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 © 2011-2023 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 being my beta!

ALSO A QUICK AUTHOR'S NOTE! I have decided that instead of updating once a week I will now be doing once every other week, with the sneak peeks sent out the week after I post. With the way my life is going on right now, I feel that's the best choice for me. Thank you for all your continued support!


They all landed in the Command Center. All their friends had gone home.

"Welcome back, Rangers." Zordon greeted. "I assume everything went well?"

"Yes, Zordon," Tommy answered.

"Good. Now I understand a power transfer is in order. However, it is late. I know you must all be tired. So get some rest. We can continue tomorrow."

"That sounds really good," Kat said softly. "I can't keep my eyes open any longer."

"Me too." Kim chuckled.

"I could go for some sleep myself," Tommy said.

"I shall teleport you all to your homes," Zordon said.

In a flash, everyone was in their rooms and ready for bed. They didn't bother to change. They were too tired.


The next morning everyone was at the Command Center bright and early. They couldn't wait to hear about the trip.

Tommy and Kim made sure to shower and change before meeting up with the others. When they were ready, they teleported to the main room. They were quickly greeted by lots of hugs. Everyone started asking a million questions.

Tommy chuckled softly. "Easy guys, we just got back late last night. We are still half asleep."

Kimberly just nodded. She was tired, but she was more nervous. She wasn't sure if she was ready to be a power ranger again.

"Rangers, I understand you are all excited to see Tommy, Kim, and Kat, again. However, there are important tasks that need to be done this morning." Zordon said.

"Important? Like what? Is everyone ok?" Jason asked.

"Yes, they are fine. But we will have a new edition to our team." Zordon said.

Everyone looked at Kim. She just blushed and nodded.

"Really? Kim is going to be a ranger again?" Jason asked.

"What about Kat?" Tanya asked.

"Kat is still on the team. She will just be in control of a different crystal."

"That's not all," Aisha said. "I can feel it."

"Me too," Adam said.

"I feel it too," Rocky said.

"I think we all can," Billy said. "That can only mean one thing."

"Kat has gotten her own spirit animal." Tommy smiled. "Kim and I feel it too."

"So…does that mean you and Kat…" Jason started.

"Yeah. We're friends again." Kim nodded.

"What did she say about you?" Aisha asked.

"Oh you know, just that I'm awesome and she missed me way more than she missed you guys." She teased.

They all laughed.

"That's not what I meant, but ok." Aisha giggled.

Kimberly giggled too. "She said because it took all the Spirit animals to save me, my Crane is clinging to them more because she can sense my fear internally. As I heal and my fears fade I won't need to cling to you all so closely anymore."

"So basically you won't need us anymore." Rocky teased.

"No!" Kim cried. "I'll always need you guys! That's not what I meant at all."

"Easy, Kim. I was just teasing you." Rocky said.

Kimberly sighed. "I still need you guys. I will always need you guys. Please don't leave."

"Don't worry, Kim. You're stuck with us." Jason said. "Forever"

"Good. Just know if you ever do leave me, I will use the power of my crane to bring you all back."

"Trust me when I say, you don't want that," Tommy added with a chuckle. He always thought Kim was so cute when she would give threats.

Everyone laughed.

"Ok, Rangers, let's get started, shall we? Kat and Kim, come stand in the center."

Kim and Kat did as they were asked.

"Do you both have your crystals?" Zordon asked.

"I still have the pink one," Kat said. "I never got a chance to give it to Kim yesterday." She handed the pink zeo crystal to Kim. Then she took the purple one and clutched it tightly in her hands.

Kimberly held her crystal tightly in her hands and held it close to her chest.

"Are you both ready?" Zordon asked.

"Yes." They both answered.

"Then it shall begin. Alpha, begin the power transfer."

"Right away, Zordon." Alpha went over to the control pad and started putting some buttons.

Seconds later a glow of pink light surrounded Kat. After surrounding her completely, it flew up and over and then covered Kim completely. Kimberly smiled as she felt that familiar rush of power and energy surround her. The glow of pink became so bright and so intense she could no longer see anyone or anything else.

"Tommy!" She cried out nervously.

"Right here, Beautiful. You're safe." He answered.

She relaxed, and the glow of pink slowly started to fade until it was gone entirely. "This feels amazing." She looked down at herself to see she was wearing the Zeo Ranger 1 Pink uniform.

"Welcome back, Pink Ranger," Zordon said with a smile. "You have been greatly missed."

"I missed it too."

"Kat, now it is your turn," Zordon said.

Kat nodded. Alpha pushed a few more buttons and then there was a large glow of purple light. It came out of the control panel and surrounded Kat completely. She smiled when she felt the purple powers fill her completely. She could no longer see anyone or anything. Then it started to fade until it vanished completely.

"I think I like the purple on me way more than the pink," Kat said she looked down to her new uniform.

"Congratulations Rangers. May the power always protect you."

Everyone cheered and Kat and Kim powered down.

"Wait, hold on, I don't think Kim is going to be ok with this," Jason said seriously. "She doesn't like it."

"What? Why would you say that?" Kimberly asked.

"Because…" Jason's serious face failed, and he started to smile. "Your hair is going to like, get all tangled up in that helmet."

"Jason!" Kimberly groaned.

Everyone else started to laugh.

Kim blushed. "It wasn't that funny."

"It was pretty great, Kim," Jason said. He pulled her into a hug. "I really am proud of you, Kim. I'm also kind of jealous."

Kimberly giggled.

"Do you want to trade?" Jason asked.

"Do you really want to be pink?" Kimberly asked back.

"Good point…Hey Tommy…"

Tommy laughed. "Don't even think about it."

Everyone laughed together. But deep down Kim knew there was a part of her that would have traded with Jason. She knew deep down…she wasn't ready to be a ranger.


