Here on after ch 4
I'm back with another chapter! Sorry for the long pause folks, I was working on other stories until I realized that I had to continue my old ones so here it is! The latest chapter! Enjoy!
…………………………………….
Tommy couldn't believe it, after all these years, after almost a whole decade, she was here. She was walking in, looking around curiously and she was there. The most beautiful, precious, wonderful, sweet, charming, adorable person he's meet in all his life. She vanished from him once breaking his heart and now she was here. Kimberly Ann Hart, in the flesh.
Tommy felt his heart sink to his knees and the air seemingly being lifted from his lungs as he watched her walk into the café and look around in an apparent search for something. He had to say something to her, he couldn't let her go again. But what? What could he say that wouldn't sound angry or to emotional? He needed something casual. Especially with three of his best friends sitting right there, they were sure to make fun of him if he said something awkward.
"Alright Tommy think, think, what could you say to her? God she's beautiful. No not that! Something casual, cool, smooth…..like…..hi or…..hey...or what's up? Anything Tommy! Just don't let her get away!" he mentally yelled at his inner self.
Kimberly across the room walked into the café and looked around as it apparently seemed empty. "I thought my students said that this was Reef side's hottest spot, it's empty. Hmmm, that's a little odd, there's only like 8 people in here and their……………..no way! That's' not them, Kimberly you're imagining things! That is so not………….it is them! Oh my God! It is them! Jason! Billy! Zack Tommy! What are they doing here! Oh my God, OH MY GOD! It's Tommy! Oh this is just fabulous. What do you plan to tell him Kim, Hey Tommy how ya doing, sorry for dumping you in a letter all those years but everything is good now right? Oh boy, oh boy, oh boy, oh boy, OH BOY he sure does look good. Love the hair cut. And those muscles nice job. No! Focus Kim, focus! You've got to think of something casual to say to him. Not to mushy, not to pitiful, something causal. Like…….hi…….or hey…..or what's up? Anything! You can't let him get away!" she thought to herself before making her presence known.
"Jason? Billy? Zack? Tommy? Is that really you?" she asked.
Zack stood up upon hearing her voice and out stretched his arms, "Pinkie!" he said and she smiled at the old nick name embracing him in a hug.
"Hey guys, wow, I can't believe it's you, what are you guys doing here in Reefside?" she asked with smiles, giving a hug to Billy and Jason next.
But before any of them could give a response she paused in front of Tommy. Thomas Sean Oliver, he first love and the guy she regretted loosing every day of her life. The guy that used to hold her books to class or wait for her at her locker or pick her flowers in the morning, the charmer, the sweetheart, the lovable bear she knew as Tommy. What could she do? Should she hug him or give him a handshake or what? "How about that casual talk Kim!" her brain yelled at her but the words wouldn't come out. She just couldn't say anything to the man that's she let go and has been out of contact with for almost a decade.
Tommy also paused when she paused in front of him. What was he going to say to her. What could he say to the woman that dumped him almost a decade ago? He wasn't mad at her at all, being the understandable guy he was, he understood her decision to move to Florida to pursue gymnastics and after awhile of sadness and morning he was happy for her that she found someone else. But he thought she was still cross country. He never imagined that he would be meeting up with her now or practically never. This was very awkward. A bitter sweet awkward but still awkward nonetheless. "How about that causal talk Tommy!" he yelled at himself wondering why he was standing there like an idiot.
"Hey Kim." He said casually and Kimberly smiled that award winning smile before embracing him in a hug.
"It's so great to see you again." She said to him.
From this happy and not angry, loud and steamy confrontation that they were expecting, Zack, Billy and Jason exchanged glances. It seemed that their operation would come in sooner then expected.
"Good to see you to." He said happy that he didn't say anything stupid. As they let go of each other, Tommy pulled up a chair for her and she sat down gracefully.
"Still a gentlemen as always." She thought while giving her thanks to him and smiling while facing the others.
