Word Count: 2,742/?
Author's Note: Hey, so, I apologize for the long delay in updating. I got a bit distracted by broody Dwarf Kings and adorable Hobbit Burglars. :D Anyway, here's the first chapter. Let me know what y'all think.
Fae
Jacksonville, Florida; 11 February 1996, 1857
"I'm coming, I'm coming." Kimberly Hart opened the door somewhat impatiently. "What?" she asked shortly, without looking to see who was there.
"Well, gee. If I had known I would get that sort of reaction, I would have stayed in Angel Grove."
Kim stared in shock at the last person she ever expected to see at her door. Second to last. She blinked. "Rex?"
"One and only. You gonna let me in? Or do I need to head back to California where people actually appreciate me coming to visit them for their birthday?"
"Oh my god! No! Don't do that! Come in!" She stepped out of the way and let Jason into the apartment.
As soon as he set his bags down, she flung herself into his arms. He laughed and swung her around in a circle. "I missed you, Pinky."
"I missed you, too, Rex. But what are you doing here? I thought you were in Switzerland."
"I was, but you know me. Diplomacy isn't really my thing. I came back to the States about four months ago. I would have stopped in to see you on my way home, but Tara was having a little trouble adapting to life in Angel Grove and Mom asked me to come straight home and see if I could talk to her."
"Tara's in Angel Grove?"
"Yeah. She moved in with Mom and Dad about five months ago. All I got was that something bad happened with her dad so Aunt Echo asked them to look after her for a while."
"Is she all right?"
"She's doing better now. But she was struggling, so I went straight home to see if I could help."
"You should have brought her down to visit. I would have loved to see her again."
He shut the door. "Let's get comfortable first," he said. "It's kinda a long story."
"Sure. Come on in. Can I get you anything to drink?"
"I'm okay for now, thanks."
They sat down on the couch. "So?" Kim asked, tucking her feet up underneath her.
"It's like this. Aisha was offered a recording contract, and she decided to take it."
"Really? Wow. That's amazing. I didn't know she was into the singing thing? I thought she wanted to be a vet."
"So did she, but Adam had this extra credit project where he shot a music video. Aisha stared in it as a joke. Turns out some big wig producer saw it, liked it, and offered her a contract. She decided to take it. A week later, Tara moved in and Aisha, Billy and Zordon all agreed that Tara would be a good replacement. The guys welcomed her, but she was feeling a little overwhelmed. I went home and hadn't been there more than about an hour when Tommy showed up and asked me to help out."
"Doing what?"
"A Ranger from a planet called Triforia had come to Earth to help out against the Machine Empire, but he was having some health problems of sorts. He couldn't keep the Power, and Billy was unable to take it due to some radiation he absorbed when the Command Center exploded."
"The Command Center is gone?!" Kim exclaimed.
"Yeah, it is. But Billy, Alpha and Zordon had been working on a hidden underground chamber to use as a backup just in case. Anyway, I agreed to help out, and I became the Gold Zeo Ranger."
"Congratulations!" she exclaimed. "I know how much you missed it. Was it fun?"
"It was weird. Billy was the only one around from before. Other than Tommy, I mean. And I guess there was still a little lingering resentment towards Tommy taking over leadership of the team when he became the White Ranger."
"Aww, Jase. I'm sorry. I always did wonder why Zordon announced it like that."
He shrugged. "It's in the past now. We worked things out okay. Adam willingly let me take over Second, though Rocky felt a little left out at first, I think. I had fun."
"So, what happened?"
"The Gold Powers are alien in nature, and didn't adapt well to my human body. Towards the end, they started making me weak and I collapsed in the Youth Center. If I had kept the Powers much longer, I would have died. Fortunately, Trey was able to work out his problems in time to take the Powers back before they killed me."
Kim felt her stomach leap into her throat when she heard that he almost died. "But you're all right now. Right?" she demanded.
He laughed. "Yes, Mom. I'm fine. Once I gave the Powers up, I was back to normal in a few days. The only down side is that I can't ever be a Ranger again."
Kim reached out and put a hand on his arm. "Oh, Jase. I'm so sorry. I know how much you loved it."
Jason shrugged. "Yeah, well. I did my run, risked my life. It's someone else's turn now. I do miss it, though."