Kim laid in bed wide awake. She couldn't sleep. Too much had happened today. She and Kat were friends again, and that was great. But she was a power ranger again. That meant she'd have to face Gasket and her Coach. She knew without a doubt she wasn't ready for that. She still had nightmares about what they did to her. Her memories were still confusing in some spots because of what they did to her. She wasn't ready to face them, and she knew it.

She rolled onto her side and looked at Tommy who was sleeping peacefully. She smiled at him and knew exactly what she had to do. Being extra careful not to wake him, she climbed out of bed and teleported to the main room.

"Kimberly, I had hoped you'd be sleeping. It's been a very long day. You need your rest." Zordon said.

"I can't sleep," Kimberly said. "Too much is running through my head."

"What's wrong, my Crane?" Zordon asked.

"I'm a power ranger again."

"Yes, with good reason. You were a great ranger before. I have no doubt you'll be just as good if not better now."

Kimberly just shook her head. "I'm not ready, Zordon. I know the second those alarms go off I'll have to go battle, and I know it's going to terrify me."

"You don't want to have to battle Gasket or your Coach," Zordon confirmed.

"No, it's not even want, Zordon. I can't battle them. I'll have a panic attack before I can even get one hit in." Kimberly bowed her head. "Maybe Dulcea made a mistake, Zordon. I shouldn't have control of the pink zeo crystal."

"Dulcea, saw a fighter in you, Kimberly. She made the right choice. Dulcea and I both know you're strong enough to do this. You need to have that belief in yourself."

Kimberly inhaled and exhaled. She looked up to Zordon. "I need to start preparing myself. I need to be sure I'm ready to face my Coach when the time comes. It's the only way to be ready."

"You sound like you have a plan."

Kimberly nodded. "I do. I'd like to use the simulation room to practice. I need to face my Coach once and for all. I'll never be able to move on unless I do."

"I will make you a deal. You go get some rest and tomorrow you can have your first practice." Zordon said.

But Kimberly just shook her head. "I'll lose my nerve if I wait till tomorrow. This has to happen now."

"Are you going to wake, Tommy?"

"No. He needs his sleep. I can do this alone."

"Are you sure?"

Kimberly nodded. "Yes?"

"You don't sound sure."

"I am. Please, I just need to try this." Kimberly all but begged.

Zordon nodded. "All right. But just remember your safe word is pecan pie."

Kimberly just nodded. Suddenly she was feeling very nervous. Before more could be said she was teleported to the simulation room.

Kimberly inhaled and exhaled a deep breath and walked over to the helmets. She picked it up and let out one more deep breath and placed it on her head.


Seconds later she found herself back in the Gym. She was dressed in a tank top and pair of leggings. Her hair was pulled back into a messy bun. So far she was alone.

She slowly made her way over to the balance beam. As she climbed up, she noticed her arms felt sore. She didn't know why.

At first, she just started by walking back and forth, getting her balance back. Then it was like nothing had happened. She was doing front flips, back flips, cartwheels, and anything else she could think of across the beam.

"Nice work. I see those shots are working."

Kimberly's head shot up at that voice. She knew it anywhere. "Coach…" She said shocking herself.

"Came to see you practice." He said as he walked over to her.

Kimberly hoped down off the beam and started to back away. He was in human form…for now. So just maybe she had a chance against him.

"I work better when I practice alone." She said.

"Having an audience helps you prepare for performing in front of people." Her Coach continued to stalk toward her.

"I don't have stage fright. I can do it by myself." Kim said. Her back hit a wall, and suddenly, she forgot this was all pretend. She forgot all about the safe word to get her free. To her…this was real.

"Just leave me alone!" Kimberly cried. "I'll fight you."

Her Coach laughed. "Oh please, you couldn't fight me if you tried. You're too weak."

"I'm stronger than you think." She said with an involuntary gulp.

Her Coach laughed harder. "Actually, you just might be weaker than I think."

Suddenly he was no longer in human form.

Kimberly screamed. She tried to run away, but he grabbed her arm and threw her to the floor. All her training and knowledge of self-defense was completely gone from her mind. Her Coach smiled and pulled out a needle. "Maybe this will make you behave."

"NO! TOMMY!" Kimberly screeched. Her crane cried out in agony. "TOMMY!"

Her Coach slowly approached her. She tried to scramble back away from him, but she hit a wall. She was trapped. She had nowhere to run. "TOMMY HELP ME!" She screamed. Her crane crying out again in full terror.

"Say pean pie!"

She heard Tommy's voice but didn't see him anywhere. "Tommy!"

"Say it." He told her. "Say pecan pie."

"Don't say it." Her coach chuckled. "You can stay here with me."

"NO! HELP! TOMMY!" Kimberly screamed. He was messing with her head again. He wanted her to hear Tommy's voice but not see him. He planned to torture her.

"He's not real." Her Coach laughed. "No one is coming to save you. Now hold nice and still."

"No! NO! STOP! PLEASE!" Kimberly cried.

Suddenly a blinding white light surrounded the room. Her Coach jumped back, covering his eyes.

As the light faded, a large Falcon flew over and landed next to Kim. "Tommy," she whimpered. "Help me, please."

The Falcon wrapped his wings around her. "This isn't real. You're safe. I've got you. Just say pecan pie."

Kimberly panted softly, her fear on high alert. "Just make him stop. Fight him."

"I can't." The Falcon said. "You need to say the safe word."

"What? What safe word? There is a safe word."

"Yes, Beautiful, this isn't real. You're in Zordon's simulation room."

"This isn't real?" She asked once more. Suddenly she saw her Coach stand up only this time he was holding a gun and it was aimed at Tommy's Falcon.

Kimberly gasped. "PECAN PIE!" She screamed. "PECAN PIE! PECAN PIE!"


She reached up and pulled the helmet off her head and threw it to the floor and jumped back. "PECAN PIE!" She continued to screech.

"Kimberly, Hey, it's ok. You're safe. It's over. You're safe." Tommy quickly tried to soothe her.

Kimberly panted as she looked around and realized where she was. As the realization of what happened hit her, she sunk down to her knees and cried. She wasn't ready to be a power ranger.

