Rated M for Everything. Disclaimer: I do not own Power Rangers.
Please Read and Review.
-x-
CHAPTER SEVEN
Locked Out
Everyone knew about Tommy and Kim.
The couple had never been particularly subtle. Not when it came to each other.
Even back before they'd started dating.
Like the time Kim needed help constructing her model float for the Peace Parade. She could have asked any of her friends. And any one of them would happily have volunteered. But Tommy was the first to offer, and Kim made no move to ask anyone else. Would the project go faster with six people? Of course. But was it more thrilling to have a legitimate excuse to be alone with Tommy? As fifteen year-old Kim would say, like, duh.
Or the time he'd offered to help her run lines for the school play. Despite the fact that Jason and Zack were actually in the show with her, and Tommy knew nothing about theatre.
Or the time he'd needed help in Spanish. Trini was proficient in nearly four languages, Spanish among them. Kim took French.
Or at Homecoming, when Kim had insisted on wearing her hair in an elaborate updo for the event.
Actually, that one may have been justified. Tommy's own hair was nearly the same length as Kim's at the time. And he was no stranger to the ways of styling and managing all of it. But nevertheless, rather than consulting her girlfriends, or going to a salon, Kim happily agreed to let him test his skills.
So for all that their friends needled them about the flirting, all the henpecked comments insinuating that they loved each other but just couldn't admit it, you'd think someone would have noticed how much time they'd been spending apart.
They were overcompensating, sure. Maintaining a comfortable distance so as not to rouse any suspicions that their summer romance had taken a very significant turn.
It wasn't easy. Pretending like they weren't going home at the end of every night, a mess of tangled, sweaty limbs and besotted smiles amidst forsaken clothing in favor of scattered bed sheets.
A part of them adored the rush of acting nonchalant amongst their friends. It kept it special, their own little secret.
But it was also, individually, a safeguard. Less even from the inevitable gossip the affair would engender, and more so to protect their own pride. In the event their tryst inexplicably took a bad turn, at least they hadn't touted it as something greater than it was.
Sharing a secret gives it legs, momentum. It gives away the power to control what happens to it. The more people that know, the less it becomes your own. Until one day you don't even recognize it anymore. Like an existential game of telephone, the final translation garbled. It's original meaning rendered into nonsense.
So for now, it was best to play it as close to the chest as they could. Though goodness knows, that may have always been the problem. The heart was just too near for that strategy to ever really work.
Scott Residence
Saturday, June 30th, 8:41pm
Reefside, CA
2010
Of all the times for Tanya to go into labor. The cocktail party Trini had agreed to host for her colleagues had been planned for months in advance. It was a great opportunity for her personal friends to meet her work friends. But there was little time for Trini to back out now. Especially since everyone was already there.
So when Adam called around eight this evening, an hour into the mix, half of the gang had abandoned the party. Rocky and Kat had to go, as the nominated Godparents. And Aisha and Billy wanted to support their significant others. Zack had a date that evening, and had never planned to attend the party in the first place.
All that remained were Tommy and Kim. Which now begged the question, if the group's presence this evening mightn't have diffused some of the ridiculousness that ensued.
"Rob Stetson, this is my best friend, Kimberly Hart. Kimberly, this is Rob. He works with me in the marketing department."
"Hi, Kimberly, pleasure to meet you. Trini's told me a lot about you."
"Nice to meet you too, Rob. Trini has never mentioned you before."
They shared a laugh. Kim glared at Trini through her smile. Trini mouthed a sheepish Sorry at her and backed away as gracefully as possible.
Rob chuckled. He felt the tension from the woman, the glare she'd thrown her friend not as subtle as she thought. Or perhaps she hadn't meant it to be. But he hoped that he could charm her out of any sense of apprehension.
"So, Kim—can I call you Kim?"
She rolled her eyes and flashed him a smile. "Sure, why not?"
It was needless to be mad at Trini for too long. Rob was attractive. And he seemed to understand that she had been set up just now. But she wasn't going home with him. It wouldn't hurt to talk and indulge the man for an hour or two.
Jason looked at his friend expectantly. "So, how did it go?
The galley doors that closed the kitchen from the den were opened. Separated by an island that allowed a view into both rooms. Jason had installed them when they'd first moved in. He and Trini enjoyed entertaining, and it also gave them better access to the children should their attention ever need be split.
Right now though, the kids were safely in their room. And Jason wondered if it mightn't have been better that they'd shut the doors before the party. Ya know, in case the adults starting acting like his two year-olds.
Tommy stared into the den, watching some tall, dark and stupid guy hit on Kim. His nostrils flared as he lifted his drink to take another sip of his beer, shooting daggers above the rim of his cup.
"How did what go?" Tommy said distractedly.
Jason blinked. "With Rebecca? I saw you two finally talking earlier."
"Oh, yeah, sure. Rebecca's great," Tommy said, his face falling into a scowl as he saw Kimberly laugh and put her hand on tall guy's forearm.
"Yeah, she's been asking about you ever since she saw your picture. You know that shot from my wedding? It's on the shelf in my off—anyway, did you guys have a good talk?"
