Author's Note: The locations, characters, and whatnot used herein are the property of Saban and/or Disney, except as follows. Renee and Trevor are the property of Vespera from Tabletsofdestiny.com, and I used them only because I needed a name for Kim's friends in Florida. They are not the same characters from any of her fanfics. The song is "Toy Soldiers" by Martika. I know that Tommy and Kim were probably only being born as the song was big, but hey, I was around, and I thought the song fit.
It wasn't my intention to mislead you
It never should have been this way.
What can I say?
Its true, I did extend the invitation,
I never knew how long you'd stay.
When you hear temptation call,
It's your heart that takes,
Takes the fall.
I know how your memory is, Tommy, so you probably don't remember the song. You played it for me shortly after we started dating, saying how much you would love to hear me sing this "classic". Now, granted, I wouldn't consider a song from the 80s as being a classic, but to each their own.
I know you probably have gotten on with your life. I know you and Kat are probably together as we speak (I saw how she hugged you after the fight). But, after seeing you again, after you saved me on Muranthias, I realized how stupid it was for me to have sent you that letter. I owe you a huge explanation, one I fully plan on giving you when I get back. I don't blame you if you're still angry with me for it, but… But I want you to at least hear my words. I'll be staying in Florida for a few more months, until the Pan-Global's are over. If you're willing to at least hear me out, wait for me at "our" spot at the lake. Maybe then I can explain what I was thinking, I hope.
Love Always,
"Beautiful"
Kimberly
It's getting hard to wake up in the Morning.
My head is swimming constantly.
How can it be?
How could I be blind to this addiction?
If I don't stop, the next ones gonna be me.
Only emptiness remains
If replaces all, all the pain.
Tommy read the words written on the page, the handwriting almost as familiar to him as his own. He found the simple note taped to his locker after he finished competing in the Martial Arts tournament he, Jason, and Adam had won for the Little Angel's Haven. He knew Kimberly had watched the fight, and saw her there, congratulating them after they won. But he hadn't seen her at the party afterwards, even though he knew Jason invited her. Not that he needed to.
After the tournament, time had flown so quickly. First it was getting used to the new Turbo powers they had created to travel through the Nemesis Triangle to save Jason and Kimberly. Then, it was Graduation. Then, choosing their replacements as Rangers. And last was being asked by his Uncle John to race for his team. But it all made him think about Kim. Not TO strung up on her, are ya? He thought to himself.
At first, when she first left, he thought it was just trying to get used to her not being there. Not in the Juice Bar, watching as he showed kids Martial Arts. Not being at Aisha's house, working on who knows what for school. Not being at the Mall, shopping until he had blisters on his feet from helping her carry all of her new clothes. Having Kat around in Kim's place wasn't too helpful, either. Tommy grinned to himself, thinking of at least a few times when he would rush to Kat's side during a fight, only to hear her Australian accent flow out of the Pink Ranger helmet.
And after "the" letter arrived, it was even worse. He would walk into the Juice Bar, and see the seat she always sat in at "their" table. Or would pass her favorite little boutique in the mall. He couldn't count the number of times in that first month when he had to leave where he was to keep from breaking into tears. The only comfort he had was that she was at least happy. She may not love him anymore, but he still cared about her. And if she was happy with another, good for her. He thought to himself. Now, if only he could convince his heart of what his head understood.
He almost had, too, if it wasn't for Divatox. When she kidnapped two humans, she had to pick the two people closest to Tommy. Jason, his best friend and brother he never had (Until I met the brother I never head, Tommy thought, ruefully.), and Kimberly, the love of his life. He and the other Rangers had rushed to help the pair, though the others did it because it was their duty as Rangers. Tanya, the then Yellow Ranger, knew Jason only as the temporary Gold Ranger, but knew how close he and Tommy were. Justin, the Blue Turbo Ranger, Rocky's replacement, didn't know either of them, but followed the older Rangers without question. Kat, the Pink Ranger, knew how close Tommy and Kim had been before the letter, and had even attempted to help him through the rough period afterwards. She knew she was being the "rebound" girl, but she cared for Tommy a lot, and would help as best she could. But, just like Tanya, she only knew Jason from his time as the Gold Ranger. Only Adam, the Green Ranger, knew how much both of them meant to Tommy. Tommy laughed at that. He, the former and original Green Ranger, had been beside himself, and the only one who knew completely how he felt, was the current Green Ranger. Life's little ironies.
