a/n: Hey guys! Hope you are enjoying this fic. I want to apologize for the number of typos or mistakes. I use Grammarly for spell check and my computer is too outdated for it to work correctly. Just keep that in mind and if it starts to affect the story, just let me know. :)

Thank you for reading and thank you for reviewing!

Kim

After our surprising return to the Command Center, we were patched up by Billy and William in the medical unit. Kimberly required stitches to her back and some time with a special goo that they had that would heal her wound up some. There was some damage to her throat as well but nothing that seemed to be too life-threatening or scarring. Trini had three broken ribs and needed to have some x-rays done to make sure that was it. But were lucky that the other Trini and Zack showed up when they did. For a second there, I really thought we were going to be history. Silverback was far more powerful than Goldar could even begin to imagine he was, something we never faced back on our team. I tried not to think about him possibly being anywhere close to Abby.

When Billy was done cleaning up my minor cuts and bruises, I went to see where Tommy had disappeared to. I could tell he was upset after the group conversation about him and the new powers. It was a lot of pressure for him and it was hurting me to see him have to deal with this. I wish it wasn't the answer. Guilt was beginning to grow very heavy on me with every passing thought. I should have protected Abby better when I had the chance. I should have brought her with me. It was killing me inside, thinking of her with Drakkon without me. Tears welled in my eyes as I tucked into the kitchen area that was empty. I tried to calm myself down but the crying turned into sobs as I buried my face in my hands.

I couldn't help myself from picturing Abby somewhere in the palace, crying out for me because I wasn't there. My chest hurt as my mind made me see her hurt or worse, wondering why I had just left her and little Tommy behind. I thought about our nights in our room together, her sleeping next to me while I looked down at her. I'd been here two nights now almost, meaning that she's been sleeping without me for the first time since she was born. She needed me and I couldn't be there for her when I'm supposed to be.

"Kimmy?" A voice said softly from the doorway. I wiped at my face before looking for the source. I saw that it was Jason standing there, a look of concern on his face.

"Oh. Sorry." I whispered, trying to clean my face with my fingertips. He stepped into the room, shaking his head.

"Are you okay?" He asked. I moved to answer yes automatically but I couldn't bring myself to do it. The tears started again as I looked at him.

"No," I said. "I just keep thinking about Abby and I…" I trailed off as my tears became sobs again. Jason walked over and wrapped his arms around me. I buried my face into the hoodie that covered his torso, gripping it in my hands.

"Shhh." He said softly, rubbing my back.

"I left her." I cried. "She'd be here with us if I had just taken her with me. She's probably so scared and confused. He could be hurting her right now. God knows what could have happened to her and I'm here. It's all my fault. I'm a horrible mother."

"Hey." He said, pulling away enough to hold my shoulders. "You aren't. None of this is your fault. Everything happened so quickly and you were trying to protect her. Anyone in your situation would have done the same thing. We're going to save her, Kim. I promise you that."

"You can't though," I said, shaking my head. "Drakkon is closing off his world and Tommy isn't ready yet. We don't even have the Grid up and running yet so we can use our powers. How are we going to get to her in time?"

"Well, we're the Power Rangers, right? We've been in some tough spots before. Sure, this might be the worst of it but we've always come out on top, haven't we? We aren't going to stop until you and Tommy have your daughter back in your arms. The team is going to make sure it happens, no matter what, okay?" Reaching over, he grabbed a napkin from the counter behind us and held it out to me. I took it, dabbing at my eyes and nose.

"I just keep thinking about her all alone and probably feeling terrified that I'm not there, wondering why I just left her behind." My voice quivered. "I just need her here with me."

"Look, if I know Tommy like I think I do, he's going to make sure she's back with you in no time. He might be a bit reckless when it comes to his plans but Tommy knows what it takes to get the job done. He just spent five years trying to track you down when the rest of us gave up too soon. We're going to get everything figured out." Reaching up, he gave my shoulder a gentle squeeze. "You're a great mother and Abby is lucky to have both you and Tommy as her parents."

"I hope so." I sighed, letting my hands down to the front of me. "I'm sorry I'm crying all over you. I just couldn't hold it in anymore after what happened tonight." Nodding, he gave me a small smile.

"I think it's justified. Trini told me about everything that went down. Seems like you still pack quite the wallop with a bow."

"A wallop?" I asked, giving a small chuckle. "When did you suddenly turn into your dad?" Jason laughed, scratching the back of his head as he nodded. Looking over at him, I suddenly saw that he had aged more than I thought. Five years has an effect on people but living in an active war zone does more. He was scruffy with a weathered feel to his features, a tired look on his eyes. He no longer looked as carefree as I remembered him being when we were kids.

