Chapter 19: Fancy Meeting You Here, Again!

Tommy's eyes darted from one redheaded woman to the other, confused by how they seemed to know each other. Before he gained enough presence of mind to ask what the hell was going on, though, a scene unfolded in front of him that attempted to answer his questions. Well, most of them, anyway…

"So, he's the boyfriend you were planning this fabulous dinner for? Now I remember where I recognized you from. So, was he surprised?" Haley knew her tone was unnecessarily sarcastic and scathing, but she couldn't help herself.

Kim didn't know how to respond. She felt awful having to meet Tommy's friend under these circumstances. Now she knew she was right when she suspected that Haley was in love with him. "Haley…I'm sorry, I didn't get a chance to introduce myself this morning. I'm Kimberly Hart. It's nice to meet you. Tommy's told me so much about how talented you are with all the Ranger technology."

"This morning?" Tommy asked, bewildered. Both women ignored him.

"Oh, he did, did he? Well, did he also tell you that I devoted almost all of the last three years of my life to him, working night and day to develop this stuff? That I was his shoulder to cry on after the last woman dumped him? Did he tell you that I would have never left him?" Haley's emotions had the best of her, and she was amazed at how all of her earlier good intentions to apologize and try to make things right went straight out the window at the first sight of Kimberly. The tirade was short-lived however, when her rational self took over and she realized what she was doing. Her eyes welled up with tears as she fought to maintain composure. "I'm sorry…"

Kira stepped forward and wrapped a supportive arm around Haley's shoulder. Once the older woman felt the touch of the considerate girl, the flood gates broke loose. She broke down in sobs, burying her face in the Yellow Rangers shoulder. The boys, uncomfortable with profound displays of female emotion like most men, stood to the side, hoping to fade into the background.

Kimberly felt genuine sympathy for Haley. She had experienced unrequited love once, and knew it was an awful, degrading feeling. Despite her natural instinct to want to offer comfort to someone who was hurting, she knew that any gesture from her would most likely do more harm than good. It was almost a good thing that she would be returning to Florida tomorrow. When she returned, maybe she and Haley could start over. Once the initial pain wore off, the former Pink Ranger hoped to be close with Tommy's college friend.

Eventually, Tommy's head cleared somewhat from the confusion. He had roughly deduced that Kim must have met Haley when she was shopping for all that food in the fridge upstairs. If he didn't know better, he would have thought that he surely did something to piss off the gods. It still seemed like he was being made to pay for his happiness with Kimberly. The incredible timing that allowed him to find her again had turned on him almost immediately thereafter, and things have been going downhill ever since.

For several long, awkward minutes, the only sounds in the cavernous Command Center were Haley's anguished tears and the hushed murmurs of Kira's attempted comforting. Tommy knew that as the common denominator in this equation, he should be the one to speak up, but he didn't know what to say. His concern for his friend, as well as his desire to clear everyone out of his house, finally prompted him to gather the courage to get the ball rolling. Even though he was pretty sure that Kim's prediction had been correct, he still thought it best to hear it from Haley, herself. There was no room for anymore misunderstandings.

"Haley, is there some reason you came here today? Something you wanted to tell me?" It was a direct question, but it was also the only way to get everything out in the open.

Haley slowly lifted her head from Kira's make-up smeared shoulder to look Tommy in his beautiful, brown eyes. He could have been so angry at her, but all she saw on his face was compassion. There was no sign of any demoralizing antipathy, and in some way, that made her feel even worse, like she wasn't getting what she thought she deserved. "I'm sorry, Tommy…I'm so, so sorry…" Sobs threatened to overtake her again, but she fought them so she could continue. "There's no excuse for what I did, but the only explanation I can offer is that I was jealous. You see, I've been in love with you for so long…even back when you were still with Elizabeth. It took me almost five years, but I had finally worked up the nerve to tell you. That's why I came here yesterday morning. I knew there was no way you'd be available forever, so I wanted to find out if we had a chance together before you found someone else. My timing couldn't have been worse all the way around. I was angry, hurt…I felt so betrayed, even though I knew I had no right. I'm so ashamed…" The confession was cleansing in a strange way, prompting buckets of new tears attempting in vain to wash away her guilt.

