HI! Remember me? It's Hopelessromanticgurl. The hopeless romantic writer who stinks at description and adds shameless, useless, fluff whenever I feel like it. Lol, yeah that's the one. I'm finally back after a year long hiatus! I don't have any good excuses other than the truth…life, and writer's block has been kicking my butt off and on for an entire year! Anyway, thank you for those who are still reading. I promise I'm going to try my best to start posting updates regularly again. If you're still reading and haven't given up on me, please leave a review below so I know you're still there.
A/N Power Ranger Zeo Settings and Characters all belong to Haim Saban and Toei Company and the Fox. Any original characters and this story are copyright © 2011-2018 to Hopelessromanticgurl, all rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the author.
Thank you mae-E for helping me with the story! It wouldn't be possible without you!
As everyone opened their eyes, they noticed they were back in the command center. Kimberly opened her eyes, and suddenly she felt a weight on her head. Her eyes went wide, what was on her head? Is that how she was able to see the Rangers again? Was it all an illusion from the monsters trying to torture her?
She went to reach up to grab the machine when two other hands grabbed her. She panicked once more and looked only to see Tommy. He kissed both her hands. "You're safe," he promised.
He let go of her hands and then reached up and removed the machine from her head. He handed it off to Alpha without taking his eyes off Kim.
"It's ok. You're safe." He leaned down and kissed her forehead. "I'm right here. You're safe."
Kimberly relaxed when she felt the weight leave her head. What was on my head?
Tommy heard her voice in his head. He smiled gently and looked at her. It was a device to be able to tell how far inside yourself you were. We had to make sure we got to you before the lights went out.
Kimberly nodded. She inhaled and exhaled a deep breath and looked around. Tommy was right. She was back in the Command Center. "Jay…Tri…" Her voice sounded horse surprising herself.
"You haven't spoken in a while. It's going to take time for your voice to come back." Tommy said gently.
Kimberly sighed. "Jay…Trini…"
"Jason, Trini, I think she's looking for you," Tommy said.
Jason came and stood next to her with Trini at her side. "Hey Sis, I've missed you."
The three of them shared a hug.
"I'm thrilled you're back. I've missed you so much." Trini said.
"Me too."
Kimberly looked around again. "Where she?"
"Where is who?" Tommy asked.
"Kat?"
"At home, resting," Jason answered. "She knew she was making you uncomfortable, so she left."
"Good? Bad? Don't know…confused…scared…" Kimberly started to breathe heavier.
"No, no, no," Tommy soothed quickly. "It's ok. Don't worry about Kat right now. Just focus on being here with us. Alpha and Zordon ran a scan, and it said the spell has been broken, but that doesn't mean you are forced to forgive her. You don't even have to see her until you're ready."
Kimberly nodded as she calmed down. "Can't talk."
"It's ok. Rest your voice. You don't have to talk anymore tonight." Tommy said.
"Unless you want to," Rocky said. "You can tell us what happened."
"No. Can't…not ready…too scary…"
"It's ok, Beautiful we will go at your pace."
Kimberly nodded. Tommy reached over and stroked her hair behind her ear. Kimberly held his hand and leaned her head into his hand as she closed her eyes using his hand as a pillow. He chuckled softly and used his other hand to continue stroking her hair. Her breathing evened out, and her eyes slipped closed.
"Zordon…" Tommy started.
"She is just sleeping, Tommy. Do not fear."
Tommy let out a breath of relief.
"In the morning we can focus on her talking more and moving more. Her muscles will be stiff from not being used. But she should be back to moving and talking in no time." Zordon explained.
"Good. Can we all stay here tonight?" Aisha asked.
"Of course. I will teleport you all to your own rooms."
In a flash of light, everyone was gone.
"Zordon, will Kimberly really be ok?" Alpha asked.
"I do not know, Alpha. She seems ok for now. However, it might just be the shock. Only time will tell. She seems to do better when all the rangers are with her. But we will see what happens when Tommy and the others are needed in battle."
"Aye, aye, aye, I do hope Kimberly will be ok."
"So do I Alpha, so do I."
A few hours later Tommy woke up to the sound of a crying Crane. As he looked at Kimberly, she was sitting up in bed crying softly.
"Hey, Beautiful, it's ok. Please don't cry." He pulled her into his arms and held her close. "You're safe. I'm right here. It was just a bad dream."
She snuggled into his arms and sniffed softly. "No bad dream."
"You didn't have a bad dream? Then why are you crying?" He asked gently.
"Where am I?" she cried out.
Tommy pulled her closer to him and hugged her close. He rubbed her back and looked around. That's when he realized they weren't in the regular room Kimberly was used to. Zordon had teleported them to a special room where they could keep an eye on Kimberly's physical health from the main room just in case something came up during the night that was missed earlier. Kimberly must have woken up, disoriented and been even more scared when she didn't recognize the room.
