DISCLAIMER: Nope still not mine. Just borrowing.
SUMMARY: Tommy and Jason have gone to Tara's apartment after their respective after-school activities only to find her not there.
A/N: I know that some of you are anxiously waiting for updates to Haunted and Hunted and Different Shade. I just don't know where I'm going with them right now. Please just bear with me.
Tommy straightened up from where he'd been leaning on the doorframe. "Where else could she be?"
"I – I don't know man. Why didn't she just come home?"
"Maybe because she knew we'd come here looking for her." Tommy had a thought that scared the hell out of him. "You don't think she got hurt coming home, do you?"
"No way. Even when she's mad at someone, she's still careful. Let me think for a moment." Jason turned around a couple of times in the living room. Suddenly, he pulled out his cell phone and called his own house.
"Come on, Tara. Let's go shopping." Tara shot Kim a terrified look. "What? It's perfect. You want to learn to deal with people? We'll start with shopping."
Standing up, Kim set aside her guitar and took the one that Tara held and set it aside as well. Grabbing Tara's hand, Kim pulled her friend to her feet and started for the door.
The two had just locked the front door behind them when the phone inside started ringing. "Shouldn't you answer that?" Tara asked, desperate for anything that would postpone this dreaded shopping trip with Kim.
"Nope. That's why I got an answering machine."
Tara found herself in the car before she could voice another protest.
"This is Kim and Jason's machine. We're obviously not here right now. Just leave a message at the tone and we'll catch you on the flip side."
"I hate that damn machine," Jason growled as he closed his phone. "There's no answer at the house. Kim should be there now."
"Maybe we should go over there."
"Better idea. I'll drop you off at my place to wait for them."
"And where are you going?" Tommy asked, leaning on the doorway again. "You don't have a clue as to where they might be."
"We're talking about Kim, bro. You know as well as I do that she's likely shopping."
"Would she have dragged Tara along?"
"I don't think so. She's had to talk Tara through several attacks and she hates seeing her like that almost as much as I do. But I'll probably go check the mall."
"I guess I don't mind waiting at the house to see if Tara shows up there." Tommy was worried and by the look on his face, so was Jason. "Just make sure that you call me if you find them."
"Will do, man. Of course that's after I have a few words with Kim and Tara for worrying me like this. Kim should know better than to run off without a word to anyone. Especially after that little incident three years ago."
Tommy's face grew dark as he remembered what had happened.
FLASHBACK
It was Jason and Kim's first real visit to Reefside.
Kim had just released her first album and was taking a break between the release date and her first tour date. The two former Rangers decided to take a trip to Reefside and surprise their friend.
The brunette hadn't told Jason, who was head of her security detail, that some guy had been stalking her since her days as a gymnast. Hell, she hadn't even told Tommy. At least not directly.
She had sent Tommy a letter, in which she broke up with him. She had been trying to protect him from the psycho that had been trying to get to her since she'd arrived in Florida.
"Jase, I'm just going to step outside and look around a little!" she called as she picked up her purse. She didn't think there was any way the guy could have followed her here. Her record label didn't even know where she was right now. She had only told them that she'd be there for the first date.
"Okay. Just be careful."
"No problem. Catch you on the flip side."
She was out the door before Jason could formulate a decent reply.
Walking down the street, Kim was happy. Reefside was so much like Angel Grove that she could picture herself living here. At least in between tours. Her label had told her that she was on her way to becoming the number one female solo artist in the nation.
"There's my pretty girl." The voice came from behind her.
"What do you want?"
She wanted to turn around but decided against it when she felt the cold steel of a pistol pressed into the small of her back. "You thought you'd gotten away from me didn't you? You should know better."
"Let me go."
"No. You're coming with me and we'll be together forever." He started walking her down the street.
No one had expected Tommy to be heading toward them at that very moment. "Kim?" He was surprised all right. He hadn't expected to see Kim in Reefside.
"Hey, Tommy. How are you?" She was hoping he didn't notice how stiff she was walking or that she was trying to keep him from seeing the guy right up against her back.
"Man, don't you think you should back off? I don't think the lady appreciates you being that close to her."
"You better get lost, hero. Unless you want to be the one to take a bullet on the lady's behalf." The psycho flashed his gun at Tommy.
"Bad move, creep. You just pissed him off." Kim was rolling her eyes. She couldn't believe how stupid this guy was.
"Kimberly, shall we dance?" Kim remembered that line. He'd used it once before and they had fought side by side.
"I'd love to, Tommy." She flashed her hand out and he grabbed it, pulling her towards him. He stepped into her and rolled her over his back. She kicked the guy in the face on her way over Tommy's back.
Unfortunately, it wasn't enough force to knock him out. Tommy managed to keep himself between the attacker and Kimberly for the most part.
It was one moment when Tommy had been trading blows with the guy and was off to Kimberly's right side. The psycho lunged for Kimberly, grabbing her around the neck and yanking her in front of him just before Tommy launched a spinning back kick at his face.
"Let her go." Tommy was speaking from between clenched teeth. He wanted Kim safe and she was right in the middle of danger yet again.
"No. She's coming with me. She's mine."
"If she's anyone's, she's mine. She was mine long before you ever heard of her."
Kim was fighting the guy's grip but she couldn't seem to break free. Suddenly, Tommy heard a sharp indrawn breath from behind him and he quickly signaled Kim to cover her ears.
Kim did and suddenly, a scream rang through the alley. The guy let go of Kimberly and fell to his knees holding his ears. Kimberly ran to Tommy and just then, Jason ran up.
"What in the hell is going on here?" he yelled when he saw Kim with her head buried into Tommy's chest.
Tommy explained the whole thing to Jason who then turned to the Yellow Ranger and thanked her.
"That's what we do. You of all people should know that," she said, surprising him. "I know who you are, Mr. Scott."
"Thank you, Kira," Tommy said.
Kira powered down. "No problem, Dr. O."
Jason pulled Kim aside. "You want to explain what that psycho wanted?" Tommy walked up beside Jason and looked at Kim as well.
"He's been trailing me since I was a gymnast. He keeps telling me that he and I are meant to be together."
"And you didn't think that I should know this as your head of security?" Jason hadn't spoken to her like that since they were little kids.
"I was trying to keep you from getting involved."
"I'd be willing to bet that's why you wrote that letter to me," Tommy spoke up. Kim nodded.
"I was afraid that he'd come after you in order to get to me." Kim bowed her head to hide the tears that had started flowing down her cheeks. Now, Jason was upset with her and Tommy wasn't happy with her either.
"Kim, you should have told us. We could have helped." Jason had turned away to call the police. Tommy pulled Kimberly into his chest and held her until the cops showed up and took the guy away.
FLASHBACK ENDS
"I know. But you know Kimberly, bro." Tommy smiled sadly at his friend as they went to leave Tara's apartment.
"I do indeed. She's always so independent. I'm still terrified that that sicko is going to show up again. We know he went to jail but according to what I heard he's probably out by now and looking for revenge."
"We'll just have to have a talk with Kim. She won't want to endanger Tara like that." Tommy had noticed just how protective of his newest friend the former Pink Ranger was.
"She considers Tara like a little sister. She'll protect her almost as fiercely as I do."
The two guys kind of chuckled. They knew Kimberly; she protected her friends like a mother bear protects her cubs.