Chapter 7: Getting into the Past

Kimberly was getting ready to go to the training field when she saw her eldest children hard at work. "Hunter, Blake, Hannah, I'm going to the training field," she informed.

"Okay, mom," Hunter answered.

She kissed the top of Hunter's head before grabbing her bag and left.

As the Rangers got ready for their training exercise. Carter looked over to see Kimberly's car pull up. She ran up to Captain Mitchell. "Sorry for the delay sir," she apologized.

"Do you have everything, Miss Hart?" He asked.

"Yes sir," she replied.

"Good, let's get started."

Kimberly handed him time timer. "Go," he instructed. The Rangers started their training exercises.

After timing Chad, Joel, Kelsey, and Dana, but all had respectable times. However when Carter came out with in 50 seconds, she knew that something wasn't right. "Captain Mitchell," she started.

"Go take score, Miss Hart," he instructed.

Kimberly nodded and went inside.

Kimberly looked at Carter's score in disbelief. "He was rushing," she murmured. She then walked outside. "Captain Mitchell," she called. The Rangers watched as Captain Mitchell followed Kimberly inside.

"I'm not sure I like our mentor," Carter commented.

"She's kind of cute," Joel commented.

Carter rolled his eyes and Dana looked at him confused. "Why don't you like her?" She asked.

"Well, for one, she has way too many secrets to even be part of Lightspeed. She has four kids," Carter started.

"So, she has four kids? What's the deal?" Kelsey asked.

"She can be no more older than twenty," Carter replied.

Dana was getting rather upset with what Carter was saying about her best friend. "Carter, you don't know her," Dana commented.

"Oh, and you do?" Carter asked.

"Actually, I do," Dana replied.

"Carter," Captain Mitchell called.

Kimberly stood beside Captain Mitchell and she decided to break it to Carter, since Captain Mitchell was a little upset with him. "You may have had the shortest time, but you got the lowest score," she informed.

"But, Kim, I hit every target," he commented.

"That doesn't matter, Carter. You need to use your head before you ever use a blaster," she instructed.

Carter looked at Kimberly in disbelief. He was being scolded by a woman that he didn't even trust. Kimberly and Captain Mitchell walked away

Later that day, Kimberly and Captain Mitchell were sitting in the office when Carter burst in mad as ever. "YOU TOLD ME TO PUT OUT THE FIRE! YOU WERE WRONG!" Carter shouted.

"I wasn't wrong," he insisted.

"Of course you were, because I listened to you, that little boy got hurt," he snapped.

He then turned to look at Kimberly. "You should've stopped him. You have children of your own and yet you let another one get hurt," he snapped.

"CARTER!" Kimberly called.

She got up to go after him when Captain Mitchell grabbed her arm. "Let him go, Kim," he told her. Kimberly shook her head and insisted on talking to Carter.

She hurried up to him. "Carter, wait, Captain Mitchell's my boss too. I couldn't stop him even if I wanted to. Yes, I am a mother of four children. I hated to see that child get hurt," she insisted.

"Then why did you?" He asked.

"Because he's my boss," Kimberly replied.

Carter turned and looked at her. "How can we trust you to be our mentor if you keep keeping secrets from the team?" He demanded. Kimberly was now upset with him. Now Carter was saying he doesn't trust her.

"Because what I did in my past is none of your business. Hunter, Blake, Hannah, and Kylie are my children and that's all you need to know," she replied.

"What about Kylie's father? You never mention him. What about the other kids? You're so secretive, Kimberly, how can we trust you?"

"You're just gonna have to trust me that I don't want to get into my past."

She turned and walked away, a little hurt. Dana heard everything and walked over to Carter angry. "What?" He asked.

"You have no idea what Kim's been through during the past few years, Carter Grayson. She's been hurt so many times that she doesn't want to talk about it anymore. So, do force her into going into something when she doesn't want to talk about it," she explained angrily.

She then grabbed Carter's hands and looked up at him. "Carter, when she wants to tell you what happened to her, she'll explain everything," she assured him. Carter nodded and he sighed.

"I'm going to visit that boy," he told her.

