Part 5

The sun began to set several long minutes later, casting shadows over the clearing where Tommy and Kimberly still stood wrapped in each other's arms. They weren't speaking, seeming loathe to break the silence now that they'd taken that first step.

But, as with all things, that comfortable silence couldn't last.

Kimberly finally stepped out of Tommy's arms and away, lifting her gaze to his face as she did so. His arms fell back to his sides as he stared at her. She searched for some kind of shift in his posture, something to indicate that they could move forward. Something to indicate that if she opened her mouth to speak she wasn't about to get her head ripped off again. His gaze was guarded, giving nothing away, and couldn't have screamed "I don't trust you" more even if he'd said it. Despite the mile stone they'd just hit, Kimberly knew that a discussion and a hug were but baby steps to repairing the damage she'd done – if it could be done at all.

"Can I ask you a question, Tommy?"

He nodded, not speaking, and she wondered if he was as choked up as she felt.

She folded her hands together, wishing she dared touch him again. "Do you think we can talk about this like rational adults now? There's more to be said-"

He arched his eyebrows and she stopped. "More, Kim? What more could you have to say to me? I have the answers I need. They're not the ones I expected or wanted to hear, but I appreciate your honesty – now anyway."

"Tommy, I-"

"Stop." He held his hand up. "Just stop. You've done enough, Kim. Let's take you home; you've given me a lot to think about."

She nodded, turning her face away. She shouldn't have expected more. What had she expected? That'd he'd tell her all was forgiven after almost thirty minutes of screaming at one another? That he'd ask her to reconsider her choices now that everything was laid out - as it should have been before – between them? That he'd take her in his arms and kiss her? She didn't know what she'd expected, but Tommy asking for his space hadn't been it.

"If that's what you need. There's just one other problem we need to talk about before I leave."

"I think we've said enough for one night."

"The Pink Ranger powers, Tommy." She took a deep breath, gathering the shreds of her courage and meeting his gaze head-on once more. "What do you think we should do about them?"

The question was like a low blow after their previous screaming match, but she couldn't pull this punch. If he didn't want her taking them back, she wouldn't. The cohesiveness of the team depended on being able to trust one another, to rely on each other. Without it, the Power Rangers would be vulnerable to a myriad of strategies. Tommy simply stared at her, his thoughts hidden completely behind a neutral façade. It was one she recognized well; one that indicated he was thinking it through. She waited patiently, knowing he'd answer her once his thoughts were organized.

He finally spoke. "I think the Pink Ranger Powers are yours by right, Kim. It would be wrong for Katherine to give them to anyone else."

"Even if it means I may not be able to commit myself to this first?"

"You know as well as I do that the only reason Rita interfered was to try and remove you from the team – she succeeded but not in the way she'd hoped. I think Rita was intending to try and corrupt the pink powers the way she did the green. Katherine has tried, and she's done a good job as the Pink Ranger, but…" He stopped, his gaze intense for a few moments before looking away awkwardly.

"But she's not me."

The silence between them was uncomfortable.

"We've gone through Ranger changes before, Tommy, why should this one be any different?"

"Because of you, Kim. You."

"You're the one who encouraged me to leave!"

"I encouraged you to follow your dream – and look where it got us." The bitterness was back in his tone. "Back to square one; before square one. I felt like I was under one of Rita's spells again and powerless to affect my own future."

She paled, remembering how much he'd hurt during his captivity and the aftermath. Their friendship had been forged in that trying time and the difficult events to follow. It was one of the reasons he'd been able to read her like a book, and she him. "Tommy, I never meant to take your choices away from you."

"Meaning to or not, you did, Kim. You turned me back into that puppet who could only watch as things went south." He stopped, inhaling deeply to regain his focus. "But that's not what we're trying to talk about. Are you going to accept the powers back from Kat?"

"Do you think I should?"

He nodded once.

"Now the real question - would you like me to? You've already made it plain you can't trust me, Tommy – how are you going to be able to count on me to watch your back when you believe I'm just going to betray you once more."

"You never let me down as a Ranger Kim, just as my girlfriend."

"In other words you can trust me in some ways but not others."

"Something like that. Don't tell me you're surprised."

Just hurt, but she wasn't about to admit it – she deserved it after what she'd done to him. She deserved a lot more than what he'd already thrown at her. "Not really, no." She inhaled deeply, willing the action to calm her nerves. "But I won't lie to you, Tommy. I go to Pan Globals in just over a month and my training schedule is going to be as absorbing as it was when we first tried this. Are you sure the team can deal with an absente Ranger until the competition is over."

He smiled humorlessly. "We've been dealing with an absentee Ranger for a while Kim. With Jason back as the Gold Ranger, we'll manage. Follow you dream, win your medals, and when you've reached that pinnacle maybe you'll have time for your friends again."

Her heart jumped in her chest and she couldn't bring herself to ask the all important question. Could they be friends again after everything that had happened? She managed a nod. "I'll accept those terms on one condition."

He arched his eyebrows, a clear gesture of incredulity at her audacity. She didn't deserve any considerations and she was going to ask for them anyway. Grudging respect was etched in his features at the gall of her statement.

