A/N: hey guys. Sorry it took so long to get this chapter out. It took me like 32 pages or so. I think you guys might like it. Oh and I know I forgot in the prologue but here's how old everyone is;
Connor, Kira, Trent, Ethan, Krista and Angie: 19
Jason, Tommy, Hayley, Zack, Rocky, Adam, Kat and Tanya: 28
Kim, Billy, Trini, Aiesha, and Angela: 27
A/N 2: hope it's not too long and I hope you guys enjoy it.
The others looked at Kim and Connor, who still had their arms wrapped around each other, with an expectant look on their faces. Kim looked up at Connor, her eyes asking if he wanted to answer, but he smiled and with a small shake of his head said that she started it, so she should finish it. "Coward," she muttered under her breath. He heard her and smiled. Tommy looked on with a frown. He didn't like the way Connor had his arms around Kim, or the silent communication that seemed to pass between the two of them. He couldn't control the jealousy that rose up in him, but tried. When Kim looked around, she saw that Trini and Aiesha had an amused expression on their face, Billy and the others had a confused one, Jason looked wary, his posture showed her that he had slipped into big brother mode, and Kat looked almost joyful about something. However, it was the last two people that surprised her. Both Tommy and Kira had looks of jealousy in their eyes. She was surprised at that because she knew that Tommy was with Kat and Kira with Trent. She looked back at Connor and subtly shifted her eyes towards the two. Connor looked around at the others, pausing briefly on the two before looking back down at her. He had a smile on his face and shook his head. Kim frowned, and asked with her eyes, 'What do you know?'
He answered back just as much, 'I'll tell you later.' Out loud she said, "Ok."
"Now that the two of you have had your silent conversation," Tanya said, "Care to answer Sha's question?"
"OH, well it's actually not that big of deal," Kim started.
"Let us be the judge of that," Jason said.
"Well, it was about two years ago, and I was walking down a street in Paris. I wasn't really paying attention to where I was going and I walked into someone."
Flashback
'Ugh, I am so late,' Kim thought, 'I can't believe how much time has passed, my mom is going to kill me.' She was so into her thoughts that she didn't realize she had walked into someone. "I am so sorry."
"It's no problem," the person said, "Here let me help you."
"Thanks," Kim said as she accepted his help to collect her stuff, "I really am sorry. I guess I wasn't paying attention."
"It's cool, don't worry about it."
"Well thanks again but I've got to go," Kim told him and took off, not realizing that she had forgot her tiny purse."
Connor looked up at where the woman was going. He shook his head and turned to take off when something on the ground caught his eyes. He picked it up and realized that the woman had dropped it and took off after her. Meanwhile, up ahead, Kim was digging through her bag looking for the same purse, not realizing that someone was following her. As she passed by an alley, she felt someone grab her from behind and pushed her against the wall, with their hands over her mouth, "Scream and I'll kill you."
Connor saw her up ahead and opened his mouth to call out when he saw the guy walking behind her. At first he paid no attention, but when the guy pulled her into an alley, he broke out into a run. He got there in time to see him trying to rip her shirt from her body, and without thinking delivered a sharp kick to his back. The man staggered away from Kim and whirled around at Connor. Kim couldn't believe her eyes. She thought no one had seen her and that she would definitely be dead before anyone would know what happened. She watched as the guy dropped into a stance, eerily similar to the way she used to do when she was a ranger. 'That's ridiculous Kim; he probably took martial arts training or something.' The man had become absorbed in Connor that he paid no attention to her. She waited for an opportunity, and got it when he dove after Connor. She watched as Connor twisted out of his and sent him backwards with a kick. As he came stumbling back to her, she used a move that she had seen Tommy do before and delivered a roundhouse kick to his head. As the man collapsed, she looked up at Connor, smiled and said, "What do you say we get out of here before he comes to."
"Sounds like a plan to me," he said, "I'm Connor."
"Kim," she said, "How did you know?"
"This," he said as he gave her the purse back.
"Thanks again," Kim smiled, "Can I buy you dinner as a thank you?"
A very beautiful woman was offering to buy him dinner, who was he to refuse, "Sure. Hey how did you know how to do that?"
She laughed as they walked back towards the street, "Well…."
End flashback
The others had their mouths opened in shock, the next thing Connor and Kim knew, a flurry of questions was coming towards them,
"How did…"
"Are you…"
"Why didn't you say something?"
She held up her hands, "Guys, guys, one at a time please."
"OK," Jason started, "It's been two years Kim so tell me, why the hell I'm just finding out about this?" the others nodded their heads.
"Because if I had told you," she started, "If I had told any of you, you probably would have asked Andros to teleport to you to France."
"Damn straight we would have," Rocky said.
"And then what?" she asked, "You would've kicked the guy's ass and probably end up in jail."
"No we wouldn't have," Zack said.
"Yea," Adam started, "We would've just asked Billy to make him a wanted felon."
"And I would've have done it to," Billy smiled.
Kimberly shook her head, "You guys are unbelievable."
"No, we're just protective," Jason said, "What if Connor wasn't there Kim?"
"Did you think about what would happen," Kat said, "You were careless and what if you had gotten hurt?"
Kim couldn't believe it. 'What the hell does that mean?' that girl has a lot of nerve to talk to me like that, in such a condescending tone.' Kim stepped out of Connor's embrace and had such a glare on her face that Kat stepped back, "Are you trying to imply that I don't know how to take care of myself?"
The others winced at the tone in her voice, it was anger, "No Kim," Kat said, "I'm just saying—
"I heard what you said Kat, and frankly I disagree," Kim cut her off, "Does everyone feel this way?" she looked around at the others.
"Kim, it's not that," Tommy said, which cause her to look at him, "We're just worried that you came so close to having something happened to you, and that none of us were there to help you."
"Guys, I know how to take care of myself ok," Kim said, "How could I not? I was taught martial arts by you guys remember."
"We do," Tommy said again, "I guess we just care and worry about you."
At that Kim looked at him. She raised her eyebrow as if to ask, 'Does that still include you as well?'
Seeing the question in her eyes, he said, "Of course it does."
Kim shrugged and looked back at him, her eyes asking another question, 'Just thought with everything that happened between us…'
Tommy cocked his head to the side and smiled, 'Doesn't matter. We're friends and always will be.'
"Of course what does?" Kat asked with a frown. She didn't like the way they were looking at each other. Kim and Tommy looked at each other again and seemed to be having another conversation with their eyes, which went like this;
'You want to tell her?' Kim said.
'I don't know is it any of their business?' he said, 'But it's up to you.'
Out loud Kim said, "Nothing, it's not important." Tommy didn't know why but he felt disappoint flash through him when she said that. Seeing it, Kim said, "I was just wondering about something and Tommy gave me the answer I was looking for."
