As always, thanks to all who read and reviewed. This chapter was very difficult to write because it's so critical in the story. I hope I didn't disappoint....Gina

Chapter 5: Welcome to Reefside

When Kim heard a man's voice call her name, she naturally began looking around for the source, but didn't see anyone on the street that she immediately recognized. Deciding he must mean some other Kimberly, she turned and began making her way up the street. Then she heard it again.

"Kimberly!?"

This time she was sure someone was definitely trying to get her attention. She scanned the people on the sidewalk with what must have been a puzzled expression on her face. Then she saw a man walking towards her. He was about her own age, short dark hair, well built, with attractive wire-rimmed glasses, and something about the way he moved was very familiar.

"Kimberly? It's me, Tommy."

As he got closer, he took off his glasses, and she got a good look at his eyes. Oh my God!

Dumbfounded at the sudden recognition, she practically stumbled backwards into the brick wall of the bank building. Immediately, he raced forward and grabbed her elbow to steady her.

"Kim, are you OK?" Tommy felt bad for startling her. The memory of another time when he turned up unexpectedly as the White Ranger came to mind. She fainted dead away, then.

"Tommy…hi…" Not her most eloquent words, but it was the best she could do at the moment.

The initial shock at finding her here was wearing off for Tommy, but in it's place, nervousness and hesitation set in. Back when they were dating, just seeing her face could make even the worst day brighter. Now, here she was, a mature woman, more beautiful than ever, but then the memory of how she broke up with him surfaced. He was suddenly unsure if maybe he should have just forgotten that he even saw her. She obviously barely recognized him. Not for the first time, Tommy was reminded by his own insecurities that their relationship must have meant a lot more to him than it did to her.

No, cut it out! You're thirty years old, for God's sake! What happened with Kim was a long time ago, Tommy, water under the bridge. Do you think you were the only kid ever dumped by his high school sweetheart? We're not kids anymore. Stop acting like one, he berated himself.

Despite the way she ended things, he still considered her a special part of his past, and harbored no hard feelings. After all, they say you never forget your first love. Maturity and a constant overexposure to teenagers taught him that sometimes the things they do aren't always logical, rational, or fair, but are almost certainly emotion and hormone driven.

Kimberly could barely breathe, never mind do anything other than stare at Tommy, taking in the 2004 version. It has been twelve years since she last saw him, and she had to admit, those years have been kind to him. She was completely thrown off by his short haircut. Tommy Oliver's long, thick hair had been his trademark. Everyone was jealous of it, and even though he wasn't vain, she knew he loved his hair, too. She did have to admit, however, that this new look was very appealing. It made his face look more angular, his perfect features more defined than when he was younger.

And his body, well let's just say that if she had made a bet back in high school that he couldn't get any sexier, she'd have lost. Dressed in a form-fitting, short-sleeved black t-shirt and loose workout pants, the muscle mass that he has gained over the years was well displayed. Other new additions completing the package were the glasses, making him look very mature, yet edgy, and a tattoo of a yin and yang on his right forearm. That didn't surprise her. Tommy's dedication to the study of the martial arts encompassed both his mind and his body.

Kim knew she should say something, but her voice would not cooperate. How is it that one chance encounter with a man she had been in love with when she was seventeen could reduce her to a nervous wreck? They never fought, didn't part on angry terms. Of course, if Kim were honest with herself she'd admit that they didn't part on any terms at all. That was the problem.

This guilt over the way she ended things was what kept her from speaking to him twelve years ago when she returned to Angel Grove for a visit and was captured by Divatox. He had risked his life to save hers then, and she couldn't even conjure up enough courage to thank him and explain why she broke up with him, face to face. She just acted like nothing unusual happened. Her remorse was too overwhelming, and the pain of her recent experiences with the guy she left him for was still too fresh.

What she did to herself and to Tommy back then was her life's biggest regret and darkest secret. Now thirteen years later, the opportunity to apologize and come clean was standing right in front of her. Fate was funny that way. It might let you put off the inevitable, but you can't escape it forever.

Maybe this is what drew her to Reefside. Kimberly was finally ready to make some positive changes in her life. Facing the pain caused by the consequences of the bad choices she made when she first moved to Florida was the first step towards burying her guilt once and for all. She had to forgive herself before she could expect anyone else to forgive her.

Ok, Kim. Get your head out of your ass and talk to the guy. He could have just pretended he didn't notice you, and would you have blamed him? He's a good guy; you have nothing to be afraid of.

