Disclaimer: I do not own the Power Rangers or any of the weapons associated with the Power Rangers, so if you recognize it, it is not mine. I do own the characters, Ally Jameson, Fanny Abbott, Richard Myles, Dennis Alderway, Amanda Williams, Charlie Hughes, Ashley Meggs, Amy Tillery, Meagan Sipper-Stone and Todd Billingsway as well as any other characters from "Saving the World, Again" that may be brought into this story.
jedi4jesus19: Glad you limed it and I'm sorry it's been awhile. I've been away from a computer this week, which is really no excuse, so I hope this chapter is worth the wait.
TrueRomantic: She'll get better soon, though Richard will fade and come back as the story goes on.
Daniaryezel: Yeah, he's been flirting with disaster since the beginning. Yeah, but with him the only person that he doesn't want to have die in this is Kim and as you can see, she wants nothing to do with the man.
Hamsher52: He's very close to his breaking point, but I have the plan for his revenge to be a little sweeter or so I hope.
XRachX: Thank you, so am I, thank goodness. Yeah, it is nice to have them brought back in, as they seem to provide a sense of stability when everything seems to be going wrong.
siriuslydeceased: Thanks for the review and it certainly will be interesting I can promise that much.
danhyde girl: I'm glad you like how it is going, but they, of course, will have some problems.
Ghostwriter: Thanks you and you are not the only one that happens to be on Tommy's side during this whole fiasco.
hhsmajotettearg: Thank you and I'm glad you like both of these stories, although the other one is taking a little longer to publish each chapter.
Now, on with the Story!
Trini and Jason's VisitTommy spent the rest of that evening, trying to calm Kim down and managed to do so. Well, up to a point. He had managed to get her to sleep by midnight, but he still felt her thrashing about in his arms, as nightmares filled her sleep. He knew that even he wasn't going to be able to push all of the thoughts out of her mind by himself, not this time. No matter how hard he tried that was truly impossible. Before when he had been able to do that, he didn't have to worry about the man showing up again and now he did have to worry about that, which was something that he didn't want to face alone. If he could get Trini and Jason's help with this, maybe he would be able to calm her, at least for the time being and that would be no small accomplishment if he managed to do that.
He knew that the man would not simply go away, as he had prayed Mesogogg would have at the beginning of all of this. Their wedding was to be held on the first day of Christmas Break and if she were going to be comfortable to go on with the wedding,their friends would have to know to keep an eye out for this man and anything he might attempt to do at the ceremony. He was determined to not let this man pull them apart, no matter how hard he tried to do just that.
"Hey, bro. What's going on? Hayley was pretty vague on the details on Wednesday," Jason said, walking in and giving Tommy a hug and a critical look. Tommy looked shaken, for once and Jason wondered if the kids hadn't accepted the duties, but he knew that they had.
So, Tommy didn't have any reason to be like this, unless something else was going on that they didn't know about, but he couldn't imagine Kim and Tommy having problems. Not problems that would make Tommy look this pale and worried. He didn't look to have had a good nights rest in a few days, but you had to look really hard to see the worry, as it was disguised by his legendary look of indifference. Jason knew when he pulled that look out of his bag of tricks, something was really wrong. So wrong that he only trusted a handful of people to discard it to.
"Well, I'm not the one you should be asking that question," Tommy said, with the warmest greeting he could muster, as he noticed Jason had figured out, not all was well in Reefside. Jason wasn't going to be happy when he heard this and Trini was definitely not going to like this, at all, but he had no right to tell them the problem that was troubling Kim. He knew that much from experience. They had to hear it from Kim or they were likely to ambush her with questions that she would have given the details for and he would have overlooked, mainly the attempted rape.
"Where's Kim?" Trini asked, pushing Jason out of the way and looking up at Tommy, who looked more worried at the mention of her name. She would have guessed that something had happened with her, because Tommy didn't usually demand that they come up for the weekend and that was what he had done this time. He had called later to say that Kim wanted Trini to help find bridesmaid dresses, but it was still too suspicious, even Tommy knew that, but they knew it was not best to ask him about it over the phone, as they were sure to find out when they came up for the weekend.
"She had some stuff to finish up at the elementary school this afternoon, but she should be getting here soon," Tommy said, having the feeling that Trini knew something was amiss, but just hadn't mentioned it, yet. He hoped Kim would have gotten there before they arrived, but this week had been a hassle for her, as the first week of school often is for any teacher. He glanced down at his watch and then looked back up at the door, she should have been here by now. What could be keeping her?
"Tommy, what exactly is wrong?" Trini asked, as Tommy bit his lower lip and looked down at Trini, then over at Jason. They were both peering at him, hoping he would be able to give them some clue as to what was happening. He knew he couldn't tell them, but whatever he said would have to be good enough to dodge the bullet for just a little while longer, until Kim was able to talk to them about all of it. Although he hated putting her in that position, he knew that if they found out from someone other than the source, then they would be likely to misunderstand something.
