Tommy couldn't help but scrutinize the woman seating across the table from him and his wife, as a teacher he had learned how to read people, as a power ranger he had learned to trust his instincts. Now, however, he wasn't sure what to do. The woman was nervous, twiddling her thumbs and looking at the table as if it had an interesting design on it. She was apologetic, he could tell that much, and she meant it, this wasn't some sort of show. At least that was what his instincts were trying to tell him. Another part of him, a rather large part he had to confess, wanted to punch this lady in the face for raising a monster like her son and allowing him to hurt someone as amazing and wonderful as his beautiful wife.
"Tommy," a voice hissed into his ear, forcing him back in the present, Kim was giving him what their teammates called the Kim Glare, a look that said knock it off or else.
Tommy raised an eyebrow, confused as to why he was receiving the look. Kim rolled her eyes, "Your eyes are twitching, you look like you want to murder someone and you have such a tight grip on the table I'm afraid it might break."
Tommy blinked, he hadn't even realized that he was gripping onto the table, or that his eyes were twitching, flashing neon green to boot, no wonder Mrs. Harmon looked unnerved.
He took a deep breath, forcing himself to release the table and to stop the flashing in his eyes. For crying out loud he wasn't some hormonal teenager, he was a married man with children and a wife and a job. He knew better than doing this.
"He's harmless," Kim informed the woman seating across from them with a smile, more out of the habit of saying this whenever Tommy did something that upset someone else rather than wanting to put the woman at ease.
There was a loud snort, "Tommy, harmless, I can give you a list of people that would disagree with that," a new voice snickered.
Kimberly glanced up, "Rocky don't you have anything better to do than listen in on your customers' private conversations. Like, I don't know run your restaurant?"
Rocky shrugged pulling a chair up to the table and plopping down, "I'm on Lunch Break."
"Rocky," Tommy growled, giving him his best 'I'm the leader do as I say' look, "Leave us alone."
Rocky tipped back in the chair, "No way," he insisted, "Someone has to make sure that she," he jabbed his thumb towards Mrs. Harmon, "Doesn't say anything to upset the Princess."
Kim slapped her hands down on the table standing up, "Rocky," she growled, "You have the count of three to leave, or you'll have to deal with me!"
Rocky jumped up, noting the dangerously flashing eyes, as he quickly said, "You know what, I just remembered, I promised Aisha that I'll call her during break," with that he scampered off.
Mrs. Harmon was startled by what just happened, how could someone who could send someone scampering with a look be someone who supposedly been a victim of abuse only a few months earlier.
"Your son had to much power over me, my glare didn't seem to affect him to the point I forgot that it actually worked."
"You make it sound like your glare is some sort of weapon or something."
"She uses it as one," Tommy said, giving his wife a loving glance, "It's one of the reasons I fell in love with her in high school."
Mrs. Harmon frowned, they were way off-topic, but she knew one thing for sure, Kimberly Hart was not the shy recluse that Luke had painted her as. Somehow, she wondered, if her son would even recognize this woman as his ex-wife.
"You're not at all like my Luke said you were like," she finally commented, "Every time I wanted to visit he said I couldn't because you didn't like visitors."
Kim glanced at Tommy, before turning back to Mrs. Harmon, "Perhaps he knew that you wouldn't agree with his treatment of me. He definitely didn't want me to find a friend in you. Luke kept me as isolated as possible, he knew without a doubt that if I was to have other options I would take them. It was by coincidence that I ran into my former coach at the park and he was able to help me out financially until I could safely leave."
Mrs. Harmon watched as Kim and Tommy shared a look, as if to say there was more to that story then they would tell her. She shook her head, "I don't understand where I went wrong with that boy," she said, more to herself than to the others. The proof was right in front of her eyes that Luke had lied to her for over a decade. She had tried to raise him right, then again after her husband's death, she couldn't handle a teenage son so she had sent him away to school in Florida.
"I know that you have no reason to believe me but I did not raise Luke like that, he knew better," She buried her head in her hands, "After his father's death, I... I... I sent him away to school, and he turned into someone the Power Rangers wanted, he turned into a monster."
Tommy stood up so that he could place his hand on her shoulder, "I know, you did your best, the problem was Luke made friends with the wrong group, once he made friends with Silverback and Goldar his fate was sealed."
Kim also stood up, somehow she knew that this woman was telling the truth, she really hadn't been aware of her son's actions or friends, "I know," she found herself saying, "But you have to understand that Luke left scars on me and my children and I'm hesitant to bring something back in my life that can remind us of him." she paused for a second, "However, it also isn't fair for me to judge you for something you had nothing to do with."
Tommy nodded as well, "We'll take it slow, maybe tomorrow you would like to meet at the park for a picnic with the girls tomorrow, nothing more and we'll let them decide how much they interact with you."
Mrs. Harmon nodded her head, she had always wanted to meet her granddaughters and this was her chance even if she would have every move scrutinized.
