I walked into the old command center; prepared for it to be completely different from the last time I had seen it, but found that it looked surprisingly the same, except for a few small details.
I noticed that the tube the Zordon had once lived in was gone, and had been replaced by counter space, which was filled with various components necessary to make our new morphers and communicators. I assumed that they all thought it would bring back bad memories to keep the tube, but it would have been more than welcome for me, as we will need the reassurance on this one, as I don't think some problems have been solved.
There was also a new machine placed in the far left-hand corner of the command center, next to a row of beds, which made absolutely no sense to me. As far as I knew beds had never been in the command center before, but this was to be no ordinary mission. The circumstances had been foretold and it was well known that almost anything could happen to us this time.
As I looked around the room, I noticed several familiar faces. Tommy and Rocky seemed to be in an intense conversation over the latest karate class that they had started only a matter of months ago. They had decided to go into business together, which was why they were living in Reefside, where Tommy teaches school. I never thought that Tommy would be a teacher, but I'm glad that he got a steady job at last. I know that he loved racecar driving but you can only make a living in that if you sign with a NASCAR team and let's all face it, Tommy was not exactly that talented.
Trini and Aisha were talking about clothes, I think. Let's face it, I wasn't very interested in hearing about the latest fashion trend.It happens to be these pants that flood, but that's how there supposed to be and I only know that much because of Katherine.
Katherine alone is a completely different story, we have a lot of things that are iffy right now, to say the least. I'm not sure how much longer we will last or if there is still a we right now. I'm almost sure there won't be a we once I get back from this mission. We started dating because it was what was there at the time. We both needed someone and there we were, it was the logical thing to do, but our hearts are now making fools of us.
Zack and Adamare walking around; looking at the improvements that have been made to this old place and wondering what would happen next. It's definitely different to be back here after such a long break from a rangers life.
I, however, noticed two familiar faces were missing and their absence bothered me a good bit. Billy and Kim were not here and knowing how much Kim dreads seeing Tommy again, Iam beginning to doubt shewill even show up. After almost five years of not talking to each other, I knew that this reunion would either be pure bliss for the two of them or the two of them would continue to ignore each other, which would put the rest of us in great danger and through the emotional hell of having to pick sides, because it could no longer be avoided. All of these people were, and continue to be, my friends. That very fact made it bearable to have left everything, to come and do our old job again.
"Hey, how's everyone been?" Jason asked, announcing his presence, after a few minutes of taking in the scene before him.
He did not want to forget this moment, because it could be some of the last he spent with them, as death was so much more real this time. They were older and that meant they had experience than the run of the mill fresh, teenaged ranger team, but did they have their old reflexes? Could they really win a full out battle any more? Was it even realistic for them to be trying to do this? And would they make it to come back home again?
"We've all been busy; unlike you most of us have had to get real jobs. We don't get to keep on working with athletes and hanging around the juice bar," Trini said, smiling and giving him a hug around the neck. It was great to see one of her best friends after such a long time. She hadn't seen him since the last time they had visited Kim and that was over two years ago and that was too long in her opinion. Jason had gotten busy with college and things just fell apart with the two of them, although he did look very happy to see her. She just hoped that the happiness would stay there when Kim and Tommy were finally in a room together. "It's great to have you back."
"Well, why haven't Kim and Billy arrived yet? I know that the two of them must have recognized the signs on the news. It has been broadcast nation wide. The media seems to be waiting to see a group of rangers show up," Jason said, after reluctantly letting Trini go, but he also kept his arm firmly around her shoulder. He had missed being around her far too much.
Jason also knew that neither one of them could ignore the phone calls he had given them, only a few hours before. He did not want to have to go through on his promise of dragging them to Angel Grove, although he would if he had to.
"Kim did notice it all, she's just not sure how someone will react when she shows up," Aisha said, nodding towards Tommy's back. They all knew that this was still a very touchy subject, which is why most of them were already trying to step around the subject as much as possible. They just had to see how they reacted to each other when they were in a room together.
Aisha had also called Kim and had found out some things that she didn't want to know about why Kim wasn't planning to come back, namely the former white ranger, who was now looking very agitated at the mention of the two of them in one sentence.
"I heard that," Tommy said, huffily. Tommy was not happy in the least bit about having to see someone that had caused him so much pain, but he still loved with all his heart. It was hard to stay mad, when your soul is screaming at you to forgive and go find the person, but he had somehow been able to keep that voice quiet, until today. He knew that he had one last chance to try to forgive her and if he didn't take it, they would probably never see each other again. "And she'll have to answer to me when she gets here."
"You're not over all of that?" Jason asked, realizing the severity of the situation that could be brewing. Jason had not thought that Tommy would still be holding a grudge after all of these years. He knew that Kim had caused the grudge, but even she was ready to put everything aside or so it had seemed, when he last talked to her, although Tommy's attitude might throw any hope of resolution. "You know that she regrets what she did to you, Tommy."
