Chapter 11- The Morning After
"So, what happened in the dream?" Kim asked, padding softly back into the room and placing a steaming mug of coffee in front of the still shaken Palaeontologist as she took her seat opposite.
Tommy scratched the back of his head absently and reached for the coffee. "Uh, I don't really remember." He lied, but whether Kim noticed this or not she didn't press him.
"Are you sure I didn't wake you up?" Tommy changed the subject and Kim shook her head, taking a sip from her own cup.
"Nah, I couldn't sleep all night, I was up reading when I heard you, I thought something was wrong so I came to check. You didn't have to sit up with me though, you could've gone back to sleep."
"Believe me I couldn't." Tommy muttered and Kim raised a brow but he shook his head. "Never mind. It's not unheard of for me to get up this early anyway. Usually when I'm worrying or have something important to do the next day."
"I take it nightmares aren't a staple part of your nightly routine then?" Kim laughed.
"Yeah, kind of an inconvenience when they pop up huh? I'm awake now though, no sense trying to get back to sleep."
Kim nodded and her eyes lit up. "Hey, do you remember that night we were driving back from your uncle's cabin late and you ran outta gas? And it was like 2am and we didn't want to call anyone to get us at that time of night?"
"And we just decided to sit up all night near the lake instead?" Tommy grinned.
"Yeah, we just lay in the back of your truck with that dirty old blanket wrapped round us and looked up at the stars and just talked about the most random things!" Kim smiled and sighed happily at the memory, looking down into her coffee mug for a moment.
"That was a good night." Tommy agreed.
After a moment of companionable silence Kim broke it once more. "I hear Kira is quite the musician."
"Yeah, just like another little female Ranger I know."
Kim rolled her eyes. "Oh whatever, I could barely string three lines together."
Tommy looked up at her seriously. "Hey, don't sell yourself short. You have a beautiful singing voice."
"Really?" Kim asked shyly.
"Really." Tommy said firmly. "Why is it that you can never see in yourself what the rest of us see in you?" Kim chewed her bottom lip and gave a one-shouldered shrug.
"I dunno, I never really think about it. Just after everything I've done over the past decade, I guess I just don't really think I deserve to be good at anything, or be happy with anyone. I guess my self worth is drained down into the red zone. That's probably why my subsequent relationships since competing in the games have all failed too."
"Why are you so guilty about what happened Kimberly, why is it still affecting you after all this time? Most people would shrug, say 'shit happens' and forget all about it." Tommy asked, resting his coffee against his knee and leaning forward to hear her explanation, giving her his full attention.
Kim chuckled dryly. "I'm not that heartless. And mostly, people only dismiss the things they've done if they don't think they made a mistake or if they're in denial about it and want to make themselves feel better. You were my whole world, and people can't just forget about things like that. And I really went looking for love in the wrong places, it made me feel pretty crappy. Even when I eventually started dating again, I still measured people up against you in the quality of our relationship. And you can never replicate an old relationship with a new person, so I think I'm pretty doomed. I guess a part of me just doesn't want to move on. I'm happy with my life now, I don't need a man to validate me any more so I'm not going to go out searching for another Mister Right." She shrugged. She didn't seem embarrassed to say it, it was simple acceptance of her life and her feelings, and Tommy respected her greatly for it. For him, matters of the heart were never so easily or truthfully accepted and admitted. He would always be too shy for that. She didn't really expect him to say anything to that, but he felt that he would anyway.
"I did the same."
At Kim's questioning look he clarified, "Measure prospective partners up against you, I mean."
Kim's brows raised at this and Tommy gave a light smile. "I guess we're not that different. Don't think that just because you dumped me, I didn't feel the same way that you did. You were everything to me, and that didn't go away because of some letter."
Kim nodded silently and she smiled at his reassuring expression.
The light of the sun was just beginning to peek over the trees and bathed the two of them in a warm orange glow. Kim squinted and looked to the window.
"Wow, I have kept you up half the night again." Kim sighed. "I'm sorry, you have classes to teach in a few hours and I've been waffling away to you."
"Don't worry about it, I wouldn't have slept whether in my room or down here, you just made the hours a little more bearable. I'll have to actually attempt to cook something edible for dinner tonight to thank you for it."
Kim laughed. "Is this gonna be like the time Jase asked you to watch the barbeque while he went out to get drinks and he came back and the burgers were charred beyond repair because you had gone inside to watch the Angels game and forgotten all about them?"