"I…uh…" Tommy began. There was no easy way to tell Haley that he just didn't share her romantic feelings, but knew he owed her the same honesty that she showed him. "I'm sorry, Haley. I really had no idea how you felt. It's just that I…uh…I don't, I mean I never…" This must have been the hardest thing he's ever had to say to someone, and having to say it with an audience made it even worse, but he figured the kids had already been made privy to all kinds of other personal information. What's a little more?

"…You never thought of me that way?" Haley took pity on him and finished the sentence. After all, she put him in this position. It was the least she could do to help him out of it. Besides, his hesitation and obvious discomfort answered her question as well as any words he might say.

Tommy could only offer a slight nod to confirm her hypothesis, head lowered, not able to look her in the eyes. Just because she had hurt him didn't make it any easier to hurt her. "I'm sorry, Haley."

"Hey, it's OK. At least one of us got what they wanted," Haley eluded to Kimberly, who stood stoically beside Tommy the entire time, offering her silent support. "Congratulations."

"Thank you," Tommy answered simply, taking Kim's hand.

"Haley," Kimberly still wasn't sure if her input would be welcome, but spoke up anyway. "I just want you to know that I didn't know who you were today at the store, but when you told me your name, I should have said something. I was just surprised. I realize I might be the last person you want to talk to, but I'm here if you need a friend."

Coming from anyone else, Kim's speech would come off as patronizing, but the sincerity with which she offered her help was so clear that Haley couldn't help but believe her. That didn't mean that she was ready to accept, however, but politeness and the fact that she had already caused enough trouble prevented her from saying so. "Thank you, Kim. That's very kind of you, but right now I just want to be alone for awhile. I'll see you all later." As she turned to go back in the direction from which she came, out the cave door, she felt a gentle hand on her shoulder. She stopped, turning around to find Tommy, who led her a short distance away from the group.

"Listen, Haley," he began in a soft voice. "I want you to know that I'm not angry at you anymore, I've forgiven you and I'm willing to forget all about this. Please stay on with the Rangers. We need you and we'd miss you…I'd miss you. Really. I don't want things to change between us, but I understand if it would be too weird for you here now, especially since Kim will be moving in with me in a few weeks." Tommy knew that news might be hard for her to swallow, so he wanted to make sure he delivered it in private.

Haley caught herself before the wave of stabbing pain that shot straight through her heart showed on her face. She didn't want Tommy to feel any guiltier than he probably already did. It was certainly unexpected, though. He had never been the impulsive type, and this was a very radical and sudden move. But if Kimberly made him happy, then she would try to be happy for them. Forcing a smile once she collected herself, she started. "I'll be OK. We all just need some time. Thank you for your forgiveness and understanding. I guess it's pretty hard to stay mad at someone who's just professed their undying love for you, huh?"

Tommy shared a little chuckle with Haley, grateful for her humor that lightened the mood. "Hey, I'm really flattered, you know?"

"You should be. It's not just anyone I'd humiliate like that!"

"Yeah…thanks, but you don't have the market cornered there. It seems Cassidy and Devin saw Kim and I having dinner Friday night. Naturally, they were not without their camera, so they followed us around Little Italy and back to Kim's hotel. Now this morning, the whole school got to watch the two of us enter the Marriott Reefside together. Of course, they didn't stick around to see me leave five minutes later, alone. By comparison, what you did was pretty mild."

"Five minutes, Tommy? I would have expected a man in your physical condition to have more endurance than that!"

"Haley! Shut up!" That was be far the most suggestive thing Haley had ever said to him, and it didn't fail to make him turn red as a beet. He wasn't too embarrassed to get her back though. "Anyway, you didn't exactly hear Kim complaining, did you...?" Enough of that, time to change the subject. "So, you'll keep working with us?"