Tommy couldn't help it, he smiled. Trini and Aiesha looked on in interest, looked at each other then smiled. They both knew that Kim was still in love with Tommy and him her. They always had a connection between the two of them and it seemed that even after all these years the connection was still there and quite possibly stronger than ever. "Just like riding a bike," Trini said which caused Kim to look over at her and smile.
"OK, but that was two years ago," Tanya said, "You guys act like you've seen each other a lot more recently."
Kira was looking at the two; something about her voice seemed familiar. She also couldn't contain the jealousy that flashed through her. She saw how close the two were and wondered if there was something more than friendship between the two. Honestly, everyone was wondering the same thing. But Tanya was right though, that was more than two years ago, so why did it seem like they've talked to each other recently. Kira frowned as she tried to remember something. 'What it is? Something I'm trying to remember but can't. Wait a minute, Kim said she came from Paris, and she said that she called Connor last week, but the only person that Connor talked to last week was…
"Oh my God," she said catching the attention of everyone, "You're Belle, Connor's friend from France."
"Wait, you're the one that threatened to kill Connor?" Ethan asked.
"Uhuh," Kim answered with a smile, "And I'm also the one Kira was talking to last Friday."
"Kim and I have been living together on and off the first year and a half after we met, then I permanently moved in with her like about seven months ago," Connor said.
"Wait, this is the Jay that you're always talking about?" Aiesha asked.
"Yep"
"Wait a minute," Billy said, "Are you disclosing that you have been cohabitating with this youthful individual along the timeline of two years?"
The original rangers looked in confusion and automatically turned to Trini for a translation, but before she could say anything, Kim was already answering, "Yep that's exactly what I'm saying Billy."
Trini and the others turned to Kim in shock. They couldn't believe that she understood what Billy had said. "What?" she asked.
"Did you just understand what Billy said?" Tanya asked.
"Sure," Kim shrugged, "All he asked was if I was saying that I've been living with Connor for the past two years."
"Since when do you understand Billy?" Jason asked.
"Since we were kids," Kim turned to Billy, "That sounds about right, right?"
"Yes, it does," Billy said.
"WHAT!!" Trini shrieked, "Are you telling me that you could understand Billy all those times?"
"Well not exactly," Kim said.
"What do you mean 'not exactly?" Rocky asked.
"Well, I couldn't always understand Billy," Kim paused and then looked at Billy, "It wasn't until his mom died, that I started understanding him."
Trini, Jason and Zack softened their features in memory of Billy's mom, while the others looked confused. Seeing, Jason said, "Billy's mom died when we were seven years old, and Billy tried pulling away from us…"
"…but Kim wouldn't let him," Zack said.
"What do you mean?" Adam asked.
"Well…" Kim started.
Flashback
Seven year old Kimberly walked into the classroom without a smile on her face. It has been a week since Billy's mom died, and four days since her funeral. The funeral on Saturday was very sad, even though the place was sunny and warm. Kim was upset because her best was hurting and she didn't know how to comfort him. She looked around and saw Jason, Trini and Zack sitting at the back table. She dragged her bag along the floor and walked over to them.
"Hey guys," she said.
"Hey Kimmy," Zack said. She hated being called Kimmy, but she didn't say anything about it today. She sat next to Jason and asked, "Do you think Billy's going to come today?" Seven year old Jason looked over at the tiny girl he called his baby sister. She looked so sad. For as long as he could remember, his 'sis' always had a smile on her face, but today like every other day since Billy's mom died, she didn't. He wrapped his arms around her shoulders and said, "I don't know Kim, he hasn't been here since we heard she died, so I don't think he's going to be here today."
"I just wish there was something I could do to help him," Kim sighed.
"Me too Kim," Trini said.
After the teacher came in and started her lesson plan. The four of them hardly paid attention, but their teacher didn't mind. She knew that they were hurting for their friend. By the time lunch came around, Kim was getting frustrated and angry. After lunch, when they were headed back to class, she got into an argument with the others, "I don't care Jase, he shouldn't be alone right now."
"Kim he's not alone," he said, "He has his dad."
"But he should have us too," she answered.
"He knows we're here Kimberly," Trini said rubbing her hand up and down Kim's arm, "Maybe he just needs time."
"Yea Kim," Zack said, "When he's ready to talk he'll come to us."
"But what if he doesn't?" she asked, "He needs us now. He's already pulling away and I won't let him." And with that she took off. She ran to their class, picked up her book bag and walked back out the door. "Kimberly, where are you going?" The teacher and Jason asked.
"To Billy's," she said, "And you're not stopping me." Jason looked to go after her, but the teacher stopped him and told the others that she couldn't let all of them go, they would have to wait until after school. Jason sighed. He didn't like the idea of his little sister off by herself, but he knew she was right. Billy was pulling away from them, that much was very obvious. Jason remembered himself, along with Trini and Zack crying, but both Billy and Kimberly weren't crying. And Kimberly had looked like she wanted to cry; her eyes were full of tears that she didn't let go.
Mr. Cranston was sitting at his kitchen table when he heard the pounding on the door. He got up and went to open it. When he did, he saw Kimberly standing there. Looking at his watch, he asked her, "Kimberly, what are you doing here? Shouldn't you be in school?"
"I came to see Billy Papa Cranston," she answered, "And I'm not leaving until I do." David Cranston looked down at the short girl in front of him. He always knew she was stubborn, and knew she wouldn't leave until she got her way. He had no intention of turning her away, as he was hoping that she would somehow get Billy to open up. So he moved aside so that she could come in, "he's in his room."
"Thanks Papa C," she answered then went up the stairs to Billy's room. As she got there, she opened the door slowly and stuck her head inside, "Billy?" she called out. She pushed the door open and walked in to see Billy sitting on the bed, looking off into space, holding a picture in his hands. He turned to look at her for a second before he turned his gaze to the picture. Kim took a step towards the bed and sat down beside him, "How are you Billy? We missed you in school today." He didn't answer. He just sat there looking at the picture. Kim looked over and realized that it was a picture of them and his mom. It was taken during Easter and they were all in the picture, Billy's mom included who had her arms wrapped around her son. They were all smiling and looked very happy. Looking at the picture, you wouldn't believe that less than month later, she would die. Kim said nothing. She just sat there with her hand on his shoulder. Waiting until he said something, "What are you doing here Kimberly?"
"I came to see you," she said, "To see how you were doing."
"Why?"
"Because you're my best friend, and you're hurting," she answered, "And I refuse to let you push me away."
Billy looked at her. He realized that she had tears in her eyes, but she wasn't crying. He remembered that she didn't cry at the funeral either. For some reason he got angry, "Why didn't you cry?"
"Huh?"
"At the funeral," he said angrily, "You didn't cry. Why, was my mother not worth your tears?"
"No Billy that's not it."
