Chapter 20

In A Party State of Mind (1)

A/N: The beginning of the chapter has some 'M' rated stuff in it, so be forewarned. Rating on the story will definitely go up 'M' soon, too.

Kimberly giggled as she raced up the back steps of her house and grabbed onto the door handle seconds before Tommy wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her from the door, spinning her around.

"Ha! I got you!" Tommy cried as he finished his rotation and set Kimberly back on the ground.

The pink ranger grinned and turned towards her boyfriend and leaned against his chest, her eyes sparkling. "No way! I got to the doorway first, so you lose!" She thought for a moment. "And for losing, you…have to give me a foot massage."

Tommy's face twisted up into an expression of disbelief with a hint of disgust before crossing his arms over his chest. "Despite how much you go to the salon and get your feet worked on…that's the last thing I'd want to do."

Kimberly blinked at him in surprise before turning and unlocking the door to the house, leading the two inside. "Really? So, even if we got married and I was pregnant and my feet were swelling, you'd hate to give me a foot massage? Geez, nice marriage we're going to have, right?"

Tommy laughed lightly as he followed Kimberly into the kitchen. He closed the door behind him as she called out to her mother, stating she had gotten back to the house. Getting nothing but silence in response, Tommy turned and watched as Kimberly took off her backpack and placed it on the counter before picking up a sheet of paper and read aloud, "Kim, have a late dinner meeting tonight, stopped back home to get changed. There's dinner for you in the fridge and a plate of cookies, too. Love you, Mom."

"Cookies?" Tommy's eyes lit up and he moved around his girlfriend, taking up the plate that was left on the counter. He leaned forward and sniffed the air around the cookies before smiling brightly. "Ah, that smells good. Don't mind if I do!" He picked up the plate and placed it on the kitchen table before sitting down and taking the largest one from the bottom. He took a bite and smiled warmly as Kimberly laughed. "What? This stuff is good! Your mom is a great baker."

"I know. It's a wonder that we haven't become so fat around here." The pink ranger poured the two of them a glass of milk and walked it over to the table, sitting down next to him. She leaned over and gave Tommy a kiss not he cheek. "How do you feel about having a fat girlfriend?"

"I wouldn't know." Tommy's voice was muffled as he bit into the cookie, taking half of it in one bite. Kimberly sighed lightly and picked up a cookie, gently twirling it in her hand with quick, deft movements of her fingertips. The white ranger glanced over at her and then furrowed his eyebrows together. "You can't be serious," he remarked.

"What?" Kimberly's hazel eyes moved over towards her boyfriend and she sat up, giving him as innocent of a look as possible. "What'd I say?"

Tommy turned towards Kimberly and placed his hands on her shoulders. "Kim, you're not fat," he said to her. "I know that what Sharky told you has been stuck in your head, I know that with all of the things we've been going through lately, we've been under a lot of pressure. But you don't need to worry about your weight or anything."

Kimberly bobbed her head back and forth, still messing with the cookie in her hand. "I'm not worried about it." She twisted her mouth to the side then let out a short sigh before dropping her hands to her lap. "I don't even really care. It's just, I don't know." She reached out and picked up the cookie, dropping it into her mouth. She chewed a little before continuing. "It's a lot of pressure. I mean, I want to be a gold medalist in gymnastics. Not only do I have to work really hard for it, but I had to stay above my competition. And my competition is getting younger and younger each year. There are thirteen and fourteen year olds that are going to the Pan Globals and I want to be there." She picked up another cookie and started into that one as well. "I want to be able to get gold before I retire and start to teach gymnastics myself."

"Okay," Tommy said. "I understand that. And I know you love gymnastics, it's all you talk about. It's all you dream about." He then flashed a charming smile, causing Kimberly to roll her eyes although she smiled as well. "I'm proud that you continue to go after your dream. But what you need to know is that no one is better than you, Kim." He smiled and reached over, smoothing her hair out of her face. "No one I know is more driven, cheerful, or compassionate, than you are." His smile widened with warmth and Kimberly smiled back at him, finally able to relax a little. "And I'm glad you're a part of my life."

Kimberly reached out and slid her hand into his. "I'm glad you're a part of my life, too."