"It's ok, Beautiful. You're still safe in the Command Center. This is a different room than you're used to so Zordon and Alpha can keep an eye on your physical health. But you're still safe."
Kimberly snuggled further into his arms. "I thought…"
"I know. It's ok. You're not there. You're here, and you're safe."
Kimberly nodded but made no move to get out of his arms. He kissed her head. "Let's try and get some more sleep. I'll hold you all night."
Kimberly nodded and closed her eyes. Tommy waited until he knew for sure she was sleep then he went back to sleep too.
The next morning Kimberly and Tommy were awake. Both just snuggled in each other's arms. Kimberly laid her stomach, on Tommy's chest with one hand resting on his chest by her face. Tommy laid on his back with one arm wrapped around Kimberly's back.
Tommy stroked her hair, down her neck, past her shoulders and down her back.
Kimberly giggled and buried her face in his chest.
"What's so funny?" he teased as he stroked his fingers down her side and then back up.
"It tickles!" she giggled.
"Really?" he teased. "I had no idea."
He stopped, and she unburied her face from his chest. "Can we stay like this all day?"
"You mean you want to stay in bed with me all day while I tickle you to death?" He teased giving her side one more tickle.
She giggled and shook her head. "No tickling, but I want to stay in bed with you all day. I don't want to do anything else."
He chuckled. He was tempted to say yes and just spend the entire day in bed with her, but he also knew she was just using it as an excuse to not have to go out and face the reality of what had happened to her. But he also wanted to keep her mood up, so he continued to tease her.
He carefully rolled her over onto her back, making sure not to pin her down or even get on top of her. He stayed laying on his side next to her. "Sorry Kimberly," he teased. "But being tickled to death…" he tickled her stomach gently. "…Comes with the territory of staying in bed with me all day."
She giggled and squirmed and pushed him away making him stop. "I don't want to face everyone." she frowned finally telling him the real reason she wanted to stay in bed with him.
"Nobody is going to judge you." Tommy soothed stroking her hair. "They all love you."
"They are going to have questions. I don't want to answer any questions. I don't want to talk about it, I don't want to think about it."
"It's at your pace, Kimberly. Nothing is going to happen unless you want it to."
Kimberly nodded.
"Unless you decide to stay in bed with me all day. Then you're getting tickled whether you want to or not." he winked at her.
She giggled knowing he'd never do anything to her that she didn't want.
He leaned down and kissed her forehead. "Let's take a shower and get ready for the day."
She sighed but nodded. She was happy they had already previously made love, it made the showering together thing a whole less awkward.
After the showered and dressed, they went to the main room.
"Good Morning Rangers, did you sleep well?" Zordon asked.
"Ok," Kimberly answered softly.
"Kimberly woke up a little spooked last night, But she's doing ok. I slept good having this wonderful Angel back in my arms." Tommy smiled.
Kimberly blushed.
"Have the others been here yet?" Tommy asked.
"Yes, they have all gone home to change, and I think one of them may bring some breakfast back with them. I assume you are both hungry."
Kimberly and Tommy nodded.
"How are you feeling, Kimberly?" Zordon asked.
Kimberly shrugged. "Fine."
"Are you in pain?"
"No."
"Good. I am happy to hear that."
"Yes." Kimberly nodded.
"That wasn't a question, Beautiful," Tommy said gently. He was getting worried. She was talking a lot more this morning, and now she was shutting down.
"Ok," she answered.
Tommy turned her to face him. He gently took her chin and lifted it up to look him in the eyes. "What's going on?"
"I'm fine." She answered.
"Is something bothering you or hurting you?" He asked again.
"No."
"Are you sure?"
"Yes."
"Why are you shutting down so much? You were much more talkative this morning."
"Ok."
"Kimberly, please talk to me."
"I'm fine."
"You're not, please tell me what's wrong?"
"No."
"Why not?"
"Yes."
"What?"
"Ok."
Tommy looked confused. She wasn't making any sense. He kissed her forehead and pressed his forehead to hers. Please tell me what's wrong. He begged in his head.
Kimberly wrapped her arms around herself. She inhaled and exhaled a deep breath. Where are the others? I want them to come back. I need…I want…she can't leave, I'm not ready for her to leave…she has to come back!
Tommy hugged Kimberly close to him. He rubbed her back. "Aisha isn't going anywhere. I'm sure she'll be back as soon as she can."
Kimberly inhaled and exhaled a deep breath. "She has to come back. She has to come back."
"She will. I promise." Tommy soothed.
