Author's Note: Hey guys! It's time for the next chapter, and I know you're wondering what's going to happen next.
I just want to remind everyone, in case you didn't read the end of the last chapter, this chapter takes place four months after the last. So, what has changed since Katherine found out that Kimberly was pregnant when she left? Well, you'll just have to read on and find out!
Disclaimer: I do not own the Power Rangers, any of its series, or its characters. The main idea for the plot of this story came from the writers and producers of Days of our Lives. The Little Corsican Bistro is the name of a restaurant on the Sims 3, so that's where the name came from lol Everything that I've changed and created all belongs to me!
Once Upon a December
Safe House
Kimberly smiled brightly as she stared out the window of the Safe House. She just couldn't believe what he was seeing. Snow! She must've been farther north than she'd thought she was. The last time she'd seen snow, she was sixteen years old and she'd gone on a ski trip with Jason, Trini, and Zack for a field trip. It truly was a miraculous sight to see.
"What are you looking at Kimberly?" Tommy asked as he came through the front door with groceries.
"You mean you haven't seen it yet?"
"Seen what?" he asked with a smile.
Kimberly smiled at him before stepping aside to point at the window. "You see that? It's snowing!"
Tommy laughed as he set the groceries down. "Yeah, I know it's snowing. Sister Martha told me when I went to get the groceries from her."
Kimberly nodded as she slowly wobbled over to Tommy. "So, what do we get to eat this time?"
Tommy smiled at her as he removed the contents from the bag. There were a few bags of chips, cereal, pickles, a few TV dinners, and some ground beef. Kimberly picked up each of the contents and read the backs of them.
"Hmm… This TV dinner sounds pretty good."
"Which one?"
"Chicken parmesan." She stated as she held up the box so he could read the cover.
"Okay then. I'll go ahead and heat it up for you then."
"Thanks." She smiled.
As Tommy proceeded to warm up their dinners, Kimberly started to put the rest of the groceries away. Just as she prepared to put the cereal under the cabinet, she felt small thumps coming from her swollen stomach. Her face lit up as she gasped.
"What is it?" Tommy asked worriedly as he looked over his shoulder. "Are you okay?"
Kimberly squealed with excitement as she waddled over to Tommy and grabbed his hand. "My baby's kicking!" she exclaimed as she placed his hand on her stomach. Tommy released a surprised yelp before removing his hand from her stomach.
"Yeah, let's not do that again." He said as a blush ran across his cheeks.
"Did you feel that?" she asked with a smile. "Wasn't that cool?"
"Cool, no. Creepy, yes."
"How is a baby's kicking creepy?" she asked, amusedly.
"I'm… not really a baby person." He said turning around to finish placing the dinners in the oven.
"Are you kidding me? The great agent Oliver is scared of a little baby?"
"Hey, I'm not scared."
"Yeah. Sure you aren't." Kimberly smirked.
Tommy sighed. "Look, shouldn't you be sitting down or something? I don't think you should be on your feet."
Kimberly clicked her tongue as she walked over to the couch. "You worry too much Tommy."
"Yeah, yeah. Whatever."
Kimberly laughed as she patiently began waiting for her dinner.
Angel Grove: Little Corsican Bistro
Katherine smiled at her reflection in the bathroom mirror at the Little Corsican Bistro as she quickly applied powder to her face. After one more coat of lipstick, she smacked her lips and smiled at her finished appearance.
Katherine's hair was separated into tightly twisted sections that gripped onto her scalp. The sections wove up to the top of her head where her hair was held in place by an unseen band that spilled beautiful, loose-spiraled curls out and over the twists. Her hair was lightly glittered to make its formal affect more appealing.