Kim knew better than to leave any room for miscommunication, as far as she was concerned, this was Tommy's life that was, literally, in her hands. Her actions towards this man could push him to a new low and no one wants that on their conscience when they go to battle these people for the final time. She did not want to know that she had gotten Tommy killed, as they allknew that shewould not be able to think ofanything besides revenge and that meant no thinking about what that wouldmean for the others.
"I know that if you just wanted us to visit, then you would have called us, not Hayley. What's happened here, Tommy?" Jason asked, as Tommy had not even attempted to answer them yet.
"Yeah," Tommy said, feeling slightly guilty about that, but he knew that he couldn't leave her alone then. Not with how upset that she was that night. They didn't leave the command center the entire night and he had known it when he woke up late the next morning. It sadly reminded him of the old times, when they had done the same thing, under very similar circumstances, in the only other command center they had ever known. Their life had a way of repeating itself, although it had definitely calmed down some lately. The only thing that was missing was him being captured and then becoming a ranger, again. If that happened, then the two of them would probably have to take a little while off work to talk over the details of his newest deployment, although he silently hoped and prayed there would be a power out there for him. If he didn't get a power soon, he was likely to be killed by one of Mesogogg's goons in battle and he didn't like knowing that. "It's a long story, but I don't have the right to tell you about any of it."
"Well who does?" Jason asked, as Kim's car pulled into the drive and parked next to Jason's car. She had refused to park under the garage since Wednesday, not that he blamed her by any means for that one. If Richard were to camp out under there and then attack her, there was a good chance that no one would hear her yell and if he were not at home it wouldn't matter, even if she screamed. He knew that there was not another house around there for miles and even if they heard, they probably wouldn't make it in time to stop Richard from doing whatever he had planned, which could be as simple as capturing her and making him come to them.
"She does," Tommy said, as Kim opened the door and dropped her things, before heading over to see Trini. Her best friend's comfort was something she needed and Tommy was glad to see that she looked happy, for a few seconds at least.
"Kim, it's great to see you!" Trini exclaimed, as she gave her a hug, but when she let go and looked at her, she could tell something was weighing heavily on her mind and it wasn't bridesmaid dresses. She knew without a doubt that she had already decided on those weeks ago.
"It's good to see you, too," Kim said, making her way over to Jason and giving him ahug, but seeing that he still had questions in his eyes. Jason wanted so badly to be able to help, but Tommy was not even thinking about telling him all of it. Was he really going to make her tell him about what Richard had tried to do to her? It had been rough telling Tommy the truth, but she knew she would have to spell everything out for Jason, as the anger would block out the part of his brain that could fill in the missing blanks in a conversation. "Tommy…"
"Whenever you want to, we've got all weekend," Tommy said, as he leaned down to give her a kiss on the cheek, not making her ask the question that had formed in her mind. Sometimes he felt as if he knew her too well, but this was one of the times that he was grateful for the skill of being able to almost read her mind. Otherwise she would have had to spell everything out for him word for word and she didn't need that right now. All she needed was for someone to understand the hurt and help her get through it, knowing that the man could come back at any time. They both had prepared themselves for running into him, but they didn't know what powers he held and what they could do to the two of them, at his own leisure. "You hungry?"
"No," Kim said, looking down at her feet and then up into Tommy's concerned eyes. She had lost her appetite since seeing Richard again. Well, it wasn't the seeing him that had bothered her as much as what he had said to her. She just couldn't believe that he had showed up in her life again, especially right when things were getting back to as normal as could be expected for any ranger.
"You know that you have to eat," Tommy said, gently pushing her towards the living room, as Jason eyed him carefully about the situation at hand. He had never heard Tommy tell Kim that she had to eat, that had just never been a problem, but he could not think of a thing that would cause Kim to lose her appetite.Tommy was going to order pizza for the night, to go along with the 'sedation' they had bought for Jason earlier that week. Tommy may have been irate, but they could not predict what Jason was going to do when he heard what had happened and they were prepared for about anything. From complete and utter rage, to sobs and tears, they knew that Jason could have any of these emotions when something disturbed him as much as this, surely, would. "Is pizza alright?"
"Whatever you want, Tommy. I'm going to go for a walk," Kim said, walking towards the back door, which led out onto a deck. He didn't want to let her out of his sight, but there wasn't much he could do to stop her. She needed sometime to think about how she was going to tell Jason, he could tell that, and he was not going to try to stop her from doing that, not after the week that she had.
"You want some company?" Trini offered, noticing that Tommy didn't want to let her go by herself, but that he wasn't going to say anything to her, for fear of getting his head bitten off by the mood that Kim seemed to be in. She, however, noticed this in Tommy and offered, so he would be able to rest a little bit easier, if she went with Trini then there would be two of them against whatever might be out there.