Tommy smiled and leaned in, giving her a gentle kiss. Kimberly smiled into the kiss before she kissed him back. As they kissed again, she brought her hands up to frame his face, gently running her fingers over the skin of his cheeks, sending goose bumps down Tommy's arms. He shuddered slightly and opened his mouth to take a quick breath, tilting his head to the side and kissed her again.

This time a passionate kiss.

Kimberly pulled back and chewed her lower lip for a moment before shifting her eyes to the side. "Umm…do you want to go up to my room?" Tommy's eyes widened slightly and he pulled back a little bit, studying Kimberly's face. As the silence stretched between them, Kimberly turned away, pulling her hair back behind her ears. "Sorry, I didn't mean, we don't have to…"

"No, no!" Tommy cut her off. He swallowed thickly. "I mean, if that's what you want. I don't want to rush you into anything Kim. I love you, and—"

"I love you, too," Kimberly replied. She lifted her head and regarded Tommy with a bit of nervousness. "So much more than you know." She started to say something else but then stopped, her eyebrows furrowing together as she heard something, the sound of the crane inside her crying, starting to fly around faster and faster as the seconds passed. Inside Tommy, the white ninja ranger could hear the falcon cry and start to fly as quickly s she could. "Tommy, I wasn't lying when I told you I love you and while it was hard to say it at first, I really do feel that way. The way I feel for you…it's just…"

"I know what you mean," Tommy agreed. He brought a hand up to his chest, feeling how quickly it was beating against his ribcage. "Just saying 'I love you' isn't strong enough for what I feel for you. But then, at the same time it's hard. It's hard to be a ranger and to go into battle and wonder if you're going to get hurt or if something bad will happen and I can't stand the thought of that."

"Same here," Kimberly agreed. "But at the same time, I don't ever want it to get in the way of our rangering and everything. But, I can't help the way I feel."

"Me neither."

Tommy leaned in and kissed her again, this time when they broke apart the two of them were breathless. Kimberly lowered her gaze, a light pink hue coming to her cheeks before she grabbed his hand and led him up the stairs to her room. Once they entered and she closed the door behind them a tense…something hung in the air between them, but it wasn't a match for the rangers. Once the door was closed behind them, it was like everything they had ever felt was finally out of the way.

The fight with Ivan, the destruction of their zords, the new zords, Rita and Zedd, everything ranger related, everything the two of them were going through went out the window as the two came together in a passionate, fiery kiss. Nothing mattered in that moment apart from the two of them; they weren't going to let it get in the way. The kissing progressed until they were laying down on Kimberly's bed with Tommy gently laying on top of her, resting his weight on his forearms so that he didn't press down too hard on her. His fingers gently ran through her hair, pulling at the tips and allowing the silk smooth tresses to glide over his fingers.

Kimberly, in turn, roamed her hands over Tommy's body. The body that had become more toned and muscular through their ranger fights, even more so than the martial arts practices he usually worked into his schedule did. She couldn't help but notice each and every inch of his tanned skin stretched over the muscles that rippled beneath the taut skin. She moved her hand under his shirt, gently brushing her fingertips across the skin of his stomach. Tommy leaned back, pulling his lips from the pink rangers and reached behind him, pulling on the neck of his shirt. It slid free of his body in a quick tug and as he tossed it aside, he paused and looked down at Kimberly.

Tommy looked down at his beautiful girlfriend, who looked up at him shyly through her eyelashes, hair fanned out over her silk pillowcase like a halo. The rangers smiled at each other and Tommy gave her a gentle kiss. He pulled back far enough so that he could rest his forehead against hers. "Are you sure, Beautiful?"

"I haven't been more sure of anything in my life, Handsome," Kimberly replied in an almost whisper.

Nodding a little, the white ranger leaned down and Kimberly raised her arms, accepting the long, hungry kiss he gave her. The moment their lips came together the floodgates opened and the two found themselves moving in a quick pace. Kimberly gasped loudly as Tommy turned his head to the side and started to kiss a path down her neck, hot and eliciting tiny mewls she didn't know she could make.

