below us.

It had to have been the beer talking because, under normal, and sober, circumstances, none of us would have believed jumping eighty feet into the river to be a good idea. Yep, it's the beer. It's definitely the beer I thought to myself as I peered over the ledge and looked down. It was a long, long, long way to the bottom.

I've never overly afraid of heights but the alcohol in my system amplified any buried fears I had about making the jump. I don't exactly know why I was scared, I had gone skydiving on numerous occasions and had commanded the Falcon Zord, but something just didn't sit right with me. Apparently, in the ten minutes we had spent at the top of the cliff, I developed some kind of nervous twitch that only came about when I looked over the edge.

Kim and I were sitting on a small little incline off to the side, looking at Rocky who had his back to the water and was facing us. He smiled, muttered something neither of us could hear, waved goodbye and launched himself into a back flip. I shook my head at the lack of understanding as to how someone could do that without any fear at all. I must have had that look in my eyes that said I was nervous because I felt Kim's hand on the small of my back, rubbing it reassuringly.

"He's fucking nuts," I muttered without looking at her "There's no way in hell I'm doing that shit. You couldn't pay me to jump off of this damn cliff. We don't even know how deep the water is down there. What if it's shallow and someone ends up dying?"

"If it makes you feel any better, I don't want to do it either," Kim began "Normally, I'm not scared of heights but this is ridiculous even by our standards."

I nodded my head in agreement and leaned over, kissing her on the cheek as Zack jumped next. He yelled loudly and then it slowly got quieter until it stopped and we assumed he had hit the water. Adam gave us a thumbs up and I nodded my head towards him as he approached the ledge and jumped next.

Eventually, everyone had jumped leaving only Kim and I behind. We had decided to take the long way down by hiking back instead of making the eighty foot plunge into the river. If it hadn't been for the stupid incline we were sitting on, that plan would have come to fruition.

I stood up and dusted myself off a little as I turned around and took small, careful steps up the small hill. Unfortunately, Kim didn't follow my lead. She took a bad step and slipped, falling on her back and smacking her head against the rock before rolling down the hill. I turned around and tried to get to her but I was too slow and she disappeared over the edge of the cliff.

"KIMBERLY!" I yelled as I ran to the edge of the cliff. I watched as Kim went underwater and as soon as she popped back up the current started to carry her in the opposite direction of the others. "Son of a bitch," I muttered as I took a step back and then launched myself head first towards the water.

As soon as I came up from underwater I started swimming after Kimberly. I started yelling for her but she wasn't replying and the thought of her smacking her head and possibly being knocked out sent me into over drive. My arms moved faster and faster as I tried desperately to catch up to her.

The current was carrying her all over the place but I was steadily gaining ground on her. I watched in horror as her head went underwater and I forced my arms to move even faster. Taking a deep breath, I dove underwater and opened my eyes to see Kim floating further down in the river.

I was quickly losing my breath and the lack of oxygen forced me to come back up for air. The others were yelling at me and running along the side of the river but I couldn't hear what they were saying.

Think, Tommy. Think. I urged myself as I took another deep breath and I got an idea.

"I hope this still works," I muttered "Ninjetti Falcon!"

I felt the rush of power wash over me as the familiar white robes covered my body and I hoped the others hadn't seen me do that. I didn't want to have to answer a bunch of questions for something I couldn't even try to explain anyway.

Taking one last breath, I closed my eyes and prayed my Ninjetti Streak would work underwater. As soon as my head got underwater I immediately saw the distant shape of Kim slowly floating towards the bottom of the river. Swimming after her, I focused on my powers and was pleasantly surprised, although not at the time of course, to find myself shooting towards her faster than I could have gone without the added boost.

Her body quickly became more and more visible and as soon as I was close enough, I reached out towards her and grabbed her around the waist. My powers must have been unstable because as soon as I grabbed her I felt the extra power go away and I quickly stole a glance at my body which was no longer covered by the white robes. Getting to Kim had been easy but getting her out of the water was going to be a lot tougher without any powers.