"Then why huh?" he yelled, "Are you better than others? Deciding not to cry for someone who was nice to you?" in his anger, he spoke as clear as day; never reverting to his techno talk.
"No," she said as she stood up, "That's not why at all."
"Well then what was it?" he said icily, "Perfect Kimberly, have both her parents, never know what pain feels like, yea, why should you cry for me or my mother. After all I'm a geek right? Couldn't ruin her clothes or lose your friends by crying for the geek?"
"Now Billy you know that's not true," she said.
"Well then tell me," He yelled again, "Jason cried, Tri and Zack did, even my dad did but you didn't. You didn't want to waste you tears on us?"
"I didn't cry because…"
"Because what?"
"BECAUSE YOU DIDN'T!!" she yelled.
"What?" Billy asked shocked.
"I wanted to cry so badly," she said with tears running down her cheeks, "But I couldn't. I looked over at you and I saw that you weren't crying. I knew the others were, and I didn't want you to feel bad. I didn't want you to hurt anymore. So I said I wouldn't cry unless you did." She walked up to him and touched his cheek, "I couldn't stand to see you so sad, and there was nothing I could do about it."
His lower lip trembled, "Is it bad to say I hate her?"
"No," Kim shook her head, "Because I hate her too. I hate that she left you all alone, I hate that you're hurting. I hate that she gave up and didn't fight to stay with you."
"I just miss her Kim," he said softly, then wiped the tears that ran down his cheeks, "if I cry, then that means that she's really gone, and it means that I'm not strong enough. I want to be strong for my dad. He's just so sad and he cries a lot."
Kim grabbed his arm and pulled him to the bed, "it's ok to cry Billy."
"No it's not."
"Yes it is," she said, "Crying doesn't mean you're not strong, and I know you want to be strong for your dad, but you don't have to be strong now. I won't tell anyone. I'll even cry with you."
When she said that, Billy couldn't stop the tears from flowing. He collapsed into Kim's arms and cried, "I miss her so much. I just want her back."
"I know Billy," she cried.
"It's…not…fair," he said in between sobs. Kim wrapped her arms around him tighter and cried with him. She didn't say anything after that, she just let him cry. After a few minutes, he lifted his head and looked at her, "You're crying."
"I told you I wouldn't cry unless you did."
"Why?"
"Because, you my big brother Billy," she said still crying, "And I want you to share this with me."
"You mean that?" he asked, and watched as she nodded. Jason had always been her big brother, so to hear her call him that had him crying again. The two laid there, wrapped in each others arms, crying silently until they fell asleep. Mr. Cranston came up to check on them and saw Kim rubbing her eyes with one hand and rubbing Billy's head with the other.
"Is he ok?"
"Yea, he just fell asleep awhile ago."
"I didn't mean to wake you up."
"It's ok," she said, "What time is it?"
"A little after two," he said, "I assume the others are going to be here?"
As she nodded, they heard the doorbell. Billy's dad left to go answer it. He opened the door and saw the other three standing there, "Can we come in?" Jason asked.
"Sure," he said. He moved and watched as they headed up to the room where his son was. He was very thankful that his son had friends like that. Jason and the others opened the door to see Kimberly sitting with Billy lying on her lap asleep, holding one of her hands in both of his. Jason moved to sit to her side and slightly behind her so that she could lean back against him. Zack moved to sit on her other side, and moved Billy's feet into his lap; wrapped one arm around Kim so that he was touching Jason, leaned his head on her shoulder, and placed the other arm over Billy's stomach, so that he was holding the hand that had Kimberly's hand. Trini sat on Jason's other side, and immediately his free arm went around her waist. She reached behind Jason's back to grab Kim's hand that was around his waist and placed her other hand on Billy, connecting the five of them. When Mr. Cranston came up to check on them, he saw the position that they were in, and grabbed his camera to take a picture. He smiled at them all, as his gaze moved across the five of them. His eyes stopped on his son, and realized that this was the first time since his wife died that his son got a good sleep. His eyes moved up to the short brunette that was nestled between Jason and Zack. He knew that somehow Kim had gotten Billy to open up and allow the others near him, and he was grateful. She was the glue that held them all together; the heart of the five of them. Funny, he mused, considering her last name is 'Hart'. He wondered if Kimberly knew just how much she meant to them. He walked out of the room, closing the door softly and left to make phone calls to the kids' parents.
End Flashback
"Wow," Aiesha said, "I'm sorry Billy." The others nodded.
"It's ok," Billy said, "I'm just grateful that Kim was more stubborn than Jason or I was."
Kim started to nod, only to realize what Billy said, "Hey, I am not that stubborn."
"Really," Jason said, "You know you're more stubborn than the rest of us. Hell you're even more stubborn than Tommy."
"No way," Ethan said, "Dr O is the most stubborn person I've ever met."
"Kim did the same thing for me that she did for Billy," Tommy said.
"What do you mean Dr O?" Angie asked.
"Well, Tommy had just lost his green ranger powers and he was trying to pull away from the team…" Trini started.
"…He didn't want to hang out with us," Zack continued.
"And was afraid that we wouldn't want to be his friends anymore, so…" Billy said.
"This girl here," Jason said pointing to Kim "Wouldn't let that happen. She invited him everywhere with us, and never left him alone."
"He tried to fight it," Kim said, "But I wouldn't budge. I had to show him that we weren't friends with him just because he was a ranger, and just because he didn't have his powers anymore, we wouldn't stop being his friend."
Tommy shook his head, "I swear if I knew how stubborn she was, I never would've fought it. No wonder Zedd was pissed so much. It was because Kimberly was just too stubborn."
"Hey," she laughed and smacked his arm, "That is not why he was pissed."
"Uhuh, sure," Tommy said.
"It's not my fault he wanted me for his queen," Kim said.
"What?" Kira asked, "Are you saying that the villain that you guys fought against wanted Kim for his queen?"
"Yep," Adam said, "Zedd was really obsessed with Kimberly."
"Are you kidding?" Angie asked.
"Nope," Kim shook her head, "I don't why but he was."
"And because Kim was stubborn, she didn't give into him," Tommy said, "And that pissed him off." The others laughed at the look on Kim's face. She shook her and said, "I have to get better friends."
"Aww, Kim you don't mean that," Rocky said as he put his arms around her.
"And why not?" she asked as she shook his hand off.
"Because who would you have?" he said, "We make your life interesting."
She grabbed Connor's arm, "I have Connor, my very own red, so why would I need you guys?"
Trini held her arms up to stop them and when they did she turned her attention back to Kimberly, "You mean to tell me that you could understand Billy since his mom died?"
"Well not since," Kim said, "It was more like, after my accident."
"What accident?" Tommy and Aiesha said together. Tommy blushed when the others looked at him but didn't look away.
"Well it was just a few weeks after Billy's mom died," Kim said, "I had a competition and I was spending a lot of my time training and practicing for it."
