Chapter 2

When we last left the couple, they were staring off into the moonlight, and then came the spill. Tommy could feel Kimberly was hiding something from him. Continuing from that point of the story. A sadness has filled Kim's mind. Will she open up to Tommy and reveal her deepest darkest secret that might ruin any hopes of love again?


Tommy locked his sliding door after they went back inside. Kimberly looked back at him. She wanted to laugh at the sight of his shirt wet from her glass of wine, but deep down, she couldn't find herself enjoying that moment. Tommy saw a bit of sadness and uncertainty in her eyes. He knew he had to find out why and soon.

"I'm going to change my shirt, I'll be back." Tommy went upstairs to his bedroom.

"Take your time." Kimberly went to the bathroom.

"How about some coffee?" Tommy yelled back. "Kim?" Tommy looked down, bare chest and saw Kimberly gone. He could see the bathroom light on. Tommy went to change and use the bathroom himself. She came out just as Tommy was coming back downstairs. Kimberly knew she was near breaking, if she didn't open now, she would never. After splashing water on her face, she finally realized where this night was leading. All the heartache would be nothing after she tells Tommy the truth, but she had to do it. Tommy deserved so much and to not tell him, would be a crime. Kimberly sat down on the couch. Tommy sat with her. She went to pour herself another glass, when Tommy's hand stopped her.

"What is it Kimberly?"

"Huh?" He took her hands and settled them on the couch between them. He looked into her eyes with a smile. Kimberly knew he wouldn't be smiling or touching her if he knew the truth. She bowed her head. Tommy saw the sadness in her eyes, the twinkle and light that her eyes were dimming with each passing second. Tommy wasn't going to allow that as long as he was around. Tommy lifted her head by the chin and took her hands again.

"I am really glad we bumped into each other tonight. Really glad."

"Me too." She smiled slightly.

"You're even more beautiful than the last time I saw you, if that's possibly since you are always so beautiful."

"Thank you."

"I really missed you."

"Me too." A tear rolled down her face. Tommy caught the tear on her cheek. "I am so sorry."

"For what?"

"For ruining tonight."

"A little wine on my shirt hasn't ruined our night. See, new shirt, I thought we were enjoying each other's company?"

"No, not that. For what I did... the way things... you know, ended."

"Hey, no no. We don't even have to do that or go there. That is the past. Ancient history, okay. I am fine. You are fine. Nothing more to..." Kimberly shook her head. She held his hands.

"Tonight, I kept flashing back to...to when and why I wrote that letter and...you deserve to know the truth, to know everything. Okay."

"Kimberly..." She held her hand to his mouth.

"I want to...I need to tell you everything now."

"Only if you want to."

"I do and I must." She wiped under her eyes and took a sip of wine before starting. "Okay." She smiled. "This is not going to easy, and it will bring up some hurtful, bloody things, but I must tell you. Will you listen and not jump too quickly as I explain it all?"

"I promise." Kimberly stood a deep breath.

"Okay. On the flight to Florida, I was so sad. I never cried so much in my entire life. I was so depressed about leaving Angel Grove, all my friends, you. I knew if I stayed with you, I couldn't do what I always dreamed, since when I was 3 years old. I always wanted to represent my country, America, as a shining star. A gymnast. So I left. You practically had to shove me to go. You said if I wanted to make my dream come true, I had to try. I just never thought I would be alone doing it. So I got to Florida and wow, how different everything was. It was hot and sunny like California. But the rain and, as beautiful as it was, it lacked the most important thing to me. All of you guys. It was missing you. I spent the first month, adjusting to the dorm like life, along with the hectic and strenuous training, that I never experienced before. After just one week, I swear, I had never felt so much pain in my body before." She laughed.

"But you stayed," Tommy said.

"I had to. I couldn't disappoint you guys. I couldn't disappoint you. I felt as thought I would be betraying you all if I gave up and came home, especially you. You would see me as a.."

"It wouldn't have been a betrayal to me. I never would see you any different. We, I would stood beside you through anything," Tommy said.

"Thank you. I know that now. I knew that deep down then, too, I guess. You guys would have stood behind me through whatever, no matter what I did." Tommy nodded. "But then, I didn't see that so clearly. So...I stayed, though I was lonely and unhappy."

"Why?" Tommy asked after Kim's long pause. He turned her face to look at him. She sighed and nuzzled her cheek against his hand. She didn't realize how much she missed his touches until now. Tommy rubbed her face before Kimberly opened her eyes and looked at him.

