A/N- For those of you who were worried- this should ease your worry somewhat. :D

Neo-Ninjetti

Chapter 25: Mending the Heart

"...and...never...say...goodbye." a voice finished causing Kim to freeze in place. She slowly lowered the still body of Tommy to the sandy ground her heart skipping a beat. Then when she looked at his facing thinking that it wasn't possible she was amazed to see his brown eyes, his beautiful brown eyes staring back at her. "Kim-" he began his voice hoarse and weak. "I-"

Kim didn't let him say another word. Instead she kissed him- gently, passionately and frantically. It was so much different then the kisses they had shared back in High School and it was so much different then the desperate kiss when she was trying to get through to him. This kiss was perfect and when she finally pulled back they were both breathless.

"Kim-"

"I thought- I thought I'd lost you..." she stated as her eyes filled up with tears again. "I've already lost everyone else."

"What?" asked Tommy unsure of what she meant. "What are you talking about?" Tommy watched as her eyes fell to the sand and that's when he noticed that everything around him, everything as far as the eye could see was sand. "Kim..." he began again in shock as he manoeuvred himself into a sitting position. "What happened here?"

Kim sobbed and allowed herself to be taken into his arms. "It was Mistress Chaos," she explained as he rubbed her back. "After you di-died she called on her powers and I was already calling on mine to-to…oh I don't know what I was going to do but the silence shook me and when I opened my eyes I was confronted with nothing…"

Tommy nodded slowly in understanding and still held her. "So," he began as he looked around. "It's just us then..."

Kim nodded into his shoulder. "Just us," she whispered.

"In the whole world?"

Again she nodded. "I assume so," she answered as she pulled away from him. "I mean I haven't left your side but it certainly doesn't look very good."

Tommy sighed. "Then what do we do?"

Kim shrugged. "I don't know," she admitted with a solemn sigh. "There's nothing left."

"This is all my fault-" Tommy stated as he shook his head.

"No," Kim insisted as she saw the guilt that was creeping into his eyes. "It's not."

"I was captured and turned evil- again!" Tommy pointed out as he looked her in the eyes. "How can this not be my fault?"

"It's not your fault," she insisted once more.

"Yes it is." Tommy argued.

"Tommy-" Kim began, biting her lower lip. "-you can't-"

"I can't forgive myself for what I've done..." he stated solemnly as he looked away from her. "…nothing can change that."

She shook her head and gently turned his face so that he was once again looking at her. "It doesn't matter if you can forgive yourself," Kim whispered softly. "I forgive you."

"What?" asked Tommy suddenly confused at what Kim could be referring to. "What could you possibly forgive me for?"

"I forgive you-" Kim repeated. "On Phaedos? When we had to forgive something- I forgave myself for leaving Angel Grove, my real dreams and my obligations to the rangers. I also forgave myself for sending that STUPID letter which-"

"Was a lie-" finished Tommy much to Kim's surprise. "I know. I heard you. When I was under the spell I heard you...but I don't remember why you sent it…."

"I was alone and confused," Kim answered sadly. "You had your own life and I was living my dream- but it wasn't all that it cracked up to be and I dunno- I heard from Billy that you and Kat were really hitting it off and even though I wanted to come back I felt that I couldn't and I felt as though I was holding you back by keeping you..." she explained all her words coming out in a rush. "...so I wrote the letter thinking that if I couldn't come back and I couldn't be with you then I couldn't ruin your life. And I dunno- a part of me was hoping that you'd come after me. Honestly I thought that you would. I thought that you would teleport over and tell me that you couldn't let me go...but you never came."

"I was hurt." Tommy answered finally. "No- I was destroyed. The way that you had phrased that letter Kim I thought-"

"I know what you thought..." she interrupted standing up abruptly. "...and I was an idiot for thinking that you would actually come and-"

"Hey now," he interrupted. "I thought that I was doing what you wanted. Staying away seemed like the best thing to do at the time I mean honestly when you right someone a 'Dear John' letter usually it's for real. You can't blame me for not being a mind reader."

