It was getting closer and closer to six o'clock, Jason and Kat would be there soon. Around five-thirty, Kim had been very surprised to see Tommy walk into the kitchen and start cooking dinner.
"Wow, so you can cook now?"
"Well, you know, you learn something new everyday. Like how easy it is to lose a whole month's paycheck trying to buy fast food for kids. They just wouldn't stop eating it. So, Trini came over and taught me how to cook."
"And daddy is the best cooker in the whole wide world." Said David loyally.
Kim smiled at him, then turned back to Tommy. "So do they come over often?"
When she said that, Tommy knew that she was referring to their old friends.
"Yeah, sometimes. They helped out a lot when the twin's were younger. The one who comes over the most is Jason. He doesn't live that far away from here now, actually."
"Uncle Jase is the best, mommy. Daddy says you and him used to be friends." Ann stated.
"Hey, we still are friends. We just haven't seen each other in a while." Kim said.
"Nuh uh mommy. Uncle Jase sawed you when you, when you um… when you woked up. That's it. When you woked up. You were taking a nap. And Uncle Jase was there. Then he left, and then you waked up."
"Really? He came to see me that day?" Kimberly asked Tommy. "Did he come often?"
"Well, we saw him there a lot. And we went every day. And yeah, he was there that day."
Kimberly just sat there. She hadn't really thought of all of her old friends coming to visit her. It just hadn't really hit her that it had been almost three years, yet. She had hardly gotten past the fact that she had two two-year-olds. It was just hard to accept that she hadn't really talked to any of her friends in over two years. But she was happy that they had visited her. However, she was a bit sorry that they had wasted time just sitting there, watching her sleep.
Just then, as Kim was sitting there thinking, the doorbell rang.
"I'll get it!" Cried David, sprinting towards the front door, as fast as his little legs would carry him. Tommy went after him, knowing that it was Jason and Kat, leaving Ann with Kimberly in the kitchen.
When Tommy got to the front door, he saw David trying desperately to let Jason in, so Tommy opened the door for him.
"Hey Uncle Jase." David said happily, when the door was opened to reveal his 'uncle' standing there, along with his wife of course.
"Hey David!" Jason said, lifting the little boy up into the air. "So what's up dude?"
"Nothin'." David replied. Tommy was relieved that he hadn't mentioned Kim, he was going to surprise them. And Jason would probably kill him for it, if he didn't drop dead of surprise first.
"Hey bro'." Jason said, clapping Tommy on the back after he had put David down.
"Hey Jason. Hi Kat." Tommy said in greeting to his old friends.
"Hey Tommy. Hi David." Kat said.
"Hi Aunt Kitty." David said shyly. He was still a little shy around Kat, because he didn't see her as often as he saw Jason. But after a while, he would forget about being shy, and be his usual happy and open self around her.
"Daddy!" Hollered Ann from the kitchen. "Dinner is beeping!"
Tommy rushed back to the kitchen, to save his dinner, so it wouldn't be burned. He knew that Jason would eat anything, but he wanted everything to be perfect for Kim.
When Tommy got back to the Kitchen, he saw Kim standing steadily on her feet, taking the lasagna out of the oven. He quickly went over to help her.
"Here, I'll take that. You don't have to do that." Tommy said hurriedly.
"No, it's ok, I like being able to do something. Besides I feel fine. And in case you haven't noticed, I am perfectly capable of standing on my own two feet. All of the walking I have done today has helped I guess."
"Fine, you can just put it right here on the stove, and I'll get it out of the pan."
"Right."
"Hey Tommy, is there anything you need me to do?" Jason asked coming in to the kitchen, not registering that there was another person there, who stopped dead at the sound of his voice. "Because, you know I am perfectly happy to offer my services, to set the table, for a fee of cour-."
Jason suddenly stopped talking, seeing, for the first time, that there was someone else in the kitchen. Someone familiar, someone he had known his whole life. His best friend in the whole world, his little sister.
"Kimberly?" Jason whispered hoarsely. "Is that really you?"
