AN: Happy New Year! I hope that all of you are enjoying this story and the shennanigans that these rangers are about to get in to. I'd love to hear from you about how you think the story is shaping up.
One Month Later
"Dinner!" Kimberly called in to the dojo and Tommy closed his eyes. He had known the day would come when she'd walk down for his Thursday evening class again and see who was in it. He had just hoped that she would have come around more by this point. "Tom…this is why you now have a Thursday night class?"
"Yes. Do you want to meet them? Or do you want me to just be up in ten?" Tommy asked as he walked over to her and ran his hand up and down her side. At nearly five months in, she looked significantly more pregnant, but both of the babies were healthy. However, he knew how much of a toll it was taking on her body. By this time of day, she desperately needed him to rub out tight muscles and crawl into bed with her and he was only too happy to oblige.
"Be up in ten," Kim stated and he leaned down to give her a quick kiss before adjusting his gi and turning back to his students, his rangers. He felt her eyes follow him and he chanced a glance back. He was met with a look of desire that nearly had him just leaving the rangers to let themselves out.
"It would be nice if she actually met us," Julia remarked as he rejoined them and Tommy closed his eyes. He was not in the mood to deal with sassy rangers tonight.
"Jules- she has her reasons. Just leave it tonight, okay?" Shelby said and Tommy watched the two female rangers glare at each other. He wished Kimberly felt like she could meet them, but it was not something that he was going to push.
"They're the only rangers that exist. It would be nice to have a female mentor that gets it," Julia shot back and Patrick stepped between the two of them. After a rough start, he was the natural peacekeeper of the bunch and they had never needed a peacekeeper more. "Okay, fine. One day though- I'm going to ask her all sorts of questions."
"I'm sure you will Jules, but not today," Tommy said and he was surprised by the pout from the pink ranger. It reminded him of another pink ranger, nearly two decades ago. "But good grief are you like her."
"Really?" Julia asked and Tommy barely nodded. There were many similarities between the two of them and it was part of why he wished Kimberly would get to know them. There was advice that she could give that he would never even think of. "Have you told her?"
"We don't talk ranger business," Tommy stated and he watched as the rangers froze. He wished this was something he could share with her, but he respected that she did not need this in her life.
"The Command Center said that she was also…" Brandon started and Tommy just held up his hands. He knew what the Command Center had said and he knew that she'd eventually have to face it, but that was not going to be today. And he wasn't too hopeful about it being tomorrow either.
"Enjoy your night- stay safe," Tommy said as he ushered them out of the front doors to the gym and quickly locked it behind them. As he jogged towards their stairwell, he felt the fissure of energy open behind him. In the next moment, he felt himself being teleported, but the pain still ripped through him. The fear hit him as he realized that Kimberly was not with him. "No."
He rushed over to the control panel and began frantically typing in the teleportation sequence. While he had protected their home as well as he could- whatever had opened up behind him could easily get to her if it wanted to. He managed to finish the sequence in time to see the door to their home disintegrate and the pink ray of light landed next to him. He braced his arms against the console as his back spasmed violently.
He heard something clatter behind him and soon felt Kimberly's hands on his back. He did all he could to stifle the groan and hiss that rose in his throat. She forced him to sit in the backwards chair and grabbed the gauze that had appeared in front of him.
"You're okay," Tommy whispered and he closed his eyes. "You're okay?"
"We're okay. I can't say the same for our front door," Kim whispered and she leaned down to give him a quick kiss. "Do you know what it is?"
"No idea," Tommy muttered and he struggled to stay conscious, but the pain was moving him closer and closer to blacking out. "Call. Rangers. Protect. You."
"Tommy?" Kim muttered and she violently shook his shoulder, but he did not move. "Shit."
AN: If you or someone you know are struggling, call the Suicide and Crisis lifeline at 988 (for the U.S.). Please do not suffer in silence, reach out and get the help you need.
