Several weeks have now passed by since Kimberly's first day at Reefside High… it was now February, and Kim's birthday was coming up on Valentine's Day. Kimberly could hardly believe that she was turning 26, (Tommy had just celebrated his 26th birthday in October). Looking back, Kimberly realized she was very young when she first became a ranger. She was only 14 that fall of 1993 when Zordon chose the original rangers. The whole group were barely high school freshman; the original rangers were 14-15 years old when they were chosen. By the time Kim had turned 18, she was already a former ranger about to graduate from High School when the Turbo Incident happened in the Spring of 1997. She wouldn't change her ranger days, as the experience helped her to grow and mature as a person, but she was happy with the way her life was now.

Kimberly was the happiest she had ever been in her life; it seemed that things were finally falling into place. She had a lot of regrets about the past but felt that it helped make her a stronger person. It helped her to form a stronger relationship with Tommy, and she wouldn't change that for the world. Due to her parents' divorce, Kim had been scared to fall in love since she didn't want that to happen to her. Tommy changed her heart, making her rethink her views on marriage, and she sincerely hoped to become his wife one day.

Tommy still could hardly believe that he had met the love of his life when he was 15; despite that they had been so young, Tommy felt that he always knew that Kimberly was the woman he was meant to be with. He would always be grateful to Kat for helping him heal his broken heart, and grateful that they were able to remain friends. Somehow, Tommy felt that Katherine knew that his heart would never be completely hers. He would always be grateful to Kat for convincing Kimberly into making that phone call that reunited them after so many years.

When Kim went out dress shopping with Elsa and Hayley, Tommy decided to go ahead and call Jason. He needed his best friend's advice, and hoped the original red ranger had time to talk. Jason was a very busy paramedic, so Tommy hoped that he could catch Jason at a good time.

Jason was at home lounging around, when he heard his cell phone go off. Trini was out running errands with Kat in town, so he was trying to take it easy on his day off. He immediately recognized the ringtone as Tommy's, so he quickly answered, "Hey, bro. How's it going? You've been treating my little sister good?"

Tommy laughed at Jason's comment, "Things are great, Jase. Kim's finally got her stuff moved into the house, and she's been doing great at work."

Jason said, "That's great bro. I'm glad that things have been working out for you and my sis. So, what's up? It's not often that you call me up out of the blue."

Tommy sighed, "You know me too well… Jase, I really just need to talk to an old friend and get some sound advice."

A slight smirk came on Jason's face as he replied, "Let me guess… it's about your relationship and whether you should take the next step. Dude… stop beating around the bush, and just ask her. Kim loves you, and I know she'll say yes to marrying you."

Tommy just chuckled at his friend's bluntness, "We've barely moved in together… I don't want to scare her."

Jason quickly scolded Tommy, "Tommy, you're just being paranoid. Come on, Kim wouldn't have moved in with you if she didn't see a future with you. You have talked about getting married, right?"

Tommy blushed a little as he answered, "We have, and we definitely want to get married when the time is right. How did you know you were ready to marry Trini?"

Jason replied, "Dude, I was nervous as hell when I proposed to Trini. But I knew I loved her and wanted a future with her. It may have taken us a while to realize our feelings for each other, but I'm so glad that we took that chance. I can't imagine not having Trini in my life, and it was the happiest day of my life when she agreed to marry me. Our marriage isn't perfect all the time, but we are happy and work at it every day."

Tommy just smiled at Jason's words, since he could relate to Jason's feelings, "That's exactly the way I feel about Kim." Jason chuckled, "Then stop being so scared… you two wasted so many years apart, and I'm so glad that you two finally came to your damn senses."

Tommy just laughed, "You're right… I still can't believe that Kim never stopped loving me, and I'm so glad that we got a second chance to be together. I know I want to marry her, but I won't pressure her. I think the best thing to do is just talk to her and go from there."

Jason quipped, "When did you get so smart, Mr. Multi-colored ranger? Tommy, you and Kim deserve this happiness… you know I couldn't pick a better person for my little sister than you. You know you have my blessing; besides Trini has been anxious to start planning a wedding for you two."

Tommy just laughed, but he thanked Jason for his advice before saying his goodbyes. Tommy truly appreciated his best friend's advice; he knew he had a lot to think about, but he felt a whole lot better after talking to Jason. Jason had to laugh after the phone call; he knew that Tommy would do the right thing and follow his heart… somehow, he knew since high school that Tommy and Kim would be heading down this road. Jason was glad the two stubborn former rangers finally wised up since their teenage years, and sincerely hoped they would have a happy and loving marriage.

