Thank you for all the encouragement, I won't thank you all personally this time but I must say how much I appreciate that you take the time to read my story, and review. I would never have written this far without your help and encouragement.

I am still looking for a beta reader, no luck finding one through the beta finding service on , if anyone can help let me know

I've been doing some research for this, watching some select episodes featuring Kat so I can keep her in character, obviously not following canon but I've tried to stay true to her. I have to say I've really taken a liking to her, although I don't see the Tommy/Kat relationship as a viable, lasting relationship. It's sweet, but it just doesn't seem to gel, for me at least.

But you don't want to hear my thoughts so here's chapter five!

Kat remained perfectly still while Kimberly talked, resisting the urge to hug her, shake her, scream, do something, anything. While they all suspected Kimberly had been the victim of some form of abuse, hearing the nightmare from beginning to end was gut-wrenching.

The original Pink Ranger spoke in a monotone voice; she shared all the facts: names, dates, places. She did not share how she felt… she did not show any emotion. It was distinctly unnerving, and Kat found herself wishing fervently that she could go back and undo her decision to be the one to listen to this.

But she couldn't; the truth was that she was the only one who Kimberly would have opened up to.

Kim finished; her pretty face glum with her confession.

"Did you kill him?" Kat asked, genuinely curious.

Kim looked to her successor, her eyes pained. "I don't know," she answered truthfully. "When I woke up he was dead; I couldn't see how... I was scared. I ran away," she admitted in a small voice.

"You ran to us, to where you knew we would be," Kat correctly gently.

"I came to see Aisha's parents, to prove him wrong," Kim argued, unwilling to admit the truth of Kat's statement.

"Did you really think you could get that close to Angel Grove, without encountering at least one of us?" Kat countered, a small smile tweaking the corners of her eyes.

Kimberly's dark eyes finally betrayed some of the emotions she had been hiding. She could not answer the question, and that was confirmation enough for Katherine.

Kat rose from her chair and came to sit on the bed. "Truth is, Kimberly... I lied to you."

Jason had waited until the group had assembled in Aisha's house, but now he turned on Kat, his eyes flashing and furious. "What the hell are you playing at, Katherine?" he yelled.

No one rose to defend her. Their eyes were a united wall of anger.

Kat raised her hands; she hated conflict. "Please, Jason, listen to my side of the story."

"Do you hate her that much? Can't you see what she's been through?" Zack snapped.

Kat sneered at his hypocrisy after how he had behaved in the hospital! "Yes, I can see! It's you that doesn't understand."

Aisha stepped forward, palms raised upwards - a peace gesture? "Understand what, Katherine?" Trust Aisha to make the first move towards reconciliation.

Kat tilted her head slightly forward, a sad smile playing along her lips. "Will you please listen to me?" she asked them again.

Aisha huffed, then took a seat on the sofa, pushing away the sleeping bag Tommy had been using. "I'm listening."

Rocky and Adam nodded and moved to sit with Aisha. They knew Katherine, and they knew she wasn't the spiteful woman who had spoken earlier at Kim's hospital bed. Having known Aisha the longest, they also trusted her judgment implicitly. One by one, the Rangers found seats on the lounge chairs and floor.

Kat took a deep breath, and began to explain her reasoning.

"You don't hate me?" Kimberly whispered, daring to look up at Katherine through her lashes.

Kat bit her lip and fought futilely to stop her own tears from falling. "I hated what you did, because I saw how it hurt Tommy, but I never hated you, Kim."

The original Pink Ranger raised her left hand to wipe Kat's tears, her eyes bright with wonder. "Why?"

Kat looked directly into Kim's eyes, attempting to convey the reasons that had yesterday driven her to stand over Kim and tell her she didn't care. "You had every reason to hate me after what I did to you. I very nearly killed you, Kimberly." Kat stopped Kim's protest with an upheld hand. "You forgave me and became my friend, passed your power to me. No matter how upset or angry I was, I could never have hated you. You were one of my first friends. I love you."

Kim closed her eyes and leaned back into her pillows. "And what you said before? About not liking me?"

Kat took Kim's hands in her own. "When you found out about me – that I was Rita's spy – you forgave me, accepted me." She grimaced, "But if you hadn't, Kim… if you had rejected me, looked on me as the filth that I was, then I don't know how I would have gone on living. I don't know if I could have trusted anyone again. When I heard you were back, when I saw you lying here, afraid of your friends... I saw myself. I knew that after your family rejected you, the only person you would be able to tell was the one whose love you weren't risking: the one who hated you."

