Author's Note: Originally "Inner Demons" was going to be just a one-shot that examined Tommy's thoughts after the events that occurred in the episodes "King for a Day Part 1 and 2," especially in regards to his scenes with Kat. As I was writing that fic, however, I somehow ended up bringing up Kat's jealousy and insecurities when it comes to Tommy's and Kim's relationship. So, I have decided to write another short fic in which Kat and Tommy discuss Tommy's feelings for Kim versus his feelings for Kat. I have decided to make both of these fics a part of the same overall story because both fics examine Tommy's and Kat's inner demons. This fic takes place after the Turbo Ranger's first battle but before the martial arts tournament that we see at the end of the Power Rangers Turbo movie.

Note: This piece was also inspired by the story "In His Arms" by Vespera. If you haven't read that yet, I recommend that you do. It really resolves a lot of the Tommy/Kat/Kim conflict, and it is a wonderful, insightful read.

Note: Anything in italics are inner thoughts and not spoken out loud.

Kat stood outside the ring near Tanya and Justin, all three of them watching Tommy, Adam, and Jason as they practiced inside the ring for the upcoming martial arts tournament.

As much as Kat liked to watch Tommy in action, she could not help but also have her eyes on another person standing outside the ring, also watching the three young men. This person did not stand far from Kat, Tanya, and Justin.

Kimberly.

Tommy's ex-girlfriend.

Or was she?

Recent events had made it all too clear to Kat that Tommy still held deep feelings for the first Pink Ranger. Tommy had been in a state of barely controlled panic from the moment he first learned that Kimberly had been kidnapped until the moment that she had been rescued.

Tommy had glanced at Kat every now and then, but it had been obvious that his mind had been on Kimberly.

A part of Kat couldn't believe it. Kimberly had broken Tommy's heart when she had sent him that infamous letter, but Tommy had still been willing to sacrifice everything in order to save her. He had even went as far as pulling off his helmet during the middle of a battle, his voice desperate, his head dangerously exposed and vulnerable.

All because of Kimberly.

Tommy had always been there for Kat, but she couldn't help but wonder if Tommy would ever go as far to save her as he had went to save his precious Kimberly.

Kat considered herself a good-natured person who pretty much got along with everyone, definitely not the type of person to be jealous of anyone.

But she was extremely jealous of Kimberly.

Kat knew she couldn't keep this to herself anymore. She desperately needed to speak with Tommy. She desperately needed to know if Tommy loved her or if Tommy saw her as nothing more than just a friend.

Kat needed to know if Tommy loved her more than he loved Kimberly.

Deep in her thoughts, Kat did not notice at first that Tommy, Adam, and Jason had finished their practice and were now climbing out the ring.

Kat did not notice anyone except for Kimberly until Tommy walked over to her and touched her shoulder gently.

"Hey, Kat," Tommy greeted.

Kat jumped slightly before turning her head to look at Tommy. She forced a smile.

"What's wrong, Kat?" Tommy asked in concern.

Out of the corner of her eye, Kat noticed that Tanya was also looking at her in concern.

Kat sighed to herself. Between Tommy and Tanya, it was hard for Kat to keep anything a secret.

They care about you, you idiot. Besides, didn't you want to talk to Tommy about Kimberly?

But how could she? Kat did not like to push Tommy when it came to his heart.

But what about your heart? What's wrong with thinking about yourself just this once?

"I really need to speak with you, Tommy," Kat finally managed to say.

"Okay," Tommy said simply, even though his eyes still looked concerned, with a slight touch of confusion.

"What's going on, Kat?" Tanya asked, walking up to her best friend.

"Nothing much, Tanya," Kat managed to smile, looking at the woman she considered to be not just a very good friend but also a sister. "I just want to speak with Tommy about something. We'll catch up with you and the rest in a little while."

Tanya did not look completely convinced that Kat was fine, but she nodded her head anyways.

"All right," Tanya said. "We're try to keep Rocky entertained until then."

Despite the seriousness of the conversation that she wanted to have with Tommy, Kat could not help but genuinely laugh at Tanya's last statement. Rocky and entertainment always seemed to go together naturally, which was one of the things that Kat really liked about Rocky. It was nice to have a friend who didn't think that he always had to be serious.

It was nice to have a friend who was not afraid to act natural, a friend who didn't feel the need to pretend to be someone that he was not.

Kat had been doing a lot of pretending for way too long. Pretending to be perfect. Pretending that she had no problem with Kimberly being in the same room with Tommy. Pretending that nothing was wrong and that she was perfectly happy.

"We won't be long," Kat promised Tanya.