"We hardly spent any time away from the youth center," Trini said, "Her coach didn't want any distractions, but Kim insisted that we be there to watch her practice."
"Whatever homework we had, we all met up at the youth center and did it, while Kim practiced her routines," Zack said, "I remember her coach was pissed."
"Why?" Hayley asked.
"Because she thought that they would be a distraction to me," Kim said, "But they weren't. I was a lot more at ease when they were around. They were my comfort zone, not to mention my cheering section. Anyway, my parents got into a fight a few days before the competition, and it had bothered me a lot. But I refused to talk about it, got distracted. I wasn't sleeping because of the constant arguing and I was scared that they were going to break up and that it would be my fault because I was spending do much time away from home practicing."
"The day of the competition Kim was distracted," Billy said, "We didn't know it at the time, but she had a cold that she told no one about. She looked pale and we insisted that she stay out of the competition."
"I didn't want to because I thought it would make my parents stop fighting and they wouldn't say I spent all that time away from the house to back out at the last minute," Kim said, "So I did."
"She was performing on the beam when she missed a step and fell," Billy said, and watched as Tommy, Kat, Aiesha, Rocky and Adam wince.
"She ended up in the hospital for a week and a half," Trini said, "And Billy stayed by her side the entire time."
"I was caught up in school and well being the smartest kid in class gave me the advantage of staying home," Billy said.
"He was the first person I saw when I woke up," Kim said, "Then the doctor told me that he had been here ever since they brought me in. He said that Billy refused to leave and forced the others to go to school. He stayed and talked to me everyday."
"That was the first time we ever saw Billy so forceful," Jason laughed and Billy blushed.
"After what happened with my mom, I was afraid," Billy said.
"Well I'm glad you didn't because you brought me home," Kim said.
"What do you mean Kimberly?" Angela asked.
"Well, when I was in the hospital," she started, "I remember being trapped in my mind. I was in a place that I couldn't recognize and it was really dark. I remember feeling scared and running from something. I didn't want to come home, even though I was scared, because I thought my parents would be mad at me, and so would the others. I thought that if I stayed there, then I wouldn't have worry anymore."
"What happened?" Zack asked.
"I fell down a whole, and the next thing I know, I'm in a snake pit," she shuddered, "I hate snakes."
"Me too," Rocky said.
"So there I was, a scared seven year old trapped in a pit with a snake. It was coming at me and I started screaming, when I heard a sound. I looked up a saw a bird flying towards us. The bird screamed again and I guess the sound was too loud and it scared the snake away. I looked at it, very frightened, but it just sat there staring at me. I realized it wasn't going to hurt me, so being the curious child that I was, I stepped closer," she paused and looked around before talking again, "I wanted to see it because I'd never seen a bird with that color before." She paused again and waited for the question.
"What colors?" Ethan asked.
Kim looked straight at Tommy and said, "It was white; white, gold and black." Tommy looked just as shock as the others, "You mean…" he couldn't finish.
"Uhuh," Kim nodded, "Seems you've been saving me for awhile now." Knowing that the others were going to want answers, she hurried on to finish, "It led me out of the pit and into a cave. I didn't realize how cold I was until I started trembling. The next thing I know, this jaguar came out of nowhere at me. Then a bear and an ape came out of the cave and fought with it, protecting me. A frog jumped on my shoulder and scared me, so I ran further into the cave. I remember sitting with my arms around my knees rocking back and forth, wishing I was home. But I wasn't scared anymore; I just wanted to go home. The bear, the ape, the frog and the bird all stayed with me. Then I heard your voice," she said looking at Billy, "You were talking, but I couldn't understand what you were saying because you're voice sounded so far away. I got and the animals got up with me. As I walked out of the cave, a wolf was standing there; it looked at me and for some reason I thought of you Billy. He ran off and I followed it. The more it ran the louder I could hear your voice. I heard you crying, you were begging me to wake up, because you wanted your little sister back. I started crying, the first time I cried since I was there. The animals came around and I felt their tears as if they were raindrops, the wolf came up to me and I said to it to take me home. The next thing I know, I'm looking up at you and you had tears in your eyes."
"Whoa," Kira said, "That sounds…"
"Unbelievable, I know," Kim said.
"Is that why you were so shocked when we got our ninjetti powers?" Adam asked.
"Yep," Kim said, "I had told my parents and they said it was just a dream and to forget it, so I did. But when we got our ninjetti powers, I remembered."
"Ninjetti?" Trent asked.
"Well we had our powers destroyed by Ivan Ooze," Aiesha said.
"Ivan Ooze?" Krista asked.
"I remember him," Angela said, "Purple guy that had the parents under control."
"Yep that's him," Tommy said, "He had destroyed the Command Center and nearly killed Zordon."
"But Alpha managed to get enough power together to send us to Phaedos, so that we could find the Great Power," Adam said.
"We found Dulcea," Kim said, "Well more like she found us, and told her what was going on and why we were there. She took us up to the top of the plateau and helped us find our spirit animals."
"But that doesn't explain why the others looked so shock when you mentioned animals," Ethan said, "Or why Dr O did when you mentioned the color of the bird."
Hayley racked her brain to remember what she knew about the powers, when she did she said, "The animals were theirs weren't they?"
"Yes they were," Kim smiled.
"Anybody else confused?" Connor asked.
"Yep," The DT teens and Angela said.
"Like I said, Dulcea helped us find our spirit animals," Kim said, "I was the pink crane, Adam was the black frog, Aiesha the yellow bear, Billy the blue wolf, Rocky the red ape—
"And Tommy was the white falcon," Kat said.
"You mean to tell me that our spirit animals were with you, long before we even met?" Aiesha asked.
"Yep"
"Wow," Kira said, "Looks like they were looking out for a while now."
"Yea, we understand that," Trini said, "But I still can't believe you understood Billy and never said anything."
"Tri you're still on that?" Kim asked.
"YES!!" she said, "Do you know how much help I could use because these three (pointing to Jason, Zack and Tommy) were too hard-headed to understand Billy."
"But you looked like you liked it," Kim said, "Besides I used to open my mouth to translate but you would beat me to it, so after awhile I stopped."
"Kim," Trini said, "Run." Kim's eyes got wide as she pushed out of Connor's arms and took off. She laughed as Trini chased her. "I'm sorry Tri, but it was too much fun watching you and the guys."
"Sorry!! Sorry doesn't even begin to cover it Kimberly," Trini yelled as she continued chasing her. The others laughed at the two. Kim was running but stopped, turned and then flipped until she got back towards Trini. Trini saw her coming and when Kim landed on her feet in front of her sent a kick towards her head. Kim ducked from it and flipped over Trini's head and sent a kick to her back. Trini stumbled but faked a punch to Kim's face, when Kim ducked she threw one to her stomach. The others looked on as the two girls fell into their sparring routine. Jason and Tommy looked at each other and smiled, "Old times?" Tommy asked.