Kim coughed and winced. She looked at Kat's hands, interlaced with her own, "If I never told them, I could go on hoping… hoping that if they knew, they would still love me. But if I told them and they didn't..." She bit her lip and looked at Kat earnestly, "But I'm not stupid. I knew I had to tell someone, sooner or later. There wasn't anyone better than someone who hated me… who I thought hated me."

"Sorry to disappoint," Kat couldn't help smiling.

Kimberley sighed; Kat gave her hands a squeeze. "You sigh too much," she murmured.

Like someone else I know.

Kimberly smiled briefly and then locked eyes with her confidant, "So what now, Kat? Did you have a plan?" Kimberly cocked her head, "Are you going to tell the others?"

Kat attempted to mask her surprise. Had Kimberly always been this perceptive?

Kim's facade slipped as her lower lip began to tremble, "Please don't tell them," she said quietly, her dark eyes imploring.

Kat frowned and raised a hand instinctively to Kimberly's pale face. "I didn't make any promises regarding what would happen when you told me," she reminded Kim gently. Kat pursed her lips, staring at Kim's forehead, not quite able to make contact with her eyes.

"You need to tell Tommy."

The original pink Ranger drew in a sharp breath and her hands curled to grip the scratchy hospital sheets. "He doesn't want to hear it," she managed to rasp out, giving a few shallow coughs.

I can't deny it.

"No, but he needs to. And you need to tell him," Kat placed both of hands on either side of Kimberly's face and looked her square in the eye. "He deserves to know why you sent that letter."

Forgive me, Kim...

By turning it around, by highlighting Tommy's pain, Kat was starting to get through to Kimberly. Kat held firm as Kimberly started to shake her head and tear up. "Tommy doesn't want to know, but he needs to know, or he'll be trapped like he is forever," she insisted.

Kim stopped her fretting and shot Kat a questioning look. "Trapped-"

Kimberly started coughing, it came from deeper within her chest now; she waved away the offered water and placed her left hand against her ribs for support. Kat noticed that Kim tended to favour her left hand... Kim hadn't been left-handed, had she?

"Trapped like what?" Kim asked again.

Kat bit her lip; she hadn't meant to let that slip out. When Kimberly ceased coughing completely she repeated her question, in a tremulous voice. "Is Tommy unhappy?" she asked.

Kat smiled and shook her head noncommittally, "Just think about it please."

"And the others?"

Kat looked slightly guilty, "I already promised I would tell them what I found out. They'll all be here tomorrow morning, ready to show how much they love you I promise. That's all I can promise you."

Kimberly looked up at Kat through her lashes, and Kat was surprised to see they were dotted with tears. "Kat?" she sighed, settling down into her bed. "You're still here..."

Kat smiled and pulled the covers up to Kimberly's chin, in a peculiarly maternal gesture. She seemed to understand what Kim was alluding to. "The others will be here tomorrow, too. I guarantee it, they're going to know all of what you told me, and trust me," she smiled reassuringly, "I've never loved or cared for you more than right now, knowing all you've been through. We are your true family, Kim."

Kim's eyes were drooping shut, so Kat quietly bid her goodbyes and left.

She walked slowly down the hallway, her face a carefully arranged mask of indifference, but once outside she found a seat, called Jason for a lift and curled up on the bench, wrapping her arms securely around her knees and laying her head on her arms. Jason pulled up and got out, coming to place a hand on her shoulder. Kat looked up into his face, into his eyes - filled with concern for her.

In an uncharacteristic display of emotion, Katherine wailed and collapsed into his arms, weeping. She wept for love lost, Kim's and Tommy's and her own, and for the cruel injustice of the world and the weight of what had been placed upon her

-888-

Inside, Kimberly opened her eyes slightly and peered cautiously around the room. When she was certain Kat was gone, she found a pen and some paper from her hospital drawer and began to write furiously, her left hand scrawling messy lines across the page.

-888-

Katherine Hilliard slowly wound her way around the park up to where she instinctively knew Tommy would be. It was where he came to think, a spot she knew he had shared with Kimberly, but where she had never been welcome.

He was there, his lean body moving slowly and deliberately through the moves of what Katherine identified as Tai-Bo. The sun above the lake had begun its long descent onto the horizon.

"I didn't know you could do that," she spoke clearly, from some distance, giving him the opportunity to turn her away if she was intruding.

Tommy stopped and turned to face her, giving her the first genuine smile she had seen from him since she had arrived back in Angel Grove. "Kat," he greeted.

Kat took note of his short-sleeved shirt and tried to ignore the muscles that rippled under his tanned skin. "You're crazy; aren't you freezing?" she laughed lightly, wrapping her coat around her for emphasis. The storm that had hit the night Kimberly had made her way into town had left the city feeling clear and crisp, but it was still unseasonably cold.