The reminder of the ecstatic cries she heard coming from Tommy's bedroom should have hurt, but strangely enough, didn't. She'd have to think about why later, though. "I promised you and myself years ago that we were in this together. I'm not about to let you, those kids, or the world down. Consider it business as usual." Haley took the risk of giving him a brief hug. She never really touched him very much, afraid that her reaction to his warmth would betray her feelings for him. Being in his arms felt as wonderful as she always knew it would though, even if it was strictly platonic. "And you never know…maybe I can come up with a little sweet revenge for Miss Cornell."

"I can't even bring myself to try and stop you." Giggles from behind them broke their little reconciliation. They turned around to find the four teenage bystanders all laughing together, but Kim looked practically horrified, her hand over her mouth, eyes wide as saucers. "What?"

"I'm sorry, baby…" She rushed towards him and laid a hand on the back of his neck over the bruise. "I didn't mean to do this."

"Oh, that. Yeah, I was going to take that up with you later. Don't worry, it's just another addition to 'Embarrass Tommy Oliver' week. I'll let you cover it with make-up tomorrow morning. I can't keep teaching without turning my back to the class to write on the blackboard until this goes away."

Kimberly wrapped her arms around his waist and rested her head on his shoulder. She was getting antsy for everyone to clear out. Dinner still needed to be made and Tommy still needed to be ravaged to within an inch of his life. She was hoping that a little public display of affection would nauseate the Rangers enough to make them leave.

It worked.

"Well, Dr. O, we'd better let you two lovebirds be alone. Have fun! See ya tomorrow." Conner couldn't take any more reminders of his teacher's sex life. He briefly recalled a number of heavy-petting sessions with past girlfriends, and it made him queasy to imagine those two doing anything like that, never mind going even further. What's worse, meeting Kim only made the mental picture of the couple entangled with one another even more vivid now that the other partner had a face. The fact that it was such a beautiful face didn't help, either, and so the Red Ranger led the procession out the cave door that had remained open while Haley and Dr. Oliver stood there and made their peace.

"Yeah, guys. See you tomorrow. We'll talk later, Haley. I don't know how much longer Mesogog will remain quiet, so we'd better be prepared." Tommy didn't want to bring up their 'side-job' in front of Kim, just so she wouldn't worry, but he respected her too much to skirt the issue. She was part of his life now, and that life included being a Power Ranger.

"OK, Tommy. You better get upstairs. It sounded like Kimberly here has quite a feast planned for tonight. Kim, I'll see you when you get back. Maybe you can stop by the café for coffee sometime?" Oddly enough, it didn't require as much effort to be friendly with her would-be rival as she thought it would. She was so genuine and sincere that Haley couldn't help but warm up to her.

"I'd like that, Haley. Thank you." Kim offered Haley a grateful smile. One hurdle down, Tommy and Haley's friendship was salvaged, and she was back with the team.

Like a border collie, Haley rounded up the Rangers and herded them out of the Command Center. Once the heavy cement door grinded shut, both Tommy and Kimberly breathed a sigh of relief. Still in eachother's arms, Kim lifted her head from his shoulder to meet his chocolate, thickly-lashed eyes. Automatically, Tommy lowered his lips to meet hers, instantly devouring her mouth with a passion he had never known he possessed as little as three days ago. Their wet tongues tangled together, nipping and plunging into the other's depths. A natural progression led him to her throat, and with an evil little grin, he latched onto a spot underneath her jaw, sucking hard. Payback is a bitch. The only difference was that he was doing it deliberately, and she wouldn't have to face four hundred teenagers with the mark on her neck.

At first, the sensation of Tommy's hot lips gliding over her smooth, warm skin overwhelmed her enough that she didn't realize what he was up to. Suddenly, an aggressive bite bounced her back to reality, and her moans and sighs quickly morphed into giggles. She pushed him away, both of them laughing at the prank. "Stop it! Hey, I didn't do it to you on purpose."