And hopefully it won't be too awkward when we arrive. Rocky just needs to concentrate on getting better, not on tensions between me and Tommy.

Kat, with Tommy at her side, watched as all the others left. Neither could quite bring themselves to look at the other.

"Would you like to go for a walk in the park?" Tommy finally asked, breaking the awkward silence. "I have always found the park to be a nice place for a good conversation."

"Yeah, that sounds nice," Kat responded in a soft voice.

Will this conversation ruin our friendship?

It might.

But we have to discuss his feelings for Kimberly. I can't keep on living like this, not knowing how Tommy truly feels about me.

Tommy and Kat walked in silence until they had reached the park. Then, Tommy suddenly took Kat's hand. Kat looked at Tommy in surprise.

"What's on your mind, Kat?" Tommy asked, squeezing her hand gently as he looked directly into her eyes with a tender expression.

It has to be something serious. I've never before seen her looking this tense.

Or this heartbroken.

But why would she be looking this heartbroken?

"It's a good thing that Jason is here," Kat said. "He works well with you and Adam. And I know that Rocky feels better knowing that Jason will be there to help you and Adam out in the tournament."

What's wrong with you, Kat? This is Tommy. Even if he doesn't love you, he's a good guy. He's kind, compassion, and understanding. Just speak already.

"Kat," Tommy said patiently, "I know you have something else on your mind beside who's going to be fighting in the tournament. Please, tell me what's wrong. You know you can tell me anything. I have told you things that I would never feel comfortable talking to anyone else about."

"Really?" Kat responded.

"Yes, really," Tommy smiled. "We are, after all, both members of the Former Evil Rangers Club. Talking to you about those days has helped me to feel a lot better about myself."

"Same here," Kat replied.

"See," Tommy said, "we share a lot. There's no need for secrets between us. I have no right to judge you because I have done terrible things as well, things I will always regret. And I know you feel the same way."

Tommy is right. We do share a special bond.

"I need to talk to you about Kimberly," Kat said quickly.

"What about her?" Tommy frowned slightly.

"I know you were worried about her when you saw that Divatox had her."

"Of course I was worried about her. I care about her. The same goes for Jason. I consider them to be my best friends. What are you really getting at, Kat?"

Kat took a deep breath. "Do you love her?"

"What?"

"Do you still love Kimberly?"

It was now Tommy's turn to take a deep breath. "I know it may not make sense, especially considering that letter she sent me, but yes, Kat, I do still love Kim. She was my first love. We went through a lot together."

Kat bowed her head so that Tommy couldn't see the tears starting to form in her eyes. She then yanked her hand away from Tommy's, turned away, and began to walk away.

Well, at least now you know the truth, Kat. Tommy will always be nothing more than a dream.

I wish him and Kim all the best, though. I really do. All I have ever wanted was for Tommy to be happy. And if Kim makes him happy, then I want him to be with her.

Even if it breaks my heart.

Tommy was completely bewildered. He had never before seen Kat act like this. He began to walk after her.

"Kat, stop," he called out to her. "What's wrong?"

Kat stopped in her tracks and spun around to face Tommy. "Isn't it obvious, Tommy?" she cried.

Kat felt exhausted. She didn't have the energy to be angry. She just wanted to be left alone.

Tommy, however, could be very stubborn at times, especially when it came to the well-being of those that he cared about.

"Kat," Tommy said in a pleading voice, "please tell me what's wrong. You're starting to worry me. Please, Kat, tell me what I can do to make it better, to make you better. You have always been there for me whenever I've been low or depressed. This time, let me be there for you."

Kat took a deep breath. "I might as well start from the beginning. While I was under Rita's spell, I obviously targeted Kimberly, a lot."

Tommy nodded his head, waiting for Kat to continue.

"Tommy," Kat continued, "when I stole Kim's Power Coin from her backpack, that wasn't all I stole. I also stole a picture of you and her holding hands and smiling. That picture made me so angry and so jealous because, Tommy, I wanted to be the one holding your hand and giving you a reason to smile as brightly as you were in that picture.

"I hid that picture from Rita and Zedd. Even though I was under Rita's spell, I still didn't want her to know how I felt about you, Tommy. I wasn't exactly like you were. I wasn't completely under Rita's control. There was still a part of my mind that was mine and mine alone. And that part of my mind wanted Kimberly out the way.

"I later tore that picture in half. I kept the half with you, Tommy, but I crumbled the part with Kim and tossed it aside, like trash.

"Tommy, I wanted to be Kimberly."

"Oh," Tommy managed to say, knowing that he sounded stupid.

