There was nothing sweeter than the sound of Kylie giggling in the kitchen. Kimberly had caved and came through with her promise to teach Kylie how to make those chocolate chip cookies that she wanted so much. The 5-year-old was a natural in the kitchen, and while there was a mess, Kimberly knew Tommy would have no problem cleaning it up.

Kylie gave a look over her shoulder, watching her Aunt Kimberly mess with some setting on the oven. The chocolate chip cookies were enticing her from the baking sheet as they cooled, each chip begging her to poke her finger in it. It looked and smelled so good. Maybe if she took one bite nobody would notice..

Her dad had set the rule that the cookies could only be enjoyed after dinner, but that seemed so far away. They were fresh and warm and ready to be eaten right now.

Hazel eyes grew a little wider as she leaned in, taking a quick whiff of the caramel colored treat. Ahh, there was nothing that smelled better than this. She stole another quick glance and saw that her Aunt Kimberly was still too preoccupied.

Shrugging, Kylie lifted her hand in, scooped a tiny piece into her finger and quickly put it in her mouth. She was always so well behaved that breaking the rules just this once might be okay. It was worth it. The cookie was melting in her mouth, the sugar coating her teeth.

"I saw that," Kimberly walked over with a small smile. The little girl had a deer in headlights look as she sank back in her chair.

How was that possible? Kylie had checked! Twice! Did she have eyes in the back of her head like her dad did?

Kimberly chuckled, breaking a piece of cookie with her fingers and taking a tiny piece into her mouth.

"I won't tell if you don't," Kimberly winked, causing Kylie to sigh in relief.

Finally there was someone as mischievous as her.

It had only been a few weeks since Kimberly had been in Reefside and the thought of having to leave back to Angel Grove didn't sound as nice as she thought it would. She was almost surprised at how much she was dreading it. The thought of crawling back into her empty apartment was damn near depressing. Being a part of Tommy's little family had been a blast.. and he had only been awake since the day before.

Kimberly assisted Kylie in plopping a scoop of dough into the baking sheet for another batch of cookies and they then placed them into the oven, the minutes until they were ready dragging like hours.

The smell of the baked goods in the oven filled the house, a scent that they'd never had the pleasure of having before. Tommy wasn't a cook or a baker or a cleaner or great at doing laundry… but he tried, he really did. Those were things that someone learned growing up, but since he had been so busy saving the world, he never got around to it. When his college years rolled around, he figured it would have been the perfect time to learn those skills that make an adult an adult, but then Natalie had gotten pregnant and the thought of caring for another life overwhelmed him. The time for learning to be a proper adult and father mixed and he struggled to come into his own.

He would do right by his daughter though. The memory of when they last had a decent meal that hadn't come from the freezer was rather embarrassing, but that didn't mean he didn't attempt to make a meal beforehand. Kylie didn't seem to mind that much, but the fear that she might get used to having a nice warm meal made with heart left him worried. He would hate for her to be disappointed once Kimberly went back home… he would be disappointed once she went back home.

Tommy was able to steal a peek into his kitchen from his place in the living room. After washing all of the dishes, he spread out on the nearest couch, turned on some football, and relaxed. He deserved it, plus his leg was killing him. There wasn't so much else that was bothering him. He'd healed from most of it and as long as he didn't make sudden movements, he was feeling alright.

"I called Jason and Trini," Kimberly said as she walked over with Kylie, "They wanted to come over to see you, but I told them I'd talk to you and see what you wanted to do."

Kimberly plopped herself on the other end of the couch Tommy had been sitting at, Kylie nestling between them right up to her dad. She had missed him so much the entire time he had been asleep. Sure he was there, but he wasn't really there. He'd been in his bedroom the entire time.

Tommy nodded, "Tell them to get over here. I haven't seen Jason's ugly face in a minute. I'm starting to forget what he looks like."

"I'm sure he'd say the same thing about yours," She teased, causing a light chuckle to escape from him.

"You used to love that face," He returned the same, forgetting just for a moment that Kylie had been in the room.

He watched her bring her arms across her chest, her face away from his and back to the game on the television that he knew she hated. "I didn't love it that much," she huffed and he caught her light smirk from the corner of his eye. "I'll tell them."

Tommy felt Kylie hold onto him just a little bit tighter, pulling herself to him. She must have missed him more than he thought. It was frightening to think that he could have left her alone. Her mom wasn't in the picture and while he loved his parents dearly, that would have been too much of a change for her. He fought to stay alive more than anything for his little girl.

