Chapter Fourteen

Tommy

The relief Tommy felt after his conversation with Kimberly was immense. After drying her tears, Kimberly had launched into his arms where he held her even tighter than before. They stood quietly just like that as the minutes rolled by.

"I wanted to come home." Kimberly said quietly.

Somehow, Tommy knew exactly what she was talking about. "I know. Your roommate told me that you looked like you were thinking about it."

Kim chuckled softly. "They all know me pretty well. I'll miss them when...when I leave."

Tommy pulled back from their embrace to look into her eyes. There was such a sadness there. He lifted a gloved hand to touch the side of her face.

"We're going to figure all this out, ok?" Tommy said. "I'm not going to let anything happen to you."

Kim smiled wanly. "As much as I appreciate your words, we can't know for sure if we can get out of this problem."

Tommy placed his hands on her upper arms and squeezed. "There's always a way. And I'm going to find it."

Kimberly sighed and stepped out of his arms. "There's so much more that just doesn't make sense, Tommy. This war...those Rangers I met in Torin...nothing is clicking in place."

"What else happened over there? Please tell me."

"Well, before I was...taken...I was walking back to my apartment and…" Kimberly stopped, wrapping her arms around her chest like she was trying to hold herself together.

Tommy waited. He wasn't about to push her.

"I heard your voice." Kimberly said, "I heard you calling for help. You...your voice told me to go to the docks, which are near my apartment complex. So I followed your voice. And when I got to the docks, they were empty. I couldn't find anyone, let alone you. I called out for you and I heard nothing. After a minute, everything went black."

Rage built up inside Tommy and threatened to topple over. He wasn't angry with Kimberly by any means, but someone had used his voice to lure her away. Just like...

"Falcon said they used your voice to convince me to go to Anylioch." Tommy admitted. He was still not ok with that, but at least he had a reason why it happened.

Kimberly put a gloved hand up to her forehead. "So who used your voice to lure me? It had to have been Torin, right?"

Tommy nodded. "That's what we believe. They needed you for the Blue Amethyst Jewel transfer and my voice was the easiest way to get you there."

"But how did they get our voices in the first place? Were they stalking us or something?"

Tommy had never thought of that before. Falcon and his team all knew who he was probably well before Tommy arrived in Anylioch. How long had they been watching him?

"I'm not sure." he finally responded. "But we can ask Falcon. He's been forthright with pretty much everything so far."

"Pretty much?" Kimberly asked, an eyebrow lifting.

Tommy's mind went back to those nights he had encounters with Falcon. The old man had acted so strangely… Quickly, Tommy explained what had happened those nights in the park to Kimberly.

Thoroughly confused, Kimberly asked, "Why was Falcon so cryptic, though? I mean, he talked about my so-called 'last fight'. He talked about being in the center of everything with 'her'. He specifically said not to trust everything you see or hear. Tommy, what if we're still being used here?"

He had a similar thought in the back of his mind ever since he had arrived in this world. But he had dismissed them once he decided to trust the other Rangers. They knew how to find Kim, so he just went with it all.

"We'll talk to Falcon. Together. After this feast or whatever they are putting together." Tommy said, "I promise we're going to get every scrap of information that we need to get us home."

Kimberly nodded slowly. Her voice was still a little shaky when she responded, "Ok."

What Tommy wouldn't give to get that discouraged look off of her face.

"All I know is that I trust you and you can trust me. That's all we can know for sure." Kimberly said. She turned away from him then and walked towards a small table. Sitting on that table was the helmet for the Blue Amethyst Ranger.

Kimberly lifted the helmet in her hands and gazed down at the visor. The blue, purple, and pink hues of her Ranger suit were beautiful and they all complemented her. In conjunction with the Orca Zord, Tommy could see how Kim could be the leader of a team of Power Rangers. She had always told him that she never wanted to lead; that he was better suited to being in control of the team. But Kimberly never gave herself enough credit. Tommy believed she would make an excellent leader.

"What?" Kimberly asked.