Jason was as skeptical as Trini was about inviting someone under the pretense of setting them up with one of their friends. But after Trini had let slip that Rob would be coming to the party after all, Jason tried to even the score by inviting his colleague, Rebecca. She worked across the hall from him. She was savvy, charming, financially independent, and thoroughly curious about Jason's handsome, single friend.
Jason knew it was a long shot, though he supposed no more than the Matt Bomer clone Trini had summoned. Rebecca was a very nice girl, and attractive enough to be tempting. Long, red wavy hair, tall, a body conditioned by yoga. Like a young Lauren Holly, since they'd been trading in comparisons.
"Uh huh." Tommy said. "Who's that guy Kim's talking to?"
Jason sighed. He didn't need to look. "Some guy Trini works with. Thought he and Kim would hit it off."
Tommy fingers tensed, his cup crushing under the pressure.
Jason snickered. "You ok?"
Jason promised not to meddle. But he wasn't blind. He knew Kim and Tommy liked each other. All signs gave away their hand, though nothing had been officially announced. And if the presence of a sudden rival might spur his moony-eyed friends into action, Jason figured so much the better.
Besides, this was still all conjecture. And even if it wasn't, setting them up didn't guarantee a thing. And neither Kim nor Tommy had given any indication there would be a problem. The whole evening could end up a boring nonissue.
Tommy released the cup, trying to pop the dented plastic back into shape. "I'm great. Yep. Totally. Why wouldn't I be?"
Jason eyed him carefully. Okay, so maybe there was a slight problem.
Kim's laughter rang out from across the room. The smooth blue-eyed devil wrapped an arm around Kim's shoulders. She slipped out of the embrace, but the damage appeared to be done.
"I think I need a stronger drink," Tommy muttered, the plastic still crackling as he stalked into the living room.
Jason watched him leave. "Or a stronger cup..."
Okay, so there was definitely a problem.
-x-
This was the last pass Trini had made through the house. The muffled shouting that had started in the last half hour coming from the kitchen was enough to draw unnecessary looks as she tried in vain to bid her guests a dignified farewell. She smiled blithely as she shut the front door behind the final visitor. She spun on her heels, a prime selection of her favorite curses at the ready to ream the yelling perpetrators.
Trini barreled through the doorway. Jason paced before the counter as Tommy sighed. His hands buried in his pockets.
Trini looked to both of them. "What the hell is going on in here?"
Jason glared at Tommy, motioning for him to go ahead and speak.
"Go ahead and tell her," Jason dared.
Tommy opened his mouth.
"He and Kim are sleeping together, " Jason supplied.
Jason turned to take care of the dishes he had started once the party had begun to end. He shook his head indignantly, staring dumbly as he focused on the panels of the galley doors above the sink. Now they were closed. They should have shut them hours ago.
Tommy glared at Jason's back.
Trini eyed them wildly. She stepped further into the room and looked to Tommy.
"How long has this been going on?"
Jason spun around. "Since the other—"
Trini raised her hand to stop him. "Hey. Either shut up and let Tommy talk or leave the room, got it?"
Jason bristled, spinning back to face the counter. Trini snickered at her husband. She turned to wait for Tommy.
Tommy shrugged. "Since the other night, the day after NEON."
Trini's eyes went wide. "Wow."
Her expression softened as she watched him roll his eyes. She placed a gentle hand on his arm. "Why didn't you say anything?"
Jason turned around, catching Trini and Tommy's attention.
"Never mind. Dumb question." Trini laughed. "Look, you gotta know, we would all be happy for you, right?"
Tommy nodded. "I know, it just—it was nice to have each other to ourselves for a second, that's all. We still don't know what any of this means and—"
"Tommy, we would nev—"
His expression soured. "Does Kim know you guys know?"
Jason shook his head. "I don't think so."
"Well, I don't feel right talking about this without Kim here," Tommy said.
"You're right," Trini nodded. "Where is Kim?"
Jason motioned out. "She was still talking to Rob last I saw. I think they're down by the screened porch."
Tommy rolled his eyes.
Trini led him to the door. "Why don't you go get her?" She motioned back to Jason "Give me a chance to deal with this one."
Tommy stepped onto the patio, the muffled sounds of Trini ripping into Jason made him chuckle.
He looked to his left. The figures of two bodies skewed through the tightly woven mesh.
As Tommy drew closer, he caught their conversation. He stopped at the corner to hide himself from view.
Rob hovered over her as Kim leaned with her back against the wall. He held her chin and smiled, his offer of coming back to his place still hanging in the air.
"Thank you, but I can't," Kim said, gently pulling her chin out of his grasp. She moved to walk away.
Rob followed her and stepped in her path. "Oh? Trini said you were single—"
Kim stopped and snickered. "Yeah, that doesn't really matter, I said I'm not interested."
Tommy took a step forward to better see the action before him.
"Anything I can do to change your mind?" Rob asked, coming up behind her and stroking her bare arms.
Tommy stifled a nauseous gag. This guy just wasn't getting it, was he?
So far, Kim had tried to keep her voice light. Even as her rejections had become more persistent, she had remained cordial.