Tommy was by her side in an instant. He pulled her into a hug and rubbed her back. "It's ok, Baby. Please don't cry. You're safe. I've got you. It wasn't real."

"I'm sorry. I'm so sorry." She cried. "I can't do this. I can't be a power ranger. I can't do it."

"Is that why you did this? Oh Kim," he said gently. "You're going to be a great pink ranger. This doesn't mean anything."

Kimberly didn't seem to hear him. So Tommy continued to comfort her and whisper soothing words to her until she calmed down.

Finally, Kimberly calmed down. But she kept her face hidden and refused to look at him. Tommy looked to Kimberly who was hiding her face in his chest. "Hey," he cooed softly. "Kimberly." He said gently. "Baby, you've got to tell me what happened."

Kimberly ignored him.

He sighed. Then he smirked softly. He leaned down and gently whispered in her ear. "Kimberly."

His breath tickled her ear making her shrug and smile. He chuckled. "Kimberly Hart." He said in a singsong voice in her ear.

She giggled softly and covered her ear.

"Hey, you." He gently tickled under her ear making her shrug again and giggle softly.

"Will you please look at me." He asked softly.

Kimberly looked up from his chest. He stroked her hair.

"You know," he teased gently. "If you wanted to wake me up, I'm sure there were other ways to do it."

She blushed and hid her face again. He chuckled softly. "Ok, I'm sorry. I'm just teasing you. Please look at me."

Kimberly looked up at him. "I'm sorry." She whispered.

"Don't be. But I do think we need to talk about what just happened. Why did you do this to yourself?"

"I wanted to be ready." She said softly.

"Ready for what?"

"Tommy, I'm a power ranger now. That means I have to fight Gasket and maybe even Coach. I can't do that. I'm not ready. So I was hoping to practice so that when the time comes, I'll be ready."

"Ok, but the more important question is…why didn't you wake me? I would have done this with you."

Kimberly sighed and looked down. "With everything that's been going on you've barely gotten more than 5 hours of sleep at night. You needed your rest. Besides…I had hoped I could do it by myself."

"I love that you're thinking of me. But Angel we promised we'd be open and honest with each other. If you were worried about being a ranger, why didn't you just tell me? We could have done this together."

Kimberly just bit her bottom lip and looked away. Tommy sighed. "You thought I'd be angry at you, or disappointed?"

Kimberly didn't answer. She didn't have to.

"I was so excited and proud that you were joining the team that you didn't want to disappoint me." Tommy continued.

"It's not just you. Even Jason, and Zordon, everyone was so excited. I couldn't tell the truth."

"Which is what?" Tommy asked. He gently took her face to make her look at him. "Talk to me, please. Tell me the truth."

"I'm not ready, Tommy. I'm not ready to be a power ranger again. In fact it…it terrifies me."

"Are you not ready because you're scared of seeing your coach or you're not ready because you don't remember how to fight?"

"Both," Kimberly whispered. "In my simulation, the second I saw my Coach it was like I couldn't remember anything. I didn't even remember how to defend myself."

"Baby, these simulations are meant to help us overcome our biggest fears. It doesn't mean they are real."

Kimberly just looked away. He had way too much faith in her.

"Something else you have to remember, Beautiful, is that you won't be alone on the battlefield. You'll have me and the other rangers. Plus…" He put his hand over her heart. "…You'll have the Spirit animals. They always help you feel brave and strong."

She just sighed softly. "You don't understand, Tommy. The second I see my Coach it's like a switch that goes off. I can't breathe, my body starts shaking. I am overcome with this fear that I've never felt before. If Gasket ever decides to bring him out during a fight, I'll die."

"I would never let that happen to you. Besides the odds of that actually happening are about 99 to 1. Gasket has never sent your Coach to battle us, nor himself. It's always the monsters or cogs."

Kimberly tried to stifle her yawn as she laid her head on Tommy's chest. "I don't feel ready, Tommy. I can't explain it better than that."

"That's ok. We will work on you being ready. I'm sure Zordon will understand too. Next time you go into the simulation, I'll be with you."

Kimberly just nodded.

"For now, let's get some sleep. You need it just as much as I do." He carefully stood and carried her bridal style. She laid her head on his shoulder. He kissed her forehead, and they were both teleported out of the room and back into their bedroom.


The next morning both Tommy and Kim slept in. It was much needed. Tommy woke up first, but he refused to move so Kim could sleep more. He turned onto his side and just stroked Kimberly's hair as she slept.

Suddenly she shot up with a gasp. Tommy was quick to hug her and kissed her head. "It's ok, Baby. It was a bad dream."

Kimberly sighed and laid back down. Tommy continued to stroke her hair. "Do you want to talk about it?"

"My Coach he…" Kimberly shook her head. "No…" she squeaked out as tears filled her eyes.

"Shhh." Tommy soothed. "It's ok. You're safe. I'm right here. Did he attack you again?"

Kimberly shook her head and pointed to Tommy.

"Me? He attacked me?"

Kimberly nodded. "There was a gun and…you…" Kimberly shook her head. She couldn't say the words out loud.

"Shhh, shhh, shh." Tommy soothed. "It was just a bad dream. I'm right here. I'm not hurt."

Kimberly sniffed softly. Then nodded. "Close your eyes and go back to sleep. You need it."

Kimberly quickly sat up. "I'm not sleepy anymore."

"Yes, you are," Tommy told her. "You just don't want to have any more nightmares."

Kimberly didn't respond. Tommy sat up next to her and lead his back against the headboard. Then he pulled Kimberly into his arms. She laid her head on his chest and wrapped one arm around his stomach. He wrapped one arm around her, holding her close. Using his other hand, he carefully and gently slipped his under her shirt and lightly scratched her back.

"That's not fair." She mumbled.

"Why not?" He asked with a chuckle.

"You know that makes me sleepy." She replied as she closed her eyes.

"I still don't see what's not fair about this." He said.

