All complete.
Chapter Twelve-Fixing A Friendship
Later, after sunset, Dr. Oliver once again came out of the Command Center. He spotted Kim on the boulder, her legs kicking in the air.
The teens had gone home ten minutes before and for once, in a long time, Dr. Oliver found found himself relieved to be alone with his ex.
"Hi," He said softly as he sat next to Kim. A good foot between them.
"Hi." she said back turning to him with a weak smile.
"How are you feeling?"
"Weak." she answered. "The energy used for my Pterodactyl Power Coin drained me."
"I know the feeling."
An awkward silence fell between them.
Kim looked over to Dr. Oliver. He looked nervous and she nearly gasped as she realized she could still read him so well.
"What is it?" she asked with a groan. "You going to blame me for Trent's kidnapping?"
The paleontologist stared at he in disbelief, but calmed not wanting to argue.
"Kim," he sighed. "We need to talk."
"About what?"
"Us, what we've become to one another."
"We have drifted apart."
"A tidalwave crashed betwen us is more like it."
Kim smiled.
"We used to be friends." she said.
"Not really." Dr. O sighed. "We were never friends. We were more like..."
"...like a couple dancing around the inevitable."
"What do you mean?"
Kim sighed and looked him in the eye.
"Tommy, I liked you from the moment I first laid eyes on you. I knew, I wanted to get to know you. After you were turned good, I wanted to be closer to you. I've always wanted to be more than a friend with you."
"You've got a point." Dr. Oliver said. "When I first saw you, I thought you were cute and friendly and I wanted to get to know you better. I think being near you was reason for my forgetfulness."
He smiled and she smile back.
"I remember when you first asked me out." Kim said wistfully. "By the lake."
Dr. Oliver's smile brightened at the pleasant memory.
"Yeah, I remember how nervous I was."
"Well, I found it cute." Kim smiled cheekily at him. "Tough guy, Tommy Oliver, all shy over a girl."
"I'm not the one who blushed everytime."
"Liar."
"Yeah."
They laughed.
"Kim," Dr. O said after the laughter had ceased. "What did you see in Trevor Lincoln in the first place?"
Saying he didn't like the guy who took her away for him was an understatement. Even if he hadn't stolen Kim, Dr. Oliver wouldn't have been his friend or even an associate.
Kim frowned as the conversation turned serious. The last thing she wanted to think about was her ex-husband.
The tall brown haired man with hazel eyes was charming and as sly as a fox with the smile of a crocedile.
"At first, he was sweet and kind and befriended me right away." Kim began. "He... well... after a monthkissed me and I liked it. I felt ashamed. So, I wrote the letter so if things got further, I wouldn't end up cheating on you."
Tears were now in her eyes and the tip of nos was turning pink.
"After I told him I was available, he asked me out. We dated for about a month before he became controlling." Anger now tinged her voice. "He started out with little things, like my hair is better cut a few inches past my ears or the place I decided we should have dinner is too busy.
"He a couple of weeks of subtle changes and I thought he was trying to help me out, but quickly I learned those changes he was stating was his way of controlling me." She paused."He began telling me what to eat, what I should wear, and who I should be around. By the time he told me to break all ties with my male friends from Angel Grove, I couldn't take it."
"That's when you came to Angel Grove University fo one semester." Dr. Oliver interjected.
"Yeah."
Silence.
That Spring semester Kim came to AGU and they ran into each other on campus. They began talking and quickly became friends. A couple of weeks later, they began a romantic relationship.
Things were great at first, just like old times. They encourage each other in what every the other did.
One night, Dr. Oliver and Kim decided to share their bodies. It was a special night for both of them.
A couple weeks later, Trevor showed up and begged Kim to take him back. She told him she didn't want him and she was seeing someone else. Trevor pretended he understood.
Another week and both Kim and Dr. O were inited to a party.
There was drinking and they over did it. The night was a blur to both and towards the end Tommy foung Kim in another room with a strange guy. (After Kim married Trevor,she found out the guy was a friend of her husband's.) He shirt and bra were gone.