Dana nodded and watched him leave, not knowing that Kimberly was watching Dana and Carter. Then she went to see how the children's schooling was going.

Kimberly followed Carter as he went back to the training site. She then followed him to the place where the boy got hurt.

She watched as Carter pulled the rug off to show gasoline. Standing next to her was Captain Mitchell and he had her go make her appearance known. "Sometimes the obvious choice is the wrong choice," she told him. Carter looked at her and saw Captain Mitchell stood behind her.

"You knew the canisters could explode," he pointed out.

"It's not easy being a leader," she told him.

Carter sighed as he walked by them. "I don't think I'm cut out to be a Ranger," he told him.

"We are, we're more sure now than ever," Captain Mitchell answered.

Kimberly nodded to Carter and then he ran to help their friends.

After the fight, Kimberly was putting the children to bed when there was a knock on the front door. She kissed the side of Kylie's head before going to answer the door.

When Kimberly answered the door, she saw that it was Carter. "Hi, Carter, what brings you by?" She asked.

"May I come in, Kim? I have to speak to you," he replied.

"Sure, come in."

Carter came in and saw pictures of Kylie, Hannah, Hunter, and Blake sitting around the living. room. "Sit down, make yourself comfortable," she invited. Carter sat down and then Kimberly sat across from him. "What is it that you wanted to talk to me about?" She asked.

"I came to apologize. I had no right to do that to say those things to you in the Aqua-Base," he apologized.

Kimberly sighed as she looked at the floor. "Carter, you were right though. I have no right to keep secrets from you and the team, but the pain of talking about those secrets hurts so much," she told him.

"Why? Don't you trust us that we'll try and help you?" Carter asked.

"Carter, we only know each other for only a couple of weeks," she commented.

"I understand that, but we're up against a dangerous enemy. You know so much about the Power Rangers. You have four children. Kimberly, please tell me what's going on."

Kimberly sighed as she agreed to tell him what's going on. "Carter, Hunter, Blake, aren't my biological children. I adopted all three of them. Kylie's my true biological child. The reason why I know so much about the Power Rangers is because I was once a Power Ranger. I was the Pink Pterodactyl Ranger and the Pink Ninjetti Crane Ranger. Kylie's father is Tommy Oliver, the Green Dragonzord Ranger, the White Tiger Ranger, the Red Zeo Ranger, and last I heard he was the first Red Turbo Ranger. We were in love. We dated since our sophomore year," she started. Carter could see the tears in her eyes, but she kept going. "One year, I got the opportunity to train for the Pan-Globals. I took that chance. One day, I was attacked in an alley. I was almost beaten to death. Not long after I was put in the hospital, I was tested and I was pregnant with my baby girl. I was brought to the Power Chamber because apparently I was also received the gift of empathy after my attack. I was trained to control my empathy and then my daughter was born. I came to Mariner Bay after I was captured by Divatox. I adopted Hunter, Hannah, and Blake," she finished.

"What happened to Kylie's father?" He asked.

Kimberly choked back a sob. "He got another girlfriend, because apparently I sent him a breakup letter, saying that I met someone else. It broke my heart because he moved on with the girl I chose to take my place on the team," she replied. Tears fell down her face as she looked at Carter. "Don't you see, Carter? I'm way too afraid to get hurt again," she told him.

"And your parents?" He asked.

Kimberly let out a laugh at the question. "My parents think I'm crazy. Ever since I got my gift they thought I had gone crazy so they think I'm in a mental hospital," she replied. She then started crying at all her memories. "It hurts so much, Carter," she sobbed. She saw orange fly by her eyes. Carter was concerned and sympathetic to her situation. Carter stood up and sat next to her on the couch.

"We're here for you, Kimberly," he assured her.

Kimberly sighed but the tears kept coming. Carter pulled her into an embrace and she cried against him. Dana was right, Kimberly went through so much pain and he was going to make sure no more pain comes to her.

IMPORTANT AUTHOR'S NOTE: No Tommy and Kimberly action in here at all. Nothing, nada. These stories go into Kimberly growing up as a mother and a person. And PS, I won't be able to update for a few days. I'll be visiting family. Catch you all on the flip side.