Meanwhile, at the mall, Kim was having quite the experience with Elsa and Hayley. She needed a girl's day, and she was having a great time hanging out with Elsa and Hayley.

Due to Elsa's status as the fiancé of one of the wealthiest people in Reefside, the girls were treated like royalty at the bridal salon. The girls had fun watching Elsa dress up, and Elsa ended up finding a beautiful dress to wear for her wedding. Kim and Hayley were surprised when Elsa asked them to be her bridesmaids, so they got to shop for their dresses as well.

After they left the bridal salon, the girls ended up going to a little coffee shop nearby the salon to relax and visit before heading home.

Elsa was very grateful as she told the other women, "Thank you for helping me find my wedding dress… I really appreciate it."

Hayley just smiled as she kindly replied, "You're welcome Elsa… I'm glad that Kim and I were able to come with you today. It was so much fun, and you found a beautiful dress."

Kim nodded in agreement, "You will definitely make a beautiful bride… Anton is going to be speechless when he sees you that day."

A slight blush came on Elsa's face, but she smiled as she answered, "Thank you Kimberly… the dresses that you and Hayley got for the wedding were just as gorgeous. I'm beginning to get excited for my wedding… I was a little nervous to start planning this wedding."

Hayley could see that the bride-to-be had a few reservations, "Let me guess… you're a little nervous about getting married."

Elsa nodded, "I guess I am… I love Anton, but there have been some people saying some nasty comments about our relationship. I heard people call me a gold-digger since I'm younger than Anton."

Kimberly scoffed, "Elsa, don't pay attention to the gossips. We can see that you love Anton, and most importantly Anton knows that as well. I'm sure he knows you're not marrying him for his money."

Elsa replied, "Of course… I'm not that kind of person. I love Anton for who he is… we've been through so much together. He's seen my evil side and I've seen his; I truly think it's a miracle that I found someone that accepts that."

Kimberly just smiled, "Then you have nothing to worry about." Hayley commented, "Besides, after everything you and Anton went through, you two deserve to live a happy and normal life. Kim… be grateful you never had to battle this woman. She's a formidable opponent and could even match Tommy out on the battlefield."

Kim slyly quipped, "I don't doubt it… but you two have never seen me spar against Tommy. You do remember I was one of the originals?"

Elsa laughed, "Only an original could keep up with the great Tommy Oliver. You two are meant for each other."

Hayley joked, "I think this is the only woman who could put up with Tommy's antics… it's a miracle she's living with him and hasn't wanted to kill him yet. Tommy may be my best friend, but he can be a pain in the ass sometimes."

Kim rolled her eyes, but laughed at Hayley's antics, "Trust me… it isn't easy living with Tommy, but I think he's the only man who could put up with me. I feel like I don't deserve him sometimes."

Hayley grinned at that, "Kim, you have no idea how much that man adores you. Tommy loves you… he's changed so much since you've come back into his life."

Elsa replied, "I agree with Hayley… it's like Tommy has a new lease on life. He's happier… in fact, the happiest I ever see him is whenever he's around you. I wouldn't be surprised if you two were next to get married."

Kim blushed a little at that, "We'll see… I can't imagine my life without him, so I hope it does happen for us one day."

Hayley smirked, "Kim, I have a feeling it's going to happen. You're the only woman that I've seen Tommy serious about… in fact, you're the only one that I see him marrying. Don't tell Tommy I told you this, but he always hoped to see you again. It really hurt him that you two lost touch, and I saw how thrilled he was when you finally reached out to him."

Elsa asked, "Now that you two are living together, have you and Tommy honestly talked about getting married? I mean, the man wouldn't have asked you to move in if he wasn't serious about you."

Kim honestly replied, "We have talked about marriage before… we know we want to do it when the timing is right. I've been thinking more about our future lately, and I can see us being happily married and having children. And I really hope that it becomes a reality soon."

Hayley joked, "Tommy would be an idiot if he didn't marry you Kim. I'll kick his ass if he doesn't. Like I said, the man is crazy about you… I know he'll propose when he's ready."

Kim laughed, but seriously said, "You're right, Hayley. I guess I just really need to talk to him and figure out what we want to do next."

The girls agreed that was the best course of action, and Kimberly felt a huge weight off her shoulders. It made her glad that she had great friends to talk to, but she knew she had a lot to think about. Was she ready to marry Tommy? In her heart, she knew she wanted to spend the rest of her life with Tommy and knew she wanted a family with him. They already were living together, but marriage was a huge commitment. Kim quickly realized how silly she was being; she was letting her insecurities get the best of her. She regretted that she lost so many years with Tommy, and so grateful that they had gotten a second chance. She knew Tommy felt the same way; she just needed to talk to him, and they would figure things out like they always did.