Kim turned and held Rob's hands at bay. "Look, I already said no, okay? I'd like to go back inside now—"
She reached for the door. Rob's arm shot out and slammed it shut.
Kim spun to face him. It was becoming harder for her to keep calm.
She smiled at the man, but her tone was deadly. "Knock it off."
Tommy's hackles went up. He heard Rob laugh. Bad move, dude.
Rob kept his one hand at the door, his other pushed against her arm, steering her to lean into the frame. "You've been flirting with me all night—"
Kim stared him down. "Let go of my arm."
"Come on…"
Rob lowered his head, leaning in to take her by the lips.
"I said, back off," she pushed him away.
Rob laughed bitterly. "No offense, but I'm starting to think coming here was a waste of time…"
Kim scowled, ready to give him a piece of her mind. She never got the chance. Another voice rang out behind her.
"How come whenever someone starts a sentence with No offense, you can almost always guarantee that what comes after is going to be super offensive?"
Kim stumbled from the door, Tommy appearing on the other side of the screen.
Rob frowned as Tommy shot him a terse smile. "May I come in?"
Tommy didn't bother waiting for a reply. Kim rolled her eyes as he pushed against the door and stepped inside the screened porch, letting the door slam behind him.
Rob looked to Kim. "What the hell is this?"
Kim spared Rob a look. "It's—don't worry about it. Look, I'm sorry if you got the wrong idea."
She turned back to Tommy and tugged on his arm to lead them away. "Come on, tough guy, Let's go."
The fabric of his shirt slipped from her grasp as Tommy remained firmly planted in his spot, content to stare the other man down.
Hands in his pockets, he squared his jaw and released the most saccharine smile he could. "Hi. I'm Tommy, who the fuck are you?"
The man sneered. "I'm Rob."
"Rob. Robert. Robby..." Tommy cooed menacingly. "Is something wrong with your ear?"
Rob instinctively threw a hand up to his head, in case the other guy was baiting him. "N-no."
Tommy's brow shot up in feigned surprise. "Oh, so you do know the word? Okay, cause a second ago it seemed like you didn't when Kim said it to you."
Kim gritted her teeth, trying once more to pull Tommy's arm. "Okay, you made your point. He's afraid of you, come on."
Rob scoffed. "I'm not afraid of him." He moved a step as Tommy followed. Rob froze.
Tommy held up a light hand to the guy's chest, halting him once more.
"The next time a lady tells you she's not interested, believe her the first time."
"Look man, Trini said she was single, ok? I don't know if you're her boyfriend or her brother, but fine. I get it. My bad, dude."
Kim and Tommy shared a collective jolt as Rob's brother comment landed. The guy couldn't know how much that one word stung.
Tommy schooled himself like lightning, now more determined than ever to make his point. "Let's just say we definitely have relations…"
Kimberly rolled her eyes as Tommy hand came up to give Rob's cheek an overly cheerful smack.
Rob knocked the hand away. "—the fuck off me," he spat, rushing for the door. "…bunch of fucking weirdoes…"
The door bounced twice before closing as Tommy spun on his heels to face Kim, a peevish smile on his face.
Kim crossed her arms and shot him a look that said she was anything but amused.
"You proud of yourself?"
"Yep."
She shook her head and stormed off toward the house.
-x-
Jason scraped the last vestiges of food remnants from the plate into the bin before releasing the pedal that held the trash lid open. He looked up on his way to the sink as Kim barged through the kitchen.
"Hey, what happened just now? Rob took off—"
"Where's Trini?" Kim asked, spinning helplessly when she couldn't find her friend.
"She went after Rob. She's out front with him now—Hey, slow down." Jason laughed, catching Kim by the elbow to spin her back around.
He stilled her arms and craned his head to face her. "What happened?" He asked again.
Kim looked up at him, boredom mixed with irritation as they heard the back door open.
She yanked herself from Jason's hold and marched into the den. Jason followed.
Kim rounded in on Tommy as he stepped into the room. "You are worse than your toddler!"
"Oh whatever, that douchebag had it—Ow!" Tommy winced as she smacked him hard across the arm.
"Give a girl a warning next time you wanna play Alpha male, I'll make sure and have my ruler ready!"
"Hey, I stood out there for a good ten minutes before I said anything, ok?"
She laughed darkly. "Oh, thank you so much for hesitating before whipping your dick out to piss on everything."
"Will somebody please tell me what the hell happened?" Jason yelled.
"Ask Mister mark his territory over here," Kim grumbled. Tommy rolled his eyes.
The trio turned as Trini fell back against the front door with a sigh.
Kim stepped forward. "Trini—"
Trini held up her hand. "Nope. Don't. Just—I don't think Rob is ever coming back. Or going to speak to me again."
Tommy snickered. "Bummer."
Kim punched his stomach.
"Ow!" He balked, "Would you quit hitting me?"
"Would you quit acting like a spoiled brat?"
Jason looked to Trini. "Babe, what happened?"
Trini straightened back up and wandered into the kitchen.
Everyone followed as Trini made her way to the fridge and grabbed a beer.
Kim took a seat at the table as Jason leaned against the counter. Tommy stood in the doorway, arms crossed defiantly.
Jason reached into a drawer beside him and handed off the bottle opener to his wife.