Kimberly mumbled something that Tommy didn't understand. He chuckled softly and continued his actions. Even if she didn't fall asleep, she'd be rested and relaxed.


A few minutes later Tommy's phone rang. He sighed softly knowing Kim had almost fallen back to sleep. He carefully sat up answering his phone. "Hello?"

"Hey Man." Jason greeted on the other end.

"Hey, Jase. What's up?"

"We're all meeting at Ernie's for lunch. We were hoping you could meet us."

Tommy looked to Kim who was awake just watching him. He knew she wasn't going to go back to sleep without a fight. He made a silly face at her making her giggle and then turned his attention back to the phone. "Yeah, Kim and I will meet you guys there."

"Great! See you both soon."

Tommy hung up and looked to Kim. "You hungry?"

Kimberly nodded.

"Everyone is meeting at Ernie's for lunch. You up for going out?"

Kimberly nodded. "Yeah, I'd like that. But…"

"Don't worry, everything that happened last night stays between us."

Kimberly smiled. "I love you."

"I love you too." He kissed her forehead. They quickly jumped out of bed and went to get ready.


They arrived at the Youth Center and went over to the regular table where everyone was waiting.

"You guys made it," Jason said.

"Wouldn't miss it," Kimberly said.

"We were taking bets." Aisha teased.

"On what?" Tommy asked.

"If you guys would show up or if you guys would stay home and have your Falcon and Crane connect…if you know what I mean." Trini teased.

Kimberly blushed. "Trini!" She giggled.

Tommy laughed. He decided to tease back. "Well, you all win. Before we came here we did connect, it was pretty fast, but we made it work."

"Tommy!" Kimberly squealed.

He laughed. "I'm just teasing. Kim and I have both agreed to hold off on such activities until she has moved on from her attack."

"That's exactly what I said. Pay up." Aisha said.

Rocky reached into his pocket.

"Rocky, really? You thought we would." Tommy laughed.

"She's a ranger now. She has complete control of her crane back. Why wouldn't you?" Rocky answered. "How's the ranger life treating you? Are you just itching for a cog to beat up?"

Kimberly bit her bottom lip and looked down. "Um…did you guys order yet? Tommy and I should put our order in."

"Really? Not even a little? I thought for sure you'd want to beat up the first cog you see. It's the best way to get revenge on your Coach and Gasket."

"Rocky, I'm going to say this once, and only once," Tommy said in his best leader voice. "Drop it."

"Whoa, Tommy, calm down. He's just asking. This is exciting news. He's just asking about it." Aisha said.

"I'm not ready." Kimberly finally confessed. "Is that what you want to hear? I'm not ready to battle, in fact, I'm terrified of it. So no, I'm not itching to battle. I hope every day that I don't have to fight a cog!"

"I'm sorry, Kim. I didn't think…"

"It's ok. I'm sorry too. I didn't mean to snap. I just… I'm not ready."

"We understand completely. We are sorry if we upset you." Aisha said. "We were just teasing."

"I know. It's ok." Kimberly smiled gently.

"Kimberly had a rough night and an early morning due to nightmares. So just go easy on her today." Tommy said.

"We love you, Kim. We are really sorry." Jason said.

"I know. I love you guys too."

"So…" Kat started trying to change the subject. "I am in serious need of a wardrobe change. I have nothing purple in my closet. Who wants to go shopping?"

"Yeah! That sounds like fun. I'm in." Trini said.

"Me too," Aisha said.

"I'm in," Tanya said with a smile.

Everyone looked to Kim. She used to be the shopping queen. Kimberly looked down. Being out of the Command Center was getting more natural, but after her nightmare, the last thing she wanted was to leave Tommy alone.

"Come on, Ms. Shopping Queen. We haven't had a girls shopping trip in ages." Trini said.

"Girls, as in…no Tommy?" She asked softly.

"Go and have fun, Kim. I promise I'll be fine." Tommy said. He knew exactly why she was questioning it so much.

"What if it comes true?" She asked softly in her mind. "My dream."

"It won't, Angel. I promise. Besides with our connection you'll be able to feel if something is wrong. Then you can come right now. Come on, I know you really want to go shopping."

Kimberly sighed and looked to the girls and then to Tommy. Then she looked to the girls and smiled. "I'm in too."

"Yes!" All the girls cheered.

"All right everyone your food is served," JJ said as he and LJ walked over with their plates.

"JJ, LJ." Kat smiled. "It's good to see you both again."

"You came and saw us last night." LJ laughed.

"Do you two know each other," Jason asked.

"Oh yeah! You guys haven't met yet." Kat smiled. "JJ, LJ these are my friends. You know Tommy and Kim, then we have Jason, Trini, Aisha, Adam, Rocky, Tanya, and Billy. Guys, these are my other friends JJ and LJ."

Everyone shook hands.

"So you're the famous JJ," Tanya said with a smirk. "We've heard a lot about you."

"Oh, no.." Kat gasped. "Stop."

"I'm sure it's all lies." JJ laughed. "Can I get you anything else?"

"We're fine here for now. Thanks. Are you and your sister able to join us?" Tommy asked.

"In a few minutes. Our shift is almost over." LJ answered.

"Great! We'd love for you to join us." Tommy said.

"Yeah, any friend of Kat is a friend of ours." Kimberly smiled.

"Oh, I think they might be more than that, Kim." Tanya teased.

Kat blushed and looked to JJ. He just chuckled. He walked over to Kat and bent down kissing her cheek. "See you in a few minutes, Babe." He said in a teasing voice. Then he walked away. LJ giggled and followed after her brother.

All the girls squealed.

Kat giggled shyly and blushed.

"Have you guys talked about the kiss yet?" Kim asked.

Kat gasped. "Kim!"

"You kissed him!" Tanya gasped. "When, Where, How, why?"

"Why didn't you tell us?" Aisha asked.

"We weren't exactly speaking to each other then," Kat said softly.

"You told Kim." Aisha pointed out.