"I guess I deserved that one." He replied, grinning. "But I mean it about your bow skills. Were you practicing in the other world?"

"Yeah, okay. Like Drakkon would give me access to a weapon that I could use against him. I guess it's like riding a bike. I wouldn't bet on it happening again though."

"Well, once the Billys have the Grid back up fully and we can use the gems to morph, we will have all our old weapons again. It'll be just like old times."

"I never thought I'd say that I actually miss Rita. She was a cakewalk compared to all of this mess." Jason nodded.

"You got that right." He muttered, letting out a soft sigh. "I'd face three of her monsters at the same time if it meant none of this happening as it has."

"Totally." I cleaned my face and tossed the napkin into the garbage can next to the sink area. "Is Tommy in training?"

"Yeah. He and Saba are practicing with Zack. I wanted to make sure Trini was okay before I head back down there. Did you want to come along to watch? I think they are getting the hang of it." I could tell that he was lying, him looking away from my gaze.

"No. I don't want to add any more pressure to Tommy. How is he doing?"

"Okay for the most part. It's hard to fight with someone you barely know and that keeps making comments again and again about it. That's what is causing the issues I think. The two have to work together in order to be the team they need "

"I meant how is he really do? Like when I was gone?" Jason said, scratching his forehead with his right hand.

"Well, he didn't spend a lot of time here, that's for sure. He took off as soon as he could to try to find you. He gave me a lot to worry about seeing as he was off doing his own thing without backup. He never gave up looking for you. Once we realized that you were still alive, I was able to get him to join us again. He was in a dark place but he never gave up looking for you, Kim."

"Tommy's a stubborn force to be reckoned with, that's for sure," I said. "I know he can do this though once he sets his mind to it."

"I keep telling him that but he doesn't seem to listen." Putting his hands into his pockets, he glanced up at the clock on the wall. "It's been a long day. Why don't you get some sleep? Billy left an exam table free for you if you wish. It's a lot better than the rocks we sleep on in our rooms."

"I don't think I could sleep right now even if I wanted to. I can try to help the Billys or even stay with Trini if you'd like."

"I'd appreciate that." He turned to walk out of the room.

"Jase?" I called. He stopped looking back at me. "Can I ask you something?"

"Anything." He replied. "Well, almost anything. I don't want Tommy to slap me for being fresh."

"Have you ever had feelings for me?" I questioned. Jason turned fully to face me, his eyebrows lifted in surprise. "Like when we were kids and stuff."

"We're not them, Kim." He said. "Tommy isn't going to run off to be Drakkon because of us. This is a different universe with a different timeline. Well, at least I think. The Billys keep trying to teach us about it but I'd rather sit through one of Miss Appleby's English lessons than try to learn about how time and space work when it comes to this shit."

"I know that. I just…I don't want there to be any chance of our history repeating what happened in their world." I looked away from him sheepishly. "You don't have to tell me if you don't want to. I get it. I just want to make sure that there's nothing to worry about that could impact our friendship."

"No." He said. "I've never had any romantic feelings for you. You've always been the little sister that I never asked for but wouldn't trade for the world. My heart belongs to one girl and one girl only and that's Trini." I gave him a small smile, nodding.

"It sure does," I said softly.

"Besides, who would I even be trying to kid? We all know that you were all for Tommy the moment you saw him. I'm no glutton for punishment." He smiled, shooting me a wink. "Speaking of, I'm going to see how things are going. I'll catch up with you later. Try to get some sleep in, okay?"

"No promises but sure." He gave my shoulder a gentle squeeze before heading up the hallway. I composed myself and went the other direction, heading for the medical unit. It was quiet in the Command Center, everyone off doing their own things to prepare for the battle that would be happening at some point. As I entered the medical bay, I saw that the lights had been dimmed and that Trini was sleeping soundly on one of the cots.

To no surprise, I saw that the Ranger Slayer was not laying where she was supposed to be. Instead, I saw that there was an open door at the other end of the medical bay. Walking towards it, I saw a ladder that went up. Grabbing the first wrung, I climbed up it. I went all the way up until I found a hatch that was semi-open. Climbing through it, I found myself among some bigger-sized boulders that were in the desert. I was guessing this was an emergency exit in case something were to occur down below. On top of one of the rocks, I saw the Ranger Slayer sitting there. It was dark, the sun was long gone and clouds mixed with smoke covered up the stars.

"I'm going to go out on a limb here and say that they don't suggest climbing when you have fresh stitches," I said, walking over and sitting next to her.

