DISCLAIMER: Nope still not mine.
SUMMARY: Kim's appearing on a celebrity edition of Deal or No Deal. She's playing for the Little Angel's Haven in Angel Grove. A lot of former Rangers are in the audience but the one that she really wants there to support her isn't there.
"Three cases to open, Kimberly," Howie said.
"Okay. Let's see. How about case 13, Howie?"
"Leyla, open your case please."
"I hope that 13's luckier for you than it is for most people." Leyla peeked into her case and sighed. Dropping the lid, she revealed $750000.
"Ouch," Jason said, tightening his grip on his friend's shoulder.
She looked up at him. "That hurts but it's okay. It just means that I still have a chance at the million." She looked at Howie with that dazzling smile. "How about case 23?"
"Aubrie, the young woman would like to see what's in your case."
Aubrie opened the case just enough so she could see what was in there. She smiled at Kim. "Good choice." She dropped the lid, revealing $75.
"You're doing great so far. And right now it's still a player's board. One last case for this round."
"Howie, I want case 8." Lauren didn't even need an invitation to open her case; she just did it. There sat $25000.
The phone rang and Kim looked over at her friends who all smiled at her. "You're doing great, Kim," Kat yelled.
As Howie hung up the phone, he smiled at Kim. "She's right. You are doing great. It's fantastic to see someone have gone so far and still have that million in play. Most people have knocked it out by now. The banker has an offer for you." Howie paused dramatically. "He's apparently done a little checking on your charity. He discovered a few things about the Little Angel's Haven. We have someone special on the line who wants to present the offer to you."
When the screen came up, Andrew Hartford stood there. "Hello, Kimberly. It's good to see you again."
"Hello, Andrew. How are you?"
"I'm fine. I see that today has you surrounded by friends. That's always a good thing. I have the offer from the banker. It's incredible, Kim. I hope you're ready for this."
"Let me have it, Andrew."
"Well, since you're playing for the Haven, the offer is this. My company will build a brand new building for the Haven. It would be able to house four hundred children, although hopefully they'll never have all the beds full. There will be housing for the live-in counselors and a kitchen large enough to cook for everyone. Not to mention the new building will be placed on a 10 acre plot of land just outside the city limits of Angel Grove. We'll include a playground and basketball court as well as a gymnasium. The dollar amount on this package is significant. $150000. And that's just for the house. That's the deal the banker wants to offer you. It's a one time deal, Kimberly. If you turn this down, it's gone. It won't come back a second time." No one knew it but Andrew was going to do all this anyway. He knew a few children who had been in the home and wanted to provide for those who didn't have as much as he did.
"That's a hell of an offer, Andrew." Kim turned to the others who all walked over to her and the group put their heads together.
"It's an amazing offer, Kim. The Haven could really use that building."
"That's true, Kat. But winning the million would allow for the new building and more."
"Do you really believe that the million is in your case?" Aisha asked.
"I sure do. The fourteenth is not only my birthday but Trini's. I don't think Trini would have let me choose it if it wasn't the million. After all, Trini spent as much time volunteering there as I did in school."
"Then, I say go for it all, girl," Aisha said smiling at her friend.
"Me too," Rocky said. All the others agreed. The team went back to the support area.
"Andrew, Howie. This is an amazing offer. Some people might consider me a fool for turning it down but winning the million would allow money for the new building and the money to fund it for a while. I have to believe that Trini led me to take this case for a reason. And I don't think she'd let the kids down that way. No deal, Howie."
Andrew nodded. He'd known all along that Kim wouldn't take the offer. His crew was already in place to start laying the foundation for the new building for the Haven. The connection was cut and he made the phone call to start the work.
"Okay, Kimberly. You know what we have to do next."
"Two more cases, Howie. I guess I'll start with case 16 since that's how old I was when I met Tommy."
"Kasie, would you please open your case?" Howie was almost nervous for the young woman. She had such confidence that her case held the million that it would crush her to find out otherwise.