"He told you about that huh?" Tommy said sheepishly. "Hey, I have improved slightly over the years, I can manage not to forget about food in the oven these days." At Kim's sceptical look he coloured slightly.
"Alright so I put reminders on my cell phone and post-its on the walls if I'm cooking a big meal, so what? It's a lot to keep track of!"
Kim laughed at that and Tommy stood.
"Where are you off to?"
"I'm gonna grab a shower before breakfast. I'd like pancakes please." He winked.
"Oh no way, you always take two hours in the shower and then the water's always cold, plus my hair is greasy. There is no way you are getting there before me Oliver!"
"Watch me, Hart!" He smirked and ran for the stairs a fraction of a second before Kim did. Once they have survived the stairs with much pushing and nudging Kim stuck her foot out so he stumbled on the landing and she overtook him in the race for the bathroom, but he grabbed her dressing gown's belt to slow her down. Kim however was unconcerned at this and threw the dressing gown off so it flew back to hit him in the face, allowing Kim in her teeny pink nighty to get down the hall into the bathroom and lock the door in his face.
"Ha ha!" He heard her voice float through the wood. "Oh yeah, and as you're offering, I'd like extra syrup and cream on my pancakes please!"
Tommy groaned as he could hear the Pink Ranger giggling as the shower was turned on and the rushing of water filled his ears.
"You win this round Kim." He sighed as he trudged down the stairs, trying to recall how one set about making pancakes.
Dr. Oliver had gone through the school day in one of the happiest moods he had been in for quite some time, which led the three Dino Thunder Rangers to be quite suspicious as to what his night-time activities had been, seeing as Kim had moved in with him yesterday.
"Looks like they did more than smooching in the cockpit of the Brachio-Zord." Conner murmured to Ethan as he passed him in the hall. The dark skinned Ranger chuckled and looked over to Kira at her locker, who merely rolled her eyes.
"Hey, Dr. O, I'm playing a gig at Hayley's tonight, you and Kim should come." The Yellow Ranger said as she and the other two fell into step with their teacher.
"Sure, sounds good. Kimberly did want to see you play for herself, so she'll be happy." Tommy nodded.
"He's already talking like they're a couple!" Ethan whispered to Conner and the jock nodded with a knowing smirk. Tommy for his part didn't notice and Kira slapped Conner on the arm.
"What is it with you two, give them a break!" Kira snapped in a low voice.
"Alright guys, I've got to head home to pick up some stuff, so I'll see you all at Hayleys." Tommy bobbed his head once in farewell and disappeared out of the door, the younger Rangers hesitating inside.
"Look, I know you guys aren't the most subtle of creatures so I'm going to give you a hint here. If you keep poking into Dr. O and Kim's personal lives they are both gonna get pretty pissed with you. It's something that he trusts us with our powers and his mentorship as it is, so I would really stop being so nosey before he stops talking to us completely. You're both really embarrassing." Kira said, speaking with the wisdom of womanhood. The two guys merely raised their brows and glanced between each other and Kira in confusion.
"Forget it!" Kira sighed in exasperation and pushed through the exit doors.
"What crawled up her butt and died?" Ethan murmured with a wide eyed stare.
Conner shrugged.
"Must be that time of the month."
Tommy had a panic as soon as he reached home and realised that Kimberly wasn't there. He had searched through the whole house and the lab twice, checking for anything that seemed out of place and instantly jumping to the conclusion that Mesogog had somehow located her and was doing heinous things to her in his island fortress.
He was contemplating whether Mesogog's island fortress would have cell phone signal and whether he should try calling her just in case when he noticed little yellow post-it notes stuck in various places around the living room, kitchen and hallway areas.
The first one he discovered was stuck to the telephone and he picked it up and squinted at it in confusion.
You're probably freaking out right now if you didn't notice these post-it stamps, which probably led you to the phone. I am safe- I'm not being used as a human battery by a crazed Megalomaniac. I am at Hayley's helping her out, as you can see I was very bored at your house, because I spent at least half an hour writing all these damn post-its. Got my cell phone if you need me. Kim.
He chuckled as he read this, surprisingly unsurprised at how well she knew him, and so went round the house to locate the others.
The first one was actually stuck on the front door, but he had been too preoccupied to notice it when he first came in.