"I mean, what they don't know only hurts me, right?" She replied, not looking at me. Her focus stayed on the horizon off in the distance, in the same direction where the town was. She looked worn down, the fight and her injuries taking their toll on her I'm sure.

"I'd be upset too, you know? Knowing that Tommy is trying to have a gigantic monkey kill me."

"I'm not upset." She said, almost sounding offended. I glanced over at her.

"I am you, remember?" I replied. "I can tell when you are thinking about him and when something is eating you. I get it." She sighed, shaking her head as she tossed a pebble forward.

"Yeah, well, I don't." She muttered. "He exiled me to your universe, abused me for over a decade, left me this lovely reminder on my back, and is trying to have me served up on a platter. Yet, I still can't stop thinking about him. I can't stop thinking about what it was like."

"It's okay to miss Tommy and to hate Drakkon," I said, softly. "The person that he was before Drakkon became a thing."

"For a while, when I was under his spell, I allowed myself to think that he really did love me and that he had me there because he couldn't live without me. Maybe that part of my brain is just wired to believe it now or something. I can't make it stop."

"It takes time." She shook her head, glancing over at me. I saw tears welling up in her eyes.

"When I first started meeting with Finster, he asked me to save Drakkon. He wanted me to promise that the Rangers wouldn't kill him and that we'd do our best to save him from this monster he was becoming. I let myself believe that we could. I even begged Jason and Zordon to promise it as well in order for me to help them. I've spent all this time, having false hope that we'd just capture him one day and make him see the errors of his way. It made living this way easier I suppose. But now, I know that there is no saving someone when they are that far gone."

"Sometimes, a person has to be willing to be saved before you can," I said, tucking my feet under me. "Drakkon wants all the power he can get, even against the advice of Finster. Until he's ready to understand the dangers of it, you can't save him. You know what you can do though?" I asked.

"What?" I gave her a small smile.

"Save yourself. You can't let Drakkon and all of this define the rest of your life." She nodded, looking back out at the horizon again. "You've got to move on."

"I will. There's something I need to do first." She stood, limping slightly. I stood too, stepping in front of.

"You can't go after him. We've already talked about this." I said. "We need to face him as a team."

"I know him best. I know how he thinks and how he plans things. It needs to be me that ends him." I shook my head.

"No, it doesn't. Not alone at least. Look at all the damage he has caused when we put our guard down. We need to do this as a team and to plan something to use against him, okay?" She looked away from me. "Besides, you are in no shape to fight anyone right now. You need to heal and rest."

"We don't have the luxury of time for that." She said softly. She sounded defeated, a different tone from her usual confident self that I had seen.

"Promise me you won't run off to fight him."

"Kim-." She started but I shook my head, cutting her off.

"No. You need to promise me. I don't care if I need to have them toss you in a cell or something. You can't go after him alone. Promise me." I gave her a determined but expectant look. She hesitated but nodded after a minute. "Thank you."

"Don't thank me yet." She sighed. "Finster was trying to warn me about something before he left but we were interrupted by the bombings. I have a bad feeling that Drakkon is planning something that we aren't even aware of."

"More than likely." I breathed. "But, it doesn't matter." The Ranger Slayer glanced up at the sky before turning back to look at me.

"I can't imagine how you were able to raise your daughter in that castle with him. It must have been difficult. Especially right now with her being there still." I nodded.

"It is."

"I don't think he'll hurt her." She said, shaking her head.

"Me either," I whispered, our eyes locking. We stood there for a moment, silence falling over us as we looked at one another. After a minute or so, she sighed and turned back to the hatch.

"Let's head back in before Silverback shows up out of nowhere again. They tend to do that." She said and it took me a moment to realize that she was joking. For the first time since meeting her, I could see myself in her. She was just like me, just someone who wanted to do whatever she could to be with the person she loved. Except, it wasn't possible for her no matter what she tried. She couldn't change Drakkon, she couldn't change the past, and she couldn't bring herself to fully accept that fact until now. I thought for a moment about what it would be like if I couldn't be with Tommy and knowing that he was lost forever. It was a terrifying thought that shook me.

"Yeah," I said, nodding. I went down the ladder first, helping her down at the bottom. She limped into the medical bay where I pretty much had to shove her back into the bed. Once she was there and I was satisfied she wasn't going anywhere, I checked on Trini who was still sleeping. I brought the blanket up to cover Trini more, tucking her in. As I did, I thought of Abby and if she was being tucked into bed as well and who was doing it. Those tears filled my eyes again but I shook my head, making them fade.