Seeing Kimberly in danger brought all of those emotions Tommy had almost buried back to the surface, and he realized, in that split second, that he would never be over Kimberly Ann Hart. He wanted to talk to her after the competition, but she disappeared on him, almost as well as any of them had when they could Teleport. He gave up after twenty minutes of asking if people had seen her, and finally went back to get changed. It was there that he found this note taped to his locker. He read it, and again, found himself on the verge of tears. He read over her words, and found himself responding aloud to them. "Of course I remember that song… And I know it was from the 80s. We were kids then, and isn't that when most people consider "classics"… I've never gotten over you… Kat and me? Maybe for a little while… Yeah, you do…"
Tommy folded the paper back up, and slipped into his pocket. He had read it almost daily since he found it, making sure that he hadn't imagined it all. And each day, he read the same words. She was going to come back, and explain what happened. Tommy tried not to be too excited about it, but the others knew something was up. Kat was finally the one who asked him. "What is going on, Tommy?" Tommy could hardly contain himself as he explained it to Kat. Even though they had long ago decided that they weren't good as a couple, they were very close friends, and she was happy for him.
So, here he was, after receiving a letter saying that Kim was finally coming home, waiting for her at their spot by the lake. He wanted to go and meet her at the airport, wanted to wrap his arms around her again, but did as she asked him too. He chided himself for being so excited. For all he knew, she wanted to explain what happened because she was getting married to this "other guy", and wanted to close that chapter of her life. But, if that was the case, why had she signed her letter with "Love Always" and "Beautiful"? Even in High School, when she would write him notes and pass them to him in the hall, she never signed it with his nickname for her.
Tommy stared out over the water, tossing a rock or two in to pass the time as he waited. He laughed to himself, thinking about how long he had taken to get ready. Kim would probably laugh her rear end off if she knew how nervous I was. He had taken most of the time deciding what he would wear. Not being a Ranger any longer, he didn't feel a particular need to dress in his color any more. She always called me her White Knight. White… He looked down at the white tee shirt, black jeans, and white boots. He even took the time to blow dry his hair out, taking painful care to make sure it was straight. She did say she liked it straight, back then.
Tommy was beginning to worry that she stood him up, when he heard someone walking up from behind him. "Kim?" He said, raising himself up. As he turned, he saw a shorter female figure, wearing a pink tank top and plain blue jeans. Her caramel colored hair flowed down over her shoulder, done into a braid. But the thing that caught his attention, and always had, was her doe-like eyes, baring her soul to the world. Or at least, they always did to me. Not able to control himself any longer, he rushed forward, and caught her in a tight embrace. "God, Kim, I've missed you." Tommy could no longer control himself, and all the tears he had forced himself not to shed over the past few months finally began to fall.
Kim returned his embrace, squeezing him almost as tightly as he squeezed her. She pulled back, and noticed his wet cheeks. "Hey, I thought it was us ladies who were supposed to lose control of our emotions." She laughed, wiped the tears from his cheeks and eyes, and sighed. "I'm sorry."
Tommy looked at her in shock. Here he was, making a huge fuss over her, and she was apologizing. "What for?"
"The letter. I never should have wrote it." Tommy again looked upon her with shock. He knew she wanted to talk about it, but was surprised when she practically started their conversation with it. "I want to get this out in the open before we do or say anything else. That way, after you hear it, if you get upset, I can go, and I won't have wasted your evening." Tommy started to protest, but then noticed that her eyes were beginning to moisten. He nodded his agreement as he led her to a nearby bench.
"Where do I start… It all started practically when I arrived in Florida. Everyone there was so… dispassionate about everything else BUT their gymnastics, I felt so alone. I mean, I loved everything I was doing down there, but I had other interests. I tried to get to know people down there, and everytime I tried, they looked at me like I was a kid who was bothering them." Kim sniffled, as she gently brushed a tear from her cheek.
"After awhile, the only things that could make me smile anymore where actual practices and our phone calls. And even then, I couldn't count on your calls, since I never knew when you were gonna call," she turned towards Tommy, who cringed.
"I'm sorry, Beautiful."
Kim blushed at hearing him use her nickname. It had been so long. She missed it so much. "It's not your fault, Tommy. You couldn't help if you were… indisposed a lot of the time. But then, one day, Renee, my roommate, said she didn't understand why I was waiting around for you, when you were probably out running the town with Kat."
