"You okay?" Thomas asked as he sat down next to Kimberly at the Juice Bar and watched her stir her milkshake. He had seen her do this more times in the last several months than he'd like to admit, but he had never seen her look like this. Dejected. Defeated. Like someone had told her the absolute worst news.
"Not really," Kimberly whispered as she let out a sigh. She wasn't sure what to tell Thomas, but she found herself continuing without filtering herself. She did that a lot with him. "I was supposed to go with some friends on Spring Break but 'training has to take priority'. And then there's prom…I don't even know if I'll have anyone to go with and I don't want to go alone. I just…I want to be able to do all the normal stuff."
"Soooo…let's do the normal stuff," Thomas said as she stared at him. Was he really offering what she thought he was offering? "I'm stuck here for spring break too."
"But you can't help with prom…" Kimberly trailed off as he let out a sigh. That would be harder and he knew he wanted to take her, but convincing his dad was the difficult bit. He'd barely been able to swing leaving the academy a couple of weekends a month to hang out with her.
"I can ask. I just don't know if my dad will…" Thomas let out a sigh as he saw her face fall and he realized that he couldn't stand her disappointment. "How about I ask first and then we'll see?"
"But if your dad lets you…you want to go with me?" Kimberly asked as he nodded. He didn't understand why no other guy had already asked her. "You'll ask him today?"
"Yeah," Thomas said as he leaned his shoulder against hers and gave her a conspiratorial look. "Now- what can we do this afternoon to cheer you up?"
"I've got to do a run. Want to come with?" Kimberly asked and Thomas nodded. Ernie let him leave a few pairs of workout clothes here after she had started asking him to run with her. He hated having to run back to the Academy, as that normally meant he couldn't leave again. "Is there anything you aren't willing to do?"
"I'd do just about anything to make you happy," Thomas revealed in a whisper as she gave him a quick look, but didn't dig any further. It felt like a monumental shift to her and she wasn't even sure he recognized it. "I'll run change and be right back."
"Penny for your thoughts?" Ernie asked as he walked back over to her as she watched Thomas walk away. "Kimmie?"
"Is he really like this? Or is he just putting on a show?" Kimberly asked as Ernie let out a sigh. This was what had been bothering her, but she didn't know who else she could ask. And she was terrified that Thomas would just lie to her.
"Yeah. You actually haven't even seen the best of him," Ernie said as she looked up at him and he smiled at her. "Did you tell him what happened?"
"A bit. Not all of it. After the mistletoe thing…" Kimberly trailed off as Ernie nodded. He had never asked her what happened, but he had seen a difference in her after that day. "I just…"
"That explains a lot. What does your gut say?" Ernie asked as he leaned across the bar and she looked at him. "Or maybe better- what did he just say?"
"He said he'd do just about anything to make me happy," Kimberly whispered and Ernie smiled at her and just motioned to her at how obvious that should be. "I know, but…"
"He's going to take longer than most guys," Ernie said as Kimberly gave him a confused look and he let out a sigh. "He wouldn't say that unless he meant it. He just…there's expectations on him that most people don't have. It's up to you if you're willing to wait."
"Wait for what?" Thomas asked as he walked up behind her and she quickly jerked around to look at him. He put his hand on the small of her back as he leaned over and stole a sip of her milkshake. "You ready to go?"
"Yup," Kimberly said as she felt a shiver go down her spine. Thomas was good for her, but she didn't know if she could trust her gut on that right now.
"Hey, Thomas. How are things going this month?" Amelia asked as he walked into Mitchell's office for his progress report. They had added these to his schedule every other week and he had never been so glad to have one. Atlantis and Amelia might just be the backup that he needed.
"Still nothing. She's got crazy intuition, but it hasn't been anything more than that," Thomas said as he sat down and he glanced between all of them. "There's this thing though…"
"What's that?" Mitchell asked as he crossed his arms and leaned back in his chair.
"She really wants to go to prom, but there's no one else to go with her," Thomas stated as he locked eyes with his father and he watched Mitchell recoil. He was not going to back away from asking just because his father didn't like the idea of him participating in a normal life. "Can I take her?"
"No way," Mitchell said.
"Oh that sounds like a great idea," Amelia said at the same time and Thomas looked back and forth between the two of them.
"You're not going to waste multiple days of training for some stupid right of passage," Mitchell said as Thomas barely nodded and he looked down at the floor.
"You did the same 'stupid right of passage'," Amelia said as she threw some air quotes up and glared at Mitchell. "And you really had a good time that night."
"Thomas is different. He needs to be here. He needs the additional preparation- he is not capable at the level that is expected for his year," Mitchell argued as Atlantis folded his arms and glared at Mitchell.
