Chapter 18: Fancy Meeting You Here...

For the rest of his classes, Tommy forced himself to develop that selective hearing women are always accusing men of having, allowing the stray comments on the 'news' from various students to pass in one ear and out the other. He remained in his science lab between periods, never venturing out even for lunch. Eventually, the day-he-thought-would-never-end finally did. The dismissal bell rang promptly at three, and he was able to at last remove the post-it note that he stuck to his desk reminding him not to turn his back to the class. After almost thirty years, he'd accepted and learned to work with his memory skills, or lack thereof. Rather than use the blackboard to write notes, he resorted to the handy-dandy over-head projector that, up until now, had been sitting on a cart in the corner collecting dust. No one seemed aware of what he was up to, or if they were, they didn't say anything. They were too busy whispering about all the other good gossip.

Once the kids cleared out, Tommy gave it a good ten minutes before he attempted to leave his classroom fortress. He felt like a fugitive on the run, even for a moment even seriously considering climbing out the window and making a mad dash across the school lawn for his Jeep, just to avoid any students sneaking up behind him and detecting his hickey. Staying clear of Cassidy and Devin was also a consideration. The longer he gave himself to cool off, the better. Right now, he didn't trust himself not to say something inappropriate, like telling them to 'mind their own fucking business.' Despite Randall, he wanted to keep his job. Besides, Cassidy never missed a thing, so she was sure to notice the love bite if she came within one hundred yards of him. He even thought about becoming invisible, thereby breaking the sacred Ranger 'no using powers for personal gain' rule, but just couldn't bring himself to it. Kimberly did say Zordon would be proud of him, so he had to live up to that honor.

Sticking his head out into the hallway, he saw that the coast was clear, so he grabbed his briefcase and made a run for it. By the time he reached the Jeep, he was sweating, feeling stifled in his teacher clothes. He ripped off the tie, threw it in the backseat, and unfastened a couple of shirt buttons as he pulled out of the faculty lot, driving much faster than the 20 mph school zone speed limit. Just as he turned onto the main road, he heard a wolf whistle come from the direction of a few students hanging out on the sidewalk. It was a natural reaction to turn towards the sound, but when he saw one kid give him a 'thumbs up', he rolled his eyes and gunned the gas, leaving skid marks on the pavement behind him.

Kim resisted the urge to go back to bed after Tommy left, deciding instead to do a little shopping, but for groceries this time. Typical of a bachelor's place, there wasn't squat that was actually edible in the fridge. A six pack of Miller Lite, a quart of milk that expired six weeks ago, and a pound of Starbuck's House Blend didn't count. She knew her sweetheart would probably want to take her out for dinner later, but since it was her last night with him until she could move from Florida, she thought it might be a nice idea to stay in and cook him a nice meal. Other than her interview at three, she had all day to plan a romantic feast. Her first stop, the local Wal-Mart Supercenter.

It was only nine-thirty when Kimberly pulled into the mega-mart. She was very proud of herself for finding the store that she only saw in passing Saturday night on the way home from the wedding. Since being on her own, she had become a pretty good cook, learning most of what she knew from trial and error and The Food Network. The menu that she had mentally prepared was a Chinese stir-fry with chicken and fresh vegetables over rice. If she remembered correctly, Tommy loved broccoli, so she hit the produce department and picked up a couple of stalks, as well as some snow pea-pods, bok choy, mushrooms, and zucchini. While there, she also needed to choose some fruit for the mixed-berry-topped poundcake she planned for dessert.

Approaching the strawberry display, Kimberly marveled at how red and ripe they were. In order to focus, she forced herself to push aside her mind's impish thoughts of forgoing the poundcake and just eating the berries off of Tommy's washboard stomach, maybe topped with a little whipped cream. A wayward grin crossed her face at that image as she foraged through the fruit, humming a little tune and lost in her own little world, until while daydreaming, she accidentally bumped into another customer also shopping for strawberries.

"Oh! Excuse me!" Kim exclaimed automatically as she turned around to face the woman she offended.

"That's OK, don't worry about it! You look like you're having a great time. They are beautiful, aren't they?" The woman gave her a warm smile. She was probably in her early-to-mid thirties, average looking except for her gorgeous, long, dark auburn hair. She was wearing a flowing, gauzy skirt and a soft sweater that flattered her fuller figure.

"Yes they are, and I really am sorry." Kim apologized again to the friendly woman as they both continued to pick their berries. "I'm excited about making dinner for my boyfriend tonight, and I guess I got a little carried away." Just to be able to call Tommy that again sent shivers through her.