"Wow, I don't believe it, I never thought that I'd run into you guys here. Well I don't mean the café I mean Reefside, what are you guys doing here?" she asked.
"Well were just visiting my pink petite, and we got hungry and decided to come here for some grub." Zack explained.
"Visiting Reefside? That's interesting? You have family down here?" she asked.
"If you consider Tommy family then ya." Jason said.
Kimberly dropped her jaw and looked over at Tommy. "Get out! You live here?" she asked. "Please say yes, please say yes, please say yes, please say yes."
"Ya for a couple years now." He answered.
"He said yes! He lives here! Whohoo!"
"Why you live here too?" he asked. "please say yes, please say yes, please say yes, please say yes" he thought.
"Ya, for almost a year." She replied.
"She said yes! Oh this is defiantly my day!"
"Really I've never seen you around." He said. "Well other than work and the occasional party or shopping, I don't get out much." She said.
"Really! Neither does Dr. Oliver!" Conner said suddenly deciding to interject. This of course earned a laugh from Kim, Jason, Billy and Zack and a death glare from Tommy.
Conner cringed under Tommy's glare. He hated when he did that to him yet he insisted on pushing his buttons.
"Before there's anymore outbursts from him, Kim, I'd like you to meet my students, Conner, Ethan and Trent and Kira my daughter." He introduced.
"Oh you teach, that's so…………wait your daughter?" she asked suddenly registering what Tommy said. "No, no, no, no, no, no, no! He can't have a daughter! This is impossible! Oh Kim you should have known that somebody as sexy as Tommy wouldn't stay single for long. Oh and look at her she's so pretty, that means that the mother is pretty too. Oh fudge!" she thought.
"Ya my daughter, Kira" he said not realizing what she was thinking at the moment.
"Oh that's sweet, how old are you hun?" Kim said trying her best not to sound disappointed that Tommy was taken.
"I turn 16 next month." She said.
"Oh that's…………….not right." Kim said.
"How is that not right? You know her birthday?" Zack asked.
"No but if I remember correctly, Tommy is a year older then me and he should be 26 and 26 minus 16 is……….."
"I'll explain later Kim." Tommy said and Kim gave him an awkward look before deciding to move on.
But before she could say another word, Haley came out from behind the back. "Trent I need your help back there with……..oh hi I'm Haley, can I get you anything." She said after realizing her new costumer.
"Oh you must be the owner." Kim said.
"That's me" Haley said proudly.
"Haley um, this is another one of my friends from High school, this is Kimberly." Tommy introduced.
At the mention of the name Haley beamed. She couldn't believe that there she was, Kimberly in the flesh. She'd never seen her before but Tommy used to mention her a heck of a lot back in college. He was infatuated with her even though she lived cross country. Haley insisted that she would try and hook them up back together but Tommy always refused. And now here she was, sitting right under her nose.
"Hi, nice to meet you." She said shaking her hand.
"Nice to meet you too." she said. "I bet you she's that girl's mother. That's probably his wife, aww, she's so pretty. Darn it Kimberly!"
"So anything I could get you?"
"Um……..some cranberry juice would be nice, if you have any?"
"Of course I do, that's an easy one." She said.
"Great, I'll have one of those."
"Coming right up. Oh and Trent I need your help in the kitchen please." She said and Trent set his cards down that he was playing with Ethan and stood up.
"Oh, now you need my help." He said sarcastically and Haley glared.
"In the kitchen please." She said and he followed her to the back.
"So Kim, what are you up to these days?" Jason asked.
"Um…..not to much, I live in a condo on Davie road and Reef dr, and I teach Algebra II at Sunset Academy." She said.
"You always did have a knack for math." Billy commented.
"Well what a coincidence, did you know, Tommy teaches science at Reefside High?" Zack asked.
"You teach science?" she asked in shock.
"Why does that come as a shock to everybody?" he asked.
"Well I mean…….you just used to pass science by the limb in High School, I thought you'd always open up a dojo with Jason or something of that sort."