Kim arrived home, and found Tommy waiting for her in the living room. Tommy saw the shopping bag in her arms and joked, "I guess the shopping trip was a success… I thought you girls were just helping Elsa find her wedding dress."

Kim laughed, "Shut up handsome…. Elsa asked me and Hayley to be her bridesmaids, so we got to shop for our dresses. Knowing Anton, you and Trent will be in the wedding party as well."

Tommy groaned, "Great, that means I'll have to get fitted for a suit. What about Kira? Trent won't want to be in the wedding without her… unless they decided to ask Conner or Ethan to walk with Hayley."

Kim chuckled, "Elsa already asked Kira; she's coming down next week to get measured. And I'm sure Hayley will sucker one of the boys to be her escort. You know Conner and Ethan are terrified of Hayley when she gets in a mood."

Tommy laughed, "That's true. I still can't believe that Anton and Elsa are really getting married… Anton was too much like me; he was used to being alone, which surprised me that he adopted Trent."

Kim asked, "What happened to Trent's parents? Trent must have been older, and most likely would have been put into foster care, right?"

Tommy explained, "Yes, sadly that would have happened to Trent if Anton hadn't adopted him. Trent's an orphan… Trent's parents worked with Anton. They got killed in a cave in, and Anton took Trent in since he had no other family. Trent really sees Anton as his father, which made it difficult when he became a ranger. He kept it from us that Anton was really Mesogog… we felt betrayed by him, but Trent proved that he was committed to being a ranger and truly wanted to stop Mesogog."

Kim replied, "I couldn't imagine going through that. It must have been very hard for Trent to keep that secret for so long."

Tommy nodded, "Trent's a good kid, but his devotion to Anton could have gotten us hurt on the battlefield. I was a bit more willing to listen and give Trent a chance since he was an excellent ranger. Even though he was an asshole when he was evil!"

Kim laughed, "Don't forget mister, you were once the evil green ranger!" Tommy just rolled his eyes, but explained, "Kim, Trent was ten times worse than I was. Trent's evil side is someone you don't want to mess with…. he was ruthless on the battlefield and wasn't afraid to switch sides when it was convenient for him. I was glad when the real Trent broke through… he was a powerful ally, and I don't think we would have been able to defeat Mesogog without him."

Kim said, "I'll have to tell Trent about when I was turned evil… I think I could have given Trent a run for his money." Tommy shuddered, "Beautiful… don't remind me. That's a painful memory for me… I did not like seeing you that way."

Kim had a soft smile, "I'm sorry I put you through that. Afterwards, I finally understood what you went through after the whole Evil Green Ranger saga… I felt so guilty and couldn't believe that I was capable of doing what I did under that spell."

Tommy said, "We went through a lot together as rangers, but I'm happy just living a normal life with you."

Kim smiled at that and decided that this was the best opportunity to talk about their future, "Tommy, you really want a normal life with me?"

Tommy gave Kim a soft smile, "Of course I do. It's all I ever wanted since we got back together." Kim answered, "Tommy, I've been thinking more about our future. I hope you know that I do want to marry you one day."

Tommy softly said, "Kim, I want that as well. I can't picture a future without you by my side." Kim smiled, "So, you really do want this? I also want a family, but we can wait on that for a few years."

Tommy chuckled, "I hope you know you're the only woman that I want to settle down with, and I'd love to have a family with you one day."

Kim laughed, "I did promise your mom that we won't start a family until we're married. If we have kids, do you think we'll tell them about our ranger history?"

Tommy thought on that, "I have a feeling that any children we have will become rangers one day… we might as well be honest with them and tell them of our history when they reach ranger age."

Kim smiled at that, "Well, since we're discussing this, when do you think we'll get married?" Tommy gave a sly grin and replied, "You better give me a chance to plan a proposal. I do want to do this properly."

Kim chuckled, "Of course… I hope you make it special. You know that Trini is going to want us to plan a big wedding. I bet we'll have to invite the entire ranger family… they won't want to pass up the wedding of two legendary rangers."

Tommy laughed, "Other rangers have gotten married, and their weddings were not that huge." Kim quipped, "Those weddings were family… but you and I are well known in the ranger community. Besides I think I would like us to have a large wedding, surrounded by family and our friends."

Tommy smiled, "I'd think I like that as well." Tommy then kissed Kim, and they were thrilled that they seriously talked about they wanted for their future.

Now that he knew that Kim really did want a future with him, Tommy knew he had to make his proposal special for her. Tommy realized that Jason was right; he was being paranoid for nothing. Kim's birthday was coming up, and Tommy decided he would make this birthday for Kim one to remember.