Interlude - Kimberly

The move to Reefside was supposed to be a way for her to get back on her feet. Kimberly had not expected to deal with a more impending crisis.

She sat still on a stool beside the bed on which Tommy slept while his body healed from Lokar's attack, resisting the urge to go out there and try hunt down the demon who had hurt the man she had once loved with all her heart.

Though she knew he would be okay, it was painful to see him like this. Kim never liked seeing Tommy in pain, not when he was reeling from the power loss due to that damned green candle and certainly not when she broke up with him. She had been a coward, sending a letter, instead of facing him.

She knew Tommy must have hurt, but she knew if she looked at his eyes, she would never have been able to say the words. She would have melted in those emerald eyes of his, and berated herself for even thinking of breaking up with such a wonderful man.

And that would have saved her from making a big mistake.

Tommy had been her first true love. She had dated people before and after him, but no one loved her as passionately as he did, nor did they know her as well as him.

He had spoiled her, given her everything a partner should have, and every other person fell short when compared to him.

Tommy loved her and she loved him.

They could have been happy.

She dreamt sometimes of what would have happened if they had stayed together. Maybe they would have tied the knot. Maybe they would have had a nice home, a dog and even kids by now.

Kim shook her head. She was too old to indulge in wishful thinking and daydreaming.

While they had remained amiable, she knew Tommy might never forgive her for breaking his heart and he would be well within his right to do so.

She had ruined the possibility of a beautiful life for them because she was an insecure teenager being told by her new friends that high school relationships hardly last. She was flattered by the attention she was getting from other men and her friends' insistent nagging to break up with Tommy and try dating more handsome and charming men got to her head.

Eddie had been a good boyfriend. Being with him felt exhilarating. Getting to know him, going on dates… It was fun and new, especially after spending three years with the same man.

However, Eddie showed his true colours when she won the gold medal in the Pan Globals, and he did not win any, let alone made it to the final round. Instead of supporting her and sharing in her joy, he blamed her for distracting him and cheated on her, ending the relationship on a sour note. That had burned her.

After that, none of her relationships had progressed beyond a few dates.

Tommy had been her true love despite him being her childhood sweetheart and she regretted sending that letter and ruining a good thing, but it was long in the past.

Seeing him again and being attacked by the Goldar knock off brought back old memories.

Maybe there was a reason she was here, in this city, at this time… Maybe this was a second chance?

She looked at Tommy. He still looked handsome as ever. Gone was the boyish charm and the long lustrous hair that made all the girls envious, replaced by short spiky hair and a short goatee, which gave him a manly allure.

Kim rolled her eyes. Why was she even thinking these thoughts? She was getting way ahead of herself. She did not even know if he was single. She knew that his relationship with Kat ended few months after they passed on their turbo powers when Kat returned to Australia for college but after that, she had no idea of what Tommy had been up to. She had refrained from asking Jason or the others, in case they thought she still had something for him, which was obviously true, otherwise she would not have been entertaining these thoughts or maybe it was just a natural response to seeing how Tommy was still so handsome, more so than before.

Kim shook her head. She reckoned there was a line of hormonal teenagers, fellow teachers and single parents vying after him. If she was not wrong and she is never wrong at these kinds of things, Randall definitely was into him and she didn't have a clue what sort of relationship he had with his Hayley woman.

Either way, this was not the time to be thinking these things.

Lokar was still out there somewhere and while the newbie rangers were on it, from the looks of it, Tommy was their mentor and Hayley his tech assistant… It was like the time under Rita's command, Tommy had dismantled Alpha and cut off their connection to Zordon, leaving them with no one to look for guidance.

She was there, but she knew nothing about how she could help them. She had neither the wisdom of a mentor, the technical expertise of an Alpha, nor the powers of a ranger. She felt so useless right now.

"We need you, Tommy." She whispered, taking his hand. "Please wake up."

Hope you liked this short chapter and please review. :)