-1I know, I know, I still keep the hope alive for a Kim-Tommy reunion. Well, kinda… They play the old PR episodes on TV all the time now and I find myself (guiltily) watching them…frequently. And now that I'm back on the circuit, I knew that I had to post my new chapters. Here's one: Read and Review PLEASE! And if you're really nice I'll add the next one immediately after, um, ten reviews. Okay, maybe not ten…five. Yeah, five is good. Five reviews and up goes the next one. Who are we kidding? I'll have the next one up probably by the time anyone stumbles upon this new chapter.

Kat had always said that a new day brought new memories. She was oddly wise and upbeat that way. The group didn't mind, it was rather refreshing. Her unique brand of chipper was a strikingly similar tone to Kim's but with a naiveté that Kim did not have the pleasure of experiencing. And that is what Tommy thought the next morning as he performed a slow kata. He used the movements of Tai-Chi, hoping to relax his unusually tense persona. It wasn't working. He tried thinking about everything: from his recent battles, working out strategies to defeat the next monster in line for attack, and the recent bills piling up in the living room of the apartment he had recently begun renting.

" I just don't get it," he finally muttered hopelessly. No matter what he tried to think about, all his thoughts came back to Kim. She seemed so much more…pained than he remembered. Something had happened to her in Florida. Something to cause her eyes to change, her personality to shift. Something happened to make her quit her passion. Maybe it's the same thing that made you quit. Tommy thought guiltily.

The phone ringing brought him out of his unwanted reverie. He rushed to answer it, and successfully picked it up after the second ring.

" Hello?" He asked quickly.

" Tommy, hey man, listen, I know it's early, but, can you meet us down at the center? It's kind of important." Tommy listened intently, detecting quite a rush and dread in Adam's voice. He raised his eyebrows as if his old friend could see him.

" Yeah, you know I'll be there, but tell me what's up."

" We've got a new problem, and Kim is in-involved."

" Is she the new target?" Concern laced his voice, and he prayed to God that she wasn't here escaping a new evil.

" It's not about that. She's not in trouble anymore."

" All right, I'll be there in an hour, I have a stop I have to make first." He hung up the phone, and looked at his phone book, there were only a few motels listed. And, while there were many hotels in Angel Grove, Tommy's instinct told him she would be in a motel. He looked up each of the numbers, and began dialing. Of course, the desk clerks that answered the phone were less than willing to tell the young man the name of a tenant, but he coaxed one into caving.

" Yes, sir. We have a woman by the name of Kimberly Hart registered. I cannot tell you which room."

" Please, ma'am. We got into a fight. She left me and decided to stay in the motel."

" May I ask how you know her?" The clerk was clever, but Tommy had been prepared.

" I am her boyfriend of several years. We got into a fight over something trivial. I just wanted to apologize to her face."

" All right then, room sixty-four."
" Thank you, I'll be there in ten minutes."

Tommy Oliver was amazed. For once in his life, he was on time. He stood in front of the clerk, who was handing him a small credit card sized room key. He received it in his considerably jerky hand, and she grinned.

" Must have been some fight, huh?" She maintained her sympathetic grin. He smiled grimly, and nodded.

" It was bad. But we both need to talk it out." He began to walk away when the clerk called him.

" Good luck, son." Tommy smiled at the woman, and all but ran to Kim's room. He knew that in order to go through with actually going in, he'd have to hurry. And that's what he did. The key slid in to the door, and he pushed it open. He could've knocked, but he didn't want to give her the chance to run. As he walked in to the room, he called out all he could think of.

" Housekeeping!" Kim had her back to him as he stood in the foyer of the relatively large room; he couldn't see her, and likewise. She turned and began to walk toward him, but her face was focused on the little boy on the terrace, which was ground level, so there were no major concerns.

" Oh, well, we were just…What are you doing here?" Tommy couldn't answer, his mind still reeled from the word 'we.' He was about to ask about it when a young boy of only five or six ran to her, his thick caramel hair sticking up in a style Tommy could only call 'bed-head,' watching the young stranger with curious hazel-brown eyes. Tommy glanced as curiously as the child.

" Hello," Tommy said, the confusion he was feeling evident.

" Tommy, this is Tristan Thomas, my son." Kim looked carefully at Tommy.

" Wow, I thought he looked a lot like you, his hair and eyes are a little darker, but…"

" I should have told you."

" No, you said it yourself, Kim, it was your life. I no longer had a right to know," Tommy said, trying to hide the hurt, anger, and bitterness in his voice.

" You'll always have the right. You will always be my best friend, my…"

" Brother?" He didn't conceal the bitterness now. Kim blinked back tears. She reached for his hand, lightly holding his fingers.

" My love." She was not crying, only for her son's sake, and Tommy looked away. He wanted to give her time to say what she was trying. He pulled his hand away and put it on the boy's head.

" Hey, buddy. So, wanna tell me some stuff about your mommy?"

" Oh, yeah. She's great!"