For a split second, Kim thought she noticed a forlorn expression cross the woman's face, like she was reminded of a past love, but it seemed to disappear again just as quickly. "Well, it's understandable that you'd be excited about that! What are you cooking him?"

"Chinese stir-fry over rice, and berry poundcake for dessert. It's a surprise, he thinks we're going out."

"Sounds delicious!" She paused, looking closely at Kim. "You know, you look really familiar."

"Really? I'm not from around here. In fact, I'm flying home back east tomorrow morning. My boyfriend lives here, and I was here interviewing for a job in the lab at Reefside Memorial. Hopefully, I'll get it so I can move here with him," Kimberly explained. She knew she had never seen the woman before in her life.

"Well, good luck! That's a nice hospital. I had a friend there a couple of months ago who was in a coma, and they took really good care of him. He's fine, now."

"That's good to hear. It seemed like a nice place. The people were really friendly."

"Reefside's a nice town. You'll like it. Oh, crap!" she said, glancing at her watch. "I'm way behind schedule. Well, it was nice talking to you…I wish I knew why can't I shake the feeling that I've seen you somewhere before?"

"I swear I've never been to Reefside before Friday. I've lived in Florida for thirteen years," Kim assured her. "It was nice talking to you, too."

"Good luck, again, with your dinner, tonight, too. I hope he's really surprised."

"Thanks! I think he will be. He doesn't know I can cook," she said with a giggle.

"Well, bye."

Kim waved goodbye to the lady as she started to push her shopping cart up the aisle towards the meat department. She only got a few steps away when the woman called out to her.

"Hey! By the way, my name is Haley. I own a coffee house in town called Haley's Cyberspace. You and your boyfriend should stop by when you move here."

Too stunned at the recognition of the woman's name to offer her own, Kim could only nod her consent before she almost ran her cart into a large table of bananas. She swerved at the last second and took off at a fast clip towards the chicken case. Once she got there, she finally stopped and caught her breath. Oh, Shit! That woman was Haley, Tommy's college friend and the Ranger's technical expert. At least she was his friend before she embarrassed him in front of his students yesterday morning. She must have seen pictures of the original Rangers, and that's why I looked familiar. Of all the people in Reefside to run into at the grocery store, I had to pick her! Meeting Tommy on Friday was good luck, this was not.

From then on, Kim did a little reconnaissance mission each time she turned a corner into a new aisle. She didn't want to pass Haley again, just in case the woman remembered where she'd seen her. From there, it wouldn't be a big stretch of the imagination to figure out who was with Tommy yesterday morning. She wanted him to be the one to tell Haley who he was dating, if and when he wanted to.

Once she had collected everything she needed for dinner, including candles, a linen tablecloth with matching napkins, and a few utensils that Kimberly doubted a bachelor would have, she made a bee line for the checkout. Glad to have managed to escape the Wal-Mart without another run-in with Haley, although there had been a close call in the rice aisle, she loaded up the groceries and headed back to Tommy's house. I guess I should start thinking about it as my house, too, but we have a lot of details to work out first. I'm going to insist on paying fair rent, whether he likes it or not. Knowing Tommy, he won't like it a bit.

By eleven-thirty, the food was put away. It was no where near soon enough to get ready for the interview yet, so Kim started setting the table. The tablecloth needed ironed since it was wrinkled from being folded in the package, and the vegetables needed washed. Soon, it was one o'clock, time to jump in the shower. Her playful romp in the steamy water with Tommy that morning got her dirtier than it did clean. An hour and fifteen minutes later, dressed in her best beige suit and a red blouse she was on her way to the hospital, and hopefully, her future with the man of her dreams.

Tommy knew Kim wouldn't be there when he got home from work. The interview was at three, and it was three forty-five now. He sent out waves of good luck as he pulled in the driveway and parked the Jeep. In fifteen minutes the kids would be there, and he only had enough time to change his clothes and grab a snack. Quickly throwing on a black T-shirt and olive green cargos, he ran downstairs to the kitchen, hoping to find something to eat. What greeted him was a beautifully dressed dining room table and a refrigerator full of food. He smiled to himself, again looking forward to sharing everyday domestication with Kim. A bowl of fruit on the counter looked inviting, so he picked out a shiny red apple, just enough to tide him over until dinner. She obviously had something up her sleeve, and he wanted to have a good appetite for whatever it was. A knock at the front door signaled the Rangers' arrival, and along with them, the dread of the forthcoming 'sex' talk. Another, more persistent, knock broke him out of his mental preparation. "Come in, guys," he called to them without much enthusiasm. Here we go…

Conner led the parade of teenagers into their teacher's house, uncharacteristically hesitant and glancing around for any evidence of something he didn't want to see. He was sure if he saw pink panties hanging from the chandelier or condom wrappers on the carpet he would lose his lunch. Finding the coast clear, he relaxed slightly just as Dr. Oliver came from the kitchen. "Hey, Dr. O!"