"Sure," Kim said, as Trini walked out the door with her, pulling the white pullover of Tommy's she had grabbed over her head, to shield her from the chill in the air. She knew that Tommy preferred that she didn't go on a walk at all, but with Trini accompanying her, he would not go and check the door every five minutes.
"Be careful," Tommy said, and Kim turned around to give him a smile and blow him a quick kiss. They all thought that she worried about him too much. The other rangers would have killed to hear Tommy say that, as he proved that it worked both ways with the two of them.
"Now, Daddy Oliver, why did you say that?" Jason asked, giving Tommy a careful glance, as he laughed at Tommy. Tommy knew that it was odd of him to say something like that, as being a ranger made you careful all the time, but after this week, he just wanted to be careful with everything. Jason, however, did not know about the events that had led him to invite them up for the weekend, so it was very suspicious to him and they both knew that, although neither wanted to bridge the gap and start talking about what was going on.
"Jason, it's something that even I can't explain in a nice way," Tommy muttered and went to order the pizzas. He couldn't take being interrogated by Jason, tonight, or he just might let the truth slip out and then he would be the one in the doghouse, which wasn't a good place for him to land in right now. He knew that she needed him as much, if not more, than he had ever needed her, as this Richard guy had shattered their world, by his mere appearance.
"So, how's school been?" Trini asked, as they walked down the path that Tommy had made over his years of running around his property, for the sake of keeping himself in shape, which he had managed to do a good job of. It was shaded by trees, but Kim knew that if something were to happen Tommy and Jason would hear their yells and that they would be able to get them in time. That did comfort her some and her background comforted her even more, knowing she could hold her own until they got there, at least she had been able to in the past against this man.
"It's been rough, Trini. The kids are great, they're all so sweet, but I had a run-in with an old acquaintance. Tommy's pretty mad about all of it, not that I blame him, I would be mad if someone said that to him about me," Kim said, knowing that it would be easier to tell Trini first, although this was one thing she had hidden from her best friend for some many years. She had never though that anyone would try to do that and was embarrassed to have to tell people about it, especially her friends. She knew that she had to tell Trini.
Then she would be able to help control Jason, if it was at all possible to control his anger and the other emotions he was going to feel when he learned the whole story. When he found out that the man was back in town, however, she wasn't sure that he wouldn't storm out of the house and go find the man, with Tommy hot on his heels, being more than willing to go through with this confrontation. Although he had somehow managed to rein in his anger for the last few days, while he was with her.
"What is it?" Trini asked, knowing that she didn't want to know the answer, but that Kim wanted to tell her first, not Jason. Jason, it seemed, would be likely to have a very violent reaction to all of this and he wouldn't be able to give the comfort that she needed from him right now.
"That's a long story Trini, but it started when I first went to Florida," Kim said, taking the opportunity to feel out how much Trini knew about all of this. She didn't seem to know anything, so she was going to have to begin at the very beginning of the story. She couldn't help but wonder why Rocky hadn't told them, but he might have thought that it wasn't his place to tell it and he was right about that. He had sure done a good job at not letting any of the details leak out and she was going to have thank him for that, the next time she saw him. "Well, this guy named Richard attacked me and tried to… well, you can guess that. I fought back, got him off of me and ran. Soon after that, he was thrown in jail for raping another girl. I thought that I was through with him forever. Then he got out of jail, a few weeks before I came back out here for out last mission. I was determined to never go back to Florida, if I could help it. That was why I was so sure that Tommy and I would get a good chance to catch up with each other, I wasn't going back. I know he wouldn't have let me go, especially after he found out everything. Well, on Wednesday he showed up at the school, claiming he was Tommy. He cornered me, asking if I would leave Tommy and come join him. He wanted me to come work for Mesogogg, to turn against Tommy and be another informant for his 'master' as he called him. I couldn't run, I couldn't hide, all I could do was tell him no, I absolutely wouldn't do that to Tommy. Then he said he was going to kill Tommy and if I knew what was best for me, I would leave him or the same was likely to happen to me. Trini this guy means it and Tommy is already in enough danger. I can't let anything happen to him, not because of me."
"Kim, why didn't you tell us sooner?" Trini asked, as they finished their loop around the property, Kim's explanation taking the entire trip. This was a lot to take, but she wished that she had known earlier, so she would have been able to help her get over all of it, as it still seemed to plague her. Although some of that could be directed back to recent events that had happened in Reefside and what had obviously caused Tommy to call them back up.
"Because I didn't want Jason and Tommy to lash out and do something rash, although Tommy certainly was tempted to Wednesday," Kim said, opening the door and seeing that the downstairs was vacant, which meant the boys were either upstairs or in the command center. "I'll tell Jason after supper. We bought enough beer to drink him into fainting, if we have to."