"You know it," Jason said and the two made their over towards them. The others looked on in confusion and amusement and watched as Jason and Tommy both ran at the girls with a kick. At the last minute, Kim and Trini ducked and twisted out of the way. All four fell into a familiar sparring routine, switching up partners every few minutes. Back with the others, Zack turned to Billy and said, "Will you look at that Billy?"
"I know," Billy smiled, "How could they do that without us?"
"Ready?" Zach asked.
"Let's," Billy said. The both ran towards the four and soon all six of them were sparring. The boys decided to turn on the girls, so now it was Kim and Trini against the four of them, then it was Kim and Tommy against the other four. Rocky and the others looked on as both Kim and Tommy stopped right in the middle of the fight. They watched as Kim and Tommy turned towards each other and saw Tommy hold out his hands. Kim smiled as she did a little curtsy before grabbing Tommy's hand and the two started fighting again. To the others it looked more like dancing than fighting, and when Krista said that, Adam answered, "That's because they are."
"Huh?" Tanya said.
"Whenever we had a battle, the putties always seemed to surround the two of them, so what you saw was Tommy asking Kimberly to dance. He always did that, and it works for the two of them."
Aiesha looked over at Kat and smiled. The blond was frowning. Aiesha knew that Kat never got so in tune with Tommy, and she thought of a way to rub it in, "Those two were always connected. One of the reasons we won so many fights was because of the two of them."
"They always had each other's back and always seemed to know what move the other was going to make before they did," Rocky said, "Apart, they were fierce, but put them together and you got one hell of a fighting team." They watched as the six of them, stopped fighting and seemed to be moving in a slower, more relaxed pace of martial arts and gymnastics.
"What are they doing now?" Angie asked.
"It's called a Kata," Rocky said, "They learned it when Tommy rejoined the team as a white ranger."
"And when Jason, Zack and Trini left, the six of us decided to learn one together," Adam said. The others looked on and saw that they had stopped and were now making their way back to them.
"Wow, that was amazing," Kira said.
"Thanks," Trini said.
"Would you believe we haven't done that since before Jase, Tri and Zack left for the peace conference?"
"Really?" Ethan said.
"Uhuh," Tommy answered.
"So what do we do now?" Angela asked. The others looked at each other.
"Well I don't think our place is going to fit everybody," Jason said.
"I have an idea," Kim said, "That is, if you guys want to."
"What is it?" Tanya asked. Kim got up and said, "It's a secret. So, come on follow me." As the others got up and gathered their stuff and headed out towards the parking lot. During the walk, the others tried to get her to tell them what her secret was, but she wasn't budging. As the got to the parking lot, they heard Ethan shout out, "OH MY GOD!! LOOK AT THAT CAR!!"
They ran to the parking lot and stopped in front of the pink and white car that was there. Rocky turned to Kim and asked, "Is that really your car?"
"Yup," she said smiling, "A present from my uncle."
"Is this your surprise?" Tanya asked.
"Nope, it's not." The others looked around the car. Not believing what they were seeing. Tommy stood off to the side and looked at the car. It was a basic representation of the power rangers. His eyes traveled over the outside, he smiled at the word dragon on the back, and felt his breath hitch when he saw the falcon and the crane on the side. 'Are you trying to tell me something Kim?' he wondered. He remembered how happy everyone was to see her and how he had let that nickname for slip out when he had hugged her, but what had surprised him was that she had answered back in kind with her nickname for him. He frowned as he remembered how insistent Trini was when she told him to listen before he got angry, and as he looked at the car and how his friends were interacting with Kim, he decided to get the truth out in the open. Squaring his shoulders, he walked over to Kim, tapped her on her shoulder and leaned down to whisper in her ear when she had turn to look at him, "We need to talk." Kim nodded and looked up at him. She knew what he wanted to talk about, and she couldn't wait. As far as she was concerned, it was long overdue.
…
The others were still admiring the car, when Trini spotted Tommy out of the corner of her eye. She turned to look at him and realized that Tommy looked to be in deep thought about something. She nudged Aiesha and the two watched as Tommy made his way over to Kim.
"Uh oh," Aiesha smiled, "Our fearless leader is back."
"And he looks determined for answers," Trini said. They, along with everyone else, watched as Tommy walked up to Kim, tapped her shoulder and whisper something in her ear. They saw Kim nod, and knew instantly what it was about.
"It's about time," Jason said as they nodded.
"Do you think she'll tell him everything?" Trini whispered to Aiesha.
"You mean about what Kat did as well?" Aiesha whispered back.
"Yea, I think he deserves to know that the woman he's dating is nothing but a backstabbing bitch," Trini said as Aiesha nodded.
"I hope she does," she said, "But we can't know for sure. You know Kimberly wouldn't want to ruin this reunion. That's the whole reason the others don't know exactly how responsible Kat is for the entire mess." Trini nodded and the two dropped it. Neither realized that Kira was standing behind them.
(Kira's POV)
Kira looked over at Connor, and couldn't help but wish that she and he had gotten to finish their conversation. She still wanted to figure out what he knew about Kat. She too had seen Kat's face when Dr O and Kim were sparring with the others, especially when the others started talking about how close and connected the two were. Kat had been jealous. She also remembered the look on Kat's face when they were talking about secrets and how scared she had looked when Connor was saying Cassidy's name. She looked around and saw Trent and Krista talking, 'I wonder what those two are talking about. Whoa, I've never seen Dr O look so intense. Wow he looks really determined about something.' She watched as he walked over to Kimberly and saw him whisper something in her ear. She heard the others say something, but didn't understand and moved closer to hear. She was standing behind Trini and Aiesha and was about to ask them something when they started whispering,
"Do you think she'll tell him everything?" Trini whispered to Aiesha.
"You mean about what Kat did as well?" Aiesha whispered back.
"Yea, I think he deserves to know that the woman he's dating is nothing but a backstabbing bitch," Trini said as Aiesha nodded.
"I hope she does," she said, "But we can't know for sure. You know Kimberly wouldn't want to ruin this reunion. That's the whole reason the others don't know exactly how responsible Kat is for the entire mess." Trini nodded.
'Kat is responsible for this mess? What mess are they talking about? And why did they call Kat a backstabbing bitch?' Kira frowned. Something was going and whatever it was had to do with Kat, Kim and Dr O. She was racking her brain when snippets of conversations she had with Connor came back to her,
"…I don't want to betray someone by telling without letting them know"
"…the truth is I kinda know Kat…"
"…Kat's from England right? ...had a soccer match in England…"
"…way in which I got to know Kat wasn't good…"
"…secrets always have a way of coming out…" Connor said while looking at Kat.