Shaking himself from his thoughts, he smiled. "Nothing. It's just...you look so beautiful, Kim. I've missed you so much."

For the first time in months, Kimberly turned to him and gave him that smile that he loved so dearly. It lit up her face and made him feel so grateful that she was in his life.

"I love you." he said. "So much that it hurts sometimes."

Still smiling broadly, Kim replied, "I love you, too."

They stood like that for a time, just smiling and watching each other. Then Kim said, "Power Down."

As the suit fell away from her body, Kimberly stood there in a long, blue gown that had seen better days.

Following her lead, Tommy also powered down. He was still wearing the same clothes he had traveled in from Earth. Thankfully, Anya had cleaned them up for him before they left. He had other clothing strapped to his horse, but who knew where Carl had wandered off to with those Forest Warriors.

"How are the others? Back home?" Kim asked, striding forward to be close to Tommy once again. She pulled his hand into hers and squeezed his fingers.

Tommy sighed. "Well, they are very worried about you. And probably about me now, too. But I'm sure that they're ok. They're strong."

"Yeah, they are." Kim said, smiling fondly. "I miss them. I've missed all of you guys so much."

"Well, when we get home I'm going to convince Ernie to throw a big party. It'll be great. Everyone should be really happy once we get home."

"Oughta be interesting to explain all that's happened." Kim said ruefully.

"We'll have to come up with a good story that no one will question." Tommy said grinning.

"Not like we haven't had to lie to our parents before, anyways. Remember Ivan Ooze?"

"Ugh, how could I forget."

Kimberly laughed. "Yeah, well, I bet we can come up with a better story than that."

'True." Tommy said.

Placing his other hand over hers, he reveled in even just this much contact. Months and months without her and now she was finally here with him. At that moment, it didn't matter that they were stuck in another world and that they could be in danger. Sometimes you had to take a small step back to appreciate all you have in even the worst moments.

A chime tolled on the side table next to Kimberly's bed. Four o' clock.

"You know, I'm really glad that this world isn't all weird with time counting and stuff." Kim said. "There's too much going on to have to learn a new language or some other form of etiquette."

"Yeah, I guess we're pretty lucky on those counts."

"All the monsters and other places we've seen...everyone speaks English. It's kind of nice." Kim said, pondering.

Tommy started laughing. "Yeah, I guess."

Kim squeezed his hand again. After a moment, she looked thoughtful.

"What is it?" he asked.

"Will you...lay down with me?"

Tommy froze, but then he felt his heart melt. "Of course I will."

Leading him by the hand, Kimberly walked with Tommy to the oversized bed near the back of the room. It was rather grand with dark wood carvings of vines that made up the four posts of the frame. The all white blankets and pillows looked very inviting.

"They'll come find us when it's time to eat, right?" Kim asked, pulling Tommy closer and closer as she navigated across the bed.

"I don't care." he murmured, following her.

Kimberly lay down on one side of the bed and waited for Tommy.

She looked beautiful. It was amazing how easily he could ignore the disheveled gown, the spots of dirt on the sides of her face, and her disarrayed hair. None of it mattered one bit. It was impossible to imagine a moment where Kimberly could be unattractive to him.

The two lay next to each other silently, each watching the other. After a time, Tommy watched as Kimberly's eyes fluttered closed. She had to be exhausted after fighting Rory and running through the night.

With a couple fingers Tommy brushed some stray hairs behind Kim's ear.

"I love you." he said softly, then watched her until his own eyes closed.

Kimberly

The brisk knock at the door to her room jolted Kimberly awake, which startled Tommy. His arm had been laying over her body and he had pulled her closer while they had slept.

"Lord and Lady, dinner is served." came a voice from the other side of the door.

"Looks like we're late." Tommy said, his voice gravelly from sleep.

Kimberly sighed and snuggled closer. "Think of it like a snooze for your alarm. Maybe they'll come back in a few minutes."

He laughed softly. "I've told you before that hitting snooze is a bad idea."

"I never said anything about hitting anyone." Kim said with a lazy smile.

"Goofball." Tommy said teasingly and then nuzzled his nose against her cheek. "C'mon. Let's go."