Chuckling to himself, Tommy continued to kiss her skin before reaching her collarbone and used his teeth to graze the strap of her tank top. He then kissed up underneath her chin and back to her lips before bringing his hands up to rub her shoulders, pushing the straps down. He ran his hands over her shoulders and down her arms before smoothing his palms over her chest, earning another gasp. He grasped the bottom of her shirt and gently pulled it up over her head and tossed it aside, onto the floor. He then moved back to plant some kisses to her chest and shoulders, leading down her arm until he kissed the palm of her hand, causing her to smile and giggle with each movement.

In turn, Kimberly ran her hands through Tommy's hair as she worked with her body, grabbing handfuls of his hair in pleasure, pulling it out from the ponytail and running her fingers through his hair. She traced a path from his hair down his arms and to his shoulders and chest, pressing her fingers into the skin, gently scratching him with her nails, bringing a groan from Tommy's mouth. She did it a few more times, receiving a groan each time in response. The tickling sensation causing goose bumps to rise over his skin.

Kimberly reached up with a hand and shoved hard on his shoulder, turning the two of them around. She then returned the favor that Tommy had done before, kissing every inch of his exposed skin. She gave a small, somewhat naughty smile each time Tommy would writhe underneath her and suck in a sharp breath. When she leaned back to his face he met her halfway before the two moved even faster. Shed clothes fell to the floor as the two embraced each other, caressed the exposed skin, drank in each other's scent and muffled the sighs and moans that escaped them. Hesitation was only evident as Tommy pulled away to reach over for his wallet.

As he pulled a condom from the inside pocket, he looked over at Kimberly, who lay beneath him and she met his gaze, eyes wide with anticipation. Tommy's shoulders, which had been tense throughout their ordeal, lowered as he relaxed. "Kim, are you okay?"

The pink ranger nodded quietly and reached up a hand, smoothing Tommy's fallen hair back behind his hear. "I'm fine," she whispered, voice cracking for a moment. "I'm just…a bit overwhelmed I guess." A light laugh escaped her lips. "I feel really….naked." The bluntness of her words caused the two rangers to pause before laughing lightly. That eased the tension a little. "That was stupid. I meant…"

"I know what you mean, Kim," Tommy reassured her.

And he did know what she meant. Apart from the two of them actually being so bare with each other for the first time, there was an air of vulnerability. Emotions and hormones spearing through his body made him think clearly, relive every emotional thing they had gone through. He pushed aside the thought of his order, the image of their zords falling apart and focused on the young woman beneath him. She was as beautiful as ever as she lied there, waiting for him to join her as one. And yet, he didn't feel nervous anymore. No. He loved her and that was all that mattered.

"I'm not going to hurt you," he reassured her.

Kimberly nodded and closed her eyes as he leaned over her once more, as if trying to ward off a monster coming her way. Tommy unwrapped the condom and slid it over himself before angling himself over her and pushing forward. The pink ranger's face screwed up in pain for a moment, a crystal like tear falling out from her right eye, but Tommy brushed it away and rested his forehead against hers as he waited for her to relax. When she opened her eyes and wrapped her arms around him, Tommy reacted with surprise as she rolled her hips against his, causing a lightning bolt of pleasure to flash through his body. He then kissed her neck as the two moved together, gasps increasing in volume, holds increasing in strength against each other as they stole kisses in between. Tommy turned his head to the side to receive some air as Kimberly continued to move her hands up and down his back, lightly scratching him with her nails.

The pink ranger held him tighter as she increased her pace of rolling her hips against hi, meeting his thrusts with each movement until the two released, shuddering against each other. Then as they came down from their highs, nothing but the sound of them catching their breath breaking the silence, Tommy pulled back from Kimberly and rolled onto his side, reaching a hand out and gently stroking Kimberly's side. He looked over at her and found that she was already looking at him with nothing but love and admiration in his eyes. Tommy lowered his forehead against hers as they caught their breath.

"Wow," he finally managed to say.

Kimberly gave a sort of soft snort as she turned away. "Wow," she repeated. "That's all you have to say?"

Now Tommy rolled his eyes. "What do you want me to do? Set off fireworks?"

"I think you already did, Handsome." Kimberly gently swatted him on the chest and laughed lazily. She then fell silent, gently stroking his skin. "It's kind of weird," she murmured. "I thought I'd feel different after…I heard that you were supposed to. I don't feel different at all."