"Beer?" Jason asked, looking over at Tommy, as they stood on the balcony of the stairs, just out of their girlfriend's sight. Tommy had been trying to prepare him for what was sure to be a bad confrontation, with him learning all about what truly made Kim's trip to Florida so bad. Jason, however, did not realize it was that bad until he heard about the beer they had purchased for his sedation. "Why would I need to drink beer? Is it really going to be that bad, Tommy?"
"Yeah, I think by the end of this we'll both need one or two," Tommy said, hearing the doorbell ring from upstairs. The pizza man was on time, for once, but he needed to talk to Jason a little bit more, before it all hit the ceiling that evening. "Kim, my money's on the table, will you get the door?"
"Sure," Kim said, grabbing the money and opening the door, expecting to find a complete and total stranger, as she always did with the delivery men. However, it seemed that fate had a different idea for what would happen when she opened that door.
"Hello, Kimberly," Richard said, as she went deathly pale and clutched onto the handle of the door, to keep herself from fainting from the shock. Trini noticed her odd appearance and that Kim had quickly shoved the money in the back pocket of her jeans. She couldn't do this; she just couldn't face him. She had to get away, fast or she would have a breakdown on the front porch steps, and the last thing she wanted was for this man to touch her, ever again.
"Hold on, I left my money inside," Kim said, with a bright smile, closing the door and looking at Trini. Trini knew what she had to do and did not blame her in the least bit. She had to go get Tommy, so the man would not be tempted to invite himself inside, where all hell would break loose, as Tommy would surely recognize the man from Kim's reaction to him. "Don't let him leave."
"Sure," Trini said, opening the door and making small talk with the man although she had a gut feeling about who he was. It really ticked Trini off to know that this man knew where they lived and was willing to show himself to them. What sort of psycho was this man?
"Tommy," Kim said, running up the stairs and throwing her arms around him, she felt him put his arms around her, as she settled her head on his chest and weeped. She hated feeling weak and vulnerable, but there was nothing she could do about it. Richard made her feel like that every time she saw him, although he did not get what he wanted out of her. "Don't let him get me."
"What?" Tommy asked, looking down at her and starting to carry her down the stairs, as she clinged onto his waist. Then it hit him who it had to be to get her running into his arms like this; he couldn't know where they lived. That was just morally wrong, besides some of the federal offenses that he could think of charging this man with, if he could gather enough evidence. If he could find someway to get him thrown in jail, he would gladly do that. "Is that man at our house? The son of a… Jason hold on to her for me. I'll go pay for the pizza."
"Alright, bro," Jason said, putting both of his arms around Kim and continuing to help her down the stairs, as he watched Tommy quickly descend the stairs and walk across the living room. Who could have showed up that would make them both act like this?
"Sorry about the wait," Tommy said, walking up behind Trini and then pushing her behind him, he did not want to chance her getting hurt by this man, as well or Jason would never let him live that down. This Richard fellow sure was creepy, with his sunken eyes and shaved head, but he did have to give him some credit. He was creative in how he got to see her. He, however, had not planned for Tommy to be home and now he was going to pay, although Tommy knew he could not attack him the way he wanted to. Richard seemed to only have a human form and he could not risk himself being put in jail for battery, leaving the rangers hanging and Kim even more vulnerable. "Busy day, you know how it is."
"Yeah," Richard said, shocked at how Kim had not come back out, but sent Tommy instead. She certainly knew how to choose someone that would scare him to death, by just one look at him. He had seen the man from afar, but up close, let's just say he was more than a little bit intimidated by him. Tommy was not much taller than he was, but the muscles he could see rippling underneath his shirt were enough to make him worry. He may have been given powers, but utter rage would surely be able to overthrow the powers Mesogogg had bestowed upon him. He looked mad and he was sure that his blood was boiling under his calm façade. He knew that he had better get out of there soon, or Tommy was likely to snap and that would probably mean some broken bones for him and absolutely nothing for Tommy. Mesogogg was really going to hate him when he found out about all of this. "Here's your pizza and here's your change."
"Thank you," Tommy said jerking the pizza away from him and ushering Trini inside before closing the door behind them and quickly locking it. He was feeling sick to his stomach and he could barely move, but he was going to be strong, for a little while at least. "Kim, grab me a beer. I think I'm going to have to start earlier than Jason tonight."
"I will, she doesn't seem capable of getting off the couch," Jason said, walking into the kitchen and opening up the refrigerator. Tommy hadn't been kidding when he said that they had gotten enough to sedate him, as he looked at four six packs. What was so bad that he might need this?
