The Rangers are sat in the youth centre, enjoying a relaxing juice drink and just generally enjoying one another's company. Rocky is sat besides Aisha on one side Eddy on the other, Adam is opposite him surrounded by Billy and Kat. Tommy is at the counter getting himself a drink. He turns round and glances towards the door without thinking it doesn't register for a moment then he double takes. As a long moment passes and he just stares at her, his drink forgotten.
At the table Eddy is the first to see what's taking Tommy so long, he sees that he is dumbfounded by the person in the doorway, he leans over to Rocky and asks him, "so who's the bird in pink?"
Rocky looks up and sees that Tommy is looking at a girl who is looking back at him and his face drops with shock. The others turn to see what has stunned Rocky to silence, slowly all the others join him with the look of shock.
Aisha breaks the silence, "Kim," she says tentatively rising up, "Kim," this one has more energy to, "Oh my god Kimberly Hart," she runs to her flinging her arms around her in greeting.
The girl in the doorway returns the hug, tears in her eyes, she is pretty, dressed in a low-cut pink top and white hipsters. Adam and Billy join Aisha in welcoming her back to Angel Grove, Tommy moves closer but doesn't approach her, Kat moves tentatively forward as well, her face a mix of emotions. Rocky stays with Eddy, he knows that the newcomer will have a hundred and one questions and he figures he can help him out a little.
"So who is she," Eddy asks, plainly.
"Kim," Rocky answers, it is clear he is pleased to see her.
"I think everyone on the West Coast knows that from Aisha shouting it across the room, so who is she?"
"The original Pink Ranger," Eddy glances at Kat, but says nothing, "and Tommy's ex."
"That explains something," Eddy shrugs, "rough break up."
"No break up, she went off to train for the pan global games and they drifted apart."
"Harsh."
Tommy moves a little closer, Kim moves towards him the trio parting between them, the normally unflappable Tommy has at least as many tears in his eyes as she does.
"Can we talk," she asks, "privately?"
"Yeah," he replied and they left the juice bar.
In the confusion and excitement no one seems to have noticed that Kat has slipped out, she was fighting back tears. She figured she would probably have to give up being a Ranger, returning the coin to the true owner, she was also reminded of what she had done back when she was under the evil spell of Rita Repulsa. She didn't even notice that she had been joined on the wall by a friendly face.
Rocky has now joined the others and they move back to the table talking excitedly and anxiously in equal measures. Why was Kim back and why was it now.
Tommy and Kim get into his Jeep, Tommy asks where she wants to go to talk, she tells him that this is as good a place as any. The first thing she says is how she has missed him, the tears freely flowing from her eyes now, he is struggling to hold his back. She tells him that she has just competed in and won the qualifying event for the Pan Globals, Tommy smiles remembering all the times he had told her how good she was. Then she moves on to the real reason she is in town, she wants to know if they are still an item.
"How can you ask that," Tommy asks her, surrendering to the tears.
"I just need to know if I'm going to have to get used to never seeing you again."
"These last few months, you've been all I could think of."
"You still love me," she pitifully asks.
"With every beat of my heart, is that what you wanted, to hear me say it, coming here, tearing my heart apart again, just to boost your ego."
"That's not what I wanted, I just couldn't take another day of not knowing," an idea dawns on her, "come back with me."
"What back to Florida?"
"Yeah, you and me together again," Before he can answer the Putties attack.
"Anything you want to share," Eddy asks his friend in Pink. She looks up at him through her tears, wondering why he was here, but she says nothing. "Okay," he continues, "let me guess, you've been cutting up about a bazillion onions," a slight smile begins to form on her face. "No, that's not it, maybe you have allergies, to the outside or something," this time she definitely smiles at his obscure comments. "No, that ain't it either, then maybe it's a woman who has just seen the thing that gives her life meaning start to slip away from her. Is that it?" Kat nods, "you think that Kim being back means you have to give up your powers, and you're no longer a champion." Kat nods once more, "well then you're missing the point. It's not some coin that gives you the power, it's inside you. The reason you are a champion is that you have the heart of a champion. You were chosen to be a Power Ranger because it is what you were always destined to be."
Kat was still crying but now her tears weren't tears of sorrow, something in what Eddy was saying somehow managed to restore some of her faith. Before she can thank him they hear a scream from behind them, turning they see across the car park and see the eight Putties attacking Tommy and Kim.
"Looks like its time for the fight scene," Eddy says changing to except the change of circumstances, Kat managed a smile.
The current Pink and Green Rangers rush to aid the groups leader and the founding member of the team. Tommy is struggling to fight through the crowd to get the space he needs to hit some of his preferred combos. Kim is still trapped in the car, unable to escape because of the advancing villains. As the two newcomers join in Tommy makes the break into the main car park, Kim also solves her problem by exiting through the sunroof and back flipping off the top of the machine landing behind the Putties.
"Need a hand," Eddy asks as he kicks one of the aggressors away from his white-shirted friend.
"Help's always welcome," Tommy responds as a solid punch to the chest-plate of one of the creatures dispatches it.
Kat uses her dancing background to gracefully avoid the attacks and responds with stiff kicks, taking one out of the fight. Kim turns a backflip into a kick defeating one of the creatures, while Tommy and Eddy defeat two of the others with almost identical kicks simultaneously. Kim uses a wall as a platform to flip behind another attack kicking it as it turns round, Eddy meanwhile throws one headfirst into the penultimate monster, leaving only the one Eddy just used as a weapon left.
Eddy grabs it by the back of its head turns to his Australian friend and says, "hey Kat, lets see you do that hero thing."
Tossing the Putty towards his friend, who drops to the floor plants her feet into its chest-plate and flips it into the air. It explodes while still in mid-air through the force of the impact. The quartet relax after a glance round shows that there are no more evil monsters from outer space.
"Well," Eddy starts, "that was fun, can't get through a day without those burkes trying to kill me. Anyone mind if I head back inside."
"I'll join you," says Kat feeling refreshed after the chat and the fight. They head back to the youth club to join the others.
"We'll be in, in a minute," Kim shouted after them before turning back to Tommy, he had a serious look on his face.
"Kim," he began, the words sticking in his throat, "I hope you know that I love you, no matter what happens I always will." Kim knew every word that Tommy was saying before the words left his mouth, but that didn't make it easier on either of them. "I would love to go back to Florida with you, but right now I have responsibilities here. I will come over and see you any time I can," the tears were now streaming from both their eyes, "and when I have laid down my weapons and I am no longer a Ranger I swear I will be there." In the end he only had one thing left he could say, "I'm sorry."
Kim blinks back her tears for long enough to respond to what he has just told her, "I know you can't come back with me Tommy, and I promise you that I will think of you everyday. I understand that right now our destinies aren't going the same way, just like I am sure that someday they will intertwine again. But until they do I just hope that you know..." Tommy stops her, he has heard enough words, he presses his lips to hers for a kiss that seems to last forever, he knows.