She was his main priority, and making sure there wasn't too much change in her life was important. That's partially the reason why he hasn't dated in the last several years. Bringing a woman into Kylie's life could be too much for her and he wasn't sure if she would be ready for such an adjustment. What if Kylie ended up liking her and things didn't work out? How was she going to deal with another woman walking out of her life? He was protecting her..

Still, the thought had crossed his mind. It wasn't that he was that lonely, but female companionship was something he missed at times. After he was a dad, he was a man... he still craved the soft curves, the feminine scent on his pillow, the feel of her bare skin under his palms. Why did he want that to be Kimberly?

"How are you feeling?" Kimberly asked.

The game was a mess and she had absolutely no idea what had been going on. She had been a cheerleader in high school, but cheering for football was her least favorite part.

"Honestly?" Tommy thought about it for a moment, "like nothing happened to me. I feel great. I can't do much because of the cast," he motioned towards his leg, "but I'm not that bad. Maybe I can be back to my normal self sooner rather than later."

Kimberly smiled, "Are you dying to get rid of me already?"

"Never," he put his hands behind his head, "you know I'll miss you."

"Me too," Kylie added, sitting up from her spot. "I wish you never have to leave."

There was a moment, a second, a breath, where Kimberly considered the possibility of never leavening. What would that be? How would that work? Permanent roommate in the guest room? Or could she possibly take the empty spot next to Tommy on his bed?

Get it together, Hart.

"I promise to visit more," Kimberly returned, leaning in closer to brush away some hair from Kylie's face. "I've been so busy these last few months that I haven't been able to see you two like I used to. Maybe this is a sign that I have to be here more. You know you two are my favorite people."

And they really were. Even if she didn't get to spend as much time with them as she wished, Kimberly knew that any time with Tommy and Kylie was a guaranteed blast.

"My door is always open," Tommy said, holding Kimberly's gaze for a breath too long.

The heat on Kimberly's cheeks began to rise and she knew she had to create some distance before she said or did something that she would later regret.. especially with Kylie sitting right there. He still got to her after all of this time.

The question as to whether Kimberly was attracted to Tommy wasn't really a question, it was a fact. She'd never denied it before. There's so much more to it and she could count the millions of reasons of why this wouldn't work. First, they lived hours away from each other. Reefside and Angel Grove weren't exactly neighboring towns. They'd failed miserably at a long distance relationship once before and she vowed never to do it again. Maybe it was her fault and the fact that she allowed herself to be manipulated by a jackass named Brent when she was eighteen, but she and Tommy had been growing apart. Second, they had worked so hard to rebuild their friendship, and moving from friends to something more could potentially ruin that. Third, and possibly one of the biggest reasons is because not only was Tommy emotionally unavailable, he also had a daughter. She loved Kylie like her own, but there was a fear in the back of her mind that if things didn't work out, she wouldn't be able to be around Kylie like she would like. That would nearly kill her.

Kimberly came to her feet, and she could feel Tommy's eyes pinned to her and she was starting to like it.

"You want to help me with dinner?" Kimberly asked, extending a dainty hand to her favorite five-year-old.

"Yes!" Kylie nearly squealed as she hopped off the couch and grabbed Kimberly's hand. She happily skipped into the kitchen, ready to make whatever her aunt had in mind.

There had been a returned call to Jason and Trini where it had been decided to arrange a dinner for the next day at Tommy's house. While Tommy insisted that he was feeling better and they could leave the house in favor of a restaurant, Kimberly didn't want to take the chance that this could lead to a setback. She had to get him back to his normal self so that she could get back to her girls in Angel Grove.

Kimberly's laughter over dinner about the many failed attempts Tommy had trying to make lasagna was humming in his ear. What a beautiful laugh she had. Kylie was joining in too, teasing her dad mercilessly the only way that she could. He could get used to hearing those two in his house.

A quick bath and a bedtime story later, Kylie went out like a light. Tommy was still recovering from the food coma dinner had put him in. Kimberly had only gotten better at cooking as she got older. What would it be like to come home to her? To slip into the same bed at night after a long day of work, to rake his fingers through her hair while he kissed her lips. Well, he knew the last one, but it had been so long that the memory was a little foggy. He needed a refresher. Unfortunately, he knew that would never happen. Kim had his heart, always, but he was so different than when they were kids. He was a package deal now, and while he knew she loved his daughter, the fear of her walking out terrified him. It wasn't that he didn't trust her, but she'd walked out on him before. Plus, Kimberly wanted to get married and have kids. He had already been married and had a child. Marriage wasn't something he would do again and he didn't want more children. They were just too different.

Kimberly slipped into the living room, finding Tommy nearly asleep from the food digesting in his system. He heard the floorboards beneath her feet creak, bringing him back to life.

"Sorry," she grimaced, "Didn't mean to wake you."

