"What an asshole!" Aisha nearly spit out her latte.

The volume of her voice had all of the people in the small coffee shop, Havana's, turning their heads in their direction. After leaving Tommy's house, Kimberly took Jason's invitation and slept over at his and Trini's house. Unlike Aisha and Rocky, they didn't have any children, so their spare bedroom was available for guests. She didn't sleep very well. No matter how much she fought to suppress her feelings, they just kept resurfacing. She was pissed that he didn't want her. She'd get over it eventually, but that wasn't happening any time soon.

When she did manage to get some sleep, she would wake up in a pool of sweat. She kept having a repeated dream of that night. Every single night since it happened she would hear his rejection and every single time it would crush her. The dream didn't go away at Trini and Jason's house. It was still haunting her.

When the sun came up the following day, Kimberly invited Trini and Aisha out for some morning coffee, where she was sure her friends could help put some clarity to her rough situation with Tommy. It only took Kimberly five minutes to explain what had happened the previous week after their little family barbecue.

"A little harsh on him, don't you think?" Trini said when the eyes of the other guests turned away.

"No way," Aisha shook her head. "I'm tired of hearing about guys exactly like Tommy. They want to play around with our feelings and then pretend like nothing happened.. and then they're shocked that we're pissed. They claim they're doing the right thing by protecting us, but I didn't ask to be protected, thank you very much."

Aisha took another long sip of vanilla latte before she said more.

"Speaking from experience there, Aisha?" Kimberly chuckled. She took a sip of her own coffee this time— black, plain, boring— like she deserved.

"Duh, don't you guys remember how much of a jerk Rocky was to me?"

Trini nodded, taking a sip of her Cappuccino— classic, just like her, "Oh yeah, what did you do to get him to come around anyway?"

"I came to my senses, that's what."

"Meaning?" Kimberly almost didn't dare ask. She had been in Florida while all of the drama had been happening. Even now, she was in Angel Grove and the distance sometimes kept her out of the loop.

"Meaning I finally took my Mama's advice and stopped waiting around for a man," she let out a sigh, signaling that it was a long story. "We were only sleeping together for fun and neither one of us expected me to get pregnant with Ava, but when those two pink lines showed up on the pregnancy test, I took responsibility. Rocky on the other hand…"

"I'm guessing he didn't take it well?" Kimberly asked.

"Let's just say I've never seen a man fall to the ground that fast in my life."

Trini and Kimberly shared a laugh as their imaginations played with the idea of Rocky fainting from the news he was going to be a father.

"Anyway," Aisha said, herding her friends back into the story. "Rocky was as big of a hoe as any twenty-three-year-old man. He didn't believe in monogamy, he thought that he didn't have a nurturing bone in his body, and that the idea of commitment was a woman's way of trapping a man for the rest of his life."

Trini grimaced, "Yikes."

Kimberly had never really heard the full story. She knew that Rocky and Aisha went through some problems when their relationship was first starting out, but she didn't know the details. Things clearly hadn't been easy for the second yellow and red ranger, but Aisha was headstrong.

"So what exactly did you do?" Kimberly asked, nursing her bitter cup of coffee.

"I let him be a hoe," Aisha shrugged, nonchalantly. "I realized my worth. I let him be free and I pretended it didn't bother me.. and pretty soon, it didn't, but it sure as hell bothered him. He didn't know what to do," she giggled to herself at the memory. "Pretty soon he was on his hands and knees, groveling for a chance with me."

"And you gave it to him?" Trini knew how the story ended, but if she had been in Aisha's position, she wasn't sure she would be as forgiving.

"Not before I let him stay on his knees for a few more minutes," Aisha smirked, devilishly, "I mean, I had to enjoy it."

Trini covered her face in her hand, her weak attempt at stifling a giggle.

Aisha's relationship with Rocky didn't start exactly how she would have hoped, but it made her a stronger person. She found the value in herself and put that above anyone else.

"I thought I needed to be with Rocky in order to be a good mother, but I didn't. If I'm with him it's because I want to, not because I need him. I didn't need any man. My dad made sure of that. I knew how to change a tire by the time I was twelve, put myself through college, bought a house by twenty-one, can kill my own bugs, and mow my own fucking lawn, so when you see me on the side of the road with Rocky on his hands and knees changing my tire, know its because I want him there, not because I need him."

Kimberly remained quiet for a moment, her gaze falling to the cooling cup of coffee in her hands.

"I don't know how to do that with Tommy, though. I mean, I don't need him— unless you count reaching the top shelf or something."

