Author's Note: Hey guys, I'm back with the next chapter and I hope you guys are all excited. I am really pleased with all of the comments and feedback that I've been getting from all of the reviewers, so a special thanks to you guys. Now, let's get on with the disclaimer.
Disclaimer: I do not own the Power Rangers, any of its series, or any of its characters. Also, this plot was inspired by the 2008-2010 storyline of Days of our Lives. However, I do own all made up characters and parts of the plot that I changed or made up myself.
"My Heart will go on"
Two weeks moved by quickly after Grace's funeral and Kimberly was slowly starting to pull herself back together. The endless crying had stopped a week after the burial and a smile could grace her presence by week two. Needless to say, Tommy was pleased that Kimberly was doing her best to try and go on with her life. After all, she couldn't just drop and give up because Grace was no longer around. She still had Jacob to look after.
This particular morning, Kimberly had decided to go back at the Youth Center. She awoke around seven in the morning and found Tommy's space beside her empty. She could hear the shower running down the hall, so she stood to get her outfit together for the day. Just as she was reaching under her bed to find her gym back, a pair of arms encircled her waist, slightly damping her pajama shirt.
"Did you sleep well?" Tommy asked as he kissed her cheek lightly.
Kimberly nodded before turning her head to bring their lips together. Tommy smiled into the kiss as she attacked his lips hungrily. After about two minutes of a heated make-out, Tommy pulled away. Kimberly pouted, making him laugh as he headed to the closet.
"Sorry Kim, but I have to get down to the station."
"I understand. I've got to get ready for work too."
Tommy stopped mid-stepped and raised an eyebrow. "I didn't know you were heading back to work."
Kimberly sighed as she tossed her empty gym bag onto the bed. "I have to get back into the swing of things eventually and I figured the sooner the better. You were right when you said I've been losing myself in grief. I think I've gained ten pounds."
"You have not." Tommy smiled as he slid into his uniform. "You look just as beautiful as ever."
Kimberly smirked and raised an eyebrow. "Nice try Tommy, but I'm not buying it. I need to get back to the Youth Center and get into shape. Besides, I'm sure the girls have missed me. Oh yeah, I also need to run to the bank, and go shopping, and pick up Jacob, and-"
"Kimberly, for heaven's sake, slow down." Tommy said. "Why so many plans, huh?"
"I have so much to do Tommy." she shrugged as she grabbed her bathrobe from its hook on the back of the closet door. "What's so unordinary about that?"
"Kim, are you sure you aren't trying to keep yourself busy just so you don't have to think about Grace?"
Kimberly grew quiet at the little girl's name before sighing. "So what if I am?" she defended herself quietly. "I hate sitting around doing nothing because the thought of her never leaves my mind."
Tommy sighed before walking over and wrapping his arms instinctively around her. He kissed her forehead and pulled her close as she rested her head against his chest to listen to him breathing.
"I know it's hard Kim, but you're going to get through this. I promised you that didn't I?"
Kimberly looked up at him and smiled. "Yeah, you did, and I will get through this Tommy. It's just going to take some time."
"Take as much time as you need Kim, I'm in no rush."
Kimberly smiled before walking off to the bathroom.
Ignalis Mansion
Collin's eyes were busily scanning over a few business reports when a knock sounded at the door.
"I'm busy right now." he said with a yawn. "Come back later."
The door opened anyways and Katherine stepped in, earning a smile from her husband.
"I hate to intrude darling," Katherine spoke, "but I just wanted to give you a quick kiss goodbye before I head off with Neveah."
"Where are you going?" Collin asked curiously.
"We're going out to get a certain someone a present for his birthday."
Collin smiled mischievously as he stood from his desk and crept over to take Katherine into his arms. "Do I at least get a hint?" he wondered.
Katherine gave him a quick kiss on the lips before giggling. "Not a chance darling. I'll be back in a few hours."
"Please darling, be careful." he said worriedly as he released he to leave the room.
"I will." she called over her shoulder.
Collin chuckled as he shook his head and returned to his seat. Just as he prepared to start on the reports again, his father stepped through the doors.
"Ah, good morning my son." he greeted him in his deep voice. "Did you sleep well last night?"
"I slept just fine father, thank you for asking. What are you doing in here?"