"No, after high school Tommy left me." Jason said pretending to sound hurt and Kim chuckled.
"Well I actually thought about it but, my business management sucks and I would ask Haley to help me out but she's got her own business to run so, I figure why not do something quiet." He explained.
"And you chose teaching?" she asked.
"That's the same thing I said!" Jason added and Kim chuckled.
"Sorry Tommy, but I find it hard to believe that teaching is quiet. I mean I teach a room full of high school juniors and it drives me nuts some days." She said.
"Well believe me, compared to what I used to do, this is as quiet as it gets." He said.
"You didn't go moonlighting did you?" she said careful with her choice of words while in front of his students. Moonlighting was their term for moonlighting ranger work while they weren't rangers. They came up with the term at the farewell party for Zack, Trini, and Jason when they were heading to the peace conference and Rocky being the silly one told them to make sure they didn't do any moonlighting ranger work.
Tommy chuckled when she asked him this. "No I didn't, I used to work on paleontology digs with my partner Anton Mercer. But when an experiment went wrong, I decided to do something more quiet."
"Ohhh, you're a paleontologist. I wonder where that interest came from." She said and he chuckled. "And you used to work for the rich guy, hmmm you did have a pretty busy life." She added.
"Hey! You were a ranger weren't you? Ya I remember you, you were the pink ranger!" Conner interjected from the conversation once more.
Tommy smacked his fore head and Kimberly stood there speechless. What was she supposed to tell the kid and how did he know anyway? Nobody was supposed to ever find out about that secret. And she didn't spill it when she said moonlighting did she?
"Oh c'mon Kimberly, think, think, what do you do? What are you supposed to tell this kid? Um, duh deny it! That's what you always………."
But her thoughts were interjected by Tommy's voice.
"It's alright Kimberly." He began noticing the look of panic on her face.
"They're rangers too. These are my students/ protégés, Conner the red ranger, Ethan the blue ranger, Kira the yellow ranger and Trent whose back in the kitchen is the white ranger." He explained.
Kimberly made an 'o' shape with her mouth until it finally registered. "Ohhhhhh you guys are the rangers I'm always seeing on tv, and Wow, this is cool, another whole generation." She said with a smile.
"But wait, isn't there a black one?" she asked counting on her fingers all the one's that Tommy named.
"That would be Dr. Oliver" Ethan said and Kimberly turned to Tommy with another look of shock.
"No way!" she beamed.
Tommy looked at her and chuckled. "Yes way" he said.
"Wow you're a ranger again, how cool! You must be like a legend by now!" she said and Tommy chuckled. "I don't think so."
"Oh this is so cool, I have to call Aisha later, she owes me 50 bucks." She said.
"You guys bet on me?" Tommy asked.
"No! Of course not, what kind of people do you think we are?" she said giving him the shame on you sign with her fingers. "…………………She and Rocky did and she owes me 50 percent of what she collects from Rocky because I sided with her." She quickly added and Tommy made a playful glare while Billy, Zack and Jason laughed.
"Hey don't feel bad Kim, me Trini and Kat bet on it too." Jason said and Tommy's jaw dropped.
"I don't believe you guys bet on me!" he said and they laughed again.
"Sorry Tommy, but we sort of had this feeling you'd be involved in come sort of ranger thing again after that whole forever red mission so we placed bets, not biggie." Jason said.
Tommy just rolled his eyes. "Ya whatever, and you guys owe me some of that money." He said playfully and they laughed again.
……….
Watching them talk, laugh and all together was beginning to make her sick. From the time that she heard Dr. Oliver say her name, and go absolutely ga-ga over her she didn't like it. This was the girl that broke his heart, that left him for another man, why was he being so nice to her? She didn't like this, no she didn't like this at all. Dr. Oliver was her father now, she didn't want to share him. Kira knew that she'd have a hard time, warming up to her new arch enemy; Kimberly Ann Hart.
……………….
Review!