Trini nodded wordlessly before popping the lid off her drink and took a long swig.
She swallowed with a quenched sigh, setting her bottle onto the table.
"So, Rob thinks Jason and I are mind-game playing psychopaths and that Kim needs to, and I quote, tell her fucking guard dog to mind his own fucking business next time."
She took another long pull from her beer.
Kim spun in her chair to glare at Tommy as Jason's eyes went back and forth between his wife and two friends silently.
Trini caught her breath once again as she set down her drink.
"Oh yeah, and he also said he's never fucking coming back here. So, ya know, cheers." She raised her nearly empty glass and downed the rest.
She stood up and set the bottle in the sink before turning back to face the room. Jason wrapped a consoling arm around her shoulder.
Jason sighed. "Kim, if we'd known about you and Tommy, we—"
Kim shot another dirty look at Tommy. "You told them?"
Tommy scoffed. "I didn't have to tell them, Jason figured it out!"
Jason looked up. "Yeah, only cause you're about as subtle as a flying brick, bro."
Tommy shook his head in disdain. "Oh whatever, man. "
Kim sucked on her teeth. "Great. Just, fucking great," she muttered, standing up and turning back to Tommy.
"You just couldn't help yourself could you?" She glared.
"I didn't say anyth—"
"How long did it take for Jason to figure it out, Tommy?"
He scoffed as she cocked her head expectantly.
"How long were you shooting daggers before Jason figured it out, hmm?"
He rolled his eyes as Kim rounded in on him once more.
"How long did you pout or glare before Jason. Fucking. Figured. It. Out?"
She shoved him with every punctuated word. He took it, letting her smack his chest to make her point. Finally, enough was enough. His hands shot up to still her by the wrists.
"He was all over you! What was I supposed to do? How was I supposed to react?"
"Not like a spoiled child whose toy just gotten taken from them!" She wrenched her hands out of his grasp. "What is the matter with you? I mean, seriously? You suddenly turn into Mr. Bruised Ego the moment I don't spend every second fawning all over you?"
He rumbled out a spiteful laugh, "No one said you had to fawn all over me. But don't act like you didn't know talking to that guy all night wasn't going to set me off!"
Kim sneered. "I didn't say a word when you were off talking to Rebecca!"
"You didn't need to! That was never gonna happen!" Tommy insisted.
"Oh, but something would happen with me and Rob?" Kim spat back. "You said it yourself you were spying on me for ten minutes! You heard me back there! You heard me turn him down!"
"Yeah, after you let him corner you at the end of the night! Look, I'm not saying he was right—but if you weren't into him—"
Kim shot him a dangerous look.
"Tommy, shut up," Trini warned.
Tommy did, seeming to hear the advice.
Kim shook her head. "I need to leave." She turned to Trini and Jason. "Thanks for tonight. I'm sorry it ended like this."
She spun on her heels and headed out of the kitchen. The trio heard the front door slam before Tommy spared his friends a solemn glance.
"I'm sorry too you guys."
Jason nodded as Trini laid a sympathetic hand upon his shoulder. "Just let her cool off, okay?"
"And hey, no more playing Yenta, we promise." Jason said.
Tommy snickered as he pinched the bridge of his nose. "There we go, I'll just blame you guys."
Trini snorted. "Like hell you will."
Tommy wrapped her in a hug as Jason clapped a hand on his back.
"We'll touch base in the next few days. Give you and Kim a chance to make up."
Tommy snickered. "Yeah, I might need that long."
"Just say you're sorry for acting like a stupid cave man, and it'll be fine, " Trini said.
She gave Jason a quick kiss. "I'm gonna go make sure we didn't wake up the kids." She turned once more to Tommy. "Good night. Love you."
He had the good grace to look bashful. "Love you too Trini, thanks. Sorry again."
Tommy watched her leave before turning back to face Jason.
"You don't have to say it."
Jason laughed and pulled him into his side as they wandered back into the living room.
"Back with Kim in less than a month and you're already acting like a fucking moron again."
Tommy rolled his eyes. "I'm not with her," he said.
Jason nodded as they stopped before the front door. "Yeah well, you sure acted like a jealous boyfriend just now."
Boyfriend. Tommy pressed his forehead into the door. "I know Kim can handle herself—but I mean, if she wasn't interested why'd she let—I mean, that guy? Seriously?"
Jason sighed. "I don't think it matters how they ended up alone but—you know acting like a possessive asshole is a real fast way to piss her off?"
Tommy scoffed and shook his head. He refused to consider himself wrong for his reaction tonight.
Jason eyed him carefully. "She tell you about Florida?"
Tommy scowled. "Mark? Yeah."
Jason clapped his shoulder. "Look, I'm sure Kim knows the difference, but it's still a good idea to back off a bit. Especially since you aren't with her."
"You didn't hear him, Jase. He was getting real pushy and I just—I just couldn't help myself."
"Well, you need to," Jason admonished, ""You just said it, Kim can handle herself. She's not naïve, Tommy. Not after all that. And I'm grateful you stepped in if you thought she was in trouble but—you can't just bust in and act like the hero and then—
Tommy balked. "Why the hell wouldn't I if—I'm not just gonna sit back—I don't do that, do I?"