"They invented step stools for that," Aisha raised her brows behind her latte.

"Wait… I'm not so sure I agree with this, " Trini spoke up, waving her hands, "I'm not a relationship expert, but isn't it nice to be needed every once in a while? To be appreciated?"

"Being needed and appreciated are two entirely different things," Aisha rolled her eyes. "You appreciate someone for the things they do, especially when you don't ask them to— or nag in their language."

"I don't know, I'm just not entirely with you on this," Trini held her ground. "I think Tommy's just confused. He wasn't like Rocky in that way. He just got some random girl pregnant and he took responsibility for his actions right away. And I think he truly values his relationship with Kimberly and doesn't want to risk ruining that."

"Girl, are we living in the same universe?" Aisha scoffed. "He already did."

Now Kimberly was more confused than before. Her feelings for Tommy hadn't wavered. There was still a strong pull towards him.

"Not entirely… I mean, I'm not that upset about it anymore and I know we can move past this. Things will eventually go back to normal."

"I still think he's stupid," Aisha shrugged. When she noted the annoyance on Kimberly's face, she chuckled, "I'm sorry but it's the truth. What kind of guy just makes out with you and stops before it's starting to get good." Then there was a realization, "Do you guys think he has a problem, you know, getting it up…"

Now it was Trini's turn to choke on her drink. "Well, that would explain it."

It was all fitting together perfectly for Aisha. She had solved the mystery. "I have a friend, that has a friend, who has a cousin, that knows someone whose husband can't."

Kimberly's mouth dropped, the tips of her ears burning. This conversation was not happening.

"That's awful," Trini clutched her chest.

Aisha nodded, taking a sip of her latte, "I know, tragic—"

"—God, can we not speculate?" Kimberly's tone hushed them. She stole a few glances around before leaning in, her voice just a touch above a whisper, "Besides.. that wasn't an issue, okay?"

There was a ripple up her spine at the memory of the firmness she had felt beneath her. Even if she hadn't seen anything, she could feel everything.

Aisha snickered at Kimberly's scarlet face. "I'm sorry, but I can't think of a good reason as to why he would stop. He's a man where it counts, right? Why else would he turn you down?"

"He probably doesn't want a repeat of Natalie," Trini shivered.

"Oh, yeah," Aisha sat back, "She was insane. How did they meet again?"

"It was a mixer at his Fraternity," Trini wasn't sure if she was remembering correctly, "I think she was in the sorority next door and she went to the party… I don't know the details, but nine months later they had Kylie."

That was… a memory. Kimberly never had a day off when it came to her gymnastics training while she was in college. She was dedicated to her craft more than anyone else on her team. She skipped birthdays, dinners, holidays, get-togethers— everything, so that she could concentrate on being the best. She dated, but they were brief because they could never handle her demanding schedule. The guy from the letter had been the exact same way. He expected to become the center of her universe, but there was no room for him. He ended up cheating on her and then blaming her for his infidelity. He wasn't important anymore. Even though her schedule was chaotic, all of her friends from Angel Grove made the effort to call, email, or show up to her tournaments. The occasional call from Tommy wasn't unexpected, but the one that she received that time was. His voice was shaken and that startled her. He was always put together, even when they were battling it out at the park with a pack of putties. So to hear him that terrified was frightening for her too. He told her about the girl, about how he had too much to drink, about how she practically threw herself at him, and about how he took her up to his room. He heard from her a few weeks later and she broke the news. Pregnant.

"Are you okay, Kim?" Trini said softly when she noticed Kimberly had wandered off into the clouds.

"Yeah," Kimberly nodded, adjusting herself in her seat, "I just, I think about some of the stupid things I did when I was younger. I don't know how I would have handled it with a baby, but then I think about how amazing Kylie is and… I wish things were different, you know."

Trini gave her friend a sympathetic smile, "Between you and him?"

Kimberly shook her head. "Me, him, and Kylie… I wish I would have made different choices and it would have been me… instead of Natalie."

Trini and Aisha's eyes met and somehow communicated telepathically that Kimberly was more down than they originally thought.

"Honey, you wouldn't have Kylie," Aisha said softly. She reached out to Kimberly and placed a soothing hand down her back.

"I know… that's the hard part," Kimberly felt the knot in her throat begin to form. "I'm glad things worked out the way they did. I can't change the past."

"No, you can't," Trini told her gently, "but you can change the future."

Not when the future was fucking stubborn.

"I just don't understand why she would leave," Kimberly's nostrils flared. She didn't bother to keep her voice lowered anymore. The whole cafe could hear her for all she cared. "She gave up everything that I want and I can't have it. How could she do that to them?"