Oliver found her shirt and shoved it back over her head before dragging her out of the place.
The next day, their relatioship was over. Kim stayed until the end of the semester, then she flew back to Florida. There, she met up with Trevor again. They started dating, became engaged, ad married.
After Kim married Trevor, he insisted she break all ries with her friends from Angel Grove. She did so without question, too ashamed of her actions at that party.
A sigh escaped Kim's lips as she stared inot Dr. Oliver's eyes.
"I'm sorry, Tommy." she said softly. "For everything. All of our problems are my fault."
"No, they're not. I never called after the letter. I could have forgiven the kiss. I was the one who ended things in college. I'm the one who always let you go."
"No, you're not."
"Yes, I am." Dr. Oliver said firmly. "Tell me, whould you have gone to Florida, if I had asked you to stay like my haert told me to?"
"No."
Nodding he continued on.
"And wasn't it I who ended our relationship the last time? I absolutely wouldn't listen to you reasons."
"Yes, but..."
"No, buts. We're both to blame here."
"I've lost touch with everyone. They probably all hate me."
"They don't hate you. Not even Kat." he reassured. "They're worried sick. For the longest time we weren't sure if you were dead or alive."
A chuckle came from his chest as he smiled mischeviously at the woman.
"They'll probably give you a mouth full and have you stay with each and every one of them just to catch up... and to make you do their bidding for awhile." he added.
Kim laughed warmly at the thought.
"That's not too bad."
She flashed him har beautiful smile.
"Of course, I'll be first then Billy."
"Billy? You mean he's home, on earth, for good?"
"Yeah, he's visiting me at the moment."
"Probably worried sick."
"Yeah."
Another silence, this time there was no awkward tension as they stared off into the blackened horizan.
"So, are we friends again?" Kim finally asked.
Dr. Oliver thought for a second, then smiled his most charming smile.
"Yeah, we're friends."
Kim smiled back and hugged him tightly.
Everything was going to be okay.
Meanwhile, Tommy and Kimberly walked down the long street to Aisha's house. They were silent for most of their walk. The weight of the events of the day weighing on them plus the doubts in their relationship caused by their adult selves bickering.
"Tommy?" Kimberly began tentatively, stopping. "The last couple of days have been really wierd."
Tommy looked down at his girlfriend.
"Yeah, Rangers from the furture, a new evil, and Trent's kidnapping." He said
"A lot has happened. I wonder what they want with Trent."
"I'm afraid it's probably the worst."
"Yeah," Kimberly paused. "Poor Kira. I didn't even know how she felt for him."
"Neither did I . God! What am I going to tell my parents?
"Tell them he's with Rocky for the night. They have the same history class."
"See, that's why I love you. You're so smart."
Kimbarly smiled brightly at her boyfriend before she thought of Dr. Oliver and Kim's relationship.
"But how long will you keep thinking that?"
She tucked her hair behind her ear and shifted.
"They can't get alon to save their lives. In our case, could possibly be so."
Tommy nodded.
"I wonder what happened. I can't ever picture myself ever being mean to you, unless under a spell."
"I feel the same about you." Kimberly said. "But look at them. It's not right. Even when you were evil, I never thought of you in a negative way."
"Never?"
"Iwas concerned."
"Understandable."
Tommy pulled her into a hug, hoping to get rid of her insecurities, and his, in their relationship.
"We shouldn't worry about what's going on between Kim and Dr. Oliver." He told her. "It's not our problem."
"But it will be."
"Kim , no matter what happened between them, that will happen between us, I can never hate you forever. Everthing will be okay."
Kim smiled up at him. She stood on her tiptoes to kiss him his cheek.
"Thanks, you always know how to make me feel better."
"That's only because I love to see your smile. It always makes me feel better."
"I love your smile too and I can't hate you forever either."
Feeling a little better, the couple continued their walk, hand in hand.
Next Up: The Ranger's find out what happened to Trent.