Kimberly grumbled something about annoying royals before she rolled towards the edge of her side of the bed. She realized that she was still in the blue gown from the night before and winced. She probably looked like a crazy mess.

Tommy had stood up from the bed and he somehow looked just as handsome and put together as he always did. Even his hair didn't seem out of place.

"What?" he asked, catching her staring at him.

"Nothing." Kim said with a playful sigh, "I just wish my hair behaved as well as yours."

Tommy laughed. "You look just fine."

She blew a breath up into the hair falling into her face. "Uh huh."

"My Lady? My Lord?" the voice said from outside the door.

"We'll be out in just a minute!" Kim called. Turning back to Tommy, she began to panic a bit. "I can't go back wearing this! I need to change…"

"If I may, Lady!" the voice behind the door said a bit louder, "I am here to attend you!"

"Oh!" Kim said, feeling a flood of relief. "Great! You can come in!"

To her surprise, there were three women and one man at the door.

"My Lord, I noted that you were not in your chambers, but I am also here to attend to you." the man said, holding the door open for the three women to enter Kim's rooms.

"Oh, that's ok. I think I'm alright." Tommy responded.

"Nuh uh." Kimberly said, watching the ladies enter the room. "You go get ready, too!"

Tommy shrugged. "Alright, I guess…"

Kimberly grinned. "I can't wait to see what they force you into, Tommy."

He rolled his eyes back at her, but left with a smile. He followed the male attendant out the door and let it shut behind them.

The women wasted no time. One rushed to a closet that looked very similar to the one she had had at her Torin rooms. Another carried a case of hair styling tools. The last held a smaller box filled with cosmetics.

The stupid girl part of her was excited. Getting these makeovers had been one fun aspect of being in this dimension. It wasn't bad to be happy for a little bit, right?

The women worked far more swiftly than her past attendants had – they must have been pretty late. Kimberly winced a couple times as she had the snarls in her hair brushed out and the dirt washed from her face and arms.

The woman who went into the closet had brought out a new gown that nearly took Kimberly's breath away. The first glance was for the colors: pale pink satin was overlaid with darker purple and blue floral patterned lace. At the second notice, Kimberly saw the inlaid white gems that wove up through the tight bodice. It appeared heavy and too ornate for good movement, but when the women pulled it over Kimberly's head, it seemed to float to the floor and feel light and airy. She was in love with it almost immediately.

After putting on a light coating of cosmetics to her face, Kimberly was ready to face this dinner with at least some semblance of pride in place.

When the door opened to the hallway, Tommy was standing there waiting for her. He was turned to the male attendant he had left with, but when the door opened Tommy was already smiling to her.

His smile faltered. Eyes widening, Tommy took an involuntary step forward. His mouth opened as though he was about to say something, but no words came out.

Kimberly had dressed up for Tommy before. They'd gone to dances before, gone on cute dates. But this was different. She felt different standing there in front of him. Not to mention, Tommy was dressed up, too.

His hair was down at his shoulders and he was dressed much like many of the courtier men had been in the throne room earlier. Tall black leather boots rose to his knees where they met with dark green breeches that sat high on his waist. Tommy's cream colored shirt was tucked in, but the rest was billowy and loose at the sleeves. Over the shirt was a brown handsewn brocade vest that was designed with golden and silver leaves weaving through.

Tommy looked like a prince out of a fairytale. Kimberly realized that Tommy wasn't the only one staring in awe.

There was a quiet giggling sound from behind Kimberly. She cleared her throat and turned to look at the women, who immediately stepped away from each other and quieted down.

"I think we have a dinner to get to?" Kim asked them, then stood aside to let them go by her down the hall.

"Yes, Lady." one of them replied, then the three walked single file back down the hall.

The other man bowed to Kimberly before following the other ladies.

Tommy and Kimberly were facing each other once again. Tommy grinned at her and Kimberly returned the smile.

"Shall we?" he asked her, holding out an arm.

Kimberly made a giggle of her own and took it. "Yes. Let's."