"Sorry," Kimberly said pulling away. "Okay, so I stayed and I fought and I fought, but I was still always alone. And when you are always alone, sometimes when things happen you tend to not think clearly, you just know you don't want to be alone, you know?" Tommy nodded. "And then one day when I got back from spending Christmas break with you guys, I met him." Kimberly smiled. "His name was Dallas. He was so adorable. Perfect face, hands and feet. I fell in love at first glance."

She laughed at Tommy expression. "He was a baby, Tommy."

"A baby?"

"Yeah, one of the younger assistance trainers. He just had a son and was looking for a babysitter. I need a little extra cash and I don't know, maybe I wanted the company and I took the job."

"I don't understand."

"Dallas was about 6 months old. If I wasn't training or in tutoring class, I was spending time with Dallas. You see, his mother left town practically after his birth, leaving Marcus to tend to a baby. Marcus was in college himself, a sophomore at that. He was very smart, but tore his shoulder during the season, so decided to become an assistance trainer and maybe a manager in the end. Coach Schmidt loved him and askedhim to join the team to help the girls. He had gone through Olympic trails the last time with the boys' gymnastic team and knew he could help the girls."

"So, you two..."

"I tried to resist, honestly Tommy, I did. Every time I thought I would slip, you would call me and your voice. Or, you would write these wonderful loving letter and make me feel so guilty. So guilty about every moment I spent with Dallas and Marcus. I couldn't tell you. I knew if I did tell you, I would break your heart, and that would hurt me so much more. Never in my life, I wanted to hurt you in anyway, because you meant so much to me. Mean so much to me, even now. But...but I...I didn't stop."

"Why not?"

"I don't know, to this day I don't know why I didn't stop or why I...Icould never tell you... to say it... I just couldn't. Not out loud. That's why I...I sounded so sad over the phone a lot. Because I wasn't strong enough then, because I wasn't being truthful with you and it hurt. When I talked to you, somehow, some way, I would talk myself in just believing nothing was happening and it wasn't fair to you. Each day, I was drawing closer to Marcus and farther from you. Then there was this one night. I was babysitting Dallas, but I was exhausted from training. Marcus came by to pick up Dallas. He found Dallas and I asleep in my bed. He said it was the most beautiful sight in his life, since Dallas was placed in his arms. That night, I woke up and found Marcus next to me. Dallas still asleep between us. We smiled at each other... and then...And then I kissed him." Tommy stood up quickly.

"That can't...you would never...how could you?"

"I know." Tears rolling down her face now.

"But that was before the letter, right?" Tommy asked.

"A month."

"A month! You waited a month break up with me!" She nodded.

"I thought that was it, one kiss. Just one kiss! But that was just the beginning. That kiss..."

"What do you mean?"

"I ...he and I...He made love... we had sex a few weeks later."

"You had sex with him!" Kimberly flinched at his explosion. "You had sex with him!"

"I was so confused and upset..."

"Confused! Confused! You slept with another man! Upset!"

"I know."

"You don't know! You cheated on me!" She nodded. "And then you had the nerve to write me off in a 'Dear John' letter as some brotherly love and sent it to the Youth Center!"

"I am so sorry about that." Kimberly was crying.

"Sorry! You're sorry! You embarrassed me in front our friends! You broke my heart! You said my love, our love was nothing more than sibling love! How dare you!"

"I had to!" Kimberly screamed at Tommy.

"Why? WHY!"

"I felt so bad about sleeping with Marcus! So guilty!" Her voice went low, as she looked down. "I had to make it seem, I had to make myself believe that we didn't matter. That what we shared, our love was a first love thing, and wasn't everything in the world. Even though our love, it was that and so much more." Kimberly wiped away the fallen tears.

"So you break my heart to make yourself feel much better. How sweet! Let me guess you and Marcus went on as one great and happy family with baby Dallas." Kimberly went over to Tommy.

"We did, for a while. I was in a family again."

"What happened?" Tommy asked, not daring to look at her. He wanted to punch his wall in, as he was filled with such anger.

"We fell so fast, I guess, too fast. I mean, I thought we were madly in love with each other and that... it was real. But, it wasn't real because I found out..."

"Found out what!"

"He had been lying to me. Marcus didn't tell me truth."

"Payback's a bitch."

"I deserve that."