"…how do you feel?" Tommy's question was quiet. He was afraid of the answer, honestly. Not sure what would happen if she suddenly thought it was a mistake, if they had gone too far, if she regretted it. He tightened his grip against her, pulling her closer.

"The same," Kimberly admitted. "But not. I feel like I just fell in love with you again."

Tommy kissed her and rested his forehead against hers so they were breathing in each other's air. It was the least he could do. No words would even come closer to describing what he was feeling. "I love you, Kim."

"I love you, too, Tommy."

The rangers continued to lie there in comfortable silence, each having millions of thoughts running through their heads, all coming back to what their relationship would be like now that they had taken a major step in their lives. Would they be targeted more? Would they continue to move onwards and upwards with no end in sight? Graduating from high school seemed so far off but was something they had to be realistic about. But now wasn't the time to think about it, to talk about it. Now was the time to just bask in the afterglow of what they had shared.

"Uh, Tommy?" Kimberly said almost an hour later. She reached out and shook the white ranger's shoulder, breaking him out of his slumber. "As much as I love waking up next to you, we should probably get dressed."

"Oh yeah." Tommy stretched his arms over his head. "We don't want to be late for the party."

"Well, I was thinking that and I don't want my Mom to catch us in case she comes home early," Kimberly said.

Tommy blinked for a minute then his eyes widened as he looked at his watch. "That's actually a good point." With a flourish, he pulled back the covers and started to get up, then paused and practically dove to the floor. All of a sudden he realized how completely naked he was, despite what he had just done. It was weird now that they weren't in the heat of the moment. He didn't like to feel vulnerable, so open. It was a strange feeling. Hearing Kimberly laugh at him, Tommy peeked out from the side of the bed and watched as Kimberly gathered herself in her blankets before slowly sliding off the bed, being careful not to expose herself.

She gave a sheepish smile as she gathered her clothes from the floor and went to her bathroom, seemingly having the same thought Tommy did. The white ranger pulled on his clothes and made sure he had everything before walking over to the closed bathroom door and gently knocked on it. "Kim?" He called. "I'm going to go home and take a shower; I'll meet you at the party late, okay?"

The door opened and Kimberly stuck her head out long enough to smile at him and give him a kiss. "Okay," she said. "Love you."

"Love you, too."

He barely got the words out of his mouth before the words out of his mouth before the door closed in front of his face so quickly he had to pull his head back so that his nose wouldn't get stuck in the wood. He laughed to himself at the irony and started to leave the room, making it as far as the doorway before a sound made him stop. He paused and looked back over at the closed bathroom door. There wasn't a sound coming form it before. But he could've sworn he had heard Kimberly throwing up.

He stood in the doorway for a few minutes before he brought his communicator up and teleported outside of his house and headed inside. "Mom, Dad, I'm back. I need to take a shower before going to a party later."

"Okay, sweetie," Mrs. Oliver called back. "But could you come here for a minute, there's something we need to ask you."

Tommy hesitated, one foot on the bottom step of the stairs. He really needed to go take a shower, but…it could be important. Turning on his heel, he walked into the living room where he found his mother and father sitting on the couch, a couple of papers in their hands.

"Is that adoption stuff?" He asked them, walking over and sitting down on the chair closest to him. He crossed his legs as he leaned forward. "Have our papers been approved yet?"

Mr. Oliver smiled as he nodded. "They've been approved," he said. Tommy started to grin but Mr. Oliver held up a hand. "Don't get excited yet. We still have to have them come and do a home study to see that we're fit parents for them, but after that happens, then it can be about six months 'til we go to court to get it legalized."

Tommy's shoulders slumped. "We have to wait until December to know for sure?"

"At the latest," Mrs. Oliver replied quickly. "That doesn't mean that it can't happen quicker than that. Only time will tell. But we ask that you don't say anything to Avalon and Bailey yet. Which brings us to the other thing we wanted to talk to you about." She shifted closer to Tommy, ready to grab his hand, but he moved back a few inches, suddenly aware that he hadn't taken a shower yet. Neither of his parents showed that they knew anything about what he had just done, but there was a part of him that wasn't so sure. It could just be his own paranoia taking shape, but as he shifted his eyes back and forth between his parents they didn't seem to suspect anything.