The couple walked quickly to keep up with the other servants as they marched down the hallways. It was mesmerizing to see the differences between this palace and the fortress in Torin. However hard they dried to dress up the fortress, it would never compare to surroundings Kimberly saw now. Gold, silver, marble, gems...whether it was on furnishings or on the framings of paintings, there seemed to be some shoehorned everywhere. She was reminded of Palace of Versailles.

The hallways were getting wider and taller as they walked. Clearly they were passing into the most lavish parts of the palace. Kimberly kept a hand light on Tommy's arm. She was nervous, but having him there next to her did wonders. Even after everything had happened, Kim was proud of how she had handled it all. A year ago? Two? Who knew how she would have reacted to everything. Becoming a Power Ranger and growing up… She was beginning to feel like an adult.

In the final hallway before their destination, there were people lining the way on either side of Kimberly, Tommy, and the servants who lead them. Many were more servants, but there were also courtiers watching them pass. It was daunting at first, but then Kimberly noticed that they were all smiling. They genuinely all seemed very happy.

"Ok, this is a little strange, but at least they don't look mad." she whispered out of the side of her mouth at Tommy.

"Did the Torin people look mad to you?" Tommy asked, inclining his head and smiling back at those they passed.

Kimberly was reminded of the hundreds of "students" standing before her back in Torin. They didn't seem mad...but they didn't seem very happy, either.

"I think they were all forced into a situation none of them wanted. But no one confronted me." Kim replied, looking up to him.

Tommy was smiling, but it didn't reach his eyes. He was concerned, that much Kim could be sure about. It set her a little more on edge.

Kimberly faced forward and nearly gasped as she took in the gigantic wooden doors that were opened to reveal what looked to be a gleaming ballroom filled with even more courtiers and servants milling about.

She squeezed Tommy's arm and he flexed his muscle back. Stay together, the silent movements said.

Once they had passed through the doors, Kimberly felt like Cinderella. The crowd turned to them and every face was on her and Tommy. The quiet mutterings of the people ceased. And there, far across the ballroom floor, were the King and Queen at two ornate marble thrones atop a tall marble platform.

The silence that fell was unsettling. Again, many of the people here were smiling, but some had such blank expressions that Kimberly was reminded of store mannequins.

What was going on?

The crowd parted like the Red Sea to let them walk forward towards the King and Queen. The servants that aided them melted into the crowd, leaving Tommy and Kimberly to walk forward alone.

Even from quite a distance, Kimberly could see the King and Queen were smiling just as broadly as many of their subjects.

Kimberly and Tommy stopped a few paces away from the platform.

"Welcome, friends!" The King declared, arms up wide in greeting. "Welcome to our kingdom! We are honored to have you here today and we are honored that you made the decision to aid us!"

Kimberly nearly snorted. There was no decision to make – how else were they going to get home?

Tommy answered for them both. "We appreciate the welcome."

Short, sweet, to the point. No acknowledgement of aiding this kingdom in anything.

Kim noticed the Queen's lips purse just a bit.

The King went on as though this exchange never happened. "We welcome you to our home with this feast and this ball!"

Amazingly, the giant ballroom was instantly transformed. There were tables everywhere covered in rich looking tablecloths, cushioned chairs awaiting the members of the party to sit. And along one of the longer walls, a buffet of foods and meat carving stations. However, this buffet was not for people to pick and choose; there were servants already attending to the courtiers and asking for their selections. Next, those courtiers that did order, made their way to tables to sit.

"My Lord, My Lady." a servant said, coming up to Tommy and Kimberly. "What may I bring to your table?"

It was impossible to see what was on the buffet table from where they stood. Kimberly squinted her eyes but still couldn't make out much.

Thankfully, the servant understood this and began rattling off proteins, vegetables, and other menu items.

After selecting what they wanted, the servant than directed them to a table close to the King and Queen. Tommy held out a chair and Kimberly sat down with a whoosh of her skirts, thankful that the gown wasn't difficult to sit in. Tommy then pulled out his own chair and sat close beside her.

