Chapter three:

Tommy sat at his desk, grading the pretest the students had taken that day during lunch. He had asked Kim to join him for lunch again, but she had turned him down, again, but this time she didn't seem to plan to change her mind. How could the same person who went out of the way to be everybody's friend be so cold and distance and not let anyone near her. If there was one thing Tommy knew it was that he would stop at nothing to win his one true love back, even if it was the last thing he did.

Of course he was being stubborn about it, but then again he was a power ranger, and all power rangers are stubborn, if they weren't they would have lost clear back in 1993 and he never would have had a chance to be a power ranger.

He was so deep in thought that he didn't notice that Elsa was standing in his opened door until she spoke, "You seem troubled Dr. O, are you having trouble with one of your students?"

Tommy jumped a little, as was expected, one doesn't become known as the world's greatest power ranger with him getting a little jumpy when he is snuck up upon, "No, I'm thinking about Kim. I know that people change but people don't change as much as Kim did without having something major happen in their life."

"I don't know Tommy, have you tried talking to her?" Elsa asked.

Tommy nodded his head, "Yes, but she won't tell me anything, I know that it has been ten years since I've seen her last, but I didn't think our relationship got this strained."

"It's hard when two people fall apart, sometimes it takes some time before things fall back into the way they are suppose to be."

Tommy looked at the principal with a look of amusement, "When did you become all wise and knowing?"

"It is just an observation I made."

"Can you observe a solution to my problem then Elsa?" Tommy asked.

Elsa smiled, as she stopped to think, "There's a little orphan girl that Anton and I have taken in, she seems to have taken a real shine to Kim and I think that Kim likes her too. Maybe if you take Little Olivia to something like the children's exhibit at the museum, you can talk Kim into going with you."

Tommy thought about it for a moment, "That might actually work," then a new thought crossed his mind, "You're just trying to get free babysitting!" he accused.

"Yes, the thought that if Olivia is with you that Anton and I will have some time alone did cross my mind. After all our first date together was as chaperones to the high school prom."

….

Tommy was on his way out of the school at the end of the day only to find Elsa and Anton waiting for him with a little girl with curly blonde hair. He moaned, apparently he was taking her to the museum with or without Kim.

"Hi, you must be Dr. O.; Elsa said you were going to take me to see the dinosaurs. I can't wait; did you know that dinosaurs lived thousands of years ago?"

"Yes I did, in fact my job is to teach teenagers all about dinosaurs." Tommy explained to the little girl, whose green eyes lit up with admiration.

"That is so cool. I want to be in your class when I'm old enough."

Tommy laughed at the little girl, so full of life, of energy, just like Kim was back when the two of them dated, "I'm sure that if I am still here when you start high school you can be in my class."

However Olivia was no longer paying attention to him, she had spotted Kim limping down the hallway, "Miss Kimmy!" she shouted throwing herself at her with such speed that Kim nearly toppled over if it wasn't for a senior boy that happened to walk past steadying her.

"Dr. O's taking me to see the dinosaurs," She announced, with so much spirit that Kim couldn't help but laugh at her love of life. If only she could see the world through the eyes of a little girl again, "Do you want to come with?" Olivia asked.

Kim's eyes went wide as she looked up at Tommy and the Mercers, they all were giving her hopeful looks, "I don't know if Dr. Oliver wants me to come along."

"Actually I would love for you to come along." Tommy piped up.

Kim pushed her free right hand through her hair; this was just like an old dream she used to have about being trapped in a room with Zack begging to let them do something. Black rangers always seemed to be the ones that thought of the most off the wall things, and were always disappointed when they were told no. "I don't think I can get into Dr. O's old pickup truck." She countered, that was a perfect excuse.

"That old pickup truck died the summer you left. I have a black jeep now." Tommy announced.

"A jeep still is hard to get into." Kim pointed out, determined to win this argument about rather or not she was going.

"What about your car, we could take it." Tommy suggested, only to realize that he had crossed the line with that one due to the fact that Kim suddenly looked down, as if ashamed.

"All I have is Kenny's old beat up car that he drove through high school and college." She admitted it was in worst condition than Tommy's old pickup ever was.

Elsa pursed her lips, "You can borrow my car, that way you don't have to move Olivia's booster."

Kim moaned, scratch that she wasn't trapped in a room with Zack; she was trapped in a room filled with black rangers, all of them out of the box thinkers that seem to dominate their color. "I don't think I can afford to go."