"We were bonding," Kimberly replied. "It had just happened, and Tommy and I were just the first people she told."

"No, we haven't talked about it. I've been too scared."

"I'm just happy to see it's not me." Tommy teased her.

Kat shook her head and giggled. "Sorry Tommy, but you're no longer on my radar."

"Oh darn," Tommy said teasingly. "I don't know how I'll cope with this."

"You'll survive," Kimberly answered. "You do still have one girl willing to love you romantically."

"Gee thanks, Kim. I had no idea Trini felt that way."

Everyone laughed at the purely shocked look on Kimberly's face. Tommy chuckled and kissed Kim on the lips. "I love you, Beautiful. Always."

She smiled and kissed him back. "I love you too."

A few minutes later JJ and LJ joined them.

"Look, there is something you guys should know," JJ said after he sat down. "I just want to get this out in the open, so you guys don't have to censor yourselves in front of us."

"JJ and I know." LJ aid.

"We know you guys are the…" JJ lowered his voice to a whisper. "…the power rangers."

Everyone looked to Kat. She blushed. "I didn't tell them. They found out. Zordon knowns. He said it was ok. They've already promised to not to tell anyone."

"Thanks for letting us know. We appreciate your silence too." Tommy said.

"So…" Tanya started "JJ, tell us about yourself. Are your eyes really that blue and how do you get your hair that perfect?"

"Oh my gosh," Kat buried her face in her hands. "Tanya, please stop."

Everyone laughed.

"Yes, my eyes are really that blue and my hair was born this perfect." He answered.

"Wow, who knew my brother had such a big ego." LJ laughed. "He spends more time on his hair than I do."

Everyone laughed at that including Kat.

"Seriously though," Tanya said. "Tell me everything about you."

JJ laughed. "There isn't much to know. I'm pretty average."

"And sure cute. Right, Kat?" Tanya asked.

Kate turned redder than before and looked away.

"Ok, I think we've tortured her enough," Kimberly said gently. "Besides, we're going shopping later. We've got the whole afternoon to tease her."

Kat's head shot up. "That's right! We're going shopping. LJ do you want to come?"

"A girls shopping trip? No boys? Yes! Of course!" LJ answered.

"Not feeling the love." JJ teased.

"You can come if you want. But you'll be holding the bags the entire time." Kat smirked.

"He can't. He's hanging out with us guys later." Jason said.

"I am?" JJ asked. When he saw the look on Jason's face, he quickly nodded. "Yeah, he's right I am."

Everyone laughed. "This is going to be awesome!"


All the girls piled into the car. They took Tanya's family's van. Tanya drove, Aisha sat in front next to her. Trini and Kim were in the middle section, and LJ and Kat were in the way back.

"Now that there are no boys around you can give us all the details," Tanya said. "Kat, you kissed JJ."

"Yes, yes I did, and it was amazing." Kat giggled.

"Who kissed who?" Tanya asked again.

"I kissed him. I wasn't too sure what was going to happen on the journey, but I knew I had to kiss him just in case." Kat answered.

"Was there tongue?"

"Oh gross I don't want to know this." LJ squealed and covered her ears.

Kat laughed. "Not the first time."

"First time?" All the girls squealed. Everyone turned, minus Tanya, to face Kat. "You mean more than once?"

Kat just smirked and looked out the window.

"Kat!" All the girls squealed.

"Sorry, that's all you're getting."

"Girls, get her!" Tanya ordered.

Aisha laughed. "We are in the car."

"I don't care." Tanya laughed. "LJ, you're the closest, do something."

LJ laughed. "I don't have to. I already know. I was there."

"Tell us everything!" Tanya squealed.

"Nope. If Kat's not saying, I'm not saying." LJ laughed.

Kat giggled. "Thanks."

LJ just smiled. "Don't thank me yet."

Kat looked confused. "What? Why?"

"I still think you should tell them."

"Where is the fun in that?"

LJ shrugged. "But it gives me a chance to do this…" With that, she reached out and started to tickle her.

Kat screeched and did her best to squirm. "Not in the car, not in the car!"

"Why not? Is it because your trapped by your seatbelt and in a small place so you can't run away." LJ teased.

"That's exactly why," Kimberly answered for Kat. "Tommy tickled me in the car once. I almost died laughing."

"All she has to do is tell us what we want to know," LJ smirked.

"I doubt you'll break her." Kim chuckled. "She's pretty tough."

"Unlike you." Trini teased. With that, she reached out and started to tickle Kim.

"Ahh, no tickling!" Kimberly squealed. "Trini no!"

"Get her, Trini!" Aisha cheered.

Both Kimberly and Kat squirmed and giggled in their seats.

"Ok, ok, Trini!" Kimberly squealed. "Stop it!"

Trini chuckled and stopped. "See what I mean."

Kimberly just playfully glared at her making her laugh more.

Kat squealed and laughed harder when LJ reached her most ticklish spot. "LJ no! Not there! Not my armpits! Ok! Ok! You win, you win!"

LJ stopped too. Kat panted. "That wasn't fair."

LJ just giggled.

Kat smiled and shook her head. "The first time I kissed him, and he was so shocked he didn't react. I panicked and thought he didn't like it, so I started to ramble about pretending it never happened and I went to leave. Then he grabbed my arm and pulled me back into him, and he kissed me. Yes, Tanya, there was tongue that time."

"I knew it!" Tanya squealed.

Giggling Kat shook her head. "But we haven't talked about it since. So I have no idea what happens now."

"When you were gone all he did was talk about you. He was waiting for you to bring it up." LJ said.

"If that's all I'll turn this car around right now." Tanya teased.

"Please don't. I don't know if I can." Kat answered. "I…I'm not ready."

"That's ok. We've got all afternoon. We can help get you ready." Aisha said.

Kat smiled and nodded. Then she frowned and wrapped her hand around her stomach.

"What's wrong? Did I hurt you?" LJ asked.

"No, not at all. I'm not sure why my stomach hurts a little. I feel a little sick."