Tommy, I have gone to Hayley's today to help her out, as I got bored sitting around your house and my favourite credit card is maxed out. I'll see you there later, I have my cell phone, but if you don't notice these notes I'm sure sooner or later you'll call it anyway in a paranoid frenzy. See you later.
Tommy sighed heavily as he read it, and went to locate the others.
Got bored, gone to Hayleys. Don't panic Oliver, Meso-thingy didn't come and sack your house. See you tonight!
That was the one on the door frame into the lounge, then there was one on the TV.
I knew you'd miss the first two. I've gone to Hayley's to help her out. Call me on my cell if you get worried… I can't believe you'd think of watching TV while you thought I was in danger, you should be ashamed! Kim.
These followed all round the house. He realised she must've been very bored, but seeing as she knew how bad his memory was, and that he wasn't the most observant of creatures it made quite a lot of sense. With a laugh he picked up his keys once more and headed out to locate the post-it queen herself.
"Give my broken heart time to mend, and love will make it in the end, baby forgive and forget, we've got time to spend…I'll love you, in the end." Kira slung her guitar off her shoulder, gave a quick bow and jumped down from the stage to join the others seated at the table amid the applause and whistles.
"Kira, you are really good!" Kimberly exclaimed as she brought over a full tray of fruit juices and sodas to the three teens.
"You think so?" Kira beamed under the Pink Ranger's compliments.
"Totally, if I could play like you I probably would never have spent my life on my gymnastics!" Kim nodded and looked up as Tommy came into the café, fashionably late as usual.
"Hey there stranger." She smirked as he looked around at the three teens and then to her.
"Aww man, did I miss it? Kira I'm sorry." He said guiltily.
"Don't worry about it Dr. O, I'll be playing it again on Friday, you can catch it then." Kira said lightly as she took a sip from her apple and mango drink.
"Why are you so late anyway Dr. O?" Ethan frowned.
"Because somebody left me a lot of post-its stuck about the house and in case one of them said something new and important I found them all." Tommy looked pointedly at Kim who laughed.
"The idea was for you to find one and the rest were contingency plans. But now that you mention it, did you pick up the stuff?"
Tommy frowned. "What stuff?"
"I told you we were out of coffee and milk, did you not get that one, on the refrigerator?" Kim explained with a hand on her hip.
"No, I didn't." Tommy winced and ran a hand through his hair.
"You didn't look on the fridge, dude that's like, the most obvious place!" Conner interjected.
"Thanks Conner, and what have I told you about calling me dude?" Tommy countered.
"It's alright, I guessed you wouldn't notice it and picked them up myself anyway." Kim smirked and Tommy mock glared at her jibing.
"Nice to see you have such faith in me." He said dryly and the others found this exchange highly amusing.
"I'm kidding! There wasn't a note, I was heading out anyway so I picked up the supplies myself." The pink-clad girl laughed at Tommy's annoyed expression. "I would hate the fearless leader to think he'd failed a mission." The others found this, coupled with Dr. O's expression even more hysterical.
At that moment the four Rangers heard a familiar low bleep from the vicinity of their wrists.
"Uh oh." Kira sighed.
Hayley rushed over to them. "The emergency alert in the back just went off, Reefside Memorial Park. A monster and a whole bunch of Tyrannodrones." She explained in a whisper.
Tommy sighed. "I knew this night was going too well." He looked at Kim.
"Stay put, we'll be back soon." He looked meaningfully at Hayley and then the four departed.
Kim glared at Tommy's retreating back and gathered up the abandoned glasses on the table.
Hayley called to a dark haired boy clothed boy in white who had been introduced to Kim as Trent.
"Trent, Kimberly and I need to go and take care of something in the back, can you hold the fort?"
Trent nodded an affirmative.
"Sure Hayley." He went to the counter as if to emphasize the point. Hayley nodded and she and Kim rushed through the door into the storeroom, Hayley locking it so they wouldn't receive any unwanted visitors. She typed a code into what looked like a standard security alarm and a whole control panel appeared on the back wall. It looked like a mini-version of Tommy's command centre at his house.
"Wow." Kim murmured, never ceasing to be surprised at all the effort that went in to Tommy's set-up here in Reefside.
"One always has to have a back-up plan, in case no-one is at Tommy's house to monitor the systems. Of course Tommy has a smaller one in his jeep too." Hayley explained as she monitored the Rangers progress as they arrived on the scene.