'Kim and Connor knew each other for awhile, could it be possible that Kat did something to Kim and Connor knows about it?' Kira shook her head. 'I think it's time Connor and I finished our talk. And based on the way Trini and Aiesha are acting around Kat and how nervous Kat looks around Kimberly, I'm starting to not trust her or anything she says.' She was broken out of her thoughts by Kim's voice, "Ok guys let's go."
(No one's POV)
"OK guys let's go," Kim said, "Tri, Sha, want to hitch a ride?"
"Girl did you even had to ask," Aiesha said.
"I call shotgun," Trini yelled.
"Damn it," Aiesha said. The others laugh at the look on her face and at the victory dance Trini was doing. Kim looked over at Connor's car and realized that he had four others not including himself. She turned to Aiesha and Trini, who were buckling up and asked, "Do you guys mind if Kira comes with? Connor's car looks a little cramped."
"No that's fine," Trini said.
"I was going to suggest it actually," Aiesha said.
"Hey Kira," she yelled.
"Yea?"
"Wanna ride with us?" Kim asked.
"Sure," Kira said. She turned to the others, "You guys don't mind do you?"
"No."
"Ok, see you guys there," she said, then turned and walked over to Kim's car and got in the back with Aiesha.
"Welcome," Aiesha and Trini said. Kim shook her head then went to get into the river's seat. She laughed as she realized who got into the cars on either side of her. When Tommy got to his side she said, "Damn, why is it that I'm always in between both of you?"
"That's cause you're the shortest," Tommy smiled.
"Hey, I can still kick your ass Oliver," She laughed.
"OH yea?" Tommy smiled.
"Yes"
"Anytime, anywhere," he said.
"Hey you can't have rumble without the third musketeer," Jason shouted from his car.
"Who said you were invited?" Tommy shouted back.
"Because I'm the oldest and I said so," Jason said then stuck out his tongue.
"Real mature Jase," Kim laughed, "But it doesn't matter because I can kick both your butts."
"This means war pinky," Both Tommy and Jason said.
"Yeah, yeah," Kim said before she started her car and pulled out of the parking lot. Jason's car, which had Zack, Billy and Angela, pulled out behind Kim. He was followed by Tommy's car, then Connor's car, and finally Adam, who had Rocky and Tanya with him. The five cars drove away from the youth center. Each had music playing and the occupants were all laughing and having a good time. A while later Kim turned off the road and drove up to her house. As every one pulled up into the driveway, they couldn't believe it.
Adam's Car
"Whoa, what's Kim doing?" Rocky said.
"I don't know," Adam said, "But this house is huge."
"You can say that again," Tanya said.
Jason's Car
"I wonder whose house this is," Billy asked Jason.
"I think it belongs to Kim," Zack said.
"I think so too," Jason replied.
Tommy's Jeep
"This is a really nice place," Krista said.
"Who do you think it belongs to?" Kat asked.
"From the color, I'd say Kimberly," Hayley said. As they noticed, the house was pink and white, just like Kimberly's car.
"I thought she just came into town today?" Tommy said.
Connor's car
"Whoa, Trent I think this is as big as your dad's place," Connor said.
"No way, Mercer's place is a freaking mansion," Ethan said, "But this house is huge though."
"Do you think it belongs to Kimberly?" Trent asked.
"Probably," Connor said, "I mean, just look at the color."
They all got out and stood staring at the house, Kim looked back at them and laughed, "Come on you guys, you haven't even seen inside as yet." She pulled out her keys and opened the door. She motioned for everyone to come inside and they did after they grabbed their bags.
"So, what do you guys think?"
"Are you a drug dealer?" Rocky asked.
"What?" she laughed, "No, I'm not."
"Well then how'd you afford this?" he asked again. Kim raised an eyebrow in his direction. He closed his mouth as he remembered her singing.
"I barely spent any money on this," she said as they walked around, "Mom and dad bought it, and paid the money to get it fixed up. Then they called Uncle Carson and he decided to over see it, so that I got everything I wanted."
"I thought you weren't talking to your dad?" Tommy asked, thinking he had missed a lot.
"I'm not," Kim said, "I meant Pierre, my stepdad. I've been calling him dad since the Olympics."
"OK."
"So is this your secret?" Tanya asked.
"Half of it," Kim said.
"What's the other half," Aiesha asked.
"Well, I'm moving home." When she said that, screams echoed through the entire house. Aiesha and Trini raced forward to hug her; followed by the guys and Tanya.
"Why didn't you tell us?"
"I wanted it to be a surprise," Kim said.
"Is that it?" Zack asked.
"No," Kim said, "I was wondering, since I'm moving home, that I would like some roommates. I mean this house is really big and…"
"Are you asking us to move in with you?" Trini said.
"That is if you guys want to?"
"Are you kidding? Of course we want to," Rocky said.
"But what about our places," Tanya asked.
"Well if you guys wouldn't mind moving out and in here, I wouldn't mind taking care of it."
"Well Tri and I have been living in my parents house since they moved out to San Francisco," Jason said, "We were actually talking about selling it or something, and starting fresh in our own place, so this is the perfect opportunity I'd say."
"But Zach and Angela were staying with us," Trini said. Zack turned to Angela, "What do you say baby?"
"Are you sure you can fit us?" Angela asked, "Are you sure you want us?"
"Yes I can fit you and yes I want you," Kim said, "How about I sow you guys around and then you can decide." A chorus of Ok's came back to her. She took them upstairs and showed them the bedrooms. "Alright, this floor has six bedrooms, including the master bedroom. Each bedroom on this floor has its own bath room, which is why only couples will be on this floor. You guys can have privacy in your own bathroom." She led them up the stairs to the top and final floor. "This floor has five bedrooms as well, as long as two bathrooms; one for the boys, one for the girls." The others looked around the rooms and bathroom. "I call this floor, the guest floor," Kim turned back to them, "Well what do you guys think?"
(A/N: I know in the chapter before I said the house had in ten bedrooms, I miscounted everyone and changed it in this one; it actually has eleven bedrooms.)
"You got yourself a roommate," Trini and Angela said.
"Same here," Billy said, "I've been staying with my dad, and I think it's time I got my own place. And why not bunk with my little sis."
Kim laughed then turned to Aiesha, Tanya, Rocky and Adam, "Guys?"
"Well we are all sharing an apartment," Aiesha said, "And you know I would love to, but it's T's and Adam's place and we can't let them pay the rent themselves."
"Actually, the rent for this month's already been paid, so we have no problem moving," Tanya said, "But it's up to the guys."
Everyone turned to look at Zack, Jason, Rocky and Adam. "Guys what do you think?"
The guys looked at each other, "I don't know Kim," Jason said. Kim knew that they were teasing, but decided to show them the icing on the cake. "Ok follow me," she said. Then he led them back down the stairs, pass the kitchen and into the den. "I thought you guys might be difficult, which is why I saved these two rooms for last."