Kim nodded. "I know what you mean. Once it's been there inside of you for so long, it takes a while to get used to being without it again."
"Yeah, it does. It was bad enough the first time when I willingly gave up the Red Ranger Powers. But having them more or less taken from me is entirely different. I guess now I know how Tommy felt when Rita and Zedd stole the Green Ranger Powers."
The two of them sat in silence for a while before Kim finally spoke up. "So, how long are you staying?"
"As long as you can put up with me, Pinky," he replied with a grin.
"Seriously?"
"Seriously. The team's got everything under control and Tara's doing great. She's gained so much confidence being a Ranger. I got nothing pulling me back."
"In that case, you're never leaving," Kim said. "I've missed you so much, Rex."
"I've missed you, too, Pinky. Missed you, too."
12 February 1996, 0830
The two friends spent the rest of the day getting each other caught up on what had been going on in their lives. Kim went to bed around ten, since she had to get up early for training the next morning.
Jason stayed up a little later before crashing on the couch in Kim's living room. When he woke up the next morning, it took him a few minutes to place where he was.
After a quick shower, he wandered into the kitchen and found the note that Kim had left him.
Rex,
I'm off to training. Make yourself at home while I'm gone and I'll see you around 5:30. I left the spare key, in case you wanted to get out for a bit. Have fun and behave.
Pinky
He laughed to himself at her warning. He was always on his best behavior.
He checked the fridge and grabbed an apple. There wasn't much else, so he decided to go pick up some things. He spent about twenty minutes straightening up the living room before grabbing the spare key and heading out.
There was a grocery store around the corner and he picked up the things he needed to make Kim's favorite meal. He took those back to the apartment, then decided to go explore for a little while, before he had to start making dinner.
He changed into a pair of gym shorts and a tee shirt. He started a slow jog in the opposite direction of the store, keeping track of the roads so he'd be able to find his way back.
He found a dojo and stopped in to check it out. After sparring with a few of the students for a bit, he decided to head back to Kim's apartment and get started on supper.
He prepared his mom's famous vegetable lasagna, which was one of Kim's all-time favorite meals, mixing up a salad and homemade garlic bread as well. He put the lasagna in the oven around quarter 'til five, and headed in to take a shower. He put on a pair of khaki shorts, a white tank top and a red button down, with the top three buttons undone.
He hadn't worn red for a while, but with Kim, it felt right.
He put the garlic bread in the oven with the lasagna and began setting the table. He had just finished when he heard the front door open.
"Something smells good," Kim said, coming into the kitchen.
"I hope so. I made your favorite. Vegetable lasagna."
"You didn't have to do that, Jase," she protested.
"I know. But I wanted to. Now, go shower and change. Supper will be ready in a few."
"All right."
12 February 1996, 1807
Jason waited to take the food out of the oven until he heard the shower turn off. He served up the lasagna and salad, putting the bread in a basket on the table. He was just pouring the sparkling grape juice when Kim came back into the kitchen.
He couldn't help himself and stared at her for a few moments when she first came into the room. She looked beautiful.
Like him, she had gone back to her old color, with a low cut pink halter top that was paired with a pair of white Capri pants. Her hair was hanging loose around her face and she had put on a little bit of makeup.
He pulled himself together and turned back to the table. "I hope this turned out as good as when Mom makes it," he said, gesturing at the table.
"I'm sure it will be fine," Kim said, coming over to the table.
They sat down and Jason waited, hesitantly, as Kim took a bite. She closed her eyes to savor the taste.
"Mm," she said. "This is delicious."
"I'm glad. I wasn't sure if it would turn out the same."
"It's pretty close," Kim said.
"So, how was training?"
"Hard. But Coach Schmidt says that I'm one of the best chances to medal at the Games."
"That's fantastic. You'll get me a ticket, right?"
"Of course, Silly."
"Good. I'm looking forward to watching my Princess bring home the gold."
Kim's breath caught in her throat and she stared at him. He mentally kicked himself when he realized what he had called her. He hadn't used that nickname since Tommy came along. He opened his mouth to apologize.
"Anything for my Knight," she replied, cutting him off.