"Hang in there, Kimberly. I have a good feeling." Kasie peeked into her case and gave Kim a thumbs up. "I thought so." She opened the case all the way, uncovering $1000.
Kim giggled. "I don't know how you've done it so far, Kimberly, but you've still got the million in play. Which case would you like next?"
Kim thought intensely for a moment. "Case 26. It's the closest I can come to Kira's birthday."
"Keltie?"
Opening her case, the young woman revealed $400. Kim, Kat, Tanya, and Aisha all started clapping. Kim chewed on her lip as the phone rang and Howie started listening to the banker's new offer.
Hanging up the phone, Howie looked intently at Kimberly. "He's impressed. He didn't think you'd turn down that last offer. To be honest, I didn't think you would either, after hearing it." He took a deep breath. "He says that for you to turn down that offer you would have to be completely certain that you have the million in your case."
"I am."
"A lot of other people have said that too, only to be disappointed when they find the million in another case. But since you want to continue, he has an offer for you. $224000."
Kim sagged a bit into Jason. She looked at her friends. "Kat, what do you think?"
"Are you willing to risk it all on the chance that the million is in your case?"
"I don't know." The choice was getting harder to make. She knew that the home needed the money and, as much as she wanted to win the million, she knew that her chances were still pretty good that she didn't have the million. "Adam?"
"Kim, at this point, you're down to opening one at a time. Try one more and then evaluate your chances."
"Rocky?"
"Kim, we all have faith in you. I'm with Adam. One more time."
"Aisha?"
"I side with the guys on this one. One more case."
Kim took a deep breath and looked down at the small stuffed dinosaur in her arms. Letting out the breath, she reached out and pulled the cover back over the case. "No deal, Howie." Her voice didn't sound as sure as it had been.
"Okay. Give me a number."
"22."
"Laura, open your case." The model held her breath as she looked in her case before dropping the lid to reveal $5000.
The phone rang, making Kim jump. "It's just the phone, Kimberly. You've heard it several times tonight."
"Not with so much riding on each and every case though, Howie. It's tension. That's all."
Howie answered the phone and listened carefully to the banker's words. When he hung up, he refused to look at Kim for a long moment. "You said there's a lot riding on each case and you're right. A million dollars could be in any one of the four cases up there. Or it could be in the case sitting next to you. The banker is aware of this. He knows that, for every case you open that doesn't hold the million, the chances get better and better that it's been sitting next to you the whole time."
Kim nodded with her lower lip between her teeth. "The offer, Kimberly Hart, is $299000. Think about it carefully and then answer this question. Deal or No Deal."
Kim looked at her friends and they all saw the tears gathering in her eyes and knew exactly who she was thinking of. She knew that Tommy had been adopted from the Haven by the Olivers when he was little but that Justin had also lived there for a while.
She bowed her head and buried her face in the small animal she held in her hands. "Tommy, what should I do?" she whispered, the sound heartbreaking to Jason who was the only one to hear her plea.
She looked up at Howie and then at the button. She was so scared. She reached out a shaking hand and closed the case. "No deal."
"One case, Kimberly. One more case."
Alike was the next to open her case. $100 was the amount she held.
The phone rang and Kim was hiding her head in Jason's shoulder. The offer was now at $350000.
"Kim, do you want to end this right now?" Jason asked her. He watched as she reached up to clasp the locket around her neck tightly in her hands. He knew that there were two pictures in that locket, Trini and Tommy. She shook her head. Jason reached out a stable hand and closed the case.
"No deal, Howie." Her voice trembled as she said it. Jason's mind turned to the way she would react when she saw Tommy again. He had noticed the way she kept moving to make sure that Howie couldn't reach her when he went to touch her shoulder or hand.
Howie stepped around the podium and, before either Kim or Jason could stop him, touched her shoulder. "Do you need a moment?"
He stepped back when Jason pushed his hand away from Kim's shoulder and the others automatically stepped to surround their petite friend. But what had driven him back the most was the way Kimberly had looked at him. The fear in her eyes was almost palpable.