As the others got into the den, the guys' eyes bulged out. They looked around at the many different video games Kim had and the three XBOX that were sitting underneath the TV.
"No way," Rocky said, "She has all the old school video games."
"You mean…" Adam started.
"Yep, Mario Bros. and everything," Rocky said.
"And if this is still not enough to convince you, I have the last room to show," she said. She walked out and down into the basement. She turned on the lights and watched as they gravitated to the machines. "And I have a hot tub and bathroom down here as well; right through that door." When she said that, Jason ran to see and came back out in a daze. He turned to Trini and said, "Tri, we're moving in here, end of discussion."
"But Jason..."
"No buts, we're moving," He said. Trini hid her smile and nodded, letting him think he won. Kim laughed, "What about you three?"
"Guess we're moving," Adam said. The others cheered and headed back up the stairs. They decided to order pizza and choose a room as well. Knowing the six bedroom floor was for couples, the Reefside gang, headed straight for the top floor. Connor chose a corner bedroom, while Kira and Angela had decided to share a room, same as Krista and Hayley. Trent had chose Ethan before Connor, so they were sharing a room, while Connor got his own. And the last room went to Tommy and Kat. When the pizza got there, everyone was lounging around in the front. They were talking and laughing; reminiscing about a lot of things. They ate and talked, well into the night. Looking at them, you wouldn't believe that they had just met. What they realized however, was that most of it was due to Kimberly. She talked, laughed, and practically invited everybody to talk and share.
"Oh my God I can't believe you guys remembered that," Kimberly laughed.
"Wow, I can't believe you and Billy switched body," Kira laughed.
"Being a girl for a day," Ethan said, "Sounds like fun."
"It wasn't," Billy said, "Remember, I was in the body of the most popular girl in school. Do you know how stressing it is?"
"Oh please Billy, it was just one day," Kim smiled, "I had to deal with it everyday."
"Oh, Kim you had it easier," Trini laughed.
"Easier?" She said, "I blew up Billy's computer."
"And Billy blew up your cake," Zack said. At that everyone started laughing even harder.
"You blew up a cake?" Connor asked, "How the hell did you manage that?"
"I don't know," Billy shrugged, "But Trini's right Kim did have it easier."
"How?" Krista asked.
"Well Billy had to wear a female underwear, make-up, do his hair, and put up with the guys hitting on him," Kim smiled, "All I had to was grab a pair of boxers, a t-shirt, and some jeans."
"Wait, you saw each other naked?" Trent asked. Tommy looked over at Billy with a glare, that he moved back a bit. 'Guess that answers my question on whether he has still has feelings for her.' NO!! I closed my eyes when I was dressing and when I took a shower, and Kim did the same thing."
"Guys let's drop it okay," Kim said.
"Okay."
"I'm going to get something to drink," Kim said as she got up. She walked into the kitchen, and Tommy followed her with his eyes. He sighed as he realized that if he wanted that talk with Kim, then now was the time to do it. He got, well aware that all eyes were on him, and followed Kim into the kitchen. Seeing this, Kat got scared and made to get up, "Tommy where are you going?"
"To finally have that talk with Kimberly," he said.
"Now?" she asked.
"What's wrong with now?" Aiesha asked, "If you ask me, this talk has been long time coming."
"I agree," Trini said, "Tommy deserves to know the truth."
"What if she hurts him again?" Hayley asked, "I mean I still can't believe you guys are friends after what happened.
"What do you know about what happened?" Tanya asked.
"Well I know she sent you and everyone else letters in high school, and that she broke Tommy's heart through a letter." Hayley answered.
"What?" Trent and Ethan said.
"Look, this is between me and Kim," Tommy said.
"I know Tommy, but I still don't understand how they could all just forgive her like that," Hayley.
"That's because we know the truth," Adam said. Kim heard the yelling from the kitchen and came out, "Guy, what's going on here?"
"Did you really write Dr O a letter in high school breaking up with him?" Krista asked.
"Yes, but..." she didn't get to finish before Hayley cut her off, "Why did you do that?"
Kim frowned, "I don't see how that's any of your business."
"Tommy is one of my best friends, and I saw how he was after the letter," Hayley said.
"Hayley I would be quiet," Connor said, "You don't know what you're talking about?"
"And you do?"
"I know more than you," Connor yelled.
"Yea, well I know that she's nothing but a two-timing slut that cheats on people she claims to love." Kim gasped, as well as the teens. They'd never heard Hayley swear before. Connor looked over at Kim when he heard her gasp, and saw the tears welling in her eyes.
"Hayley!" Tommy said shocked. Like the teens, he'd never heard Hayley swear before, "Like I said before this is between me and Kimberly."
"But Tommy, how can you trust her after what she did?" Hayley asked, "How can any of you be friends when she was such a bitch to all of you?"
By now the entire room erupted in shouts and yells. Kimberly had enough and yelled out, "WOULD EVERYBODY JUST SHUT UP!!"
They were so shocked by the noise from the tiny woman that they immediately got quiet. They could see that she was beyond pissed, and saw the tears running down her face. Kim turned to Hayley, and spoke very quietly, her voice filled with pain and anger, "I invited you into my home, I became friends with you, and you repay me by yelling at me for something you don't even understand." Hayley went to talk but Kim stopped her, "I'm not done. You are angry at me for that stupid letter, and I know that Tommy is too."
"Kim, I'm not…" he started.
"Don't Tommy, I know you remember," She said, "And I know that there's at least some part of that's angry at me."
"Not anymore Kim," he said, "I was, but now all I want are answers."
"Fine Tommy, but I don't appreciate being called a two-bit slut and a bitch by someone that doesn't even know me," Kim said with tears. What Hayley had said had hurt, because it reminded of her of the words in the letters. Connor moved to stand next to her and rubbed her arms. "Are you ok?" he asked. She shook her head, "No, but I need to do this."
"Are you sure?" Kira asked, as she came up to stand next to her. Kim turned her head towards the girl.
"Yea I'm sure. Tommy deserves to know." Aiesha and Trini moved next to Kim, followed by Rocky and the others, leaving only Hayley, the teens and Kat sitting by the couch.
"It's ok Kim," Trini said, "Just take a deep breath." Kimberly did as she was told, took a deep breath and started talking, "When my power coin got stolen, I was a lot more shaken up that I let on. I was scared for the first time, not even when Tommy lost his powers was I so scared. Then when I ended up in the hospital, I felt as if I was seven years old again. I didn't want to let anyone out of my sight, especially Tommy, because I was afraid that Zedd would come after you again. But I got over it, all of you helped me. And when it came time to go to Florida, you guys encouraged me to go. At first I didn't want to, but you guys believed in me, so I started believing in myself again," she moved out of Connor's arms and started pacing, "It happened after Christmas. It was the first week in March."