"I just came to check on you my son. I wanted to see how you are feeling as of lately."
Collin sighed. "You want to check and see if I'm still in mourning." he stated matter-of-factly.
"Precisely."
Collin took a deep breath before moving his eyes to meet his father's. "I'm still in mourning, obviously, but crying and cursing Kimberly's filthy name isn't going to bring Grace back. I've learned to accept that so…my heart can go on from her death and I can try to focus on being a good father to the two children I have left."
Mr. Ignalis stared at him in shock. "You've forgiven Kimberly?"
"Are you mad? Of course I haven't forgiven her. When I said she could rot in hell I meant that father. She deserves to die for what she did to my daughter and believe me, she is going to pay."
"An eye for an eye?" Mr. Ignalis asked hopefully.
"Of course not, that would be too easy. I'm going to torture her emotionally. I'm going to make sure she lives with her guilt for the rest of her life."
"Now that's the son I raised." the older man said proudly. "Continue on with your duties son."
Collin nodded as his father exited the study. Once the door was shut, he released a relieving sigh. Alone at last.
Angel Grove Park
Katherine was pushing Neveah in a baby stroller while Julia strolled alongside her. "Thank you so much for allowing me to spend time with Neveah today Katherine." Julia said.
"You're welcome." Katherine smiled. "She is your daughter after all, and I did agree to let you spend some quality bonding time with her."
Julia nodded before gazing at the little girl was looking around at her surroundings in amazement.
"She's gotten so big this past month." she complimented. "Has she started growing teeth yet?"
Katherine giggled at her curiosity. "Not yet. They should start coming in about two months. I am not looking forward to all the crying."
Julia nodded as the two of them continued to walk. Just as they rounded a corner, Julia stopped in her tracks. Katherine noticed that the girl was no longer walking beside her and stopped to turn around to look at her.
"What's going on? Are you ready to go or something?"
"Hello there." a male voice came from behind her. Katherine turned around and raised an eyebrow as a tall teenage boy with spiky blonde hair approached with his hair in a baseball cap with the England Flag on it. He was wearing a black t-shirt with a crazy graffiti design on the front, a pair of dark skinny jeans, and a pair of red and black Chucks.
"Can I help you?" Katherine asked with a raised eyebrow.
"N-no you can't!" Julia stammered as she approached Katherine. "Come on Katherine. Let's get going."
"What's gotten into you?" Katherine asked as Julia tried to pull her away.
"Yeah Julia." the teen replied. "What's going on?"
Katherine raised another eyebrow as she stared at Julia. "Do you know this young man?"
Julia began to twirl one of her pigtails in her fingers as she stuttered, desperate for an explanation.
"Yeah, she knows me." the boy replied. "We're…old friends."
"Friends isn't the typical term I'd use when describing what we had." she snapped before looking away, embarrassed. "He's a jerk, that's who he is."
"Well this jerk used to be the love of your life. At least, that's what you used to call me."
Katherine choked at a laugh as she looked at the boy. "Are you serious right now?" She then turned to Julia. "You dated this crazy guy?"
"I did, and it was a huge mistake. Now, let's go."
"Whoa, whoa, whoa, hold the phone babe." the boy said. "I didn't come here to fight."
"Then what are you doing here because I don't recall telling you where I lived!"
The teen smiled as Katherine's eyes moved between the two of them. "I'm just gonna go." she said as she prepared to wheel away.
"No!" Julia shouted as she grabbed her arm. "Please stay. It will only take a few minutes for me to get rid of him."
"Alright Julia, but make it quick. I still have to go and meet up with Tanya. We have to find my husband's birthday present."
"I promise Katherine, this will only take a second."
Katherine nodded before wheeling over to a nearby park bench. Julia then turned to face the boy.
"How did you find me Steve?" she asked as she folded her arms across her chest.
"I went back to your mom's place to visit you, but she said she kicked you out."
Julia's eyes went wide with fear at the mentioning of her mother. "W-what did she tell you? She didn't tell you why did she?"
"And what if she did?" he asked with a smirk.
Julia growled before throwing her hands up in the air and storming off towards Katherine.
"Wait Julia!" Steve shouted as he grabbed her wrist.
"Let go of me now or I'll scream." she warned him.