Kimberly nodded and calmed down but stayed in Tommy's arms.
"Rangers, I do not want to upset you more than you already are but I must warn you, Kat is supposed to be coming by at some point today. I want Alpha to scan her and make sure nothing is broken, and there are no internal injuries. Neither of you have to see her if you do not want to, but she will be coming by today."
Kimberly just nodded, she didn't speak. She didn't know what to say.
"Thank you for telling us, Zordon," Tommy said. "Kimberly and I will hang out in our room while she is here."
"Understood. I will make sure neither of you are disturbed."
Tommy nodded and kissed Kimberly on the head.
Suddenly there was a flash of colors, and the other rangers were there. Kimberly gasped and ran over to Aisha and hugged her tightly. "Please don't leave. I'm not ready for you to leave. Please stay." Kimberly begged.
Aisha smiled and hugged her back. "I'm not going anywhere. My plane ticket was one way, I have no plans to go back for a very long time. Sorry, Kim, I think you're stuck with me."
Kimberly giggled softly. "Good, I wouldn't have it any other way."
Everyone smiled at the sound of her giggle and Tommy was happy to hear her opening up again.
Suddenly the alarms started to blare. Kimberly's eyes went wide, and she rushed to Tommy clinging to him tightly and hiding her face in his chest. Don't leave me, don't leave me, don't leave me, please don't leave me. She begged in her head over and over again.
Tommy hugged her tightly and sent a look of guilt to Zordon. He had no idea what to do.
"Hey, Kim, why don't you and I go hang out in my room, and you can catch me up on everything I've missed? I'm dying to know about you and Tommy." Aisha said walking over and placing a hand on Kim's back.
Kimberly whimpered at first but then looked up at Tommy and then to Aisha. "Just you and me?"
"Whoever you're comfortable with," Aisha said. "Any of the none current rangers can join us."
Kimberly bit her bottom lip and shook her head. "Just you," she whispered.
"That's perfectly fine." Aisha smiled. "Come on." Aisha put her hand out for Kim. "Come with me."
Kimberly inhaled and exhaled a deep breath. She nodded and took Aisha's hand and in a flash of yellow and pink they were gone.
Tommy sighed in relief. Kimberly was ok. Now he could focus on kicking King Mondo's butt.
In the bedroom, both girls sat on the bed.
"So, Kim, fill me in on everything I've missed," Aisha said.
"What do you mean?" Kimberly asked.
"Well, the last I heard you had written a really mean break up letter to Tommy. Clearly, that didn't happen."
"Who was your source?"
"Kat."
Kimberly inhaled and exhaled a deep breath. "Of course she was."
Aisha reached over and touched Kimberly's knee. "It's ok. The others filled me in on the situation with Kat. I know you don't trust her anymore. That's why I'm asking you what really happened."
"I didn't write the letter. I got a letter from Tommy breaking up with me too. Neither of us actually wrote the letter."
"So who did?"
Kimberly opened and closed her mouth like a fish out of her water. She still couldn't even say his name.
"He who shall not be named" Aisha teased.
Kimberly giggled. "What?"
"The others mentioned you struggle to talk about your Coach and what he did to you. So I'm going to call him 'he shall not be named.'"
Kimberly laughed. "That's the perfect name for him. Yes, it was him. He wrote the letters."
"But why? What could your Coach possibly gain by breaking up you and Tommy?"
Kimberly opened her mouth to answer when a thought hit her. She had always thought the letters had been sent in an attempt to get her more focused on training, but it had all been planned from the beginning. The Coaches being switched, The shots, the mentally abuse, the beating, the…sexual assault. It had all been part of King Mondo's master plan to destroy Tommy through their connection. If their connection were weak, it would be easier for them to turn them both evil.
"Kim, hello, earth to Kim." Aisha waved her hand in front of Kim. "Kim!"
Kimberly jumped as she was thrown from her thoughts. "What?"
Aisha laughed. "Where did you go just now?"
"Nowhere. Sorry, what did you say?"
"I asked you why your Coach wrote the letters to you and Tommy?"
"Oh. It's a long story." Kimberly sighed.
"I've got nothing but time. Come on, talk to me."
Kimberly inhaled and exhaled a deep breath. She nodded. "Ok…"
Over in the park the Rangers were engaged in a massive cog battle. Kicks and punches were flying in every direction. Tommy was fighting harder than he ever had before. But this time he let his anger fuel each punch and kick he landed. He wasn't just mad, he was furious. How dare they hurt his Kimberly! How dare they kidnap her and mess with her mind! How dare they torture her with cold water and freezing cold rooms! How dare they let her Coach be alone with her to torment her! How dare they allow that monster to touch her in such private places! How dare they…
"Tommy! Tommy stop it!"