" I won't argue there," Tommy whispered, but Tristan caught it, smiling. Tommy grinned back. They had a secret. " I just wanted to see, Kim. I'm sorry. But, I'm needed back at…" He stopped, not sure if it was okay to reveal the secret.

" Tristan knows, but I forgot that. You see, sweetie, this man is the old white ranger…"

" Your white knight."

" That's what we called him. Go, tell Zordon I said hi."

" Oh, Kim, maybe you should come with. I have a feeling you need to see this." Kim didn't like the look in his eyes. But, she had to give Tommy his due credit. He was holding back his anger, for her son. That helped things a little bit, but it wouldn't solve the problems sure to arise when they had to talk this out. She had a feeling Tristan wouldn't be between them.

" Can he transport?"

" I'm sure, given where his genes come from…" Tommy didn't even want to ask if maybe Kim had double power on that one. Jase seemed to be the most likely suspect if he had to guess. They weren't together now, but Tommy wondered if maybe they had been briefly. Kim wouldn't have a one-night-stand, she had wanted to wait until marriage. And after those plans changed, she still had to be in love, Tommy knew that much about Kim. She wouldn't have changed that much.

" He's not Jason's. We were never together. After Muranthius, I realized that it probably looked that way, but, no. Just my best friend. Jason's the brother."

" Well, we need to get to headquarters." Kim nodded and Tommy took her hand. He grabbed Tristan and pulled him into his arms. In only a few seconds, they were at the new Command Center. Kim noticed the surroundings were different, but she figured they would be. Jason had told her of the original blowing up, what she didn't expect was to see everyone staring at her in shock.

" Hi, guys."

" KIMBERLEY," Zordon's powerful, soft voice radiated throughout the atmosphere. She was near tears when she regarded the man who she had come to think of as her father. " ADAM SAID YOU WERE IN ANGEL GROVE. I AM GLAD TOMMY BROUGHT YOU HERE. AND…"

" Zordon, guys…This is Tristan, my son." The looks on the ranger's faces were priceless.

" Wow, Kim, I never knew."

" No one knew, Adam. Except me and Jason, who found out by accident."

" So, Tristan, would you like a tour?" Tommy asked. Tristan eagerly nodded. Tommy picked him up and put him on his shoulders. He's always been good with kids, Kim thought. " Would Mommy like to go, too?"

" Sure."

" Zordon?"

" Of course, Tommy, Kimberly is always welcome here. Welcome to the Command Center, Tristan." Tommy noted how Zordon's voice had become very soft now. " When you are done, Tommy, we'll need you in here."

" Is something wrong?" He asked, but received no answer. He walked off, leaving them with a puzzled look.

" Hey, buddy…" Kim cooed to Tristan as they walked away. Adam and Kat, the only rangers who actually knew the pair at all, turned toward each other.

" What was…" Adam asked.

" Is he…" Kat asked at the same time.

" I didn't know Tommy and Kim had a son," Justin said. They all turned towards him in shock.

" Unless he's not Tommy's," he quickly amended. He looked at Kat. " Which I'm sure he's not. Can I shut up now?"

" I'm sure they'll explain everything. Now, Zordon. You said you were reading an energy spike in the area. One you'd never dealt with before."

" PRECISELY, TANYA. BUT I BELIEVE I MAY NOW KNOW THE CAUSE OF THE SPIKE."

" You think it's Kim?"

" NO, JUSTIN. THE ENERGY IS COMING FROM TRISTAN. IT IS PROBABLY BECAUSE OF HIS GENETICS."

" Because he's Kimberly's son? Would that cause that much energy?"

" I BELIEVE SO. RANGERS, WHY DON'T YOU INVESTIGATE THE DOWNTOWN AREA, JUST TO BE SAFE."

" Sure, Zordon. Let's go," Adam said. When Tommy was gone, Adam, being the second-longest standing ranger, was in charge. The group disappeared in a flash of lights.

" Aye-aye, Zordon. That doesn't make sense. Tristan wouldn't even have active powers," Alpha Five droned, as curious as the rangers.

" IF HE WERE THE SON OF THE TWO MOST POWERFUL RANGERS, HE WOULD. I CAN ONLY HOPE THAT IS THE CASE."

" If not?"
" The Rangers have a little bit of an issue," Adam said, as he had returned only a second before. Thinking he was speaking about the child, Alpha went into his 'aye-aye' mode.

" Oh, Aye-Aye. Aye-Aye-Aye."

" Alpha, it's no problem. We just have a big monster, we need Tommy for the Megazord."

" Right here, Adam. I've got to go."

" No! You can't leave again. Mommy said you couldn't be there with us before. You have to stay now!" Tristan was sobbing. Kimberly was blushing. And Tommy was fuming. All a bit too much for the room. Realization dawned on him, but he didn't want to hash out old wounds in front of everyone. He quickly grabbed a pen and paper, writing down his address for Kimberly. He stuck it in her hand.

