Chapter Twenty Three

"Hey baby," Tommy whispered as he walked up to his jeep and gently patted the hood. He had restored this jeep more times than he cared to remember, but he loved it.

"You kept her?" Kim asked with a chuckle and he barely nodded. He had lots of memories with this jeep and he intended to make many more with her. "She's held up very well."

"She's been patched and painted a few times. Gotten a new motor or two, but yeah…she's held up well," Tommy said as he helped Kim in to the passenger's side and before settling behind the wheel. He hated that he would have to leave her behind for a bit, but he knew that it was for the best. Driving across the country gave Billy's brother too many opportunities to come after him that they could not control. "It's a couple of hours to Reefside."

"I'm going to try to sleep…I'm not sure how driving is going to feel now," Kim muttered as she leaned the seat back and he scrounged around in the backseat for the blanket he always kept there. Over the last three weeks he had watched how her energy had slowly gone down. Although she hadn't complained, he knew that this pregnancy was harder on her than she imagined it would be.

"Okay, I'll wake you when we get there," Tommy whispered as he noticed her eyes had already closed and she was drifting off to sleep. He wished they could take a detour to see his parents. He just could not imagine putting them in harm's way any more than they already were. He forced himself to repeat the mantra that had come to him over the last few weeks. "I will survive and I will take care of all of them."

She woke to gentle shaking of her shoulder and the smell of Tommy. Her eyes briefly met his before she looked past him at his home. She tried to force back the sadness that she felt. She could see herself raising babies here. She could see how this home had been built for the family that Tommy wanted to build. There was nothing on the outside that gave away just how important he was to the world order. She was not even sure that he understood how important he was.

This was what she was asking him to leave. This was what he was willing to leave for their family and for everything that she had in New York. She felt the guilt, but when she looked at him she saw that he did not look sad, but that he was watching her closely. Like he knew what coming to his home was doing to her.

"I do not regret this part. I may wish I had done other things differently, but not this," Tommy stated as he reached up and lowered her to the ground. She met his eyes again and he continued. "That home was built for a life that I can't have here. We'll get the things that I want over time. I am fine with this, Kimberly."

"But your entire life…"Kim trailed off as she was hurried inside. She had forgotten just how much danger they were in. The Command Center definitely gave them a false sense of security.

"These are things- it's not my life. For as long as I can remember, my life has been saving people. Being the eternal Power Ranger. I want that to end as much as you do and it means I have to leave this place. That is perfectly fine by me," Tommy said as she grabbed his hands and then pulled him in to a strong hug. She could not find the words right now and hoped that this would tell him what he needed to know. "We'll be staying the night- I booked us on a flight out of Reefside. What's mine is yours. I've got some stuff to do that I'd rather you not worry about."

She walked in to the living room and looked around at the walls. There were photos all over the place. She recognized many of the faces. She recognized their friends. Tommy had kept in touch with them so much better than she had. She felt the regret sinking in to her as she realized all of the things that she had missed. She had been so desperate to stay out of this world that she had left them too.

She picked up one photo and gulped. She could remember this day. She remembered him twirling around with her on his back until neither of them could stand. She was not sure who took this picture, but someone had. Someone had thought it was a good idea to capture the moment and she saw the joy on their faces. If she was right- that was destroyed shortly thereafter by an attack. But no one would know that by looking at this picture. If anyone saw it- they just saw how happy they were.

"I missed so much," Kim whispered and she turned to see Tommy watching her. "Please don't."

"Don't what?" Tommy asked as he wrapped his arms around her and she settled against him. She felt the tears prickling at the back of her eyes and tried to force them back. "I'm not going to guilt you about this- we both have different things to be guilty about with it all."

"You knew them so much better than I did," Kim forced out and she managed to get ahold of herself. She would come apart about this later. Right now, she needed to hold herself together, for just a little longer.

"We can spend today crying if we need to Kimberly. I've gotten what I need," Tommy said and she wondered how long she had been studying the walls. She wondered how long she had been staring at the pictures that told a story of the life he had lived. The life that she was asking him to give up. "You got a little lost in the pictures."

"How are we going to do this?" Kim asked- finally voicing the question that had been plaguing her for weeks. Sure- they had a plan for the monster to come to them- but what more than that? What was she supposed to do? How could she protect him? "How can I keep you alive?"

"Oh sweetheart," Tommy muttered as she spun around in his arms and she felt him shake. "You can't protect me and protect yourself at the same time. When he comes for me- you have to protect yourself."

"But…" Kim started and he firmly shook his head. "Tommy!"

"If there is a way out- you take it. Promise me," Tommy whispered and she looked up at him. She couldn't promise him that. She knew that she would not leave him, even if it put her at risk. "Kimberly, please."

"Would you leave me?" Kim countered and she watched him gulp. As his eyes closed, she knew that she had just asked the one question he did not want to answer. "We're in this together- just how we started."

"I can't fight with you there. I can't fight with that worry in the back of mind. If I miss…if I…" Tommy forced out and he hung his head. He had dreamed this fight over and over again. He had dreamed what might happen to her and it haunted him. He walked away from her and settled down on the couch. "I love you and I cannot risk hurting you- either of you."

"Tommy…" Kim whispered as she finally found her voice. She had been careful not to let those words slip from her own lips. She didn't want to make this worse if he survived and she didn't.

"Don't. Don't force it, Kimberly," Tommy said as she wrapped her arms around herself and focused on avoiding his gaze. "But I do mean it. I mean everything I've said today. I need you to protect yourself…just so I have a fighting chance."

"I'll try," Kim muttered as she walked over to the patio and let herself out. She knew that she couldn't promise what he asked and she knew that everything he said was also true. She would be a distraction, a distraction that could get him killed.