"Not what I'm hearing," Atlantis said as Thomas snapped his head up and Atlantis gave him a small smile. Thomas never got positive feedback from the elders, it was always corrections and what more he needed to do. Sometimes Theo would throw him a 'good job', but he had to be careful to do it when no one else was around. "You need a better excuse than him being behind in training- when everyone in this room, including you, knows that he's the top in his class. And he regularly takes all of the current rangers down. He makes David look like he's never fought a day in his life."
"It's fine. I just told her I'd ask," Thomas backtracked as he knew that what had been said was true, but his father was going to make things worse if this conversation continued.
"Three extra sessions a week with the current rangers," Mitchell said and Thomas jerked up to look at him. "For the rest of this term."
"Deal," Thomas said, not even thinking about what that might do to him. He just wanted Kimberly to have this, even if it was something that he would pay for.
"I can't believe you're going to a non Academy event," Jason said as Thomas fiddled with his tux and shook his head at him. He wasn't sure that he believed it either, but no one had come in and grounded him last minute- so he was taking that as a win. "What? How the hell did you get your dad to agree?"
"I didn't. Amelia and Atlantis got him to agree," Thomas said as he let out a sigh. He desperately wanted one his parents here to help calm the nerves, but he knew better than to expect them to be here. He had had to do virtually all of this himself. There was a knock at their dorm door and they exchanged a glance. "I thought Zach, Trini, and Rocky were headed home for the weekend."
"Me too," Jason said as he opened the door and saw Theo and Amelia standing there. "Professor Crestfield?"
"We're here because…yeah…you look nervous," Theo said as Thomas looked over at him and let out a shaky breath. Maybe his parents weren't here, but he could always depend on Theo and Amelia.
"You clean up good," Amelia said as she gave him a hug and he sunk into her. "I brought this too, I thought you might want some pictures."
Thomas looked at the disposable camera and he gave her a small smile. He definitely wanted pictures, but he hadn't had any extra money to get something like this.
"When are you leaving?" Theo asked as Thomas looked up at the clock and then back at him. "That soon?"
"Yeah, in the next ten minutes," Thomas muttered and Theo gave him a hug.
"Be safe. Call us if something happens and you need a ride. I'd rather come get you than…" Theo trailed off as Thomas nodded and they started walking towards the Academy parking lot.
"Wait- let me get a picture of y'all," Jason said as Theo and Amelia exchanged a glance, but Thomas had handed him the camera before they could object. He put an arm around each of them as they smiled at the camera. "Now go and remember- we want to hear everything when you get back."
Kimberly ran her hands over her outfit. and let out a shaky breath. She had been shocked when her dad agreed that she could go to prom with Thomas. It may have helped that she asked him about it with Ernie within earshot and Ernie vouched for Thomas. As much as they had both insisted that they were just friends, she didn't feel this nervous about any of her other friends seeing her dressed up. She wanted him to like the way she looked.
Kimberly stood in front of the mirror and adjusted the black sequined crop top before checking the twirl of her lavender skirt. She gave herself a smile before she continued picking at her cuticles. She was doing everything in her power to not ruin her manicure, but her nerves were getting the best of her.
"He just pulled up," Doug said as Kimberly spun around and he smiled at her. She was everything and nothing like he had expected when he found out he was going to have a daughter. "C'mon, Peanut."
"Daaaaad." Kim made a face as she heard the nickname. She did not want Thomas to hear it, she was not sure that he would ever let her live it down. She threw the door open and Thomas pulled his hand back from knocking. He stared down at her as a smile spread on his face and held out her corsage. He was awkward for a moment before he grabbed her hand and slipped it on her wrist. "Thomas, this is my dad, Doug Hart."
"Mr. Hart, nice to meet you." Doug grabbed his hand and squeezed hard, but Thomas met his gaze and squeezed his hand equally hard. He didn't understand what point Kimberly's dad was trying to make, but he would play this game.
"Let me get a picture." Doug moved away to grab his camera, obviously satisfied with Thomas' handshake. He snapped several pictures before Kimberly motioned to the clock and he let out a sigh. "Be back by 11."
"11:30?" Kimberly tried and Doug looked between the two of them and then nodded. Kim threw her arms around him in an excited hug before she turned back to Thomas and dragged him out of the living room.
"I'll have her back by 11:30!" Thomas called as he jogged to keep up with Kimberly and Doug shook his head. He wasn't sure that Thomas knew what he was getting into with his daughter, but it was obvious that he cared about her. Kimberly's friends had mentioned that there were a few other guys that wanted to ask her to prom, but she was only going to go with one person and they all knew it.