"Would you want them to move in? Would that be alright?" She asked. "We're only asking because we know how excited you are to have them as sisters. But, considering what they've been through, we don't know if they'd want to leave the Cranston's house."

Tommy smirked as he leaned back in his seat. "I can guarantee Av wouldn't want to."

"What?"

"Nothing." Tommy rubbed his hands. "How about, when they all come over for movie night this weekend we can ask them then?" His parents nodded and he got up from the chair, looking at his watch. "I have to get going or I'll be late for the party. I'll see you later." He got up from the chair and started to leave the room.

He only stopped when he heard his father's snicker as his mother called, "Honey, why is your shirt on backwards?"

Zedd growled and shoved Rita's telescope away from him in fury. It flew to the ground, cracking in two before he walked over to it and started to stomp up and down on top of the telescope until it was reduced to tiny pieces.

"How dare she?" He growled, starting to pace back and forth. "How dare she do that to me?"

"What is troubling you my liege?" Goldar asked as he watched Zedd pace back and forth, nearly setting fire with each step due to his anger. "What has caused you so much anguish?" At this side, Scorpina took a step forward.

"Whatever it is you need, Lord Zedd, we'll do it for you," She said in her low, sultry voice. Bringing up her bone sword, she lovingly ran her fingers over it. "I've wanted to get a good use of this sword again. Rito's been having all the fun lately."

"That's because Rito has had a better track record than you two combined," Zedd snarled as he turned to face them. He was so red that Goldar and Scorpina had to shield their faces. "Be that as it may, I may need you for something. Maybe to be sure that I can get back at her."

"At who?"

"Kimberly! The puny pink power ranger!" Zedd's fisted hand shook violently. "My queen," he rumbled. "She defiled herself with that white ranger when I'm to have her for myself. She will be my slave."

Scorpina grunted, crossing her arms. "I don't see what's so special about her. And didn't you and Rita just get into a fight over something like this?"

"Oh don't worry." Zedd's anger slowly started to subside. "We're going to get her a pet, too. The white ranger, the one that manage to get away from her the first time. Both of them will be ours and without them, the rangers will fall apart. All we need to do is get their power coins, their ninjetti power coins, and their life force will be taken. They'll become so weak that we can crush them and then break the Kimberly's and Tommy's spirits in every way imaginable."

He glanced down at the telescope that rest in pieces on the floor. "Clean that up," he declared before sauntering off of the balcony, each foot step causing the room to rumble.

Rocky sighed as he watched the bead of blood pool up on his wrist and slide down his arm. It wasn't' a sigh of resignation, annoyance, or irritation. No. It was a sigh of relief. All of the pent up…stuff released in that cut, in the blood that leaked down his arm curling further and further away as it rolled down his arm. Reaching to the side, Rocky picked up the toilet paper that he had set up and pressed it to the wound in his wrist. He turned the toilet paper aside and grimaced when he saw the blot it left behind. Funny how he naturally wore so much red after having become the red ranger—like he was compelled to—and had actually grown to like the color all together, but seeing it on that toilet paper disgusted him a little bit.

Tossing it into the toilet and putting it out of its misery, Rocky went over to the sink and washed his hands, ignoring the slight sting that the warm water caused hitting his cut, then dried off and picked up his phone as he left the bathroom, jumping to the side as his youngest brother and sister ran by with their hands outstretched, covered in drying paint.

"Whoa. Whoa! What are you doing?" Rocky called after them.

Diego and Maria turned back towards Rocky, rubbing their hands together. "We're painting, Rocky," Antonio replied. "We're painting Mami a picture."

"Flowers and Butterflies!" Maria added.

"Aren't you supposed to be keeping the paint on the paper?" Rocky pointed out. He took them by their sticky hands, careful not to get any on his clothes, and walked them into the bathroom. "You know Mami doesn't allow you to paint without being clean."

"Mami didn't let us, Daddy did," Antonio replied.

Rocky reacted so violently that he jammed Mari's hand into the counter of the sink, causing her to start wailing. The red ranger placed a kiss to the back of her head, trying to shush her, but her cries brought Diego and Isabella into the bathroom doorway to see what happened. "What happened?" Isabella asked.