"Hey," Tommy said softly as he appeared in the doorway next to me. I looked up, seeing that he was a little banged up. I guessed it was from his training, sweat still sticking to his body. "I've been looking for you."

"Sorry. I was talking with Kimberly." I replied in a whisper. "Are you okay?" I asked. He nodded, glancing down at his knuckles that I saw were scrapped as well.

"I'll live." He replied. An uncertain quiet fell between us, the sounds of the medical unit seeming to echo off the walls around us. "Will you go with me somewhere?" He asked, looking at me.

"What do you mean?"

"I have something I want to tell you and I don't think here is the right place to do it." Reaching over, he took my hands in his. "Will you, beautiful?"

"As if I could say no to you," I whispered. He smiled at me before reaching behind him and pulling a telepad from his back pocket. He set it on the floor, entering something into a small tablet he detached from it. He took my hands again and together, we stepped onto the pad. There was a quiet whooshing noise and we were seemly sucked out of the Command Center. A couple of seconds later, we materialized in the middle of a forest. It was dark, a distant sound of a patrol ship vibrating through the air. Tommy let go of my hands and picked up the pad, pulling a flashlight from the pocket of his jacket. He took my hand again and pulled me into the tree line quickly.

"This is where I spent most of my time when I was looking for you." He said over his shoulder as we walked. "It's nothing fancy but I know that we won't be tracked here by anyone. No one knows about it except the other Kim but I don't think she'll be running after us any time soon." Tommy came to a stop in front of what looked like a small cabin in the middle of the woods. It reminded me of something someone might use for hunting or a weekend getaway, the small building blending in with its surroundings. It resembled a very small log cabin with a green roof, helping with its camouflage. Tommy led me up the two steps of the front, pulling me inside and shutting the door behind us.

It was dark and I heard him lock the door with what sounded like ten locks in pitch blackness. The light appeared as he lit a lantern, holding it above us as he stepped into the room. That was it was really, one room. On the right side, I spotted a desk with a chair and a wood stove next to it. It was set up for cooking too, pots and pans hanging on the wall near it. On the other side of the room, I saw there was a bed that was made with army-grade bedding. There was a bookshelf next to it with some books shoved onto it. On the wall above the desk, I saw there were maps, pictures, graphs, and different sheets of paper taped to the wall. This was really his base of operations.

"Sorry. I know it isn't much." He apologized.

"Well, I wasn't expecting Park Ave but I guess this will do," I said. "What's going on, Tommy? Why all this secrecy?" Sighing, he set the lantern down on the desk and led me to the edge of the bed. Sitting, he shifted so he was facing me.

"I was talking with Jason and Zack. We both agree that we can't wait until Zordon gives us the oaky. If we don't move now, we won't be able to reach the other world to save Abby. So, tomorrow, we are going to take the crystals we can and go there ourselves. I had to bring you here to tell you so that Zordon doesn't hide the crystals on us."

"Tommy, that is a bad idea," I said, shaking my head. "What is with you and the Ranger Slayer wanting to run off to your deaths every chance you get? I just had to talk her out of the same thing. Drakkon is strong. You know that. We have to wait until we have a plan and know what we are doing. You're going to get the white Ranger powers-."

"No, I'm not." He said, standing. "I can't get passed the task and Saba is no help. There's no way I am going to be ready in time. We will have to take our chances. I'm not talking about taking on Drakkon. I'm just saying we go over there and save Abby and myself and come back. Then we can plan on how to take him out."

"I can't let you do that," I said. "It's too dangerous."

"Kim, Abby is over there and we are wasting time doing this Zordon's way. He's a prick who has lied to us this entire time. I'm done waiting for him to decide when it's time to live our lives."

"Exactly my point. We can't live our lives if you run over there and get yourself killed. There has to be another way."

"There isn't." He whispered, kneeling down in front of me. "If we do it this way, we have the upper hand with the element of surprise. I promised you that I would bring Abby back here and this is the only way I know how." I saw emotions raging inside of his eyes as he cupped my face in his hands. "I have to do this."

"I just got you back," I whispered. He gave me a small smile, kissing my forehead.

"I know. I will do my best to make sure we both come back to you." I wrapped my arms around him in a tight hug that he returned.

"I love you," I whispered, tears slipping from my eyes.

"I love you, too." He said, pulling back enough to kiss me on the lips. In that kiss, I felt every single emotion that Tommy was feeling and I did my best to do the same. All of the fear, worry, anguish, and pain that had built up inside of me was begging to be released. I allowed it, clinging on to Tommy like a life preserve in the middle of a violent storm. He held me close to him as we laid back on the bed.