Tommy was thrown from his thought when he realized he was beating a dead cog to the point he had broken through the metal and had cut his hand.
Tommy panted as his friends pulled him away from the cog.
"Tommy, what was that?" Adam asked.
Tommy looked around to see all the other cogs had vanished. Then he looked down to his hand to see his knuckles bleeding. He hadn't even felt it. He hoped Kimberly didn't feel it either.
"Are you ok?" Kat asked touching his shoulder.
Tommy jerked away from his touch. "Don't."
"What's wrong with you?" Rocky asked.
"Nothing. I'm fine. Let's get back to the Command Center."
"That wasn't nothing, Tommy. You nearly broke your hand punching a cog that had been destroyed 5 minutes earlier." Rocky said. "I mean, I get it your angry but…"
"That's where you're wrong, Rocky. You don't get it. You have no idea what it was like while Kimberly was missing!"
"I may not love her the same way you do but she is like a sister to me, and I hated it every second that she was missing. It hurt me just as bad as it hurt you."
"Oh yeah? Did you feel the pain in your arm every time those freaks injected her with something? Did you feel the cold water splashed on you, so cold it was like biting your skin? Did you feel the confusion and deathly cold numbness of hypothermia? Did you feel like a part of you was literally dying inside?"
Nobody spoke a word.
"Yeah, that's what I thought. So don't any of you stand there and tell me you know how I feel right now." With that, Tommy walked away from them.
Kat went running after him, but Rocky stopped her. "Let him go cool off. We need to get back to the Command Center."
Kat sighed and nodded.
They teleported away.
Back in the bedroom with Kimberly and Aisha, Kimberly was absentmindedly rubbing her knuckles. She didn't think much of it. Her hands always ached after she worked out on the high bars or rings. Not to mention the fact that she had been catatonic for a while. Zordon said her muscles might be sore from not using them for so long.
Aisha laughed. "No way! You and Tommy actually communicated telepathically from here to the Youth Center?"
Kimberly leaped off the bed. "Of course! I wouldn't lie to you, Aisha! Is it so hard to believe that my connection with Tommy is strong enough to do that!" She snapped.
Aisha was shocked. Kimberly was shocked. She covered her mouth as tears filled her eyes. "Oh my gosh, Aisha I…I'm so sorry. I'm really so sorry. I…I don't know why I did that!" She sat down on the bed. "I'm sorry. I"m really so very sorry."
"Kim, it's ok," Aisha said gently. "I'm not hurt. I'm more shocked. "Where did that come from."
"I…I don't know." She looked down to her knuckles which were still aching. Then her sudden burst of anger. She sighed and looked back up. "But I think I have an idea."
Suddenly Aisha put her hand over her stomach. "Do you feel that?"
Kimberly nodded and wrapped her arms around her stomach. "They must be fighting." She laid down on the bed.
"You ok?" Aisha asked.
Kimberly nodded and didn't speak.
"You don't look ok. In fact, you look a little pale." Aisha touched her forehead to make sure she didn't have a fever. She didn't understand. Kimberly was fine a minute ago. It was almost like her strength came from the Spirit Animals when everyone was together. If they were fighting and there was a gap, she was a terrified, skittish, kidnapped victim. But that wasn't possible…was it?
"I can't feel him," Kimberly whispered. "I can't feel any of them."
"Hang on, Kim. I'll go see what's going on." Aisha said.
Aisha teleported out of the bedroom.
She arrived in the main room to see the others had returned from the battle. "What happened?" she asked. "Where is Tommy?"
"We don't know," Rocky said. "He got angry at us and stormed off."
"He nearly broke his hands trying to kill a cog. I think he's more than angry." Adam said.
"If he's angry he must have gone to cool off before he comes back to Kimberly. He would never want to scare her." Jason said.
"I don't think that's our biggest problem," Aisha said. "She was fine one minute, and now she's shut down again. Right before I left the room, she said something about not being able to feel him or any of you."
"What does that mean?" Kat asked.
"Well, we know her connection with Tommy is strong. Is it possible Tommy turned the connections down to prevent her from feeling his anger or pain?" Trini said.
"Of course. But what about the second part?" Rocky asked.
"You don't think her healing has anything to do with us…do you?" Adam asked.
Aisha shrugged. "I know it sounds crazy but it it's like…it's almost like her strength is coming from our Spirit Animals and when they are together and happy, Kimberly is confident and brave, and when we're fighting and apart she's shy, scared, and terrified."
"But that's not possible…is it?"
Everyone looked at each other wondering the same thing. Was it actually possible?
A/N What do you think? Leave me your thoughts in a review. Those who review with an account will get a sneak peek at the next chapter so please review!
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