"Beautiful, he's gone, don't worry about it," Tommy said, after handing Trini the pizzas and sitting down on the couch. He put both of his arms around her and let her bury her face in the crook of his neck, which almost drove him crazy. Every time a tear hit his skin, it only cemented the anger and resentment he felt towards this man. He did not have the right to torture her like this and if Tommy had anything to do with it, it would all end very soon.
"Why won't he just leave me alone? Isn't it enough that he caused me to break up with you last time? I can't do this anymore, Tommy, I just can't," Kim said, as Jason and Trini both sat down, quietly listening to what was being said. Jason set Tommy's beverage on the table and pushed it towards him, being afraid to talk to him. He looked to be needing something stronger than light beer, but this would have to do, for the time being. If it became necessary, he would go into Reefside and buy some stronger sedation, for himself and Tommy.
"Kim, just let me kill him. No one will know," Tommy said, as Jason watched her shake her head no. He couldn't understand why she would protect this person, after all that he had, obviously, done to the two of them.
"Tommy, I'm really scared now," Kim said looking up at him and staring into his eyes. She had never thought that the man would show up at their house, letting them know that he knew where they lived and could watch their every move if he decided to. "I don't want you to die."
"Trini what's going on?" Jason whispered as the pair had gone quiet on the couch, with Tommy rocking Kim back and forth in his arms. Tommy looked as if he was barely able to keep rage from leaking out, but he wasn't going to let that happen because of the woman he was holding in his arms. He was desperately trying to protect her, but was failing because he respected her decisions for her life, although he wanted to override them so badly and go after the man.
"I can't tell you," Trini said, as Kim looked over at Jason, having heard the question he posed to Trini. She really didn't want to do this, but he needed to know the truth. He needed to understand why she was acting this way, because she knew he was thinking that it was just 'that time' of the month and it was much more than that this time.
"Do you really want to know, Jason?" Kim asked, pulling away from Tommy and giving Jason her full attention. She still needed Tommy's emotional support, as she clutched his hand and felt him rub the back of it with his thumb. She also knew she had to look Jason in the eyes when she told him this; otherwise, he would go off, every time something bad was said.
"Yes, I do," Jason said, grabbing Trini's hand, by Tommy and Trini's actions, he could tell that he was going to soon be fighting what Tommy was right now. Although he was not quite sure what would cause that, as he would surely not me in uniform now.
"Well, when I went to Florida, I met this guy named Richard Myles. He definitely wasn't Tommy, but I thought he was a nice guy, until he started stalking me. I tried to ride it off as my imagination, but it turned into more than that as the days went by. At first, he just took things from my room and showed up at odd places. Then, one day, he attacked Ally and me, but soon left Ally alone, to turn his attention towards me. I was the one he wanted to go after. He…he tried to…he tried to rape me, but I fought him off," Kim said, as Jason clenched and unclenched the hand that was not crushing Trini's. He felt the anger and hatred building up inside of him and he took in a deep breath and slowly let it out, before looking Kim back in the eyes. "He tried to get to me two more times, but I managed to fight him off each time. Then, one day he disappeared. I found out later that he was put in jail for raping a woman and now he's working for Pizza Hut and Mesogogg."
"Pinkie," Jason murmured shaking his head. They had all gotten into the habit of calling each other some version of their color, although Kim's had stuck the longest, maybe because she still wore the color so often. "Why can't we go after him?"
"Because, he has powers that you don't have anymore. Neither one of you is going to die because of him," Kim said, as Jason downed half of the bottle of beer in one swallow and then looked over at Kim again. She was being torn apart by how this man made her feel and he wanted so bad to give her a hug and tell her that it would all go away, but he knew that in order to get it to go away, she would have to fight him, again. This time though, it would likely be to the death, which was something neither Jason nor Tommy liked to think about.
"She doesn't want you to go to jail or even worse, die Jason," Trini said, trying to calm down Jason, as his hand started to tremble, as he held hers tighter.
"I don't care, the son of a bitch deserves to die!" Jason yelled, as Trini held him down on the couch, while Tommy passed him another beer. There were no sobs tonight, he was pissed off about all of this. "No, Tommy, I don't want it. Is that who delivered the pizzas?"
"Yes," Tommy said, rather calmly, as it seemed Jason was voicing all the things that he had never said. Kim was watching how Tommy did not even attempt to restrain him and she knew that it was because he felt the same, but he would have never told her that. He didn't want to upset her anymore than she was already, but she felt herself becoming more upset as Jason continued to swear and yell.
"Jason, all you are doing is upsetting her even more," Trini said, jolting Jason out of his rage. He looked over to see Kim biting her lip and swallowing the sobs that had formed in her throat. He needed to hit something, but there was nothing in the room that he wouldn't break in one blow and it was going to take more than that to calm him down this time. This man had managed to thoroughly piss him off and he didn't even know him.