"Of course it's me. How many people are there in the world that look like me, do you think?" Kimberly answered, smiling, happy to see her 'brother' again.
At this, Jason rushed over, and gave Kim a bigger hug than he had given David. Also lifting her off of her feet, though not as high.
"Oh my God Kim, how did you get here? And when did you wake up? And why didn't you tell me?" Jason asked, rounding on Tommy, trying to look angry, but failing miserably. He was grinning like a Cheshire cat. "I am so gonna kill you bro'." But the threat didn't sound very real while Jason was smiling like that.
"Hey." Kim said. "Don't you dare touch him, mister."
"I thought it was easier this way." Tommy said. "And if it makes you feel better, she didn't know either. And besides she only woke up yesterday, it was a few minute after you left."
"Well, I guess it's ok if she didn't know either. Don't worry Kim, I have no plans on killing our beloved Tommy."
"You better not hurt my daddy." Ann said, before running out of the kitchen to find her Aunt Kitty.
"But what do you mean 'after I left'?" Jason asked. "I wasn't anywhere near the hospital yesterday. I was planning on visiting her today, until you called, then I postponed my visit until tomorrow, and I was going to bring Kat with me. And you can ask her, I wasn't at the hospital yesterday."
"If it wasn't you, then who was it? It sure looked like you. The twin's were all excited to see you, and you know how hard it is for them to be around strangers."
"Yeah, but that doesn't explain who it was. If they thought it was me, it must have been pretty convincing. For their age, they sure are hard to fool, they are the smartest two year-olds on the planet."
At this, Kim beamed with pride over her children. But then remembering something that Jason had said, she decided to ask him something.
"Did you say Kat? As in the Kat who used to be evil, then replaced me as the pink ranger, and for a while went out with Mr. Chef here?"
"The very same." Jason said, still looking confused, but distracted from the mysterious person who resembled him so much. He was happy to talk about his wife with his sister. "We met up again after the twins were born, when everyone was helping Tommy out. We decided to go out for some dinner together, just to talk about the good old days, and we decided to get together again after that. And a few months later, we decided to get married."
"You married Kat? Wow! So are there any other unexpected pairings that I should know about?" Kim asked.
"Well, let's see. I know they felt really bad about it, but the day you fell, Adam and Tanya got engaged. They told all of us at the hospital. They got married after the twin's were born. They had decided to wait for you to wake up. But after the twin's, things weren't really looking that great, and we all told them that you wouldn't have minded, as long as they had plenty of pictures to show you. And you should see all of those pictures! There are millions of them." Jason said, it sounded a bit to Kim as if he exaggerating a bit by saying millions. But you never knew.
"So, is that it, no one else?" Kim said.
"Well, it wasn't exactly what you'd call unexpected. But, when you got hurt, Trini and Billy re-met up, and they were going out for about a year and a half after the twin's were born, when he asked her to marry him. They however decided, that no matter how long it took they were going to wait for you. It was really Trini who said that, and Billy agreed with her, he knows how dangerous Trini can get." Tommy explained.
"Wow, you're right it wasn't really unexpected. But they are waiting for me? I can't believe they would do that. They are postponing the most important day in their lives, just so I can be there."
"Well, what do you expect? Trini and you are best friends. You can't just get married without your best friend." Jason said. "Besides, they have only been engaged for about a year. All you have to do is call up your studio, Kim, and ask to talk to the manager. Then you tell her, without introducing yourself, that you are waiting for a wedding invitation. If she doesn't faint in shock, you will go deaf from her screaming with excitement."
"I couldn't do that to Trini." Kim protested. "Besides, it more like something Rocky would do. Or you Jason."
Just then, all of the noise that was coming from the front room (a.k.a. Ann, David, and Kat) got so loud that the adults in the kitchen could hear it.
"Thomas Oliver! Get in here this instant! Your maniac children are trying to kill me." They heard Kat yell above all of the twin's laughter and they noise of them crawling all over Aunt Kitty.