"And more!" Tommyyelled facing her. His snarl made her shiver and gasp, his eyes were filled with hatred, like when he was under Rita's evil Green ranger spell. Kimberly couldn't help but bow her head in defeat. Tommy watched her sway, his reflex was to take her in his arms. Take her in his arms as he always did before. When Kim realized her knees wouldn't hold her up, and Tommy wasn't going to catch her. He wasn't going to be there for her, not now. Kimberly wiped under her eyes as she begin to cry again, as she went back to sit down on the couch. "What happened?" Tommy asked after the silence of Kimberly, as she softly cried.

"Dallas's mother returned. Marcus never told me he was married to her and they never truly separated or divorced. Even though, she left them. And after I gave so much of myself, my heart, my love, and my body to him. He left me to be with Angie. To be a family with her. He said, he had to try, to allow Angie a chance to be a mother to Dallas. He was so sorry for having to leave me, but...but I was only 16 and he was about to be 20 years old. Marcus said, he wanted me to live my life, and not have to grow up so fast. He couldn't wait for me, or at least that what he said to me in a letter. I guess my grandmother was right, what you do life, always comes back. And it hurt so much. I thought I was dying. I thought I was losing my mind. I felt as though I did die the day they left me, like when I left you. I didn't want to go on. He was my best friend, my only friend I had. After Marcus left with Dallas, I went back to that scared little girl when I first came to Florida. You don't know how much it took to keep me going on. I was so lost again, and I hated myself for everything, everything I said, everything I did, especially how I hurt you so much."

Tommy looked into his bare fireplace. He couldn't believe what he was hearing. Kimberly, woman he loves, loves. 'Loves? Do I still love her?' Tommy thought. 'Is that this feeling in me, no, I can't. She cheated on me, she slept with another man! I can't...I hate her! I hate Kimberly Hart!' Tommy looked at Kimberly. She was crying, her face buried in her hands. Her breaths catching in her throat, as she choked on her tears. Tommy wanted to rush over to her, but his legs wouldn't move. Tommy still wanted to touch her, console her and make it all better. She shouldn't be in this much pain, unless she cared.

'That's it, she still cares for me. Some part of her, still loves me or else she would have just walked away and never said a word.' Tommy felt the silence was unsettling. Kimberly had slowly stopped crying as hard. Though tears still flowed, she was staring ahead. Tommy finally spoke.

"But you stayed. You continued and fought through it all, and after that and you still won. Your dream came true."

"My dream was to be with you forever. To have you by my side through everything, but you weren't there."

"Thanks to you."

"I know." Tommy and Kimberly stayed quiet. Tommy by his fireplace, staring off. "I am so sorry for ever hurting you. And I will live with causing you that pain and grief for the rest of my life, because you never deserved that. You deserve someone who loves you and would never break your heart, like I did. I just wished I was smart enough to realize that before, before I did it." Kimberly wanted to stop crying, but with every attempt, she couldn't help but cry.

Tommy didn't even look back. He had never felt so angry with one person, and her cries were not making him feel any better. He still had the urge to go and hold her. To take her in his arms and kiss her to make her feel better. But she had betrayed him, she had given herself to another man, while dating him. Never in his life would he believe Kimberly would have cheated on him. They loved each other. Love? That is not love. And yet, here she was, in his apartment, on his couch, telling him this in tears, when she didn't have to. Kimberly could have went on, not caring about telling him the truth. Why now? Why did she need to tell him, was there something else she needed to say?

'Tonight would have been perfect, and maybe it still can', Tommy thought. 'There has to be more to this, it can't end like this'. Tommy closed his eyes, he could feel something there, between them, hanging there. In his heart, he still felt something strong.

'Maybe I'll always care for her, since she was my first true love. Or maybe, maybe I'm fooling myself to believe I could love another like I love her' Tommy thought. 'I love her?'

"I am sorry," Kimberly said after a long silence. She opened her purse and looked at her cell phone. It was nearing midnight. "I should go now." She got up after closing her purse. Tommy turned to her. She sniffed, as she pulled out her keys and wiped away more tears "I need to go and..." Kimberly held back another fit of cry.

"Where will you go?" Tommy asked.

"Well, since my flight is so early. I thought I would just arrive to the airport, check in, stay there until my flight," Kimberly said as her voice broke. She let out a slight laugh. "Thanks for... well, thanks." She smiled and went to the door. She took her coat down and went to put it on. Kimberly closed her coat. "Goodbye, Tommy." She didn't even turn around to face him, as tears formed in her eyes again. "Goodbye." She opened the door, but a hand stopped and pushed it closed.