Jason shot him a knowing look. "You can't bust in and act like the hero and then turn around and accuse her of leading the guy on. If you'd let me finish…"
Tommy grimaced and ran a tired hand over his face.
Jason spared him a pitying smile. "Doesn't really help the whole defending her honor schtick if you then tell her it's her fault."
"I didn't think it was her fault. I didn't mean—" Tommy sputtered as he tried in vain to avoid admitting something he didn't want to. "I just—I just really didn't like seeing her with that guy."
Jason smirked. "Clearly."
Tommy glared back at him. He sometimes hated Jason's easy manner when it came to things like this. The man was fiercely loyal, and Tommy respected the fraternal bond Jason shared with both himself and Kim. But sometimes he wished for silence over cool detachment. Not every moment needed a clever button at the end of it.
Jason opened the door, allowing Tommy to step out. Jason seemed to sense the other man's frustration at his previous tone.
Jason gave his friend a sad smile. He'd level with him. "Look, you either trust her or you don't."
Tommy's jaw relaxed. Sure, it wasn't silence. But at least it wasn't flip advice.
Tommy nodded shyly. "Please tell Trini I'm sorry again."
"She knows," Jason said. "You just get your story straight with Kim and we'll all be good."
"I will. Thanks, man."
"Night, bro. Love you."
"Love you too. Night."
The door shut and the porch light went out, signaling a definitive end to the evening.
Tommy sighed as he shoved his hands inside his pockets and made his way to the end of the drive where his truck was parked off to the side.
He looked up as he approached the car, seeing Kim leaning up against the passenger side door.
"Hey," he said. "I thought you went home already."
"You drove us, remember? How did you expect me to get back?"
He gave a sheepish smile. "Sorry. I thought you might have grabbed a cab."
She rolled her eyes. "Why would I do that?"
He gave a hopeless shrug. "I don't know, you were mad."
"Can you just unlock the car, please? I'm tired of standing."
He tamped down his annoyance and beeped the car open. In a flash, Kim popped the door and crawled into the truck, slamming the door shut once she was inside.
He opened his side and slid into the seat, keys at the ignition. "If I had realized you were waiting I wouldn't have stayed so long after—"
"It's fine," she said curtly, "Like you said, you didn't know."
He turned on the car and reached up to shift into reverse before he stopped himself.
"Look, I'm sorry about tonight. It was an asshole move, especially after you'd just told me about Mark. I'm sorry."
She looked over at him. "Thank you," she said, "But just for the record, I know you're nothing like Mark. That's not what really pissed me off."
"Oh."
"It really hurt my feelings when you suggested that I had somehow led Rob on."
Tommy sighed. "I just said that cause you took that shot at me about what's her face."
"Rebecca," Kim supplied for him.
He leaned into his doltishness. "See? I can't even remember her name."
Kim snickered. "Whatever, you can't even remember your own name half the time."
He managed a small laugh. Kim turned to face him better.
"Look, it was just really shitty to hear you act like if anyone was gonna stray, it'd be me."
The brother comment hit him once again. He mumbled something to himself.
Kim blinked back at him. "I'm sorry, what was that?"
He sighed. "Nothing. Forget it. I don't want to fight anymore."
She stopped him with a hand on his arm. "What did you just say?"
He looked at her for a moment, warring with himself whether or not to admit what he'd just muttered.
Fuck it.
"I said, well, it wouldn't be the first time…"
She scoffed and threw herself around to face the window. "Unfuckingbelievable."
"Yep," he barked, grabbing the gearshift aggressively and yanking it down.
He pulled out of the driveway so fast, shifting gears and spinning the car to head home, Kim actually sat back up in her seat and looked at him fearfully.
"Hey, you wanna calm down, please? And slow the fuck down?"
He let up on the gas and squeezed at the steering wheel.
"Sorry," he said quietly.
He was still mad, but she was right. He needed to calm down if he was going to get them home safely.
"I didn't mean to scare you."
She nodded as she felt his handling on the car ease up. She settled back into her seat, staring down at her hands resting in her lap.
They drove in horribly awkward silence for the rest of the ride home. He'd barely set the car in park before Kim unbuckled and jumped out of the truck.
He pressed the heels of his palms into his eyes before unbuckling himself and climbing out of the car.
He beeped the car to lock it as he padded up the front porch. Kimberly leaned against the wall beside the door as she waited for him to unlock the house.
He propped the screen door open with his back, turned the key and pushed the front door wide to allow Kimberly inside.
She brushed past him without another word and headed straight for the guest room.
He heard her room door open and shut as he stepped inside the house, holding on to guide the storm door softly into place before removing his keys from the lock and shutting the front door.
He ambled tiredly into the kitchen, crossing to the back door to hang up his key ring.
He turned back and saw a note on the kitchen table from his mom.
She'd been babysitting Miles, deciding to take him back to his parents' house, assuring him they'd be back before tomorrow afternoon. He managed a small smile.
He yawned, the events of the night finally catching up with the late hour.
He rubbed the back of his neck and ripped off his jacket in a sudden burst of frustration. He walked back into the living room, throwing his jacket over the chair and headed for his bedroom.
