"You want another glass?" Tommy asked as they landed in the backyard and then both de-morphed. She nodded and he walked back inside where he grabbed the bottle and poured each of them a glass. They both went back to their chairs and stared across the lawn. Neither of them had expected the night to turn out this way. "Why did you take the gem?"
"I know how hard it is for someone to get powers second hand. If these chose me, they should be mine," Kim said as she let out a shaky breath and was surprised when Tommy reached over and took her hand. She glanced over at him and saw that he was just staring ahead. He wanted her back here, but he didn't necessarily want for it to be this way. "How do I tell him?"
"What part?" Tommy asked as he ran his thumb in slow circles over the back of her hand. He felt her hand tremble and he dropped it before turning towards her. "Kim."
"All of it. That you're his dad. That we're going to move across the country. That you…we…we're both Power Rangers," Kim whispered as she started to hyperventilate and he put down his glass before kneeling down between her legs and gently holding her face as she locked eyes with him. The calm hit her as soon as she grabbed his arms, but the tears still fell. "Thank you, Tommy."
"Why don't we figure this out tomorrow morning? We're both exhausted and this is a lot," Tommy said as she nodded but didn't move to get up. "Kim?"
"I'm going to have nightmares tonight…can I…can you…" Kim trailed off as Tommy just nodded. He knew what it was like to have nightmares haunt him and he knew all the times that they had comforted each other about those dreams. He was more than willing to do that again tonight. "Thank you."
"Why don't you go on up? Second door on the right," Tommy said as he pulled her to her feet and she wrapped her arms around him. He took in another calming breath, which was a mistake as he also deeply inhaled her scent. Notes of vanilla hit his nose and then the underlying scent that was just Kimberly. He realized that she had buried her face in his chest and was also taking in deep breaths. "Kim…"
"I know, I'll go. Don't take too long," Kim said as she took a step back and he smiled down at her and just nodded. He watched her jog up the stairs and he desperately tried to calm his body down. He was always a live wire after he morphed, but even more so now that she was nearby again. As teenagers it had probably helped drive them together faster than other couples, but he hated to admit that Katherine hadn't been the same.
"Did we see teleportation tracks?" Jason asked as he walked out onto the deck and Tommy ignored him as he continued to try to find calm. He needed to get some calm before he went and laid down with her. He had not idea what he wanted with her, but he knew he needed to figure out if it was more complex than just 'her'. "Shit man, did she get pulled in?"
"Yeah," Tommy said, letting Jason think that was what he was trying to calm down about, but when he looked back over at Jason he gave him a knowing look. "Don't. Neither of us is holding up well being this close."
"So go have a good night- the both of you deserve it," Jason said as Tommy looked over at him and Jason looked away. "She's it for you and you're it for her."
"Let her say that to me and maybe I'll believe it," Tommy dropped the glasses in the sink and then went up the stairs. Jason listened as he heard Tommy go to his guest room and then realized what he had heard before. Kimberly had gone to the same room. After everything Tommy had just said, he did not expect that.
Kim jerked in her sleep as the nightmare overtook her. She pushed against the arms that held her still and let out a scream. She felt someone shaking her shoulder, but didn't immediately rouse. She slowly came to and was met with Tommy's chocolate eyes which were full of concern. She heard the door slam open and looked over to see Ollie and Jason standing there. However that was not what she could focus on, she could only focus on Tommy's warmth. She was terrified and she felt Tommy's calm wash over her.
"You're okay, you're okay," Tommy whispered as she clutched to him and he rocked her back and forth. He had always had these kinds of nightmares, but he had forgotten how brutal they were for Kimberly. "I've got you."
"Mom? Why are you in here?" Ollie asked and Tommy glanced over to see Jason and Ollie staring at them. Jason could see why they had decided to spend the night together, but this was going to be harder to explain to Ollie. He had only met Tommy the day before and knew nothing about him.
"Get him out of here," Kim whispered up at Tommy and he looked over at Jason and nodded for them to go. Jason shook his head, but pulled Ollie away from the door and closed it behind him. "It was Zedd and he…he…"
"He's long gone," Tommy said as she just nodded against him and he leaned down until she locked eyes with him. She leaned forward and kissed him, pulling him past the control he had been exercising. He knew what she was hoping to get from him and he wouldn't deny her. If he had had this option over the years he would have taken it as well. The door crashed open again and they jumped apart as Ollie sprayed the both of them with a super soaker. "Jason!"
"His idea, not mine," Jason said as they both dove out of the bed and Kim pulled her t-shirt away from her body as she glared at the both of them. She had slipped into one of Tommy's undershirts hoping it would stave off the nightmares and apparently between him and his shirt it had held off most of the night. "It's 7am by the way- so we're going to have to go to the dojo in about thirty minutes."
"Out!" Kim yelled as Ollie and Jason both froze and she pointed towards the door. "Out!"
"Kim…" Jason started as he realized how mad she really was. Tommy was taking this far better, but he also knew that the screams he heard had to do with her being terrified, not turned on. Kim was worried about what Ollie was going to take from this. "Okay- we're going."