"Uh…sorry. What's wrong with me? It's good to see you, Tommy. I was just a little surprised to see you," she finally stammered out before she stepped forward to give him a light hug. Holding him, even that briefly, reminded her of the happy, confident girl she was when she was dating him.

"No, it's OK, I didn't mean to startle you. I was surprised to see you, too." Tommy finally released the breath he didn't realize he'd been holding in. "What are you doing in Reefside?"

"I had a job interview, actually, at Reefside Memorial Hospital. And you?"

"I live here, got a house on the outskirts of town. I'm a science teacher at the high school."

"Science? Wow! I always expected you'd teach martial arts. How'd you end up…"

"Well, it's kind of a long story," Tommy began, then realized that they were standing in the middle of the sidewalk when an old lady bumped into him from behind. He apologized then reached for Kim's hand and led her a few steps to the narrow alley between the bank and the next building.

"Sorry, we were sort of blocking traffic," he apologized anxiously. "…job interview? What do you do?"

"No, no, you're right, we were in the way…I'm a Clinical Laboratory Technologist. I guess we both went into the sciences." Kim was finally beginning to relax. He didn't seem mad at her. This might not be so bad.

"Uh, yeah. It was an unexpected move for me. Everybody's been pretty blown away by it. Have you heard from any of the others?" Tommy didn't have to explain who he meant by "others". Their Ranger team had been a very tight group.

She looked away and shook her head, visibly uncomfortable. The reminder that she not only hurt Tommy, but also neglected all of her friends was all it took for Kimberly to withdraw back into herself.

Tommy immediately felt awful for asking the question. She must have had her reasons for keeping to herself, and they were none of his business. He knew what her answer was going to be, anyway. No one had heard from Kim since the incident with Divatox on Muranthias, not even Jason Scott, one of her oldest childhood friends. It had been right around the time they all graduated. Some of them, like Tommy, that were still Rangers had been very busy saving the world in between making decisions about colleges and careers. Eventually, their lives took them in different directions. They stayed in touch, although sometimes sporadically, but not Kimberly. She seemed to have burnt all bridges to her former life, and no one knew why. Tommy had to take the initiative to change the subject.

"So, are you still living in Florida?"

"Uh-huh, Tampa-St. Petersburg area." The pregnant pauses in their conversation were becoming very awkward. Kimberly felt like there was an elephant standing there on the sidewalk with them. She knew this third party was her guilt, and that Tommy probably wanted an explanation for her letter and disappearance. He would never ask her though, he was too polite.

Tommy was really beginning to wonder if it had been a huge mistake to approach her now. He was clueless as to what he did all those years ago to make her angry with him, but whatever it was, she didn't appear to be over it. Maybe he should just let her go about her business.

"Oh, well, good luck on your interview. It was nice seeing you, Kim. I'd better let you go…" Tommy forced himself to say with as much of a smile as he could muster. He didn't want to make her feel obligated to talk to him. He might have loved her more than anyone else in his life, but to her, he was probably just an old boyfriend. She wouldn't even look him in the eye.

She could only nod her acknowledgement.

He realized that was all he was going to get out of her. Tommy was a big believer in fate. He's seen it work too many times, so he refused to believe that crossing paths with Kim was an accident. Today of all days, after what happened with Randall that morning, and after his mind had spent the last several hours fixated on his past relationships…running into Kim was a sign. It had to be! What it meant, well, that he didn't know…but he still wasn't going to push her.

He nodded back, then turned and headed towards his Jeep parked on the street, not looking back.

Kim could only watch him walk away. Where did all the resolve to fix her life go? She had been determined to move forward, atone for her mistakes, and put them behind her. God, or fate, or whatever gave her this opportunity, and she was just letting it pass her by.

No, she couldn't blow this. Kimberly Hart didn't need another regret in her life. Gathering up all the strength and courage still buried within her that had made her a formidable Power Ranger, she ran after him.

"Tommy…wait!"

Kim caught up to him near the curb. She caught his arm, and he spun around to face her with a questioning expression.

"Listen, Tommy…I'm really sorry. Seeing you just reminded me of some things that, well…I just made some mistakes. I didn't mean to act cold or anything. I really am happy to see you." Kim forced herself to smile confidently. She had to make him believe her, and was going to do this if it killed her.