Her outfit of choice was a Gonzalo Calderon 1990s red vintage ruffled samba dress. She'd had the outfit custom made so it would fit her perfectly in spite of the "pregnant" belly that was hiding beneath it. The dress was decorated beautifully with a small, sewn, glittered pattern on the upper torso and a ruffled slit on the lower. The dress had two straps that came from the top of the dress that wrapped around her shoulders tightly and connected perfectly to the back. The right strap had extra fabric that hung loosely over her shoulder, which made the dress look even more beautiful. To compliment the dress, she had on a pair of ballet slippers that were made with a red material similar to that of her dress. She had to make her pregnancy somewhat convincing after all. Along with her outfit, she wore diamond earrings and a necklace with a beautiful pendant that Collin had given to her last month for her birthday. Along with her red lips, her outfit looked absolutely stunning. Katherine was beautiful and she knew that Collin was going to feel the same way.
Looking her reflection over one last time, Katherine smiled. She was ready for her romantic evening with Collin.
When Katherine emerged from the restroom, Collin was speechless. She looked drop-dead gorgeous and he wanted more than anything to take her back to their mansion and make love to her for the rest of the evening. But before he could do that, he had to get his main goal out of the way. Lifting his tux-covered arm, Collin held an arm out to escort Katherine to their private table.
Katherine gasped in awe at the sight that the two of them met. Collin had rented off a private room so they'd be undisturbed and he'd made sure that it was decorated to her liking. There was a table set in the center of the room with two chairs, a red table cloth, two glowing candles, and a golden vase filled with a beautiful bouquet of roses. There was a baby grand piano where a pianist was busy playing a soft tune. There were dozens of bouquets in the room that made the room even more beautiful.
Katherine smiled gratefully as Collin led her over to the table and pulled her chair out for her to take her seat. "Collin…" she said softly. "This… is beautiful… I can't believe you did all of this for me."
"Katherine, I love you and I will do whatever it takes to make you happy my love."
Katherine's smile grew. "And you know that I would do the same thing for you. But honestly Collin, what's the special occasion? I thought we were just having a small romantic evening?"
"Well, actually Katherine, I wanted to make this evening a little special."
"Oh? And why is that?"
"This is a day I'm sure that both of us are going to remember for a long time."
Katherine was about to question his statement, but she was interrupted by a waiter entering their room with a bowl of salad. "Would you like cheese on your salad?" he asked.
"Yes please." Collin smiled. "And thank you."
The waiter nodded as he shredded the finest cheeses over the salad. He then placed the bowl on the table. "Here's your salad. Your main course shall arrive shortly. And are you two going to be eating desert this evening as well?"
Katherine looked at Collin waiting for answer. "Of course." Collin smiled.
The waiter nodded as he exited the room to leave the two of them alone.
"Where's he going? He didn't even ask for our order."
"Oh, don't worry about that darling. I already took the liberty of ordering for us while you were freshening up."
"Ah, I see. So what shall we be dining upon this evening?"
"Well, I'll be having a juicy, well seasoned steak with a side of vegetables, a baked potato filled with butter, sour cream, and cheese, and a honey-buttered roll. You will be dining upon your favorite, chicken parmesan on top of wonderfully cooked pasta with garlic bread."
Katherine smiled as she took hold of her salad fork. "You know me very well Collin."
Collin chuckled as he grabbed his fork as well. "Well, when you love someone as much as I love you, you tend to know them very well. Every little detail is important and secrets never exist."
Katherine washed over with guilt at the mentioning of secrets. She was still keeping her secret after four months of her tragic loss and Collin still had no idea. She didn't allow him too close to her abdomen out of fear that he'd discover the padding beneath her shirt and every time he'd ask why, she explained that her incident at the lodge had her fearful of everything. He always said that he understood, but that only made her feel even guiltier for lying to him. Oh well, it would all pay off after Julia had their baby. He'd be so happy to finally have his little girl that he wouldn't care about the four months he spent not being able to physically touch his girlfriend.
After finishing their salads, their meals appeared as if on cue. The two of them chatted aimlessly through dinner catching up on each other's personal lives like jobs, hobbies, and friends and occasionally slipping in how happy they were to be together. After dinner, desert came around and Collin was filled with nervousness and excitement as he began to put his plan into motion.
"So, what kind of desert are we having?" Katherine asked as she dabbed her napkin against her mouth.
Collin cleared his throat. "We're going to be having pastries."
"With berries?" Katherine asked hopefully.