"No. Why were you kissing him?" Ollie asked and Kim let out a frustrated growl and Tommy walked over to stand in front of her as he realized how sheer her shirt had gone. Her face was bright red and he knew it was from a mix of emotions. "Mom."
"Ollie- we'll explain when we come down for breakfast, just let us get on some dry clothes," Tommy tried to pacify as he felt a kick to his leg and was grateful when he realized that Jason had picked the boy up and hauled him from the room. They both stood there for a few moments taking in heaving breaths before Tommy leaned down and gave her a quick kiss. "You want a dry shirt so you can go get your stuff?"
"Not really, but the option that I want is not going to happen," Kim muttered as she looked him up and down and realized that Tommy had to be having similar frustrations. "We're going to have to figure this out too."
"Yeah. Or we're going to have to stay far away from each other," Tommy said as he adjusted himself while giving her a lust filled gaze. The look he got back clearly said she was not going to be able to stay away from him either. "How did we stay away from each other for ten years?"
"Stupidity mostly," Kim said as she pulled him down for a kiss and he backed up against the door to prevent anyone else from stopping them before they wanted to. She pulled away and took in several breaths to calm herself down. He stared down at her as he tried to even out his breaths as well. "I'm going to need more than five minutes with you."
"Same." Tommy tossed her one of his t-shirts and she then slipped out of the room to go to the guest room she was supposed to share with Ollie. He walked over to the bathroom and turned the shower on the coldest water he could tolerate. The last time he had taken a cold shower had been when she had left after Divatox and he really hoped he didn't have to go back to cold showers again.
"How do you know Tommy?" Ollie asked as Kim walked into the kitchen and saw Tommy sitting at one end of the table with Ollie at the other. Tommy got up and made Kim a cup of coffee. If she felt even a quarter of how he felt, she was going to need it to get through this day. "Mom."
"Here you go," Tommy said as she took the coffee from him and she was surprised that he had fixed it how she liked it. She gave him an odd look and he just glanced at his own coffee. Apparently, they liked their coffee the same way. "We should get this over with."
"Get what over with?" Ollie asked as he stood up and wedged himself between the two of them, pushing Tommy back. Tommy recognized that the boy saw him as a threat and he wasn't wrong, but it was a threat that his mother welcomed and wanted.
"Thomas." Ollie looked up at her and saw the concern in her eyes, but also a tinge of anger. "He's done nothing to you."
"He was doing something to you and you screamed," Ollie said as Tommy bit his lip and tried desperately not to laugh. Although Kim had been having a nightmare, Tommy was well aware of where they were headed and the comfort she had been seeking.
"I had a nightmare," Kim said as she locked eyes with Tommy and gave him a look that clearly said to get it together or leave. "Tommy is a friend of mine, from a long time ago and he knows how to help with my nightmares."
"And that means he has to kiss you?" Ollie wrinkled his nose as he stared up at his mom and then gave Tommy a disgusted look. Tommy burst out laughing as Kim gaped at the both of them. This had to be some circle of hell. She felt the blush creeping up her cheeks and Tommy settled as he saw her embarrassment.
"Tommy's not just…he wasn't just a friend," Kim forced out as Ollie stilled and looked between the two of them. He squinted his eyes as he took a good look at Tommy and then he shook his head. "Ollie, this is your dad."
"No way. He still likes you? Did he even know about me?" Ollie asked as Kim let out a long breath and she shook her head. She watched as Ollie turned his glare from Tommy to her and she met him head on. This was the part of his personality that he got from her, not from Tommy. "He didn't know about me!"
"Thomas, that was my choice and it wasn't a great choice. When I found out I was going to have you- I asked some people for advice that I should have never asked for advice. And I didn't know how to tell Tommy until now." Kim felt a hand rubbing her back and looked over to see that Tommy had moved to her side, but Ollie was still glaring at her. He was not likely to let this go any time soon.
"I know now and we're going to figure out how to do this parenting thing together," Tommy said as he crouched down and Ollie gave him a hard look. He could tell that the boy was evaluating if he could trust him, if he should trust him. He felt that the kick had been something he'd done in the past to keep men away from Kim, but that wasn't going to work on him. "And maybe we'll figure out the together thing as well."
"I hate you!" Ollie yelled at Kim as he ran off and Tommy looked up to see Kim was holding it together, but barely. Tommy saw Jason walk off after Ollie and he glanced between Kim and where he had run off to.
"Go. Maybe he'll talk to you. It's going to take him awhile to even be willing to talk to me," Kim said as Tommy gave her a quick hug and then followed Jason and Ollie. Kim looked over to see Trini standing at the foot of the stairs with her daughter and she set down the toddler who sprinted over to Kimberly. "Trini…"
"He'll come around, it's just a shock," Trini said as Kim shook her head. She was glad that Trini thought that, but she was not sure that her son would actually come around without a lot of help from Tommy and that wasn't something she could ask him to do. She was the one that had got them in this mess.