"Well, as unwilling as I am to call Trini for an invitation, I think I'll go save Kat from my children." Kimberly said, marching off to the Front room, and the sounds of Kat dying.
"Ann! David! What on earth are you doing to Kat?" Kimberly asked. Yelling above all of the noise her maniac children were making.
"Hey mommy! Aunt Kitty is our mountain! And me and Davie are goin' mountain climbing." Ann explained matter-of-factly.
"Yeah mommy!" David's voice chimed in from somewhere on the other side of Kat. "We're climbing Mt. Aunt Kitty."
"Well, as much fun as that sounds, maybe Mt. Aunt Kitty wants a break from the mountain climbers. What if you go help daddy and your Uncle Jase? They are in the kitchen, making dinner."
"Ok mommy, that's sounds even more fun than bein' mountain peoples." The twin's said enthusiastically.
"Wow, thanks Kimberly. You have saved me form the crazed mountain climbers." Kat said, then, suddenly registering to whom she had just spoken, Kat practically screamed in amazement. "KIMBERLY! OH MY GOSH! You're here right now? You're awake? When did this happen? Oh my gosh, does Jason know?" Kat said, continuing by yelling to her husband. "Jason! Did you see who's here?"
"Yes Kat, I saw Kimberly, who happens to live here. I might add, so it's not really that unusual that she is here." Jason called from the kitchen.
"Oh very funny Jason. Ok Kim, so when did you wake up, and how long have you been here, and how come no one told me you were here, and does anyone else know?" Kat asked, all in one breath. But very happily, and ending her very long question by giving her predecessor a very big hug.
"I woke up yesterday afternoon. I came here this morning. Tommy has this thing about surprises apparently; he didn't ell me either. And as far as I know, no one else knows. But Jason is convinced that I should call Trini at my studio and ask her for a wedding invitation." Kim said, taking more breath's than Kat had, but hugging her back.
"You so should." Kat said, finally letting go of Kim. "It would make Trini so happy if you were the one that told her that you were awake, and that she could finally marry Billy."
"I don't know, I don't want to overexcite her." Kim said.
"Oh, some on. She won't care about being over-excited. She'll just be over-ecstatic that you are awake." Kat said. "Come on, just do it. Tell you what, now about you call her right now from my cell phone. That way, if something does happen to her blood pressure, which it won't, you can blame me. Better yet, borrow Jason's cell, so he can be blamed."
"Oh, alright. I guess it isn't that bad of an idea. Besides, blaming Jason seems like a good idea." Kim said.
"You bet. It is the most fun thing to do." Kat said. "I'll just go steal his phone for you."
When she came back, Kat handed her husband's phone to Kim.
"What did you tell him?"
"I told him that I needed to call the doctor because I think your children gave me a concussion. And my battery died." Kat told her.
"You did? What did he say?"
"He looked at me really funny, then handed me his phone. Then he exchanged one of those looks with Tommy that said he thought I was totally crazy, and Tommy gave him a look that said he agreed with him. But go on, you're delaying. You know the number, it hasn't changed."
So Kim slowly dialed the familiar number of her gymnastics studio and heard a very familiar voice answer he phone.
"Hello, Hart Gymnastics Studio. Manager Trini Kwan here, what can I do for you?" Trini's voice said through the phone, obviously not recognizing Jason's number on the caller id.
Kim took a deep breath.
"Hello, I was wondering if I could get a wedding invitation, I seem to have lost mine." There was some welcoming silence for a moment, as if Trini was processing what she had just heard, in her head. Then…
"AHHH!!!" Over the screaming, Kimberly heard a voice that she recognized as Billy's asking what was wrong.
"KIMBERLY!!! OH MY GOSH!!! IS THAT YOU KIMBERLY ANN HART? IS THAT REALLY YOU?" Trini said, still screaming, into the phone. In the background, she heard Billy drop whatever it was he was holding, and by the sound of it, it had landed on his foot.
