Chapter Fourteen
The sun peeked through the pink curtains in Kimberly's room, stirring the resting couple to wake. It was now the day before everyone was to go home. Kim to Florida, Kat and Jason back to the inner limits of Angel Grove, Zack and Trini to Turtle Cove, Rocky, Aisha, Tanya, and Adam resided in Stone Canyon, and Tommy, Hayley, Conner, Trent, Ethan and Kira were to return to Reefside.
The thought of parting from her friends mad Kimberly's shut eyes bream with tears. She lived so far from everyone and she couldn't do a thing about it. Not yet, not with the studio. She couldn't ditch her responsibilities in Florida just to be with her loved ones in California, but damn it she wish she could.
Tommy noticed Kimberly's distress and cupped her cheek with his hand. He kissed her forehead and wiped the tears from her cheeks.
"Beautiful, what's wrong?" he said softly, praying she did not regret sleeping with him last night.
Kim just shook her head and kissed him soundly on the lips.
"Nothing," She replied and stifled a giggle at his 'I don't believe you' look. "I'm just thinking about the near future that's all."
"What about it?"
"We won't be near one another." She paused and took a deep breath. "You live in Reefside and I live in Orlando. Two different states, on different sides of the country."
"We will work it out, you'll see."
Tommy kissed her forehead and stroked her back. They just had to make it work this time. If they didn't he would die.
Later that day, not even Conner could not notice the changes in everyone's demeanor.
Kira and Trent were holding hands and seemed closer than ever. A spark of jealously flickered in the red rangers eyes but was quickly dismissed. Jason and Kat were closer too, barely separable. Dr. DeSantos and Mr. DeSantos were beaming and seemed more relaxed. The Taylors were already fighting over what to name their child. Mr. Cranston kept on making shy glances over to Hayley. Hayley seemed shy too. She was never shy. Adam and Tanya seemed to have a deeper understanding for one another.
Those weren't the changes that got to Ethan and Conner the most. It was the change in their science teacher that had everyone staring.
When Tommy and Kim stepped out onto the patio for lunch, all eyes were on them. There was something different about both of them.
Kimberly wasn't as withdrawn as she appeared a couple of days ago. She was more like her high school self. Giggling and staying close to Tommy's side. She even wore an old sundress she had forgotten she had packed. Pink biker shorts underneath. Her hair was down and she wore light make up to highlight her features.
Dr. Oliver was less tense. His eyes sparkled like they hadn't in ears. He was more relaxed as he held Kim's hand and laughed at a joke she had just made. He donned a white shirt with black jeans.
The teens gasped. They had never seen their teacher so casual and so light hearted. He was always so stern.
"Hey," Zack said clamping a hand onto Conner's shoulder. "Don't be so surprised. This is the Tommy we used to know before Kim broke his heart. Go figure we'd be more used to him back then than we are to him now. I mean he's been so closed off from everyone for so long, you'd think we know this side of him better."
Still the teens didn't know what to say. Dr. Oliver looked so youthful when he was around the former pink ranger. It was just too weird to comprehend.
"What's up guys?" Tommy said with a smile and a wave. He had known he and Kim would catch the others attention when they appeared.
"Nothin'" Ethan gaped. "Just in our own little worlds."
"Does anyone got any new news today?" Kim asked as Tommy sat and pulled her down onto his lap.
"Um… no." replied Ethan as a look of disgust appeared on his face. His teacher with a girl was the last thing he wanted to see.
Conner just shook his head no. He was also repulsed by Dr. O with a woman. It just wasn't natural for a teacher to date. Sure than can be married, but to date and to have some of your students know about it, too weird.
"There is nothing new in my spatial vicinity." Billy replied with a squeak.
"Mutual." Hayley said.
A blush formed on both their cheeks causing the group to laugh.
"Billy using big words." Zack chuckled. He turned to his wife. "For old times sake?"
"He said, there was nothing new going on in his life." Trini smiled remembering the days when she used to be Billy's unofficial translator.
The others laughed too. They knew what he meant. The days of not understanding their friend had long past, but it was still nice to allow their minds to go blank and not understand the former blue ranger.