"I know- but I thought you would never let me go." Kim stated quietly. "I thought that you loved me...I thought that you would always love me...guess I was wrong."

"Who says you were wrong?"

Kim's heart skipped a beat. And she couldn't say anything at all.

"I never stopped loving you," Tommy confided watching as a thousand emotions ran over Kim's featured. "I never stopped loving you," he repeated. "Do you know that?"

Kim said nothing but leaned in for another passionate kiss. When she pulled away, she felt her heart fluttering a mile a minute inside her chest. "I know it now…and I never stopped loving you either…"

They kissed again but this time it was Tommy who pulled back to wrap Kim into a tight, almost bone crushing hug. "I've missed you…" he whispered.

"I miss you too," she whispered back as she held on to him as though her life depended on it. "But it's too late."

"Kim,"

"Look around you," Kim interrupted as she pulled back. "Look at the world Tommy. It's been destroyed. Our friends are gone. Our families are gone. The world is gone…."

Tommy fell silent and just held her as the body-wracking sobs returned. Finally, when Kim quieted down again, Tommy spoke. "Do you think we can fix this?"

"Fix this?" asked Kim as she looked up at him. "Fix this how?"

"Like we did with Zordon," Tommy explained. "We called on the power and-"

"-and there was six of us then," she pointed out. "Now there's only two."

"Two heads are better than one."

Kim laughed despite herself. Tommy had always been able to make her laugh no matter the circumstances. "That's true…" she agreed with a smile. "Two heads are better than one."

"Then we can fix this." Tommy stated confidently.

Kim sighed. "I don't see how."

"To those who possess the power-" he began with a raised eyebrow

"-anything is possible," finished Kim with a sigh. "But still Tommy-"

"We have to try." Tommy insisted with a smile. "We have the power to bring the world back and I want it back so that I can live my life with you."

That caught Kim off guard "What are you suggesting?" she asked, her heart knowing what he was asking but her mind not daring to believe it.

"You know what I'm suggesting."

Kim shook her head; her suspicions confirmed "We hardly know each other-"

"We knew each other once." Tommy pointed out as he wrapped his arms around her, trying to impress upon her how serous he was. "And think about it Kim, the feelings are there--you do love me-"

"Yes." Kim assured as she planted a small kiss on his cheek. "Yes I love you Tommy- more than ever. More than I ever thought possible, even after all this time…."

"And I love you." Tommy continued as he stroked her beautiful brown hair.

"So if we get out of this," Kim began tentatively.

"When," interrupted Tommy sharply and insistently. "When we fix things…"

"If," Kim repeated as she caressed her face. "We of all people know that nothing is certain…."

Tommy shook his head. "Love is certain," he insisted. "My love for you is certain. Your love for me is certain. And I am certain that love is the most powerful force in the universe…"

Kim blushed slightly. "When did you become such a poet?"

"Who knows," Tommy replied with a glint in his eyes. "But if we get out of this and stop Mistress Chaos…Kim, will you marry me?"

Kim paused considering the question. There was so much uncertainty and she didn't want to commit herself to one thing and then have to face another reality. But then again- this was Tommy she was thinking about and she loved him more than anything.

"Well?" Tommy asked, watching the uncertainly float across her eyes. "Kimberly?"

Kim leaned forward and kissed Tommy passionately as though it would be for the last time. "Of course I'll marry you Tommy," she whispered huskily as she held onto his broad shoulders. "I've always known that I'd marry you…."

Tommy just smiled and let the irony of her last statement vanish. "I love you."

"I love you Tommy…." Kim replied with a quiver in her voice and Tommy could see the fear in her eyes. "…Tommy, I'm-"

"Shh Beautiful," Tommy soothed as he lovingly traced her jaw line with the back of his hand. "Just trust me."

"I trust you," Kim assured as she took his hands. "I trust you with my life…"

And with that they closed their eyes and called upon the power that they knew could make anything possible.