"Yes." Kimberly said, very calmly for a person who had just been screamed at over a telephone by her best friend who she hadn't seen in years, and holding the phone about a foot away from her ear. "Yes, it is me, Kimberly Ann Hart. In the flesh, so to speak, seen as you can't see me."
"Oh my gosh! When did this happen?" Trini asked.
"When did I become Kimberly Ann Hart?" Kimberly asked, knowing full well that was not what Trini was asking. "Well, that happened about thirty yea-."
"NO! When did you being able to talk and make jokes and all of that stuff happen?" Trini asked excitedly.
"Yesterday, around five p.m." Kim answered.
"Oh my gosh Kim, I can't believe it's really you. I need to come see you right now." Once again, Kim heard Billy in the background. This time, telling his fiancé reasonably that they couldn't possibly go to Reefside at this time of night because it took so long to get there and Kim was probably tired out from her first day home.
"Oh Billy." Sighed Trini over the phone. "You know you want to see her too."
"Tell you what Trini." Kim interrupted. "How about I come to Angel Grove tomorrow. I need to see all of the damage that you have done to my studio sometime."
"Whatever you've heard, I swear I didn't do it." Trini said. Billy wanted to know what she had been accused of.
"Oh hey Kimmy." Trini continued. "Billy's here, and he wants to talk to you."
"Ok."
"Hey Kim. Can you hear me?" Billy asked, probably to make sure his fiancé hadn't rendered her permanently deaf.
"Loud and clear. So did you hear anything of what I told Trini."
"Nope." Billy said.
"Well, I suggested that I come up to Angel Grove tomorrow, so that I can see all of the damage she has inflicted upon my studio."
"That, is a superb suggestion." Billy said. "If you want, you can bring the twin's with you. Tommy most probably has to work."
"That's a good idea. Well, I should probably get going, Tommy invited Jason and Kat over and I think the kids want to eat."
"Alright, I think Trini needs to say good-bye to you now." Billy said.
"Yeah, she probably does. Well, I'll see you tomorrow."
"Ok, it was great talking to you again Kim."
"You too Billy."
"Kim?"
"Yeah Trini?"
"So, I'll see you and the little munchkin's tomorrow, right?"
"You bet you will. And I will see a damaged- beyond repair- unsalvageable- business, right."
"Totally." Trini agreed. "So, do you want me to tell anyone that you're coming back?"
"No, but try and see if you can gather some of the old group tomorrow at Ernie's for lunch. Any part of the old group, or I should say group's. I want to see everyone." Kim said. "And they'll probably want to see me as well."
"You got it." Trini said. "I'll see you tomorrow. And Kim, try to stay away from any balance beams."
"Deal. 'Bye Trini, I'll see you tomorrow."
"Bye Kimmy."
Kim hung up the phone and handed it back to Kat.
"Well, I can guess from what I was able to hear." Kat said, smiling because it would have been impossible not to hear Trini's scream. "She was happy to hear from you."
"Yeah, I guess she just a little happy. Not in the least bit excited though." Kim said in mock seriousness. "So, me and the twin's have plan's tomorrow in Angel Grove, what are you doing?"
"I, am taking the day off of work, so that I can drive you to Angel Grove, and have lunch with the old gang at Ernie's." Kat said matter-of-factly.
"Is that so? Well then I guess it's settled. But I think I should let Tommy know what I am doing."
So, Kim and Kat went into the kitchen, to see a feast laid out before their eyes. Kim told Tommy about her plans for the next day, and the twin's were excited to go visit their Aunt Tree. Then, they ate the wonderful meal that Tommy had prepared, with a little help from Jason and his children, in honor of his fiancé's homecoming.
Soon, little crane, soon.
Soon, you will see me, and your perfect little world will come crashing down around you.
A/N- So yeah, was that the reaction you were expecting? What do you think everyone else is going to do when they see her? And anyone have any ideas on who the mystery person/villain is? Just so you know, you'll never guess it. But if you do, I will be utterly amazed. And right now you need to press that button and review, because even though I already have it written out, I might change the next chapter a little bit if you have any good ideas for what could happen during the trip to angel grove.