"Precisely." Billy said.
"Other than being pregnant, nothing else new here." Trini answered Kim's initial question.
"Rocky and I had some nice alone time last night." Aisha stated with a wicked smile.
The teens looked disgusted, while the adults just looked strangely at the couple. Adam didn't want to her that. Aisha was like a sister to him and Rocky a brother. He will never be able to get used to the idea of them being together and so intimately too.
"Tanya and I are thinking about a family." Adam said and looked shyly over to his wife.
"Copycats." Zack mumbled.
"Must all the former black and yellow rangers have families first?" Kat joked noticing the connection to the pairs.
"I guess." Tanya said as she stroked her husbands hair.
"Kira, Trent?" Kim looked over to the teens. "You two to seem closer. What's new?"
"Um… Trent and I decided to date after the whole Mesogog thing." Kira blushed slightly.
"That's morphenomenal." Kim said and the other girls cheered for the new ranger couple.
"Jason proposed last night." Kat said out of the blue.
The entire group of girls squealed and rushed to hug Zeo Ranger I. Kat showed them the ring and more squeals of excitement came from their throats.
"That will make four out of six guys married." Zack commented.
"Yea," Jason said. "Now to get Tommy to proposed to Kim and Billy to find a girl, we will all be set."
"Hey, give us time. Kim and I have just found our way back to one another."
"I believe I have already found a woman I am interested in." Billy said looking over to a certain red head.
"You will know if it's right." Tommy said.
"Yeah, those damn animal spirits won't leave you alone until you're married." Rocky said.
"You mean that your animal spirits called out to you when you began to have feelings for your wives?"
"Yes," Adam said. "But I heard a frog's croak when I first met Tanya. I didn't know what it meant at first, but as time went on it became more insistent."
"The same for me and Aisha. Every time we were near each other or the other was in danger my ape would go crazy and Sha's bear would do the same. It was annoying. Do you know how loud a ape can be when it seems like it's screeching right in your ear?"
"For me," Tommy began. "It was from the start since Kim and I had already found each other. My falcon mostly cried when she was in danger, but when she left for Florida it went crazy especially right before the letter. It was like it knew that our relationship was in jeopardy before I did."
"That is odd." Billy said. The former blue ranger smiled at the slight howl of a wolf in his ears. "My wolf has seemed to find its mate."
Ethan laughed and the others looked at him strangely.
"Dude, what's so funny?" Conner inquired.
"Hayley is stuck."
"Why?" Trent asked.
"Wolves mate for life."
The others laughed.
"I guess there is no way I am going to be able to let her go." Billy commented.
At the sound of more laughter coming from the guys, the girls turned back to them.
"What's so funny?" Kat asked.
"Nothing," Jason smiled cheekily at his fiancee. "We were just laughing at how long it took Tommy to sleep with Kimberly."
Tommy swatted the former gold ranger for that. Kim blushed giving away her activities the night before. Aisha turned to the former pink ranger who was now as pink as her old uniform. Trini smiled knowingly and Kat and Tanya giggled.
"Kim, you finally did it." Aisha exclaimed. "You got over your fear of men and sex."
Aisha gave her friend a bear hug.
"I am so proud of you Kimberly." Trini said joining the embrace.
Kat and Tanya joined them and began blabbering about how great it was that she choose Tommy to be her first.
Kira back off to sit at the side of the patio and the rest of the teens followed her as the adults crowded around the new lovers.
"This is disgusting." Conner said.
"Yeah, I know." Ethan said."
"I have found out more about Dr. Oliver in the last week than I did since I met him." Trent said solemnly.
"Yeah and most of it stuff we should never know." Kira said softy.
"Like Dr. O having an active sex life." The red ranger said and they all shivered at the thought. The teens were never going to get over this.
This chapter isn't exactly the way I wanted it. The rangers were supposed to go over their futures, but instead they ended up telling what went on with their lives.
Oh well, the story will be done in like a couple of days.
Just to tell you, I don't update until I get up to 4 or 5 reviews.
I'm debating on whether I should have another chapter or not.
Much love from a Kimberly at heart