"He's like James Bond." Kim laughed, but grew serious as she wandered over to the view-screen.
There was a large monster that looked like a cross between a dog and a skeleton, with an assortment of metal parts to hold it together. This was surrounded by the expected contingent of Tyrannodrones, and Zeltrax.
"Somebody needs a nose job." Kim quipped as she looked at the monster.
She felt a pull inside her and when she glanced down at her hands she saw they were glowing a bright pink. She stuffed them into her pockets wide eyed, wondering if she had finally lost her mind. She could hear the call of the crane echoing in her mind, squalling at her to unleash it and fight. The practical part of her scolded,
No, Tommy told me to stay here, I'm no good to anyone if Mesogog gets his hands on me!
But then there was the other part, the former Pink Ranger, the silver-winning gymnast, the girl that never stopped fighting or striving for her dreams.
You have the Power of the Crane inside you, you were chosen by Zordon, the original Pink Ranger. Your friends are out there, you're just gonna stand there like a coward, letting them kick the ass when you know you have it in you?
Kim growled mentally at herself. She had to stay here, the Rangers weren't in any trouble, they could handle it. Hayley was looking at her strangely, and Kim vaguely entertained the notion that the redhead had somehow heard the internal battle that was going on inside of her.
Conner was now taking on the monster while Kira and Ethan fought the Tyrannodrones and Zeltrax tangled with Tommy.
"Who's the big dark guy with the Darth Vader voice?" Kim queried, recognising the being but not remembering the name.
"That's Zeltrax, he seems to have it in for Tommy, though none of us can figure out why." Hayley said offhandedly. Kim nodded, not that Hayley was really paying attention to her. Conner seemed to be doing well until the monster dealt him a devastating blow in the form of a fire beam, and more and more Tyrannodrones seemed to be appearing to keep Kira and Ethan busy and stop them from helping him.
Zeltrax and Tommy were trading fast paced hand-to-hand blows each matching the others moves remarkably well. But seeing as only one of them was a cyborg, it was inevitable that the other could not keep up the pace forever. Tommy backflipped away to get his bearings, and then feinted left before surging right and delivering a powerful punch to Zeltrax's midsection.
Kim jumped up and down a little bit in celebration and Tommy drew his Brachio-Staff ready for more powerful battle. Zeltrax recovered and drew his sword and the two started going at it once more with weapons drawn this time. Tommy seemed to continually have the upper hand, guarding against many blows and landing many of his own.
This was, however, only until the Kanibone Monster sent an energy wave out, that knocked all four Rangers off their feet, causing Tommy to land right in range of Zeltrax's sword, Ethan and Kira to be swamped by a growing surge of Tyrannodrones, and Conner to cry out to his teacher for assistance.
Tommy's head whipped left as Conner yelled, and he saw the Red Ranger being picked up by the monster and flung into a park bench which shattered upon impact.
"Conner, hold on!" Tommy yelled and made to stand and run for the other three, but his arm was grabbed by Zeltrax.
"You're not going anywhere Black Ranger." Zeltrax growled, and began to attack once more, striking Tommy across the chest with a powerful blast that crackled with green energy.
Kim gasped at the bad condition the four Rangers were in, a part of her tearing inside as she saw Tommy kicked backwards into a statue by the seemingly renewed Zeltrax. More Tyrannodrones were spilling into the park, Mesogog obviously seeing that he had the Rangers on the ropes. These newer drones were rushing to assist the monster in bashing on Conner, and Zeltrax in engaging Tommy.
"That's it, I'm going to help them." Kim said decisively. Hayley turned in her chair with a frown.
"But Tommy told you to stay here."
"Tommy might be their mentor, but he's not mine. He's not giving me orders any more, they need all the help they can get, and I'm going down there."
"But if Mesogog manages to grab you, you're finished. Don't be selfish, you'll put us all in danger if you're targeted. There's a reason you're supposed to stay away."
"He'll have to catch me first." Kim growled. "I won't let them get hurt because I'm too cowardly to take a risk to save my friends. That's what being a Ranger is all about, helping those in need, taking chances. And I'm going."
Kim extended her arms and released the spirit of the crane, allowing it to engulf her like a flame.
"Ninja Ranger Power, now!"
She would help her friends, and Mesogog could do his worst.