"The punching bag is in the command center, Jase," Tommy said, having caught Jason's glances at the furniture. He watched Jason make a beeline for the trapdoor, leaving Trini by herself. He looked at Kim and then decided to follow Jason, he had been holding in his anger since Wednesday and Trini could take care of her for a few minutes. "Hold up, I need to release some anger, too."
"Kim, are you gonna be alright?" Trini asked, moving from one couch to the other. Jason's reaction had been expected, but it had to be rough knowing that they were seriously contemplating going after this man, no matter what they said to try and detour them from it. They had both been like this as long as they could remember and Trini was now experiencing the full fear that Kim had been taking for several years now. When Jason had done stuff like this before, she didn't feel like she had the right to show how she felt, but every time, Kim would show it and Trini felt like she was her outlet. Now she was an outlet for herself and she did not like feeling this way. The worry was almost enough to overwhelm anyone, especially when they were dealing with something like this, something that they knew could do what they threatened to do.
"Yeah, I'm just scared," Kim said, wiping her eyes. Trini's shoulder was all right to cry on, but she wanted Tommy to be up there, she needed him to be up there. She had never been this worried about him before, even when he had been captured or evil. They had always managed to pull themselves through those rough times, somehow. Now, they were so close to having what they always wanted, but that could be taken away from them if they weren't careful. She knew and respected that, unlike Tommy. He was wonderful about most other things, but times like this was when she wondered if she really could deal with marrying one of the best rangers that had ever lived, knowing that he was always willing to go into that next battle. No matter what that battle might hold in store for him. "Trini it's one thing when the monsters would attack and Tommy would get in trouble, but this man wants to kill him and it seems that he'll do anything to achieve that goal. Trini, he nearly raped me and he was stupid enough to show himself to me and now Tommy. He's not in his right mind and that is what worries me more than anything else, if he comes after Tommy, the power isn't there to protect him any more."
"Tommy can take care of himself, Kim," Trini said, giving her friend a hug and feeling the sobs struggling to get out. She hated seeing her best friend like this, but she understood that Kim had to get this out. She had kept it inside of her for way to long as it was. "He escaped from Mesogogg and that damned island this summer without any powers, don't lose your faith in his abilities, just because he can no longer morph into the white ranger. He has gotten himself out of some sticky situations before and he will again, but this seems like something the two of you need to talk about."
"We have, but he's not scared of this man. He's not scared of anything," Kim said, not noticing that Jason and Tommy had emerged from the basement. It had only taken a few, well planned, punches to diminish their anger to a manageable size and now they had returned to sit and listen, if that was what was needed. "Trini, if he dies, I couldn't live with myself, but he still wants to go after that man. I'd do it myself, but he won't so much as let me out of his sight without someone being with me."
"Well, didn't you expect him to be like this?" Trini asked, looking up and seeing them, but Tommy put a finger over his lips to silence her. He wanted to know the answer to this just as much as she did.
"Yes, but not this bad," Kim said, sitting up and looking Trini in the eyes. "He's all I have, Trini. I can't lose him. I've lost him once before, out of my own doing. I can't live through that again, no matter how much everyone says that it will get better. If he was to die, I might as well go with him. I can't live without him, I've tried and it doesn't work, I'm miserable without him in my life."
"You won't lose me," Tommy said, as he picked a piece of pizza out of the box and handed it to Kim. She started to nibble on the food as Tommy went to dig around for a movie to watch. He knew that it couldn't be a scary or drama filled movie tonight, so they would have to settle for a comedy or heavens forbid a chick flick. Now, if he could only find that group of movies. Lately they had been watching chick-flicks, but Tommy knew Jason well enough to know that he would put his foot down and possibly through the carpeted floor, if that showed up on the television screen, no matter how much he loved Trini and Kim. He could not stand those movies and they both knew that. "Go ahead and dig in, just remember to leave me some food."
"We will," Jason said, passing a bottle of water to Kim. She had never been much of a drinker and he wasn't usually, but when things got tough, he tended to always need a bottle or two, to calm him down. Tommy must have been feeling the very same way lately, as he had one in his hands as well. Whew, if they could just get through this one without killing someone, then they would definitely start some sort of support group, because their nerves would be so fried that they would need it for themselves. The only thing was when would they ever find time to give the support that would be needed, as their other 'job' would be likely to get in the way.
"What did you choose?" Trini asked, after taking a sip of Jason's drink, while he smiled at her, as she really did make him happy. Jason hadn't thought to bring her anything, as they had always shared drinks, even before they started dating. She didn't necessarily like beer, but she didn't feel like getting up to get herself something to drink. She was too emotionally drained for one day and she didn't want to risk Jason getting fired up again and her not being there to restrain him, as Tommy did not seem to be any good at that tonight.