"Hi, guys. Why don't you all go down to the command center. I'll be down in a minute."

"Alright," answered Kira simply.

Once Ethan tripped the lever opening the trap door in the floor, the four Rangers disappeared down the concrete stairs to await 'the talk' that they were all dreading just as much as their mentor was. After taking their usual seats, they remained silent for a few moments before the question that was weighing on everyone's mind was finally voiced by Trent. "Do you think she's here?"

The others looked contemplative, pondering the question. Kira spoke up first. "We don't even know who she is, where she lives, or how long they have been seeing eachother. Maybe we should just wait for Dr. O to tell us whatever he wants to say. We'll have to live with that. The important thing is to get him to forgive Haley so the team stays intact."

"It couldn't have been going on long, since Haley didn't know about it. She usually knows all. Kira's right though, but do we want to tell him that Haley's in love with him? Shouldn't that come from her?" Ethan was there when their technical expert made her admission, and he could tell how genuinely hurt and confused the woman was.

"Well, she told us, and she was going to tell him. It might be the only thing that will cool him down. If he sees that she was reacting emotionally because she loves him, it will be harder for him to stay mad at her," Trent reasoned.

"Maybe, but won't it make him feel guilty?" the Blue Ranger asked.

"Yeah, probably, but that's just because he most likely doesn't have the same feelings for her. He's going to feel bad whether we tell him or Haley does…" Kira's reasoning was cut off by the sound of footsteps coming down the stairs. Dr. Oliver was paused for a second and collected himself before moving to sit down in his chair at the command center desk. He was definitely lacking the usual spring in his step. At first, he just stared at them in silence. It was beginning to make the Rangers uncomfortable, as if he could see right through them. Conner couldn't take it anymore.

"Dr. O, are you still mad at Haley?" He didn't know how to bring up the subject of the girlfriend, so he hoped starting with the 'incident' would eventually evolve in that direction.

Tommy didn't answer right away. He knew the kids were squirming in their seats, but he didn't care. He resented having to have this conversation, and he couldn't hide it. "Yes and no."

The team waited for him to continue, but he didn't seem in a hurry to explain his cryptic answer. Kira knew she was the most tactful of the group, so when she spoke up, the guys visibly relaxed, knowing she was the likeliest one to get Dr. O talking without sticking her foot in her mouth.

"I'm sorry, Dr. Oliver, but I don't understand." The Yellow Ranger didn't want to pry, so she planned to let their mentor lead the conversation wherever he chose.

"I know, Kira. I'm not sure that I understand, myself. Listen, guys, what she did was wrong…very, very wrong…" He knew his dramatic emphasis was a bit over the top, but it definitely got his point across. "…But it's done, and I can't do anything about it now. I'm not going to lie to you, I'm pretty pissed off…about Haley, and about Cassidy, but I know my main concern right now has to be the team. I don't think I can maintain all this equipment by myself. That would take me out of the field, and we can't afford to be a Ranger short. I'm willing to talk with her, and I would like her to stay on as our resident techie. Honestly, though, it may take a long time for things to be the same as they were, if ever. She seriously violated my privacy."

"Uh, about that, Dr. O…" Trent figured he'd lay the cards on the table. "She's really sorry. Ethan and I talked to her after you left, and she told us what made her snap…"

"She's in love with you." Kira cut him off. This was the delicate part, and enough wrong words had already been said in the last couple of days. It would be very easy to make the situation worse. "Haley came over here yesterday morning to tell you how she felt. She was tired of hiding it, so when she got here and you were…" That was as far as she could bring herself to go. The rest of the sentence was implied.

Tommy looked down at the floor, his mind a jumble of thoughts and feelings. Kimberly was right. God, I had no idea. I'm such an idiot. "I don't know what to tell you. I didn't know, but it doesn't change what she did. I mean, she deliberately said what she said because you guys were there and she knew it would embarrass me. And it worked. It feels like everyone's playing some sick game of 'let's mortify Tommy Oliver'."

"You shouldn't be embarrassed, Dr. O. It was a case of very bad timing, but you weren't doing anything wrong." Conner finally had the nerve to speak up without the fear he'd say something absurdly stupid.