He stopped right before the door, spying down the hall. Kim emerged, stopping as she caught him staring back at her.
She held up her chin and spun on her heels before disappearing behind the bathroom door.
His jaw tensed, twisting the knob angrily as he marched inside and slammed the door.
He paced about his room for a minute before dropping with a bounce onto his bed. He aggressively wrenched his boots off, before half-heartedly throwing them across the room.
He let himself fall back into the mattress, staring up at the ceiling.
This. This was the part he hadn't missed. He knew relationships weren't all sunshine and roses. Hell, he was divorced. If anyone understood that couples fight and sometimes don't recover, it was him.
But some small, idealistic part of him had hoped that if he and Kim ever found their way back to each other, they'd be different. They'd be the exception to the rule.
That was dumb. Even in the prime of high school, they'd fought. Mostly petty things, hardly of consequence. But on the rare occasion they had argued over something serious, it usually came from Ranger business. Kim the Ranger was as fierce as she was stubborn.
She'd served longer than him. A fact she'd reminded him of, when once he'd pulled rank on her. It wasn't something he liked doing, even if he had every right to. Since becoming the White Ranger he'd been the leader, and on every subsequent team he'd served thereafter. The team looked to him for answers and direction. But what good was giving orders if people didn't follow them?
He could remember being furious with her during a battle wherein she'd deliberately diverted her zord to go after a secondary monster that Zedd had conjured, despite his clear order to fall back and join the group. She insisted she had the shot. Besides, the Megazord formation could be completed without her. And it wouldn't matter anyway if they still had two enemies to fight.
She took out the sidekick in a matter of minutes. But as she circled back to join their assembly, she found she'd been locked out. She couldn't join them now even if she wanted to. She'd just have to hover and wait while the rest finished the job.
They teleported back to the Command Center, his helmet off in a flash to yell at her for being careless, showing off, disobeying him and putting everyone else at risk. It was her own fault he overrode her computer.
She'd countered with a similar argument she'd made this evening. How fragile was his ego that he couldn't admit that she'd been right to ignore him and go after the monster alone? How dare he shut down her controls and give her a time out, like she was some petulant child who needed to be taught a lesson. They were standing in one piece, weren't they? They'd saved the day again, hadn't they? So what the hell was his problem?
The problem was; he didn't like Kim putting herself in harm's way. He didn't like being wrong. He didn't like being made a fool of. She hadn't meant to embarrass him, she'd done it to prove a point. He, on the other hand, had acted out of spite.
She loved him for his want to protect her, he knew that. She'd made mention of him as her handsome prince long enough, he'd started to take the moniker to heart. And they joked about her damsel in distress reputation. And to be sure, there were plenty of times she needed rescuing. But there were also plenty of times she didn't. She had served longer than he had. She had even fought him once. She knew what she was doing. He needed to have more faith in her.
He thought he did. But Kim hadn't just meant her prowess on the battlefield.
And what he'd always viewed as heroic and protective, had now become arrogant and smothering.
And he feared that Kim thought he'd doubted their relationship.
He was sure that very fear was why he'd been so adamant that Kim take off for Florida. She would no longer be a Ranger then, and so there'd be no misunderstanding where he was putting all of his faith this time. She'd have to know how much he believed in her. Believed in them.
And so he did. Until there was no them anymore. And after that, it was as if he'd locked her out all over again.
For the next twelve years, Kim would only ever get to watch him from afar. Frozen as she was in the place he'd left her hovering. But that was just it. He may have shut her out, but she was still visible, just off to the side. Indeed, her presence was very much apparent and every bit as imposing as the fiery bird of prey in which she piloted.
Jason's final words echoed in his head. You either trust her or you don't.
His eyes fluttered shut, exhaustion overtaking him as he fell asleep in his spot.
-x-
Tommy's House
Sunday, July 1st, 10:42am
Reefside, CA
2010
Tommy reemerged from inside, coming over to take a seat in one of the chairs that sat on his front porch.
His mother smiled up at him as he looked to her.
"Thanks for taking him again last night," he said, thumbing back inside to indicate Miles. The boy had been exhausted after spending all morning playing with his grandparents. Tommy was again grateful to his mother for wearing the kid out.
"Oh it's fine. We're always happy to see him."
Tommy nodded. "How's pops doing? How'd the surgery go?"
Pat nodded along. "Fine. Fine. He got his first round of steroids. And then I have to give him a shot in the ass every two weeks. You should see him. We bought him this special chair so I can give him the thing, right? I said, why do we need a special chair? Can't you just bend over and lean on the bed? But he said, Trish, that goddamn thing is too low! And of course I told him well, you sleep in it just fine. But then—"
"Ma, Focus."
She cleared her throat. "Right. Yes, sorry. Anyway, the surgery went fine. And getting to see Miles really did wonders for his spirit. It's been a minute since we've had a toddler in the house. But you know, we had hoped to have at least one running around by now so…"
"Yeah well... one is all you're probably gonna get at this point." Tommy laughed bitterly. He looked over at his mother and gave her resigned smile.