His eyes darkened. "I thought that was Tommy's nickname," he said, wanting to make sure she knew what she was getting into.
"It was yours first," she whispered.
"Damn straight it was."
They were both acutely aware of the tension in the room. Kim licked her lips and Jason followed the movement with his eyes, his breath quickening. "Kim," he began, his voice strangled.
"Jason, I-"
She stopped and they stared at each other.
As if reading each other's minds, they stood up, reaching for each other. Jason tangled his fingers in her hair, pulling her in for a kiss. Kim's arms snaked around his neck, her fingers running through his hair.
She parted her lips in silent invitation, which he greedily took advantage of, deepening the kiss.
She slid her arms down, finding the buttons on his shirt and quickly unbuttoning it, pushing the shirt off his shoulders. He dropped his arms, letting the shirt slide to the floor.
"Are you sure about this?" he asked, his breathing ragged.
"Yes," she whispered.
He swept her into his arms and carried her down the hallway to her bedroom, kicking the door shut behind them.
12 February 1996, 2039
Two hours and another shower later, Jason and Kim were back in the kitchen, cleaning up their now cold supper in silence. They both knew they had crossed a line that couldn't be erased, but neither one knew how the other felt about it.
They ended up in the living room, with Kim curled up on the couch and Jason sitting on the nearest chair, as they watched TV, again, in silence.
Finally, Jason got tired of the silence and turned the TV down. "Kim, I think we need to talk."
She sighed, but nodded slowly. "Yeah," she agreed. "We do."
"I don't regret it."
"Neither do I."
"But we crossed a line. I don't know if we can go back. I don't know if I want to go back."
She started to say something, but he raised his hand and cut her off.
"Just hear me out, okay?"
She nodded and he continued.
"One of the reasons Emily broke up with me was because of the Ranger thing. But the other reason was because she knew there was someone else. I- Kim, I love you. I've been in love with you for as long as I can remember. But your friendship meant too much to me, so I didn't say anything because I didn't want to risk losing you. Then Tommy showed up and you were so happy and that's all I've ever wanted for you, so I stepped back and forced myself to be content as your big brother."
Again, she started to speak, but he cut her off again.
"I can't do it anymore. I don't know if you feel the same and I don't blame you if you don't. I just know that I can't go on like this. I don't want to lose what we have, but if you're uncomfortable, I understand and I'll back off."
Kim just stared at him for a few moments. "Jason, I- I don't know what to say."
He gave her a sad smile before standing up. "Then don't say anything. I understand. I'll stay out of your way for the rest of the night, and I'll be gone before you get home tomorrow."
"Oh, Jason." She came up behind him and wrapped her arms around his waist. "That wasn't what I meant. I've waited so long to hear you say that, but now that you have, I don't know how to respond."
He turned around and looked down at her. When he started to speak, she put her hand over his mouth.
"Nuh-uh. It's my turn now. Jason, I've been in love with you for forever. All through junior high, I waited, hoping that when we got to high school, you'd give me some indication that you saw me as something more. But you never did. I was just your little sister. I kept hoping, though. Right up through that tournament where Tommy moved to town. Even before we started dating, he made it clear that he saw me as a young woman. As far as I knew, all I'd ever be was your little sister. So, when Tommy asked me to the dance, I said yes."
She paused for a moment to gather her thoughts. "I tried to convince myself that what I felt for him was real love and what I had felt for you was just a teenage crush. It never really worked. When I came down here, and got away from him for a while, I realized that I didn't really love him. I mean, I love him. But I'm not in love with him. Jason, you're the only one who has ever truly understood me. You're the only person who knows everything about me. All of my hopes, my dreams, my fears. You've always had a special place in my heart and I've always loved you. If you're willing to give us a shot, I want this. We've wasted so many years and I don't want to waste any more."
Jason leaned down and kissed her. "Kim, you have no idea how happy you've made me. This wasn't quite what I had in mind when I made dinner tonight, but I'm really glad it worked out this way. I love you and I would be honored if you'd be my girlfriend."
Kim smiled up at him. "I would love nothing more."
They kissed again and she rested her head against his chest as he wrapped his arms around her and rested his chin on the top of her head, just holding her close.
"I love you, Pinky."
"I love you, too, Rex."