"I'm fine," she whispered. "Let's continue."
"One case." Howie's voice was gentle, understanding what had happened to her just by the look in her eyes.
"18."
"Marisa, open your case please." $50000.
The phone rang and Kim was shaking before Howie even picked it up. The models all were looking at the young woman surrounded by her friends with sympathy in their eyes. They had figured out what had happened in her past just by the look in her eyes when Howie would reach out to her. "Kimberly, the banker would like to talk to you."
Kim nodded. Jason took the phone from Howie and handed it to her. She listened carefully for a few moments with her eyes closed. His voice sounded so much like HIS voice that she had to remind herself that this guy wasn't the one who had made her like this. When she was finished, Jason handed the phone back to Howie who hung it up.
"The banker wanted to tell her personally just how impressed he was with her. He's made an amazing offer. The offer is $500000. Of course, I don't need to remind you that if you open the million dollar case that offer is toast."
"I've come this far, Howie." Her friends stepped back as her voice grew stronger. "Let's go all the way."
"Okay. You have a choice of two cases. 15 or 4. Which will it be?"
"15. Let me see case 15."
"Brooke, your case please."
Brooke looked almost as nervous as Kimberly. "Do you want me to just open it?"
"Please," Kim responded. "Don't tease me. I don't think I can take it right now."
Brooke closed her eyes and flipped open the case. There was $300000.
Kim rested her head against Jason's shoulder, almost afraid to hear the new offer. Each offer had become harder and harder to refuse.
"I'm not going to tease with the offer. It's $650000. That would make you the biggest winner ever on this show."
Kim took a deep breath. She remembered Justin's face from when he was still living at the Haven and the gratitude his father had for the care they'd taken of him. She reached out her hand. "No deal, Howie. I've come this far. Let's finish this."
"Okay. Now, case 14 has been sitting beside you all this time. Case 4 is the only other case left. I'll offer you the chance to switch cases now. Think about it."
"14 is mine and Trini's and Tori's birthdays. 4 is Tommy's birthday." Tears started streaming down her face. "I don't know what to do."
"Kimberly." The voice was so soft at first that she was sure she was imagining things. He was in California with his class. "Kim."
She was almost afraid to turn and look behind her. Jason tapped her shoulder. "Someone wants to talk to you, sis." He took a hold of her shoulders and turned her around, lifting her face to look up by the door to the banker's box.
"Tommy?"
He smiled at her and ran headlong down the steps and onto the stage. Cautiously, he reached for the woman who still held his heart in her tiny hands.
Throwing herself into his arms, Kim threw her arms around his neck, tears pouring down her face as she felt truly safe for the first time in years. "I missed you, handsome."
"I couldn't wait for you to come see me. I had Andros bring me out here to be here for you."
"Tommy, what should I do?" she asked, looking up into his eyes.
"Do you believe that Trini led you to choose case 14?" At her nod, he continued his questions. "Why did you wait so long on case 4?"
"It's your birthday. I couldn't just eliminate it like that."
"Do you have faith that Trini would show you the right case?" She nodded. "Then, keep it. Trini would have had that same faith in you had she been in the same position."
"I'll keep 14, Howie."
Howie smiled sadly at the young woman, understanding how high her emotions were running at this point. He turned to the one model left standing on the steps only to find that all of the others had gathered around her as if they had to see the outcome of this highly charged game. "Lindsay, would you open your case?"
Lindsay opened her case as Jason opened Kim's. Lindsay had the $100000. Kim had done it. She was the biggest winner in the history of the show.
Burying her face in Tommy's neck, Kim squealed as he spun her around. "That's my pink Princess," he whispered in her ear as he held her tight.
"Only when I'm with you, Tiger."
The next thing anyone knew, their lips had met and they were kissing like the long-lost loves that they were.
A/N: I know this was a long chapter but I had already decided that it was going to be the last in this story. Let me know if you want a sequel to explain the trauma that made everyone so protective of Kim and her so skittish around guys that she doesn't know so well.