"That you met him?" Hayley asked. The original rangers glared at the red-head.
"Is that when you got the letter Kim?" Kira asked. The others, minus Trini and Aiesha, looked at her in shock.
"How do you know about that?" Tanya asked.
"Well we were driving up and…
Flashback
In Kim's car, Kira was laughing so hard, that tears came out of her eyes. Kim had just finished telling them about the day that she had fell in love with Skull.
"I can't believe you fell for the bully," Kira laughed.
"Hey, I was under a spell," Kim said smiling.
"But still…" Kira said
"I know ok, not a strong point for me."
"What was funny was the look on Tommy's face," Aiesha said, "He was so confused about the whole thing, and then when he found out it was a spell, I swear that boy nearly fainted from relief."
At the mention of Tommy, Kira paused. She wondered if she should bring it up or not.
"You ok back there Kira?" Trini asked.
"Yea, I'm just wondering," she started.
"What?"
"What's up with you, Kat, Connor and Dr O?"
"Did Connor tell you something?" Kim asked.
"NO, I asked, but he said he couldn't without letting you know," she said, "So if you don't mind, what happened?"
"I broke up with Tommy by letter in high school," Kim said.
"How come?" Kira asked.
"Because Kim got a letter from someone saying that Tommy was cheating on her with Kat," Aiesha said.
End Flashback
"WHAT!!" Tommy said. Trini and Aiesha looked at each other, knowing that there was more that Kira wasn't saying, but was proud of her for keeping it from the others.
"It's true Tommy," Kim said, "Someone sent me letters saying that you were seeing Kat behind my back and that everyone knew about it and no one cared enough about me anymore to tell me."
"But I wasn't even interested in Kat," Tommy said, "She and I didn't even started dating until after I got your letter."
"I know that, but at the time I didn't," Kim said.
"Well why didn't you try to find out the truth?" He asked.
"Don't pull that crap on me Tommy Oliver," Kim said, "And I did ok. And I got it, at least what I was made to believe."
"Tell me everything," he said.
"Like I said, I got a letter saying that you were seeing Kat, at first I didn't believe it, but then I started getting more and pictures too," She said, "I called you cell after the third or fourth letter and Kat answered the phone. I heard her shout at you that the baby kept moving all over the place and to come calm it down. I was so devastated. I hung up before she could even ask who it was. It was then that I wrote the letter. I sent it to the youth center, because I knew everyone would be there. I regretted it the day I put it into the mail box. I cried for days afterwards, especially after you never called back to question it. My roommate convinced me that maybe I was too hurried to send it out and be strong and hear from your voice because you owed me that much. But when I had her call your house, she was told that you went skiing with Kat. I felt my heart break again."
"Billy and Kat took me on that trip to cheer me up," Tommy said.
"I know that, but I didn't then," she continued, "I was pissed and hurt, and I still believed that you owed me an explanation. Especially after I got letters from every one calling me names, from a slut to a bitch, I heard it all. I waited about week, after I called you, before I contacted Zordon. I told him that I desperately needed to talk to you guys to find out the truth about something. He allowed me to teleport up there. I walked around and I saw the guys. I went over to them, but they never saw me. I heard them saying a lot of stuff and I saw that they were angry. I couldn't stay. I walked around town, making sure that no one saw me. I finally ended back at the youth center. I thought it was closed, but I saw the light on, and I went inside."
Tommy listened with pain in his heart as he saw it reflected in Kimberly's eyes. He had a feeling she was about to say something he wouldn't like to hear, "What did you see Kim?"
"I saw you, you and Kat, on a date," she whispered, "When I saw that, I left in a hurry and teleported back to the Command Center. I told Zordon not tell anyone he saw me and went back to Florida."
"On the day of the Red's only mission," Jason started, "Adam saw Kim and brought her by the house. We sorted out everything."
"Is that why you were late?" Tommy asked.
"Yes it was."
"We figured out the entire mess, and decided that we were going to put it behind us, and we worked on rebuilding our friendships," Tanya said, "And we've all been friends ever since."
"Why didn't anyone tell me?" Tommy asked.
"Because I made them promise not to," Kim said.
"You didn't think I deserved to know?" He asked.
"Guys give us a few minutes alone please?" Kim asked.
"Are you sure?" Billy asked. She turned to him and nodded her head. So one by one they left, until Connor was the only one left.
"Con?" Kim asked.
"Are you sure this is what you want?"
"I'm sure."
"Ok," he turned to Tommy, "Dr O, I know that you're hurt and angry, but if you want to keep my respect, you'll listen to what she has to say first." After that he turned and walked out the room, leaving Kim and Tommy alone. Now that the others were gone, he dropped the mask and she saw the raw pain in his eyes, "Why didn't you tell me Kim?"
"You were on your way to get you PhD in Paleontology," she started, "You were going to work on an island with the best of the best Tommy and if I had told you, what would you have done?"
"I don't know, Kim, but you never even gave me the chance," he said.
"You would have stayed home Tommy," she said, "You would have stayed home to be with me, to try and make up for the years that we lost with each other. You would have given up the job of your dreams for me and couldn't let you do that."
"So what if I had?" he asked, "I would've been happy because I would have had you."
"I know," she said, "But if you hadn't taken that job, then you never would've found the gems, and you wouldn't have had four amazing kids to mentor as rangers. The world wouldn't even be here, from what I understood from Jase and the others."
"But…"
"No buts Tommy," she cut him off, "Can you honestly look me in the eyes and tell me that you wouldn't have blamed yourself if evil had gotten hold of those three gems?"
He couldn't say anything because he knew she was right. He would've might blamed himself, and even worse, he would've regretted being back with her, and probably would've end up hating her.
"You can't can you?" she said, "I can see it in your eyes and I know you, you would've blamed yourself and you would've regretted me and I didn't want that."
"What about after?"
"I had just gotten settled in my job and I knew that if I told you, I would've given it up to come home and be with you."
"I wouldn't have let you," he said.
"I know, and I didn't want to hate or regret you either, so I didn't," Kim said, "When the chance finally came to tell you, I found out you were a ranger again, and there was no way I was going to go through a repeat of Zedd."
"I understand," he said, "I don't like it, but I do understand and you're right, you're right about everything."
"I guess by then I thought you wouldn't want to hear from me again, so I didn't say anything," she said, "But when Jase said that he was having a get together, I saw this as my chance to finally clear the air with you."
"So what happens now?" he asked.
A/N: cliffhanger again, sorry. Just thought it's a good way to end that chapter.
A/N 2: so Kim and Tommy talk, but she doesn't tell him the entire truth. Next chapter we find out why Hayley went off on Kim, what happens between Tommy and Kim, a confrontation between Kim and Kat, plus someone gets jealous. So read and review plz.