"You're right, Conner. I wasn't doing anything wrong, but Haley tried to make it seem like I was." Tommy couldn't bring himself to look the Rangers in the eyes, but at least he was finally addressing the main issue. "I don't want you guys to think I sleep around. I take the decision whether or not to have sex with someone very seriously. It's not like I go around picking up different women every weekend. This woman is very special to me. I've known her a long time, we dated in high school. Running into her on Friday was a total fluke. She lives in Florida and I hadn't seen or heard from her in twelve years. There were some unresolved issues between us from the past, and we worked them out. We had dinner, talked and found we were developing feelings for eachother again. I asked her to my cousin's wedding Saturday night, then it just happened, and I don't regret it. I do regret Haley showing up when she did, but like I said, I can't do anything about that now. It's important to me that you guys understand that she's NOT just some girl I picked up at the wedding, and she's NOT a whore like Haley said."

"Yeah, that was pretty low of her to say, but damn, Dr. O, you do work fast. You haven't seen the lady in twelve years, and you pick right up where you left off after just …" Conner stopped mid-sentence, mentally kicking himself for being a dufus yet again. The rest of the Rangers cringed, but they figured it was inevitable that their fearless leader would eventually say something idiotic. At least he got it out and over with.

"Conner! No, that's not what happened. We dated in high school, but we didn't have a physical relationship back then. Neither of us was ready to go that far. That's the point I'm trying to make. We're adults now, and we thought about what we were doing. I don't want you to think I'm setting a bad example for you."

"So you used protection?" Kira jumped from her seat to cover Conner's mouth with her hand before he could open it again.

"Don't worry about that, Dr. Oliver. It's your own business, and you don't have to explain anything to us. We just want the team back together again," Kira explained sincerely and apologetically, still muzzling the Red Ranger.

Tommy chose to ignore Conner's question and address Kira instead. "Yeah, I know, and it will be…someday. I just need time, and I do need to explain, because there's a good chance that my girlfriend will be coming back to California to live. She's at a job interview right now, and if she gets it, she's going to move in with me." He let the news sink in for a moment. "I know your next question…Yes, she does know about the Rangers. I had to tell her, because I lost a relationship once before by keeping secrets."

"I understand your wanting to be honest with her, but so soon?" Ethan thought it was a pretty rash decision to reveal their identities after being back together again for only a day. The rest of the Rangers nodded their agreement wholeheartedly. Their mentor was usually the most careful and rational person they knew.

"I know it sounds like a stupid decision, but she's not just any woman. Her name is Kimberly Hart, and she was the original Pink Ranger. There's no reason I need to hide anything from her."

"Oh, well that's different…So, do we get to meet her?" Ethan just got the question out when he heard a female voice coming from upstairs in the house.

"Tommy! Tommy, are you down there?" Kim yelled down to the Command Center. She knew the Rangers were there, and probably should have been more discreet, just in case he hadn't gotten around to talking with them yet, but she was too excited.

"Yeah…come down!" Tommy answered as he got up and walked to the bottom of the stairs.

A flurry of footsteps echoed loudly through the vast cavern as Kim bounced down the steps in her high heels. Tommy was waiting for her, so she flung herself into his arms. He barely caught her, just avoiding toppling over himself from the unexpected affection.

"I got the job!" Kimberly practically screamed before pulling Tommy's head down to her and plastering her lips to his. As much as he wanted to lose himself in her, he was still momentarily conscious of the kids only a few feet away, but when her soft, wet tongue suddenly invaded his mouth, he was a goner. All he was willing or able to do was turn his back to the team as he gave himself to the kiss, holding her body tightly against his. She, in turn, grabbed a hold of his short, thick hair and clawed at his muscular shoulders.

"UH-HEM!" Conner cleared his throat as noisily as he could manage, not knowing any other way to break his teacher and the woman apart other than getting out a can of WD-40 and a crow bar. He didn't need to see this scene. Now he would have nightmares.

Tommy and Kim parted lips, but remained in eachother's arms, neither acknowledging the team's presence yet. "Are you serious? You got the job?"

"Yeah! We talked for about a half an hour, then said he was very impressed with me and my credentials, and just offers me the position! He wants to know how soon I can move here!"

"So…how soon can you move here?" Tommy was beside himself with relief. The prospect of sleeping without Kim by his side for long was not very appealing.

"Oh, God, Tommy. I don't know. I have to pack up my apartment, find movers, and sell a bunch of other stuff and my car. I decided to buy another one here instead of driving all the way from Florida. It's a piece of crap, anyway. Maybe two weeks, three, tops?"