"Do I need to pull over?" Tanya asked.

"No, it's not that bad. Maybe it's just something I ate."

Aisha wrapped her arms around her stomach too. "No, I feel it too." Aisha turned in her seat. "What's wrong Kim?"

Kimberly chuckled softly. "Stop knowing me so well."

"Our spirit animals don't really give us a choice," Aisha replied with a chuckle.

"Is that what this is?" Kat asked.

"Yep. You're one of us now. So you'll feel this sickness whenever one of the other spirit animals is in need."

"Wait, you have your own spirit animal?" LJ asked.

"Yeah. I got it on my journey." Kat answered.

"And you didn't tell us?" LJ asked. Just for fun she once more stuck her hand out and tickled Kat. Kat laughed and fought back tickling LJ.

The others turned their attention back to Kim.

"What's wrong?" Trini asked gently patting her knee. "Talk to us."

Kimberly sighed. "This stays between us…right?"

"Of course."

"Last night I had this nightmare. My Coach…he…he killed Tommy. I can't seem to get it out of my head I can't stop worrying about Tommy."

"It was just a bad dream. Tommy is safe. Besides he's not alone. Ranger or not Jason will protect him." Trini said.

"I know. But I can't seem to forget about it."

"Don't think about it," Aisha said. "What kind of clothes are you shopping for?"

Kimberly inhaled and exhaled a deep breath then she smiled. "I don't know. Something pink and white. Maybe with a Crane on it. What about you?"

"I need a dress. My cousin is getting married this weekend, and I need a dress." Aisha answered

"That's exciting," Trini said.

"Something yellow?" Kimberly asked.

"Of course."

"Yellow is my color." Trini teased.

"Technically it's my color." Aisha laughed.

"You're both wrong, yellow is my color," Tanya replied.

Everyone laughed.

"I'm so glad I don't have that problem. Everyone knows pink is my color." Kimberly said.

"Yeah like tickle me pink." Trini laughed and with that started to tickle her again.

"Ahhh no! Trini no tickling." Kimberly giggled.

Trini started raking her nails up and down Kimberly's stomach.

"Trini, stop! Stop!" Kimberly begged in giggles pushing her away.

Trini only continued, so Kimberly reached out and started to tickle her back. Trini squealed with giggles and squirmed in her seat.

"If you guys keep this up you'll all end up having to run to the bathroom when we get there." Tanya laughed.

Aisha smiled when the sick feeling in her stomach went away. "She's fine. Just needed a little distraction."

"Ok! Ok! Truce!" Kat cried out.

"Truce!" LJ nodded.

They both stopped and panted softly.

Kimberly stopped and pushed Trini's hand away. "No more, deal?"

"Deal." Trini nodded as she stopped and panted.

The rest of the car ride was spent laughing and talking. It was like none of the bad stuff had happened.


They arrived at the mall. It used to be Kim's favorite place, but now for some reason, it made her nervous. Trini could see it but knew Kim would never admit it. So instead she linked her arm through Kim's and smiled.

"HI, Buddy." She said smiled.

Kimberly giggled. "Buddy?"

"Yep, my besets buddy." Trini laughed.

Kimberly giggled and shook her head. She knew exactly what Trini was doing. "Thank you."

Trini just smiled, and they continued to walk to the first store.

They looked and shopped for a while before they all took a pile of clothes into the dressing room. Since the larger one was opened, they all piled into one dressing room. Everyone started to undress except for Kim. She just pulled nervously at her sleeves.

Aisha noticed this and smiled. "Hey, we're not going to laugh at you or judge you. We've seen them before. You don't have to be embarrassed."

"I don't think it's you guys she's worried about." Kat sighed. "The last time I saw them…I said things to her that weren't kind."

"Yeah, but you've changed. You're not under a spell." Tanya said.

"It's not just you Kat, and it's not just those scars," Kimberly said softly. "Nobody has seen me naked since Tommy rescued me. There are a lot more than there used to be. Especially in…certain spots."

"We love you, Kim. You're beautiful inside and out. No amount of scars can change that." Trini said. "We're not going to force you to get undressed if you aren't comfortable. But we love you regardless of your scars."

Kimberly smiled as she looked at all her friends standing there in their bras and underwear.

"Checking us out, Hart?" Tanya asked with a teasing smirk.

"No!" Kimberly giggled instantly. "Not like that anyway. I'm admiring your confidence."

"Confidence? I've never been more self-conscience before in my life." LJ chuckled. "But we are all girls so anything I have you guys have. Minus a few scars."

"Unless you're trying to hide a belly button ring or tattoo?" Kat teased.

"No way!" Kimberly giggled. She looked at all her friends and smiled. She carefully removed her shirt and jeans.

"There is the Kimberly Hart we know and love." Trini smiled. "Now come on, I can't wait to see that shirt on you."

All the girls got dressed in their first outfit.

"Kat, you have to get that dress. My brother would just die." LJ squealed as she looked at Kat in her knee high summer dress.

"I love your brother, why would I want to kill him?" Kat said.

Everyone froze and looked to her with a smirk.

"What? What's wrong?" She asked.

"So…you love my brother," LJ asked in a sing-song voice.

"Why would you…I didn't say…I didn't mean…" Kat blushed and buried her hands in her face.

"Kat's in love, Kat's in love." Tanya sang in a teasing voice.

"It's ok. He loves you too." LJ said. "But you didn't hear that from me."

Kat peeked up from her hands. "Really?"

"I promise."

Kat smiled. "Then I'm definitely going to get this dress!"

"Yes!"

Everyone laughed as they continued to try on different clothes.

When they finished they put the clothes, they didn't like back on the rack and then went out shopping for more options.

Kimberly found a few more options and decided to go try it on by herself while the others were still shopping.

She slipped into the dressing room and removed the hoodie from her hanger. It was a pink and white hoodie. In the center, it had a gold coin with the crane on it. It was made for power ranger fans, but she really loved that it had her crane on it. So she tried it on, ontop of her regular clothes. It fit her perfectly. She smiled softly. "Perfect fit."