I was quickly running out of air again and getting to the top became increasingly difficult with the added cargo I was carrying. Somehow, I managed to get to the top with Kim in tow just before I completely ran out of air. The darkness had already begun to set in when my head emerged from underwater. All I could do was pray that Kim would be okay as I laid on my back and started pulling her towards shore.

It took a few minutes but I got there eventually and managed to hand Kim off to Jason as Zack and Adam helped pull me from the water. I thanked them quickly and then immediately ran to where Jason had laid Kim down. He was kneeling over the top of her, listening for a heart beat and giving her mouth-to-mouth. I have to admit, it was a little weird watching my best friend do that to my girlfriend but there was nothing I could do to stop it even if I wanted to.

"Tommy, I'm so sorry, man," Rocky muttered as he put a hand on my shoulder "This wouldn't have happened if I hadn't suggested we do this."

"Not your fault," I managed "You had no idea."

He could tell I wasn't in the mood to talk. My eyes were focused straight ahead and I was barely moving and I think he got the hint because he walked away a few seconds later. I stared intently at Jason and as much as I hated seeing what he was doing, he was also the only person I trusted with Kim. He had been a paramedic while he struggled to get noticed on the professional fighting scene and my only comfort was that he knew what he was doing.

My eyes slowly started to fill with tears. Jason was working hard to save my girlfriend's life and there was nothing I could do to help. Every few seconds someone would walk by, place a hand on my shoulder and offer reassurances but I never broke my focus from Kim.

Something caught my eye off in the distance, probably a bird but I wasn't sure and as soon as I turned my head to look at it I heard the most comforting sound I'd ever heard before, a cough. Kim's cough. I spun around immediately and dove to her side as her coughs that were soft to start quickly grew louder and more violent. She was spitting up water and Jason quickly instructed me to keep her head elevated so I put my hand behind her head and kept it up as high as I could.

Kim's coughing and Jason's order barking was enough to draw the attention of the others who quickly formed a small circle around us. Eventually, the coughing and regurgitation subsided and Jason told me that it was okay to lay Kim's head back down.

"Shhh, Beautiful. It's okay. You're safe now," I muttered, stroking her hair as she tried to keep her eyes open "Just relax, baby. Everything is going to be okay."

"Ugh, what happened?" she groaned, ignoring my advice "Where am I? Why are my clothes wet?"

Jason gave me a reassuring head nod and a pat on the shoulder as he got up and signaled for the others to leave Kim and I alone. I spent the next ten minutes stroking Kim's hands, explaining and then re-explaining what had just transpired.

"And you saved me, Tommy?" she asked quietly as I felt my heart drop.

"I dove in after you and pulled you out but Jason is the one who got you to regain consciousness," I muttered "I'm so sorry I couldn't protect you, Kim. This is all my fault. I never should have even agreed to go with them. If I hadn't gone neither would you and none of this would have happened. I'm so, so sorry, Beautiful."

"Tommy, this is not your fault. If it's anyone's fault it's mine for being so careless," she groaned and I could tell she was in pain "You can not beat yourself up over this and I won't let you. Just kiss me and tell me you love me."

"I love you, Kim. I love you more than anything in the world," I managed to squeak out as I bent down and kissed her softly "I'm never going to let you get hurt again, I promise."

"Don't give me that bullshit, Tommy. I said kiss me and tell me you love me not make promises you know you can't keep," she shot back, causing me to back off a little "I'm sorry, that came out the wrong way. But the truth is you won't always be there to protect me. I could be going to work and get hit by a bus and there wouldn't be a damn thing you could do to help me. I just…I guess I've put so much emotional investment into the promises of others and I've seen how easily they're broken. I just can't let my guard down like that again."

"Kim, whether you realize it or not, you let your guard down the second you kissed me and let me back into your life," I replied firmly but with care in my voice "I love you and as long as I'm alive I will always be there for you."

"I want you to be there for me, Tommy. If something bad happens I want you to be the one I come to. I want you to be by my side, not standing in front of me," she continued "But what I don't want is for you to think you can protect me from every bad thing that could happen to me. Not only is it unrealistic but it's unfair. To you and to me."