It bolstered her confidence and she found herself smiling despite the seriousness of the situation. "If you don't think our past will interfere, Tommy, and you don't mind an absentee Ranger some of the time – and you're sitting front and center when I go to Pan Globals, I'll do it."

"No way."

She flinched with how quickly he'd responded, almost as if he'd been prepared to turn her down no matter what. "Then the Pink Ranger will be retired and you can fight Mondo and his goons without the Megazord."

She had him. In that moment, with her logic and - yes - blackmail, she had him. Tommy had always put the fate of the World, the well-being of everyone else above his own. He'd always put others first. It was a weakness she knew well, and one that had put his life on the line day after day. He glared at her and in that moment she could see he hated her for twisting him around to her way of thinking. He hated her for manipulating him – and doing it shamelessly. And then he surprised her.

"Then I have a condition of my own."

"Name it."

"Don't be so fast to agree, Kim," his smile was tinted with malice. "You may not like it."

"Name it."

"You move back to Angel Grove once Pan Globals are done and dedicate yourself to being a Ranger no matter what offers you might get."

Damn him. "Why would I want to move back here, Tommy? You're the only regret I had when I left and you certainly don't want me around now!"

He reached out and grabbed her by the shoulders, stopping the unconscious backwards step she'd been about to take. "Kim, if you're going to be a part of this team again, you have to be here. You'll have accomplished your dream. You'll have competed in the Pan Globals and you can't tell me you want to be a gymnast for the rest of your life – I know better."

"I can't, Tommy." Her words were laced with misery as she shrugged off his hold. "To come back here would be like rubbing salt in old wounds."

"Or giving them a chance to heal. Do it for me Kim; you owe me."

Put like that it wasn't really much of a choice at all. She owed him more than he was asking, and he was right. Pan Globals were her goal, no matter what other opportunities might pop up after the fact; she'd not intended to continue her career as a gymnast. She wanted to go to college or university and make something of the other dreams she had. She wanted to be more than just that girl who could tumble across the mat – she wanted to make something of her future.

But to return to Angel Grove? To the place where her hopes and dreams had started and centered mostly on the man in front of her? Could she do it? Could she come back and try to pretend everything was as it had been - that nothing was wrong and life as a Ranger was all she wanted? Could she go back to being a part of the gang, knowing she wouldn't really be a part of it? Knowing that every one of them knew of her and Tommy's history and were speculating on when the old hurts would interfere with their jobs as Rangers?

"You're right, I do owe you." Her response was soft. "I owe you a lot more than my return to the Rangers or moving back to Angel Grove. I owe you the months of uncertainty and pain I put you through, and the support to do whatever it is you want in life, Tommy. I owe you and it's a debt I can never repay because I don't know if you'll let me that close ever again."

"I can't forgive you, Kim, not yet anyway. But I'd like to try."

Her heart hammered painfully against her ribs. "Does that mean we can be friends again some day?"

"I hope so, but until I work through this in my head, I don't know."

"That's more than I hoped for."

"It's more than you deserve."

"I know." Her smile was wan. "If this is going to work, Tommy, we're going to have to be civil at the very least."

"I can do that – can you?"

Nodding, she wisely held her tongue; she wasn't the problem.

Kimberly had long ago accepted the fact that Tommy would likely never forgive her. That he wanted to and was willing to let her back into even a corner of his life was something she hadn't dared hope for. Not after everything that had passed between them and especially not after he'd learned of her failed relationship with Jason. She'd tired to shield him from that part of the truth, not wanting to hurt him more deeply than she had, but someone had said something to him. She didn't yet know who – though she suspected Jason had done it inadvertently with the impression that she'd already told him.

That Tommy and Jason were friends once more gave her hope.

If Tommy could forgive his best guy friend of stealing his girl – though she doubted he saw it quite that way – it was possible that at some point down the road he'd be able to forgive her too. For now, she would have to concentrate on doing her part once she was again part of the Ranger's team. And she'd have to try and convince Kat to stick around. Jason's actions at the hospital had revealed a deeper attachment to the blonde than she'd realized and she suspected Kat was the reason Jason had wanted to remain only friends with her. Not that she minded. Jason was a great guy; he just wasn't the guy for her.

Tommy was watching her, and she wondered if her thoughts were plain on her face. "If we've settled what we need to, Kim, I'd suggest getting you back to Kat sooner rather than later – and Zordon needs to be informed."

"Do you think he'll object to this? I mean, I don't think having me take back the pink power coin was what he had in mind."

"I'd rather have a Ranger we can call in the event of an emergency than know that one of the power coins was retired because of me. I don't know why, but this just… just feels…" he paused. "It feels right."

"Will I be a distraction in uniform, Tommy?"

He smiled that half-smile that always sent her heart racing but this time it was accompanied by a surge of emotion she didn't dare examine too closely. "Knowing you're there to back me up, that I don't have to worry about you because I already know your abilities, will help, Kim."

"Then you remember having to rescue me more than once?"

He grinned at her dry comment. "I think that comes with the territory of being a Ranger. We rescue each other on a regular basis, not just the Pink Ranger. Let's get back; Zordon should be expecting us."

She accepted the hand he extended, curling her fingers around his as he teleported them away.

Author's Note: Yes, this is growing into a much longer story than I'd initially intended to write. It's not over yet, so hang in there, parts 6 & 7 coming soon.