"I was awake," Tommy waved her off, giving her a boyish grin, "Kind of."

"I was just gonna grab a drink from the fridge. You want something?"

He thought about it for a moment and then nodded. Screw it! Kylie was asleep anyway.

Kimberly returned with two brisk beers in hand and gave one of them to Tommy. The sound of the bottle opening was heaven to Tommy's ears. When was the last time he had one of these?

"Please no more football," Kimberly told him playfully as she took a spot on the couch that was closer than she had earlier.

"Fine, fine," He rolled his eyes, taking a sip of his beer. "You want to watch a movie?"

She shrugged, "Anything that isn't the game."

Tommy flipped through the channels with his remote, skipping any and all sports for the sake of Kimberly.

"And here I thought you loved watching the game with me when we were younger. You'd always want to go down to the basement so that we could watch it."

"No," She shook her head, "that was just an excuse to get you down there. Why do you think I would initiate a make-out session as soon as the game started?"

"That's why?" He gave her an incredulous look, the tips of his ears burning red. He flipped through the channels quicker, "you think there's a game still on somewhere?"

She laughed, that contagious laugh that he loved and missed so much, "you jerk!"

He grinned before wrapping an arm around her shoulder and leaned back. Her smooth skin beneath his fingertips were brining back a memory he long thought he had buried… okay, that was a lie. Kimberly had always been on his mind, mostly because she was as unattainable as any model or celebrity. She was the vision of his fantasy and he couldn't hide the giant grin that went on his face when she called him on his phone, or when he would see her for the first time in forever, or the way that she licked her fingers after eating with her hands. It was always Kimberly. She was always the one gasping his name into his ear from beneath him during his late night… ahem, workout. He bit down on his cheek as he fought the fantasy that was creeping up again. Those were visions he had alone, in bed, when he needed a release from the pressure of life… not with her sitting right next to him while he had a broken leg. He couldn't even act out what he wanted to do without his stupid cast getting in the way.

He swallowed thickly, the Adam's apple on his throat bobbing up and down.

Before he was able to continue his fantasy, she got up from the couch, "You want another one?"

He looked down at his bottle, noting that it was nearly empty, "Please."

She went and came quickly, returning with two more bottles that was sure he would regret in the morning. Kimberly sat back down, getting closer and closer each time she took a seat.

"So," he said, "I guess I should probably ask what the hell happened on that island."

Kimberly didn't respond, her eyes trained to the ground as she recalled everything that Billy had told her about the incident outside of Madagascar. "You sure you want to know?"

"No," He admitted, surprising himself, "but I don't think the news will get any easier."

She nodded, placing her drink on the coffee table. Her eyes met his, "Um… it was bad. I guess they're still investigating what exactly led to the explosion, but so far we know that it started at the lab." She placed a gentle hand on Tommy's thigh, "I know how close you were with Terrance."

Tommy fought to compose himself, his gaze wandering towards a picture on his mantle of him, Terrance Smitty, and his mentor, Anton Mercer. Smitty was always working in the lab while Tommy preferred to get his hands dirty in the dig site. They had gotten really close after they bonded over their internship with Dr. Mercer a few years earlier.

He remained quiet for a moment, processing the news.

"There were only three survivors," Kimberly told him, softly. She placed another hand on his thigh for support.

Three? Out of forty-five people? Even if he wasn't particularly close to all of them, Tommy had been working hard with the unit. The fact that a majority of them didn't make it out was painful. They all had a family just like he did, a spouse, children, brothers and sisters, parents… it wasn't fair.

"They've recovered a majority of them, but," She sighed heavily, hating to deliver the news, "they haven't found Terrance or Dr. Mercer."

Tommy didn't speak, he couldn't. Instead he took another gulp of his beer, letting the alcohol drown out the pain.

"I'm sorry."

He pressed his lips together, his fingers massaging the bridge of his nose, "Thank you for telling me. I know it wasn't easy for you."

She wasn't quite sure what to say to make his pain go away… in reality, there were no words, only actions. This was eating up at Tommy, more than he was letting on. He was one that would bury his emotions deep inside until he would explode, usually by beating the shit out of a punching bag. He didn't really talk about his feelings, he'd always been that way, and she knew better than to pry.

Kimberly reached over, taking him into her arms in a hug that ebbed the pain. He didn't say anything, just simply allowed himself to be held by her. She smelled so good and her skin was so soft. It was the perfect distraction from the ache in his heart. He'd get through this moment one way or another, but right now he just wanted to enjoy the woman in his arms.

Author note: Hey guys! Another chapter down! Hope you guys enjoyed. Let me know what you guys think in a review or PM! See you next time!