Why did she have to be so sensible and wise? Why couldn't she just let me wallow in my self-pity with promises even I knew I couldn't keep for certain? This is where Kim's self-sufficiency and independence drove me crazy and made me proud at the same time. I knew I didn't have to baby sit her but I think every guy has times in a relationship when they just want to be the protector or at least think they can be. The one who keeps their girlfriend safe from everything bad in the world.

Every other girl I ever dated besides Kim wanted me to be that guy and I couldn't. Now that I had Kim, I wanted to be that guy and she wouldn't let me. I wanted to sit there and try to make my case about it but as I looked around, I realized everyone but us was gone.

"Kim, did you see where Jason and the others went?" I asked hesitantly "I don't remember seeing them leave, do you?"

"I wasn't really paying attention to be honest," she answered "I'm sure they're around here somewhere though."

"Just sit here for a few minutes," I muttered in reply as I stood up quickly "I'm going to try and find the others, okay?"

Kim just nodded as I started jogging in the direction where I last saw Jason. I made a mental note to stay on the path so I didn't get lost but I still couldn't find them.

"Jason!? Zack!? Trini?" I yelled out but got no reply "Adam!? Billy!? Rocky!? 'Sha!? Anybody!?"

But it was no use. Kim and I had sat alone for almost a half-an-hour before I noticed they were gone, they were probably miles away by now. Defeated, I turned back around and began the trek back to Kim. When I finally made it back to her, she was sleeping quietly on the grass.

Silently, I prayed that nothing had happened to the others. There was no way Kim was going to be able to walk eight miles and I didn't think I could get her there without some help from the guys. My emotions were shifting back and forth between pissed because they left us and worried because I didn't know what had happened to them. Begrudgingly, I conceded defeat and took a seat on the grass next to Kim's sleeping body.

I sat there in absolute silence for damn near an hour, not wanting to wake Kim up from her clearly peaceful slumber. At the fifty-seven minute mark, and yes, I was counting, I heard the second greatest sound in the world, the rumbling motor of at least one ATV.

"Thank God," I muttered as two of the vehicles came into view and Kim rolled over and moaned in pain.

Jason hopped off one of the four-wheelers as Billy got off the other one and started walking towards us. I wanted to hug them and hit them at the same time.

"Where the fuck did you guys go? I…we were worried sick," I said sternly "We thought something had happened to you all."

"Calm down, bro. Everything's fine," Jason answered "We all agreed that Kim wasn't going to be able to make the walk and, honestly, none of us were too keen on the idea of carrying her. Trini suggested we go back and get the ATV's so that's what we did. Sorry for not telling you but you guys seemed to be having a serious discussion and we didn't want to interrupt."

"It's okay, Jason. You did the right thing," Kim said as she slowly raised herself into a sitting position "Thank you for bringing a ride for us. Now can we please go back to the camp site? It's starting to get cold out here and my clothes are still wet."

Her saying that was the first time I actually realized I was still sitting there in a sopped t-shirt and shorts. My shoes were still wet and I could hear them squeak with every step I took.

"Kim's right," Billy began "We need to get you guys back and in dry clothes or you risk getting sick. Tommy, help Jason and I get Kim on one of the quads, please."

Jason and I both nodded our heads as we all tried our best to lift Kim up and onto an ATV as gently as humanly possible. It took us a couple tries to all make the necessary movements in unison but eventually we got her into a sitting position. I felt her arms wrap around my waist as I climbed on the quad and looked over at Jason.

"Go slow," I requested as he nodded his head and we started up the vehicles "Hang tight, Beautiful. We'll be back before you know it."

"I love you, Tommy," she muttered, resting her head on my back.

"I love you too, Kim," I replied. More than you'll ever know.

The trip from the camp site that took us over an hour on foot only took about twenty-five minutes on the ATV's. As soon as we pulled up, five bodies immediately took off in a dead sprint towards us. I held up my hand quickly, signaling them to stop before they even got started.