"Yeah, she does, mainly because what she told you was a lie," Adam said, shaking his head while remembering a phone conversation with Kim from over three years ago, about her leaving Tommy to his own doings.
She had confided in him the truth, but what she had told him would have been best to come out of her own mouth, instead of his, but desperate times call for desperate measures and this was one of those times. They needed the two of them tobe able to talk to each other.
"How could it be a lie?" Tommy asked, utterly outraged. Tommy had now lost all sense of calm that he had been struggling to keep as he knew the time was closer for him having to face the woman he loved again. He could feel her presence now and what he was about to say would certainly prove how she felt about everything she had done. "She has never tried to talk to me, never tried to explain all of her bull shit and after all of these years I find out from you, of all people, that it is a lie. Why do something so heartless? Why not tell me the truth, instead of sending me a damn 'Dear John' letter?"
"I thought all of this is what you would want. I thought you wanted to be free from me," Kim said, wiping away a tear and feeling Tommy's gaze land on her. Kim knew that all of this was going to be hard, but this was not what she had imagined. She had imagined the shouting, but the cursing was new for Tommy and she had the feeling that many other things would be new as well. That alone could be seen from his short hair and missing earring. "I thought that you'd want to be free to be with Kat or anyone else for that matter, but I found out too late how wrong I was, didn't I?"
"Hey, guys. I guess I chose a bad time to show up, didn't I?" Billy said, surveying the scene in front of him.
Kim and Tommy were standing about three feet away from each other, but they seemed to be making no attempt to make amends. They had all hoped for so long that they would forgive each other, but the yelling match that they thought was going to ensue was not what they had pictured. They desperately needed for them to at least try to make up with each other, for the sake of the team.
"No, I was just clearing some things up," Kim said taking a deep breath, turning to face Billy and walking over to give him a hug. The tears had not cleared, but she couldn't stand looking at Tommy any longer with so much hatred coming across in his eyes. If only she had been able to see that behind the hatred, love still lingered, maybe she would have been able to stand it right now, but his emotions seemed far clearer to her now that she finally saw him. "Now, what exactly are we supposed to be working on? We didn't just come out here to sit around and do nothing."
"We have to get all nine of us powers again," Tommy said, shaking with so much rage that his vision was blurred. Damn it, he had forgotten his glasses in Reefside this morning. He knew that he should have packed them last night as he was bound to get mad today, but that was really the least of his worries when he was packing. He was more worried that not everyone would show up and they would be up shit creek. "Zordon explained all of this before the Zeo Rangers disbanded, why can't I remember what he said?"
"It was probably the day that Kat broke up with you to let you get your priorities straight," Rocky said, and received a very distinctive go to hell look from Tommy. That was touchy subject number two and if he hadn't known any better, he would have sworn that Tommy would have broken something if the others hadn't been around. "That's just a guess, though, Tommy. I'm not saying anything for sure."
"So, are the two of you gonna kiss and make up or are you gonna fight for the rest of the time that we are trying to save the world from these demented creatures?" Jason asked, looking between Kim and Tommy, who were stubbornly ignoring each other. He saw that neither was going to voluntarily admit that they still had feelings for the other person, which would have been the easiest solution to this problem. He then released an exasperated sigh, as he crossed his arms and looked at the two of them, once more. He was going to have to do something he really didn't want to do, but he could only hope that they would thank him for it later. "We could give ya'll some time to straighten all of this mess out."
"I'll be alright," Tommy said, shaking his head to clear its thoughts and trying to clear the emotions that had arisen to the surface as well. He knew that he wouldn't be fine, but his pride got in the way of letting him admit that, not even to Jason.
"But I won't," Kim said, only loud enough for Rocky, who was standing next her, to hear. The pride that had once stood like a stone wall in front of her had deteriorated, as she felt her heart being ripped out and stomped on by an angry Tommy Oliver. She couldn't continue to live like this, although it seemed that Tommy was not going to give him any sort of chance.
"How about the two of you take a walk and we will start working on the powers?" Billy suggested, seeing the look on Rocky's face and sensing that Kim had something of utmost importance. It would not be pretty if the two of them could not get along during this mission, failing was not an option, and that could possibly happen with the two of them at odds with each other. "Especially considering your lack of knowledge in this department, Tommy."
"But…" Tommy said looking around at all of them and seeing defeat from all of them expect Kim, who was refusing to look his way.
He didn't blame her for that; he wouldn't have looked at her if she hadn't been standing right in front of Jason, who had a fierce determination coming across in his expression. He was not ready to cross Jason on a subject that had caused so many fights that they really should have never had and Jason was not known to back down. Tommy knew he wouldn't back down this time. They all needed for the two of them to just be friends, even if it was not anything more than that now.