"Rush Hour. I don't think any of us need anything too serious tonight," Tommy said, looking down at the half-full bottle and taking another sip, before sitting down next to Kim. He didn't want to get drunk tonight, but his tolerance for alcohol had grown over the past few years and he had gotten enough in his system to calm him, some. The only way he would ever be fully calm would be when Richard was gone from their life, but he knew that it could take Kim quite a while to consent to letting them do what was necessary. Mesogogg wasn't going to hold back with the rangers, so why should they hold back against his help?
"Good," Jason said, settling in to watch the movie, with Trini leaning up against his side. He had never thought that they would become what Kim and Tommy were, but they had and he was happy for it to be that way. When he looked over at them, it hurt to see that Kim was clutching her arms around Tommy's waist, trying to make the fear go away by burying her face in his chest and letting him hold the worry away. Kim had always been one of their strongest people, especially after Tommy being captured as many times as he had been, she always held a confident front, behind the tears that were shed. But knowing this one man could bring her down to this unnerved him and he could tell Trini felt the same. Why had he chosen her and not someone else to go after all of those years ago? He knew that many guys had been attracted to one of his best friend's and he couldn't help but wonder if knowing that he could not have her because of Tommy was what pushed the man to do something this rash. "Kim, don't worry about it. It's all going to work itself out."
"Jason, that is the one thing that I can not stop doing," Kim said, noticing Tommy's sad smile. He was still eating his pizza, but he hadn't forced her to eat another slice. At this point, he was just happy that she had eaten anything at all. Wednesday night and all day Thursday, she had barely put any food in her mouth and it worried him. She didn't have the energy to do gymnastics, teach school all day, and not eat, so he had been forcing her to, and she was glad that he did. Otherwise, she probably would have fainted from the stress of it all and she didn't want to add anymore stress to Tommy at this point.
"Okay," Jason said, as the other two tried to feel out what their friends were thinking. Tommy knew it would only be a matter of time before Richard tried to come after her again and when he did, he knew he wouldn't be able to hold himself back, especially if he tried to harm her. He had tried to take everything away from her and almost succeeded, but she had managed to get Tommy back and he was not going to let go of her without a fight. Even if that fight cost him his life, he didn't have a choice, he would give up anything for her and she knew that, but his ultimate sacrifice would tear her up more than Richard showing up unexpectedly on their front porch steps would. He knew that he couldn't do that to her, not if he could find a way around all of it.
The movie calmed all of them, while it was on, but the second it was over the tension returned in the room. Jason could tell Trini was struggling with all of this, but could not bring herself to upset Kim anymore, by asking questions that she wanted answered. She had always tried to think things out and deliver them in the nicest way possible. There was no nice way to do any of this and they all knew that. Jason looked over; to see that Kim had fallen asleep, with Tommy watching her carefully, ready to wake her up if the nightmares started again. The last two nights, after forcing her to go to sleep, she had, had the worst nightmares she had, had in years and Tommy woke her up each time and calmed her back into a deep sleep. If he was worried, he was doing a very good job hiding it. Although, Kim usually was able to take up most of his mental capacity when they were in any room together, which meant that the worry could be far from his mind because he was so enthralled by her presence.
"I'm going to take her up to bed," Tommy whispered, shifting himself under her, so that he would be able to pick her up easily. He didn't want to wake her up, so he was being more careful than he usually was, as sleep had been hard to come by for her for the past few days. Since she was sleeping so soundly, he definitely did not want to disturb that by making her uncomfortable in his arms.
"Alright bro, but when you get back down here, we need to talk about all of this," Jason said, as Trini nodded, sleepily, in agreement. It took Tommy a little while to get her settled in, but when he returned, the worry was evident. They had expected it, but they couldn't read past the worried expression on his face as they usually could at a time like this. Usually there was something good that could come of it, but this time, there was nothing good to take away the worry there.
"I'm glad that she's sleeping good right now," Tommy said, sinking down into the same position he had been in when he collapsed on the couch a few weeks earlier. Jason and Trini both picked up on the position he had took, which brought even more irony into the situation. This had all started when he came back, unexpectedly, from that damned island, with the announcement that there was a new evil out there for them to fight. Why couldn't these things just leave them alone for a little while? It didn't seem like it was too much to ask two years ago, but they had not gotten the break from the action that they thought they would. Tommy would never admit it to them, but they could tell that the one thing he wanted more than anything was for the evil to stop being interested in Earth, but until then they would be rangers. There was nothing else they could to about that and they had to keep up a brave face for the new team. "It's been rough these last few days."
"Tommy, does that man really want to kill you or do you think that Kim may have taken what he said the wrong way?" Trini asked, sitting up and receiving a rather disgruntled pout from Jason. He would have kept her where she was, but she felt that she needed to sit up to ask Tommy this question. She needed to be able to look him in the eyes and see the answer, as well as hear it.