"Not right now guys. She needs to rest not be bombarded by a bunch of people," I said sternly. Kim was in pain and I just wasn't going to let them all pester and pepper her with questions, no matter how good of intentions backed them. "She's fine now and that's all that matters. I promise once she gets some rest you guys can talk to her."

They all nodded their heads in understanding as I climbed off the vehicle and lifted Kim into my arms. She gave them all a weak smile and squeaked out a "thank you" for their concerns before I carried her into the tent. Softly, I laid her on the air mattress and then laid down next to her, stroking her hair and rubbing her arm gently.

"That's where I want you to be my protector. What you just did was what I really need from you, Tommy," she whispered "I'm not up to dealing with all of them right now so thank you for that. And thank you for everything else you did today. I'm so lucky to have you in my life."

"You're welcome, but it wasn't just me, Beautiful. Jason was the one who gave you mouth-to-mouth, remember? He's as much responsible as I am," I answered "I was so scared, Kim. I couldn't even help you by myself. I had to use my Ninjetti powers just so I could reach you."

"It doesn't matter how you did it and I really don't care anyway. What matters is you did it and that we're both safe," she muttered "You did everything in your power to help me and that's all I could ever ask for from you."

"I love you, Kim," I replied as my eyes filled with tears "I'd do anything for you."

"I know, Tommy. I know," she answered reassuringly "Right now though all I want is for you to hold me and let me sleep in your arms. Can you do that for me, Handsome?"

I nodded my head and said yes, softly kissing her on the back of the neck as I wrapped an arm around her and pulled her close. A few minutes later she was asleep in my arms and a few minutes after that, I had dozed off as well.

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I woke up an hour later to the sound of Kim moaning loudly as she flailed around in different directions on the mattress. She hit me a few times before I managed to grab her wrists and hold her down.

"Beautiful, wake up. Come on, Kim," I said loudly, shaking her lightly as her eyes fluttered open and I pulled her close to me "It's okay, you're safe now. You were just having a nightmare, sweetheart, but I've got you now. Nothing's going to happen."

"Tommy, it was terrible. I dreamt about everything that happened but I died in your arms before you could save me," she muttered as I winced at her words "Hold me and don't let go, Tommy. Don't ever, ever let go."

"Don't worry, princess. I've got you," I said in a soothing voice as I hugged her tightly around the waist "I'm right here and you're safe. Nothing's going to happen to you, I promise."

"I love you, Tommy," she whimpered as she turned around and buried her head in my shoulders, crying against my shirt. She was letting me be the protector I wanted to be for her.

"Shh. Shh. I know, Kim. I love you too," I replied, gently stroking the back of her head "Just tell me what you want or need me to do and I'll do it, sweetie."

"You're all I need right now, Tommy. Nothing else in the world could help me right now except you," she whispered and sobbed "I want to marry you, Tommy. I want to be Mrs. Oliver and I want the whole world to know about it."

"Are you saying what I think you're saying?" I asked with a puzzled look and she nodded her head "And that's really what you want?" she nodded again "Okay. If you're okay with telling them, so am I. When do you want to do it?"

"Now," she answered and then slowly pushed herself to her feet "I don't want to wait any longer to tell them. I want them all to know how much I love you."

"Okay," I nodded and stood up, following her out of the tent.

I waved my hand out towards the others, signaling we'd be back in a minute as Kim unlocked her truck. After opening the door for her, I reached up and I helped her up into her seat and then ran around to the passenger side and climbed in. Immediately, I opened the glove box and pulled the small black box from the plastic bag.

Slowly, and with great care, I took the ring from it's place in the box and held it up for Kim to see. I reached out and took a deep breath as I grabbed her hand.

"I know I've already asked you this but I want this to be done perfectly," I said softly "Kimberly Ann Hart, will you make me the happiest man in the world and marry me?"

"Yes, Tommy, I will," she answered with a grin which I reciprocated before taking the ring and slipping it onto her right ring finger. I cupped her cheeks in my hands and then leaned forward, kissing her gently and with passion.