"Don't bother. Please…I just want to talk to you."
Julia stared at him behind her red-framed glasses. "You lost the right to talk to me when you abandoned me Steve."
"Julia, I didn't abandon you."
"Oh really? Then how come you were with me one night lying in the back of your pickup truck declaring your love for me and the next day, you're gone? You slept with me and you ran off without a second thought. You're such a player and I don't have the time, patience, or emotional stability to go through any of that again!"
"Julia, I didn't abandon you. I tried to call you, but you wouldn't answer your phone. I tried to tell you that I was sent away to boarding school, not that I left you."
"Bull Steve! You have no idea what happened to me after that night. You have no idea what I had to go through!"
"But Julia-"
"Leave Angel Grove Steve and don't come back."
Julia spun on her heels and stomped off towards Katherine as Steve tried to go after her.
"Julia, please wait."
"Look, I think it's time you leave." Katherine spoke as she stood and glared at the boy. "Julia obviously doesn't want to be bothered, so leave her alone."
Steve stared at Katherine in disbelief before turning around and walking off. Katherine turned to Julia once he was out of sight.
"Are you okay?"
"Am I okay? Am I okay? No, I'm not okay! The father of my baby is here in Angel Grove!"
Katherine gasped at Julia's news. "That lowlife is…Neveah's biological father?"
Julia nodded as she sniffed a few tears free. "He left me all alone to raise a baby by myself and he thinks I'd just let him waltz back into my life like none of that happened? He's out of his mind!"
"Forgive me for asking, but does he even know that you were pregnant?"
Julia grew quiet at Katherine's question. "No…He left the night after we…you know…and a few weeks later, I found out I was pregnant. I was devastated that I was going to be a single parent raising a baby all alone and I was scared. I didn't know what else to do, so that's when I decided to go and see Doctor Sun. My baby needed two loving parents and a stable home life. I can't even begin to imagine how screwed up things would be for her if I decided to keep her."
Katherine chuckled nervously. "Yeah. Things would…definitely be different."
Julia nodded. "Anyways, I have to go. I signed up to take gymnastics lessons down at the Youth Center. I'm really hoping that I get in shape."
Katherine nodded. "Well, Kimberly's the coach down there. Even though we don't see eye to eye, she's an amazing gymnast. I'm sure you'll do great."
Julia smiled. "Thanks. Bye Katherine, and bye to you too sweet little Neveah."
Julia leaned into the stroller and kissed Neveah's forehead before skipping off. Katherine sighed as she watched her go.
"Great. Now there's another person added into this equation that I don't need involved in Neveah's life."
Katherine growled before pushing her stroller off towards the parking lot.
Youth Center
Kimberly sighed in content as she gulped down one of Ernie's infamous smoothies. "Thanks Ernie." she said with a smile. "I really needed something sugary and sweet to brighten my day."
"That's exactly why it's on the house Kim."
"What? Oh, come on Ernie. Let me pay for it. I don't want any kind of special treatment."
"Now Kimberly, I insist that you let me take care of it. Consider it…a little inspiration for your day. I know you've been going through a tough time since Grace died, and I want you to succeed from this day forward so she'll be proud of you."
Kimberly smiled from ear to ear at the statement. "You know what, that's exactly what I've needed to hear. Thanks for the smoothie Ernie."
"Anytime Kim."
As Kimberly headed back to the balance beam, she spied Julia walking through the door with a frustrated look on her face.
"Hey there." she greeted with a smile. "You're…Julia, right? That girl that was at Katherine and Collin's wedding?"
Julia nodded. "Yeah, that's me. I'm really sorry that I'm late."
"Nonsense." Kimberly said. "You're actually pretty early. I rarely ever get class started on time."
Julia smiled. "So, I hear you're an amazing coach."
"Really? Who told you that?"
"Katherine. She's a friend of mine."
"Katherine complimented something that I do?" Kimberly asked with wide eyes.
"She did." Julia nodded. "She said that even though the two of you don't get along, you're still an amazing gymnast."
Kimberly smiled as she let the words sink in. "Thanks for telling me that. Now, go ahead and get stretched out. I'm starting the lesson in five minutes."