"I'm sorry I haven't come to visit for real. Just with getting all the custody stuff figured out these last few months and—"
Pat dismissed him with a wave. "We know, sweetheart. We're just glad you're okay. You are ok, right? Now that it's all said and done? How are you feeling?"
He leaned back in his chair and rubbed the back of his neck. "About the divorce? Good. Well, I mean—not good, but you know, relieved. It—it was the right thing to do."
Pat nodded and relaxed back in her chair as well. "And how is the tramp?"
Tommy shot her an admonishing look. "Mom!"
Pat looked back at him innocently. "What? Surely you can't begrudge me a little trash talk. I am your mother. She's getting off easy, if you ask me. I want to call her much worse."
He frowned. "Yeah, well, don't do it for my benefit, ok? I still have to see her every week."
"I don't know why she even argued for joint custody at all. You said she didn't even want to have Miles in the first place."
"That was before he was born, ma. A lot can change in three years…"
She rolled her eyes. "Obviously."
He shot her a glare that brooked no argument. She held up her hands in surrender before releasing a sigh and mercifully switched topics.
"So where's Kimberly?"
Nice change of subject, mother. Out of the frying pan and into the fire.
He shook his head. "She—I don't know where she went this morning. We—we kinda had a fight last night."
Pat sat up in her chair. "Oh no. Why?"
He sighed and ran his fingers threw his hair. She knew that look.
"Oh dear. Are you seeing each other again?"
His momentary shock at his mother's intuition quickly gave way to frustration.
"Not—not exactly."
"Are you sleeping together?"
His eyes shot up to wonder at her. "Mom!"
She rolled her eyes and waved him off. "Oh whatever, you're an adult now. It's not like I don't know you've had sex, Tommy."
"I really don't want to talk about this with you."
She flashed him a bemused smile. "We knew when you and Kim we're doing it back in high school. You think your dad and I couldn't tell?"
He sank down in his chair, willing the contraption to swallow him whole.
She leaned to one side and propped her elbow on the arm of her chair. "First of all, we're you're parents. Second of all, we were also young horny teenagers once too, you know. As hard as that is to imagine now…"
He hid his face behind his hand. "I'm not a teenager anymore, ma, " he grumbled.
She shrugged. "Oh, you know what I mean."
He peaked at her through his fingers, feeling it safe to come out when she laughed at his childish reaction.
"Well, I don't know what happened, but just tell her you're sorry."
He sat back up, adjusting himself in the chair. "I did."
"And she's still mad?"
Tommy shrugged. "I don't know. All her stuff's still here but—"
Patricia scowled. "Was the fight that bad?"
"No. I just—she was gone when I woke up and I got worried—"
Pat laughed. "Oh, then she's fine."
He shot her a confused look. "What?"
"If she was still mad, she would have made sure you saw her leave. But if she took off without waking you up, then she's fine. Believe me."
"Well, she wouldn't have woken me up. She—went back to the guest bed to sleep last night—"
Pat turned to him with a knowing smirk. "So you are sleeping together? Is that why you two had a fight?"
He rolled his eyes at his mom's uncanny interrogation skills.
"No, not really. We went over to Jason and Trini's last night, they had invited friends from work—they tried to set us up—the guy that Trini tried to set Kim up with he—
"Oh. And you got jealous?"
He scowled. "Why do you assume it was me?"
She ticked off the reasons. "You said Kim is mad. Your friends set you up. You only mention the guy," Pat held up her hands in triumphant conclusion. "Not hard to figure out."
He scoffed. "I didn't—I mean yes, I guess I was jealous but—" he sighed and slumped back into the chair once again, "I should have just let her handle it."
Her lips pursed in thoughtful recognition. "Uh huh. I think I'm getting the gist of what happened. This other guy, at the thing, what'd he get, too pushy for you?"
Tommy snickered. "Yes. I may have enjoyed messing with him a bit too much."
Pat clucked her tongue. "Oh honey…"
Tommy sighed as he went on. "And then she said I made her feel like she wasn't—ya know, serious about us or whatever…"
Pat frowned. "Did you? Wait, I thought you said you weren't dating again?"
He screwed up his face as he let a low growl in frustration. "We haven't—we don't know what this is yet."
She snickered before falling back into a wistful contemplation. "I like Kim. I liked Kat too. Is she still with Billy?"
He shot her a look. "Yes mom. She and Billy have been together for awhile now."
Pat gave a noncommittal shrug, seemingly a bit disappointed. "Was that awkward? To see your close friend date your ex?"
Tommy frowned. He wasn't sure how to answer that. "I guess, at first. But Kat and I are friends too. I just wanted to see them happy. They both deserve to be."
"And what about Kim?"
"She never dated Billy," he shot her a wry smile.
She rolled her eyes. "I meant, when Kim and you broke up, did you ever meet the other guy she started dating?"
He snickered. "No. Definitely not."
"Oh," she frowned, "Was he not at Jason and Trini's wedding?"
"No, ma. Kim's had a few boyfriends, and her last—this is too complicated to explain—she's single right now, obviously."
She considered this. "I'm surprised by that."
He shot her a look. "Why?"
Pat shrugged. "She's a beautiful girl. And she was always such a charming, bubbly kind of gal."
