Chapter 10- I'm Dreaming of a Pink Ranger
A cheerful honk cut through the stillness of the early Reefside evening. Tommy raised a brow and swiped the glasses from his face as he went to peer out of the window. Kim was leaning out of the car door and waving for him to come out and join her, looking bright as ever in a white crop top and jeans, her sunglasses nestled on the top of her head pulling her hair back from her face like a clip.
"Hey roomie! Fancy carrying some bags?" She called when she noticed him at the window with a bemused look on his face.
He allowed a small smile and responded, "Sure, what are we knights for?"
Pushing down the earlier memories of his fairytale 'moving day' he noted with some relief that there were no boxes covered in her looping handwriting, only a small suitcase and- less surprising he supposed- a large quantity of shopping bags from Reefside Mall. He looked at her pointedly and Kim shrugged.
"What? I only packed for a couple days visit, and as I'm staying longer, I needed some extra provisions. Plus, there are some really cute outfits in some of those little boutiques!" She added, somewhat guiltily.
Tommy laughed at this and grabbed her suitcase and a handful of bag handles, allowing Kim the smaller ones.
The Black Ranger belatedly realised that Kim had obviously done a lot of shopping and some concealing packing- it felt like she had bricks in the bags not just clothes. As the two of them reached the house and he pushed the door shut with his foot he overbalanced and toppled into Kim, who was saved from a meeting with the floor by his wall. She had supported herself with one arm and caught Tommy from smacking his face into the plaster with her other.
The two stood for a moment in this precarious and rather closely packed balancing act, their faces mere inches apart before Tommy realised that dropping the bags would solve his issue. He did so and Kim let go of him as he leant back to stand securely with both feet on the ground. Tommy laughed embarrassedly and scratched at the back of his head uncomfortably.
Kim smiled, though the moment was an awkward one. She broke the tension by clapping her hands together and distracting him with a new dilemma.
"So, what are you feeding me?"
Tommy frowned for a moment, his eyes widening in realisation.
"Aww man, I forgot I'd have to keep you fed and watered while you were here. I was just offering you a bed." At Kim's glare he held up his hands, "Kidding. Let me see what I've got." He led the way into the kitchen, Kim's belongings momentarily abandoned and forgotten in the hall.
Kim peered over his shoulder as he opened the refrigerator door. It was most certainly a bachelor's fridge. Lots of ready meals in microwavable form, half eaten pizza from goodness knows when, cans of beer and soda, and a random assortment of slightly worn vegetables. In truth he hadn't really given much thought to feeding her after all, he just figured something edible might miraculously appear if he kept the fridge closed for long enough,
Tommy turned to look at her sheepishly, "I don't usually have company for dinner."
Kim shrugged nonchalantly. "No big, I know the feeling, I am the take-out queen. I can't be bothered to cook so I order fast food or rustle up some soup or noodles or something highly inventive most nights. Hey, maybe that's the reason everyone always invites me round to dinner, they think I'd starve if left to my own devices!" Kim glared in realisation.
Tommy chuckled and wrinkled his brow in thought. "So, Chinese?"
"Go for it." She grinned, throwing him the phone.
The two sat at Tommy's dining room table, his actual dining room more of a run on from the kitchen with a nice pine table and chairs set that looked as if it had never been used for its intended purpose. Indeed before it was suitable for such civilised use Kim had to sweep off an assortment of pop quizzes, assignments and notes for science lectures and lessons. The two now sat opposite each other picking at the noodles and chicken pieces with chopsticks.
"I still can't get over the fact that you're a science teacher now!" Kim giggled and Tommy nodded.
"Yeah I know, I can hardly believe it myself."
Kim pursed her lips and said seriously, "You've changed so much."
He looked up at her. "So have you."
"I guess, y'know, you just figure people are going to just stay the same forever, they're locked in your memory in a certain way, you just can't understand it when you suddenly see them differently. Gradual change is easier to accept I guess, but seeing you…"
Tommy laughed, "I know you liked my hair better long."
Kim giggled at that but smiled slightly wistfully. "Yes, but it's not just that. Just, the way that you are, the way you carry yourself. You're this studious teacher type, you're impenetrable."
He frowned, not quite following her.
The pink Ranger sighed, not really wanting to go there, but they had promised they'd be totally honest from here on in.
"It's just, back in our high school days, it used to be so open between us, I used to be able to tell exactly what you were thinking from your eyes. I used to love your eyes, they said so much even when you said so little. It just, tears me a little, that now, they're just eyes. You keep it all hidden, all locked away safe so know one can guess quite what you're thinking. And it tears me even more that a part of that…is my fault."