"Yeah, I think he does. If he didn't, Kim wouldn't be this upset about it. At least I don't think that she would be," Tommy said, as Trini took on the same look of horror Kim had, had when she told him about all of this, only a few days before. They were so much alike that it was scary, but Tommy didn't want to point that out right now. It didn't seem appropriate when all of it was caused by one man's sinister plans to end his life, in some way.
"Tommy, you have to be careful," Trini said, trying to keep from tearing up, but she found herself failing, as Jason sat up and looked over at her. It would tear all of them apart if Tommy was killed, but she knew that the ones it would get to the worse would be Jason and Kim. They were the ones that were the closest to him and everyone knew that. Jason had reached a hand out to put over Trini's and she felt him give hers a gentle squeeze, as she started crying at the situation. "You don't understand how she feels."
"I hate to tell you this, but I know exactly how she feels and I can't let that man keep doing this to her," Tommy said, putting his face in his hands. How do could he explain to her that every time Kim cried, he was so torn up inside that, he could barely function? There was no way to explain that, unless they felt the same and not many people loved her the way that he did. It wasn't that Trini didn't care about her, but it was that she had Jason and always would unless something happened to him. He wouldn't have anyone, if they got to her first and he knew that with every fiber of his being, now. This new creature was willing to go for the heart, as well as the physical being, if his heart was hurt, he might as well be handed over to them on a silver platter. He could not fight when she was there for him and was not planning to go away. "Trini, the thing is, I can't deal with her crying every night because she is scared that he is going to come after her. It kills me to see her like that Trini. I'm not looking for a fight, but he has to stop or I'll do something. I can't stand to see her in this type of pain; I have never been able to stand it. That's the bottom line, Trini."
"Whatever you do, just let me know. I want to help," Jason said, as Trini broke down into sobs. Why did she have to choose now to break down? He felt the same way that Tommy felt about all of this, but he had to walk a very thin line if Trini was going to let him sleep in the same room with her tonight. "Trini, Tommy would do the same thing if the tables were turned and you know that."
"Yeah and Kim would be a wreck, too. If Tommy was talking about going with you after some maniac that wanted to kill you. I'm just trying to hold up my end of the deal," Trini said, as Jason tried to comfort her, but it was proving to be harder than normal. She was just as rattled as Tommy had thought she would be and he hated to know that this was all, inadvertently, caused by him.
"Tommy, can we finish this tomorrow?" Jason asked, picking Trini up off the couch and helping her up the stairs. He knew that he needed to calm himself down as well, so he would be able to think rationally again. Tomorrow, they could talk about all of this, when the girls weren't around. When they could, be completely honest with each other about how they felt and when they could talk about what they might have to do if the man ever showed himself again, which they hated to admit was very likely.
"Sure," Tommy said, going into the kitchen and grabbing another bottle of beer from the refrigerator. It had been a long time since he had drank this much, but this hadn't been an ordinary week and he hoped that he would be able to talk with Jason about all of this tomorrow, while Trini and Kim went to look for bridesmaid's dresses. He soon went to sleep on the couch, beer still in hand. His sleep that night was not a peaceful sleep as he hoped it would be, but at least he got some sleep.
Mesogogg's Punishment"You have done what?" Mesogogg asked, enraged at his help's incompetence. When he asked for Richard's help, he had thought he was a competent person, but it was obvious now that he was not. He had picked someone that was enthralled in Kimberly Hart's presence and was willing to do anything to get her, including risking the entire mission.
"I have revealed myself to Kimberly Hart. I am sorry master, but it was too tempting to not talk to her," Richard said, kneeling on one knee as he prepared himself to receive his punishment. He knew that everything he felt for the woman was still there, but he hated Tommy Oliver and if he could only get to him, then maybe they would have a chance at setting things right.
"Does Dr. Oliver know?" Mesogogg asked, pulling out his staff and gingerly pointing it in Richard's general vicinity. He had not had to punish anyone, but Richard was about to become an example for the other two numbskulls that did his dirty work. He had thoroughly enraged him this time and now it was necessary that he be punished for his ludicrous actions.
"Yes, master. I am sure that she told him everything," Richard said, as a ray of energy hit him and after a few seconds, he was seizing on the floor. Mesogogg waited until it got to the point that even his stomach couldn't take it and then he let him go.
"Do not disappoint me again or you will receive more of that," Mesogogg leered, as Richard crawled out of the room. He had messed up, but there was no going back. He had to somehow fix the damage he had done, but that might not be possible anymore and he had not thought of that before making contact with Kim. Tommy had been lucky earlier that evening, but one-day he was going to get his revenge on the great Dr. Oliver, if it was the last thing he ever did.
AN: I know that this has been a rather lengthy chapter and that it has been drama filled. I hope that you like it and that you will review, if not that is alright with me. Until next time, happy reading!