Collin nodded. "You're favorite."
Katherine squealed in delight as Collin turned to stare at the waiter who was carrying a covered tray of desert. The waiter made eye contact with him and nodded as he placed the pastries in front of the two of them. Collin smiled gratefully at the man.
"Will there be anything else?" he asked. "Another glass of water miss?"
Katherine nodded. "That would be lovely. Thank you."
The waiter gave Collin a thumbs up for good luck as he exited the room leaving the two of them alone with the pianist.
Katherine smiled in admiration at the desert that had been placed in front of her. The shells were flaky and light. They looked absolutely perfect. Inside of the shell was a vanilla cream composed of cream cheese, vanilla, and sugar. It looked smooth and creamy. Placed neatly inside of the vanilla cream were raspberries, blueberries, blackberries, and sweetened strawberries along with a single decorative leaf.
"This looks so beautiful." She said in awe. "I kind of feel bad that it isn't going to be here in seven minutes."
Collin laughed. "That's how long it's gonna take you to eat it huh?"
Katherine nodded as she giggled. "Usually, it would take longer, but hey, I'm pregnant and I have a sweet tooth at the moment."
Collin smiled as his eyes moved to the leaf in her pastry. "That's pretty." He said pointing at the leaf nesting in the edge of the pastry.
"It is." She said. "It makes the pastry even more beautiful than it already is. But, I highly doubt it's edible."
Collin nodded. "Yeah. I'm just gonna take mine out and put it on the edge of my plate.
"Me too." Katherine said reaching for the leaf to pluck it free. Collin smiled as he saw her fingers reaching for the leaf. Katherine noticed his smile and looked down at the plate. Something sparkled, catching her eye. "What' that?" she said pulling the leaf out of the pastry. Katherine gasped at the sight revealed to her. Behind where the leaf was once sitting lie a heart-shaped diamond, engagement ring. The diamond was absolutely breathtaking. Its color was a mixture of turquoise, purple, and pink. A combination that Katherine loved to no end. Katherine's eyes moved from the ring and back to Collin as tears brimmed in her eyes.
"Katherine Hillard." Collin said grabbing the ring with his fingertips. "You and I have been through so much together. From the moment you walked into my life, I knew that I would do everything within my power to hold on to you. I want to make you happy. I want us to grow old together; raising our child and watching them grow up to become successful. Katherine… I want you by my side forever and for always. So… will you do me the honor and pleasure… of being my wife?"
Katherine stared at the ring for a few more seconds and looked up at Collin. He was waiting patiently with a loving smile on her face. Katherine's face lit up instantly as she squealed in happiness. "Yes! Of course I'll marry you Collin!"
Collin laughed happily as he stood from his seat and walked over to help her out of hers. Katherine began crying happily as he knelt down on one knee and grabbed her left hand gently. He slid the beautiful ring onto her ring finger and stood back up to embrace her lovingly. Katherine laughed through her tears as she buried her face in the crook of his neck.
"So, my darling fiancé," Collin said, kissing her forehead lightly, "would you care to dance?"
Katherine smiled as she looked up at him. "Of course. I'd love to dance with you."
Collin smiled back at her as he placed them into position to begin their first dance as future husband and wife.
Safe House
"Mmm…" Kimberly sighed in content as she laid her fork down on the table. "That was delicious."
"Yeah. It was." Tommy said as he placed his fork down too. "So, what's on the agenda for this evening? Ready for bed or did you want to watch a movie?"
"Umm… no… actually, I was kind of hoping we could… maybe talk for a little while."
"Talk about what?" he asked raising an eyebrow.
"Well, usually I talk to Trini about everything whether it's gossip or personal problems. But, I think that maybe we can get to know each other a little bit more."
"Don't you think we already know all we need to know about each other?"
"No."
Tommy sighed as he stood to clear the table. "Okay then."
Kimberly stood up after him and walked over to the fridge. She pulled the top door open and reached into the freezer to grab a carton of ice cream. "Would you like a bowl of vanilla ice cream?" she asked.
"Sure." He answered as he scrubbed their plates clean.