Tommy didn't know what to say to that, as Kim pressed her lips together in a tight smile and dropped her eyes back down to her plate. He supposed he had become more guarded over the years, and yes, she was certainly right that in a sense she had started it. It had taken him a while to open up again after she had sent the letter, just such a betrayal had forced him to retreat inside himself again as a defence mechanism. But he supposed it had been before that, when she left had for Florida he had lost his confidante, his partner, and although the rest of his team were all his good friends, he couldn't open up to them like he had to Kim, but as she had noted- there was never an opportune time for them to talk and discuss their feelings over the phone as time had gone by, so he hadn't really had the chance to keep up that bond, that communication of his feelings. And going to college and working towards his PhD had only reinforced the walls he had erected around himself, the adult world, or more specifically the scientific world was not the place to allow feelings to become entangled in ones life.
"I'm sorry Tommy." She said quietly. Whether she was apologising for ruining the mood or for ruining his ability to express his feelings he didn't know, but either way he couldn't hold it against her. The guilt she clearly showed for every instance that her letter had influenced him in some way, she looked as if it was eating her alive. He leant over and put his hand over hers.
"Hey." Kim looked up. "Kimberly, I'm not some, some hard-done-by bitter old bachelor. You had your reasons. Don't beat yourself up over the past, that wasn't the purpose of you coming here and you know it. You made some mistakes, but stop feeling guilty on my behalf. It's in the past, I'm moving on. I'm okay." At her look he stared her straight in the eye. "Really."
She gave a small smile and nodded. "Okay, sorry." They were both suddenly aware that his hand was still over hers. He retracted it quickly and snatched up his chopstick.
"So, I may have found a job here in Reefside." Kim quickly changed the direction of the conversation.
"Oh yeah?" Tommy asked, relieved that she hadn't let the silence hang.
"Yeah. Nothing big you know? Just a gymnastics demonstration, I've organised to bring the girls down here next week, just show a bit of their stuff, get people interested in gymnastics a bit more. It'll keep me busy. It's at your school actually, your boss, Principal Randall is it, she called me a couple weeks ago after she'd seen some coverage on the gym on TV, isn't that great?"
Tommy coughed a bit on some chicken caught in his throat. "My school?"
Kim raised a brow. "Yeah, is that a problem?"
"Oh no, of course not." Tommy shook his head. "I… just wondered if it would be dangerous being somewhere so public."
"Tommy, I've been wandering around Reefside mall and the streets for a couple days, Meso-thingy won't be looking for me at your high school. Quit being so paranoid, it's not like he's got spies planted on the lookout for any walking Ranger energy sources now is it?" Kim retorted with a wave of her hand.
"Yeah I know, it was just idle thought." Tommy sighed. "I know it's hard for you not to be back in Angel Grove at the gym and keeping active, and that you don't like being cooped up waiting for Mesogog to strike. The demonstration is a great idea, I'm happy for you." Kim brightened at this and that brightened him somewhat too, so he pushed the worries down and went back to eating.
The more they spoke the easier things were becoming between the two of them, although Tommy guessed it wouldn't be the last time he'd have to reassure Kim that he wasn't bitter or angry at her, and that she hadn't ruined his life. But the more he thought about it, the less important it seemed to be, when he saw how much Kim was still affected by what she had put him through it was hard for him to be angry, after all, it was so far in the past. His problem right now was fighting the resurgence of a lot of other old memories of the past that he would rather not dwell on any more, but those he realised, might be harder to get rid of. He and Kim had a history, and while they were in close proximity he supposed he had better get used to them coming back.
And though he would never admit it, they were not altogether unwelcome.
His hands grazed the golden skin of her shoulders as he pushed the fabric from them. The silken garment slid to the floor and he raised a brow and smirked as he looked at her.
"You're wearing pink underwear?"
She raised a brow and replied coquettishly, "Well duh."
He raised both in return, "Hi-glo pink?"
"Well, it's eye catching." She grinned as she moved towards him, swaying her hips, which were clothed, as noted, in nothing but florescent pink lacy underwear.
"And what about you?" She smirked as she hooked a finger into the waistband of his pants. "Are we wearing green, white, perhaps red, or is it black these days?" She unzipped the zipper with her other hand and pulled them down, with some hindrance provided by his…heightened state of anticipation.
Her lip quirked into a smile and she raised both brows questioningly as she stared into his eyes. "Grey?"
"It's laundry day." He shrugged with a sheepish grin.
"And after I went to such effort with mine?" She shook her head and tutted. "It's a good thing I love you Thomas Oliver."