"Go," Jason demanded, walking the two of them towards the door, with a firm hand on each of their backs. They were not going to be able to get out of it this time, because if either of them tried he was tossing them out the door. "And don't come back in here until you have solved all of this, one way or another."
"They don't give us much choice, now do they?" Kim asked, after being shoved out of the command post and hearing the door close with a dull thud. The rangers meant well, but did they really think that this was going to solve everything, after all of these years that they hadn't even talked to each other?
"No they don't, but what do you expect from them? They want us to be able to get along again, I'm not sure I do, not after what I just found out," Tommy lied, while examining a cactus, with great interest.
They both went silent for awhile, as they walked further into the landscape that surrounded the command center. Tommy didn't want to talk about it, but knew that it was inevitable. Kim wanted to talk, but she was not sure that she was prepared for what his reaction would be when she finally did start talking.
"Well, I thought it would be best for you," Kim said, shaking her head with the realization that she had been extremely wrong.
"That's a laugh," Tommy said, sarcastically.
If Kim had thought that this was best, she had another thing coming. It was quite possibly the worst thing she had ever done, to anyone, but he still had to wonder why all of this had to happen in the first place. They had been so happy and then it ended, as quick as a snap of his fingers, it ended.
"It is to you, but I really did think that all of this would be best and it is pretty obvious you don't want to try and resolve this problem, not now or ever for that matter. I think it is best that I just go inside and try to help our teammates," Kim said, and turned to walk back to the command center.
She was not going to deal with him being a smart-ass when she honestly was trying to apologize to him, after all of these years of letting the wounds fester between the two of them. Tommy reached an arm out to stop her from continuing her path towards the command center and pulled her back toward him, with the gentle strength he had always had with her. Maybe they needed this huge push into a place that they were no longer comfortable being.
"You can't go, Jason will give us hell if you walk back in there and things haven't been worked out. But you really thought that all of this would be best for me?" Tommy asked, voicing the question that had long been on his mind.
"I didn't want you to feel held down, Tommy. I was never going to be around and after all of you saved me from the spell I was under; I saw you and Kat. I thought you had fallen out of love with me and I didn't want you to feel any obligation to someone who could possibly never come back," Kim said, and turned around to face him with tears flowing freely down her suntan skin.
"I would have waited until now, Kim. Kat was nothing; she didn't… couldn't replace you the way that you thought she would. She, instead, made everything much more obvious to me. I wish I would have taken her advice, but I was so mad at the time that her advice just sounded like another thing that the rangers had fed to her," Tommy said, putting an arm around her. Tommy realized that this had not only been hard on him, but it had been hard on Kim as well. Kat had told him so many years ago, when she broke his heart, that Kim was who he was meant to be with. If only he had listened then and gone after her, but pride is a horrible necessity at a time like this. "Didn't you get any of my letters?"
"No, I didn't. They probably hid them from me, like everything else. It was not fun for me down there," Kim said, leaning her head on his shoulder and hoping he would not pull away from her, he didn't.
"I'm glad that you came. I was beginning to wonder if you ever would come join us for this mission. I guess it's a good thing we have Jason here, we wouldn't have ever done this without him," Tommy said, and he subconsciously reminded himself that Jason was going to deserve a huge thank you for this later.
"Yeah, I know that. That's why he threw us outside to make us try to make up," Kim said, and then Tommy kissed her, which surprised her at first, but then she gladly let him continue. She had missed him more than she realized and she could only hope he felt the same.
"Hey, guys!" Aisha said, calling them to the old viewing globe that she had been watching. They had been watching, out of curiosity, to see what would transpire between the two lovebirds and were happy about what they were seeing.
"What?" Zack asked, walking over to the globe. In the few seconds that they had been kissing, they had taken themselves back to their moments of spontaneity in high school, which shocked Zack. He knew that they still loved each other, but he had not expected Tommy to forgive so easily. "Well."
"Well, what?" Billy asked, looking up from the work he was doing momentarily and over at the group that was blocking the viewing globe. He couldn't see a damn thing. "You know some of us can't come look, so would you be so kind as to tell us, more specifically me, what is going on?"
"Let's just say that they're making up," Zack said, with a laugh and the others joined in as well.
"You know that you shouldn't be watching that," Jason said, shaking his head and laughing. His big brother instinct was telling him to cover the screen, but his other side had knocked the big brother side out about five minutes before. He knew that he would catch hell, if they ever saw, but that would only be a slight consequence if the two of them wound up back together. "But after the hell that they've put us through, go ahead and enjoy the soap opera."
AN: This is my first fan fic in this genre. I hope you like it. Feel free to review, even if you don't like it. I really enjoy hearing your opinion of how this is.