"Don't go. Don't leave like this."

"I really think I should," Kimberly said with her back to him. "It's late and I have overstayed my welcome, like I always tend to do. I cannot tell you how sorry I am, Tommy...so sorry. I know you can't forgive, because I can't forgive myself. But I needed to tell you and now I have. And now I can go."

"I don't want you to go." Tommy stood behind her close, Kim could feel his breath as he talked. "Don't go."

"Why not? Give me one good reason why I should stay?" Tommy turned her around to face him, which startled Kimberly. She gasped. He held her arms tightly, but immediately loosen up and rubbed with his thumbs where he squeezed.

"You told me the truth, when you didn't have to. So I need to tell you something as well, the truth, before you leave." She looked up into his eyes finally.

"What?" She whispered.

"First, can I ask, did you ever stop thinking about me, about us and what we shared?"

"No. Not even with Dallas and Marcus. I never forget about us or you, never. I never stopped lov... With one look at a picture of us and I was back to missing you and your smile so much. And happy as I was with Marcus, it wasn't the same." A few tears rolled down her face again. "I won't lie, I was happy, so very happy with them, because I felt like...they were there, you know. And you weren't. But you were always in the back of my mind. Back of my heart. And you always will be. I just...just stopped listening."

"And now, tell me what you feel right now, right here. I want to know."

"I think you know how I feel, Tommy. You shouldn't have to ask."

"Tell me, Beautiful." She gasped.

"Beautiful?" Tommy nodded. "You called me...I still love you, Tommy. That's why I had to tell you the whole truth. I'm still in love you, even after all these years, and everything that has changed. When I lost Trini, everything inside me stopped. I stopped eating, sleeping, and thinking for months. If it wasn't for my job, I would probably be dead without Mr. Klein and his help. The day I said goodbye to Trini, I promised myself never to hold back, never be scared, even though I am. I need to be free, of everything, because life is too short to agonize over the past because, you can't change it. You can only hope to learn from it. And now that I told you everything, the secret that has hung over us for years, I don't feel so guilty, I feel relived that you know the truth now, everything. And I understand if you never want to see me again. I understand if you hate me, because sometimes I hate myself for what did. Especially after why I did it. I know I would never want to see or talk to me if I did what I did to you. But just so you know, I do love still, even though I have no right. I still love you now. I guess I always will."

"I feel that way too."

"What?"

"I have never stopped thinking about you, Kimberly. Never. Even today, I caught myself thinking about you and what we shared. I never stopped loving you too, even now. Even after I've learned the truth from you. Yes, I am angry, and mad as hell. I mean, so mad I could kill something or punch through a wall, but when I look into those beautiful eyes, I am lost all over again. I am lost in my love for you and I want what we shared again. Because our love…, because you mean so much to me and you always will, Beautiful." Tommy smiled as he took her hands, rubbing the top of her hands with his thumbs, like he did all those years ago.

"I don't... no, you can't be… Tommy, are you saying...no, you can't... you can't still love me?"

"I will always love you, Beautiful. Remember, I promised you on that day by the lake that I will always love and be there for you, and I stick to my promises."

"But that was before I cheated and..."

"I never will stop loving you. We all make mistakes, Kimberly. That is life. Doesn't mean, we can't give this a second chance. Doesn't mean, I won't give you a second chance. I love you, Kimberly. So much. So, will you stay right now with me?" Kimberly closed her eyes. She turned around slowly to face the door. Tommy sighed, until he heard the door lock. Kimberly turned around and looked up at him. Her purse and keys dropped to the ground. They stared for the longest before Tommy spoke again. "I think I'm...I want to kiss you."

"Not if I do it first." She smiled. Tommy quickly cupped her face and kissed her. Tommy pulled away, and they stared at each other. Kimberly wanted more, as did Tommy. That kiss was not any normal soft kisses. This was hard, wet, filled with desire. This was fire. This was fire burning, ready to explode to the surface. This was love and passion. She moaned against his tongue as it slid slowly into her mouth. Oh, how she missed that strong, loving tongue. He pressed her against the door. Tommy pulled away slowly from her lips. They looked at each other, both breathing much harder than before. Tommy kissed her again. They moaned and smiled through their kisses.

"You want to?" Kim's voice came huskily and a bit soft. She took his bottom lip between her lips and gave a slight bite. Tommy moaned and kissed her again.

"Yes," Tommy said boldly. "And more, Beautiful."