"Why would she think I'd be out with Kat?" Tommy asked.
"Because I showed her a picture of the two of you, and she commented about how cute a couple you two would make." Kim laughed. "And I think she was a little jealous that I has such a hunk for a boyfriend." Now it was time for Tommy to blush. "Anyways, she brought a friend of hers over to our room one night. She introduced us, and, after we began talking, she disappeared. Then, Trevor, that was his name, leaned over and started kissing on me. I tried to push him off of me, but… god, it had been so long since anyone had kissed me like that." She stopped, and looked away from Tommy, her shoulders lightly bobbing from her sobs.
Tommy pulled her closer to him, slipping an arm around her shoulder. "Its OK, Kim. I'm not here to judge you. I'm here cause you wanted to explain it to me. And because I love you." She looked up at him, quizzically.
"Even after all that I did?"
"Even after all that. When did all this happen?" he asked, trying to prompt her back to her story.
"It was right around Valentine's Day. I hadn't seen you, or really even heard from you since I was here for Christmas, and I was even more depressed then normal, mostly from it being Valentine's Day. But, back to my story. He started kissing me, and I couldn't help myself… I kept telling myself that it was wrong to be doing this, when you were in Angel Grove. But, my body wasn't listening to reason." She looked to Tommy, who had his eyes shut, silently nodding. "Tommy… nothing more happened." His eyes flew open, as he looked at her, his gaze a mix of shock, relief, and disbelief.
"He kissed me for awhile, but when he tried to go further, I stopped him. I asked him what he thought he was doing. He told me that he wanted to get to know me 'in the Biblical sense'. I was shocked. I smacked him and told him to get out. He left, but I still felt horrible about what had happened. I sat down and wrote that damned letter. But every time I tried to tell you what happened, all I could see was how angry you got when I told you I had been weak, even for a moment. Finally, I wrote that I had found someone else. And, even though it was a lie, I knew that if you thought I was happy you wouldn't be mad. And that was what I wanted, Tommy. I knew it would hurt when you read that letter, but I knew you would be happy for me if I had someone else that made me happy…"
"Except you didn't." Tommy finished for her.
Kimberly nodded. "The day I sent that letter in the mail was the worst day of my life. And it showed in everything I did. I nearly lost my place at the Pan Global's because of how it affected me. The only thing that helped me was the fact that, during our last break, Jason showed up. I saw him, and immediately poured my soul out to him. I knew if he could help me talk to you, maybe I could explain what happened, and make things right. He then told me about the Little Angel's Haven, and the competition. We decided to come back and help out, and while we were there, I'd get a chance to explain."
"But then Divatox happened."
"Yeah. But, seeing you again, and especially you saving me from that… it made me realize that you still cared, even though I hurt you. And I still cared for you…" she started to trail off, wiping her eyes.
"Why did you leave so quickly? We could have talked then."
"Because, I saw how you looked at me, that same old love in your eyes, and it scared me. How could you still love me that much after everything I did? I figured that, if you still loved me like that, then maybe I could push myself to do what I dreamed, push past the pain I had caused myself. If I could do that, then I could confront you with what I had done. But I needed to prove myself to myself before I could do that."
"Which is why you asked me to meet you here. I get it."
"I wish I could take that letter back, Tommy. I wish I could pretend it never happened, and we could go back to how we used to be. But I know I can't. And I know you're probably disappointed in me…"
"Kim, you confronted something that nearly defeated you, and you were strong enough to admit to a mistake you made. Am I upset about you lying to me? Of course. But, I can understand why you did. And I'm glad you came back to tell me."
Kimberly looked up at him, her doe eyes red from tears, and her cheeks streaky from crying. "Does this mean I'm forgiven?"
"No," he said, and saw the fear in her eyes, then allowed himself to smile softly. "This does…" he leaned down, and kissed her lips gently. He had been waiting for this moment for months, maybe even longer. He was finally back together with the woman he loved, and he would never let himself lose her again. "I love you, Beautiful."
"I love you, too, Tommy."
He stood up, and offered his hand to her. She smiled, and took it, and as they walked from their spot, arm in arm, neither of them saw the person walk out of the trees who had been watching them the entire time. "That's right, Kim-kim. Just keep on going, pretending I was nothing…"