"Well, I did. There, that's a nice one!" He observed the red bruise with pride, admiring his handiwork.

"Oh, you're going to get it!" With a wise-ass, but playful smirk, Kimberly turned and ran back through the Command Center and up the house stairs. Tommy followed eagerly.

"You promise?"

Dinner was out of this world. While she might have gotten a later start than she would have liked, Kim still managed to put out a mean spread in less than half an hour, thanks to the prep work she did in the morning and the tips she got from watching Rachael Ray's "Thirty Minute Meals" on the Food Network. She had even cooked up a little chicken for Hobo Kitty, who would now be looking forward to having her live with them almost as much as Tommy was.

After they were thoroughly stuffed with stir-fried chicken, vegetables, and rice, they retired to the living room to watch a movie. It was not even seven yet, but both of them felt the clock ticking away until Kim's flight left the next morning. They decided they'd hold off on dessert while their meal settled in their stomachs and just have some tea for now. Tommy had a huge DVD collection, so he let her do the honors and choose whatever she wanted while he boiled the water…the extent of his culinary skills.

Settling on the sofa together, Tommy hit the 'play' button on the remote and soon the room was flooded with the trademark Twentieth Century Fox introduction followed by the familiar 'Star Wars' anthem, all in surround sound. Much to his delight, Kimberly had chosen "The Empire Strikes Back". He'd seen it a million times, but the opening orchestral sequence still gave him chills. She curled into his side on the soft chenille couch, and soon they were taken 'a long time ago in a galaxy far, far away'.

Halfway through, just as the Millennium Falcon landed on the asteroid, Kim paused the film, and took off to the kitchen to prepare the perfect finishing touch to their meal. She hadn't told Tommy what she was serving, so when she returned with a tray containing thick slices of decadent pound cake topped with assorted ripe berries and freshly whipped cream, his eyes widened initially, then narrowed as his imagination filled with sensual images of Kimberly's tight stomach and his tongue substituting for the plates and forks.

The dessert was divine, but Tommy knew that the taste of Kim was even sweeter, and he couldn't wait to indulge. Before Han Solo had even been frozen in carbonite, Tommy began gently running his hand up her side, over her shoulder, her breast and her neck. He then started lightly tracing the curve of her ear with the tip of his finger. Soon, goosebumps had formed on her skin, and he knew he was getting to her.

Sliding an arm under her knees, he quickly turned her sideways to lie down on the sofa, carefully settling on top of her. "What are you doing?" Kim asked him seductively, although she had a pretty good idea, and wouldn't dream of complaining.

"What do you want me to do?" Tommy replied with a leer before snaking his tongue out of his mouth to tease the seam of her lips apart. Kim readily complied, instantly drawing him into a deep kiss, her hands raking down his back and over his ass, then back up and under his shirt.

Reluctantly, he broke the kiss, but only long enough to reach behind him and yank the back of the black cotton forward over his head, tossing it haphazardly away to land on the TV. Kim was already squeezing her hands between their bodies to pop the button on Tommy's cargos. Once his waistband was undone, she slid her hands down the seat of his pants, grabbing a fistful of firm gluteal muscle, then with a flick of her wrist, pushed the fabric of both the cargos and his boxers down over his slender hips.

Without lifting his lips from hers, Tommy deftly kicked the clothing off of his ankles. From there, it took exactly three seconds for him to realize that he was the only naked party in the room. Before he could do anything to even the score, though, Kimberly was pushing him away, signaling for him to get off of her. Initially, he took it as a hint that she was going to undress as well, but when she pulled him into a sitting position, he got confused. Once she kneeled between his thighs and began kissing and nipping down his chest, however, her intent became clear to him.

The last conscious thought Tommy had for several minutes was that he was sure glad that he didn't have any neighbors nearby, because otherwise, they might have wanted him arrested for disturbing the peace.

Author's Notes: Thanks for the inspiration, S.G.