His face softened as he considered the description of Kim. "She still is."
"I mean, I wanted to give her a piece of my mind after I saw what she put you through back then but..."
His face fell at the reminder. "Yeah, I also took a really low shot at her about that…"
Pat looked at him sympathetically. "Oh dear. Well, look, maybe this fight is what you two needed, you know? Help you finally admit how—"
He turned on her suddenly. "Why does everyone always say that? Like I don't know my own mind..."
She scoffed. "Where did that come from?"
He sighed. "Look, I know I'm not always the most observant guy, ok? But I'd like to think I have some sense of my own feelings. I'm not just stumbling around like Geez, what could possibly be the reason I act like this when I'm around her, if only someone would remind me over and over again…"
Pat stared back at him incredulously. "I don't understand why you're getting so defensive—"
"Cause this is half the reason my marriage failed, mom. And I resent the fact that everybody always treats me like I'm this sad puppy who's just been pining after the same woman for fifteen years if only I'd just realize it. Oh, poor dumb Tommy. And I'm sick of it. And I'm sick of defending how I feel, no matter what I feel. I'm a good man. I was a good boyfriend and I was a good husband. I never cheated on Heather. Not with Kim, not with anyone. I thought I found someone to spend the rest of my life with. I tried to make it work with Heather, I wanted it to work. I wanted it to work so much, I married her. And that still wasn't good enough. She just kept telling me I was an idiot for not seeing something so obvious. Well, ya know what? I did see it, ok? Everybody happy now? I knew. I knew how I felt about Kim. Heather didn't need to pry it out of me. And neither does anyone else. But enough already. Everyone always thinks they're trying to get me to admit something that I don't want too, like it's so much fun to watch me squirm. Like I'm the last to know. Well, joke's on them, ok? I know, believe me. I'm not that big of an idiot."
Patricia cleared her throat. She looked utterly bored. "You finished?"
He threw himself back into his chair carelessly, pouting as he felt the inevitable admonishment to come.
"I guess," he mumbled.
Pat sighed. "Well, far be it for me to agree with anything that bitch ex-wife of yours has to say but, if this is true? If you were still in love with Kim, and you knew how strongly you felt, then Heather was absolutely right to call you out on it. That is one of the most ridiculously selfish things I have ever heard."
He stared back at his mother in shock. He'd expected a reprimand. But to hear her call him selfish and agree with Heather was something else entirely.
She shook her head as she went on. "How did you honestly expect to make that marriage work if you were in love with somebody else? Oh yes, I know, you said, you were never unfaithful, " She rolled her eyes.
"So you didn't sleep with someone else, big deal. Do you even hear yourself? You thought you found someone to spend the rest of your life with. Found someone. Not, the person, but someone."
Tommy sat with his arms folded tightly across his chest, staring at his mother defiantly. Unbothered, she rounded in on him.
"I believe you when you say you know your own feelings. But you know what this little tirade of yours tells me? What it tells me you don't know? What Heather was actually trying to get you to admit? It wasn't that you were obviously in love with Kimberly. It was that you obviously weren't in love with Heather."
His jaw ticked, tears brimming in his eyes. He turned away in sudden refusal to look her way, lest she puzzle out any more revelations he wasn't ready for.
She softened almost instantly as she saw him start to cry. Patricia Oliver was a badass woman, but she was still his mother. She'd met out tough love on the daily, as was her way. But still, she hated to see her son upset.
She moved to his side and wrapped him in her arms. "Oh sweetheart…"
His chin rested on her shoulder, his eyes stinging as he tried in vain to not break down even harder. His voice cracked. "I tried, mom. I really did try. "
She rubbed a consoling hand across his back. Her tone softened.
"I know. I know you did." She held him back at arm's length to face her.
"But do you see now how unfair that was? To Heather and to you? You are a good man. And you've become an amazing father. And I have no doubt that you will just keep getting better. I am so incredibly proud of you. But you still have a lot to learn about being in a relationship. Things like sacrifice and compromise shouldn't apply to the actual person you're with. No one should have to settle for someone. And no one should be made to feel like they're a consolation prize. Not even Heather…."
Tommy managed a strangled laugh as Pat smiled. She held his face in her hands.
"You've brought a child into this world now, and I know that may have made it harder to leave. You can't change any of it now. But I hope all of this will make you fight a bit harder for what you really want in the future."
Tommy swallowed as Pat released his face, bringing one hand up to smooth out his brow.
"And by the looks of it, I don't imagine you and Kim need much convincing if you two want to be together again. Unless there's something else you've repressed that you'd like to me drag out of you?"
He snickered as she moved back to her own chair.
"I'm very good at getting information out of people. I wasn't a cop for thirty years for nothing."
He shot her a smile. "I know, mom. Yes you are. You are very good."
She tilted her head to regard him thoughtfully. "I want you to be happy. And I want you to believe that you deserve to be. "
He frowned a bit at that. "I do." He didn't look terribly convinced.
"Well then Mr. You Can't Tell Me Nothin', what are you gonna do about it?"
He snickered and ran a tired hand across his face. She shot her son a knowing look.
-x-