As she removed the hoodie leaving her regular clothes on, she heard the conversation of two people in the dressing room next to her.

"Have you heard any more about that Coach in Florida?"

"No. Last I heard he escaped custody and nobody has been able to find him since."

"That's scary. He could be anywhere."

"Yeah but not for us. I heard he only has eyes for one girl in particular."

"Well, I heard he is out for blood. He is angry at that one girl for leaving. Now he's out for revenge."

"I heard that one girl, and he ran away together. She wanted everything he did to her, so they ran away together."

Kimberly started to breathe heavier as they spoke.

"No, I don't think so. I heard she fought him every step of the way and he forced everything onto her."

"I don't believe that. What girl wouldn't want to be faster, stronger, prettier, and all around better than everyone else? She just doesn't want to get in trouble, so she's saying she didn't want it. If my Coach offered me drugs to perform better, I'd take it."

"Well, there is another rumor going around that she was his favorite. He only ever cared about her. So when he started to give attention to the other girls, she got jealous."

"Wait are you saying she took the drugs on purpose to be better than the other girls and show off to her Coach."

"Yep. She wanted him, and when he refused, she did everything in her power to get the attention back on her. Not only that, but I heard she has a boyfriend at home that she is also doing things with. After she already slept with her Coach."

"You mean had a boyfriend. No guy would want her after what she did to herself or even if he had done it to her. The baggage and scars both physically and mentally would be too much for him to bare. He'd break up with her as soon as he got a chance."

"I heard she's a slut and has done this before. She's out there right now living her life happily as if nothing happened and he's running from the cops."

"That's disgusting, What kind of woman would do something like that?"

"I don't know, but she must be…"

Kimberly didn't wait around to hear more. She threw the hoodie on the bench and rushed out of the dressing room, fully clothed. She couldn't breathe. Her body was shaking so bad she could barely walk. Tears were drowning her eyes as she did everything in her power not to let them fall.

She made it outside the dressing room and sat down on a chair next to her. She put her hand over her heart. It was racing. She inhaled and exhaled a deep breath trying to calm down. But she couldn't. Something was wrong. She couldn't calm herself down.

"Hey Kim, look what I…Kim!" Trini rushed over and knelt down in front of her. "What's wrong? What happened?"

Kimberly's face scrunched up in pain as she shook her head.

"Talk to me," Trini said.

"I can't." She choked out.

"Of course you can."

"No, I can't." She whimpered. Her fear had completely taken over. All she could think of now is that they would believe those rumors. They would believe she wanted to sleep with Coach. They would believe she wanted all of it.

Trini could tell the more she tried to hold it in the worse more upset she was becoming. She started panting softly like she couldn't catch her breath.

Trini grabbed her hands. "Hey, Hey, Hey, we're sisters. You're my family, there is nothing in this world you could ever tell me that would change that."

Kimberly just continued to shake, and pant, as she forced herself not to cry.

"What is it?" Trini asked as gently and lovingly as she could.

Kimberly bit her bottom lip in an attempt to keep from crying, but that also made it harder to breathe.

"Hey, stop, it's ok. I'm right here." Trini said. "Just talk to me."

The other girls came rushing over and knelt down in front of her.

"What's going on?" Aisha asked. "I haven't felt this much sickness in a long time."

"Me too. What happened?" Kat asked.

"I can't get a word out of her." Trini sighed.

"Maybe we should call Tommy."

"No!" Kimberly choked out. "No. Don't, don't call him please."

"Then talk to us. What is wrong?" Aisha asked.

"I can't." She choked out.

"Yes, yes you can. We love you. You know that. Nothing is going to change that." Aisha said. "Talk to us, please."

Kimberly panted softly as she shook her head and squeezed her eyes shut refusing to let the tears fall.

"Kimberly, you're causing yourself physical pain. Just let it go and talk to us." Tanya said.

"I can't. You won't love me anymore." She squeaked out.

"That's not true," Aisha said. She put her hand over Kimberly's heart. "We are connected by something so much stronger than just best friends. Our spirit animals are connected. The bear would never abandon her crane. That's a promise."

Kimberly sniffed softly. She slowly started to get her breath back. "Promise?"

"Of course."

Kimberly pointed behind her and into the press room area. "In there." She said softly.

"Did someone hurt you?" Trini asked.

"No. Not physically."

Just then two teenage girls walked out of the dressing room.

"Do you really believe the rumors are true? Did she really sleep with her Coach willingly and then lie and say it wasn't?"

"Of course. She's a slut, why wouldn't she?"

They both laughed and continued to walk away. Kimberly let the tears fall as she shook her head. "I overheard them."

"Well, that's all I needed to hear," Tanya said. She stood up and marched over to the teenagers.

"No. No." Kimberly cried. "I didn't want it. I swear. He took it."

"We know that. You don't have to convince us." Aisha said. "Those girls are just jerks. Don't listen to them. They'd believe the sky was purple if they read it in a gossip magazine."

"They believe whatever people tell them. They are dumb and stupid. Don't let them upset you." Trini said.

"How could people believe I did such horrible things? How could someone even say I did such horrible things?" She whimpered.

"It makes it interesting? I don't know. They are just jerks trying to be popular. It doesn't matter what they say or believe. You know the truth." Trini said.

"I'll be right back," LJ said. She stood up and marched off to where Tanya was yelling at the teenage girls. To everyone's surprise, she punched them both in the face.

"Don't you ever say anything like that again. You two are disgusting!" LJ said and walked away.

Tanya just smirked. "I couldn't have done it better myself." With that, she walked away.

"Do you feel better?" Aisha asked.

Kimberly shook her head. "Not really, no. You guys have to help me. Tommy can't find out about these rumors."

They all just shared a look with each other.

"Kimberly, listen," Trini started. "Having you live at the Command Center has had its benefits. You haven't had to listen to all the gossip and rumors happening about this situation. This isn't the first time that rumor has been mentioned."