"Oh?" Kat exasperated. "Is that all you can say?"

"What do you want me to say, Kat? If I try to tell you it wasn't your fault, you would deny that. We went through the same routine with me not that long ago, after Gasket had brainwashed me."

"Didn't you listen to a word I just said, Tommy?" Kat exclaimed. "I still had some free will. I had free will when it came to my jealousy towards Kimberly. Rita had nothing to do with that. It was all me."

Kat began to cry. "I am such an awful person. Everyone thinks that I'm so perfect, but I'm nothing more than a foolish, jealous girl."

Tommy walked over to Kat and hugged her.

Well, hugging is our thing. It has always worked for us in the past. I know it works for me.

"No, Kat," Tommy said, "you are a wonderful person. You have always been there, not just for me but for all of us. You have always cared more about our happiness than your own.

"Maybe you're not perfect, Kat, but none of us are. Okay, so a part of you was jealous of Kim, and that part caused you to target her. But you were there for her when she fell off that balance beam."

"That would not have happened if it hadn't been for me," Kat sobbed.

"We've been through this before, Kat. You almost killed Kim when you were evil. I almost killed Jason when I was the evil Green Ranger. I almost killed you and the others when Gasket brainwashed me. What we did was horrible, yes, but I thought we had decided to work together to deal with all the guilt we feel.

"Let me tell you something, Kat. You're not the only one with jealousy issues. Jason was the one who broke Rita's spell on me, but that didn't stop me from being jealous of him from time to time.

"I had some problems with submitting to authority back then. I still have that problem every now and then. Before I arrived in Angel Grove and met Jason and the others, I was used to being by myself. Jason, on the other hand, was used to being the leader and being in charge. I didn't like him trying to be the leader of me.

"I wanted to be better than Jason.

"Just like you wanted to be better than Kimberly."

Kat looked at Tommy for a moment. "Does this mean we're going to start the Issues with Jealousy Club?" she asked with a weak smile.

"We can if you want to," Tommy smiled back. "My point is, Kat, you have nothing to feel bad about. I understand completely."

Kat looked at Tommy for a moment. "Thank you, Tommy," she finally said. "I feel a lot better now."

"Happy to help," Tommy smiled. "Besides, I know you would do the same for me."

Kat took a deep breath.

"What else is on your mind, Kat?" Tommy asked.

"Tommy, do you love me?"

Tommy looked at Kat with wide-eyes, surprised by the question.

For a moment at least.

"I am such an idiot," Tommy muttered. "This is what you really meant when you were asking whether or not I still loved Kimberly.

"I am so sorry, Kat. There have been times I have taken you for granted. There have been times when I didn't stop to think about your feelings. Especially when it came to Kim. I have been so selfish lately. I am very sorry.

"When I lost my Green Ranger powers for the first time, Kim was there to comfort me. She allowed me to kiss her, and she agreed to be my girlfriend. It was one of the happiest moments of my life.

"I will always love Kim, but she's not you, Kat. What I had with her is different from what I have with you. I was her White Knight, and she was my Pink Princess. It was like a fairy tale. It was so perfect. Too perfect.

"We are not perfect, Kat. We are both damaged souls. But that's why we're so perfect for each other. We understand each other on such a deep and powerful level.

"Kim opened my heart and taught me that it was possible to love someone else and have that person love me back, but you, Kat, you taught me how not to be ashamed of who I really am. With Kim I felt like I always had to be perfect. With Kim I felt like I always had to work at atoning for all I did and said to her while I was under Rita's spell. I know that I don't have to be perfect with you or atone for anything, Kat, because we have both experienced the darker side of life.

"Kat, you are truly an amazing woman, and I love you with all my heart and will all my soul. You make me complete."

"You make me complete, too, Tommy," Kat smiled.

"Ever since Kim's letter," Tommy said, "I have been afraid to open my heart to another. But I'm not afraid anymore. I know that you will take good care of my heart, Kat, and I promise that I will take better care of your heart. I hope that I will never again give you a reason to doubt my feelings for you.

"In fact, Kat, I think it's about time I really show you how much I love you."

To Kat's shock she saw that Tommy's lips were suddenly drifting towards her own. There was a soft, tender look in his eyes filled with hope and promise.

Is he really going to kiss me? I can't believe it. He's really going to kiss me.

He really loves me.

He loves me.

It was amazing when their lips finally met, each holding the other in a passionate embrace.

"What do you think, Kat?" Tommy asked breathlessly when they finally broke apart.

"I think that you love me, Mr. Oliver," Kat laughed seductively, "and I think that I love you as well."

This time it was Kat who initiated the kiss.