"Let's see how long it takes them to figure out," she said as we broke the kiss and exited the vehicle. We met at the front of the truck and I dropped my arm, grabbing her hand as we walked back towards the others.

It didn't take long for Trini to notice anything, that's for sure. I noticed her eyeing Kim's hand the second we got close enough for her to see it. Almost as soon as we had taken our seats with the group, Trini stood up and pulled Kim with her away from us and into the woods.

"What's their deal?" Adam questioned as we heard Trini shriek and then they both started to giggle loudly.

"You'll have to ask Kim," I answered with a shoulder shrug and a sly grin "Don't you guys know how relationships work? She's the one that's got all the answers, not me."

It was close to seven and the sun was slowly starting to set behind us. Every year a group of locals went out on the lake on a barge and launched a huge display of fireworks. I had seen it once when I was younger and the show was part of the reason I had suggested Fourth of July weekend for the trip. I knew it didn't start until nine or nine-thirty but I didn't want to miss it and I didn't want any of them to miss it either.

"Guys, Tommy and I have something to tell you all," Kim called out as her and Trini approached the group. She moved over to where I was sitting in my chair and took a seat on my lap.

"Please tell me you're not pregnant," Rocky pleaded sarcastically as Kim and I shot him dirty looks "Jeez, I was just kidding. You know, there used to be a time where I'd make a joke and all of you would laugh hysterically until you got tears in your eyes and couldn't breathe."

"Yeah, I remember that time," Adam added with a grin "It was a long time ago. I think it was when you used to be funny. Crazy how things change, huh?"

"Guys, Kim and Tommy have something they want to tell us, remember," Trini interjected, silencing our laughter as she then motioned towards us "Go on, you two."

I looked up at Kim and smiled as she leaned forward and kissed me quickly. Slowly, she pulled her left hand away from where it was covering her right and held it up for the others to see.

"We're getting married," Kim told them "We're actually gonna do it, you guys. We're actually going to get married."

"Kim, Tommy, that's awesome," Jason spoke up as he walked over to us, hugging Kim and clasping my shoulder "Congratulations, you guys. You deserve each other. I couldn't be happier for you both."

"Yeah, Morphinomenal," Zack added "This is awesome."

"I agree," Billy continued "It's most definitely excellent news."

"Yeah, what he said," Rocky said, jerking his thumb towards Billy.

"Congrats, guys," Adam muttered "I'm happy for both of you."

"Me too," Aisha finished "I just can't believe it took this long."

Kim grinned and stuck her tongue out at Aisha as the former Yellow Ranger retuned the gesture. I didn't even realize my hand had creeped up the back of Kim's shirt and was rubbing her back until I felt her shiver and jerk.

"Sorry, Beautiful," I said quickly "Didn't mean to scare you."

"It's okay. I'm just a little jumpy after what happened," she replied "Keep doing it though. It feels really nice."

I nodded my head and allowed my hand to resume it's position on Kim's back. Everyone went back to their seats and I looked around the group, trying to gauge everyone's reactions. I had expected some of them to be apprehensive but they all seemed genuinely happy for us.

"So none of you think this is a bad idea?" I asked them "I was expecting at least one or two of you to pipe up and say we were rushing things."

"If it was anyone but the two of you, I'm sure one of us would have," Adam answered seriously "You guys loved each other long before some of us even came around. What's it been, ten, twelve years? That's just an engagement that lasted just a little too long if you ask me."

We all laughed a little as the sound of an approaching vehicle reached us. I turned around and saw a little black sedan and when I looked at the top of the car, I couldn't help but laugh.

"You have got to be shitting me," I said as I looked at Jason "You got a pizza place to deliver to us in the middle of the woods? How'd you manage to do that?"

"I told the guy we'd tip him 40 bucks if he came out here," he answered rather nonchalantly.

"Are you going to?" I asked as he shook his head that he wasn't/

"Nope. But you are," I shot back as he turned towards the delivery guy "Hey boss, this is the man you want to see for your money."

I looked at Jason with a clearly pissed off glare as he grinned and pointed towards the pimply faced boy holding the pizza boxes. My pissed off look soon turned into a pleading one but Jason just maintained his smile and continued pointing.