"There is a good chance Tommy already knows."

Tears filled Kimberly's eyes as she shook her head. "No," she whimpered. "No, no no."

Trini pulled her into a hug letting her cry into her shoulder.

Kat sighed softly and looked around. She noticed LJ standing near a section of heavy winter coats. She was shaking too. Kat stood and went over to her.

"Are you ok?" Kat asked.

"I'm fine," LJ answered, but refused to face her.

Kat looked confused. Did her voice just crack?

"LJ, hey, talk to me. What's wrong?" Kat said.

LJ turned around to face Kat. "What your friend is going through, what those girls said…it's not the first. I've been through it too." LJ sniffed softly and wiped at her endless tears. "I told you something happened that stopped me from doing ballet and that was it. It wasn't my coach though. I got hurt, and my physical therapy doctor got a little…too physical with me. Hearing what those kids said just…just brought it all back. It's part of the reason JJ, and I moved here. My own friends turned against me. They believed the rumors over me." LJ cried.

Kat pulled her into a hug. "That's not going to happen here. We love and support each other, always."

They pulled away, and LJ chuckled wiping the last of her tears. "Please don't tell JJ about this. He will never let me out of his sight again."

Kat chuckled. "Tell JJ what?"

LJ smiled. "Thank you."

They shared one more hug and went over to where Kim was.

"Why are you so upset?" Trini asked. "Tommy has known about this rumor for weeks. Don't you think he would have reacted already if he was going to?"

"He didn't know the truth then." Kimberly sniffed softly. "Now he knows the truth. He'll never look at me the same again."

"Tommy isn't that kind of person," Trini said.

"He knows the truth, and he still loves you more than words could ever express," Aisha said. "Even if he was just too nice of a guy to say it, his Falcon couldn't fake it. That's how you know it's real, because of your bond. Because of the falcon and crane. There would be no bond if Tommy didn't love you anymore."

Kim was quiet as she thought about what Aisha had just said. Aisha was right. Tommy knew the truth, and he still loved her. Their bond went deeper than just the two of them, their Falcon and Crane were destined to be together forever. Gasket's plan had failed. All he ever wanted was to break up the Falcon and Crane, and he failed because their connection was unbreakable.

What's wrong, Kim? Are you ok?

Speaking of unbreakable connection. She should have known Tommy could sense her unhappiness and would try to reach out.

I'm fine.

Liar, what's wrong, Beautiful.

Something upset me. But the girls made me feel better. I promise I'm ok. I'll tell you more about it later.

I can come to pick you up right now Just tell me where you are.

I don't want to leave yet. I'm ok. I promise. I feel better. The girls made me feel better. I promise. I would tell you if I wasn't.

Ok, Promise to reach out if you need me?

I promise. I love you.

I love you too.

She looked at her friends and smiled. "You're right. Thank you. I needed that reminder."

"Anytime. Now come on, we've got a lot more shopping to do."

Kimberly smiled as she stood up and continued to shop for clothes. Suddenly fighting in a ranger battle didn't seem so scary. She knew without a doubt she'd have her friends there to back her up and Tommy of course. But knowing that made her just a little less nervous.


After shopping the girls left the mall and headed to the park to meet up with the boys.

As they arrived, they noticed the boys were playing football in a large opened field.

"Looking good boys!" Tanya called out.

All the boys froze as they looked toward them. They smiled and rushed over.

Tommy grabbed Kimberly and hugged her tightly as he lifted her up and swung her around. She squealed with giggles until he set her back down. "I missed you." He said.

"I miss you too." She said.

"Did you buy a lot of new clothes?" Tommy asked.

Kimberly shrugged. "I guess. We left the bags in the car."

"What's wrong?" Tommy asked instantly.

"Nothing. I'm fine." Kimberly answered.

"You're lying. Why?" Tommy asked again.

Kimberly sighed. It was useless trying to lie to him. He knew her too well, and he wasn't going to let it go. "While we were shopping…I overheard a conversation between these two girls. It upset me."

"What were they talking about?" Tommy asked.

"Me," Kimberly answered softly.

Tommy sighed. He had completely forgotten about the gossip and rumors going around right now. He never had to worry about Kim finding out because she barely left the Command Center. Also, Ernie made sure to never have the news on while Kim was there. "I'm so sorry. I should have warned you."

Kimberly just sighed. "Have you heard them all?"

Tommy nodded. "It makes me so angry."

Tears filled Kimberly's eyes. "I'm so sorry!" She choked out. "I swear I didn't want it. I swear I never cheated on you!"

"Oh Beautiful no," Tommy said quickly. He pulled her back into his arms hugging her tightly. "No, Baby, that's not what I meant. I'm not mad at you. I'll never blame you for this situation. The rumors make me angry. The fact that people are making up lies about you and spreading them around to all their friends makes me angry. Kimberly, Beautiful, I would never be angry with you for what happened. It wasn't your fault."

Kimberly cried softly into his chest. "They kept saying that a girl like me had too much baggage and scars and my boyfriend couldn't handle it and he'd leave me. I got so scared, Tommy. Then I heard them saying that I willingly slept with my Coach and I just…I freaked out. I couldn't breathe. I was so terrified you'd be angry with me."

"I'm sorry. I should have chosen my words differently. I'm not, nor will I ever be, mad at you." Tommy said and kissed her head. "I promise."

Kimberly settled down but stayed in his arms.

"Why didn't you send me a distress call?" He asked.

Kimberly shrugged. "I was trying to be brave."

"You are the bravest person I know. Sometimes being brave means knowing when to ask for support." Tommy told her.

Kimberly nodded. "I'm sorry. Are you mad?"

"Never."

Kimberly smiled. "I love you."

"I love you too." They shared a kiss, and Kimberly stayed snuggled in his chest.

Being out in public still made her nervous. But it was better than it had been. In fact, this had ended up being a pretty awesome day.


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