"It sure is." He agreed and pulled her close to him, his lips crashing against hers with a need and fervency unlike any other. Their tongues grazed each others and it was as though the two were falling into each other with no hope or want of return, deeply and passionately. She clung to him as if he was her lifeline and allowed a moan of pleasure to tingle against his mouth from the very depths of her heart. She could feel the solid knots of muscle rippling under his skin from years of martial arts and allowed her hands to roam over his shoulders and arms, just to feel the liquid iron that ran through him, only hinting at his true strength.
His hands slid up her back to undo the bra and it fell away unnoticed while their mouths were still entangled, as went the panties and boxers. Her fingers raked through his shortened spikes of hair, idle memories of how it used to feel like a waterfall of satin were pushed down by the intensifying feelings he caused in her.
They had found their way onto the bed, too wrapped up in each other to notice, hands becoming reacquainted with bodies and lips becoming reacquainted with skin.
"I love you so much Kimberly."
"I love you too Tommy."
She was like a silken sheet brushing over his body, and it was both agony and ecstasy at once. As she leant down to capture his lips once more they became one in body and soul, their two beings entwined in pleasure. He ran his hands along her back and felt the moist gleam of sweat that dusted her body like fresh morning dew from their activities. As he cupped her cheek and brought his fingers to trail down the side of her neck Hhe noticed with confusion the dark stain the sweat left over her creamy skin. As he brought his hand up in front of him it caught the light from the moon spilling through the curtain. And he saw the colour and he recognised the smell. Red, coppery.
Blood.
Kim's blood. And then he heard her scream, a scream that ripped through his very soul and shattered him to the core. And she was gone. He could no longer feel her comforting weight atop him. But he looked down at his bare form and it was slick, with blood.
And he looked up and there at the end of his bed was Mesogog, his mouth stretched into the only shape it was capable of, a twisted mockery of a smile, a leer of triumph. And he too cried out.
"Kim, NO!" Tommy sat bolt upright in bed, his eyes widened and his heart racing so fast he thought it would burst from his chest.
He looked down at himself and patted his shaking hands over his chest. There was admittedly sweat but no blood, no Kim…but there was something in the doorway. He readied himself to spring from bed, but demanded angrily,
"Who's there?" He wished it didn't sound so strained, so breathless, so scared.
Kim hesitantly stepped into the room. Her caramel hair was frizzy and she looked a little disoriented but she was alive, in one piece, no blood, no Mesogog. Safe. Tommy could have hugged her if his knees hadn't felt so weak.
She stood in her pink silk dressing gown which was bound tightly at the waist and only descended down to mid-thigh level. Tommy found his mind enquiring whether she had hi-glo lingerie on underneath but he snarled at that thought until it retreated. He had not been aware that his breath had been coming out in rapid gasps and that he was so overheated until his grip on reality had become stronger and he realised his surroundings were safe.
"Tommy, Tommy, shhh, it was just a dream." Kim murmured coming further in the room towards his bed. She reached out a hand to touch his shoulder but he pulled away before she could, not trusting himself with physical contact after the dream he had just had. Where had that come from? It had seemed so vivid, so real, the state of his body was evidence of that, but why? He didn't feel that way about Kim anymore! Of course, he appreciated that she was still an attractive- alright, drop-dead gorgeous woman, but that was all in the past, he had moved on. Yes, it was only a dream, brought on by the memories of the past and her close proximity. But it had been so real and then so horrific. He had smelt the blood. He shook himself slightly to dispel the shiver that ran down his spine. He realised that Kim was looking down at him in concern, the moonlight reflecting in her soft brown eyes.
"Tommy, are you okay? I heard you moaning, and then you cried out…that must've been some dream." Tommy was immensely thankful for the darkness as he felt his cheeks burn.
"Yeah…it was, intense." He nodded, his voice raspy.
"You're sure you're okay?" Kim asked, frowning slightly and bending down to look into his eyes.
"Yeah, yeah I'll be fine. It just, shook me up a little, that's all." Tommy nodded once more, swallowing trying to wet his throat.
"Was it a bad dream?" Now there was a loaded question. He nodded rapidly, but his mind was working overtime. It had been many years since a dream had been so realistic and so disturbing. Usually, when a dream was so vivid, it meant something important, like the recurring dream he had experienced just before he lost the Green Ranger Powers for good, or when he had first met his long lost brother David after all of Sam Trueheart's prophetic words and cryptic advice.
Was this just a bad dream, or another premonition? Tommy prayed it was the former, for both their sakes.
Yeah, I know, I'm such a tease right? This was more them playing house rather than any real action (well really that depends on your definition ;) ) but it leaves a lot to be pondered, is Tommy just being paranoid, or his his dream a premonition of the future?
I hope you enjoyed this chapter! Thanks for reading!