"I know this is strange and all, but I am starving." Tommy said, smiling down at Kim.

She returned the smile. "I'm right there with you."

The two began watching the crowd. The celebratory nature of the ballroom was palpable. It was as though they had won this war against Torin at last. Kimberly couldn't help but continue to feel unnerved by it all.

"I feel like we're not in on the joke here." she muttered to Tommy.

"Hopefully they get to the punchline soon." he replied, inching closer to her. "Did you bring your Jewel?"

"Yup. And the Gray Ruby."

"I'm surprised they haven't asked for them yet."

Kimberly nodded once, keeping an eye out on the crowd.

After a few moments, a servant presented them with two plates piled with food. She placed the plates on the table before them, bowed, and made her way back to the other side of the ballroom. Another servant arrived with two crystal goblets filled with water.

"One thing's for sure...this food looks amazing." Kim said, her mood lightening a bit.

The two took a few bites and then looked at each other. The food tasted amazing, too. They were quick to keep shoveling down more bites.

"This food is definitely better than the food in Torin." Kimberly mumbled.

"It might be the best food I've ever tasted." Tommy said after taking a swallow.

The two cheerfully continued eating for several more minutes before sitting back in their chairs with full stomachs.

"Ugh...I could go to sleep." Kim said, laughing.

"Me too." Tommy said with a grin.

Several minutes passed. Without prompting, Kimberly watched in awe as the buffet table and the rest of the dining tables disappeared. When their table popped out of existence, they stood up from their chairs, which disappeared, as well.

"After such a filling feast, it is only fitting that we carry on with some dancing, no?" The King called from his platform. He raised his hands and clapped three times.

Where the feast had been laid out, there was now a small orchestra playing quick music made for dancing.

Soon, Kimberly felt her foot tapping on the ground. Tommy leaned over to look and started laughing.

"May I have this dance?" he asked, holding out a hand to her.

Kim looked at him in wonder once more. He was handsome no matter what he did, but now...he looked like royalty. He looked like the kind of guy any girl could swoon over.

"Um." she said, gathering herself together again. "Yes."

Pulling her gently towards the center of the ballroom, Tommy placed one hand to the small of her back. The feeling ignited something in Kimberly that she couldn't explain. Her whole body felt warm and tingling. She...wanted him.

The thought struck her like lightning. Kimberly and Tommy had kissed, sure. They'd hugged and snuggled and stayed close together. But this feeling was not one for chaste actions.

Kimberly really, really wanted him.

Tommy seemed to sense the change in her and he looked down at her in concern. When their eyes met, his widened. They knew each other too well.

As if the mood changed in the entire ballroom, a slow song began. Courtiers paired up around them and began swaying to the music.

Tommy gulped, which to Kimberly was adorable. She decided that she would be the one to set the scene here.

She pulled herself in closer to him, keeping in time with the music. Soon she was pressed up against him.

Tommy was breathing steadily, watching her. When she was flush up against him, he let out a shaky sigh.

And then they danced. The song was soft and delicate and it didn't take long for the couple to find a rhythm.

Tommy appeared to try and speak up several times, but then he would catch himself and look away from Kimberly.

It didn't matter to her. Having him close was all that mattered in that moment. She stayed silent and waited until he spoke up.

When he finally did, his topic of choice kind of threw her off.

"I think we need to get a private meeting with the other Rangers and the King and Queen." Tommy said, his eyes quickly casting around the room.

Kimberly shook her head to clear it. He was right, of course.

"Uh, yeah. Sure." was all she could think of to say.

When Tommy's eyes had returned to her, they were bright and clear. He quietly said, "I think we should share a room tonight."

Heat began rising in Kimberly's body. She wondered if Tommy was feeling the same way.

"Ok." she responded, mouth dry.

They continued to dance close, forgetting the time, forgetting their circumstances, forgetting the people around them.

Was this some sort of magic? A spell woven over them to bring them closer together?

Whatever it was, Kimberly didn't care. And when the music died down towards the end of the night, she and Tommy were quick to leave the ballroom.