"We've worked really hard on the decorations," Kimberly said as Thomas settled her into the passenger's seat and he nodded. Obviously this was something that she cared about and he had only had a crash course on what to expect at a prom from Robert a week or so ago. "I wasn't so sure about the theme, but we've really managed to make it look a lot like Paris. There's an Eiffel tower, lights everywhere, the teachers got some gold and silver balloons. We were even able to make pathways on and off the dance floor."
"You had a lot of fun, didn't you?" Thomas asked as Kimberly nodded and he smiled over at her. Her excitement was contagious and he was so glad that he had been allowed to take her. He didn't want to think about someone else being with her tonight, it always left a knot in the pit of his stomach when it crossed his mind. "I'm sure it's amazing."
Kimberly had undersold what the gym had transformed into, in his opinion. He would have been no good when it came to decorating a place this way. He felt Kimberly watching him and looked down to see an expectant look on her face. He put his arm around her and smiled as he pulled her closer.
"You did great." Other teenagers poured past them and her hand slipped into his as she pulled him further into the gym. He only had eyes for her and missed the shocked looks of the other teenagers. They had heard that she was friends with an Academy cadet, but they never really believed it until now.
Music started and Thomas gave Kim a confused look. He did not recognize the song and she laughed at the confusion on his face. She placed his hands on her hips and put her arms around his neck as he managed to sway with her.
"What is this?" Thomas asked as he leaned in closer and she adjusted her grip to hold him there.
"How Will I Know- Whitney Houston." Kimberly shook her head as she let go of him and began dancing more freely. Through years of karate, Thomas had picked up on a basic level of body awareness and he found that he could mimic a decent amount of her moves fairly easily. He might not have been truly comfortable, but soon relaxed as she gave him a brilliant smile and he suddenly did not care if he made a fool of himself.
They danced to song after song. Kimberly telling Thomas what many of the songs were and singing along at the top of her lungs to her favorites. Thomas was shocked by her voice at first, but soon found that it was another of his favorite things about her. Kimberly pulled him off the floor as the dance train fell apart after one song and he gave her a confused look.
"I grab drinks, you grab snacks?" Kimberly suggested and he nodded as they separated to go grab a few things.
"Tommy? Trueheart?" a girl asked as Thomas looked over his shoulder and gave her a confused look.
"Thomas." Thomas continued to fill a plate and felt the girl run her hand up his back. He turned around and gave her a confused look. Didn't she realize he was here with someone?
"She's no fun. You can have a lot more fun with me," the girl whispered as she grabbed him and pulled him close. He, gently, removed her hand and took a step away.
"I'm here with who I want to be with, go find some other guy," Thomas said and the girl walked off in a huff. He looked up to see one of the teachers give him a thumbs up and then finished loading up the plate.
"Tradesies?" Kimberly asked as she held up a glass of punch and he took it as she started to eat off the plate. He took a sip of the punch, paused, and then took another sip. That was not normal punch.
"How much did you drink?" Thomas asked as Kimberly bopped around as she held up 2 fingers and he took the third glass from her and she pouted. "Hon, it's spiked."
"What? No." Kimberly slightly slurred and she stared up at him. "Oh no."
"Eat, drink some water. You'll be fine." Thomas placed a bottle of water in her hand before he went and dumped the drinks in a trash can. She gave him a grateful smile as she chugged part of the water and then offered him the rest. He took a couple of gulps before she grabbed his hand and pulled him over to sit in the bleachers.
"Are you having fun?" Kimberly bounced in front of him before he pulled her into his lap as he nodded. There was virtually no place to sit and he knew that her feet had to be hurting. In his lap, she was just his height and he caught himself staring at her lips. Luckily, she was chattering away with one of her friends and didn't catch him. He was pretty sure that if she did, he would not be able to turn away from kissing her and he knew that he needed to at least try to keep his promise to Theo. "What ya thinking?"
"Thank you for coming with me," Thomas whispered as the song changed and she gave a melancholy look towards the dance floor. "What's wrong?"
"Nothing," Kimberly lied as he watched her and then moved forward a bit so that she would stand up. He grabbed her hand and led her out to the dance floor. Sure this was a slow song, but he did not care- he wanted her to have the best night of her life. "Always Be My Baby- Mariah Carey."
"Thank you," Thomas whispered in her ear and she rested her head on his chest. He smiled at the feel of her and tried to control his hormones, but he couldn't. He moved his hips back slightly, but she moved in closer to him. He glanced down at her again and saw her looking up at him. There was something in her eyes that he couldn't place, but he knew. He knew then that this was the one woman that he would do anything for.
AN: It's a holiday weekend here in the U.S.- sooooooo- it's time to for another twofer weekend. All of my stories will get two chapters this weekend.
AN2: Also- thank you to Izzy Evans for much of the 90s inspo that wound up in this chapter!