"I wish I could help you, but it's right in the middle of the semester and I have mid-terms to give. I do have an idea, though…"

"UH-HEM!" The Red Ranger announced the team again, and this time, he got results.

"Sorry, guys," Tommy sheepishly apologized. He reluctantly disengaged himself from Kim's embrace and tried to gain some semblance of dignity by wiping the lipstick off his mouth with the back of his hand. A quick glance in her direction told him that her face was as red as his felt. "Rangers, this is Kimberly Hart, the first Pink Ranger."

"Hi, guys. It's nice to meet you. Tommy's told me a lot about you. He's very proud." Kim gave them a warm smile, hoping to distract them from their little 'display' with her charm.

Conner, as the leader, stepped forward first. "Hi, I'm Conner McKnight, Red Ranger." He extended his hand politely, and she took it.

Next up, Ethan introduced himself. "I'm Ethan James, the dude in blue."

"Kira Ford, Yellow Ranger. It's great to meet another lady Ranger." There was so much about the proud tradition of female Rangers she wanted to ask the older woman, but she contained herself for the time being. There would be time for the drill later once Kim was around permanently.

"Trent Frenandez, White Ranger. Nice to meet you."

Once all the Rangers had met Kim personally, a strange silence came over the room while the kids took in their mentor's new girlfriend. Conner was impressed. She was a real looker. Hhmmm, petite, redhead, shapely legs, nice ass…

Conner's perusal of Kimberly's assets was interrupted by a semi-good-natured, firm slap on the back. "Why don't we have a seat…?" Dr. Oliver had come up behind him, and had a pretty good idea what had the Red Ranger so enraptured. "Watch it," the science teacher murmured under his breath, giving the kid another smack, on the arm this time, a little harder than before. The message was clear despite even Conner's usual density.

It was obvious to the team that their mentor's significant other didn't share his quiet, shy nature. She made herself right at home in the Command Center, parking herself in the chair at the desk next to Tommy's that ordinarily would have been occupied by Haley. The kids found it a little strange at first to see Kim in their possibly 'former' technical expert's spot, but the woman's gregarious nature and sense of humor had them relaxed and comfortable in no time.

The six of them just hung out and shot the breeze for about fifteen minutes. As soon as the conversation started taking a turn towards embarrassing stories about Tommy's high school days, he decided that it was time for the Rangers to get out so he could enjoy his last evening alone with Kim until she came back permanently. Besides, the kids didn't need to know how one of his favorite pranks to play on his friends in high school would be to get them all in his car on a trip, crank the heater, and then fart. He used to get them every time, and was very proud of it, but it wasn't something his students would expect from their dignified, stoic, teacher.

"Well, guys, it's after five. You'd all better get home for dinner." Tommy got up and led the way to the cave door. It was the quickest route the Rangers could take out, and the sooner they left, the sooner he could ravish Kim. The team got the hint, with Conner only needing a little coaxing from Kira, and they followed him to the back entrance.

Ethan understood why the couple wanted them out, but they still hadn't resolved the Haley issue. They were due for an attack from Mesogog any day, and they needed all the help they could get. He got up close to his teacher and tugged on his arm, effectively stopping his progression towards the door. "Dr. Oliver, what about Haley?" The Blue Ranger discreetly whispered, even though he was pretty sure Dr. O had filled Kim in on the problem.

"Good night, guys. We'll continue both conversations later," he said with loudly and with finality, addressing the entire team as he approached the panel that would slide the wall open. Tommy realized that he blew Ethan off, but he was just not interested in spending any more of his and Kim's precious time on the subject. Tomorrow, she would be returning to Florida to resign from her current job and pack her things, and he would have a few weeks to work things out as much as possible. Now was not the time.

"'Night, Dr. O, Kim…" Kira said as she tried her best to round up the guys. She could tell the adults wanted some time alone.

Tommy punched in the code, and soon they all heard the rumbling of the heavy slab as it slid open, but they weren't prepared for who greeted them.

"Haley!" all six of them exclaimed in unison.

The woman standing at the entrance froze as she unexpectedly came face to face with the entire team, accompanied by the familiar woman she met in the grocery store earlier in the day. Haley's stomach sunk to her knees as it suddenly hit her where she recognized the tiny redhead from.

Author's Notes: Dum, duh, dum, dum... Thanks again to all readers and reviewers. Wow, 18 chapters already. I suppose we're nearing the climax...of the story, not like Chapter 12. Get your minds out of the gutter! Thanks to JYB and JDF for the inspirational anecdotes. I'm having a ball with this! Love y'all!