"How much do I owe you?" I asked begrudgingly as I dug into my wallet.

"Eighty-one dollars and fifty-seven cents, sir," he answered as my eyes grew wide and my mouth fell open "Two extra-large pizzas at eighteen-fifty each plus tax and the forty dollar tip I was promised makes eighty-one fifty-seven."

"Fine," I muttered as I pulled out four twenties and two ones and handed them to the pizza-faced teenager "Keep the change."

I set the pizza boxes down on the table, making sure I got the best slices from both containers, made a plate for Kim and then took my seat next to her. Jason was standing at the table and I suddenly had the urge to pummel him. I set my plate down, got up and walked up behind him

"What was that for?" I hissed quietly as I stood directly behind him and he quickly spun around.

"That," he answered, poking me in the chest "Was for letting your fellow members take the fall without you two nights ago. Be glad that's all it was. If you hadn't partially redeemed yourself by sneaking out and untying us, it would have been a lot worse."

FUCK! I screamed inside my head. I knew getting away without being caught had been too good to be true. Even if Kim had believed that I had nothing to do with it, Jason obviously knew better and this was how he paid me back for it. As much as I wanted to be furious with Jason, he had a valid point and, unfortunately, had me beat.

"Okay, you win," I replied, extending my hand "Truce?"

"Truce," he answered, shaking my hand tightly before we turned back around and took our seats next to our significant others.

"So why'd you get saddled with the bill?" Kim asked as I sat down next to her.

"I owed him one," I answered simply, taking a bite from my pizza before she could ask any more questions. In an effort to keep her silent long enough to forget what we were talking about, I resorted to underhanded tactics like feeding her from my slice of pizza and exchanging quick kisses in between bites. It was a low move, but it got the job done.

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Three hours later we pulled back up to the camp site in Jason's Suburban. Since all our stuff was unpacked there was enough room to carry us all, even if it was a little tight, but none of us really minded. We were family and this was a bonding experience.

The fireworks show had gone on for nearly twenty-five minutes and we all agreed it was one of the most amazing things any of us had ever seen. We found a nice spot on the lake shore, laid out blankets and drank. And when I say drank, I mean we drank,

Between the six guys we went through two thirty-packs of beer and another eighteen pack which, if you do the math, is thirteen beers each. Add that to the four or five Mike's Hard Lemonades each girl drank and we were collectively all feeling pretty good.

We had found our spot almost an hour before the show was set to start and Jason had been smart enough to bring along a football and a Frisbee. Let me just tell you, trying to run around, catch and throw a Frisbee while intoxicated, is not an easy task. Every single one of us ended up face first in the sand at least four or five times that night.

When the show started, we all took seats on separate blankets with Kim and I pulling ours just a little bit farther from the group. Just enough to where we could talk quietly and not be heard. The others understood us better than anyone else and knew it was just something that we did and that it wasn't intended to offend anyone or hurt anyone's feelings.

I couldn't help but smile as the first two fireworks that went into the sky were a white one and a pink one that crossed paths before exploding in a bright display of light. Everyone else seemed to notice it too and they teased us a little bit when it happened.

"You're just jealous," I called out and then turned my attention to Kim "They're just jealous."

"They should be. They don't get to experience what a wonderful man you are like I do," she answered, resting her head on my shoulder.

This was exactly the reason why we had separated ourselves from the group. It seemed like no matter what we did or where we went we always ended up having a conversation like this one. It was probably the beer again but I suddenly had a newfound courage. I took a quick deep breath and grabbed Kim's hands as she looked up at me.

"I want to adopt Nathan," I said confidently as her mouth dropped open "I already love him like my son and if you're going to be my wife I want him to be my son."

"Tommy, I…I wasn't expecting this from you," she muttered "I really don't know what to say to that."

"Say that you'll let me adopt Nathan. He deserves a father and I want to be that man," I continued "So what do you say, Kim? Will you let me adopt Nathan? Will you let me be his dad?"