" Come by later. I think we need to talk. And Tristan, I will see you later." The boy grabbed him in a hug and Tommy almost cried. "I'm not going anywhere, I promise. Never again. Never." He was looking at Kimberly as he said this, and the entire room knew what it meant. As the Rangers teleported off, Kimberly looked at Zordon.

" So, how have you been?" She asked sheepishly.

" WOULD YOU LIKE ME TO TELEPORT YOU AND TRISTAN TO YOUR MOTEL, OR TOMMY'S?"

" Might as well go wait at Tommy's."

" VERY WELL, IT WAS VERY GOOD SEEING YOU KIMBERLY."

" Aye-aye, we missed you, Kim."

" Yeah, I missed you guys, too. I guess we're ready." She held Tristan tightly to her as she felt the energy of the teleport take over her for only a second, then nothing, and finally she sat inside the living room at Tommy's apartment. " Now this is how you do it."

" Mommy, why do we have to be here? Why'd we have to leave?"

" Tris, we talked about it, remember?"

" I know, but it's weird. It's different."
" It's home. It was once for me, and I know you'll love it here. You're safe here Tris. You won't be hurt again."

" What if the bad men followed us?" Tristan cried into her shoulder.

" We're protected. I won't let anything happen to you. I promise, baby. Remember?"

" I know, but you always said that. And we kept moving, but…"

" I'm sorry, sweetie. We're home."

Tommy walked in with Justin and Adam, and saw Kim sitting with Tristan in the living room. " Hey, buddy." Tristan ran into Tommy's arms and Tommy lifted him high into the air. Kim rose as well, greeting the other two.

" Maybe Tristan here should go with us, Justin and I were just going for pizza. That sound okay?"

" Yeah! Please, Mommy?" Kim nodded her consent, and Tommy passed the caramel haired child over to his best friend.

" See ya when ya get back?" Tristan nodded.

" We'll take care of him, Kim. No worries. You know how much I love kids," Adam said as he and Justin exited. The door closed and the pair remaining stood in an awkward silence.

" Your own apartment, huh?"

" Yeah, when I briefly raced for my uncle, I decided maybe it was a good idea to find my own place. A lot less hassle." He sat down and offered her a seat as well. Kim sat unusually uncomfortable.

" So, you probably want to ask a big question, huh?"

" Why didn't you tell me?" Tommy asked through his clenched teeth. He was by no means an angry person, but he wasn't exactly happy right now.

" There's…more complications than that, Tommy."

" Yeah? What could be more complicated than you waiting three years to tell me that I have a son?" Tommy stood, facing away from Kim. He barely heard her.

" He's not your son."

" What?" Tommy turned, not sure he heard her correctly.

" I said that he's not your son. And before you start, no, Tristan doesn't know. He doesn't know who his father is, but he probably thinks it's you."

" Who's is he? If he's not mine, which you gave me every belief he was, then who's child is he?" The timeline fit in his mind, it was very well possible that he was the father.

" I don't know, Tommy," Kim lied.

" How can you-"

" Do the math! You know! And I don't want to talk about it!" Tommy sat back down, looking at Kim. He finally realized why Kim seemed so empty. But he also knew part of what she said was a lie. He couldn't place which part, though.

" Are you ever going to talk about it? Who he was? Who you were?"

" You're asking if I willingly conceived Tristan. Technically, yes."

" So, you weren't-"

" No, just a little out of it, and I was lonely. Noel was a good friend, I trusted him. Even after I ended things with you, he was supportive. Those times he kissed me never happened again. So I went to him. He made me feel so guilty, and maybe it was because he loved me. But he became so obsessed. And then when we did-when Tris was conceived, he totally dumped me. I never loved him. I just knew I couldn't go back to you. If I did, you'd think so little of me."

" Kim, that would never happen, and you know it." Kim rose, straightening her clothes self-consciously.

" So, is that the difficult q-and-a? Because I should probably go. I'll wait for Tris and the guys to get back, but the less time I spend here the better for all of us."

" Sure, Kim, are we friends?"

" I could never expect less, Thomas Oliver," Kim said as she hugged Tommy tightly.

" Maybe someday, Beautiful. But we're not ready right now. Keep in touch?"

" Of course," she said, just as the guys returned.

" We got it to go, in case you wanted some," Adam held the box of pizza up.

" Yeah, no Rocky, so the food's still there."

" Where is Rocky?" Kim looked around.

" Stone Canyon, rehab for his back this weekend."

" Oh, well, I better be going, come on, Tris, say 'bye to everyone."

" Are we leaving? For good?" Tristan asked Kim. She looked at Tommy directly and almost began to cry for the millionth time that day.

" No, Tris, not for good. But, I want you to meet your grandma, and she lives somewhere else. Say 'bye' to Tommy and Uncle Adam. Say 'bye' to Uncle Justin, too."

" Bye, Uncle Adam and Uncle Justin. Bye, Tommy," Tristan said as he and Kim exited. The door shut behind them, and Tommy turned back to his friends.

" Not now, guys. I'll explain it all sometime. Right now, food."