"Rocky hit her hand," Antonio dutifully replied,

"It was an accident," Rocky said quickly. He washed their hands and handed them a towel before turning to Isabella and Diego. "Guys, they said that Dad let them paint. What're they talking about?" He sat down on the closed toilet seat and briskly rubbed their hands with the towel.

Scratching the side of his neck, Diego hummed for a minute before replying. "You were in the shower. Mom had to run out to the store…."

"Dad's here," Isabella added.

Rocky lowered his head and let out a quiet curse, causing Maria to gasp loudly, and bring her hands up over her mouth before sharing a giggle with Antonio. Rocky waved them aside and then turned to his older siblings. "Is he still here? Why is he here?"

"You know why he's here, Rocky," Diego pointed out. "And…it might be a good thing."

"Our Dad being around is not a good thing." Rocky looked at his watch. "I have to go. Tell Mami I need to talk to her when I get back." He waved goodbye to his brothers and sisters before leaving the bathroom, only stopping by his room to get his wallet before bounding down the stairs. He moved through the living room so quickly that he got out the door before his father, whom he saw sitting on the couch out of the corner of his eye, could speak to him.

He went out the door so quickly he nearly knocked Aisha off the front stoop. However with her new ninjetti abilities, she stood still and Rocky reeled back, the wind knocked out of him. The yellow ranger quickly brought up her hands and steadied him. "Whoa, sorry Rocko. I guess I don't know my own strength." She laughed. Rocky barely managed to eek out a smile and a laugh before going to his car. The yellow ranger started to follow him, moving quickly to match his stride. "Hey, are you okay?"

"Yep," he replied shortly. "And if there was something going on, I really don't want to talk about it." He climbed into the cabin of his truck and Aisha got into the passenger seat. "Are we going to get Adam?"

"He said he wasn't going," Aisha replied. The red ranger shot her a look as he started the car and backed out of the driveway. He spotted his father in the window, watching them as he turned and peeled out of the neighborhood and drove a few streets away to go to the black ranger's house. "I think he's still…depressed over what happened with Sabrina."

"Yeah, well, out of everyone he needs this night more than anyone," Rocky pointed out. "And we've been through a lot, we all need this night off, you know?" He pulled into the Park's driveway and cut off the car. "C'mon. I'm not going to leave my best friend behind."

"How noble of you."

"I can be a prince charming when I need to."

"…do girls really fall for that line?"

"Most of them do."

Rocky grinned and Aisha reached out and shoved him as the two went up the front porch and knocked on the door. Adam answered the door and gave his friends a small smile in greeting. "Hey. Aren't you going to be late for the party?" He asked.

"Yep. But you're coming with us." Rocky reached out for the black ranger's arm, but he stepped back out of the way. "Look, man, we know that you really liked Sabrina…but what happened we can't go back and change. We didn't know that she was part of Scorpina…we don't know what they did to her, but we can't change it."

Adam took a deep breath and started to say something, but ran his hand over his hair, lowering his gaze. Rocky studied his best friend, suddenly seeing how upset the black ranger was. Well, maybe they could be party poopers together, it was better than dwelling over the problems with his father so much. Though as he continued to think about it, he could feel the pain flash through him once more, starting at his temple and coursing through his body.

Get over it, Rocky, everyone else has, he thought.

Rocky turned and looked at Aisha, who twisted her mouth to the side to hide her smile. The two nodded then leapt forward and grabbed onto the black ranger's arms. Adam's power of agility was no match for Rocky's power of the ape combined with Aisha's power of the bear and he soon found himself sandwiched between the two of them before he could move and close the door.

"Sorry, Ad, but you're coming with us," Aisha said.

"I don't have a choice do I?" Adam asked as he was forcefully pulled out of his house.

"No," Rocky and Aisha responded in unison.

"Can I at least get my shoes first?"

A/N: Sooo sorry it took so long for me to get this chapter up. I have more monster fights coming in soon, and I'm working out when Zeo will come in to the story/how much longer the whole eating disorder thing will go on. Thanks for the newest favorites and alerts; I'll have In Too Deep updated soon.

Thanks to I love power rangers7135, adela, TaitanoRules555, brankel1, Ashley, TerraHart, Son of Whitebeard, Keren Olivero, and Rose Specktor for reviewing.

~Avalon