"I don't know what to tell you, Kim." Trini felt a sadness all of her own. "Maybe she wasn't ready to be a mother."

The thought of Natalie walking out on Tommy and their infant daughter had Aisha fuming. She didn't know the details that led to their breakup, but it still didn't excuse her actions. She tried not to judge, but how couldn't she? She was a mother also and there would be no way in hell that she would walk out on Ava and Rocky. The idea was ludicrous.

"How can a mother just abandon her own child—" Aisha's own anger was fueling her, and she didn't stop to think about what she was saying before the words came out. "—oh, Kim, I'm sorry. It's not often I put my foot in my mouth."

Mothers, in general, was a touchy subject for Kimberly. She'd been left behind just like Kylie had been. Left by a mother that wanted nothing to do with her… except Kimberly did have a relationship with her own mother once upon a time. They had a close bond, but when she met a French painter named Pascal Laurent, Kimberly was forgotten. She had only been seventeen at the time. Kimberly grieved her like she had died because for all she knew, she very well could have.

"It's okay," Kimberly returned a smile that never reached her eyes. "It doesn't bother me anymore."

Aisha reached for Kimberly's hand, "Do you want to talk about it?"

"It's not a big deal. I don't think about her anymore."

That was partially true. She didn't think about her, but there were moments in time when she wished things had been different.

"Does you wanting to go to Paris have anything to do with her?" Trini asked.

"Absolutely not," Kimberly said firmly, which was true. "I only considered it because they have the best program there, but Reefside looks really good too."

Aisha took another sip of her latte, "How did the tour of the campus go?"

"I haven't gone just yet. My tour is scheduled for later today. I'll probably head back to Angel Grove afterwards, but I'll call you guys and let you know how it went."

"I hope it's everything," Trini smiled. "I miss you so much when you're in Angel Grove. Reefside is where you need to be. It's growing and there are so many people that are supportive of small businesses. We're all here and I'm sure Adam and Zack will make the move over here too. We can all finally be together."

"And there are a lot of cute guys you can get under," Aisha nudged Kimberly with her elbow, causing the former pink ranger to let out a small smile.

It'd been so long since she last had a girl's day with Aisha and Trini. Maybe they didn't offer the clarity she wanted, but it was nice to hear their opinions, and regardless of what she decides to do, their coffee date did make her feel a little better. There was nothing a laugh couldn't fix.

"Be mad at him if you have to," Aisha said softly. "It's okay."

"I'm tired of being mad," Kimberly shook her head. "I just want him to choose me."

"He'll realize his mistake one day, Kim. I know he will," Trini placed a supportive hand on her upper arm.

"I hope you're right, but I'm not going to hold my breath."

Sunday had passed, then Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and now Kimberly was returning late to her apartment on a Thursday night, the eve before she was set to return to Reefside to help Kylie with her bake sale. The last couple of days had been filled with drinking wine and baking… sometimes at the same time. If it hadn't been for Trini and Aisha's little coffee get together, Kimberly might have spent it curled up in a ball watching lifetime… still with wine. Wine was the answer to everything.

She'd gone to yoga in the mornings like she normally did and even stopped by the gymnastics studio where she taught to speak to the owner about leaving to pursue a career in a different field. That was the first step towards the future. Now that she had let someone other than her group of friends know, it was starting to feel more real. The tour of the school had gone even better than expected. All she had to do now was come up with a portfolio of her work so that she could submit with her application. She had another two weeks off where she could work on it. Reefside was the perfect fit, but that didn't mean she wasn't going to try applying to the school in Paris.

The more she thought about it, the more it made sense to leave things with Tommy the way they were. He wasn't interested as much as she was and she was done trying to fight for something that had no win. Tommy was as stubborn as any guy and there was no changing that. For that reason alone, she would go visit Kylie, bake with her, spend time with her, and then leave. She wouldn't stay… not even if Tommy asked her to.

He hadn't even called her since she left the week before. He'd been silent and every day when she came home she would hope that she would have a voicemail from him, but there was nothing. This wasn't like them. He'd call at least once every couple of days or she would call him. They were close before and she would squeeze in a few minutes with Kylie as well, but his silence was painful. She was being pushed away and forgotten. It didn't matter that she had spent the last month at his side. It was all destroyed the moment his lips touched hers.

She closed the door behind her as she walked further into her apartment. Her bags were thrown haphazardly on the kitchen counter and she pulled a bottle of cool wine from her refrigerator. There was a moment when she contemplated grabbing a glass, but instead, she shrugged and popped the cork out of her bottle and took a long sip.