Tommy looked down at his exposed arms with some surprise. "I've been active," he shrugged.

Kat smiled at him, and noted the small changes: slight frown lines around his eyes and a darkness in them. Oh, Tommy.

Suddenly, Tommy threw his arms around her and swept her into a hug. "How are you?" he asked her, seeming reluctant to release her. He looked at her closely and his eyes flickered with concern, "Have you been crying?"

"I just came from the hospital," she spoke softly, wishing she didn't feel compelled to raise this with him.

This may hurt you now, but...

"I was talking with Kimberly."

"I don't want to talk about that."

"Then why are you still here?" Kat asked him softly.

Tommy turned on his heel and stalked off. Kat watched him for a moment and then she was off after him, her long legs matching his stride with ease.

"You need to hear what she has to say, Tommy," Kat insisted, dogging his steps. "It's important. She really didn't mean to-"

Tommy rounded on her, his eyes flashing, "How can you side with her, Kat? I don't want to hear this, and I don't want to hear this from you!"

Kat reached tenderly for his face but Tommy brushed her hands aside.

I'm doing this for you.

"You never recovered," she told him bluntly, watching with regret as a spasm of pain flashed across his face, an automatic response to the truth of her words. Kat's breath hitched in her throat as she urgently spoke to him, "You were never the same after she left. It wasn't just a case of taking time to heal, or the right person to take her place… and you know it."

Tommy shook his head, angry, upset. "What did she say to, to make you say these... things?"

"The truth? She told me the truth, Tommy, and it's horrible, what's she's been through. And she's terrified," Kat steadied herself. It would do no good to get carried away now. "She's holding up well, and she's tougher than she looks, but she's scared Tommy... She needs you."

"She left me."

"Even if that was entirely true..." Kat dared to place her pale hand on his cheek, "Even if it was totally unfair that she needs you now, you need to realise that you need her too, Tommy. You need each other."

Did that even make sense?

Tommy looked at her, and tried to deny it.

"You admit you haven't been the same, that you never got over her," Kat cut him off. "You and Kim shared something that I don't think can be broken."

Kat watched, her heart sinking in her chest as the fight visibly left Tommy: his shoulders drooped and he seemed smaller. Less powerful. He sighed.

"You sigh too much," Kat reminded him, begging him with her eyes to reconsider, but he turned his back on her.

"I'm sorry Katherine," he murmured, "But I can't face her; I can't handle it. She's obviously been through hell, and I just..." He turned to face her, begging her to understand, "Kat, half of what kept me going was the idea that somewhere, somehow, she was happy, with someone. I'm not strong enough to face her like she is."

You are one of the strongest people I know.

"Tommy?" Katherine asked. "Will you promise me one thing?"

Promises, promises, promises.

He looked back towards her, but did not answer.

"Promise me you'll stay in Angel Grove until she's recovered. At least until she's out of hospital."

Tommy sighed. "I never could refuse you anything," he groaned. "I promise."

Katherine Hilliard left. She had not achieved what had she set out to do, but if Tommy remained close by then she could hold out the hope that the two could yet be reconciled. The idea of them continuing on alone made her want to cry again.

Kat didn't want to admit that the idea that they might finally be together, as they should always have been, wrenched at her heart almost as much as the thought of them being apart... but Kat could live with that.

That's the story of unrequited love.

A low beat began strumming; a generic hip-hop ring tone buzzed in her pocket. Kat looked at her phone in surprise. She reluctantly took it out and saw 'Jason Scott' flashing across her screen. "Jason?" she asked.

The voice on the other end of the line was frantic. "Kat, where are you?"

"I'm on my way back. I just needed some time to think," Kat lied. No need to bring Tommy into this. Not yet. "Jason, what's wrong?"

"Kim's missing."

Missing.

"Missing?"

"Did she say anything to you at the hospital?" Jason begged, "Do you have any idea where she could have gone?"

Kat looked backed to where she had left Tommy.

"He deserves to know why you sent that letter ... Tommy doesn't want to know, but he needs to know, or he'll be trapped like he is forever."

"None at all," the lies came easier now. "I don't know why she would have left, or where she would have gone."

As she hung up, Kat knew she had one more message to send.

-888-

Kimberly drew her large coat around her and climbed into the cab she had hailed, her last twenty dollar note clutched in her hand.

"Where to, ma'am?" the cab driver asked.

Kim looked at the cell Aisha had loaned her. The message Kat had sent her was short and to the point.

Tommy is in the park, where he goes to think.

"City Park," Kim told the driver.