"Not a problem dear," Anton stated, opening his wallet, "I own the museum and Tommy has a free pass, which will allow him and a guess in for free, and this week all children get in free to celebrate the opening of the Children's Exhibit, and here is some money if you decide to go somewhere else. I understand there is a new lion cub at the zoo."

As if being cued Olivia piped up, "I want to see the baby lion."

Scratch being in a room of Black rangers, she was trapped in a room full of black rangers being supported by practical yellow rangers, whose whole purpose, was to discredit all of her excuses. "We won't have time to go to both the Zoo and the Museum."

"We can go to the Museum today and the Zoo tomorrow." Olivia piped up.

Both Tommy and Kim shot the Mercers dirty looks as they agreed with her. This had to be some sort of set up, and they had waltzed right into the trap.

…

Kim leaned heavily on her cane as she pretended to observe the skeleton of a Triceratops, while trying to catch her breath as discreetly as possible. She was enjoying herself, and loved how Tommy explained what kind of food the different dinosaurs ate and what the world was like when they were alive. At the moment they were a little bit ahead, Olivia dragging him around to anything and everything that catch her attention.

"What's that?" Olivia asked, pointing at an ancient Egyptian vase in the Egyptian exhibit.

Tommy frowned, "I don't know," He looked up, "Kim, you're our expert on human history, what is this."

He froze when there was no reply; he turned around, finding that Kim was nowhere to be found, "Olivia, have you seen Miss Kim?"

The little girl turned around in a circle, "I don't know she isn't here."

Tommy frowned, before lifting Olivia into his arms and heading off to find his old friend.

He found Kim sitting on a bench, massaging her leg. "You know if you told us that you needed to sit down we would have let you."

"To be honest, I thought I would be able to catch up before you realized I was gone." Kim explained, wincing as she stood up.

Olivia noticed that, and using all the tact a five year old has asked, "What's wrong with your foot? Did you hurted it?"

Kim laughed, "Yes, a long time ago," Kim nodded to the Tyrannosaurus Rex that they were standing by, "You know how Tommy told us how people put the bones together like a giant jigsaw puzzle?"

Olivia nodded her head, she had found that very interesting, and had wanted to do that too.

"Well," Kim continued, "I broke my foot so bad that doctors had to put it back to gather like a puzzle too. It makes my foot hurt, but I can still walk around."

Olivia's eyes grew round, "Can the dinosaurs still walk around too? Is that T-Rex going to eat us!" she demanded pointing to the fossils in front of them.

Tommy laughed, scooping her up, "I'm pretty sure that that T-Rex isn't going anywhere."

Olivia glanced at the dinosaur skeptically, as if she wasn't sure if she wanted to believe that it wasn't going to eat her or not. Luckily a five year old can be distracted from possibly hungry, man-eating dinosaurs by their stomach growling loudly, reminding them that it was time for dinner, "I'm hungry." She declared in case her two friends hadn't heard her stomach's complaint.

…

Tommy decided to take the two girls to Hayley's Cyber Café, even though he was certain he would get an earful from Hayley when she saw who he was with. Hayley only saw Kim as the girl who messed her friend up so badly he refused to date anyone else.

As he helped both Olivia, who laughed as he scooted her chair in, and Kim, who scowled at him; which caused him to remember a time when it was impossible to catch Kim not smiling. Where had those days gone?

It was slow that night, and Hayley came out to greet her friend, only to do a double take when she saw who he was with. She wasn't sure, but the girl that Tommy was with looked a lot like Kim did in all the pictures that Tommy refused to get rid of.

"Tommy I can't believe you, you turn down every blind date I set up for you, and now you turn up at my café with a better looking girl than I could have set you up with." She jested.

Kim snorted, she still had a hard time viewing herself as beautiful from after the accident, "I'm sure you're exaggerating."

Hayley shook her up, "I don't think so, Tommy, am I exaggerating?"

Tommy shook his head, "I never seen her hit it so straight on the head before."

"Stop." Kim ordered, she wasn't sure if she could handle any more of this feeling she felt bubbling inside of her each time Tommy complemented her or helped her with something. She couldn't understand this feeling. Tommy couldn't have feelings for her. Could he? She was just a broken down relic of her old self. What could Tommy possibly see in her now?

"I want a corn dog." Olivia announced bringing Kim out of her musing. Tommy ordered a cheeseburger and Kim had the same.

As they were leaving Hayley called out, "You know the three of you make a really cute family."

…

A/N: Done, ahead of schedule, maybe I will update Crippled Crane.