After five minutes of cleaning and ice cream scooping, Tommy and Kimberly had settled down onto the couch to begin their conversation.
"So…" Tommy said as he spooned a spoonful f ice cream into his mouth. "Where do you want to begin?"
"Well, tell me a little bit about yourself. Other than the things I already know."
Tommy shrugged as he took another bite of ice cream. "Okay then. Well… I was born here in Reefside. I moved away from here when I was seven after my parents split up. Umm… I have four older brothers… I was on the football team in high school and I've been taking martial arts since I was eight. I went into FBI training after graduating from high school and I've been with them going on two years. I'm their youngest operative at the moment. And… yeah. That's pretty much it."
"No it isn't." Kimberly laughed. "You didn't tell me the names of any of your friends."
"Is that something important?"
"Yes!"
Tommy smiled as he took another bite of ice cream. "Okay. Well, my best friend is Ricky. He was the first friend I made when I moved. Um… then there's Austin. He's an agent, like me, and then there's Kelly."
"She your girlfriend?" Kimberly asked feeling somewhat disappointed.
"Kelly? No." Tommy laughed. "Kelly and I have been best friends since we were little. I've never really seen in her in that way. She's engaged to some kid that I was in school with here. I really don't have the time to date right now. I'm so busy doing undercover work to have time to worry about romance and everything along that line."
"Is that so?"
"Yes. Now enough about me. What about you?"
"Umm… Well, I was born and raised in Angel Grove. My parents are divorced too. My best friends are Jason, Billy, Trini, Aisha and Zack, but Jason and I are the closest. He's like my big brother. We hung out all through high school, like we were in our own little gang. I've been involved in gymnastics since I was four and I work as a gymnastics coach at the Angel Grove Youth Center. I love to garden, play the guitar, and sing. I have a son, which you already know and… yeah… That's pretty much it."
"Hmm. I see."
The two of them sat in silence as they finished their ice cream.
"So…" Kimberly said breaking the silence. "What now?"
Tommy released a yawn as he set his bowl on the coffee table. "Well, I'm gonna hit the sack. I'm pretty tired right now."
Kimberly nodded. "Yeah. I guess it's time to call it a night then." Kimberly leaned forward with some struggle and grabbed onto his bowl to stack in hers. "I'll just wash these and I'll lie down too."
"No. Let me get that Kim."
"Tommy, it's okay. Really."
Tommy smiled at her as she pushed herself up slowly and waddled into the kitchen to clean their utensils.
Ignalis Mansion
Collin smiled at Katherine as she lay asleep beneath the covers of their king-sized bed. His earlier thoughts of their evening activities had been pushed aside when she requested that she go to bed early. Although he desired to do something more pleasurable on their engagement night, he couldn't argue with her. She was pregnant after all and she needed her rest.
Collin stood from the foot of the bed and exited their bedroom as he flipped his cell phone open. He scrolled through his contact list until he reached Kimberly's name, right beneath Katherine's.
"I have to do this." He said quietly. "This is the final step."
Taking a deep breath, Collin hit the call button and waited for Kimberly's answering machine to pick up.
"Hey guys! This is Kimberly. I can't get to my phone right now, so please leave a message after the beep and promise to get back to you as soon as I can. Bye!"
A beep sounded signaling the start of the message.
"Hey Kimberly, it's Collin. Look, I know that you aren't able to answer your cell, but I wanted to leave you a message anyways, just in case… Look Kimberly… for months now, I've missed you. Pined after you… I never thought I was going to get over you. But Kim… I'm happy with Katherine. She and I are getting married now and we're going to be having a baby, as you already know… Point is, I wanted to call you to make closure for myself. I'm over you Kimberly. I'm moving on and I'm happy, so I hope you can do the same thing. A part of me will always care for you, so I hope we can overcome our issues and be friends again. Bye."
"Message limit expired." A monotone voice came in his ear.
"That's fine." Collin said. "I said everything I needed to."
Author's Note: And so ends another chapter! I hope you guys all liked it. So now, all you have to do is wait for the next chapter!
