Disclaimer: I don't own the characters of Power Rangers just the ones I make up in the story.

Chapter 21: Graduation Day and New Beginnings

Tommy and Kim's Townhouse, Angel Grove

May 15, 1997

12 pm

Kim was standing in front of her full-length mirror checking her appearance. She was wearing her favorite sundress with her graduation gown hanging nearby. Kim looked over at it and smiled.

It's been two months since the court hearing, and she was starting to feel more relieved by each day. Luca was 9 months old now and growing like a weed. He was starting to crawl and was fascinated by all the wrong things, making a trip to the store to buy items to baby-proof the house necessary.

Since the court hearing, Tommy has been more overprotective of Kim and Luca, checking the door locks twice, installing new door locks, always accompanying Kim and Luca to the front door before he parks the truck in the garage and making sure the door locks are locked after him before he parks the truck. As time went on Kim was getting more annoyed by his behavior but Jan told her that Tommy has always been that way, especially with those that he loves deeply.

Kim wondered if Tommy was even going to make it to graduation, since it was a practice day for him at the racetrack. Tommy and Kim had mild PTSD after the attack on Kim and Luca being kidnapped so Tommy's therapist had told him to take up a hobby and that same day Tommy's Uncle John offered him a spot on his local race team that raced on the weekends. Tommy jumped at the offer and soon was behind the wheel of an actual race car. He's still not sure if he wants to make a career out of it but his mind is always on Kim and Luca and how safe they would be if he left them for long periods of time.

The baby monitor lit up and Kim could hear Luca's cry signaling that he was hungry. Kim left the bedroom and went across the hall to Luca's room where Luca was sitting up in his crib. Kim checked his diaper first, which was dry, then lifted him out of the crib and walked down the stairs to the kitchen, put Luca in his highchair, and started to prepare a bottle for him.

Luca whined until the bottle was fully warmed and Kim checked the temperature of the bottle. She went over to Luca and handed the bottle to him. He grabbed it and drank from it greedily. Just then she heard the door being unlocked. She jumped and started to panic until she heard Tommy say it was him unlocking the door. She relaxed then as Tommy came in the house.

"I'm sorry I should have called first but I…" Tommy started to say.

"Forgot your phone, I know. It's on the coffee table by the way," Kim said.

"You know me too well, beautiful," Tommy said as he went over to where his phone was and picked it up.

"How come you're home so early? I thought practice ran late," Kim asked.

"Uncle John wouldn't let me miss graduation, so he let me go early," Tommy said coming closer to Kim.

"That was nice of him," Kim said coming closer to Tommy.

"I miss you on the weekends," Tommy said.

"I miss you too," Kim said as their lips brushed against each other, then Tommy and Kim kissed.

They were locked in that kiss for a couple of minutes until they heard Jason and Trini call from the front door.

"Hold on!" Tommy said as he went to the door to unlock it. Jason and Trini came in then, Trini holding a shopping bag from the boutique shop she and Kim liked to shop at in the mall.

"Hey Kim, ready to beautify ourselves for graduation?" Trini asked.

"Sure am. You two watch Luca for us while we go upstairs to do our nails, makeup, and hair," Kim said pulling Trini up the stairs.

"It's only graduation," Tommy called up the stairs.

"You only graduate high school once so it's a big deal!" Kim called back as Trini laughed.

Tommy and Jason rolled their eyes.

Luca finished his bottle then and let out a satisfying burp. Tommy grabbed a cloth and wiped his face, lifted him out of the highchair, and took him to the living room. He set Luca down on the floor as he and Jason sat down on the couch with beverages in hand.

"So, have you decided what to do after graduation, like go to college or make racing a career?" Jason asked.

"Well, now that you mentioned it, I haven't told Kim, but I got accepted to Angel Grove University. I got the letter yesterday," Tommy said.

"I got mine yesterday too, and Trini got hers the day before. Did Kim get hers yet?"

"I think she got hers a couple of days ago, same as Trini."

"So, you're going to go to college?"

"Yeah, I'm pretty sure I am. I told Uncle John that while I enjoy racing I don't want to make a career out of it. It would be too risky leaving Kim and Luca alone for extended periods of time."

"Me and Trini would help out, along with Aisha, and Billy, Rocky, and Adam when they return from their foreign exchange trips."

"Yeah I know, but I want to get a better job so I can provide for Kim and Luca and set an example for Luca by going to college and getting my degree. I don't want to be an absentee father."

"I understand. Have you decided on a major yet?"

"Not yet, but I'm thinking about a few majors that I would enjoy studying. How about you?"

"Still undecided. I think the other girls and guys are undecided on majors still themselves."

"Yeah," Tommy said sipping his drink.

Just then Luca spit up some of his lunch and started to cry. Tommy went over to him as Jason went to get the cloth from the kitchen. He handed it to Tommy as Tommy wiped Luca's face and picked him up to comfort him.

"It's okay, buddy. You just drank your bottle too fast, that's all," Tommy said as Luca cuddled into Tommy's chest and sighed.

"Tommy, is everything okay down there? I thought I heard Luca spit up," Kim called from the top of the stairs.

"Everything's fine, beautiful, he's okay now. I wiped his face clean and he's starting to fall asleep against my chest," Tommy called back.

"Okay, thank you, handsome!" Kim called as she went back into the bedroom.

"She actually heard him spit up?" Jason asked.

"Oh, she can hear him spit up a mile away. She calls that her mommy radar, I call it being overprotective," Tommy said.

"Well you can't blame her after what happened," Jason said sipping his drink.

"Yeah, let's not talk about that, okay?" Tommy said as he laid Luca down in his playpen.

Angel Grove Botanical Gardens, Angel Grove

3 pm

The graduation ceremony was halfway through when they turned the podium over to the student speaker, which was Billy. He got to the podium, cleared his throat, and started his speech.

"Principle Caplan, members of the school board, parents, teachers, staff, and my fellow graduates, this past year we have seen our fair share of triumphs as well as our fair share of troubles. Even though I was overseas on a foreign exchange trip for half of last year as well as this year, I have heard of the struggles as well as successes of some of my fellow graduates, who also happen to be my closest friends. While some have had their families grow, some of them have also almost had their families torn apart. But those struggles didn't define them, those struggles have made them stronger and more resilient than ever before," Billy said as he looked at Tommy and Kim and smiled. Tommy and Kim smiled back.

As Billy continued talking Kim and Tommy could hear Luca babbling and cooing as his grandma Jan was holding him in the bleachers. They looked at each other and smiled, thinking about how this past year had transformed their lives, with Luca being born and taking care of him, had changed them for the better. They were more mature and more responsible, which prepared them for the next part of their journeys together, college.

After the ceremony, the group of friends gathered on the lawn in front of the school, so Rocky, Adam, and Billy could meet their nephew and get to hold him for a little bit. The baby smiled a toothless smile as he got all the attention of the many people he knew as his family. As their friends went off to be with their families, Kim and Tommy stood together in front of their favorite oak tree, posing for pictures for Tommy's parents, looking at each other with adoration in their eyes, looking down at their son, and wishing that these moments would never end.