She moved towards her living room, where the thought of a sappy Hallmark movie was sounding rather pleasing. There was always a happy ending. She could use something like that right now. One of her side tables held her answering machine. The light was flashing red, indicating a new voicemail. There was a hopefulness— small, but there, that it was Tommy. With another sip of her wine, she pressed play.

"ONE NEW MESSAGE."

Only one?

"Hey, Kimmy," She heard a scruffy voice. Her Dad refuses to call her anything but that. While it was nice to hear his voice again, she felt a tinge of disappointment that it hadn't been Tommy. "I haven't heard from you in a while, kiddo. Carol called to let me know what happened to Tommy a few weeks ago and she said that you were over there helping out. That was nice of you."

Too nice of her. If she had known what would have happened then maybe she would have made different choices.

"I'm not sure if you're back yet, but I hope you're having fun."

She wasn't.

"I'm over in D.C. right now visiting Mikey, so you can reach me at his place. His number is still the same. Call me. Love you."

"END OF NEW MESSAGE. THERE ARE NO MORE NEW MESSAGES."

The cold and automated female voice made Kimberly frown. Why did it sound so condescending?

I got it. No one besides my dad cares to call.

Sighing, she decided to grab her remote and surf on over to the Hallmark Channel, where a movie was playing. She made a mental note to call her dad back after the movie and maybe a cry later. He'd been visiting her brother in D.C. and that sounded quite nice. She hadn't seen her brother in months and his wife was due to give birth to a little boy within a few weeks. She would soon be an aunt by blood. It would be nice to go visit before they were too busy with a new baby. A moment passed and the idea was still in her head. She could make the trip out there within the next two weeks. That way she still had the free time before training for nationals picked back up.

She was about to pick up the phone to call her dad when the phone rang. Her hand hovered over the phone, trembling when she saw the number displayed on the caller ID.

It was Tommy's.

There was another ring.

A million thoughts ran through her head. He was calling her? Why? He hadn't cared to call all week.

And then another ring.

Should she answer him? Should she let it go to voicemail? Should she answer and hang up? He kind of deserved it.

She gulped, her eyes never wavering from the ringing phone sitting on the table beside her.

She spent too much deciding that her machine ended up leading him to voicemail.

"Hey, this is Kim. You know what to do." Beeep.

There was a pause over the phone before he spoke.

"Hey, Kim. It's me," Tommy said. There was a softness in his voice that she hadn't heard before. "I was hoping I would catch you while you were home, but I guess you're out."

She did nothing but stare at the phone, her lips slightly parted, her heart pounding away against her rib cage.

"I'm sorry I haven't called, but I started working again and my days are long. By the time I get some free time, it's always really late and I figure you're asleep."

Another pause on his end and several heartbeats later for her.

"I think I grabbed everything you're going to need for tomorrow. I struggled deciding between baking powder and baking soda," He laughed softly, and she smiled in return. "I didn't want to mess up so I grabbed both. I could have really used your help there."

Her smile faded and her gaze averted. That was his fault.

"Anyway, Jason told me you're staying at his place on Friday after you're done with Kylie. My mom leaves on Saturday and I was hoping you could stay again for a couple of more weeks. It's just not the same without you here."

She heard his lips smack like he was finding the right words to say.

"Kylie misses you."

There was more. She could feel it, but he didn't continue. Instead, he cleared his throat.

"I work late on Friday too so you probably won't be here by the time I get off, but I hope I see you on Saturday. We're doing the bake sale outside the market off Rainer St. You're welcome to come... I'll even buy you a pastry. I heard the chef's amazing."

His soft laugh returned and she smiled again. Maybe she would stop by before she left back to Angel Grove… or maybe not. Seeing him again would probably not be a good idea.

"I hope you're doing well. Bye."

She heard the soft clip of his phone as he hung up. Immediately, she released a shaky breath. She had held her breath the entire time he had been on the phone in fear that if she had resumed he would hear her. Now she was breathless, flustered, shaky, and heartbroken all over again. Hearing his voice did nothing for the feelings she was fighting to suppress. That, like Tommy's interest in her, was a fight she couldn't win.

Somehow she thought she would feel different, but she didn't. In fact, her answer towards the situation arose. She wouldn't see him. She couldn't.

Author note: Hey guys! Here is another chapter for you guys! Thank you guys for all of your reviews and your messages. I'm really loving hearing your thoughts and opinions. More to come soon! See you guys next time!