"Tommy, I think you became his dad the first time you saw him," she answered "He asks me all the time if he can call you dad or if you want to be his dad or if you and I are going to be Mommy and Daddy soon. Now I can finally tell him yes to all his questions."

"You mean it? You'll let me do it?" I asked excitedly.

"Yes, of course I will. I mean, we'll have to talk to Nathan about it but he loves you just as much as I do," she replied, throwing her arms around my neck "I love you, Tommy. You make me so happy I can hardly stand it. I don't deserve all of this from you."

"Yes, you do Kim because I love you just as much as you love me. I always have," I added "The fact that you're going to let me do this means so much to me. You have no idea how happy I am."

"Not as happy as me," she answered and then kissed me before I could answer.

Dammit!She's playing my game now I thought but continued to return her kisses anyway. With that conversation out of the way, we were now free to sit back, relax and continue to get drunk which was exactly what we did.

I'd say "incredible" could describe the finale of the fireworks display but that word just doesn't do it much justice. If "supercalifragilisticexpialidocious" was a real word I'd use it but since it was created by a crazy lady with medicine, sugar and a flying umbrella, I choose to disregard it. Now, after that little lesson, back to the show.

One by one, a firework was shot into the sky. The first one was blue, followed by yellow, then purple, pink, red, green and white. If any of us had shared a color, we turned to one another and gave smiles and nods. I think I gave the most nods and smiles since purple, our substitute for black, meant I had to smile and nod at Zack and Adam, green meant I had to smile and nod at Adam and red meant I had to smile and nod at Jason and Rocky. Thank God I had never worn pink, yellow or blue and no one else but me had worn white or I would have had a sore neck for days.

After each firework went up individually, they started going up in pairs. Blue with pink, then purple with yellow, green with pink followed by red with yellow and then white with pink. Even if none of us were willing to admit it, the display had to be more than just a coincidence. Somewhere in the back of my mind, I subconsciously knew that a certain old friend had played some kind of role in all of this.

My theory only seemed more correct and plausible as every single color of firework shot up in unison. They let out a loud bang as they exploded and flashed brightly. As soon as one round fizzled out, another one went up in it's place. It was like a 21 Gun Salute for us and it made us all proud even if we didn't understand how or why.

Somehow, Billy, the man who spent the first seven years of his adult life on Aquitar and didn't even touch alcohol until he was 26, managed to be the most sober out of all of us and thus was nominated by the group to drive back. I silently prayed the whole ride back that nothing would happen and that we'd make it back safe.

Normally, none of us were this irresponsible but we had all had an extremely stressful day and no one had been thinking about who would drive while we were busy getting drunk. Luckily, the camp site was only a ten minute drive and we managed to get back relatively safe. There had been the squirrel that Billy's extremely slow and impaired reflexes didn't even allow him to try to avoid and he even let ou a sadistic chuckle as the tire hit the small creature but aside from that there was no damage done to us or the car.

After everything that had happened that day, all I wanted to do was devote all my attention to Kim and whatever her needs were. We said goodnight and stumbled into the tent clumsily as I turned around, yelled "goodnight" as loudly as I possibly could and then zipped the tent closed.

Kim immediately pulled off her top and fell back on the mattress but I had other things in mind. I shook my head no and told her to roll over as I got on my knees behind her.

"What do you have in mind?" she asked seductively as I unclasped her bra and let it fall to the side.

"Everything," I answered as I started to massage her back and she let out a muffled whimper "Just relax and let me take care of you, Beautiful. I'm here for you tonight."

She nodded her head and turned around with a smile on her face. She gave me a couple quick kisses and then went back down to her stomach.

"I love you so much, Tommy," she said softly, moaning at even the slightest touch.

"I love you too, Kim," I replied, kissing her on the back of the neck before going back to work on the massage.

If I got to do everything I wanted for, and to, her it was going to be a long night. As my hands brushed over her butt cheeks and started working on her thighs, she let out another muffled moan and I hoped and prayed that I didn't sleep a wink.

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Here you go! Hope you liked it. Don't forget to review guys. Let me know what you're thinking.

Cheers,

WK