"Uh, that's OK. Don't apologize. I suppose it's a little weird for both of us. Let's start over…" When Tommy flashed her that little boy grin, Kim instantly remembered how immediately drawn to him she was the first time she saw him.

"So, are you here by yourself?" For all Tommy knew, she was here with a boyfriend, or even a husband, maybe the very guy she left him for. A quick glance at her left hand noted the absence of a wedding or engagement ring. What are you doing, Tommy? Why do you care? You probably would have been married by now if Elizabeth hadn't…he forced his mind back on track before anymore self-defeating thoughts entered his head. "How long are you staying in California?"

"Yeah, I came alone. I'll be here until Tuesday morning. I have another interview Monday afternoon, so I'm stuck here all weekend. I'm staying at the Marriott down the street," Kim told him, motioning towards her hotel.

Hearing that, Tommy suddenly got a crazy idea.

"Do you have any special plans while you're here?"

"Not really. I was just going to go to the mall. I can still shop with the best of them." They both shared a laugh at the memories of how she and Aisha, the Yellow Ranger, used to shop nearly everyday after school. Everyday that they weren't being attacked by Rita Repulsa or Lord Zedd, that is.

Tommy took a deep breath before continuing.

"Would you…um…can I buy you dinner tonight? We could sort of catch up. Unless you don't want to…" Tommy felt himself turning red.

Kim couldn't believe her good fortune. Just as she was drawing up the courage to ask him if they could go somewhere and talk, he went and did it for her. They always did seem to be on the same wavelength.

"That'd be nice, I'd like that. But please, let me buy you dinner. I owe you that much."

"Kim, you don't owe me anything. It was a long time ago. We've both grown up. Let's just go and spend a nice evening getting reacquainted with an old friend." Tommy didn't want to make her feel she had to explain anything. He was defiantly curious about what happened, about the other guy she claimed to have met in her letter; but if she didn't want to talk about it, then he'd have to live with that.

"Why don't we just talk about it later, OK? I really do want to explain…"

"Kim…later, deal?" Tommy wanted to make this as easy on both of them as possible. They were almost strangers. A highly emotional reunion would be jumping the gun a little.

Kimberly genuinely smiled for the first time since meeting him here, and Tommy was surprised to find that it could still fill him with warmth, just like it always did.

"It's a deal. So, where are we going for dinner? You live here, what's good in Reefside?" Kim was feeling much more at ease. Revealing her past to him wasn't going to be easy, but just being near Tommy, even for this short amount of time, reminded her of how she could always tell him anything, and he never judged her. He simply loved her.

"I think know where I'm taking you. You'll see when we get there. Um, before we go, though, I need to get a shower and change. I had been working out, then I remembered at the last minute that I had to get to the bank before they closed, and just ran right out of the house…" Tommy explained as he self-consciously glanced down at his workout clothes. He probably looked sweaty and gross. "You know my memory."

Kim laughed at how he could poke fun at himself. When they were dating, she found his complete lack of short-term memory endearing. He was always so cute when whatever he was supposed to be doing suddenly dawned on him. Some things never change.

"Well, is where we're going formal? Casual? Do I need to change?"

"No, no, you look great. That'll be fine. The food is good and they have a nice, quiet atmosphere, but it isn't a fancy place."

"Sounds perfect. How about I go on to the mall while you go home and get ready? You can pick me up there."

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah, yeah, I'm sure. That way I can pick up a few things I need."

"At least let me drive you up there, then I'll pick you up at the same place. It's almost 6:30 now. Give me 'till eight? I live about 20 minutes away."

"No problem. I'll see you at nine, then," she joked, teasing him about the chronic punctuality problem he had in high school.

"Ha, ha, ha. I've gotten over that. I had to, since I'm the teacher now. Gotta set a good example. Eight o'clock, at the mall, no later." God he hoped Mesogog didn't pick tonight to cause trouble.

"Let's get going, then."

He led her to the Jeep and pulled out into the light traffic. They rode in silence for the five minutes it took to get to the mall's main entrance. He parked at the curb to let her out.

"OK, I'll be right here at eight o'clock, I promise." He swore while giving her a quick wink.

"Sure you will, Tommy, we'll see." She just couldn't resist needling him as she hopped out of the Jeep and closed the door behind her.

"I will! Just you wait…" he called after her right before she reached the entrance.

"I'm sure I will have to wait!" she hollered back as the automatic doors swung open to let her in. Ha, I got the last word.

Laughing to himself, he started for home, more determined than ever to be on time.