Rocko's Place
"Hello, anybody in here?" Katherine called out as she walked into the diner. It was around eight a.m. and the diner wouldn't be opening for another hour. Tanya was supposed to be helping Rocky open up before leaving for the afternoon with Katherine.
When the blonde received no reply, she shrugged and wheeled the stroller over to an empty table. She reached into the stroller to unbuckle Neveah before pulling her out to cradle in her arms.
"Well, aren't you two just precious?" Rocky's voice came. Katherine looked up and smiled as Rocky walked into the room, a dishtowel slung over his shoulder and a smile on his face.
"Hey there Rocky." she said as she turned her head back towards her daughter. "Is Tanya around?"
"She's helping our new busboy carry a few supplies in from the supply truck. She should be heading back in shortly."
Katherine nodded as she extended a finger towards her daughter whose fist closed promptly around the outstretched appendage.
"So, how have you been?" she asked. "I haven't seen you around much since my wedding."
Rocky rubbed the back of his head. "Yeah, I'm sorry about that. I just kind of figured that your…husband wouldn't want your ex-boyfriend hanging around the premises."
"Well, you do have a point, but I'm pretty sure he wouldn't care. He's been a little distracted as of lately."
"I figured he would be. Tanya told me that Kimberly's baby was actually his. He must be heartbroken over this."
"He is."
"Whoa…I still can't believe she lied to everyone about something like that."
"Hey, she's your friend right? I can't believe you're disappointed in her."
"Why shouldn't I be? She kept a baby from her father and now that baby is dead. She's…got no more lies to hide behind."
"Are you trying to tell me something with that statement of yours? Katherine asked, raising an eyebrow.
"No Kat, but you should take her situation into consideration. You're lying too you know."
"Yeah, but not about a baby not being his."
Rocky stared at her in disbelief. "Do you really wanna go there right now?"
Katherine sighed. "Okay, you're right. So…Neveah's not his biologically. Big deal, she's still his daughter in every other way. He doesn't need to know the truth Rocky. Who is this secret gonna hurt?"
Just then, the swinging doors to the kitchen swung open and a familiar-looking spiky-haired blonde stepped through carrying a tray with fresh bottles of ketchup and mustard on top.
"Steve?" Katherine said, slightly shocked to be seeing the young man again after fifteen minutes.
"Hey there." he smiled before setting the bottles down. "It's great to be seeing you again Katherine. What are you doing here? I thought the restaurant didn't open until nine."
"It doesn't." Rocky said. "She's an old friend of mine that just dropped by to pay me a visit."
"Gotcha. Well, I'm gonna go ahead and get back to work. My bills aren't going to pay themselves."
"Right you are."
With that being said, Steve headed back through the kitchen doors leaving Rocky and Katherine behind.
"You hired Steve?" she said a little unsure of the decision.
"Yes I did. He has a little experience with working in a diner so I hired him on the spot. He's been doing a good job for only being here two short weeks."
"Keep a close eye on him." Katherine said as she held the baby closer to her chest.
"And why would I want to do that?"
"He can ruin everything that I'm working hard to keep a secret."
"Come again?"
"Rocky…that boy…he's Neveah's biological father."
"What?" Rocky shouted as he jumped back a little bit. "I don't understand Katherine, how can that be?"
"Steve moved here to chase after Julia who moved here."
"And by Julia, you mean that teenage girl who gave birth to Neveah?"
Katherine nodded her head before glancing down at her daughter and back up at Rocky. "Yes, that Julia. She and that guy hooked up a few months back before he got sent away to boarding school for a while. He didn't know she was pregnant and she didn't want to raise the baby alone, so she gave her to me. If Steve finds out that he fathered my little girl, there's no telling what he'll do."
Rocky nodded as he took everything in. "You do have a point. I mean, there are a lot of teenage fathers who would run, but I think he might be a different case. I won't breathe a word of this to him Katherine, I swear."
Katherine smiled as he placed a hand on her shoulder. For some reason, she felt both reassured and scared. Even though Rocky promised he wouldn't say anything, that doesn't mean Steve won't find out. Katherine was going to have to up her game in order to keep her perfect world from falling apart.
Author's Note: And so ends another chapter. I really hope you guys are enjoying things thus far. Well, go ahead and shoot me a review. Then, wait patiently for the next chapter. See you next time guys!
